Turning her eyes at the magical ball, she promptly used the stretched out arm, rotating the hand before the metal started to fly through the room once again. Without much noise, the soft palm shortly caressed the sphere. Eyeing it with superb notice, Zyponia’s eyebrows flurried instead.
“Did you feel any opposition from it?” She quickly asked, without lifting her head.
“Barely, if there was any, my lady,” replying with a calm stature, she promptly shut her lips after breathing out a puff of air. Wondering on the matter for not long however, the demon lord soon threw the ball back, raising her eyes at him anew.
Bouncing off the carpet, it quickly started to roll about all the way towards the man, stopping just as it hit his pale feet. “Do it again.” The voice brushed the ears of her slave, who didn’t wait long. Just like before, he lowered his body before grasping the ball with all of his fingers. Firming the muscles, his eyelids flinched at the sudden repress coming from below.
As if sucking out all of the power his flesh possessed, the fingers began convulsing trying to lift up the object, the breathing of the man harshening up with each successive try. ‘I can’t even budge it,’ he thought before entirely giving in. Looking at the lady on his right through hastened breaths, he parted the lips.
“I can’t lift it up,” said Lutiel, only to receive a nod of her blue face.
“Alright, try now,” she spoke suddenly, but he didn’t question the words, following once again after his breathing fervently calmed out.
Grasping the ball with his fingers anew, he started raising it swiftly despite garnering visible difficulties. Falling down upon his shoulder, the palm with the ball didn’t rest for long, his arm swinging the ball away, or at least trying to.
With a similar result to the initial experiment, the ball staggered through the air for less than a hand’s reach before nippily falling down. At the same time, Lutiel’s chest heaved up and down as tried to catch a better breath, only for it to suddenly calm down a moment later.
No longer standing idly behind him, Zyponia finally closed in on their distance, prompting the man to turn around at the same time. “Has the energy inside me increased again?” He asked as she halted right before him, not breaking his peer around the girl for a single time while she moved.
“Yes… Did Luviene tell you?” She pondered through a meekly veiled intrigue. Yet, her brows raised themselves further from him shaking the head weakly.
“Rudrik?” She asked once again, receiving a swift nod this time. “He really didn’t hide his mouth, huh?” With a calm thought, she quickly walked past her slave, arriving near the space around her windows while another crate began to move through the air. With the same shape, simply bigger, the wooden box replaced the already tidied sphere, revealing a considerably bigger one.
“Please, just continue with the exercise as you would have,” she spoke, facing him with arms calmly lingering around her sides.
“Yes, my lady,” he spoke before squatting down and grabbing the ball with both of his hands stretched out. Raising himself up and straightening the legs, at the same time bringing the ball towards his stomach. Because of the tensed muscles of the torso, the man swiftly brought it back down.
Despite the clear struggle, however, he completed the task for more than ten repetitions, falling down to the ground at the end before sweat trickled along his body. Dripping from the bridge of his nose, a droplet swiftly broke apart as it hit the surface of the ball, however, despite the scattering, no smudge of liquid was left on the metal, as though it had absorbed all of it clearly.
Still, Lutiel couldn’t witness more of the same, the ball hastily taken back to the crate, replaced by a long, rangy one. On the deep, red cushion within, the lengthy staff presented itself to the man. Breathing out smoothly as his lungs became rejuvenated, the slave took the extended, metallic pole with both hands before treating it the same as he did his imaginary sword.
Cutting the air above, the staff stayed there in the same position while he tried to shake as little as possible, enduring the burning sensation around his flesh. Regardless, he was already out within a few breaths, dropping the staff before taking a deep breath.
Zyponia stared at the man diligently, watching with clear eyes as the metal had been raised anew, unlike the single instance during their previous session. Though, withstanding the forces much shorter, the staff fell down quickly before the demon lord properly faced her servant.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Shutting the box once the object had been put inside, she easily moved it away from the two of them, making the glistening man take a closer look at her, his unsteady breath gradually waning.
Their eyes met as Lutiel remained in the middle of her bedroom. Glancing ahead of him, her clear image resounded thoroughly, the rays behind the girl peeking through to paint her grace. However, he quickly changed his sight, looking around her arms. “My lady? What about the sword?” He asked, the blank image on him breaking ever barely.
