Chapter 27
In an instant, about ten trainee knights collapsed. As they sprawled across the ground in disarray, I silently cheered them on.
‘You lost, but you fought well.’
Thumbs up!
But, as always, with each lap, more knights dropped out.
By the thirtieth lap, fewer than ten remained. I gave up counting how many times the system had restored my stamina.
Thanks to the morale buff, I felt too great—like I wasn’t even tired!
So, like the others, I started pretending to be exhausted. Though my “acting” was nothing more than letting out a soft groan.
“Ugh…”
“How pathetic.”
“?”
I turned at the unexpected comment—and saw a head of green hair.
The guy popped something into his mouth and swallowed.
Huh?
I recognized it right away.
“Did you just take a stamina potion?”
In the Great Temple, the healing priests were making all kinds of potions—ones for stamina, detox, healing cuts, and so on.
But the green-haired guy just gave me a knowing smile and jogged ahead. I stared at his back in disbelief.
‘Oh no, this won’t do.’
I had planned to faint after running a little more, just in case winning first place would seem too suspicious.
But after seeing that guy pulling this stunt, there was no way I could let him win.
Besides, my stamina was improving with each lap, so this was a good opportunity.
I wanted to push my limits and raise my stamina as much as I could.
It felt like I was farming EXP by endlessly hunting monsters while constantly getting healed.
I also wanted to get back at those jerks who looked down on me for being a Primrose orphan and changed my training schedule.
So I ran. And kept running. Faking exhaustion became more tiring, so I just kept up a steady pace.
By the fortieth lap, only me and the green-haired guy were left.
The trainees who had given up early watched me like I was some kind of spectacle.
“…Wow. Is that even possible?”
“That little girl passed all of us and is keeping up with Edgar?”
“…Maybe because she appeared for the first time in 150 years.”
Their eyes were filled with awe, like they were looking at a holy knight resurrected after 150 years. They had altered the schedule to break my spirit, but it seemed their own spirits were the ones breaking.
“But Edgar looks like he’s about to collapse.”
The knights turned their attention to Edgar—the green-haired guy.
He was hunched over, running like a zombie, probably out of potions. His ragged breathing filled the entire training ground.
As I gracefully passed him, I asked,
“Are you sure you’re not going to die?”
“Shut… up. Y-You didn’t even get c-caught back there…”
“Oh, really? Well, I suppose Lord Canaria couldn’t possibly lose to a Primrose.”
“Sh—…”
Smirk.
With a fresh smile, I overtook him. Behind me, I heard his voice grumble in disbelief.
“W-Why is she… so good at running…”
But even that voice soon faded.
“Huff, huff… I-I’m gonna die. I can’t go on…”
Thud!
Edgar collapsed right there.
I stopped running and looked back. He was sprawled out, a mess, barely able to lift his head to look at me.
His eyes were full of confusion and frustration.
“Wha… What are you… How did you do that…”
You want to know how I outran you even though you chugged all those potions?
I kept jogging in place and shrugged nonchalantly.
“Because I’m the chosen holy knight who appeared after 150 years.”
“Ughhh…”
His eyes rolled back just before he passed out.
Still jogging in place, I walked over to him. Now was the time to make one thing very clear.
I wouldn’t tolerate any more bullying or power games.
“If you mess with my schedule one more time, I won’t let it slide.”
“I-It wasn’t just me…”
And then Edgar lost consciousness. For a moment, I thought he might have died, but he’d simply fallen asleep.
Only after confirming he was out cold did I stop running. My opponent was down for good.
A perfect victory.
Though there were no audience stands, the watching knights—who had become more enthusiastic than any crowd—looked ready to burst into applause.
“Wow…”
“S-She came in first… That girl, who just started training today, came in first.”
“Who is she? A monster?”
“…She ran 42 laps and still looks fine.”
The training ground was filled with silent admiration and awe.
The first training session was quite satisfying.
‘Ugh, my whole body aches.’
After training—no, punishment—I returned to the dorm and finally started to feel the pain.
My muscles screamed.
The system might’ve restored my stamina, but it didn’t heal the actual physical strain my body had suffered.
Then I remembered the stack of potions Rearwin had given me.
‘Wow. I thought I’d never need these.’
I hurriedly gulped down a few labeled “Quick Relief for Muscle Pain.”
Thank goodness I came in first. The other kids would have to endure night training for the next few days.
I decided today was my full rest day.
The potions gradually soothed the pain. Sleepiness crept in, and I changed clothes roughly before collapsing into bed.
When I checked my system window, my stamina had gone up quite a bit—as expected.
‘Hehe, so satisfying… I can’t wait to start swordsmanship training…’
I wondered what sword training would be like. I was excited.
But sleep hit me faster than enthusiasm. Just as my eyes closed, the system window appeared in my mind.
<‘Dragon Slayer Sylvestre’ says not to overdo it.>
‘This isn’t overdoing it. I’m really fine, I swear.’
It actually felt great—like I’d finally begun to grow.
Besides, I’d sleep off all the soreness and be fine by morning.
Looking forward to the upcoming training, I drifted off to sleep, pleased as could be.
“Sir Meteor! Sir Meteor!”
The next day, around noon.
After finishing both early morning and morning training, Meteor heard someone calling out to him.
He turned to see Lucas, a trainee knight two years younger, rushing toward him with his curly brown hair bouncing.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s Crescent! She collapsed and still hasn’t woken up!”
“What?”
Meteor’s brow furrowed.
Sigh.
As he’d suspected, the girl didn’t seem cut out for holy knight training. Had she already fainted on the first day?
But then, Lucas told him something surprising.
Apparently, Crescent and Edgar had gotten into a verbal spat during yesterday’s training. Edgar had looked down on her.
In response, their instructor had ordered everyone to run 50 laps around the training ground.
And shockingly, Crescent had run 42 laps and placed first.
Meteor couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. I came to report that she still hasn’t woken up.”
Lucas’s eyes sparkled as he looked up at Meteor. Who wouldn’t admire him?
In terms of looks, lineage, divine power, and swordsmanship, Meteor lacked nothing.
Not long ago, he had even survived an encounter with a high-level demon!
‘He’s incredible!’
But Meteor couldn’t shake his shock.
He knew the first training ground well—it was the same one he’d run in as a newly appointed holy knight. A normal knight would struggle with just 20 laps, yet Crescent had done 42?
He recalled what his mother had insisted:
‘Metty, make sure you watch over Senti. There will be far more days when you’re not training together, so always have someone check that she’s okay. You know better than anyone how cruel young knights can be.’
That’s why he had reluctantly asked Lucas to keep an eye on Crescent.
Since Lucas shared the same training schedule, he’d be able to see what happened to her.
“Thanks, Lucas.”
After patting Lucas’s shoulder a couple times, Meteor immediately headed to Crescent’s room.
Truthfully, he’d planned to leave the kids at the Great Temple alone unless something serious happened.
But he hadn’t expected to be seeking her out so soon.
