CHAPTER 12 – GYMNASIUM (1)

November 26, 2022 — 6 Comments

It was my first weekend since starting at Halo Academy.
Despite the fact that the world I live in was from the Middle Ages, the concept of a week from my previous life itself has been implemented since ancient times.

“Uh~ I slept well.”

It’s been a long time since I overslept, so my body and mind felt refreshed.
I stretched out and checked the clock, and it was only 8:30.
I thought I overslept, but it seems I didn’t.

But it’s over if I relax today.
If I hadn’t checked the manuscript yesterday, I would have been in trouble, so I hurriedly went through the revision.

“It was really dangerous.”

I was lounging around in bed and then jumped up.
Looking toward the desk, the traces of the hard work from yesterday evening until night were still intact.

Everything I had said to Cecily in front of the restaurant yesterday was written down in the manuscript.
Xenon’s words to comfort Jin, his best friend, and the second main character.

It was a crucial scene because it set the stage for Jin to grow internally as a result of the situation.
The issue was that I had just said those words to Cecily.

In the end, I replaced it with a little changes, but the nuance was similar, so it was a bit annoying.
With the astonishing memory of the demons, she will remember everything I said and notice something suspicious.

‘What then…’

I’ll have to justify it as a coincidence.
As seen so far, most people assume that the author of Xenon’s Biography is an experienced sage and not a young person like me who’s not even in his 20s.

I scratched my stomach and figured out how to make breakfast.
School meals were provided during the week, but weekends must be handled separately at the restaurant.
Still, the price was cheap since students were given benefits.

‘By the way, where do I exercise?’

When I was at home, I used to do some light exercise every morning.
My father encouraged me to exercise because sitting at a desk every day would make my back stoop and my body stiff.

I exercised hard following my father to take care of my health.
Jogging was basic, and I did various stretching exercises to loosen my stiff body.

Thanks to that, there was almost no discomfort or pain anywhere in the body.

Although, because I am so focused on my work, my eyes would occasionally become dry and my vision deteriorate.

‘Come to think of it, the gymnasium looks spacious…’

I discovered a common gymnasium as a result of walking around the academy whenever I had time.
In fact, it is even more strange that there is no gymnasium in the yard where there is a martial arts school that educates knights and wizards.

However, I did not go inside right away.
Because I didn’t feel compelled to enter.

‘I should eat breakfast as takeout after exercising.’

There were several restaurants available for takeout at Halo Academy.
It was for students who thought that waiting for a meal was a waste of time.

In addition, there were far more cases where literature students ordered takeout because the body was more important to non-literature students, they tend to eat balanced meals every day, but literature students did not.

You can ask why takeout in the Middle Ages, but surprisingly, this world had a well-developed restaurant industry.
Not only do various spices exist, but trade was also very active.

With a little exaggeration, the food was not much different from what I was used to, and there were also street snacks.

‘Although there are no carbonated drinks like Coke.’

If there was even that, chemistry and mechanical engineering would have developed together.
I can’t even think of making a soda with magic.

I easily finished my workout and changed my clothes, thinking I should eat a sandwich.
I intended to shower after my exercise, but I didn’t forget to wash my face.
Because this was basic.

“Let’s see… I’m definitely wearing plain clothes here… Ah, there is.”

There were few clothes I brought from home, but I brought clothes that I would wear every time I exercised.
It could be because there were dwarves who represented dexterity, but the types of clothing was just as varied as in my previous life.
They had leggings as well as tracksuits.

However, because there is no ‘factory,’ a symbol of the industrial revolution that allowed mass production, workers had to work hard to make it one by one.
As a result, clothing made of special materials, such as tracksuits or leggings, was filthy expensive.

If I were a commoner, I would have bought it with trembling hands.

‘It’s really a strange world from one to ten.’

There was mana and magic, as well as other races, so it appears that this result was achieved.

Perhaps the development of mechanical engineering was hampered by this subtle imbalance.
They will almost certainly be able to do so as long as they cover the inconvenience with magic.

Then you might ask what a thermostat is, as in a refrigerator or air conditioner, but I’m not sure.
I am not a wizard, but rather a writer who writes.

From what I’ve heard, the wizards were also categorized into combat and support and the support wizards were similar to engineers from my previous life.

‘Well, mechanical engineering is more important for things like washing machines and steam locomotives.
Even magic has its limits.’

