I taunted Arthur, trying to get him to stand up, but his body just wouldn’t respond. His arms trembled as they supported his weight on the ground, clearly too exhausted to move.
I turned to Faybi for help, but she shook her head.
“If you push him any harder, it’ll be too much for his body.”
Hmm. Really? That’s strange. When I was training with the Alrn family, I endured much tougher sessions.
Fossel didn’t care about the limits of my body. There were times I collapsed after intense training only to wake up in bed, unsure of how I’d even gotten there.
Compared to that, this seems like nothing.
<Young girl, as I always tell you, don’t use yourself as a standard for others.>
‘Really? But this seems doable for most people.’
It’s not like I started off any better. I just restored my crippled body with a potion and then trained relentlessly.
Sure, I planned my build carefully, but the process was just effort, more effort, and even more effort.
If I could survive this much after falling from the modern world into a fantasy setting, shouldn’t Arthur, who’s a certified genius at Soul Academy, be able to handle even more?
He’s got a better starting point than I did, after all.
<I have trained many talented knights in my time, and I can tell you this: You are an outlier.>
‘I see.’
If even the old man is saying this and Faybi, the healing expert, agrees, I guess it's best to let Arthur rest.
‘Take a break, Arthur.’
“I guess there’s no choice. Poor Prince, your stamina is pathetic. Go ahead and rest like the weakling you are.”
“...Lucyiii!”
Arthur raised his voice, frustrated by my Mesugaki taunts, but I wasn’t intimidated in the least.
Watching him shake with exhaustion while yelling from the floor? It was just funny. I had to look away before I burst out laughing.
Glancing around, I saw that no one else was in any better shape.
Frey looked completely worn out after our sparring sessions. Joy was squeezing every last drop of mana she had left in her training. Even Faybi, who had been healing Arthur, was nearly drained of her holy power.
It made sense. We’d been training since early morning, and almost eight hours had passed. Everyone was exhausted.
Personally, I wanted to keep going, but I had just been reminded not to hold others to my own standards. Hmm...
‘Everyone!...’
"You weaklings! We’re done for the day!"
When I raised my voice, all eyes turned to me.
Their expressions were filled with confusion.
What? I’m telling them to rest. Isn’t that a good thing? Why do they look so surprised instead of relieved?
In the silence that followed, Frey moved first. She walked up to me, placing a hand on my forehead before tilting her head in confusion.
“No fever?”
‘I’m fine, thank you.’
"Dumb swordswoman. Does it look like I’m sick to you?"
“But if you’re not sick, why would you tell us to rest?”
Frey’s blunt response caused everyone to nod in agreement. Even Arthur, sprawled on the ground, seemed to agree.
...Wow. I guess I know what kind of reputation I have with them now.
Alright, if that’s what they expect from me, I guess I have no choice but to live up to it.
I’ll have Frey continue sparring with me, and since Joy’s out of mana, she and Arthur can focus on stamina training...
“Actually, that reminds me. There’s somewhere I’ve been wanting to go together.”
Before I could fully form my plan to push everyone until they begged for mercy, Joy’s sudden suggestion changed the atmosphere.
“Where, exactly?”
“An amazing bakery.”
Then Faybi chimed in enthusiastically.
“Ooh, dessert. That sounds delicious.”
Even Frey, who had slipped away from me earlier, joined them, murmuring with a lifeless tone.
“Sure, I’ll come.”
Finally, Arthur, wobbling to his feet, put the finishing touch on the conversation.
“Alright. I’ll pay.”
And just like that, the four of them looked at me, waiting.
Are they really expecting me to push them to train more after this? Come on, that would just make me the bad guy!
I was the one who suggested taking a break in the first place!
Ugh, this is frustrating. Should I just ignore the bakery and push them harder?
It wouldn’t be that hard to shut down the conversation and force them to keep training.
But...
No, I can’t.
I mean, this is a chance to hang out with characters from Soul Academy—the game I loved so much, I became a total pro at it.
How could I pass that up?
‘Alright, let’s go to the bakery.’
"Airhead noble, if the bread is as dumb as you are, I’ll make you pay for it."
“Hehe, I’ll stake the honor of the Patrane family on it.”
Just as Joy had boasted, the bakery she led us to was a familiar place to me.
It was the same spot I used to visit on weekends in Soul Academy, where I’d occasionally bump into the clumsily disguised airheaded noble.
In other words, this was Joy’s favorite bakery.
Wow. I had thought about coming here with her someday, but I never expected she’d invite me first!
It’s a shame it’s not just the two of us, but the lively atmosphere is nice too.
More importantly, this is a place I can come back to with Joy later!
