Battle Race in the Fantasy World

Battle Race in the Fantasy World – 107

EP.107 Good Changes, Bad Changes

Girlfriend. Girlfriend. Girlfriend. He kept muttering that word.

Of course, that was the very reason he came to this academy.

The world itself was a romance fantasy; he couldn’t just keep working out all the time.

Like everyone else, he wanted to date a girlfriend at the academy!

Isn’t that what the academy was made for?

A place for the empire’s talents? A place to nurture future workers? No!

In a romance fantasy, the academy’s purpose is singular! A place for all kinds of romance!

Of course, he never treated Tisha well with that intention from the start.

Initially, he just wanted to go along with the flow because she was the protagonist.

Kyle had intended to follow the classic route of the reincarnation genre he often saw.

‘But the biggest problem is that I don’t know the original storyline at all.’

He didn’t even know that there was a force called Jonathan in the novel.

He didn’t know why such an absurd place existed.

Given that, he naturally didn’t know the story beyond the free chapters.

All he knew was inferred from the comments he had skimmed through.

In this situation, going along with the original flow? Does it have any meaning? He didn’t even know what the flow was!

Ultimately, the classic route of the reincarnation genre was useless to Kyle.

And that meant his kindness towards Tisha had lost its original reason.

Yet, he still treated her well, which might mean he had feelings for her.

‘I don’t think I was someone obsessed with a harem.’

Scratching his cheek, he pondered what to do next.

Tisha was truly a good woman. Smart, pretty, and she had the protagonist’s halo.

Originally, she was supposed to end up with Ian, but now that possibility was close to zero.

Even Ian, these days, was more focused on ‘being acknowledged by Kyle’ than on Tisha.

There would be no problem dating her. To be honest, Kyle wanted that too.

Elga was too overwhelming, and the Saintess felt more like someone he wanted to protect rather than a romantic partner.

Tisha was the one who best fit the condition of ‘a girlfriend to date at the academy.’

The problem was that the princess was pushing too aggressively at this timing.

‘Tisha says she’s okay, but… who knows. The princess could change.’

The princess was, in a way, similar to the people of Jonathan.

Just as his hometown people were obsessed with exercise, she was obsessed with herself.

And thinking about the reaction when their exercise was interrupted, and then imagining the princess seeing the person she wanted to possess laughing and chatting with another woman….

“Brother Kyle?”

Startled by the voice in front of him, he quickly looked ahead.

The Saintess, standing at the door, was looking at him as if wondering why he hadn’t come in.

Only then did Kyle realize he had been lost in thought after arriving at the chapel.

“Is something wrong? You came all the way here but didn’t come in.”

“Oh, yes. I… have something on my mind. So….”

As he spoke, Kyle realized that the person in front of him was none other than the Saintess.

A woman who was popular despite not being the protagonist, just an occasional supporting character.

She often provided timely advice, helping readers relieve their frustrations.

“Saintess.”

Kyle decided to confide his worries to her.

He hoped she might give him some good advice.

Of course, he didn’t say it was about himself and adjusted the story appropriately.

“…So, a close brother of yours is in a difficult situation.”

“Yes. He’s not completely at a loss, but he’s a bit troubled because he’s not sure. How should I put it? He’s about 60% sure, but the rest….”

“If he’s more than 60% sure, doesn’t he already know the answer?”

“What?”

At Kyle’s question, the Saintess gave a gentle smile.

“The human heart is truly strange, Brother Kyle. No matter how negatively one thinks, if there’s even a small bit of positivity, it will eventually lean towards the positive. Conversely, no matter how positively one thinks, if there’s even a tiny bit of negativity, it will lean that way too.”

“….”

“People’s hearts can be swayed by the smallest things, but if it’s already more than 60%, I believe the answer is clear. Tell that brother to just follow his heart.”

Follow his heart. Such simple words, words anyone could say.

Yet, hearing them like this left him in a daze, perhaps because of the Saintess’s unique aura.

“Worries shouldn’t last long, the heart should be firm, and actions should be swift.”

With a slightly deeper smile, the Saintess concluded, “I think that should be enough.”

Kyle, letting out an “Ah,” replied that he would definitely convey the message.

At the same time, he thought about not making that someone wait too long.

Even if not immediately, approaching slowly and steadily should be fine.

“I’m glad it helped. So then… shall we start?”

“Yes, let’s start.”

At Kyle’s words, the Saintess let out a spirited “Ha!” and prepared for push-ups with confidence.

“Watch me! Today, I will definitely surpass ten!”

“It’s good to do as many as you can. But doing a lot isn’t always the best. Saintess, it’s most important to know your limits and take care of your body.”

“But you said ten was too few!”

“Of course. So, I hope you succeed in doing more than ten today.”