I went outside in a red sweatshirt that matched my hair color and the fresh morning air greeted me – the perfect weather for light exercise.

‘First of all, the gymnasium…’

There was a restaurant that I had thought of in advance, so I can go to it later.
The food there tastes good and the price was cheap, making it perfect for me.

‘It’s the weekend after all.’

As I walked to the common gymnasium, I took in my surroundings.
Because it was the weekend, more people were dressed casually rather than in school uniforms.

“Hey.
That looks delicious.
Shall we go?”

“Let’s go, let’s go.”

“Sally! Come with me!”

“Follow me quickly, Kei! This looks so much fun!”

Aristocrats wore clothing made with great care, whereas commoners wore clothing that was easily available on the market.

There were a few people wearing tracksuits like me, but I was too focused on my running to notice them.
Passers-by only saw me once, and then they went about their business.

Within the Halo Academy, it appeared to be a familiar scene.
Everyone was preoccupied with doing what they wanted to do.

‘It’s similar to downtown college.’

On weekdays, when lectures were over, there were times when I visited the library or went straight to my dormitory, but the number of people was small.
However, on weekends, it was crowded with people overflowing with energy.

In addition, there were few rare races that I hadn’t seen before, and not only the elves, who were said to be the embodiment of beauty, but also the dwarves occasionally caught my eye.

‘What about demons…’

Since Cecily was the only demon who entered Halo Academy, of course, there would be none.
The reason why there are none is probably that they are not on good terms with humans.
If you look at the history, you can see why.

I arrived at the common gymnasium quickly because I was walking around without stopping.
To be precise, in front of the common gymnasium’s entrance.

“…It’s really big, big.”

Because it was a ‘public’ facility, it boasted a vast scale comparable to that of a soccer field.
The auditorium was also quite large, but the public gymnasium was much larger than that.

The overall shape of the building was similar to the Colosseum, and it was explained during the entrance ceremony that it was covered with defensive magic, making it probably the most durable.

“Oh? Isaac?”

“Huh?”

A familiar voice reached my ears while I was looking at the public gymnasium boasting tremendous majesty.
I moved my gaze in the direction of the voice.

“…Sister?”

Standing there was Nicole, my older sister, and a beautiful woman with long navy blue hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a navy blue tracksuit.

As soon as she met me, she crossed her arms and asked questioningly.

“What are you doing here? Are you trying to exercise?”

“Oh, yes.
I’m here for a quick workout.”

“Well…”

After hearing my answer, Nicole moved her gaze toward the common gymnasium.
Then she looked at me again and said firmly.

“I don’t think so”

“Huh? Why?”

“That’s a training ground.
A place where martial arts are performed.
It’s definitely not a place that’s suitable for warming up as you think.
If it’s ‘training’ I don’t know.”

“I can’t even do simple exercises?”

“It’s possible, but…”

Finding it hard to explain, she scratched her chin and looked at the common gymnasium before opening her mouth in a vague voice.

“How to say… There are so many weird guys out there.
There are also guys who enjoy teasing others.”

“In what way? Throwing gloves and fighting…”

“When are you talking about?”

Nicole answered my question with a look of absurdity.
I let out an embarrassing laugh.
Instead, seeing that Nicole asked back when was the story, it seems that such a culture itself existed.

“Anyway, there’s no such thing, and it’s easy to think that the kids are a bit mischievous, especially with freshmen.”

“Do the literature students also come?”

“Yes.
I don’t know about commoners, but quite a few nobles come.
Usually, most people learn basic martial arts from their families and enter the academy.
You are a special case.”

As Nicole explained, I knew very little about martial arts.
To be precise, I could understand with my head, but my body didn’t follow.

It was also possible to control mana and raise physical abilities, but that was the end.
Even in my previous life, I barely used my body, and being reincarnated in a fantasy world was no different.

My concentration was surprisingly high, but my physical strength didn’t support me.

“I’ll go in anyway.
I’m more curious because you said that.”

“Ehh.
Should I not have told you? I shouldn’t have said it.”

Nicole scratched her head with a troubled smile before placing her hand on her waist.

“Okay.
It wouldn’t hurt to come for the experience.
If you step inside instead, it’ll be hard to help you.”

“Why?”

“Because I have to fight with the students.
Did you forget that your sister is an assistant?”

“Ah.
That’s right.”

Being a Martial Arts teaching assistant was only possible if you had exceptional skills.
And Nicole was currently working as an assistant at Halo Academy with Dave.

