Today, just like every other day, I woke up before my alarm clock even had a chance to ring.
"Ugh... Mmm... I'm so sleepy... Ow..."
To be honest, I am not a morning person. Despite that, I was being forced to wake up at 4:30 AM. Why? Because Ray's training was still going strong.
It was so incredibly grueling that I had once tried to skip the lunchtime session and run away... only to be easily apprehended, lectured, and forced to do a double menu of exercises afterward.
I never wanted to experience that again, so today, like every other day, I did my best to drag myself out of bed.
The meeting time was 5:00 AM at the school gate. Incidentally, that metallic clanging and the sound of the whistle no longer echoed through the air. Apparently, the Girls' Dormitory Head had gotten angry at Ray about the noise. I was just glad it had stopped; it was honestly bad for my health.
After taking care of the bare minimum of grooming and quickly brushing my teeth, I changed into light clothing and headed outside.
"...Phew."
I took a deep breath.
The sun was already rising, and the insects were chirping. Summer was well and truly approaching.
But I hate summer. It’s because noble parties are concentrated during those months. Even though it's technically summer vacation, I never feel like I'm actually resting.
However, since coming to this academy, my feelings had changed a little.
At first, I thought I would surround myself with noble friends just like at my previous school... but for some reason, I didn't. Before I knew it, I was with Ray and the others. That group, centered around him, seemed so radiant to me.
Usually, I wouldn't have tried to join in.
I would have just thought it was enviable and watched from the periphery. I would have just gazed out quietly from inside my cage... but by some twist of fate, I was with them now.
Ray is one thing, but Evi is also a good person (his muscles are amazing), and Elisa is super cute (she’s so fluffy and adorable). She has large breasts, too; I want to take a bath with her someday. Of course, in swimsuits would be fine too!
And lately, Clarice has been joining us often. She’s super cute when she makes a "dere" face despite being strangely prickly—and her twin-tails are adorable.
In this way, I felt like I was leading a surprisingly fulfilling student life.
Up until now, I had hated school.
Because "I" wasn't there.
The person there was something else, a figure called "Lady Rose" that wasn't really me.
But now... although I still had things that made me anxious, and I was still wavering and feeling a sense of impatience... I felt a little bit fulfilled, as if I'd finally found friends I could truly trust from the bottom of my heart.
"...I wonder if I'm changing too."
I found myself whispering the words aloud.
I want to change. I want to go outside the cage. I want to spread my wings in the vast, free sky.
It was with those feelings that I was currently undergoing Ray's training. I wanted to know the secret of his strength. And I wanted to reach greater heights myself, to grow even more. I wanted to prove that I could grow through my own efforts, not just because of my bloodline.
I wanted to feel that I could live as Amelia.
That’s why I was moving forward again today.
"...Arriving ten minutes early. Isn't that wonderful, Amelia trainee?"
"Sir. I am honored, sir!"
I gave him a crisp salute.
At this point, I’d thrown caution to the wind. I’d completely leaned into the persona of a trainee and started role-playing along with him.
I knew that rumors were already spreading.
Things like "The eldest daughter of House Rose has lost her mind" or "It's impossible for her to seek instruction from an Ordinary." All sorts of gossip seemed to be circulating.
I hadn't lost my mind. I was just living the way I wanted to live. So, I no longer cared about my public reputation.
What made me a little happy, though, was that the school's evaluation of Ray was changing.
"Hey, did you hear?"
"About that thing?"
"Yeah. Apparently, that Ordinary is coaching Amelia Rose..."
"Isn't it the other way around?"
"But there are a lot of eyewitness accounts. I saw it myself, actually."
"Does that mean he might actually be amazing? I heard he’s quite excellent in practical combat. Maybe it's true."
"Yeah. Surprisingly, he might be the real deal."
I had heard such talk just recently.
Ray himself didn't care about the rumors, but I didn't want to hear my friend being made fun of. So I was happy that those rumors were changing for the better. I no longer heard the name "Withered Wizard" within the school.
It’s true that in his current state, he cannot use magic well. But while there are things he can't do, there are things he can do. Being fairly evaluated for that made me as happy as if it were about myself... but I still felt a little envious, too.
He was being seen as Ray White.
It was different from someone defined by their bloodline, like me.
I'd come this far reaching for his radiance, but...
Well... I was really struggling right now. No... truly...
"Alright... then let us take attendance. Number off!"
"O—ne!!"
"Umu. Everyone is present."
Yes. I wondered how "everyone" could be present when there was only one person, but I'd already gotten used to it.
This was also a sort of ritual. And surprisingly, this format was important; I felt like my spirits rose whenever we started with a loud roll call like this.
I might be surprisingly into this—training with him like this.
Even if I really hated the muscle pain...
"Then, we shall take the usual course!"
"Ranger!"
