---

“*

“Ugh!”

Wendy’s small punch was blocked by Blanshe.

“Don’t be scared. Even if Wendy hits me with all her strength, I won’t get hurt.”

“Y-yes!”

Wendy replied energetically.

The place they were at was a dojo set up within the grounds of the Ruelberta Mansion.

This place, where Wendy and Blanshe were having their martial arts class, was quite large for just the two of them.

The fact that such a facility could be placed within the vast grounds of the mansion made one realize just how wealthy the Ruelberta family was.

Blanshe, who had been blocking Wendy’s punches one by one, opened her mouth.

“Your punches have gotten quite sharp. It seems like the results of building up your stamina are showing.”

“R-really?”

“Yes. Though it’s still too early to face a bear.”

“Y-yes…… Huh??”

“Don’t worry. If you follow my guidance well, Wendy, you’ll be able to easily take down a red bear.”

“W-what?! I have to fight a red bear?!”

Back in her hometown, Wendy had heard of the infamous red bear.

A ferocious beast that lived deep in the forest.

It was said to be 3-5 meters tall and weigh over 500 kg.

There were even stories of villagers who had gone into the forest and never returned after being eaten by a red bear.

And now, she was being told to face such a monster?

Blanshe nodded at Wendy, who had turned pale.

“It’s just big. It’s an opponent you can face at least once. It will surely be a good experience for you.”

“B-but it’s impossible for me to face such a monster with my strength…!”

“Fighting isn’t just about strength.”

“If I lose, I-I’ll die…!”

“If you lose gently, you won’t die.”

“Huh?!”

Blanshe gently held Wendy’s shoulders and spoke.

“Wendy, you’re too scared. Even if you face a red bear, you can survive if you don’t get scared.”

“I-isn’t it normal to be scared…?”

“Wendy, you’re underestimating your abilities too much.”

“Ugh… I’d rather underestimate myself in front of such a monster…”

“*chuckle*…”

“…?”

Due to the significant height difference, Wendy had to look up at Blanshe.

Blanshe, who usually maintained a stoic demeanor, was visibly trying hard to hold back her laughter.

But it was only for a moment, as Blanshe soon returned to her usual expression.

“…I’m sorry. I accidentally showed an unsightly side of myself…”

“Blanshe-sensei, why don’t you laugh…?”

“Huh…?”

As Blanshe tilted her head in confusion, Wendy hurriedly responded.

“Ah…! W-well… I-I just think you’d look even prettier if you smiled… T-that’s just my opinion though…”

“…You think I’m pretty?”

“Yes! Haven’t you heard that from others…?”

“Hmm… Bella did say something like that once…”

Blanshe brought her hand to her face.

She didn’t think her appearance was strange.

Bella always told Blanshe that her pretty looks were wasted, but Blanshe knew that was just Bella’s kind heart speaking.

Whenever Blanshe went out with Bella, many people would glance at them.

And most of those glances were directed at Bella, with people quickly looking away as soon as they made eye contact with Blanshe.

As these experiences piled up, Blanshe came to a conclusion.

They must have been avoiding her face.

“Wendy… you’re very kind.”

“Huh…?”

Blanshe smiled softly and patted Wendy’s head.

“Thank you for saying that…”

Blanshe wasn’t as pretty as Bella.

Nor was she as cute as Wendy.

She didn’t have any charm or appeal.

If she had to compare herself to Bella or Wendy, the only thing she could be confident about was her athletic physique.

Her well-trained body boasted a balanced beauty, like a sculpture.

It was her only source of pride.

And there was one man who recognized the value of her body.

-“You’re good for your body, so repay me with your body.”

Remembering that incident, Blanshe felt an itch she couldn’t scratch.

Even though it was a misunderstanding, she felt like crawling into a hole after recalling the vulgar thoughts she had upon hearing the Count’s words.

‘Ugh… what a shameless man…’

Blanshe had prepared herself to endure any insult.

She believed she wouldn’t break even if the Count humiliated her in every way.

She even planned to repay the man with the same humiliation she had endured.

But Tristan didn’t do that.

He didn’t resort to dirty tricks, nor did he seek revenge for the deep wounds she had inflicted.

