"I'd like to add some nuts to my diet as well. Walnuts, chestnuts, and almonds."
"We'll see what we can find. Anything else you desire? You mentioned calling the blacksmith again."
"Yes, I have a new idea for something I'd like made."
"Is it different from the dumbbells you had made before?"
"Yes."
"Then don't worry about the cost and go ahead with your order."
Nasia was a truly generous parent, not even hinting at any reluctance. She simply seemed happy.
It was a good opportunity. Kalia brought up the other things she had been thinking about.
"Mother, there's one last thing I'd like to ask for."
"You don't have to make it your last request. What is it?"
"I could use another mage around."
"If there's an issue with Hans, we already have a substitute teacher, Joanna, staying with us."
Kalia's magic tutor had left for the capital to present his paper at an academic conference, and a temporary tutor was filling in. But what Kalia wanted was not a teacher.
"No, not a teacher, I need a mage."
"For what purpose do you need a mage, my dear?"
"There's an experiment I want to conduct, but my own abilities aren't sufficient."
"Oh my."
Everyone in the palace knew of Kalia's keen interest in magic. A child interested in magic usually conducted small and cute experiments.
Many children besides Kalia were fascinated by magic, often experimenting with things like changing the color of fire based on the nature of mana or using light and wind magic to change the color of water.
Some families even produced a "Children's Magic Experiment Set," which became a hit product across the empire.
Considering this background, it was surprising that Kalia, often called a prodigy, hadn't shown interest in experiments until now.
"If that's the case, I'll ask Teacher Yoanna to help you with experiments outside of class hours," Nashia, agreed to Kalia's request.
"Thank you,"
With this, she almost had everything she needed. After finishing her meal, she went for a walk to clear her thoughts.
Kalia wanted to create supplements, a task not achievable overnight. Her plan was to gradually prepare for this until her teenage years, ideally including protein supplements. Currently, living at home and consuming high-quality nutrients, supplements were unnecessary. Kalia meticulously balanced her diet to near perfect proportions; at this stage, protein supplements were redundant and potentially harmful.
However, the future was unpredictable. There was no guarantee she would always have access to high-quality protein. Ideally, she wanted to spread the benefits of exercise globally and commercialize her supplements, recognizing not everyone could access high-quality protein like her.
'That might be getting ahead of myself. Let's focus on the immediate tasks,' she mused.
After her walk, Kalia returned to her room, prepared for her lessons, and began light calisthenics. Already warmed up from her walk, she only needed to gently stretch her joints and tendons.
"Our young lady is truly diligent," the maids observed as they efficiently prepared water and towels. They were accustomed to Kalia's routine, making it easy to assist her.
The maids and servants found Kalia's movements, with her short limbs and plump frame, endearing. Her daily routines brought smiles to their faces.
'Great! While ordering the pull-up bar, I should also get a jump rope and a step ladder. They are simpler than the pull-up bar, so they should be quick to make.'
After her lessons, Kalia decided on more exercises to incorporate. The jump rope was something she had been planning to make but had put off until now. Since she had been doing various jumping exercises like arm-flinging jumps, she thought it was the right time to introduce it.
Jump roping held a special place in Kalia's previous life. From her initial foray into martial arts to her retirement, jump roping had been a constant companion in her athletic journey. It was excellent for stimulating the growth plates to increase height and for building stamina.
Ladder training was perfect for improving agility, explosive power, and reaction time. Combining these two would cover both endurance and power, a fact proven through her experience as a martial artist.
'Indeed, everything from Park Hana, Korea, and Earth was real. Every piece of knowledge I recall here is entirely unknown in this world.'
In this world, soldiers didn't perform physical fitness training. Isolated muscle building exercises were a foreign concept to them.
Their idea of 'exercise' was limited to practicing with spears, swords, and shields. At most, it extended to throwing spears or archery. Such was the extent of 'exercise' known to the people of this world, explaining their shock when Kalia declared her intention to exercise.
The closest thing to Kalia's exercises were the hand-to-hand combat practices done before weapon training, somewhat similar to various bodyweight exercises and gymnastics. While these could somewhat improve physical fitness, they were vastly insufficient on their own.
Yet, 'magic' compensated for what was lacking. From ancient times to the present, every culture and every person had thought and acted this way, leaving no reason to research or develop physical exercise.
'What a strange world.'
Even if it's weird, it couldn't be any stranger than a comic-like world.
'Again and again, my thoughts drift off.'
That was the nature of contemplation. Thoughts often meander, leading far away from their original starting points.
Thoughts are relentless, impossible to halt or erase. The only recourse was to redirect them to something else.
Kalia focused on her breath and the sensation in her muscles. The stretching of her leg muscles during lunges was both thrilling and refreshing.
She cherished every moment between tension and relaxation in her muscles, moving her body. Observing her own movements was always a joy.
In exercise, not just the number of repetitions but also the precision of each movement mattered. Savoring each motion was her way of enjoying exercise.
After lessons and workouts, it was time for the tea party. More than just sipping tea, these gatherings were a form of social activity, a practice for future involvement in social circles. Therefore, the tea parties usually included young individuals from the Animus family's knights or other noble families of the duchy, around Kalia's age.