'...How long is she going to keep staring?'
I took off the weight bands that covered most of my upper body and put my shirt back on, but Lübearia was still staring at me with suspicious eyes.
"Th-that's a lie... This isn't even a magic tool, it's just crude iron?! You're saying you've been walking around town suppressing your body with such an ignorant... no, such a classical method?!"
"Well... when I first made these, our Familia was short on money... and iron was cheap and easy to shape as I wanted..."
I thought I answered her question calmly, but for some reason, Lübearia started trembling as if she wanted to grab the back of her neck.
"It's not about the money! I've heard rumors that Miach Familia has been making quite a bit from 'bath bombs' and cosmetics lately. But putting that aside!"
As if she had seen something beyond common sense, she pointed at me and shouted.
"That weight just now is beyond what can be explained by 『Endurance』 or 『Strength』 stats! No matter how much Falna you have, there are limits to a Level 1 body!"
...Huh? Doesn't everyone become like this after receiving Falna?
"Um... I thought receiving the god's blessing, Falna, gave everyone superhuman strength? I assumed you could achieve it with training..."
That was the setting I knew about Falna, and I had been training based on it, so in response to Lübearia's shout, I asked another question while preparing for the next exercise.
'I have 'Immortal' and 'Adaptability' that makes me stronger the more I suffer pain, so I'm growing a bit faster than others... but is it really that abnormal?'
"No... that's nonsense..."
Seeing Lübearia's expression as if her common sense was wrong, I wondered if I had misunderstood Falna and glanced over my lightly clad body.
'...Nothing seems particularly strange?'
While talking with Lübearia, I took out the push dagger I made from my pocket, firmly gripped it between my knuckles, and took a stance.
"...What's that weapon? It's not a dagger..."
"Ah, this is a push dagger. Um... think of it as a blade for punching."
After finishing my preparations, I stepped back to the center of the clearing. This wasn't just a warm-up anymore; it was a review of the 'practical bodyguard martial arts' my father had drilled into me.
'Swoosh!'
Perhaps because I was lightly dressed without protective gear or weight bands. My body, freed from the chains of weight, felt surprisingly light even to me. The force starting from my toes traveled through my waist to the push dagger at my fist's end, and the sharp sound of tearing air filled the clearing.
'Swish! Swoosh!'
Lübearia, who was watching from behind, had stopped breathing without me noticing.
"Hoo..."
"...!"
Regardless of what was happening behind me, I focused on my movements, exchanging dozens of strikes with the air in an instant, then stomped the ground hard and launched a spinning side kick.
'Whoosh!'
As I did, a sound as if creating a vacuum blade came from the tip of my foot cutting through the air.
'It's slightly slower than last time... Did my body stiffen after resting for about three days?'
I was inwardly disappointed by the noticeable difference in speed compared to a few days ago when Lübearia's trembling voice came from behind.
"...You call that slower? Do you have a skill or magic or something?"
'Ah... my thoughts must have slipped out again.'
"No, unfortunately, I don't have magic yet. Skills... I do have them, but they're not directly related to combat."
Answering Lübearia's question, I glanced at her, and now she wasn't suspecting me of hiding my level, but rather doubting if I was even 'human'.
"Hoo..."
Leaving that gaze behind, I took a rough breath, loosening my tightly clenched fist, and as I caught my breath from the heat spreading throughout my body, memories from Earth when I was nearly crushed under tons of dirt started surfacing.
"...Maybe being buried under dirt was better. At least back then, I didn't have such piercing stares..."
My past thoughts and inner feelings slipped out unfiltered again.
"...What?"
At Lübearia's confused voice, I jumped in surprise and covered my mouth.
"Ah, no, it's nothing, so don't worry about it."
"No, you just said you were buried under dirt and then tell me not to worry? Plus, your eyes since earlier... they're like someone who's crossed the threshold of death multiple times..."
