Interlude 4: Bliss

Another day, another class.

Or, well, supposedly this was a class session.

Today, the combat class that I was looking forward to, which was supposed to start this morning, was cancelled. A brief, incredibly vague notice informed us that the class had been pushed to late in the afternoon, past standard academic hours.

Naturally, a lot of our classmates groaned. I joined in as well, since that meant my wake-up call wouldn’t start until the end of the day.

When we were finally instructed to gather at the academy’s southern gates wearing long pants and our inner buttoned shirts only, Instructor Liz was waiting for us, sitting by a nearby bench, reading a poetry book.

As more and more of us arrived in front of her, she finally acknowledged her presence and closed her book with a thud, rising up from the bench, and turned towards us with a confident smile.

“Listen up! Today, we’re jogging!” she announced with a booming voice.

Everyone was silent.

What?

After a short but weirdly vague explanation, I got the gist of the idea.

Apparently, the higher-ups wanted her to help us build up our core stamina and endurance. And, as fitting of her, instead of having us run laps around a track, which was plenty available, a high-speed jog through the bustling streets of the capital was the better and obvious choice.

Why must you be eccentric, dear instructor?

After a whole few minutes of everyone debating if they should’ve just stayed in their dorms, Instructor Liz continued to explain the jogging session. The main thing being:

“Whoever finishes first gets a special prize!”

The groaning that had once kept echoing throughout the students was now replaced with curious murmurs.

She then continued her explanation.

To make sure we won’t crowd the streets or get lost, we were each given randomly selected partners and our own unique routes.

Now, I was interested. Who could my partner be?

Attila? Pairing with her would end up being a competitive race to see who would finish first. I was sure of it.

Lionne? I jogged with her a few times as Carine, often times alongside Eve; it should be a relaxing pace if I was paired with her. Maybe slightly chaotic if I was paired with her as Feyt, but I wouldn’t mind… much.

Villius? I had a feeling he had some kind of rivalry against Feyt, so if I were to be paired with him as Feyt, things might get competitive and end up as a sprint later on.

What about Lechter? If I were to be paired with him, the ideal scenario would be him pairing with Feyt, since the two barely knew each other and barely interacted. If he were to be paired with Carine, things might get volatile. But then again, it might be the perfect chance to straighten things out with him.

If my partner turned out to be someone I didn’t know personally, it might be a way for me to expand my network. All in all, I was very interested to learn who my partner might be.

…It was me.

My “randomly selected” partner was none other than myself.

Carine… and Feyt…

I stood dumbfounded beside my partner, staring at Instructor Liz with eyes of pure doubt that this was truly random.

She noticed my stares and decided to give me a wink with a subtle thumbs up.

She’s totally doing this on purpose!

—

Everyone gathered at the open southern gate. Some were warming up, some were talking and groaning about the weather.

“Lady Carine!” Lionne came up from behind me. “Oh, and Sir Feyt too! Tell me, tell me! Are your routes pretty long?”

“Our routes…” I echoed as Feyt.

As Carine, I looked down again on the map Instructor Liz handed to me, a red line drawn from the southern gate all the way around the capital until it reached the central square, the one overlooking the palace.

“I wouldn’t say it’s too long,” I answered as Carine.

Mother often had us run farther distances than this. And I meant it when I said run, not jog.

“T-This isn’t far for you?” Lionne said, almost in disbelief. Then she shook her head. “A-Anyway, it seems everyone’s final goal is the central square. Do you think it’s related to the prize we might get?”

“Who knows? With how ‘random’ our routes are, the victor might come down to luck anyway.”

But you bet I was gonna try my best to see the prize for myself.

“Hey, hey, did you know?” a sudden voice echoed into Feyt’s ears. “I think our partners aren’t really random at all.”

“Really? How so?”

“I mean, Lady Carine and Feyt… isn’t it too much of a coincidence?”

“Oh yeah, kind of.”

“Well, you see… I actually saw Lady Carine handing a pouch of money to Instructor Liz a few days ago near a practice chamber!”

