The morning for my first training with Siegfried arrived, and I had some free time before meeting Raphne for breakfast.

It was time for my session with Siegfried.

“Have you arrived?”

I approached the designated training area, feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement.

As expected, Siegfried was already there.

The location was an open area on the outskirts of the academy, surrounded by dense forest.

“First off, let me make it clear that I cannot teach you any special techniques.”

“Yes! I understand!”

Siegfried gave me this warning before we started.

Of course, I wasn’t expecting any special techniques.

Siegfried didn’t have any secret skills, and I wasn’t talented enough to learn them.

My goal was straightforward: improve my swordsmanship and lose weight through rigorous exercise.

That alone would boost my stats!

“So, what will we start with today?”

I was eager to find out.

The game didn’t provide detailed information on Siegfried’s training regimen, but his status as one of the top students made me excited to learn his methods.

Would we begin with basic sword drills? Perhaps core strength exercises? Or maybe even sparring with a blindfold?

My mind raced with possibilities.

“Catch.”

Suddenly, Siegfried threw a wooden sword at me.

“Whoa!”

I fumbled but managed to catch the sword.

Was this going to be a standard drill of swinging a wooden sword a thousand times?

I waited eagerly for Siegfried’s next instruction.

Siegfried warmed up slowly before speaking.

“From now on, I will count to ten.”

Count to ten? I was confused.

“…Huh? What do you mean?”

Siegfried’s sharp gaze followed as he lifted his wooden sword and pointed at me.

“Run.”

“…Eh?”

His eyes were serious.

‘This is insane!!’

Siegfried’s training method could be summed up in one word: brutal.

“Your legs are slow! If you don’t escape, you’ll die!”

“Huff, but…”

I was already running through the forest, my thighs burning, and my breath laboured. I fled with all my might.

“…Got you.”

“Ugh!”

Wham!

I felt a heavy pain on my back as I was thrown to the ground and rolled through the dirt.

[System: Your proficiency in the Physical Resistance skill has increased.]

“Starting the count again.”

If Siegfried caught me, I would be subjected to the wooden sword’s punishment.

Then, he would start counting again, giving me another chance to escape.

The training would end in one of two ways: either I collapse from exhaustion, or I land a hit on Siegfried.

‘Demon instructor!’

Listening to Siegfried’s counting, I started running again with all my might.

On second thought, it wasn’t a bad training regimen.

Running was good cardio, and evading Siegfried was useful for dodging training.

Plus, landing a hit would be a valuable lesson.

But.

“…The footprints stopped here.”

‘Eek!’

Hiding behind the foliage, I covered my mouth, peering out with eyes that felt like they were emitting laser beams.

‘Is this a horror game or something?’

Despite the effective training, it was terrifying.

Siegfried, with a serious face, chased after me, swinging his wooden sword as if to strike.

“Found you.”

“Eeeeeek!”

Please, don’t suddenly appear from above!

If I die from a heart attack, will you take responsibility!?

Eventually, the training ended with me collapsing.

“Huff, I’m… I’m dying…”

“Well done. Here, drink.”

While I lay on the ground, panting, Siegfried didn’t even sweat. He must have run just as much as I did.

Impressive.

“Glug… glug…”

Drinking the water Siegfried handed me, I looked at the status window that appeared before my eyes.

[System: By repeatedly engaging in stealth actions, you have acquired ‘Stealth Level 1’.]

The rewards for my efforts were clear.

‘Even though I ran like a madman, I got a stealth skill…’

It seemed that hiding from the ghostly Siegfried earned me extra points.

The skill itself wasn’t bad. It would be useful in dangerous situations and for sneaking past obstacles.

‘Physical Resistance also increased to level 3.’

Even if Siegfried was lenient, his wooden sword hurt a lot.

Thanks to that, my skill proficiency increased rapidly, reaching its maximum training level.

Overall, the day’s results were excellent. I was glad I asked Siegfried for training.

“You’re lacking in stamina. We’ll gradually build it up.

…That’s it for today.”

“…That’s it for today?

Then, what about tomorrow?”

“Of course, we’ll continue with pursuit training and then proceed to swordsmanship training.”

“…Haha.”

Maybe I picked the wrong instructor.

Isn’t this a bit too Spartan?

I started worrying about the coming hellish training tomorrow….

“Sieg! Are you done?”

As I rested against a tree, a girl with pink hair appeared in the distance, calling out to Siegfried.

Elise Granville.

She must have come to call Siegfried for breakfast. When she saw me, she exclaimed.

“Ah!”

With a bright smile, she approached me.

“So, you’re Ken! You look a bit dopey compared to what I heard! Haha!”

Dopey? More importantly, who told you what?