And so, I headed off on the twenty-kilometer course again today.
"...Phew."
We returned to the academy. It was only natural that Ray wasn't out of breath at all, but I also felt like my condition had improved a little. Before, I’d felt like the world was ending after we finished, but now it was gradually getting easier.
"Amelia. It seems your stamina has increased considerably."
Since the morning training was over, Ray spoke to me normally.
"Yeah. Even I'm surprised..."
"No, you had already been putting in the effort. It's just that the results are clearly showing now."
"I hope so..."
"Now then, the Magics Chevalier is less than a month away."
"That's right. There's less than a month left..."
"It's about time to switch gears."
"Eh?"
"We'll continue the Physical Strengthening training in parallel, but it's about time we start training your magic. Still, you've kept up well so far. I'm honestly impressed."
"Yeah... I've had enough of physical training to last a lifetime."
"You did try to run away once, after all. I actually expected you to try escaping more often."
When Ray gave a smirk, I couldn't help but smile back at him.
"Fufu... true. That was just... I was wondering what would happen if I ran away a bit."
"A nostalgic memory... but let's begin the magic training soon. From now on, we will perform Physical Strengthening and Magic Strengthening. Once I deem you've passed a certain standard, I'll give you a final graduation exam to complete the course. Now, how is your magic?"
"My magic...?"
"Amelia, do you have any magic you're particularly good at?"
"Magic I'm good at..."
Even when asked that, it didn't quite click for me. Because I'm from House Rose, the Head of the Three Great Noble Families, I've had tutors since I was a child and learned magic across the board.
Because of that, I didn't have anything I was particularly bad at, but I also didn't have anything that was truly outstanding.
"Maybe I don't. Or maybe I just haven't noticed... personally, I don't feel like there's anything I'm especially good at."
"I see... so no self-awareness, then."
"What do you mean?"
"I believe you have an aptitude for Fire Attribute magic. From what I've seen in our classes."
"You think so?"
"Yeah. But... to truly master the Fire Attribute, after all... Acceleration is important."
"Acceleration?"
"Roughly speaking, you know that temperature is determined by molecular vibration, right?"
"Well... as common knowledge, yes..."
"When I use the Ice Sword, I incorporate Deceleration into the Code. Just by learning this, the range of your magic expands. Being able to incorporate more detailed Codes is an absolute strength. That's why I want Amelia to learn Acceleration."
"...Acceleration, huh."
"Yeah. If you do, your Fire Attribute magic will improve exponentially. In fact, the essence of our Headmaster, Abby Garnet, the Sorcerer of Scorching Heat, lies in Acceleration. I'm not saying you should do the exact same thing, but that should be your goal in this short period. Besides, being able to incorporate more processes in the Code Theory processing stage is an absolute strength for a Sorcerer. For the sake of your future, it won't hurt to tackle it here. Plus, Amelia, you have a large Magic Capacity. I'm sure you can do it."
"...I see. Then... I guess I'll give it my best!"
"Oh! That's the spirit!"
To be honest, I decided to put the theoretical problems aside for now... I just felt like I wanted to move forward.
Up until now, I had just been mindlessly completing the tasks assigned to me. I would use magic while wondering when the work would end. But perhaps because I have talent, I was able to handle everything skillfully.
When I did, everyone would praise me. They would offer me their admiration.
When I was little, I was happy about it. But as I grew up, it started to feel empty. No one would say anything harsh to me. They would just praise me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
But Ray was different. He didn't show me any mercy. I could tell he was facing my feelings with everything he had.
I still haven't poured out my true feelings... but I wonder if one day, I'll be able to talk to everyone like he does?
While dreaming of such a future, I continued forward today.
Together with my precious friend.
"Ah, by the way, don't go thinking that magic training is easier compared to Physical Strengthening."
"Eh... it's not?"
Eh... it's not?
My voice and my inner thoughts were in perfect sync. I had actually been trembling with joy at the thought of finally being released from this grueling ordeal. I thought I could say goodbye to that muscle pain.
"In terms of the severity of the training, magic is more grueling. You're overworking your brain instead of your body. Well, I'll maintain a safety margin, but you shouldn't think it'll be easy. I've experienced this Ainsworth-style Boot Camp myself, and the magic part was much harder."
"...I, I think my stomach hurts a little. I don't think I can make it today because I'm feeling sick."
As I gradually backed away and tried to dash from the spot, Ray's right hand firmly reached out and caught me.
"Umu. I will no longer permit any escapes. Now, Amelia trainee! We are moving on to magic training! Follow me!"
"U-Uwaaaaaaan!! I can't handle it if it's even more grueling!!"
"The response is 'Ranger'!"
"R-Ra—ngeeeeeeeeer!!"
In the end, it seemed there would be no rest for my heart during this training.
Good grief...