Chapter 30: 9. training start and bait set (1)

Leko’s body stilled as an icy chill ran through it. He let out a soft groan and cracked one eye open to stare in disdain at the beaming Faier. She had his blanket tucked into her arms. Her beaming face burned his eyes.

“The greatest of mornings to you, young master,” Kurio greeted cheerfully. Popping out from behind his sister.

Faier laughed at his murmured complaints as Kurio dragged Leko out of the bed. Leko held back the urge to flail and make things harder for Kurio.

“I could have you out on the streets for handling me like this,” Leko huffed. Kurio shrugged at his words, a sly twist of his lips betraying his amusement.

Leko slumped into the bathroom. He stripped and slid into the warm herbal bath. He ignored his own grumpy reflection as he washed.

What even was the time? He squinted out the bathroom window and glared at the still dark sky.

Kurio and Faier had him dressed and dragged to their training ground in no time. Leko slumped and let them carry him.

“We will only be stretching, young master. We’ll work on movement once you are more flexible and gain a skill,” Faier explained. Leko watched her stretch out her arms from his seat on the ground.

Skills took time to develop. It wasn’t a case of doing something once and picking up the skill. You had to develop the basics yourself before the system acknowledged it as a skill. It was one of the things that set it apart from abilities. Gaining a skill was considered easy compared to gaining an ability.

Squinting at the dark sky, Leko groaned. He could see the faintest tint of orange on the far horizon as dawn approached. Why the hell was he up this early? And more importantly, why did he bathe before exercising? Whose stupid idea was that?

“Come on, young master! Let’s get to it.” Faier encouraged him. She walked closer and grabbed his arms, dragging him up from his comfortable spot.

Leko scowled. Would it count as killing a monster if he offed her now? Only a monster could be this happy so early in the morning. Leko wanted to crawl back and sink into the embrace of his bed. Kurio wrapped his cool hand around Leko’s elbow and dragged him to a spot with yoga mats set up. Leko frowned at the sight before shrugging. He rubbed at his elbow to warm it.

With muttered complaints, he followed Faier’s instructions. Leko stretched out his muscles. He sat flat on the ground, leaning forward as he grabbed at the tips of his feet. Leko hasn’t done this type of thing in years. It was pleasant. Combining it with meditation was a pleasant way to wind down and clear your head. Leko couldn’t do that now. He had to keep track of Faier’s routine, but his lips twisted in a wistful smile. Later, he’d do it later.

“Young master’s body is quite stiff.” Kurio pointed out with a tilted head as he observed Leko and Faier.

Leko felt insulted. He had to agree, but he still felt insulted. He shot a glare at Kurio, who held his hands up innocently. This body was stiff. It was going to take Leko longer than he thought to get it nice and nimble.

They continued stretching for an hour. Kurio stepped in now and then to hold Leko down and push him closer to the ground as he stretched.

“A slight break should be fine, then we can move to strength workouts. We’ll start off with simple bodyweight workouts. You need to learn the correct etiquette,” Kurio said.

Holding back another groan, Leko nodded at the butler. It was a good start. Doing the workouts wrong could both be unhelpful and hurtful. He knew where Kurio was coming from. Leko Hosyn would not have had any reason to exercise. It made sense that he wouldn’t know how to do them right, either. Starting him from the basics was a logical conclusion.

Still, starting from the beginning, when he used to be far more advanced, was annoying and boring.

Leko would have preferred to just go back to his old routine, but this body wasn’t suited to his old style of training yet. He needed patience.
Kurio had him start with a warmup before Leko allowed Kurio to teach him the correct stances for training. He nodded along and pretended like he didn’t already know.

The hour passed at a snail’s pace, with Leko’s boredom clawing at him.

“Young Master.”

The greeting came from the entrance of the garden, or what is now Leko’s private training ground. Leko glanced at the man who stood there holding a glass with a light green liquid. He straightened from his squatting position and turned to Faier with a raised brow.

“Young Master, this is the head chef, Tor. He will train you in poisons,” Faier said.

Humming in confirmation, Leko nodded to the man in greeting. Compared to the wild colors you find everywhere in this world. Tor was pretty plain. Brown hair, brown eyes, with a thin but lean build. He was dressed in a smart white uniform, lined in blue.

Tor walked over and handed Leko the glass, who frowned at it. Leko sniffed at the rim. Apple, but there was another scent mingled in, one he didn’t recognize.

“Poison,” Tor said when Leko looked at him in curiosity.

Kurio frowned, his gaze narrowed at the glass. Leko swirled the drink before shrugging and chugging it down. He was quite thirsty.

“Young master!” Faier called out, her wide eyes on the now empty glass.

Leko waved her worries away. The taste was refreshing, but not as sweet as Leko liked.

