Chapter 230: Get Moving!
(PS: I finally have some free time to continue this. Sorry for the delay, lol >.<.)
"Whew~ I'm full, I'm full!"
Stella patted her 'unchanged' slim belly with a look of pure bliss.
At the same time, Luke finally put down his utensils.
However, this wasn't because he was full, but because his chef couldn't go on.
Looking at Ikki lying motionless on the ground, the youth's pale face resembled someone who had overdone... certain vulgar activities.
With the chef down, there was naturally nothing more to eat.
'Hmm... 70% full, I'll eat some bread or snacks later.'
Luke assessed his condition while standing up to clean up the trash.
He wasn't cruel enough to dump the cleanup work on Ikki too.
But his attempt to clean up was immediately stopped by the red-haired princess.
"Leave the cleanup to me."
"After eating so much, at least let me help a little."
"Besides, it would take too long for one person to clean all this mess. I have a quick method."
Stella's tone carried a hint of embarrassment.
She had asked about paying earlier, but both Luke and Ikki had refused.
Though her inability to get dinner was largely Luke's fault, that didn't mean Stella could feel comfortable accepting free food without guilt.
In reality, they'd only met today and could hardly be called friends yet.
So without giving him a chance to refuse, she stood up and began collecting the trash.
Seeing Stella's enthusiasm, Luke decided not to refuse her goodwill.
He quietly took out several pieces of bread and continued eating.
For a princess, Stella was surprisingly homely.
Despite her somewhat impetuous personality, Stella could actually be considered capable in all household matters.
As a royal family member of a small country, particularly as a female, marriage was her responsibility and duty.
Even though the daughter-doting King of Vermillion would never use his daughter's marriage as a bargaining chip, she hadn't missed any of the expected bride's education.
Laundry, cooking, housekeeping - Stella was proficient in all of these.
So the girl quickly gathered all the trash together.
Just as Luke was curious about how she planned to handle all this garbage, flames erupted!
Intensely hot flames flashed by, instantly reducing the enormous amount of trash to ashes.
Stella's magical power was extremely high, and to control such a terrifying power that could harm both others and herself, she had developed impressive magic control skills.
With her B-rank magic control, the flames easily incinerated the trash without damaging any surrounding furniture or floor.
Sweeping the ashes into a pre-prepared bag, Stella felt somewhat proud.
Normally, dealing with such a large amount of trash wouldn't be simple, yet she had resolved it perfectly with ease.
Additionally, Stella was well aware that she didn't give the impression of someone who would do housework.
So when she turned around, she was already prepared to see Luke's surprised expression.
Instead, she saw the boy quietly munching on bread.
?!?!
There was indeed surprise, but unfortunately not from Luke.
Stella stared at him in shock and blurted out:
"You're still not full?!"
"Hm? Oh... about 70% full, I guess."
Hearing his answer, she was thoroughly impressed.
In all her life, the girl had never met anyone who could eat more than her.
Stella was known for her huge appetite - she could eat portions meant for seven or eight adults in one meal.
Yet Luke, who had eaten with her and even consumed more than she had, was only 70% full???
No... wait!
He had already been eating before she arrived, right?!
However, the most shocked wasn't Stella, but the completely burnt-out Ikki lying on the ground.
When he heard Luke say "70% full," his previously motionless body gave an almost imperceptible shudder.
Then the youth, drawing on iron-like willpower, desperately squeezed every last bit of potential from his body.
'Get moving!!!'
With this internal cry, Ikki successfully moved his body!
...to hide in the corner of the simple kitchen where Luke couldn't see him.
Physically and mentally exhausted, the youth lay on the ground, his heart filled with despair.
He seemed to foresee three years of miserable life ahead.
The next morning, at dawn.
Luke woke up very early as usual.
At the same time, Ikki had also just gotten up.
Neither was surprised that the other's wake-up time matched their own.
'He's definitely someone who never slacks off on training.' Both had realized this about each other during their duel.
However, just as Luke smiled and was about to speak, Ikki rushed out in extremely rapid speech:
"Let's go to the student cafeteria for breakfast later!"
"Uh... alright then."
Seeing his tense expression, Luke paused before agreeing to his suggestion.
However, the slight regret in Luke's tone made Ikki both relieved and ready to cry.
After a brief chat, Luke and Ikki didn't waste any more time, quickly finishing their morning routines and beginning their dawn training.
"By the way, what kind of training do you usually do, Luke?"
Honestly, this was what Ikki was most curious about.
He really couldn't imagine what kind of training could create an S-rank physical ability monster.
However, Luke's answer would certainly disappoint him.
After all, while his physical condition couldn't be said to be unrelated to training, it was more due to Falna's enhancement.
"I just do regular exercises, though the intensity is higher due to my physical condition."
"Actually, I'm more interested in your training method. If you don't mind, how about I join your training schedule today?"
Luke's training method had been personally designed for him by Fan Xinglu during his time in Asterisk City.
Though called regular exercise, it wasn't that simple.
Ikki was different - no one had ever taught him how to train properly.
His training method was entirely self-developed.
It was an extreme yet effective personal system, so Luke was genuinely interested.
Luke's attitude made Ikki feel quite embarrassed.
In his view, Luke's swordsmanship and physical abilities were both stronger than his, so naturally his training method should be better.
His own purely experimental training method might be laughed at.
But Ikki also felt this was a rare opportunity, as Luke must have received systematic training.
'Maybe he can spot the deficiencies in my training method.' With this thought, Ikki ultimately didn't refuse Luke's request.
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