Free Web NovelThe private training chamber I rented was spacious. Definitely one of the bigger ones out there. It had the same bells and whistles as the usual private training chamber I rented in the past.
But bigger.
I arrived quite early to check the room with Leila, who reserved it for us, just to make sure it was in okay condition.
I took one quick scan with Carine’s eyes to survey the room’s condition. From the training mat’s wear, the standard-issue training gear, all the way to even the corners of the ceiling.
There was still a little dust here and there; that staff wasn’t lying when she said this place hadn’t been used in a while. But it looked good enough, certainly better than what I had imagined.
“I apologize for this transgression, Lady Carine,” Leila said a few paces behind me.
I was caught off guard for a moment as I turned to her. “Transgresion?”
“I have clearly stated to the academy staff that the room must be in adequate condition for the arrival of Lady Carine and her entourage. But, alas, this academy serves yet another disappointment.”
Wait, Leila had the academy send out a whole cleaning crew here?!
Thankfully, before Leila had the chance to report this to the high council, the wooden double doors slowly opened with a soft creak.
“Oh, it’s unlocked already?”
The familiar voice echoed into the training chamber, followed by two distinct pairs of footsteps. It was Eve and Lionne. Both had clearly come prepared, sporting practical training gear, light practice armor, and their hair tied back securely. Lionne was also carrying a long, canvas bag slung over her shoulder.
I could see the contents inside since the bag wasn’t too thick, and apparently, it was a wooden blade.
She got one too, huh?
Now that I thought about it, I vaguely recalled her rambling about commissioning a custom wooden blade of her own after she saw mine.
“Good afternoon, Lady Carine!” Lionne greeted, her voice bouncing off the walls with her usual cheerful energy.
“Good afternoon, Carine,” Eve followed, her tone smooth compared to Lionne’s. She offered a relaxed, elegant nod, her sharp eyes already scanning the spacious room. “This place is pretty high-up in the main building, huh? I never even knew this place existed.”
“Good afternoon to you both,” I replied, offering a polite nod. “Thank you for coming so early.”
Lionne practically vibrated in place as she nudged the long canvas bag slung over her shoulder. “Hehe, I brought something really special today. I’ve been waiting to show you all week, Lady Carine!”
“Is that so?”
I already know what it is, though.
But hey, at least Feyt’s not the party pooper this time.
“I look forward to seeing it, then.”
Then, the heavy double doors groaned open once again.
“Whoa! This place is massive!”
Kyro’s booming voice filled the chamber before he even stepped inside. He practically charged into the room and was taking in the air as if he was at a mountaintop.
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“K-Kyro! Wait, please don’t just barge in like that!”
Clarissa scurried in right behind him, her face flushed and her hands clutching a lightweight practice bow to her chest. She was nearly breathless, her eyes wide with panic as she tried to pull him back by the edge of his training shirt.
“L-Lady Carine might not even be here yet, and we shouldn’t cause trouble and make the room a mess!”
“Too late for that,” Kyro laughed, throwing a thumb over his shoulder toward the center of the room. “Look, Lady Carine’s right there. Eve and Elie too!”
“Did he just call me Elie?” I heard Lionne quickly mumble.
Clarissa froze, her gaze snapping toward me. When our eyes met, she squeaked, instantly bowing so low her practice bow nearly touched the floor mats.
“L-Lady Carine! Good afternoon! Please forgive our noise!”
“Good afternoon, Kyro, Clarissa,” I said.
With the arrival of those two, over half of the day’s event’s participants had arrived.
Even though it was still roughly half an hour before our supposed meeting time, everyone already began making themselves at home.
Eve and Lionne were helping Leila inspect the training gear. Leila even gave several pointers to them on what a properly cleaned shelf looked like, politely, of course. They were still ladies, after all.
Kyro and Clarissa were helping me with setting up the training mats, you know, so we won’t break our faces if we were ever to kiss the floor.
Now, you might be wondering where the other three members were. Sure, it wasn’t time
I didn’t know where Villius was, but I did know where the other two were.
After all, they were just about to arrive.
Right about…
Now.
I opened the door from the other side as Feyt. Almost immediately, all heads in the rooms turned to face me, with the exception of Carine, of course. I kept straightening out the mat as I made my way inside the room as Feyt.
The room went quiet as people stopped to focus on the new guest. After making sure all eyes were on me, I began my speech.
“Good afternoon,” I said with a polite bow. “It is an honor to meet Lady Carine’s friends. I know we have met before during the exams, and during a prior training exercise with Lady Carine, but allow me to reintroduce myself.”
I straightened myself and put on a light smile. “My name is Feyt, Lady Carine’s bodyguard-in-training. I hope today’s joint training will prove beneficial to us all!”
The speech went off without a hitch. I even managed to strike a perfect, professional posture as Feyt.
I wanted to kill another bird with this joint-training-themed stone, and that bird was the notion that I was anything but a professional bodyguard for Carine. I prepared a professional entrance, posture, and speech to build a proper image.
For a second, I felt a small swell of pride.
Nailed it.
But then, the silence lingered a beat too long.
As Feyt, I kept that bright, welcoming smile plastered on my face, but with Carine’s eyes, I was secretly scanning the room. Everyone was entirely silent. Kyro and Clarissa were staring at Feyt with blinking eyes. Eve looked intrigued, if I had to say. And Lionne, she looked… confused. ƒrēewebnovel.com
It was then that I realized they weren’t looking at me directly. Rather, their eyes were locked to the person behind me.
"Pfft—!" A soft, muffled snort of laughter broke the quiet as a hand patted Feyt’s shoulder. “What the heck was that, Feyt? You sound like one of those knights at the gates!”
With that snarky comment, Attila stepped fully into the practice chamber. She wore simple, neat leather training gear with her hair tied back in a sensible ponytail.
She straightened herself as she stood beside me, offering a stiff but seemingly polite bow to the nobles before her.
"Hey there! Name's Attila. I'm just a friend of Feyt here, but he promised me there'd be some strong people to spar with here. Hope you don't mind me tagging along!"
Clarissa blinked rapidly, her face turning a bit worried as she looked between Attila and Carine with a deeply conflicted expression.
Kyro scratched the back of his head, his booming energy dropping a noticeable octave as he gave a somewhat forced, hearty laugh. "Ah, right! The more the merrier, right? Haha!"
Even Eve’s usual playful smirk tightened into a guarded, polite smile as she offered Attila a measured nod.
I let out a silent sigh of relief through Feyt, just glad that they weren’t actively opposing her arrival... Or were they?
Looking closer, the atmosphere felt way off. There was a strange, underlying current flowing through the group. It wasn't the arrogant, elitist disdain I usually expected from someone like Nicholas and his cronies, and I knew for a fact my friends were nothing like those snobs, but there was definitely a layer of subtle hostility in the air.
Am I just… imagining things?
Just as I was about to have Feyt lead Attila further into the room, a tiny, faint sound caught my attention. A sound so faint, only Feyt’s ears could hear it.
"So… she’s the temptress..." Lionne mumbled under her breath, her eyes narrowing just a fraction as she watched Attila. freёwebnoѵel.com
My brain completely short-circuited on both ends.
…She’s the what now?
