The three girls walked together toward the forest near the area where they had trained throughout that entire hellish week. Even though their bodies had been completely restored by [Status Recovery], the accumulated mental exhaustion still remained. After all, enduring Alear's brutal training for seven consecutive days was something that drained not only the body, but also the mind.
When they finally arrived at the forest, the three naturally split apart to carry out their usual tasks.
Or rather…
Their "training."
Because, to Alear, practically everything could be turned into training.
Hunting was training.
Cooking was training.
Resting was training.
Even the way they breathed or walked would end up being corrected at some point.
Even after an entire week in that training hell, the three of them still took several hours to complete all those tasks. And that was exactly why Alear normally ended the main training session around one or two in the afternoon, despite everything starting absurdly early, at five in the morning....
At dawn, Alear would make the three of them face imitations of powerful monsters, experienced warriors, and magic users that he recreated within the [World Where I Can Personify God], forcing them to constantly fight under different kinds of pressure and extreme situations. After that, he would directly train their Demonic Power control, magical mastery, energy efficiency, and adaptation in real combat, but the most brutal part always began around ten in the morning, when he forced each of them to fight against him using everything they had. Usually, two of them faced Alear before lunch, while the last one always fought after he finished eating, something he claimed to do "so I don't get lazy after lunch," although, in practice, that simply meant someone would have the misfortune of facing a rested and good-humored Alear.....
While the three carried out their individual tasks within the forest, the hours passed quickly. Before they realized it, night had already completely fallen, covering the forest in silver moonlight and the soft glow of fireflies scattered among the trees.
Mio, who was walking slightly ahead of Maria, suddenly stopped.
Her pink eyes immediately narrowed.
"Over there…"
She raised her right hand without any hesitation.
Crackle—!
Blackish-blue lightning began crackling around her fingers for a brief moment before being compressed into a single extremely thin and concentrated shot.
In the next second, the lightning pierced through the forest like an arrow.
CRACK!!
Two wild rabbits trying to flee through the bushes were struck almost simultaneously. Their bodies immediately fell to the ground, killed instantly.
Maria, who had been watching from slightly farther behind, widened her eyes before letting out an impressed whistle.
"Uwaaah~ Mio-sama, you improved so much!" She quickly ran toward the slain rabbits and grabbed two of them by the necks, lightly swinging them while smiling. "Before, your lightning would come out crooked or way too strong to properly hit something small, but now you hit both of them on the first try and perfectly controlled the output too! You're mastering your Demonic Power way better!"
Mio immediately crossed her arms, trying to maintain her usual tsundere expression. But her eyes completely betrayed her.
"…It's not that impressive...." she murmured while turning her face to the side. "I just practiced a lot this week."
Maria let out a small amused laugh before handing one of the rabbits to her while carrying the others alongside the one she had caught earlier herself.
"Even so, you're becoming incredible. I'm very proud of my Mio-sama~"
Mio's face instantly became even redder.
"S-Stop saying such embarrassing things!"
Maria slightly tilted her head with an amused smile.
"But you turned red, Mio-sama..."
"I did not turn red!"
"Oya, oya... Want me to get you a mirror so you can check?"
"S-Shut up...!"
Mio grabbed the rabbit from her hands with a small irritated "Hmph," immediately averting her gaze.
Even so…
She couldn't hide the faint satisfied smile that discreetly appeared on her lips while the two began walking back toward the camp together.....
When they arrived at the clearing beside the lake, Ravel had already prepared everything. A bonfire crackled intensely at the center of the camp, golden flames dancing atop highly unusual logs. Alear had specially created that wood for her training since it was extremely resistant to normal magical fire, forcing Ravel to continuously feed the flames with her own [Demonic Power] in order to keep them burning steadily. Even after an entire week of practice, it still required considerable concentration, but the results were obvious, as the exercise had drastically improved the control, precision, and intensity of her Phoenix flames.....
It went without saying that Ravel was extremely happy about that.
The moment she saw Mio and Maria arriving at the clearing, she lifted her gaze from the bonfire and opened a small satisfied smile.
"You managed it. Good… The bonfire is already stable."
Maria immediately handed the rabbits to her before practically throwing herself down onto the fallen log they used as an improvised bench.
"Ravel-chan, please don't leave them raw like last time…" she complained dramatically while placing a hand on her stomach. "I almost threw up when I bit into that half-raw piece. It was horrible!"
Ravel instantly blushed, clearly embarrassed by the memory.
"I-I tried harder today…" she replied quietly. "It'll be better."
Mio sat beside Maria while holding her own rabbit, and soon the three of them began working together, using small spells to clean, prepare, and cut the animals quickly and efficiently.
Not long after, they skewered the rabbits onto improvised sticks and positioned them over the golden fire.
Ravel became especially focused.
Her blue eyes attentively followed the movement of the flames while she carefully adjusted the intensity of the Phoenix fire to roast the meat evenly, avoiding burning the outside while leaving the inside raw. Small drops of sweat slowly slid down her forehead as she maintained that delicate control over the magical flames.
After a few minutes, Mio broke the silence in a low, almost casual voice:
"…Don't you think it's strange? Every day after lunch, Alear disappears to train alone… Where do you think he goes?"
Maria, who was sitting on the log with her legs swinging, immediately turned her head with a mischievous smile.
"Uwaaah Mio-sama is worried about Alear-sama's whereabouts? How cute! If you're that curious, why don't you go after him?"
