The next day…
I observed everyone gather at Remia's house.
After Remia handed out tea to everyone, I began the meeting. "Alright, guys, as you all already know, we will begin the bootcamp. It will last for about a month. During this time, you all will improve upon the previously mentioned skills."
With a few reluctant nods, everyone agreed.
"So, where will we conduct this training? We can't just train here. The optimal training location for us is one of the labyrinths, and the closest one is hours away." Hajime spoke, and everyone nodded in response.
I nodded as well. "I understand your concerns, and taking all these into account, I have created the perfect place for training."
"Created?" Hajime questioned, his brow raised.
A shining reddish portal opened right beside Rihito, causing the space around it to fluctuate.
"Let me present to you my own pocket dimension." Rihito used his hand and showed it theatrically.
Everyone stared at the portal, while Myu clapped her hands, marvelling at the new, shining magical thing her Papa had made. Meanwhile, those who understood what Rihito said looked at him in disbelief.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Yue, observing the portal, drew closer to examine the spell's machination. "How did you create this space, and is it even inhabitable?"
On hearing her doubts, I nodded. "Do you remember when we were in the Great Haltina's Labyrinth? I mentioned that there was a parallel space there, where the real Labyrinth resided."
Yue nodded. "Yes."
"Back then, I had observed that parallel space and how it used the outer tree as its anchor. I recently recreated a similar space using one of my skills. At first, the space was somewhat unstable, but now, with the help of Spatial Magic and Regeneration Magic, I have stabilised it and anchored it to myself. After a few tweaks, it is now a habitable place and connected to my
Yue nodded after hearing the explanation. "I understand." She wore a troubled expression; just looking at that swirling vortex-like entrance made her sweat, thinking about how much mana was used to maintain and stabilise this pocket space. On top of that, he has gone ahead and merged his
She was not alone in thinking that; Tio felt the same way as Yue. Hajime, on the other hand, had recently become accustomed to his friend's approach, so he remained calm. Too calm.
"The sky is so blue outside."
While others also had varying expressions across all ranges, depending on their understanding of the topic.
"Well, enough talking; let's head inside," I urge everyone to get in.
One by one, everyone entered the pocket space.
"So, how does this place look? This space should do without any problems."
Everyone looked at the expansive white space, which reached far, resembling a certain time chamber.
"..."
"Really now, Rihito? Do you really have to make this space look like the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?" Hajime looked at the space, then at Rihito.
Except for Shizuku and Kaori, who were smiling knowingly, no one understood what Hajime was saying.
"It's a pocket dimension for training; what else could I make it resemble? Isn't the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about training and pocket dimensions that it's a place like this?" Rihito looked at Hajime as if this were obvious.
While Hajime and Rihito argued, Myu happily ran around the peculiar white space, her eyes shining, and the others looked around, observing and examining the space.
"Well, it seems Myu likes the place," I smirked.
"Now that we are here, let me go over a few things first. Take these." I handed everyone except Remia and Myu a silver bracelet.
"Alright, guys, for the next part, wear the bracelet." As soon as they wore the bracelet, they suddenly felt their body become heavier.
Before they could ask about the sudden effect of the bracelet, I explained.
"I refer to these as Gravity Bracelets. They increase weight and strengthen the wearer's bones and tissues. This way, your body won't collapse under excessive weight if you push your limits."
After processing his words, they looked at me; all of them except Tohru and Myu stared at me with widened eyes.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Their eyes were asking, 'What do you mean, collapse?'
Cough!
Cough!
Rihito ignored the implied question and continued with the explanation.
"Currently, the bracelet is set to five times the normal gravity. By the end of the boot camp, I expect all of you to be able to handle at least twenty times the normal gravity, in addition to the skills and magic you will be practising. Also, one day outside is equal to three days inside, so don't worry about time; we have three months for you to improve."
"Isn't that awesome? I will have plenty of time to help you all improve and to improve myself." Rihito smiled, which, to others, didn't appear to be a smile at all.
"..."
"..."
Except for Tohru and Myu, everyone went silent.
"You know, sometimes I wonder who the real demon is," Hajime whispered.
"He is the training demon," Yue whispered back.
"He looks a lot happier, doesn't he?" Kaori asked, feeling a sense of unease.
Shizuku, who has some experience training with Rihito, stays silent, knowing what awaits them.
The rest didn't say much or had already accepted the inevitable truth.
Ignoring their whispering, Rihito continued, "For now, all of you need to adjust to the added weight and then start training. In due course, I will oversee you all."
After that, everyone spread out, either adjusting to the added weight or engaging in their own activities.
Rihito, seeing everyone spread out, decided to focus on Remia and Myu.
"Papa, what is this place? It is all shiny and looks pretty," Myu asked, curious.