“W-What?! D-Do you think she bribed the instructor to fix her partner?!”

I totally did NOT!

That pouch was payment for her service in helping me train in building up my sensory walls. Besides, how would I even bribe for a position in an event I didn’t even know was coming?

Dammit, I really should’ve kept the transaction inside the chambers.

I let out a long, exhausted sigh, wondering how in the world I was going to explain that.

But then, I realized I had bigger problems to worry about.

You see, the length of the route might not be a problem for me…

But the weather definitely was.

The summer heat was really hitting me hard. It was hitting all of us hard. The fact that my buttoned shirt had long sleeves and the fact that I was wearing long pants didn’t help at all.

It was in my best interest on multiple fronts to get this jog over as soon as possible. First, to get the mysterious prize; second, to escape the heat.

And so, with the academy bells ringing acting as our signal, everyone and their partners exited the southern gate and went their separate ways for the jog.

—

Oh.

My.

God.

I.

Am.

Meltingggg!!!

I was only halfway through my jogging route, and I was already fighting the urge to take a dip at the nearest sewer.

But still, I kept pushing. Mother had both of me train in extreme conditions before. Be it in the extreme cold of winter or the intense heat of summer. This was no different… I hoped.

—

By the time I reached the main square, I was speechless, breathless, and nearly mindless.

I pushed my eyes forward to find Instructor Liz waiting for me, sitting by the stone fountain, using the grand statue’s shadow as shade as she held a glass of fruit juice, complete with ice cubes which clinked clearly as she swirled it.

I came to a pathetic halt a few paces away from her. Both of my bodies were covered in sweat, and I felt like I could evaporate water with my skin if I stood near them.

"Oh, look at you two," Liz chirped, taking a slow, deliberate sip from her drink before standing up to greet us. "First ones to finish the course! Fantastic job!"

She placed her glass by the fountain as she turned towards us with an infuriatingly cheerful grin.

"As promised, the first pair back gets a prize! You two really wanted it, huh?" she said, giving a lazy clap.

Just tell me what it is…

I couldn’t even gather the energy to talk back.

"The prize is… official exemption for next week’s class! Yay!!” she clapped vigorously.

That’s…

The worst prize ever.

She knew.

She knew it was a prize I couldn’t accept. She knew I would never actually skip her class, considering it was the only source of genuine learning and joy I had in this academy. She had turned my own dedication into a weapon against me. But for what reason? Just to mock me?

I stared at her through my four eyes, fuming.

"Aww, don't look at me like that! I was just kidding!" Liz laughed, waving a dismissive hand. She leaned back against the stone rim of the fountain, her gaze sharpening just a bit. "I just wanted to test something. Wanted to see if you two had the stamina for... it."

Stamina for what?

She didn't elaborate. Instead, she just offered a satisfied nod. "Anyway, you two did a great job. Go home and rest, or hang around the capital. I heard there’s some good eats around here.”

So… were you ready to take responsibility if I suffered a heatstroke?

I took a heavy breath, slowly regaining my train of thought.

Then, I realized something… Something utterly worrying.

If both of my bodies, bodies used to Mother's hellish conditioning, were this utterly exhausted... what about the others? Wouldn't the rest of the class be dropping like flies from heatstroke?

"Oh, right," Liz added casually, picking her iced drink back up. "I kinda… lied… to you two. Your route was significantly longer than everyone else's. The others actually finished and went back a while ago. So no need to wait for them or anything! I’m heading back myself after this drink."

…

I wonder if smacking an instructor outside of academy grounds counts as a misdemeanor?

—

The slow walk back to the academy was heavy and slow. I wanted to hurry and take a cold shower. But the thought of jogging back up an uphill road with this kind of heat sounded unbearable.

Then, a few streets down from the palace square, a scent of toasted butter and sweet vanilla cut through the heavy air.

Just outside a bustling, high-end-looking restaurant, a customer sat at a table, shaded with a parasol, holding a tall, parfait glass filled with something white and soft. They took a slow, blissed-out bite with a spoon.

Both of my bodies came to a complete stop in front of the restaurant.