If I can get a sense of what role she plays, it’s easy to roughly see her as a martial arts master.
Even if the physical strength is exhausted, the student has to persevere if he wants to fight, so it is physically quite strenuous.

I nodded at her warning and opened my mouth when I suddenly remembered something.

“Then can I watch the sparring?”

“It’s okay to look around.
Are you going to write it in the book?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.
That should be fine.”

So I followed Nicole and entered the public gymnasium.
Upon entering, the structure was unexpectedly very simple, contrary to my expectations.

Locker rooms and shower rooms were divided according to gender, and further inside, various weapons presumably for training were placed.
Out of curiosity, I pulled out a sword.
Since it was for training, the blade was not sharp.

As I was looking around the steel training sword, Nicole stopped at a crossing and asked me.

“Where do you want to start? The arena or the playground?”

“Huh? Is there a separate place to exercise?”

“Of course.
sparring next to exercising.
How can it work? It’s dangerous.”

“Then let’s go to the playground.”

The reason why I came to the public gymnasium was to exercise.
Nicole nodded at my words and moved forward.

“Oh, I’m telling you in advance, don’t be intimidated after seeing it, okay?”

“Okay.”

How great is it for Nicole to say that?

“Whoa…! Whoa…!”

“Hey! Good job! Good job! Pull faster!”

“Mike! If you lose this, you’ll be in big trouble!”

There was a time when I thought so too.

As soon as I entered the playground, I couldn’t close my jaw when I saw the scene unfolding in front of my eyes.
I couldn’t tell if what I was seeing was real.

First of all, to explain the situation, two men each tied a rope around their waists and were dragging a lump of metal, so large that it was almost the size of a house.
Only one person is dragging such a lump of metal.

“Should I bring something bigger than this?”

“This is enough.
Let’s begin.”

“… …”

But the other side wasn’t easy either.
People who put an iron block on their backs while doing push-ups were noblemen, and there were also people who performed artistic acts with pull-ups.

What they had in common was that they wore clothes that fully revealed their physical beauty, regardless of age or sex.
Most of the men are shirtless and all the women are sleeveless.

Thanks to that, it was pleasant to the eyes, but more than that, I started to suspect that they were really human beings.

While I was opening my mouth in amazement, Nicole raised one corner of her mouth and asked me.

“How is it? Isn’t it great?”

“… …”

“If you’re thinking of working out here, I won’t stop you.”

“…No.
I’ll just run outside.”

I didn’t have the courage to stand among those monsters.
Nicole patted me on the shoulder as if it was okay.

“Then watch your sister spar for about an hour and then go exercise.
Okay?”

“Yes.”

In the end, I turned around from the playground for the training ground.
At least, I feel relieved that I can see a spar comfortably.

‘From now on, I’ll have to bring my notebook and magic pen.’

As everyone knows, there is a world of difference between listening and seeing with your own eyes.
Moreover, it is clear that it will be of great help to the battle scenes of Xenon’s life, which were somewhat poor.

Right now, I have no choice but to remember it in my head, but it would be nice to use this as an opportunity to come every week.
Coincidentally, my sister is also an assistant, so there is no need to be self-conscious.

‘Anyway, the aisle is quite long.’

For safety reasons, the passage to the training ground was quite long.
Also, the closer I got to the exit, the more I heard the intermittent sound of metal rubbing against each other.

It wasn’t long before I and Nicole reached the exit.

Whoo!

Suddenly, the sound of an object cutting through the wind entered my ears.
I was about to recognize the sound.

Tup!

The object that flew fiercely through the wind stopped right in front of my eyes and before I could raise my hand, Nicole quickly blocked it.

I didn’t know what was going on, so I blinked and checked what object Nicole was blocking.

It was just a simple ball.
A ball that looks like it’s going to be soft.
However, it flew fairly quickly and Nicole caught it before I could catch it.

Blinking at the completely unexpected situation, I stared at the ball, then moved my gaze to Nicole.
My reaction may be a bit slow, but Nicole’s reaction speed was great.

“…this bastard really… even when I told them not to do something like this…!”

Either way, Nicole’s impression was crumpled.

It was the first time I had seen my sister like this, and the first swear word I had ever heard from her.
and…

“Ah~ I’m sorry.
I’m sorry.
The ball I threw flew that way.”

A husky woman’s voice came out of the exit.