"Attack me."
Now, Bunny's voice sounded more relaxed - a sign that she was gradually becoming satisfied with Croy. At least, as satisfied as one could be after just one day.
Every muscle in Croy's body ached. His arms felt like overcooked noodles, and his shoulders and hips threatened to give out.
He was exaggerating, of course, but true to her word, Bunny had made him practice strikes until his body would perform them even in his sleep.
Without needing a second invitation, Croy attacked. The swing of the sword felt much more natural now. Of course, he wouldn't become an expert after just one day, but Bunny's instructions and the training were already bearing fruit.
With a brief nod, Croy moved forward. He swung the sword in a horizontal arc, rotating his hips, using his legs, as he'd learned to add more power to the strike.
The bastard sword sliced cleanly through the air, but Bunny effortlessly stepped back, her eyes fixed on him like those of a predator.
"Good start," she said curtly, moving sideways and closing the distance in a flash. Croy noticed the opening on his right side almost too late - he barely managed to dodge before Bunny's fist would have struck his ribs.
He stumbled back but kept a firm grip on the sword, ready for the next move.
Throwing a straight thrust, he aimed at her shoulder. He had lunged energetically, but Bunny elegantly pivoted aside, letting the blade whistle past her.
Then she grabbed his wrist and twisted it slightly, nearly causing the sword to slip from his grasp.
"Still too much tension in your grip," she remarked, releasing him.
Croy gritted his teeth, shook his hands to relieve the strain, and attacked again.
He executed a series of quick, shorter strikes, even throwing in some faints, just to grip the sword with both hands to release a strong, fast strike from below. All of which Bunny countered by dancing and dodging, almost as if she were playfully leading him into a swift rhythm.
No, she was indeed inviting him to a dance.
His movements became increasingly fluid, and for a moment, he felt the rhythm she had spoken of - the movement of the sword, the interplay between attack and retreat, a kind of combat tempo.
The only problem was that she set the rhythm.
She ducked, sidestepped, and weaved skillfully around his attacks. Patiently, she waited for the next moment of weakness and found it effortlessly.
A quick flick of her hand, and she struck him precisely on the forearm, hitting a nerve. A jolt of pain shot through his arm, but this time he didn't drop the sword.
He clenched his teeth and held his ground.
Bunny raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"That's enough for today."
Croy breathed heavily and couldn't suppress an exhausted smile. Despite the burning pain and the disappointment of not landing a single hit, he was satisfied.
He had managed to hold onto the sword and had begun to feel the rhythm of the fight. Next time, he would be the one leading.
"Thanks, Bunny," he said, his voice hoarse.
Bunny nodded approvingly and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You'll handle your stick better than anyone else."
"Uh, thanks..."
Fortunately, there was hardly anyone left in the gym to hear them. It was already seven in the evening, and the spell weapon training had officially ended two hours ago. Most students had gone to eat, but neither Bunny nor Croy had intended to stop.
Inera had left about an hour earlier. She had looked like a corpse after Bunny was done with her - but apparently, she had learned quite a bit as well.
Panting and sweating, Croy allowed himself his first moment of relaxation in hours. He sheathed the sword and sank to his knees.
'Ahh, I'm going to feel this even more tomorrow.'
And tomorrow was Friday - which meant they had their first lesson in the practical application of Spellarts. Croy didn't know exactly what that entailed, but some students had whispered about it excitedly.
Suddenly, he felt a hand in his hair. He looked up. Bunny was stroking him, a big smile on her sweet face.
"You did well. If you repeat this every day, you'll catch up in no time. My little Croy is a genius!"
Croy smiled, savoring the affectionate gesture, then stood up. He asked something he'd been wondering all day.
"Honestly, I didn't expect to see you here. Spider said you wanted to travel the Empire."
The joy in her smile slowly faded, replaced by a hint of melancholy.
Her eyes suddenly looked sad. Croy felt bad - he had ruined the moment. He, too, felt a bit down.
Bunny still spoke cheerfully but now with some restraint.
"I do - and I was supposed to leave two days ago. But when Cookoff told me I could see you once more before I left, I just couldn't go."
She shook her head and stepped closer. They looked into each other's eyes for a few moments before Bunny pulled him into a hug.
She squeezed so tightly that Croy's ribs ached. But it didn't really hurt - it was somehow both sad and comforting.
"How long will you be away?" he asked, returning the embrace.
"At least two years, I think. The Empire is so vast..."
Croy smirked.
"...and you're so small... ow, ow, sorry!"
Bunny released her steely grip and looked up at him. The sadness had left her face - only a spark of pride and gratitude remained in her eyes.
"I still remember that day when we pulled you out of the rubble so vividly. I'm really proud of you. Those were three long years," she remarked.
Croy could only agree.
"Three bloody years. But sometimes there were good times - being with you all."
He could admit that now. He had hated the rebels and wanted the war. But now that it was over, what remained was not the hatred or the pain, but the feelings and memories with his comrades.
Bunny smiled and placed a hand on his cheek.
"You better behave! Or I'll come back very angry," she playfully threatened.
"But it was always you and Sandman who were the troublemakers," Croy retorted with the same playfulness.
