Cliff opened his eyes, feeling a dull headache that forced him to sit up abruptly.
"Damn it," he muttered, rubbing his temples, trying to ease the pain.
"That must hurt," a soft, feminine voice said beside him.
"Two days of relentless training, exhausting your mana without caring about your vital reserves. I will never understand men, tch!" she added with a click of her tongue.
Cliff glanced at Viola out of the corner of his eye, wondering if she was still upset about not being included in the last operation. Is she really still mad about that?
"Sire Brown, please put this on," she said, handing him a black tunic with red stripes on the sleeves.
It was only then that Cliff noticed his situation—he was completely naked.
With a start, he pulled the sheet up to cover himself and glanced at her, his lips curling into a smirk.
"So, have you seen my anaconda?" he teased.
"Is that what you call it? I spared myself that trauma," she shot back, trying to keep a serious face. "When you passed out, I had two of my colleagues watch over you. You were sweating so much they had to clean you up. Poor things."
"Besides, you're not even my type," she added dismissively.
Cliff's grin widened.
"Funny, coming from someone who's been staring at my 'little' nipples," he said, feigning deep thought.
"I was not staring!" Viola snapped, her cheeks flushing despite her protests. "It's not like I'm interested in you, Sire."
"You should've seen your face," Cliff laughed. "Weren't you the one accusing me of ogling Yadha?"
"Sire!" Viola stood up abruptly, flustered and clearly not expecting this to turn against her.
"Yeah, I heard it all. The way you pretend to hate me," Cliff continued, determined to keep teasing her.
The playful tension was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Cliff looked over and saw Cain and Akumu entering the room, their expressions as serious as ever.
"Sorry to intrude, but I'm glad to see you've recovered, my lord," Cain said with a respectful bow.
"Likewise, my lord," Akumu added. "We were very concerned for your health."
Cliff waved them off with a casual smile. "I'm fine now. Thanks for the concern. Shall we get back to training?"
"Yes, of course!" Akumu said eagerly, gripping his sword.
"Boys, slow down," Viola cut in, standing between them. "The master just recovered from mana fever. He'll need to rest until his strength is fully restored."
"Mana fever?" Cliff asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," Viola explained in a stern tone. "It's not an illness, but a state of extreme weakness caused by draining your mana to the point of using your life force. That was the backlash."
Cliff stood up, still wrapped in the sheet, and rummaged through a nearby box, pulling out two stones—an essence stone and a mana gem.
"Sire," Viola warned, "maybe you should consider resting first?"
Cliff smirked. "I'll be fine, Viola. I know you're worried, but I need to get stronger. At my current level, I could endanger everyone if we fight the ogres unprepared. I need to train just as hard as I prepare for the rescue operation."
"And after that?" she asked, regaining her calm.
"After that, our true rise begins. We'll claim this territory, and to lead effectively, I need to be at my peak. Isn't that right?"
"You're absolutely correct, my lord," Viola agreed, a note of approval in her voice. "You've underestimated the creatures of this forest once. I hope that doesn't happen again."
Cliff nodded, his expression serious now. "I did let my greed for essence stones cloud my judgment. It almost cost me my life. If it had been Dahlia or Rakahn who died because of my mistake... I don't know what I'd have done."
Silence hung in the air until Cain spoke up.
"Is that why you're focusing on increasing our individual strength? It's a simple but effective strategy. I like it," Cain muttered.
"I plan to overhaul our training methods," Cliff said, thinking of the new regimen he had devised. "I'll experiment with it myself first. Once the soldiers return from the waves, I'll have something special for them."
"So," Cliff continued, "I'm going to absorb these gems and get back to work. I've got four days left to be fully ready for the operation."
"But Sire—" Viola began.
"No buts," Cliff interrupted, putting a hand on her shoulder with a smile. "I know you're concerned, but I'll be fine."
He stepped back, still wrapped in the sheet. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get dressed. Unless, of course, you want to stick around and get 'traumatized.'"
Viola's face reddened as she quickly made for the door.