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Chapter 9
For the knight commander to rush all the way to the annex, there had to be a reason.
Daphne nodded.
“Speak.”
“Have you perhaps learned swordsmanship before?”
She had indeed learned it—
From an old man whose name she didn’t know.
But she couldn’t speak of the days when she was a dragon.
Daphne shook her head.
“No. I haven’t.”
Lloyd’s eyes widened.
“…Then you’re really a natural.”
He muttered to himself without realizing it. He, too, had been just as shocked by Daphne’s sword swing as Arius had been.
It was only a single vertical slash, but Lloyd had a strong gut feeling.
She can do it.
She’s one of the ones who can.
The desire to be a teacher—buried deep within him—began to stir. A desire that hadn’t awakened even when teaching Arius.
He composed himself and asked cautiously,
“Do you have any intention of learning the sword?”
Daphne nodded.
“I do. But there’s a problem.”
What she had been thinking just a moment ago.
“My stamina and strength are absolutely pathetic.”
Strength: 1
Stamina: 10
Unless those improved, her swordsmanship and magical abilities would be useless.
“Do you know how to increase stamina and strength?”
Lloyd didn’t immediately understand what she meant, but then he let out a small “Ah!” and touched his chin.
“Yes. I do.”
At his confident answer, Daphne’s eyes widened.
“Really? How? How do I do it?”
But Lloyd sighed.
“There is a way, but I doubt you’ll be able to go through with it, my lady.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
Daphne shouted in frustration, but Lloyd remained calm. Or rather, he looked slightly pitying toward Daphne.
“Well…”
Lloyd ran a hand down his face and slowly continued.
“Running.”
That’s right.
For someone with a frail body like Daphne, running was the only way to build stamina and strength. You need stamina to build strength, and you need to run to gain stamina.
But Daphne couldn’t run.
“You’re under a deadly curse, and your body is weak. It’s dangerous.”
She was cursed.
Even a little exertion caused her to cough up blood.
“Your talent is like a fully bloomed flower, but the vase holding it is cracked. It can’t deliver the nutrients to the flower.”
Lloyd sighed and murmured,
“What a shame. You might have been able to succeed my master…”
It was a small whisper, but Daphne clearly heard it.
“I’ll be taking my leave now.”
Lloyd gave a polite bow and left the room.
And left alone, Daphne whispered to herself,
“…He said I could succeed the Hero?”
Her tiny fists clenched as her body trembled.
“Is he insane?”
She ground her teeth.
“How dare he compare that so-called hero to the great me!”
The Next Day
Daphne appeared at the training grounds.
Her entire being brimming with fierce determination.
—Your talent is like a fully bloomed flower, but the vase holding it is cracked. It can’t deliver the nutrients to the flower.
Those words from Lloyd had seriously pissed Daphne off.
Of course her talent was fully bloomed. She was none other than the Great Calamity, Celus!
But a cracked vase? This damned, cursed body!
And then, the next line had provoked her even further:
—What a shame. You might have been able to succeed my master…
Succeed the Hero?
No.
She wouldn’t just succeed him.
“I’ll surpass that damn hero!”
Daphne charged forward in a rage.
“Kyaa!”
“Lady Daphne! Please be careful!”
Anne and Anna screamed from a distance, but Daphne didn’t stop running.
“Huff… huff…”
Her breath hitched painfully. Her entire body cried out in agony.
It was only natural. She’d never exercised a day in her life.
Still, Daphne didn’t stop. Her steps were slow—so slow that others wouldn’t even call it “running”—but she pushed her body to its limit, again and again.
“Cough! Hack!”
Until, eventually, she coughed up blood.
“Lady Daphne!”
“Fetch the physician, now!”
Anne and Anna ran over in panic.
“Whew… whew…”
But Daphne wiped the blood from her lips and stood up again.
“I’m fine.”
She caught her breath and looked around the large training grounds.
She had to run at least five laps. Only then would her stamina increase.
With that in mind, she clenched her fists.
“I can keep going.”
Anne and Anna looked like they were about to faint.
“But my lady!”
“You’ll die if you push yourself any harder!”
They were genuinely worried for her.
The Black Butterfly disease—
A curse cast by the world’s greatest dark mage.
The more the cursed person overexerted themselves, the worse the symptoms became. For such people, lying still until death was the best way to go.
But Daphne wasn’t doing that.
She’d been running every day for the past few days. And in between, they’d overheard her muttering something about the “Hero…”
Was she really doing all this to catch the Hero’s attention? Because she missed her father?
Anne and Anna were on the verge of tears. That cold-hearted master of hers—how could he not understand her feelings?
They fretted anxiously beside her.
But Daphne was unaware of their thoughts. Nor did she care to know.
She only looked at the results from her scanning spell:
[Daphne Archeon]
Stamina: 11
Charisma: 300
Strength: 1
Magic: 1
Her stamina had increased by 1.
It works.
Lloyd had told her the right method.
Seeing results like this, there was no stopping Daphne.
“Don’t block my way. I will keep running.”
“My lady!”
Anne and Anna shouted, but Daphne ignored them and ran again.
“Hey! Stop running already!”
Even Arius, who had been training his swordsmanship nearby, shouted at her, overwhelmed by her stubbornness.
But Daphne didn’t stop.
She had planned to run five laps, but barely managed one.
Still…
[Daphne Archeon]
Stamina: 15
Charisma: 300
Strength: 1
Magic: 1
She had raised her stamina to 15.
Of course, she collapsed from exhaustion right after.
A Few Days Later — Early Morning
Lloyd came out to the training grounds to stretch his stiff body.
And immediately noticed a tiny figure running laps.
Daphne.
Ho…
Lloyd crossed his arms, watching her.
It had been two weeks now.
Except for the days when she collapsed unconscious and teetered between life and death, Daphne had been running at the training grounds almost every single day.
Honestly, when she first started running, Lloyd didn’t think she’d last more than a few days.
And who could blame him?
Daphne had the most fragile, weakest body imaginable. Practically useless.
People with such bodies suffered the most during initial training. They had to completely rebuild their physique.
That’s why Lloyd thought a mere five-year-old like Daphne wouldn’t survive it.
But she had.
“Huff… huff…”
She kept running, even though just a short while ago she had fainted and remained unconscious for three days.
Looks like I underestimated her.
Lloyd reflected, ashamed. He’d failed to recognize her potential.
So he walked up to her and called out:
“My lady. Did you know today marks two full weeks of running?”
Panting heavily, Daphne turned her eyes toward him.
“I feel like dying and you have the nerve to talk? Get lost.”
“…”
Lloyd was momentarily stunned, but knowing her personality, he considered it mild.
“I mean it, my lady. You’re truly incredible. Do you plan to continue?”
Instead of answering, Daphne used her scan magic:
[Daphne Archeon]
Stamina: 30
Charisma: 300
Strength: 4
Magic: 1
Her stamina had reached 30, and her strength was now 4.
It was an astounding improvement in just two weeks.
Daphne was pleased.
But that was all. Just pleased.
Her body, however, was screaming “Please… let me live…”
She could feel another collapse coming soon.
Still—
“Yes. I will keep running.”
Because Daphne had a secret weapon.
A hidden card she trusted in…
