"Why can’t I go in?"

Joy frowned, clearly showing her displeasure, while the priest blocking the door began to sweat nervously.

Though Lucy and Arthur liked to tease her by calling her the “clueless lady,” Joy was different when it came to anyone else.

Cold eyes. A commanding voice. Poised, elegant movements.

On the surface, she looked like the epitome of a noble lady, and it was hard for anyone to feel at ease around her.

Above all, she was the daughter of the prestigious Duke Patran family.

A woman from a family so powerful that rumors said a single word from her could destroy entire houses. How could a lowly priest dare stand his ground in front of her?

Every time Joy's expression darkened, the priest felt like he could barely breathe, yet he didn't move from his spot.

Behind the door he guarded, the Saintess was resting.

Even if she was the noble daughter of House Patran, there was no way he could allow her to disturb the Saintess after everything she’d just gone through.

"My apologies, Lady Patran. Please come back tomorrow."

"Did you not understand what I just said?"

Her words were laced with the deep concern she felt as a close friend of Faybi, but to the priest, they sounded entirely different.

From his perspective, Joy’s words were a threat: Do you want to lose your head for defying me?

"It’s okay."

Just as the priest’s forehead was starting to bead with sweat, a soft, clear voice called from beyond the door.

"Let her in, Priest."

"But, Saintess—"

"I’m really fine."

At Faybi's gentle insistence, the priest slowly nodded and opened the door.

When Joy stepped inside, she found Faybi sitting on the bed.

"Joy, come in."

Faybi’s warm smile was as radiant as ever, but one thing was different.

Her eyes were swollen. It was clear she had been crying.

What on earth had happened?

Faybi was one of the strongest people Joy knew, mentally speaking.

Even after traveling to the most dangerous and desolate regions due to her duties as a Saintess, she had never lost her smile. But now, tears?

"Are you okay?"

"As you can see, I’m fine."

"Are you really?"

"Of course, Joy."

Joy had a thousand questions racing through her mind, but instead of asking, she exhaled slowly.

Then, as if it were second nature, she dragged a chair from the corner of the room and sat beside Faybi.

"I was really worried."

Those words reflected Joy’s emotions, raw and unfiltered.

Even after Lucy had left, Joy had continued training with Frey, when suddenly, one of the ladies-in-waiting had burst into the training ground to deliver the news about Faybi.

She’d been attacked by an assailant, lost consciousness, and was taken to the church.

As soon as Joy heard that, she ran straight to the church without a second thought.

She didn’t care that she was disheveled from training, or that her attire wasn’t presentable.

All that mattered was that her friend was in danger.

"I heard Lady Alrn saved you?"

By the time Joy had arrived at the church, the situation had already been resolved.

According to one of the priests, Faybi had collapsed not long before Lucy showed up and rescued her.

Only then did Joy understand why Lucy had so abruptly left the training ground.

Lucy had sensed someone in danger.

Just like when Joy was ambushed in the academy alleyways.

Joy had no idea how Lucy picked up on these things, but once again, Lucy had noticed and rushed to save someone in need.

...If only she had told me, I could’ve helped in some way. Really, that woman...

"Yes. If she hadn’t stepped in, it would’ve been very dangerous."

"I should thank her, then."

"Yes."

After Faybi’s response, an awkward silence filled the room.

Even now, Joy had a million things she wanted to say.

What happened? Why did you cry? Are you really okay?

Something had happened to one of Joy’s few true friends.

There was no way Joy, with her timid heart, could stay calm.

But despite her frantic mind, she kept her composure for one reason: she didn’t want to burden Faybi any more than she already had.

Looking at her, one might think Joy was the type to say whatever she wanted, no matter what anyone thought. But deep down, she was a gentle girl who was always mindful of her friends' feelings.

"Joy, I know you have a lot of questions. I’ll explain everything in time."

Faybi, who had known Joy for so long, understood this better than anyone.

She let out a small laugh, amused by the thought of a lion with sharp teeth and claws watching her for any reaction, and then spoke softly.

"Thank you."

"But before that, there’s something I want to ask you."

"What is it?"

"What does Lady Alrn like?"

"You’re thinking of a gift to go with your thanks?"

Joy quickly picked up on Faybi’s intention, covering her mouth with her fan as she began to think.

What does Lady Alrn like?

If it were the old Lucy, Joy could have easily answered.

She liked fancy things.

Expensive dresses. Flashy accessories. Big jewels. Before enrolling in the academy, Lucy was a young lady who expressed herself through luxury and vanity.

But that wasn’t the case anymore.

Recently, Lucy seemed uninterested in beautifying herself.

She barely wore makeup, and rarely put on rings, necklaces, or even hairpins.

And aside from her uniform, she didn’t wear any other clothes.

