Early morning.
A slightly chilly spring breeze blew in, causing the various flowers in the courtyard to sway continuously. Crystal-like dew dripped from the stamens, and the golden full moon descended from the sky, replaced by the dazzling sun gradually rising from the eastern horizon.
The cylindrical Magic Stone Lamps scattered around the base were manually turned off by the patrolling Familia members, and the warmth of the sun was expelling the chill of the night.
Ryoji opened the window of his bedroom, and a cold wind immediately hit him, making him shiver.
"Whoa, it feels like it's at least March weather."
He couldn't help but rub his shoulders.
This was his room.
After officially joining Loki Familia yesterday, Finn had assigned him a bedroom located at the western end of the seven circular towers, on the fourth floor. It had taken half an afternoon of cleaning yesterday to make it livable.
The bedroom wasn't very spacious, only about thirty to forty square meters, but it was a single room, and it was fully furnished with a wardrobe, mirror, bed, and other furniture, making it ready to move into.
There was also a portable Magic Stone Lamp, which he had spent several minutes figuring out how to use last night.
After pulling open all the curtains, neatly folding the white bedding, and changing into a tracksuit, Ryoji left the room, descended the spiral staircase inside the tower wall to the first floor, and headed towards the main entrance.
"Yo, Tiona, guarding the door?" Ryoji looked at the Amazoness girl who was on guard duty and gave her a warm smile.
"Ah, Ryoji, it's you!" Tiona was holding a double-bladed sword of astonishing size, leaning against the iron gate, her head nodding slightly, her face full of drowsiness.
Seeing Ryoji approach, she perked up immediately, her energy revitalized, and greeted him with a bright smile.
Yesterday, after learning that Tiona had taken it upon herself to go on stage and fight Ryoji, Finn had given her the punishment of "guarding the door every night for three days" with a very bright smile.
That's right; Finn had never actually asked Tiona to test Ryoji's strength.
Tiona had gone on stage to fight Ryoji purely out of personal desire, with the goal of winning him over and making him fall in love with her.
"The sky is already bright and the person on the next shift should be here soon. Go back and rest well."
After exchanging a few polite words with Tiona, Ryoji walked out of the Familia's main gate.
'He cares about me! He has me in his heart!'
Tiona was very happy, the fatigue of not having slept all night immediately vanished, and she felt like she could guard the door for another whole day! She waved her hand, bidding farewell to Ryoji, who was already out of sight.
After walking out of the main gate.
Ryoji did a two-minute warm-up, then started running along the streets surrounding the Familia.
The routine was a mix of sprints and jogging, which could put a great load on the heart and lungs, helping to enhance their function.
As his body gradually warmed up, heat rose from his body, warding off the chill of the morning, with only the cold air he inhaled during breathing stimulating his lungs.
Thirty minutes of running, eight rounds around the blocks surrounding the Familia.
By the time he finished the last lap and reached the Familia's entrance, Tiona was no longer there, and the guard duty had been taken over by two new guards. She had probably gone back to rest.
The guards clearly already recognized Ryoji; in fact, forgetting him would have been difficult.
Both were somewhat surprised by his diligence in morning exercise and didn't give him a hard time, letting him into the Familia in a friendly manner.
The atmosphere in Loki Familia is quite good.
Ryoji had understood this since yesterday when many people helped him clean his room.
Although he didn't know much about other Familias, the internal atmosphere of this Familia was indeed as harmonious as a family, making him secretly praise himself for coming to the right place.
After all, in the original story, this Familia seemed to have an important plotline, and there was also a dedicated spin-off. Though he couldn't remember clearly after so long, but joining this Familia was definitely the right choice.
After returning to the courtyard, Ryoji stopped by the fountain, took a short rest, and then, taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, summoned his Spiritual Item (Device), the Vrring sword.
After physical training, it was time for sword technique training.
Sword technique is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you will retreat. It requires daily practice to ensure that one's level does not drop and that one's hands and feet do not become clumsy.
"Whoosh—!"
The blade tore through the air, creating a sound of the wind.
First, the basic sword techniques, nine moves in total, to get his hands and feet moving. After that, Ryoji began to practice his sword skills.
Techniques like Flickering Light and Passing Shadows, which were adapted from Trackless Step, actually had a lot of room for improvement. If he could reduce the unnecessary movements of his wrists, this technique could become more exquisite and harder to defend against.
Similarly, techniques like Devil Light Flowing Blade and the self-taught Tai Chi Sword were not yet at a high level.
In addition, he had several sword skills still in the conceptual stage that required continuous practice to bring them to fruition.
Unfortunately, there weren't any sufficiently skilled opponents for sword techniques.
If he could have an excellent sparring partner, the sparks of inspiration that would arise from their exchanges would undoubtedly accelerate the creation of new sword skills.
"Hmm?"
While practicing with his sword, Ryoji suddenly felt a gaze upon him.
That gaze was fixed on him, unwavering and unyielding, as if the master of that gaze was very much concerned about him.
Ryoji paused his movements and looked in the direction of the gaze.
It was from a room on the fourth floor of the eastern circular tower.
From the window, Ryoji saw a girl.
She was wrapped in a white nightgown that hugged her delicate frame, and even from a distance, her finely featured face was evident. Her beauty rivaled that of a goddess, with soft golden hair that resembled gold dust, gently swaying in the morning breeze.
The girl, possessing a figure that could captivate anyone's attention, was now gazing at Ryoji in the courtyard with her luminous golden eyes.
Her gaze was not a casual glance but conveyed a sense of intent, a kind of concern.
Their eyes met.
No one spoke.
'Who are you?' The thought appeared in Ryoji's mind.
The girl seemed somewhat dazed; her pink lips moved twice, but she still did not speak.
Then she quietly shifted her feet, leaving the window. Her unkempt yet smooth golden hair traced a wave-like arc in the air before disappearing from Ryoji's sight.
"Are you interested in my sword practice?" Ryoji stroked his chin, pondering thoughtfully.
The girl's gaze did not seem to be drawn by his appearance; it was not infatuated but rather focused, merely observing him as he practiced.
Perhaps she was a girl who, in some way, resembled him very much.
(End of Chapter)
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