Lübearia narrowed her eyes, as if it wasn't just her imagination, and began examining me.
"...Well, isn't it normal for any adventurer to get buried under dirt in the dungeon at least once?"
I tried to quickly change the subject, but
"No... that's more nonsense... No matter how deep in the dungeon, getting buried under dirt is an accident, not everyday life! You... what exactly did you do before coming to Orario?"
It was no use. While pondering how to answer Lübearia's continued questions, I heard footsteps coming from above, so I calmly sheathed the push dagger and started putting on the weight bands scattered on the ground to prepare to leave.
"Well... I guess I just struggled to survive somehow..."
Hearing that answer, Lübearia stood still and just watched.
"Alright, let's end the small talk here. I'll be going now."
When I was somewhat far away, I heard the surprised voices of Bell and Ais.
"What... I guess I'll have to train there for a while until I find another spot."
Without paying attention to the situation behind me, I dragged my heavier body and headed straight home.
.
.
.
-Lübearia's Perspective-
'...What kind of life did he live in the past? That human.'
Lübearia, who was watching Kai's back disappear in the distance, couldn't move for a while. Because her elf's sensitive senses were screaming.
'Something... he seemed a bit lacking in basic common sense, but'
The sound of tearing air from the punches and kicks he had been repeating earlier wasn't just simple swings. It was a 'technique' itself, as if perfected through hundreds, no, tens of thousands of repetitions.
'A peculiar technique that seemed created to protect someone, yet attacks filled with an atmosphere and killing intent as if he'd use his own body as a tool to ensure an enemy's death...'
Moreover, the words he casually uttered at the end. His voice saying, 'I struggled to survive somehow,' had no exaggeration or pride. The dryness, as if reciting an obvious fact, sent a chill down her spine in an instant.
"Level 1...? No, he's not someone who can be measured by such stats. That human..."
Would it be an overstatement to say his retreating figure, running with heavy scrap metal strapped to his body, looked like a ghost who had experienced death multiple times? Lübearia found herself swallowing dry saliva.
'...Where did Orario's common sense go?! That human Kai just now, and that white-haired human training with Ais above! Both are monsters wearing ordinary Level 1 skin!!?'
"...Lübearia?!"
"Th-that elf from earlier?!"
"...Ah"
.
.
.
The kitchen of our newly moved home still held the cool air of dawn, but once I lit the hearth, warmth quickly began to circulate.
"It's good that the market is right on the way back. Perfectly, since the ingredients I just bought include potatoes, I should make 'German potatoes' for breakfast today. Then, first boil water... peel the potatoes and cut them into bite-sized chunks. If they're too small, they lose their chew, so cut them to under 2cm. When the water boils, add a pinch of salt... Ah, since Naza prefers softer ones, should I boil them a bit longer?"
As always, my mouth moved before my hands, reciting the recipe.
"Cook the bacon first in the pan without oil, frying it in its own fat... then add the boiled potatoes to that oil to crisp up the outside. Pepper should be added last so the flavor doesn't fade, so sprinkle it before plating. Eggs... right, since Miach likes soft-boiled, sunny side up with the yolk alive..."
Tap, pat. The regular sound of the knife hitting the cutting board, the sizzle of bacon frying in its own fat, and my muttering filled the empty kitchen.
"The bread is lightly toasted from what I bought on the way, then buttered... Ah, the jam from last time was a bit sweet, so this time, should I pair it with tart fruit? No, everyone has their own tastes... I should just let them choose that part. But is bacon and potatoes fried in bacon fat too heavy for breakfast?"
Just as I was about to plate the finished food, Naza appeared at the kitchen entrance with messy hair, yawning.
"...Kai, you really never get tired of it... I thought you were reading a whole cookbook while cooking..."
"Ah, you're up? It's just finished."
"Still smells delicious... I'll wait, so go get Miach."
"Sure."
Even in our newly changed home, our Familia was still peaceful.
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