"Pah," Bunny laughed, "maybe Sandman, but I didn't raise you that way. And only one girlfriend, understand? But you have to at least get one."
Croy laughed and shook his head. Then Bunny added something else.
"But take care of your friend Inera. She's a good girl."
Croy nodded.
"We look out for each other. And Fredrik too. I can also call him a friend."
"Who's Fredrik?"
"A perver- He's such a good young man, that he even has a date with Princess Lyn."
Croy suddenly remembered that Fredrik was probably telling Princess Lyn about his plans for their date right now. He still didn't know what his friend had decided.
Bunny's eyes widened.
"Ohhh, lucky him. Don't let yourself fall behind, got it?"
Now she was back to her enthusiastic self.
Croy chuckled again. Hadn't she just told him to behave? Oh well.
"I hope you have a wonderful journey," he said.
Bunny nodded several times and gave him one last, loving hug.
"We'll see each other again when you're in your third year."
***
While Bunny went off to say goodbye to Cookoff, Croy had already left. He was already a bit sad that he might not see the petite woman for two years.
But his time at the Imperial Academy had only just begun. Bunny had told him not to let himself fall behind - and he certainly didn't plan to.
Not with love stories, but with the competition among the strongest and best that ran throughout the entire academy.
What hadn't just begun, however, was his growling stomach. His body had suffered not only from mana exhaustion but now also physical fatigue.
Today, he planned to go to bed early to catch up on all the missed sleep. Besides, there was that unknown practical application lecture tomorrow.
At least it wouldn't be hours of Professor Burton's incomprehensible rambling.
He shuddered at the thought that he would have to take exams in that subject someday. Couldn't the academy consider his physical efforts?
Maybe if he trained himself to death every day. Bad idea. He resolved to try catching up on some of Professor Burton's lecture material over the weekend.
Also, this weekend was the registration deadline for the two elective courses of the first semester.
Croy had already done some research. So far, he had his eye on three in particular.
One was Imperial History. As the name suggested, this course involved analyzing the long history of the Empire, understanding it, and reinterpreting it. The Empire was very proud of its history, which explained why such a course existed at the Imperial Academy.
Then there was Spell Research. This focused on analyzing specific spells down to the last detail and further developing them accordingly. This course particularly interested Croy, as he knew only certain spells from his time in the military.
The last course that caught Croy's interest was an Internship. During this elective, students would go to an institution in the imperial capital to apply their abilities as spellcasters - not to fight but for normal, smaller tasks.
Croy had also briefly considered 'Spell Baking' but then dismissed it.
Once he decided, his schedule would look like this:
Monday morning: Professor Burton's general Spell-knowledge lecture. In the afternoon, one of the two electives.
Tuesday morning: Professor Burton again, then Spellweapon training with Professor Aerav in the afternoon.
Wednesday morning: Professor Burton once more, then the second elective in the afternoon.
Thursday was entirely dedicated to Spellweapon training.
And on Friday, the practical application of Spell arts.
The schedule was packed, but they still had surprisingly much free time, as all students lived on campus and didn't need time for commuting.
However, attending the Imperial Academy meant one could hardly afford to improve their abilities only during official class hours.
Croy knew that many students spent their evenings in the gym or the library. He was one of them too, even if he didn't plan to do so today. Only with proper rest could one train effectively.
He wondered if Princess Kadutor would be training late into the night again but decided not to check to confirm his suspicion.
But since most students were still teenagers and young adults, there were plenty of other activities every evening that Croy noticed. The academy had something for each taste.
Although they were in the imperial capital, where entertainment possibilities were limitless, most students chose to spend their leisure time on campus.
There was a cinema, virtual gaming rooms, bars - for students of legal age - restaurants and cafés, altough one had to pay themselves, a shopping district, sports fields, bowling alleys, and anything else one could wish for.
Even after four days at the academy, Croy had seen only a small part of it - not to mention the interiors of many buildings. However, there was a special part of the academy available only to students.
These were the student clubs. The largest and most popular even had their own buildings for their activities. Next week, a big fair was to be held where new students or those who hadn't joined a club yet could find something that interested them.
But that was only after choosing the electives.
After eating and showering, it was already nearly ten o'clock. Since Croy was exhausted anyway, he lay down and immediately fell into a deep sleep...
...until knocking at his door woke him.
"Psst, Croy!"
Croy turned over in his blanket, trying to ignore the persistent intruder. But the knocking continued.
"Croy, come on, wake up!" the voice whispered.
'Please tell me that's not Fredrik...'
"It's me, Fredrik!"
"Go away," he grumbled, pulling the pillow over his ears. He had already been asleep.
"It's urgent, please! Something's happening tonight!" Suddenly, Fredrik's voice sounded genuinely pressing.
Slowly, Croy sat up... Even if it was Fredrik, he wouldn't wake him in the middle of the night without a good reason. He looked at the clock. Midnight.
'Damn it, Fredrik, if this is some nonsense again, I'll smack the shit out of you.'
He got up, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and opened the door to his room.
There stood Fredrik, his curly hair styled, wearing jeans and a blazer, with a big grin plastered on his face.
"Dude, you have to get ready! There's a huge party tonight!"