"Ha...ha..."
"Ha....ha...."
"I-I haa... I'm done here."
"Haa... I can't go on either."
Panting heavily, Renaldi said that, and Haru responded. We had been running around the courtyard for several laps until we were exhausted like this—well, though I didn't really feel tired at all.
But still, I think that's enough running for today.
"You're right, let's take a break!"
Three weeks had already passed since Aura training began.
Haru, Fujita, Renaldi, and I had been doing this routine almost every morning to build up our stamina.
After resting, the four of us went to the center of the field, where Keil was already waiting for us on the arena.
"Oh, you finally came!"
We were going to have a mock battle with Keil.
"So, who's going first?"
"Me, I'll go first."
Hearing his question, I stretched my body while answering. After a quick warm-up, I stepped into the arena and faced Keil.
I could hear Haru shouting encouragement from the sidelines.
Keil pulled a coin from his pocket and began explaining the rules of the match.
"As I said before, the rules are simple—no magic, no weapons, and anyone who steps outside the line loses. I'll adjust the strength of my Aura to match each of your levels."
"I understand."
"Alright then, when this coin hits the ground, the match begins."
After saying that, Keil tossed the coin into the air. After flipping a few times, the coin finally hit the ground.
Immediately, Keil unleashed his Aura, a blue light wrapping around him. Then he leaped forward, charging at me with a punch.
I also released my Aura and blocked his punch with both hands.
The impact of Keil's attack pushed me back toward the edge of the arena. After holding off his strike, I countered with a kick toward his stomach, but he blocked it. Still, it forced him back, creating some distance between us.
Seeing him retreat, I didn't waste the opportunity—I dashed forward, leaped at him, and aimed a kick.
Keil dodged my strike. Right after, he threw a punch at me, but I managed to block it just in time.
With one of his hands locked against mine, his other hand came at me and landed a blow on my face. I countered with a punch to his stomach, and it connected.
"Ugh!!!"
"Gha!!!"
With both our attacks landing, we were blown back, separating from each other. We quickly adjusted our stances and glared at each other warily.
After a few seconds of silence, we charged at each other again and exchanged blows.
**********
I lost. Not just me—none of us managed to win against Keil.
More than that, I lost because he cheated. Keil had used more strength than he had set beforehand. When I protested, he apologized with a regretful face.
Well, it only made me more aware not to trust my opponent so easily.
After training, we left the field and walked down the palace corridors toward our rooms.
"Alright, see you later!"
Haru waved at us and walked off in another direction.
"She really works hard."
"You're right."
Watching Haru leave, Fujita praised her diligence, and I agreed with him.
Haru was going to Anna's class to learn holy magic. On the day of the holy magic lesson led by Anna, we found out that only two people could use holy magic—Kushida and Haru.
It was the same for Aura classes. Only the four of us could properly use Aura, which was why we alone did physical training every day.
So, Haru, Renaldi, Fujita, and I attended Aura class. For magic class, all of us who came from another world, including the princess, took part. For holy magic, though, only Haru and Kushida joined.
As you can see, Haru was the only one attending all three classes, which made her have to work harder—but that didn't mean the others weren't working hard either.
Like the princess and Agatha. Even though they only attended magic class, every day I saw the two of them diligently studying magic. I even once saw them happily studying from morning until night with bright smiles on their faces.
"By the way, what will you two do? I'm going to walk around a bit and look at the surroundings."
I asked Renaldi and Fujita, who were walking beside me.
"I'll go back to my room and sleep."
"I'm going to meet the King and discuss something."
Renaldi wanted to rest, while Fujita wanted to meet with King Cyrus. I often saw Fujita conversing with King Cyrus—they were already like close friends. As for our future, I think Fujita intended to stay here.
**********
After parting with Renaldi and Fujita, I wandered aimlessly, simply enjoying the lives of the people.
I saw servants bustling around, knights chatting with each other, and occasionally someone dressed in luxurious clothes—probably palace officials or nobles.
"Hey, isn't that... me..."
"Sssht, do you want to get scolded?..."
"Tch, the world is so unfair. Why was I born like this?"
I overheard whispers from servants and knights in the distance. From their glances, it seemed they were talking about me. When I turned toward them, they were startled, bowed respectfully, and hurriedly left.
Every time I crossed paths with someone, they would greet me respectfully. At first, it felt uncomfortable, but what can I say? Living beings adapt. Eventually, I got used to it.
But because of that respect, it was hard for me to grow close to them. The only ones who acted normally were Mel and a few older servants.
At midday, I felt hungry, so I headed to the palace café.
On the way, I saw Haru sitting on one of the chairs in a corner of the garden, with a round table, some pastries, and tea on it. Anna and the princess were sitting beside her.
Her clothes had changed from training wear to the noble boy's outfit she often wore in this world—a white coat and shirt under a dark blue vest, paired with cream-colored short trousers. It looked like she had finished her class and was resting with Anna and the princess.
They were chatting happily with bright smiles. At that moment, my eyes met Haru's. She beamed when she saw me, stood up, and ran over.
"Flitz-san! What are you doing?"
"I'm just walking around to pass the time."
"I see, so you have some free time! We're having a tea party, would you like to join, Flitz-san?"
Noticing Haru's actions, Anna and the princess also realized I was there. Seeing them looking at me, I nodded as a greeting, then answered Haru's invitation.
"Sorry, I'm rather tired, so I'll return to my room to rest."
I noticed the two on the other side were looking at me with curious eyes.
I'd better not disturb their gathering. It might mess up their arrangements. Besides, I often felt Anna staring at me strangely.
"O-oh, okay, maybe another time then...."
Don't make that sad face—it makes me feel guilty.
"How about tomorrow? Do you have time tomorrow? We could have a tea party then."
At my words, her sadness instantly vanished, and she replied without hesitation.
"Let's do it tomorrow!"
"Alright, tomorrow afternoon then. Oh right, you can invite them too."
I pointed at Anna and the princess. I didn't know the proper etiquette for a tea party, and I doubted Haru did either. It would be better to have the two of them, who knew more, and maybe I could also ask Anna about her strange looks at me.
"Ooh... um, I-I'll try to invite them tomorrow."
Why do you look a little hesitant?
"Alright then, see you tomorrow!"
"See you tomorrow, Flitz-san!"
After saying that, I turned and left Haru.
**********
After filling my stomach at the cafeteria and taking a short walk, the sky was already turning to evening, so I headed back to my room.
On the way, I noticed some knights and servants gathered in the distance. I could hear someone shouting.
"Let me go, you filthy humans!"
Curious, I walked closer. As I approached, I saw what was happening.
A man was being restrained by three knights. Several other knights and servants had surrounded them as well.
The restrained man was wearing servant clothes. What was strange about him was that his eyes had black sclera with red irises, a pair of horns on his head, and grayish skin.
"A demon."
Yes, those were the traits of one kind of demon written in the books.
Demons were powerful beings that ordinary humans couldn't handle. I took note of the three knights restraining him.
They wore armor different from the usual palace knights. Their armor was black with golden patterns, like Keil's. They seemed to be part of the same unit, though theirs looked lighter, likely designed for freer and quicker movement.
After a while, Keil arrived at the scene with Fujita.
When Fujita saw the demon, he was shocked and whispered something to Keil. Keil's face also showed surprise after hearing Fujita's words.
Looking around, Fujita noticed me and walked over, lowering his voice so the others couldn't hear.
"That demon's soul is red."