That was completely unlike him.

Blanshe couldn’t help but think of one possibility.

‘Maybe… Tristan has really changed…?’

She didn’t know what had caused it.

But the atmosphere around him had been changing recently.

Bella, whom Blanshe served, had changed so much that she even went to school to meet Tristan, whom she used to dislike so much.

And this girl in front of her had also become more talkative and even made adorable expressions compared to when they first met.

Even someone as oblivious as Blanshe could tell.

This wasn’t the face of someone serving a trashy man.

It was the face of someone who had found happiness.

And wasn’t all of this because Tristan had changed?

Such thoughts crossed her mind, but Blanshe shook her head.

The man in question was Tristan Ruelberta, a genius of evil deeds.

Moreover, Tristan had killed Blanshe once.

Back then, as she was shot and sank into the cold sea, she had vowed.

She would never forgive Tristan.

She would definitely kill him with her own hands.

But… Blanshe knew her resolve wavered every time she met Tristan.

Blanshe could only sigh inwardly.

If he had been the shameless man she thought he was…

It would have been easier not to forgive him…

At that moment, Wendy’s cautious voice was heard.

“Sensei…? Are you okay…?”

“Ah… I’m sorry. I had a slight headache.”

“T-then, how about we stop for today…? I think it’d be good for you to go home early and rest…”

Wendy asked worriedly.

To reassure her, Blanshe slapped her cheeks with both palms to psych herself up.

It seemed to bring her back to her senses.

“I’m fine. We still have time, so let’s spar.”

“Eek?! S-spar…?”

Wendy, perhaps recalling a bad memory, asked while trembling in fear.

Realizing her mistake, Blanshe scratched her head and apologized.

“Ah, I’m sorry for not controlling my strength well last time… I’ll make sure to control it properly today, so don’t worry.”

“Ugh… Blanshe-sensei is too strong…”

“If you work hard, Wendy, you can become like me.”

“T-that’s impossible… Sensei is already beyond human level…”

Ignoring Wendy’s whining, Blanshe stretched her body.

“Use all the techniques you’ve learned so far to attack me.”

“Y-yes…”

“Don’t think half-hearted attacks will work. Attack me as if you’re facing a red bear.”

“A red bear? B-but…”

“Don’t worry, Wendy.”

Blanshe’s eyes flashed as she took her stance.

“I’m much stronger than a red bear.”

*

While Wendy was training with Blanshe,

I was also undergoing intense training in the study.

“Phew…”

It might seem strange to train in a study filled with books, but this training could be done with just books.

“Phew…”

I was doing squats while holding a stack of books.

However, these weren’t ordinary books.

A while ago, I decided to further apply the technique of altering the trajectory of bullets using magic.

Using Moon Magic, I absorbed the surrounding magical power and infused it into the books.

Then, just like changing the trajectory of bullets, I made all the books face the ground.

As a result, the books became extremely heavy.

“Phew…”

It felt like gravity had doubled.

I used the books as weights for my squats.

The more magical power I released, the heavier the books became, and my hands holding them began to tremble.

My body was soon drenched in sweat.

The floor became damp from the sweat, but I didn’t care.

After squats, I used magic manipulation to turn the books into dumbbells or barbells for exercise.

In fact, controlling magical power with Moon Magic was much more exhausting than the exercise itself.

Maintaining the books like weights while creating additional weight was so tiring that I couldn’t do it without full concentration.

But I repeated it without rest.

Even when I reached my limit, I tried to endure without using ‘Patience.’

To truly become stronger, I had to swallow my limits, not just endure them.

I swallowed my limits over and over as I lifted and put down the books.

After repeating this for a while and losing sensation in my arms, I put down the books to take a short break.

“Phew…… Huh?”

As I caught my breath and looked out the window, I noticed something.

Riders on horses were approaching the mansion from a distance.

As they got closer, I could see the flag the leader was holding.

It bore a familiar gray lion emblem.

Finally… it’s time to meet.

I wiped my sweat with a towel and hurriedly prepared to go out.

*Knock knock!*

At that moment, a servant urgently knocked and informed me of something I already knew.

“Count. The troops we sent out have returned.”

 

---