Chapter 46

Early the next morning.

“Good morning, Mr. Ryu. It is time for early morning training.”

…Are you serious?

I mean, I usually wake up right around sunrise anyway, so it’s fine, but isn’t everyone else still asleep?

“Early morning starts with a light run. You will be running with Ouka.”

“Isn’t she still in bed?”

“Right here.”

She pointed behind her, where the Princess was tied up with a rope.

“Why do I have to… hmph!”

She was complaining with every breath she had.

“Alright, let me get changed.”

“Please be quick about it.”

Early morning training: Running away from Tiamat in her dragon form. Furthermore, I wasn’t allowed to use skills like “Physical Ability Enhancement.”

“Nuooooooooh!!”

『Come now, if you don’t run faster, I shall step on you.』

“This isn’t just a run!?”

『Of course not. Without tension, training at your own pace won’t amount to much.』

“Come to think of it, what about the Princess!?”

『I stepped on her a long time ago.』

“As if I’ll let myself be crushed—aaaaaaah!!”

After the run, Tiamat was putting me through some stretches.

“Ouchouchouchouch! A little, just a little gentler!”

“No. If you don’t stretch properly now, the later parts will be difficult. Also, breakfast follows this.”

“I undershtooood!”

“There, we are finished.”

Tiamat finally released me.

This was seriously brutal. I didn’t expect to be this exhausted so early in the morning.

“It is time for breakfast.”

Tiamat’s prompt.

Yes, yes, I get it. I’m going, I’m going to eat.

I dragged myself up sluggishly; I felt like I deserved a medal just for standing up.

“By the way, where’s the Princess?”

I know she got stepped on, but what happened after that?

“She will likely find her own way back. We will have a short break after breakfast, so ensure you do not fall asleep.”

She just left her there?

The Princess really is a disappointment in many ways.

A short while after breakfast, Tiamat called us together.

“Now then, we shall begin the training in earnest.”

“Yes!”

I replied energetically, but the Dragon Emperor’s family stood around me looking completely drained.

Apparently, they were forced to join the training as punishment for spoiling the Princess.

“This training will focus on Mr. Ryu. The objective is to eliminate as much wasted energy as possible.”

“Yes, Teacher! What kind of effect does that have?”

“To put it simply, by eliminating wasted power, you improve the quality of your techniques, avoid unnecessary stamina depletion, and can move more efficiently.”

I see, I see. Not only avoiding exhaustion but improving the quality of techniques—it’s killing two birds with one stone.

“However, as this relies heavily on experience, it requires nothing but tireless repetition.”

Hmm, as expected, it’s not a technique that can be mastered easily.

“Now, Mr. Ryu. First, please punch me.”

“…Huh?”

“I must first check how much wasted motion is currently in your attack.”

Ah, right.

For a second, I thought she’d gone crazy—suddenly telling me to punch her.

“Alright, please check for me.”

“Yes.”

Tiamat held her palm out toward me.

I shouldn’t just punch blindly; how exactly should I strike?

An image of an attack passing straight through without any waste…

Ah, right.

That one. The one used to stop someone’s heart.

I’ll punch with that sensation.

“Whenever you are ready.”

Tiamat prompted.

Well then, let’s see if she can teach me what a “wasteless” fist looks like.

I took my stance and punched with everything I had.

“Hmm… it seems the foundation is there. Can you throw a strike like that immediately, without taking a stance?”

She spoke while checking her palm, as if verifying the impact she had just received.

“No, doing it instantly is a bit…”

“Then, while you are sparring with Ouka, we shall have you practice so that you can throw it naturally at any time. Ouka, you are to engage in continuous sparring with Mr. Ryu. Draig and Gwyber, you will be sparring constantly with me.”

The Princess’s expression brightened, while the couple looked like they wanted to be anywhere else.