Nowadays, if given the choice, Lucy would probably spend her time swinging her mace instead of worrying about her appearance.

So, if we exclude all the fancy stuff, what does Lady Alrn like these days... Hmm...

"Joy?"

"...Just a moment."

Even though Joy had spent a lot of time with Lucy recently, most of their activities had been nothing but training.

Running until they collapsed on the floor,

Then sparring to hone their movements,

Occasionally tackling dungeons until they were too exhausted to continue,

And practicing magic late into the night.

With a routine like that, Joy had almost no idea what Lucy liked.

There hadn’t been time to ask.

If there was a spare moment, it was always spent taking one more step, pushing themselves just a little further.

Just as Joy was frowning in frustration, a memory surfaced from deep within her mind.

That time they went to Tea Eramas, and Lucy had smiled happily as she ate something delicious.

"Lady Alrn likes tasty food."

"Tasty food, huh. Hmm. I’m not very knowledgeable in that area."

"Shall I help?"

"Please."

•  

It wasn’t until the next morning that I finally managed to escape from practice mode. Sitting up in bed, I stared blankly at the wall and let out a sigh.

Something feels off.

After such a long, restful sleep, my body felt refreshed, but my mind was absolutely drained.

I couldn’t even bring myself to get out of bed. I just laid my head back down on the pillow, but sleep didn’t come.

Ughhh. This is pure torture.

<Heh. At this rate, you’ll be training during the day and practicing how to control divine power at night. Sounds like a plan.>

‘Grandpa, do you want me to go crazy?’

<Hearing you speak so politely is quite soothing. If only you were always like this.>

Grandpa, why do you always avoid answering when it’s something inconvenient for you?

Aren’t you the one who swore you’d never enter a losing battlefield?

If you keep acting like this, I’ll start talking in that Mesugaki way, even in my head!

I threatened him to drag him into an argument, but he just chuckled dryly.

<It’s unfair to blame only me, you know. You’re partly responsible for how intense training got.>

Ugh! Hitting me with the facts like that is so underhanded!

Unfortunately, Grandpa was right.

I was partially to blame for how overboard the training had gone in practice mode.

At first, reaching Grandpa’s goal wasn’t that difficult.

Surprisingly, I realized that I could actually increase my skill proficiency in this world’s practice mode!

At first, I had my doubts, but with each punch I threw, I could feel myself becoming more adept at handling divine power.

Having Grandpa, the originator of Divine Close-Combat Technique, right beside me was a huge help too.

I had always known he was an excellent teacher, and since he had invented and spread the technique himself, it made sense he was the best at it.

So, I rapidly improved my proficiency, and by 11 p.m., I had finally managed to knock the dummy’s head off.

Things were great up until that point.

After all the effort and pain, I’d reached my goal, and Grandpa even complimented me on my talent.

But you know, when you go through something tough and finally succeed, dopamine rushes through your brain?

It makes you think you can do anything, no matter how crazy it is.

At least, that’s how I felt. Seeing the smashed dummy, all excited, I responded to Grandpa’s suggestion to stop for the night like this:

‘Grandpa! I can still go!’

What I’d failed to consider at the time was that even if you say something out of pure enthusiasm, it can get twisted into something entirely different.

Especially with my Mesugaki skill.

‘That’s it? That was way too easy. Divine Close-Combat Technique isn’t all that special. I guess it’s no surprise, considering it’s a technique from an outdated old man.’

Even though Grandpa knew my words had been distorted by the skill, I suppose he couldn’t stand hearing me insult the essence of his technique.

With veins bulging on his forehead, Grandpa declared that I still had a mountain to climb and kept me training through the night.

I don’t even remember how many times I collapsed onto the brick floor during our “sparring.”

Honestly, it was partly my fault.

While I was rolling around on the floor, I got frustrated and started provoking Grandpa.

That only made him push me harder.

And the more I got pushed, the more I provoked him.

That’s how we ended up trapped in a spiral of suffering until morning finally came.

Am I going to have to deal with this every day from now on? This is intense.

<And besides, wasn’t this training no different from what you endured back at your family’s estate?>

...Wait. Really?

Reflecting on Grandpa’s words, I thought back to my life in House Alrn a few months ago.

And I couldn’t help but admit it.

There wasn’t much of a difference, was there?

Actually, this might even be easier. At least my body isn’t physically exhausted now.

Plus, with the academy’s schedule, I’m guaranteed some breaks here and there.

Just how hard was my life in House Alrn anyway?

<Now, instead of wasting time on useless thoughts, let’s head to the training grounds. You need to move your body in the real world as well.>

‘Yes, sir.’

Naturally agreeing with Grandpa’s words, I stretched and got out of bed.

Yeah. I’ll try using Divine Close-Combat Technique in the real world.

I need to see if all that training in practice mode will actually pay off.