Chapter 679

Earnestly!
“… Delicious…”

Sei took a bite of the dish I had prepared and murmured with deep emotion.

O-oh. That good, huh…

“Lately, everything I’ve been eating has had such strong flavors, so this tastes even better in comparison. Not that those dishes were bad or anything, but maybe it’s because I’m more used to this kind of seasoning. I’m just happy I got to eat it again after so long.”

R-right…
Sorry for being one of the people who started the spice craze.

“Also, even though it’s light, it’s still satisfying to eat. After training in the Knight Course, I’m so exhausted I don’t even have an appetite—but then I end up getting super hungry in the middle of the night…”

Sei gave a tired smile.

That’s true. Lately, Sei’s been barely touching his meals before retreating to his room. I figured he might get hungry later, so I made some rice balls as a late-night snack and stored them in the magic box I keep stocked—by morning, they were all completely gone.

Granted, I did make extra, so there’s a chance Byakko-sama ate some too.
Byakko-sama, would you mind not so obviously looking away?

“Training in the Knight Course must be tough, even for first-years…”
Mariel-chan said, looking at Sei with concern.

The first-years are mostly kids who’ve just turned ten, so for now, they’re still building up stamina rather than muscle.

Even if it’s light gear, they still have to do long runs in basic armor like breastplates, or swing their swords repeatedly to practice the basic forms.

I shuddered as I recalled the Spartan days under Madam Retia in etiquette class.
Why do nobles love those “do-it-til-you-drop” series so much!?

In manners class, we had to walk properly with a ruler tucked down our backs to maintain posture, and hold our curtseys for dozens—no, minutes at a time, keeping our legs trembling just to maintain the correct form.
Ugh… that was brutal.

Still, thanks to that, I’m now almost exempt from manners class, so I guess it paid off. I’m grateful to Madam Retia.

And honestly, if you’re going to be a knight, you’ll be in real battles.
You can’t afford to lose just because you lack stamina.

Then there are the basic sword forms.
They may differ by school or style, but those movements all have purpose.

Drilling them into your body through repetition is important in martial arts and sports alike.
Those called masters in their field are the ones who keep at it and refine their skills without cutting corners.

Of course, not everyone can handle doing the same thing endlessly, and I’m sure some students drop out from lack of motivation.
But if you have a goal—something you want to become—this is the time to grit your teeth and push through.

That’s the turning point, I think—the difference between someone who becomes a true pro in their field and someone who doesn’t.

I might seem like an irregular to others, what with my past life memories, being born a duke’s daughter, and having cheat-level mana… but when it comes to cooking, I honestly put in the hard work to be able to make tasty food.

There were even times when being a duke’s daughter held me back.
But I pushed past that because I just wanted to eat good food. I wanted to make it. That drive is what brought me here.

That said, when it comes to things I’m not interested in, I don’t think I can compare to the real masters at all.
Personally, I see myself as a jack-of-all-trades with slightly above-average stats.

Not naming any names, but some people have taken their craft to the point of eccentric obsession—but being able to pour that kind of passion into something and elevate it is seriously amazing.

When I started talking about that with too much enthusiasm, both of them gave me a wry smile and said, “Cristea-san/Miss Cristea, we really think you should judge yourself a little more fairly.”

… Why!?

After that, we forced Sei—who had offered to help clean up—to go back to his room.
I mean, by the end of the meal, he was already nodding off.

“I’m sorry… I’ll definitely repay you for this soon…”
He apologized, refusing to be carried on Byakko-sama’s back as he staggered back to his room.

The rest of us finished cleaning up.

What do you think about this chapter?