Chapter 7: The Plan Has Changed
He had passed out again.
“Ah.”
As soon as he came to his senses, his eyes bulged open, and he abruptly sat up. Despite fainting from a blow to the face, he felt refreshed. Shiron licked his lips as if checking something, but there was no wound. Whether it was because he had been lying down for a long time or because the body he possessed had an insane healing ability, it wasn’t important right now.
“Damn.”
Looking out the window, dawn was breaking.
The sun peeked out from between snow-covered mountains. Thick and heavy clouds split as if cut by Moses’s miracle. Shiron seemed to have an idea why this place was called Dawn Castle.
His appreciation was brief.
“Shit.”
A curse slipped from his lips.
‘Did I get hit and pass out again?’
Waking up in the same place and position after fainting felt like déjà vu.
‘How can I wake up in the same place and time?’
He hadn’t died and been resurrected… Shiron chuckled and opened the drawer next to the bed.
He picked up an expensive-looking pen and took out a hidden piece of paper from beneath the hinge.
“I’ll have to raise the risk level.”
Lucia was more dangerous than expected. He hadn’t expected her to punch him just for playing a light prank. It was completely unexpected.
‘Just because I put a snowball inside her clothes, she got this mad?’
If asked why he did it, he’d just express his frustration. Yes, part of it was to let her experience the almost fraudulent training method he knew, but also, she seemed so downcast and sulky that he thought changing the mood might be good.
It was his version of consideration.
Shiron massaged his neck and took a deep sigh.
‘With such a violent person, how delicate and sensitive Shiron must have felt. It’s obvious. They must have fought tooth and nail. Time to change the plan.’
Shiron tore up the paper filled with various writings. To prevent anyone from seeing, he shredded it finely and threw it into the fire in the corner.
The game didn’t show their childhood. It was unclear why Shiron Prient knew he would die but still blocked Lucia’s path. It was assumed that Shiron, feeling inferior to the increasingly prominent Lucia, went mad from the continuous pressure and hated his younger sibling.
Thinking about it made him feel sympathy. Somehow, he felt like he overlapped with Shiron Prien.
‘Poor Shiron. Surviving from such a monster since childhood. Impressive. Really impressive.’
He took out a new piece of paper. Shiron decided to overhaul the plan he had initially set up.
‘I won’t forget your death and will use it well.’
Shiron scribbled on the paper.
Scribble- scribble-
Various elements were listed on the slightly discolored paper.
Current location, upcoming areas, useful items to acquire, and elements to avoid. He even wrote things that, if seen by the scholars of the academy, would make them exclaim that the world’s mysteries had finally been solved.
‘Lastly…’
[Becoming close with the younger sister is on hold.]
Shiron firmly dotted the paper.
The plan had changed.
He had planned to manipulate her since childhood, but it wasn’t as easy as he thought.
Shiron organized his writing tools and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
He suddenly thought,
‘If I were the original ‘Shiron’…’
Perhaps he would have run out of the room and challenged Lucia to a duel immediately? It was an amusing thought.
“…No.”
Come to think of it, it wasn’t fun at all.
As Shiron became sentimental, a chill ran down his spine.
“One shouldn’t take death lightly.”
Shiron pressed his temples hard.
Although it had only been two days, many facts were verified. The most important was the presence or absence of a game system.
Adaptability and proficiency.
This could be said to be the core gimmick of the Reincarnation of the Sword Saint game.
It was not a complicated system.
When a player was active in cold conditions, they took damage and, at the same time, gained cold resistance. Likewise, as weapons or tools were used, the proficiency of that weapon type increased.
This would serve as a safety mechanism for future dangers.
Shiron mulled over his experiences from numerous plays and the plans based on them.
“At least I shouldn’t get hit and faint.”
Shiron clenched his fist. The foundation building for the future had begun.
Thump thump thump thump-
Footprints piled up on the pristine snowy field. Did it snow while he was asleep? Running with snow stuck to the feet was no easy task.
Pant- Pant-
Shiron exhaled visible white breaths continuously. He felt as if he could collapse any moment from the breathlessness.
“Stay strong, Young Master! It’s the last lap!”
However, despite the excruciating pain, Shiron did not give up. The moment he gave up on just one lap, the efficiency of the training would decrease.
Thud-
Finally, in the last lap, Shiron fell flat on the snow. He didn’t care about his clothes getting wet.
Struggling, Shiron flipped over and opened his mouth.