However, staring at the man, she didn’t reply immediately. “Actually, I wanted to ask you something.”
“Yes?”
“Are you more comfortable with the spear?” The voice resounded in his ears, recalling the events from a week prior. “I can always change the shape if you want to.” She said suddenly, while he still mused over the last question.
Yet, despite the answer he always knew very well, Lutiel’s lips didn’t give it up so quickly. Glancing momentarily at the right hand, where smooth skin welcomed his vision, only then did he start speaking. “It’s fine, my lady. I had visions of training with the spear, but it seems my muscles and I had forgotten most of the movements. I’m okay with the sword.”
“Is that so? Alright then.”
Having said so, Zyponia moved her right arm out, following with a whistle of the wind as the last crate swiftly arrived near his legs. Shining boldly as the light poured over the blade, his eyes reflected its belle. Without waiting any longer, he moved his figure down with zero hesitation, grabbing onto the hilt and raising the sword with both hands.
Putting on a stance with his legs without a thought, his brows contorted slightly after feeling just how much ease his body had received. With a round motion, he clenched his arms and raised the sword up, instantly cleaving the air before him in half.
And, although it left him almost breathless, the man quickly began doing it one more time, his hands and arms shaking incessantly. Despite that, a few breaths after, the sword had once again been swung, with a form his glyph judged as plausible.
“That’s all. Thank you,” she spoke sincerely, walking over to grab the weapon by herself before effortlessly putting it inside the case, all while Lutiel panted like a dog.
“Did I do good, my lady?” A question spiraled out of his calming mouth, leaving her to ponder silently. Tossing the box in the air before it floated serenely back to its initial place near the other furniture, Zyponia stared into his eyes for a few moments.
“Better,” she spoke tersely, leaving her gaze across his slave brand. “I would have never expected you to grow so quickly, but it seems that the ball has helped you tremendously.”
“How so, my lady?”
She looked up at his face as the question spoke through her hair. “You should thank that old man if you see him again. It could have been the complete opposite had he not given you that note. Though, that makes me wonder if he knew of the planned attack,” the lady spoke, leaving him with a faint smile before she quickly fell deep into thoughts.
“I will, my lady,” he said, only for his face to sour slightly as she lowered her eyebrows. “Yes, my lady?”
“Ugh,” she groaned, irritated. “How many times are you going to call me that?”
Staggering back somewhat at the question, his calm face still quickly recollected itself. “My lady, but we’re inside the mansion, I can’t speak to you in any other way.”
The words flowed out of his lips, but their intent seemed to have sparked the opposite effect. Raising her brow, indignant, Zyponia retorted at the statement.
“Did you forget I am the master of this house? I make up the rules, so tone it down with the addressing, understood?” With a somewhat raised voice, she berated the man.
Staring at her serious face for a few moments, he saw it waver for a fleeting breath before quickly coming back. Yet, he didn’t know what to think of it. So, with an internal sigh, he replied promptly.
“Yes, I will keep that in mind next time. Can I dress up now?”
“Ah, regarding the next time. Although you should rest some more, could you exercise before us again tomorrow?” She asked, leaving him somewhat speechless. Still, letting the bare rooms air brush against his skin under the complete silence, he finally moved a few breaths after.
“Of course, should I wake up early? Also, when should I come back to work?” He asked, but the answers seemed to have been prepared already.
“Don’t worry about either of those. Raeyine will wake you up if need be. As for work, you can start from the first day of Regalian. It’s the 32nd, so you have a day off tomorrow and today.”
“I see,” he said before glancing down at his bare self, soon turning towards the bed on which his clothes were kept. Without uttering a word, he moved towards them, however, his moves were halted right in the middle.
“Go and eat something after you leave. You’ve slept for eight days straight and the medicine can’t constantly keep your strength up.” She spoke, making him look twice at her in confirmation.
“Okay, I will,” he said back, promptly dressing up with quick and succinct motions. Quickly, he was already headed towards the doors, his swaying hair stopping out of nowhere while he was beside them.
Creasing her eyebrows at his immured back, the demon saw him turn around, his still as ever face beginning to speak. “Thank you, Zyponia. For taking care of me so much,” he blurted out, not waiting for much longer and leaving her alone in the room, a crushing silence accompanying her blank wondering.
…