While I excitedly scanned the shop, a server brought us a selection of bread. We hadn’t even ordered, so I figured this was what Joy usually got here.
The bread was fresh, still steaming from the oven. Arthur was the first to grab one of the croissants.
Just looking at the golden brown crust, I could tell it was well-made.
When Arthur took a bite, the crispy sound of the crust breaking filled the air.
With a neutral expression, he swallowed and nodded lightly, a small smile appearing on his face.
“It’s pretty good.”
“Pretty?”
“...I mean, it’s incredibly delicious.”
“Right?”
As they bantered, I reached for a croissant of my own.
Seeing Arthur enjoy it so much made it look even more appetizing.
I’ve had countless gourmet foods as the daughter of a duke, so how would the bread from the bakery that Joy always praised stack up?
I took a bite of the croissant with eager anticipation and my eyes widened in surprise.
I expected the crust to be crispy, but what I didn’t expect was the softness of the inside.
The bread melted in my mouth, the rich taste of butter filling every corner of it.
A subtle sweetness, a pleasant nuttiness, and just a hint of salt.
It was perfect.
Wow. I’m sure of it—this is the best bread I’ve ever tasted in my life.
As I went to take another bite, I suddenly noticed my hand was empty.
Wait. Where did my croissant go?
It was just here a second ago!
“Lady Alrn, how was it? Did you enjoy it?”
Had she been watching me devour the bread?
Joy was looking at me with a pleased smile.
Ugh, it’s annoying seeing her so smug, but I have to admit...
‘It was incredible!’
“Hehe, well, for a place the airheaded noble recommended, it wasn’t bad.”
“Right?”
I expected Joy to snap back at my snarky comment, but instead, she just smiled.
What’s going on? I thought she’d react the same way Arthur did.
“Why are you being so soft on Lucy Alrn?”
Even Arthur seemed confused, grumbling as he looked at Joy.
Joy straightened up proudly and responded.
“Because Lady Alrn is delightful to watch. You, on the other hand, not so much.”
So, it’s because she finds it satisfying to watch me eat. Well, that makes sense. I do look like a doll, as long as I keep my mouth shut.
The problem is that whenever I do open my mouth, all hell breaks loose.
Arthur couldn’t argue with her logic and simply grumbled as he picked up another piece of bread.
After that, everyone focused on the bread.
We had been training for eight hours straight since morning, and we were all starving. With such delicious food right in front of us, who could resist?
We devoured the bread with almost military precision, and only after we’d eaten our fill did we finally relax.
Faybi, sipping on some fragrant tea, chuckled softly and spoke up.
“You all must be really exhausted.”
“Oh, Saintess, you’ve seen our training these past few days. Of course it’s been hard!”
Arthur, who had recently been complaining about how he couldn’t do anything but sleep after returning to the dorms, wore a disgruntled expression as Faybi smiled at him.
“Well, once the break starts in a few days, you’ll have plenty of time to rest, right?”
‘Nope. No rest for you.’
"No way, useless saint. If poor Arthur rests during break, he’ll only get weaker."
Arthur had to become the ultimate magic swordsman—there’s no way I’m letting him slack off!
“What?”
“There’s a strict schedule in place for the break. No rest for you, Saintess.”
“That’s... unfortunate.”
Of course, I’ve got things I need to take care of during the break, so I can’t keep an eye on Arthur the entire time.
But I trust he’ll stick to the plan. His pride wouldn’t let him take it easy. And besides, I’ve already warned him that if he slacks off, he’ll suffer during the second semester. He’ll handle it on his own.
Faybi, unsure of what else to say, blinked at Arthur before turning to Joy.
“What about you, Joy? What are your plans for the break?”
“Me? I don’t have anything in particular. I’ll probably just head back to my family estate.”
As Joy spoke, she glanced my way.
What? You got something to say?
“...I’ll probably study and train at the same time.”
I guess it was nothing after all.
“And Lady Kent?”
Frey, who had been devouring bread non-stop, chewed for a while before finally responding.
“Training.”
Then, without saying another word, she shoved more bread into her mouth.
I’m not one to talk, but wow. That’s pretty rude, especially to the Saintess. You’re going to end up with a bad reputation if you keep that up, Frey.
Not that she’d care. She always does things her way.
“And what about you, Lady Alrn?”
Eventually, the conversation came back to me.
What are my plans for the break? I do have a few things in mind.
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There are two tasks that are essential, and a couple of optional ones if I have time.
But there’s one thing I’m definitely sure about.
‘I’m going to clear some dungeons.’
"I’m going to crush a worthless dungeon."