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The training grounds deep within the Imperial Palace.

Only members of the Imperial Family or ministers who have received direct permission from the Emperor can enter this training area created in the heart of the Imperial Palace, and inside, two members of the royal family are running around in perfect unison.

As a place exclusively designed for royals, it was not unexpected to see them training here. However, among them was one individual who seemed completely out of place.

Orcus Estellia.

As the Empire’s First Prince and the next Crown Prince, he was running around the training grounds with a pained expression, accompanied by his younger sister, Noel. It was clear he was struggling, especially since he had not trained in a while, but why was he even running here in the first place?

Unless he aimed to become a knight like Noel, he was already an outstanding magician.

While it’s not that a magician doesn’t need to train their physical strength, it’s certainly not seen as essential. Orcus, who usually spent his time in his room studying and practicing magic, was now running outside—a starkly different image.

“Haah!… Haah!…”

“How can you already be out of breath? Ah! And you were just about to unleash your Divine Power, weren’t you? You can’t do that! Your body needs to get used to it first! Let’s run two more laps, and then focus on lower body training, brother.”

“C-Can I take a little break…”

“By saying that, you’re just giving me a reason to punch you instead, aren’t you?”

“Ow!!”

At Noel’s words, Orcus, who had just looked like he was ready to collapse, suddenly picked up speed. Acknowledging his shortcomings didn’t mean he had to relinquish his pride. Noel’s words were just the motivation he needed.

After all, this training started at Orcus’s request, so he had no right to complain no matter what Noel said. With no outlet for his feelings other than his annoyance at her taunts, he dragged his trembling legs around the training grounds.

Though he wanted nothing more than to quit right there, Noel’s provocation kept him going. Fueled by her teasing, Orcus finally managed to run back and forth in the training grounds until he reached the number Noel had set.

As soon as he crossed the finish line, he collapsed to the ground, but a sense of achievement brought a smile to his face. Of course, it didn’t help him withstand the breath he had forced himself to take.

“UHAHAHA!!… Kugh! Cough!!”

“Wow!! You completed 100 laps in the training grounds! You did it, brother!!!”

While it may seem a modest feat to be called a superhuman, it was still a significant accomplishment for Orcus, who had completed the laps without utilizing any powers or abilities, since strengthening oneself as a superhuman is typically done through mana or other energies.

“Hehe… that was tough…”

Orcus couldn’t retort to Noel’s comment, still grasping on to the struggle, but there was clearly a smile on his lips indicating his success.

Initially, he had just run for the sake of his pride, thinking he could stop anytime, but after feeling this sense of accomplishment, Orcus began to think it wasn’t so bad after all. He never expected he could complete it without drawing on his magic or Divine Power.

If he continued training like this, maybe he wouldn’t embarrass himself in front of others like he did in the past.

“Alright! Let’s move on to the next exercise!!!”

“Th-That might be a bit too much…”

Though it was indeed pushing it to follow Noel’s lead on training right away.

Seeing Orcus unable to budge from his spot, Noel didn’t press him any further. Instead, she sat beside him, crossed her legs, and began speaking in a gentle voice.

“Brother. You’re completely exhausted, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. So, can we please take a break before jumping into the next training? I’ll recover quickly, I promise.”

“Let go of the Divine Power for now and try closing your eyes for a moment?”

“Eyes?”

“Hurry up.”

At Noel’s insistence, Orcus closed his eyes. After all, there was no reason not to comply when she wasn’t immediately asking him to get up and run again. Once he had his eyes closed, Noel continued to speak.

“Don’t move any mana, Divine Power, or energy. Just feel what it’s like to be completely drained. You have sensitive senses, so you should be able to feel how your body moves.”

It was a somewhat puzzling request, but Orcus followed Noel’s instructions right away.

Even though it was still difficult to focus because he was short of breath, Noel didn’t impose a time limit, allowing Orcus to take a few calming breaths before reaching a comfortable state to observe his body.

Observing his body in this way was something he was used to as a magician when breathing mana, but this time it felt different. It wasn’t about controlling the energy to fill his body; it was about simply observing his natural breathing, making it take longer for Orcus to feel it without any energy to sense.

But once he got the hang of it, expanding this awareness wasn’t difficult for him.

Breathing, heartbeat, the movement of blood.

His sensitive senses, worthy of being called superhuman, began to pick up every little movement that made his body shift. While an overwhelming amount of information might have caused confusion, Orcus’s face remained unchanged. After all, he wasn’t an ordinary person.

As Orcus began to realize what he was feeling, Noel, who had been quiet, finally spoke again.

“What I’m going to teach you now is how to breathe. It’s not just about gulping down air. You have to breathe in a way that suits your body. In fact, you probably already know how to do this. You were running around so diligently.”

“….”

Orcus didn’t say anything.

He simply kept repeating the act of inhaling and exhaling. He seemed to be figuring out the rhythm of breathing that suited him without needing Noel’s guidance.

After a brief moment, Orcus opened his eyes again.

Noel was looking at him with her usual bright smile, not saying a word as before. Orcus then said to Noel.

“I’ll just go run a few more laps.”

*

“So, Orcus is working so hard in the training grounds right now?”

“Yes! It seems like he’s really got the hang of it. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before he picks up a sword.”

“Well… that guy does have this knack for diving headfirst into things when he thinks he’s capable. I found it odd when I saw him running the training grounds, thinking about last time… is it because of that incident?”

“Yeah, right? Even though it was just Elena, he gave up too quickly back then. If he acts the same during the Sacred Festival, the Emperor will have a fit.”

Orcus running in the training grounds seemed entranced by something, yet he looked more competent than before. It was reminiscent of when he was obsessed with archery. Even when I arrived, Orcus seemed oblivious to my presence.

Perhaps focusing on his breathing required so much concentration that he had no leisure to pay attention to other things.

After returning from Ruden in the south, he has continued practicing archery, so it’s likely that his endurance training will follow a similar path. Well, endurance training is beneficial for anyone, so that’s a positive influence, as long as he doesn’t overdo it.

It seems today is pushing him too far, so maybe I should come back another time.

As I pondered this, Noel turned to me.

“By the way, what business does Damian have with Orcus? Ah! Is it something I’m not supposed to hear?”

“No. It’s nothing other than this.”

“Gloves? What’s that about?”

“They may look ordinary from the outside, but take a look closely.”

I handed the gloves to Noel, then reached out to them just as Elteman had shown me. The gloves immediately flew to me and fitted onto my hands, transforming from their bland appearance into a slightly altered dark hue.

This transformation had started after Elena touched them; it must be one of the new functions. Regardless, given that Noel was rather youthful in demeanor, her reaction was no different from mine when I first saw the gloves.

“Wow!!! What was that??? Just now??? Is it some kind of magic item? I want to try it too!!!”

“Um… It’s currently bonded to me, so that might be impossible.”

“Eh….”

“Well, you might get one of your own soon enough.”

“Really?!”

“If Orcus and I can negotiate well?”

“Brother!!! Stop running and come over here quickly!!!!”

 

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