He’d expected some type of apple juice but was rewarded with something similar, but not the same. He looked at the glass. The substance was slightly thicker than water. There was a bit of a gooey feeling as it slipped down his throat. He didn’t love it, but it wasn’t awful, either.

You have been poisoned.

Jaika is awake.

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Leko snorted. His eyes crinkled as he looked at Jaika’s notifications.

Jaika wants to curse the bastard who poisoned her hunter.

“Best to build up a resistance to poison if you’re intending to work with it,” Leko explained.

Leko didn’t need to explain it to his servants, but he didn’t want them bothering him about it, either. Kurio and Faier stared at him. Kurio’s eyes soon shifted and narrowed on Tor, who turned and started walking away.

Jaika is cursing her Hunter for poisoning himself.

“Oi, where are the lessons going to be?” Leko called out to the man.

“I am a chef.”

Snorting at the answer, Leko nodded. What a weird bastard.

“Come on, Kurio, let’s finish up.”

He ignored the slight churning of his stomach with ease. Leko wanted to finish up; he wanted breakfast.

The clanging of utensils echoed through the silent room as the family ate. Leko wasn’t feeling up to ingesting anything. He wiped his sweaty hand on a napkin. Leko picked up a spoon and brought a small amount of the creamy mushroom soup to his lips. The slight piquant smell that tickled his nose let him know that Tor most likely made the food. He held back a frown and quickly scanned over the meals that the family was eating.

Kurio leaned slightly over Leko’s shoulder.

“Young Master?” he questioned softly. Kurio’s eyes sat on the soup.

Leko hummed to himself and shook his head. Kurio bowed his head and stood back up straight, taking his place behind Leko.

Leko put the spoon in his mouth, swallowing the first bit. The liquid spread, but the poison numbed his sense of taste. Leko wanted to scream. The most enjoyable thing about eating was the taste. He held back an annoyed pout.

You have been poisoned.

Leko sighed and kept eating.

He finished the morning lessons and training. Kurio and Faier were attentive when they trained him, especially after Tor had stopped by. Leko had ignored how fidgety

Kurio got during the last thirty minutes of their training.

When Leko entered the kitchen, after sending Kurio and Faier away, Tor handed him a book and left him in the corner. Leko took it as his cue and sat down to read. The sound of Tor moving around and cooking became pleasant background noise. The smell of cooked meat was pleasing to his nose. Leko sniffed. He watched Tor with a titled head for a few seconds. Leko couldn’t place the smell of the meat.

“What are you cooking?” He was curious. Having picked up cooking when he lived on his own. Leko knew the smells of all common meats and herbs. Yet this one matched nothing he knew of. “The meat,” Leko clarified when Tor looked at him.

“Vox,” Tor answered. Tilting his head, Leko blinked. He placed the book on the table and made his way toward Tor. He looked down at the pot and saw the chunks of meat boiling.

“Vox,” Leko murmured to himself. He turned away and headed back to the table with the book. Vox was a small-time monster. The author of the hero’s start line obviously meant to style it after a fox. Just much larger and with an apatite for human flesh. Though it was a sizable monster, it wasn’t a strong one. The novel always mentioned food being cooked, but never said exactly what the food was. Nor was there any mention of things like cows or chickens. Leko wrote it off, but now it was a bit more clear. In a fantasy world, they’d be eating fantasy meats.

Once his time was up, Leko placed the book down, remembered the page he’d been on, and left. He was in need of a bath before breakfast with the family.

Lifting another spoonful of the creamy soup to his mouth, Leko eyed the family. The atmosphere was stifling.

Leko didn’t bother touching anything other than the soup. He would bring it up later, anyway. This body was too weak. In order to make up for it, Leko would need a big, clean lunch. Skipping meals wasn’t a good idea, especially since he wanted to be stronger. If only rushing were possible, but Leko knew that wasn’t a smart idea. He needed patience.

“Leko, I expect you to join me for lunch today,” The Duke told him.

Leko met the man’s eyes and answered in confirmation. The Duke watched his face for a second before turning back to his own meal.

Leko managed to finish a third of the soup before giving up and excusing himself from the table. Kurio followed behind him as he walked for the door. Leko could feel the tension in the room break as he stepped out.

In the previous silent room, light chatter began. The doors shut with a solid click behind Leko. The sounds disappeared completely, and he relaxed his body. Leko turned his head in Kurio’s direction. His butler watched him and waited for his words.

“Tell Tor to remove all the food that’s poisoned and not to do it again when the rest of the family is there.”

If one of the kids or, god forbid, Friar touched the food, the Duke would lose his shit. Leko understood the training. He didn’t mind it, but he didn’t need to risk the family getting sick and the blame falling on him.

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