That’s…

That’s soft serve—No, that’s ice cream, isn’t it?!

H-How?! Why is there ice cream here?!

As both of my bodies stood in shock and awe, a friendly waitress of the same restaurant hustled her way to us, holding a menu.

“Good afternoon! Are you interested in our current special?” she asked cheerfully. “We actually hired a retired mage specialized in water and ice magic to develop a revolutionary frozen dessert! It’s perfect for handling hot weather like this! Right now we actually have a promotional offer running—a buy-one-get-one-free deal for coup—"

I threw out Carine’s hand, holding a single gold coin to the waitress, who stood with eyes wide and blinking.

Shut up and take my money.

—

Both of me were seated at a shaded outdoor table tucked neatly beneath a wide parasol. Finally out of the blazing sun, the slight breeze felt like heaven.

The moment my butts hit the chairs, I unbuttoned my collars and rolled up my sleeves, letting our necklaces out as I let the breeze hit my skin.

Aaaaah… this is heaven.

Then, the dessert arrived.

The waitress frantically set down two tall glass parfait dishes layered with ice cream and syrup, complete with metal spoons.

Carine's chocolate soft serve came crowned with chocolate squares, while Feyt's sat in a vibrant swirl of strawberry cream.

Beside the parfaits, she placed a wooden basket tray filled with colorful macarons and butter cookies, her hands trembling slightly as she let out a nervous, strained laugh.

“P-Please enjoy our best confectionaries! If there’s anything wrong, please let us know! We will provide you with the best service possible!”

I gave slight nods to the waitress as she waddled away.

I turned my attention back to the parfaits.

Chocolate for Carine. Strawberry for Feyt.

To be honest, I was a little skeptical. "Soft serve made by a retired ice archmage" sounded great on paper, but magic-made food could be hit or miss. Who knows if using magic in the process would mess up the ingredients in unexpected ways. The parfait could taste sticky, dry, or even sharp depending on circumstances.

But there was only one way to find out.

Carine picked up her metal spoon. Feyt picked up his.

I scooped up a bite with both hands simultaneously, guided the spoons to two pairs of lips, closed four eyes, and took both bites at once.

…

I have ascended.

Carine's bite was rich, velvety chocolate with a deep cocoa flavor that melted effortlessly on the tongue without a single ice crystal to ruin the texture. Feyt's bite burst with a tart, bright strawberry sweetness that cut right through the afternoon heat.

And, since I took both bites at the same time, I could taste the thick, creamy chocolate with the vibrant, refreshing strawberry at the same time. This… this was pure bliss.

I wonder if both of my tongues would taste things differently?

I have to test this!

I…

I might be here for a while.

—

Leila walked through the bustling capital streets, her expression completely flat.

But internally, she was worried to her core.

The sun was setting, and it was getting late. Lady Carine and Sir Feyt had yet to return following their afternoon jogging class. While both were more than capable of taking care of themselves, Leila knew that, well, the current heat wave was enough to warrant a quick search for them.

Lady Carine, Sir Feyt…

Where have you two gone?

…

As she navigated through the capital and neared the central square, her eyes caught the silhouette of the pair she was looking for. However, instead of rushing over in worry, she stopped in her tracks, quickly slipped smoothly behind the brick corner to keep herself out of view, and stole a peek around the corner.

There, sitting together side-by-side underneath a parasol, were Lady Carine and Sir Feyt.

Their top collar buttons were loosened, sleeves rolled up. They sat together, not sharing a word, eating a peculiar frozen dessert in silence and in unison. It was a peaceful, harmonic scene. All the worry in her heart evaporated in an instant.

Leila stood in the alleyway, her breathing and expression remaining calm. Yet, deep down, she believed she had seen something magical.

Her only regret in that moment was her lack of artistic skill. She genuinely wished she could paint the scene into her notebook, to capture this magical, gentle atmosphere and present it to Lord Kyrat and Lady Reyna.

However, even though she couldn’t paint it, she was sure as heck going to write every single detail of this scene into her report.