Book 2 Chapter 2

Episode 26

The club activities at <Delaiten> vary. While some gather up to five times a week, the [Hometown Development Magic Club] met a moderate two times a week.

"Wow. I'm still sleepy, crazy…"

Rain yawned languidly as he headed to the clubroom. Logan from the Chayhak School was also hesitantly walking in from some distance behind him.

The number of members seemed higher than expected.

There were twenty-three freshmen, and six sophomores. Third-year students usually don't participate in club activities because they're busy preparing their graduation theses.

The sophomores greeted him warmly, acknowledging his presence.

"You're here, Young Master!"

"You look incredibly tired, are you okay?"

"Well, I just couldn't sleep. But there are quite a few members, more than I expected?"

"That's because there are people who want to learn magic and contribute to their hometowns. Though, apart from the Young Master, there are no great nobles."

It sounded as if Rain, being a great noble, had joined and raised the club's prestige.

"But this time, it seems like about twice as many people came, thanks to the Young Master!"

"Me? What did I do?"

He had never helped with club promotional activities.

"Back during the Magic War—"

The sophomores, who had been excitedly talking, saw Logan enter behind them around that time, smiled awkwardly, and slowly backed away.

"Why did you come?"

"Why do you ask…? If I'm here, won't people refrain from picking a fight?"

"Oh."

Rain casually looked around, then settled into a seat at the back. He had concluded over the past month that the back seats were more comfortable than he'd thought.

Just as he was about to put his head on the desk and try to get some sleep, the club president came in, carrying a bundle of documents.

"Ah, hello. My name is Joen. I'm the president of the [Hometown Development Magic Club]. Please take care of me."

Hmm…

Rain clapped his hands along with the students. As it was his first time participating in a club activity, he found it somewhat exciting.

"Our club aims to research and ultimately create magic related to hometown development. To do that, we need to have a basic understanding of civil livelihoods like farming and fishing."

In fact, magic related to civil livelihoods was also the purview of court mages serving the regional Elector-Princes.

But the benefits of that magic couldn't be enjoyed anytime, anywhere… let alone in remote rural villages.

"First, please look at this. Remy, please hand these out. Yes. Quickly. Now, what's written here are the spells mainly used during the farming season, and…"

Watching his magic juniors (who were actually his seniors by a whopping 300 years) discuss magic in depth was a more unique experience than he'd expected.

It was a pity that he couldn't concentrate for several reasons, including drowsiness.

'Dark mages still exist in this era…'

At this point, he felt the need to significantly revise his life strategy.

Ever since he saw dark magic again, he also began to feel quite wary of the entity that sent Rin's diary.

He figured he should assume a confrontation could happen someday, perhaps sooner rather than later, and intensify his magic training.

Simply worrying and fretting didn't suit his temperament.

'There might be a way to inform the Church or the Magic Alliance about the appearance of dark magic, but if so, things would get quite complicated.'

If there were a spy in the Magic Alliance… hmm, even imagining it is terrifying.

And Pope Haraderiman, who has overseen the world for a thousand years, would already know. That fellow is a Divine Dragon.

So, for now, let's make it our top priority to raise my personal skill to about half of Rin's.

"Ludyin."

He called Ludyin to check his current physical condition.

Gustaba: Objectifies the caster's physical condition into mathematical values.

ㆍPillar; Current magical power 12,564.

ㆍRetention; Current magic lines 354.

ㆍStasis; Stamina\/Mental strength 311.

His magical power and magic lines were insignificant compared to Rin's body, but they probably still far exceeded the average for Delaiten students.

However, this is not enough. For instance, at this age, he remembered Rin's body having just under 90,000 magical power.

'The biggest problem is stamina…'

To properly use the staff techniques he used in Rin's time, in preparation for close combat, he definitely needed to build up his body first.

By the way, those who like running or strength training are definitely perverts. To enjoy overworking their bodies so much.

'It might be easier if someone guided me beside me…'

Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind. When Rain quickly turned to his side and grinned, 'that guy' flinched his shoulders.

Logan.

When Rain quietly went and sat next to him, the rugged muscles embedded all over Logan's body tensed up and twitched.

"Wh-what is it?"

"Teach me how to exercise."

"?"

There was no answer for a moment.

He even shifted his body sideways, with an expression that said, "Is this person in their right mind?"

"No, I just don't know how to get better at exercising quickly."

Rin was a case where basic physical fitness was built up simply by struggling to survive in the slums.

And after joining the hero's party, he learned staff techniques from Rista, completing the more advanced aspects.

But Rain?

"But you're from the Chayhak School. Aren't you guys experts at sweating profusely and building muscle?"

"Of course, if you're a true mage, building muscle is essential. So, our school is truly the school of real mages."

As Rain praised his school, Logan gave a slightly relieved smile and shrugged his shoulders. Then, the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles in his neck moved with disgusting clarity.

"So, please teach me. I don't want bulky muscles like yours, just some lean muscle is fine."

"Oh dear, oh dear! Get a grip, sir. Don't you know that you have to aim for muscles like these just to barely get some fine muscles?"

"Oh~ You sounded like an expert just now?"

Rain whistled and gave a thumbs-up, and Logan awkwardly cleared his throat, but a smile twitched at the corner of his mouth.

