Chapter 15

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Leord decided to ask Gilbert about the phoenix he had researched the night before.

"Gil, I have something I want to ask you. How much do you know about the phoenix?"

"A phoenix, you say? Well, I only know the general legends. The tears of the phoenix can heal any illness, the blood of the phoenix can grant eternal youth when drunk, eating the flesh of the phoenix can make one immortal, and the tail feather of the phoenix can revive the dead. That's about it."

"I see..."

(These are explanations I didn't hear in the game. The tail feather existed, but the phoenix itself didn't. However, maybe I can find one if I look. But I don't know where to look, and I'm not sure if I can leave here, so there's nothing I can do.)

"Is there something troubling you?"

"...Gil, I want to know more about the phoenix. Can you gather information on it?"

"Leave it to me."

"Aren't you going to ask why...?"

"I don't sense any evil intent from you now, my lord."

"I see... Then, I'll leave it to you."

"Hai!"

Embarrassed, Leord turned away, blushing.

During the morning sparring session with Gilbert, Leord asked about the current state of the Barbalot.

"What's the current situation with the Barbalot?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't have detailed information on that."

"I see..."

Even Gilbert, who was always by his side, didn't know the current state of the Barbalot. Leord was disappointed, but he understood that it couldn't be helped.

Just because there was no sword practice in the afternoon didn't mean he would do nothing. He would spar with Gilbert.

Leord, as usual, was beaten up without being able to land a single hit.

"Hey!"

"Ah, you're casting without incantation. That's impressive, but with that accuracy and power, you couldn't even kill a bug!"

"Ugh!"

Leord shot a water magic spell at Gilbert, but Gilbert easily nullified it and kicked Leord away. Gilbert's strength was immeasurable, as he kicked Leord, who still had a pig-like physique, like a ball.

"Not yet...!"

"That's the spirit. We still have plenty of time!"

"Roar!"

Leord charged in, only to be punched, kicked, and thrown to the ground. However, even after being knocked down many times, Leord didn't give up.

He resolved to at least land one hit today. But he had been thinking this every day and had never succeeded. Unfortunately, for Leord to land a single hit on Gilbert was as difficult as finding a grain of rice in the desert.

Still, Leord didn't give up. If he couldn't beat Gilbert, he wouldn't be able to change the bad ending of death. To do that, he had to slim down and become the prodigy Leord, once known as the Golden Lion.

He couldn't give up at this level.

However, despite his determination, his skills didn't match, and he was beaten up by Gilbert again today.

When he woke up, he was in bed, feeling discouraged by his own incompetence. But he was hungry, so he got out of bed and headed to the dining room. The food was already laid out, and they were just waiting for Leord to be called.

However, Leord arrived before he was called, and the servants panicked. Seeing their reaction made him sad, but Leord tried to be as kind as possible.

"It's fine. Don't worry. I came too early. Please continue your work."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

The servant bowed and hurried out of the dining room. Seeing this, Leord slightly lowered his shoulders, realizing that he was still feared.

After finishing dinner, Leord started his magic studies as usual.

However, most of the content was the same as in the game, so it didn't have much meaning. It wasn't clear if it would improve his intelligence or be effective. Still, he studied magic because it was fun.

With the memories of the true person in Leord's latent abilities, his magic skills would grow exponentially, so it couldn't be boring.

However, if he got too cocky, he would be severely punished by Gilbert and Barbalot.

During their training sessions, the use of magic was allowed, but every time he used a new spell, he was brutally beaten.

They were warning him not to get too cocky just because he had learned a new spell, but continuing until he fainted seemed a bit much.

"Well, that's enough for today."

He closed the book and looked outside the window. It was pitch dark. The moon illuminated the night, and a faint light shone through the window. Leord fell asleep, and it had become a routine for him to wake up in the middle of the night, feeling hungry, and sneak to the kitchen, only to be caught by Gilbert.