Mio instantly blushed and snorted, crossing her arms tightly.
"Don't be stupid, Maria. How exactly is someone supposed to follow the owner of this world? He can go wherever he wants and create whatever space he desires. It would be impossible to track him."
Maria tilted her head, her smile widening further while her tail swayed teasingly.
"But people in love always find a way, right~? Maybe if you ask nicely, he'll take you with him next time…"
Mio's face became even redder. She turned her face to the side, visibly irritated.
"Shut up…"
Ravel, who had been focused on the bonfire until then, couldn't hold back a slight smile and decided to join the teasing:
"Maria is right. If you really want to know, maybe you should ask him directly. I'm sure Alear-sama wouldn't mind having company… especially yours."
Mio shot a murderous glare at the two of them.
"You two… stop that already! All you know how to do is tease me!"
Maria laughed openly while Ravel covered her mouth with her hand, clearly amused.
After an entire week living together, facing the same hellish training every single day, being brutally defeated countless times, and nearly dying repeatedly before being healed by Alear, the relationship between the three of them had changed considerably. After all, going through that kind of suffering side by side ended up creating a bond that was difficult to explain. There was more trust, more camaraderie, and even a certain silent understanding between them. But it wasn't only their relationship with one another that had become closer. All of them had spent countless moments alone with Alear throughout that week and, the more they stayed with him, the more they came to know different sides of that absurd and incredible man. As the days passed, the respect, admiration, and affection the three of them felt toward him only grew even further.
Even Mio had changed somewhat in that regard. If it had been some time ago, the mere idea of sharing Alear with other girls would probably have made her explode with jealousy immediately. However, after that week of living together, fighting side by side, and sharing the same daily suffering, even she gradually began to accept the situation better. Or, at the very least… accept it as long as she continued being one of the girls by his side.
She had also slowly started becoming bolder in her approaches. A large part of that was either the fault or the merit of Maria's constant "advice," since she loved pushing Mio into embarrassing situations or teaching her ways to show more affection toward Alear. Of course, Mio still turned extremely red, panicked easily, and often ended up running away after doing something even slightly bold. Even so, compared to how she used to be, it was already enormous progress. However, despite all that growing closeness, she still felt very far from truly reaching the status of being one of Alear's women.....
Maria observed Mio's blushing face for a few more seconds before turning toward Ravel with a mischievous grin.
"By the way, Ravel-chan is also really interested too, right? Every day you keep staring at the place where Alear-sama disappears with those sparkling little eyes. Like a faithful wife waiting for her husband to come home from work So cute!"
Ravel, who had been carefully turning the rabbits over the fire, gave a small jolt. Her cheeks became red almost instantly, and she lowered her gaze in embarrassment.
"M-Maria… don't say things like that…" she murmured, her voice quieter than usual. Unlike Mio, Ravel didn't deny it or get angry. She simply blushed and tried to maintain her composure, like the obedient and devoted wife she wished to become for Alear.....
Mio snorted, but couldn't stop a slight smile from appearing when she saw her blonde friend's reaction.
"See? You can't escape either."
The three burst into laughter, a light and natural sound that contrasted with the exhaustion accumulated throughout the week. After suffering together so much, the teasing now felt almost affectionate.
While the rabbits roasted, they talked about many things: the hardest moments of training, the improvements each of them felt in themselves, and even a few light complaints about Alear's sadistic methods. The smell of properly roasted meat filled the air, and this time Ravel had achieved nearly perfect results, golden on the outside and juicy on the inside.
When they finally ate, the three let out satisfied sighs.
"It's good this time…" Mio murmured while biting into another piece.
"It's delicious!" Maria praised with her mouth full. "Ravel-chan, you improved a lot!"
Ravel smiled, clearly proud....
After dinner, the three cleaned everything up and walked toward the treehouse Alear had created for them a few days earlier, a comfortable and spacious construction among the tall treetops, overlooking the lake and protected by subtle barriers.
On the way there, however, danger appeared.
GRRRRR!
Several monsters resembling black wolves with red eyes leapt out from the shadows of the forest, attracted by the smell of food and the girls' Demonic Power.
Mio was the first to react. Without hesitation, she raised her hand and fired several precise blackish-blue lightning bolts. The lightning tore through the air and struck three monsters directly, killing them instantly.
Maria smiled fiercely and conjured a series of violet projectiles, which exploded against the wolves' bodies and tore two of them apart.
Ravel, flying with small wings of fire, extended her hand and released a wave of intense golden flames. The monsters trying to approach were swallowed by the Phoenix fire and incinerated almost instantly, turning into ashes in midair.
In less than twenty seconds, all the monsters had been eliminated.
The three landed (or stopped) at the same time, breathing slightly faster but wearing satisfied expressions.
"…We've become much stronger. I remember that on the first day, we almost died to just one of those wolves...." Mio murmured while looking at the hand that had fired the lightning.
Maria laughed and patted her on the back.
"Of course we have! After that week of hell, it would be strange if we hadn't."
Ravel smiled softly as her wings of fire disappeared.
"Let's go up...…"
The three climbed up to the treehouse. Inside, soft beds awaited them. They lay down almost at the same time, exhausted.....
As sleep slowly came over them, each of them thought about the same man who had dragged them into that hellish training and whom, despite everything, they wanted to follow more and more....
__________________
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