Even after fully recovering, Kalia was kept at the summer palace by the Duke and Duchess for some time. It took a month and a half, with the season changing to autumn, before she could return to her main house.
This was Kalia's first time seeing her home with her own eyes since regaining consciousness, yet the feeling of 'coming home' was unmistakably strong.
"Kalia!"
As she passed through the gates, approaching the palace-like building, a small boy and girl stood there. A girl with black hair identical to Kalia's ran towards her.
Kalia instinctively opened her arms wide to embrace the girl, her younger sister Aria.
"Aria, you should behave more properly."
"Yes, Kalia!"
"Kalia, me too!"
"Of course, come here, Verner."
Kalia's siblings, unlike her, were lively and talkative. Observing her younger sister, Kalia was struck by an unexpected sentiment.
'Wow. How did they manage to create such a hairstyle without a perm or hair straightener?'
Aria had her side hair grown long, spiraled down in coils, a style known as 'drill hair.'
It seemed there was magic to style hair as well. It wasn't surprising in a world where early modern-style mansions and castles had hot running water, faucets, and even showers.
Kalia lived a life of comfort similar to Korea, albeit without smartphones and other electronic devices, thanks to the power of magic. The ability to enjoy a refreshing shower after exercise made her feel grateful, even without a specific deity to thank.
After a brief reunion with her siblings, Kalia entered the palace. The palace served not only as a residence for the Animus family and their servants and their families but also functioned as an administrative center for the city and surrounding estates.
As it housed various functions, the complex included several buildings: the family mansion, housing for administrative staff, barracks for soldiers, and government offices.
Though no building exceeded ten stories, making them modest compared to the skyscrapers of Korea, the sheer size and spacing of the buildings were overwhelming.
'This is truly royal.'
Guided by the ladies-in-waiting, Kalia went to her 'room.' But this 'room' contained several living areas and rooms within.
Kalia's bedroom, dressing room, storeroom, bathhouse, restroom, study, small kitchen, guards' room, attendants' room, maids' room, and various rest areas for the staff were all part of this one 'room', which had multiple entrances.
'Is this a room or a mansion?'
Having ample space was a good thing. With several spare rooms not designated for specific use, Kalia realized she could even set up a gym inside her room with proper arrangement.
After unpacking, Kalia first checked her schedule. Now back at the main house, she needed to resume her studies, which had been on hold.
Fortunately, as she was still young, her schedule wasn't too tight. With a considerable amount of personal time, she could easily find moments for exercise.
'I've scheduled a consultation with the craftsman this afternoon, so I'll start by ordering dumbbells and gradually assemble the equipment. And I should get some workout clothes, too.'
Preparing for serious strength training required more planning. Equipment and time were not the issues.
The challenge Kalia faced was that her actions defied societal norms. And such actions always provoked strong backlash.
It was similar in Korea. Comments like, 'Why is a girl becoming a martial artist? You're not meant for 'such things'. You'll never be as good as men.' were common.
Here, it was even more pronounced, as muscles and physical training were generally looked down upon, regardless of gender. The scale of backlash could be larger than in Korea.
There were two solutions: achieve results so impressive they couldn't be ignored or change societal perceptions.
The former was symptomatic relief, while the latter was a fundamental solution. Naturally, the latter was more difficult. The former, though relatively easier, was also challenging.
'And I guess I have no choice but to pursue both.'
Had she ever been this enthusiastic about studying in either her past or current life? The answer was a resounding no. For Kalia, studying had always been a dull and uninteresting obligation.
But now, she felt as excited as when learning to counter a new technique or mastering a new skill in martial arts.
'In a broader sense, that's also learning. Right.'
Kalia spent her time in the room doing light stretching and bodyweight exercises. As time passed, it was time to meet with the blacksmith.
Accompanied by an attendant, Kalia moved to the reception room. There, waiting for her, were a lean middle-aged man in his mid-40s and a young man in his 20s.
Both stood up and bowed as Kalia entered. The older man introduced himself first.
"I am Clan Klaus, the blacksmith. This is my apprentice, Isk."
"I'm Kalia Anima."
Clan was thousands of kilometers removed from the image of a blacksmith Kalia had envisioned. He was slightly broader in the neck and shoulders compared to others, but that was it. There were no log-like forearms or bulging thighs.
Kalia hadn't expected a beardy dwarf-like face, but the sight of a handsome middle-aged man with just a slightly sharp facial contour as a blacksmith somehow felt underwhelming. Did they even do blacksmithing manually, or was it all done by magic?
"I have something I want to make."
"Yes, I'm listening."
Kalia pulled out the sketches she had drawn in her spare time. They were designs for various dumbbells. The lightest weighed only 500 grams, and the heaviest was just 5 kilograms, chosen based on her current strength level.
Ideally, she would have liked to order a barbell and power rack as well, but that was premature. Kalia hadn't had the time to acquire such knowledge yet.
And even if she had barbells and other equipment, she wouldn't have been able to use them. A standard barbell alone weighed 15 kilograms, something current Kalia couldn't lift without resorting to magic.
"The length, weight, and diameter are very detailed. With such detailed plans, I can complete it quickly. But, my lady, what will you use these for? I can't discern their purpose from this alone."
"I'll use them for exercising."
"Exercising? Isn't that something soldiers do? Moreover, I've never heard of exercise using such items."
Isk, the apprentice, suddenly chimed in, prompting Clan to elbow him in the ribs discreetly. Isk gasped, catching his breath.
"I will ensure that the items you've requested are made precisely."
"Good."
Kalia then took out the next blueprint. It was for a metal rack to hold the dumbbells. Unlike the dumbbells, there were no specific measurements for the rack; she simply explained it needed to be large and sturdy enough to store all the dumbbells.
After listening to her explanation, Clan laid a thin sheet of paper over the blueprint and modified the design. He adjusted the rack to fit the length of the dumbbells and set the height and angle for ease of access.
'He might not look it, but a professional is truly a professional. To think he could adapt the design so well with just that much explanation.'
"This should do it. Lady Kalia, is this all you'll be ordering today?"
"Yes."
"Then, I will start with the smallest one and bring it to you as soon as it's ready. Could you explain how to use it then? How to use these in your exercises, I mean."
"Of course."