Media like novels, comics, and movies are usually told from the protagonist’s perspective.
As a result, detailed aspects are often glossed over.
This place, too, is inside a novel.
Even I, who read it thoroughly multiple times until it went on hiatus, found many parts I didn’t know.
For example, details about other characters’ narratives or situations remain unknown unless the author explicitly describes them.
If it’s not necessary for the story, it ends with a simple “~~happened” or “~~was.”
The things I’m experiencing now we’re no exception.
“Tap! Tap! I surrender! Spare me!”
“Call me Nuna (older sister). Then I’ll let you go.”
Isabel, who was supposedly helping me train, bent all my joints.
I didn’t know she had a nuna fetish.
“Why is it so hard to just say it once?”
At first, I thought she was genuinely trying to help.
Despite her quirky side, she is earnest about martial arts.
Even if it was just cleaning, I took care of chores in the practice area she used.
I thought it was an expression of gratitude.
‘Not only is her head made of stone, but her ears must be filled with rocks too…’
But I was wrong.
She ignored my words, charged at me, and twisted my joints in all directions.
She seemed to have an exceptional knowledge of the human body—my limbs bent in strange ways, but she quickly cracked them back into place and never let me go.
“Argh! It hurts! Please stop!”
.
.
.
.
.
After finishing her madness-inducing joint locks, Isabel let my exhausted self drop and said,
“Ugh, stubborn brat. You can’t even say it once.”
She looked down at me with an expression of disapproval.
“What is the meaning of this? You clearly said you’d train me…”
“I did train you.”
“…Pardon?”
Her attitude was brazen, even confident.
With her hands on her hips, she stood there as if daring me to argue.
“Do you think I hit you just for fun?”
“…Isn’t that the case?”
“Now, get up and move as you did before.”
Her words were baffling, but I had no choice but to follow.
I didn’t want to get hit again.
I barely mustered the strength in my trembling legs to stand up.
After dusting off the dirt, I started walking forward.
‘What exactly is she trying to… huh?’
I was considering yelling a stream of curses and running away.
But, strangely, my movements felt more fluid than before.
“How is it?”
Isabel gave me a triumphant smile as she watched me.
That shameless face annoyed me, but I had no choice but to admit it inwardly.
“…It’s remarkable.”
It wasn’t just random violence on her part.
“Right? Not bad, huh?”
“How… Did you do that?”
“Ah-hem. It’s a secret technique of our kingdom.”
It wasn’t a simple posture correction.
It felt as if my bones, muscles, and even my entire body had been optimized.
It was an entirely new sensation I’d never experienced before, hard to put into words.
“It’s something I’m doing especially for you. It’s quite a hassle, you know.”
“I really thought you were just beating me for fun…”
“Ahem, well… I figured you wouldn’t listen even if I explained.”
To be fair, given how many times I nearly died at her hands, it would’ve been hard to trust her.
“Anyway, thank you.”
“Hehe, so, are you ready to call me nuna now?”
“That… might still be a bit much.”
Though her petite frame often made me forget, she was undeniably a person of high status.
The princess of Aldania, a small kingdom bordering the Lumiere Empire.
Though a small nation, being a princess of any country held significant weight in Arcane.
For instance…
“Lady Isabel!”
The attendants posing as followers were running from afar.
“Please, accept this, Princess!”
Those like those students desperately trying to take her as their bride.
‘She’s certainly a charming talent.’
The Empire had overwhelming power that encompassed the entire continent.
But that didn’t mean it could govern every region.
For administrative or legal reasons, there were inevitable gaps in the system.
Thus, the Lumiere Empire recognized nations that pledged loyalty as vassal states.
Among them, the Aldania Kingdom was the most historically rich and well-established.
It was a place with dignity that couldn’t be underestimated.
Whenever a key figure of the Aldania Kingdom entered Arcane Academy, the Empire quietly allowed their attendants.
Though the number was limited, it was better than having none.
‘Besides, there’s already a legitimate successor, so what’s the point of saying more?’
There was another heir in line above Isabel who was already following the proper procedures.
Which meant she had no reason to inherit the kingdom.
