The four men gathered around the wide wooden table, in the warm house, thanks to the heat from the furnace - the only place where the cold wind and the active blizzard were powerless. There was no way they could ruin the coziness that had managed to appear in this place in just a few hours.
"Oh, so you've had amnesia?" Halvor said with interest, scooping up a soup and snacking on the white bread, which was surprisingly soft.
"Yeah. Maybe it's weird, but I don't want my memories back at all, at least not all of them." Evan shrugged nonchalantly, trying not to draw attention to the topic.
After all, if others found out that he had actually been reborn, that his soul had come from another world, he might have a problem.
Amnesia was a convenient option with which to explain everything. Klaus's random assumption was proving to be an excellent cover for Evan.
Halvor nodded, "I see... I won't hide what happened to you is rather strange, but not impossible."
"I think we should talk about something else." Evan changed the subject abruptly, "We only have six days to properly prepare for the destruction of the parasite lair."
"We?" Klaus smirked, lifting his chin, "Will something so terrible happen if you don't fulfill your part of the contract? We should spend more time preparing."
Before Evan could say anything, Halvor's palm slammed into the back of Klaus's head with a bright ringing sound spreading around.
"Ouch! What the hell are you doing!" Klaus exclaimed irritably, rubbing the back of his head.
"Every mage knows at least a little bit about demons. I'm not affiliated with any demonic sect as much as any other, however, I understand how important it is to fulfill my part of the contract."
Halvor continued, "What we must do now is prepare you for battle. I can deal with the main larvae, but without help, I can hardly manage on my own."
Evan and Klaus nodded, as did Hana, who had been just listening silently and eating soup all evening.
...
The next day began the grueling training that both Klaus and Evan needed.
They each had their own secrets and murky pasts, especially Evan, but the fact that the prison had weakened them was absolute.
They had just under a week to get into the best physical shape possible as commoners it was their best option.
It was impossible to simply become mages at will, however, in theory, every commoner could become a Knight. All it took was good nutrition and hard training.
Evan and Klaus were lucky enough to get all that, thanks to Halvor.
Every day he trained with them, what was a warm-up for him was almost an impossible task for Evan and Klaus. After a few hours, their muscles ached so badly that they couldn't even stand straight on their feet and just lay on the ground covered in sweat.
During this time, after warming up, Halvor hunted the beasts. He handled the technical part, skinning and removing the innards, while Hana handled the cooking, which consisted more of meat.
Sure, it was impossible to gain much muscle or weight in six days, however, Evan's and Klaus's situation was special.
They didn't need to gain new muscles, they just needed to get back to their former, normal physical shape.
Well, with this task they had done surprisingly well.
"Not bad, not bad at all..." Evan muttered, looking at the reflection of his body in the river.
"Yeah, that mess we ate in prison is a real poison to our bodies." Klaus nodded, "Look at the results we've gotten in just three days!"
Halvor with a wide grin came up behind him, "Don't relax! You've only regained a fraction of what you lost in prison. However, besides physical shape you also need skills!"
Klaus looked at him puzzled, "Come on, we may not be mages, but the two of us are enough to defeat Knight. Moreover, with the power of demons, Evan was able to defeat Astrid Einrich!"
Halvor nodded deeply, then he took a breath and stood in a fighting stance, clenching his fists tightly, containing destructive power.
"Don't be afraid, attack. We will repeat this until you force me to use mana. If you can't do that, there's no point in taking you to the parasite lair. It would be pure suicide for you."
Klaus gulped since he realized that the chances they had were extremely slim.
The mages were stronger than the Knights, not only because they could use spells, but because physically they were stronger too.
There was only one very simple reason for that - mana.
Halvor wasn't lying, he wouldn't use mana to strengthen his body or create spells because for that he would need to activate Tantum. However, thanks to Warp, mana was constantly flowing through his body, it was now a part of himself.
Mana increased the physical power of the body so much that a mage with an ordinary build could be as strong as a Knight.
Such was the power of mana.
So, considering that together Evan and Klaus could defeat Knight, only proved that Halvor was at a new level of difficulty.
"Klaus... Obviously, we won't be able to knock him down or suppress him with brute force..." Evan whispered, taking a few steps to the side.
Klaus nodded.
"To defeat this mountain of muscle we need to use tactics, and I have one option... Just follow me, read my movements, and watch the direction of my actions..." Evan said confidently, slowly approaching Halvor.
In a strange way, his voice made Klaus believe in their success.
Halvor didn't react to their words, he just waited for them to act, for that was all that mattered.
Then, Evan's pupils narrowed, and he lunged forward, waving his hand from bottom to top.
His fingertips touched the ground, throwing small stones upward and raising a cloud of dust, a veritable veil that would blind any opponent.
Halvor was no exception, whether he was a mage or not, it didn't matter, he couldn't see through the dust.
However, he didn't need vision, hearing was more than enough.
"Useless!" Halvor swung his hand, bringing his fist down directly on Evan's silhouette.
Then, the dust cleared, and his eyes went wide when he saw the empty shirt on his arm.
"Gotcha!"
Evan appeared behind Halvor and kicked him right in the nuts with all his might.