"This is the place where we will train as well as begin your real training." I patted her head.
"Real training?" Myu tilts her head.
"So far, you've been training on basics like physical and walking exercises." In Rihito's hands, a specially made practice sword appeared, and he handed it to Myu.
"You wanted to learn both Swordsmanship and Marksmanship, right?"
Myu eagerly nodded, confirming his words.
"So, we will begin with swordsmanship."
Rihito began teaching Myu the basic stances and swings, encouraging her to practise them. After several corrections to her swings, Rihito decided to leave her to continue on her own.
Rihito then looked at Remia. He already had an idea of how to train her, but he should still get her input and move from there. "So, as you know, everyone is trying to improve their skills or magic for the future battle we are guaranteed to face, and that also goes for you. Now the question is, what do you want to master here?"
"Well, I do have some experience in a little bit of martial arts," Remia explained, her ever-present smile in place.
"I see; that's good to know. Then let's have a spar. I want to see your skills," he said, after thinking for a few seconds.
"I don't mind, but I can't quite move in these clothes," she pointed out.
"You make a good point," Rihito replied thoughtfully. He turned away and conjured a changing room. In an instant, he recalled women's sportswear from his memories: a red tank top and black track pants with red stripes on both sides for Remia. He then conjured them with
"Take these and go change into them." I point at the changing room.
Remia looked at the clothes and smiled knowingly at him. "Ara, I will be back soon, darling."
After a while, she came back garbed in new clothes.
"How do I look, darling?" She twirled around and showed off her dress.
I was about to ignore her, but then I recalled my last date.
"Your blue hair looks surprisingly nice with that red top; it really suits you," he complimented.
"Fufufu~" Remia's cheeks blushed.
Ignoring the three stares hitting the back of his skull, he stepped back; with a gesture of his hand, he signalled for her to begin.
Remia took a basic stance, a slightly modified boxing stance.
[Interesting…]
She moved fluidly through a left jab, which was easily dodged by stepping aside.
She anticipated that Rihito would dodge immediately, so she followed her left jab with a downward diagonal swing.
Rihito, predicting her move, took a step back, getting out of the way.
"That was quite the move, but it leaves you open to attacks." Rihito pointed out the disadvantage of making such a move.
"Fufufu~ that's why I opened with it. I knew you wouldn't follow up. It seems I was right about that."
Rihito raised his eyebrow in surprise.
"Let's continue." This time, Rihito moved first; of course, he held back and limited his strength to match hers.
Rihito tried to land a straight punch, which was blocked and diverted by Remia quite well.
"Your moves are sharp and precise." Rihito stepped back, dodging a sudden kick.
She then took the initiative and attacked further with jabs and kicks.
I blocked each of her attacks head-on and neutralised them.
"Alright, let's step it up a bit." Seeing enough of her move, I released a little of my mana.
Remia, with a smile, released her own mana, augmenting her strength.
"Darling, please be gentle…"
Despite her words, she moved first, her speed enhanced, lunging with fists, kicks, and jabs.
Rihito counters each of them with his own.
After some more sparring, she reached her limit, so I stopped the session to evaluate her martial arts skills.
"Now I have an idea of how to move forward with your training."
Rihito then used the Regeneration Magic to heal her fatigue.
"By the way, that martial art—who did you learn it from?" He was curious about who taught her.
"It was my former husband…"
"I see. Was he a martial artist?" Rihito was quite impressed by her martial arts in action. It was a defensive martial art designed primarily for defence, though it included a few offensive moves. When he sparred with Remia, he noticed that her defensive manoeuvres were deft and accurate, but her attacking techniques were less effective. He would need to help her improve her offence.
"Well, you could say that." Remia smiled with an imperceptible smile.
"Overall, your martial arts and mana control are impressive. I particularly liked how effectively you enhanced them."
"Why, thank you. I worked quite hard to reach this level of mastery. Do you like it?" For the first time, Rihito catches a hint of emotion behind that impenetrable smile.
Remia looked at me as if she were seeking praise, which caught him off guard. It reminded him of Myu when she tried to seek praise.
So, I gave her what she wanted.
"Good work."
"Yes, thank you," she said, hearing his praise. Suddenly, tears welled up, and she wiped them away.
Rihito, seeing her acting strange, helps her get up.
"Why are you crying?" Rihito was worried and confused to see her like this.
"It's nothing." Remia took a deep breath.
"So, what were you saying?" She hid her emotions with that smile.
"..."
Seeing the sudden change of topic, he understood she didn't want to talk about it and didn't pry.
"Well, I will help you learn water magic. As a dagon, you should have a strong affinity for it, and your martial arts also need to improve. Are you ready? It will be tough." Rihito stared at her.
"Yes," Remia said with steel in her eyes.
…
Chapter end
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==Insert IMG of something funny==
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