As a result, many were courting her, eager to enter the kingdom as her consort or elevate their status by marrying her.
‘For now, they’re just testing the waters.’
Even if their motives were heavily political, objectively speaking, her talent and beauty were outstanding.
Many tried their luck regardless of the outcome.
Rip!
“Princess, tearing it up without even reading…!”
“Shut up. I hate smooth-talking bastards the most. If you want me, fight and win for me.”
Of course, her personality didn’t allow for an easy win.
‘Offering to marry whoever defeats her? What is this, a barbarian tribe?’
A scene reminiscent of the barbarians of this world.
I didn’t want to get involved, so I quietly turned around and left the training ground.
***
After that day, I often visited the training ground to practice with Isabel.
Unlike the light atmosphere of the first day, her serious sparring helped me improve daily.
‘This feels manageable now.’
Before the midterms, my goal was to reach the fourth rank.
Thanks to the residual mana left by Brekteia’s tears, I had enough mana to work with, though not perfectly.
The most challenging part of training alone was the absence of a mentor.
Without experience, it was hard to find a direction to grow stronger quickly.
‘Ian just climbed the ranks effortlessly.’
Unlike Ian, who had professional training and real combat experience before entering Arcane, I was just an ordinary office worker from modern civilization, doing nothing but basic breathing exercises.
I couldn’t retrace his steps.
‘Using EXP is an option, but it feels like a waste.’
I had to maximize the use of what I had.
This wasn’t a world where strength guaranteed survival.
‘Luck could run out, and someone could set me up.’
Many people died not from a lack of strength but because of compounded misfortunes.
The dramatic comebacks you see in dramas or movies don’t exist here.
If you’re presumed dead, you’re dead.
Miraculous survival happened only a few times throughout the course of this novel.
‘Stay sharp.’
A moment’s lapse in judgment could cost me my life.
“Oh, you’re keeping up well.”
Isabel, who specialized in close combat with knuckles, taught me self-defense techniques and breathing methods that were surprisingly useful.
Rough but practical.
“Want to try this too? Position your legs like this…”
Even though I used a sword, I felt it was worthwhile to learn.
So I absorbed everything she taught me, one by one.
Thus, I continued…
“Not bad, then how about this?”
I continued to follow a few moves as she demonstrated.
“Wow, that’s perfect. Is it because your teacher taught you well?”
But.
“This… uh, that’s not something I taught you.”
As time went on, she started to look flustered.
“…Why are you so good at this?”
I couldn’t even hide my puzzled expression.
“This, this shouldn’t be happening…?”
‘What is this, why is it working so well?’
Before I could fully grasp the situation.
“…Be honest. You remember something, don’t you?”
“Excuse me?”
“Otherwise, this doesn’t make sense! Why are you so good at this?!”
Isabel grabbed my collar roughly and shook me, and I couldn’t say a word.
‘Something feels off.’
Wait, let me think about this carefully.
Could it be that I actually have a talent for physical movements?
Accepting the moves she just taught me didn’t feel that difficult.
It felt like I was absorbing and internalizing them like a sponge.
‘But then again, when I think about my past, that doesn’t seem to be the case.’
After acquiring Altheia’s swordsmanship, I once experimented to see if I had actually become skilled at swordsmanship itself.
The most basic Imperial swordsmanship, known as a teaching standard.
When I tried it, I creaked like an unlubricated machine.
Even Gray, who always spoke bluntly, was utterly shocked.
I just assumed it was a unique trait of the skills purchased with EXP.
‘Why is this body acting so unpredictably?’
Of course, I couldn’t rule out the possibility that it’s due to Teonar’s innate talent.
Although Arcane has a policy of admitting a certain number of commoners, if I truly lacked talent, I wouldn’t have been able to enter Arcane, the Empire’s top academy, in the first place.
‘Who exactly are you, Theonar?’
Not that I haven’t checked.
After digging through my childhood memories, it’s already confirmed that I was an ordinary countryside youth.
‘Who was the professor who wrote that recommendation letter again?’
It seems I’ll have to find the professor who pushed me into Arcane with a recommendation letter when I have time.