“Ken, this is my long-time friend, Elise Granville. She’s also a third-year student like me.”

“She’s like a big sister to this foolish, tall kid!”

“…More like a younger sibling.”

Despite Elise’s continuous insults, Siegfried introduced her naturally.

I already knew about her, even if he hadn’t introduced her.

‘They’re one of the few couples supported by the game.’

Siegfried is a popular male character, but surprisingly, few players successfully pair him with Emily. The reason is Elise.

Elise, who is in a childhood friend position, becomes an antagonist if Siegfried and Emily start a romantic route.

She takes on a pitiful role in the ending where Emily and Siegfried end up together.

‘It was almost as if I felt sorry for targeting Siegfreid…’

Most players avoided that outcome, leading to many supporting the couple instead.

Thus, they became famous as unofficial couple characters in the game.

“Sieg, did you train him well?”

Elise, sitting under the tree, bent down and asked him with her mischievous smile.

“Oh, yes! I think it was very effective!”

“Haha! You’re exaggerating! There’s no way this dummy can teach well!”

Elise, who didn’t hesitate to badmouth Siegfried in front of him, seemed used to it.

Siegfried accepted her backslapping with a stoic expression.

“Well, if the training’s over, let’s quickly go eat! If we don’t hurry, it’ll get cold!”

“Hmm, I see.

…Ken, will you join us?”

Elise, pulling on Siegfried’s arm to hurry back, seemed flustered at Siegfried’s suggestion.

Her earlier playful smile was gone, replaced by a panicked look as she alternated between Siegfried and me.

Clearly, she didn’t want to interrupt their time together.

I was once one of those players who supported the couple. I had no intention of interrupting their precious time together.

“I have a prior engagement. I’ll join you next time.”

Elise’s face brightened with my polite refusal.

“Oh, right! Suddenly asking you to join us, Siegfried, you really lack consideration!”

“Hm, is that so? I apologize.”

“See? So, we’ll go ahead first! See you later!”

Elise, hurriedly pulling Siegfried away, waved at me as they departed.

I waved back, mentally cheering for them.

After the first day of training, I returned to the dormitory, showered, and headed to Raphne.

“Ken… You look more exhausted than usual…

Did you sleep well?”

“Uh, yeah. It’s fine, don’t worry…”

Today, I realized something. After intense exercise, I had no appetite.

Despite the sumptuous meal prepared by Raphne, I couldn’t seem to eat.

Raphne, noticing my reduced appetite, didn’t seem to despair but watched me with concern.

‘By the way, I should start testing the creation of the goddess pendant soon…’

The unfortunate girl, who was eating bread while watching me carefully, needed a special item to break her curse.

Recently, I’d been improving my crafting skills by making equipment for Mary and Siegfried.

I felt ready to attempt crafting.

‘The problem is the materials…’

The materials for the goddess pendant were difficult to gather.

I tried asking Raphne, but she said they weren’t easy to find even with her family.

What I needed most were two items: [Pure Magical Crystal] and [Goddess’s Token].

‘I can get one…’

I might be able to find the Pure Magical Crystal at an upcoming event.

The real issue was the Goddess’s Token.

It was a treasure handed down through the royal family of the Lilias Kingdom.

In the game, Emily, who earned it as a reward for her achievements in the war, was the only one to get it.

‘I can’t just run to the palace and ask for it…’

I wanted to rescue Raphne as soon as possible. It’s hard to visit her every day, and she must want to leave the tower as well.

Raphne, who was eating bread with a worried look, must be feeling the same way.

‘Maybe I should try finding something similar…’

I spent a lot of time thinking about this, but nothing came to mind.

And then.

‘…Huh?’

An unexpected event solved my problem.

“Ugh, ugh.”

“One, two, one, two.”

It all started when I was walking through the academy’s main building corridor.

‘What are these guys?’

Suddenly, a group of men appeared and started to abduct me.

“Mmm! Mmm!”

Before I could react, they quickly tied up my limbs, gagged me, and began carrying me off.

“Ah, Ken? Ken!”

Mary, who spotted me being taken away, immediately switched to an attack stance.

With fierce eyes, she prepared to fight, but.

“What are you doing! Huh?”

One of the men whispered something, and Mary stopped her attack instantly.

‘What did they say?’

I couldn’t grasp the situation. Mary simply stared in shock as I was whisked away.

“Phew!”

After the men opened the door to a room and set me down, they finally removed the cloth gagging my mouth.

The room looked like a reception area.

I was seated on a sofa in the centre of the room.

“So, you’re Ken Feinstein?”

In front of me sat a woman with her legs crossed, sipping tea with an air of authority.

She was the president of the student council at Dedris Academy.

Her name was Anette Nell Arnoira.

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