"Who do you take me for? I am Logan, a promising disciple of Chayhak."

"Then let's sweat together starting today."

"Uh, well, that's a bit…"

"Ah, why?"

"Are you asking because you don't know?"

"What is it? Is it because I didn't call you 'Master'? I can if you want. Master Logan, please make me sweat vigorously from today."

At that, a male student sitting in front turned around, covered his mouth with an astonished expression.

No, wait.

It seems he made a very dangerous misunderstanding, but it's not like that.

"No, why are you doing this, sir? We're enemies, aren't we? I'm from the Eight Great Schools, and you're from the Magic Families. How can enemies help each other?"

Logan shook his head with an incredulous tone, but Rain tilted his head with a bewildered expression.

"Are you and I enemies? Aren't we colleagues exploring the study of magic together?"

For a moment, Logan fell silent.

Perplexed, bewildered…?

No, it wasn't such a primary emotion. It wasn't even in the realm of emotions to begin with.

What was this called, refutation? He couldn't respond because it felt like his logical circuits in his brain had broken.

Rain chuckled, as if to say 'see?', and playfully patted Logan's shoulder.

"See? When you think about it, we're not enemies, are we?"

"…!"

"Then let's start exercising together right away from today. Ah, I'm too tired today, so let's start tomorrow."

* * *

"What should we do first now?"

"How about starting with basics like push-ups or running?"

"You use equipment, though."

"Even if I teach you how to use equipment, I think you'll just give up quickly anyway. The fastest way to understand your body is through bodyweight exercises."

Hmph, a scion of a Magic Family and muscles, what a joke… It's obvious he'll mess around a few times and then quit. Like most mages.

"Okay. So, I should start with that?"

But Rain… he's strange. Most people give up when treated this way, right? Why is he so enthusiastic?

'Was he not actually trying to tease me, but genuinely wanted to build muscle?'

There's a saying in the Chayhak School: as you build muscle, at some point, new neural pathways are created in the brain.

That is, when they see beginners who are serious about muscles, they become uncontrollably excited (???) wanting to teach them just one more thing.

This was precisely why the Chayhak School was famous for being kinder to new trainees than any other school.

The disciples of the Chayhak School called this irrational phenomenon 'friendship blooming from muscles.'

"…"

Watching Rain, who was genuinely serious about muscles, for four days, Logan was keenly feeling the teachings of those wise predecessors.

'Ah, that's not how you do it…'

'Tsk, if you get the posture wrong like that, the muscles won't get stimulated properly…'

'Ugh, if the posture is set strangely at first, it's harder to correct later…'

I want to teach him!

I'm dying to teach him! Logan writhed, feeling as itchy all over as if he'd been bitten by hundreds or thousands of mosquitoes…

'At this rate, I'll die first.'

Cause of death: cardiac arrest (from intense emotion).

With the teaching fervor boiling up whenever he saw a muscle newbie, Logan eventually entered the stage of self-justification.

'This isn't me acknowledging that arrogant young master of the family. It's because the Grand Senior told me to be friendly, so I'm pretending to be before I get scolded.'

Logan, who was overworking his biceps with dumbbells, subtly approached Rain and cleared his throat.

"That's not how you do that."

"?"

"First, your feet are wrong. Spread your feet shoulder-width apart and roughly at an acute angle. Yes, that's it!"

"!!!"

"And shift your weight onto your heels as you squat down. Good. Now exhale and slowly stand up."

"!"

"Repeat ten times. One, two, good. More, more, more, three, four, five, six, seven, tighten your core, eight, nine, last one, more, more, more, more, good."

Rain stood up, blinked, then touched his thighs, his eyes shining.

"Oh! Something, only this part hurts incredibly? So much that I really feel like I've 'exercised'?!"

"Oh, oh! Do you feel the stimulation?! Only in your thighs?"

"Yes, only in my thighs!"

"Good, good, good! If you're feeling the stimulation only in your thighs, that means you're doing it right! If you keep going, you'll feel it in your glutes too, but what's important when getting into position is to check whether you feel pain in your knee joints…"

Mages from the Chayhak School are often told they aren't 'mage-like.'

This is because while they explore rational disciplines, they are emotional and warlike rather than rational. But being emotional also meant being simple.

Logan, as a promising disciple, was one of the talents who perfectly matched the characteristics of the Chayhak School…

"What are those bastards doing…?"

Uweber of the Rwhynum School happened to witness the scene and had to tilt his head in confusion.

Meanwhile, Professor Owen smiled as he watched the two running together in the campus from his office.

"Exercise guidance! Damn Logan, he's doing as I told him!"

His face is practically blooming. Can simply explaining exercise make him that happy?

He then felt his muscles twitching all over his body, but immediately calmed his excitement with a deep breath.

'Darn, seeing a muscle newbie made me instinctively excited. But would a grand senior take away a junior's joy?'

Professor Owen, too, was a mage from the Chayhak School, to his very bones.

'By the way, it's strange. Even with my orders, they became close in such a short period.'

Owen's eyes, after downing the black tea in his teacup in one gulp, rested on Rain's back. Owen chuckled and turned away from the window.

'Hmph… So, the strong attract the strong.'