“Pant, pant, Encia. How… many minutes… was it?”
He spoke as if spitting out words to the maid holding an hourglass. When he asked Yuma for a maid to assist in his training, she had been the one assigned.
The maid, who tied her reddish-blond hair in lively twin tails, began to count the hourglasses.
“One, two… five and a half… You took 27 minutes and 30 seconds.”
“Are you sure? Write it as 28 minutes.”
Shiron, with trembling hands, unbuckled the heavy armor he had wrapped around him. Clinking sounds filled the air as he also took off his gauntlets and greaves.
“That’s mean, Young Master. I was so careful in timing you…”
Encia wrote the number on paper, looking about to cry.
10 laps in the training ground, 28 minutes.
It was the record of Shiron running with heavy weights attached.
“By the way… Isn’t there a wind-up clock here? It’s frustrating not to measure time accurately.”
“Young Master, considering this climate, there won’t be any clock repairman who’d be willing to come. Moreover, there’s a lot of time deviation in this cold region. Even if there was one, it’d be a mere ornament. Just an ornament.”
“I see.”
“Of course. The most accurate measurement methods are the hourglass and sundial.”
“If you say so.”
Shiron wasn’t entirely pleased. The fact that they couldn’t measure time accurately was laughable in a world where magic existed, and there were trains and airships in distant capitals.
Of course, magic could measure time accurately, but unfortunately, most of the maids of Dawn Castle couldn’t use magic.
After catching his breath for a moment, Shiron took a chunk of ice and placed it in his mouth. Now, it felt neither cold nor refreshing, but just like drinking ice water. He couldn’t help but smile at the quicker-than-expected result.
“Young Master!”
That’s when Encia, placing her hand on her hip, looked at Shiron reproachfully. He responded in an uninterested tone.
“What?”
“When you’re thirsty, you can drink the lemonade I prepared!”
That was a valid point. Shiron, finishing the chunk of ice in his mouth, looked blankly at Encia.
“… I’m not thirsty. I have my reasons.”
“May I ask what those reasons are?”
“You don’t need to know. Instead, help me up.”
Ensia grabbed the hand that Shiron extended towards her. She also didn’t forget to carefully brush off the snow that had settled on Shiron’s clothes.
“Master. If you catch a cold from this, I will be scolded by the head maid.”
At her slightly saddened voice, Shiron let out a deep sigh and glanced at Ensia.
“I won’t catch a cold. Even if I do, I can explain it to Yuma.”
“…Really?”
“Yes, if you understand, bring me a spear.”
Shiron took a sip of the lemonade that she had prepared for him. The sweet and sour taste spread throughout his mouth, making him feel refreshed.
‘I wonder if it really works this way?’
Shiron asked inwardly.
[Energetic Maid’s Lemonade]
The drink Shiron was having wasn’t just any ordinary drink. It was an item obtainable from a side quest. Upon consumption, it immediately removes fatigue effects. Quite a valuable item.
After a short moment, even before Shiron’s glass was empty, Ensia brought him a bundle of spears. Even though she covered a significant distance in a short time, she didn’t seem disheveled or rushed.
“Good.”
Shiron gripped a spear slightly shorter than his height. Although it felt a bit thick for a child to hold, it wasn’t impossible to grasp.
Perhaps because of the lemonade, he felt completely re-energized. He loosened up his body with a few shoulder rotations.
Hup!
With a shout, he threw the spear.
Once released from Shiron’s grip, the spear landed a quarter of the way to the practice target. The result was worse than expected.
‘About 30 meters, I guess? It’s garbage without the proper technique, unlike using sheer strength.’
“Master. I’ve prepared a rope. Shall I measure the distance for you?”
Ensia, who had come holding a rope with several knots, approached Shiron. She did this even without being told; her attentiveness pleased Shiron.
“No need. Just a rough estimate by eye will do.”
That concluded today’s basic strength training. Shiron turned around and held a spear and staff in each hand. It was time for the next exercise.
Shiron swung his weapons with all his might in a spot easily visible from the mansion.
Ensia watched him for a while and then turned her head to speak.
“Master.”
“What?”
As Shiron continued to swing, he replied, somewhat anticipating her concern.
“The young lady keeps glancing over here.”
“I know.”
“Did something happen?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“But even if you say that…”
Ensia’s worried expression seemed to plead for a response, but Shiron merely lifted one corner of his lips in a smirk.