It had been almost three months since Kyle had insisted on the Saintess exercising.

During that time, she had worked very hard. Anyone could see her effort.

The problem was that the results didn’t match her effort.

She needed to build a solid foundation of basic physical strength to move on to the next level.

With upper body strength worse than that of children, lifting a barbell, let alone a weight plate, would be impossible.

She struggled with bodyweight squats; how could she train her lower body? It would be impossible even if she were reborn.

Even people who dislike exercise would be better off than the Saintess.

Despite her enthusiasm and effort, the results were lacking.

So, watching the Saintess was naturally exasperating for Kyle.

“Let’s begin!”

With a spirited voice, the Saintess started her push-ups.

“One, two, three….”

Fortunately, she maintained the proper form Kyle had taught her.

If her form had been off, there would have been no hope, but at least that was a small relief.

“Eight… nine… ten….”

She reached ten without much difficulty. Now, the next part was crucial.

How much had the Saintess improved? How many could she do?

He still remembered when she could barely do one push-up and would call out to the heavens.

At that moment, Kyle had also been beside her, calling out to the heavens.

He silently prayed for strength for this kind and beautiful Saintess to continue exercising!

“Ten… eleven. Ten… twelve….”

“You’re doing well, Saintess. Just a bit more. If you’re struggling, just one more!”

The infamous “just one more!” that rivaled the devil’s whisper appeared.

Some people might lose all their strength at those words, but not the Saintess.

Gritting her teeth, her face turning red, she breathed heavily.

She succeeded in pushing her upper body up once more, with renewed strength in her arms.

“Ten, thirteen…!”

“Can you do one more? If you can, keep going; if not….”

He gave her the choice. Honestly, doing thirteen was already a lot.

Even if she collapsed or kneeled down now, it would still be praiseworthy.

But the Saintess began to lower her upper body once more.

“I can do it. I really tried hard to show you, Brother Kyle…!”

Her body rose slowly, with difficulty, but surely.

She moved from the fourteenth to the fifteenth push-up. And finally, she succeeded.

“Fifteen…!!”

With those words, the Saintess rolled to her side.

She let out a sharp cry and collapsed on the spot.

“Fifteen, right? I did it properly, right? Brother Kyle?”

“Yes. In perfect form. You did fifteen. That’s amazing. You did great, Saintess.”

For Jonathan, it would take one hundred and fifty push-ups to get such a reaction.

But the one panting heavily now was the Saintess.

Until recently, she struggled with even one push-up, a complete novice at exercise.

For such a woman to do fifteen push-ups, and in perfect form, was an incredible achievement.

“Now, lie down straight. Relax your body.”

He carefully massaged the Saintess’s trembling, cramping arms.

There was no need to give her a massage, but it was only natural to be grateful to someone who had worked hard.

It wasn’t just because she was his favorite character; it was gratitude for a member who had followed through and worked hard.

“At this rate, you’ll soon be able to do twenty, and eventually thirty.”

“C-Can we leave that for later?”

Having barely managed fifteen, the Saintess was already daunted by the thought of doubling it.

She forced a smile and said that, and Kyle nodded in agreement.

Today, she deserved to rest for at least five, no, ten minutes.

“That’s a relief.”

“What’s a relief?”

“We’re expanding the gym. I’m planning to create a beginner’s area for people like you, Saintess.”

But the Saintess was even weaker than those beginners, so he had been quite worried.

If there were no changes, he would have to keep watching over her in this place where there was nothing else.

One couldn’t just do bodyweight exercises forever; equipment would need to be used appropriately.

“Well, I feel like if I go, Brother Kyle will just get busier….”

“Hmm… that could indeed happen.”

Although not as much as the princess, the Saintess also had a significant presence.

If such a figure came to the gym to exercise, unwanted guests would surely gather.

There would be those who dared to come to the sacred gym for purposes other than exercise.

‘But the Saintess needs to start doing proper exercises soon.’

After a moment of contemplation, Kyle found the most appropriate answer.

“Saintess, how about this?”

“What is it?”

“We make this place a gym just for you… in other words, a place for you to exercise.”

“Isn’t it already being used that way?”

At the Saintess’s question, Kyle shook his head emphatically.

How could it be called a gym without a single piece of equipment! It was blasphemy!!

“Hmm… then I should speak to the Church about it. I happen to have business at the Church tomorrow… Ah! Brother Kyle! How about you accompany me and speak to His Holiness together?!”

“Me too?”

Tomorrow was Sunday. He had planned to hit cardio hard from the morning and spend the whole day at the gym.

Did he really need to go along and convey his opinion about setting up a personal gym?

As this question began to creep into Kyle’s mind.

“Yes! Brother Kyle should see it too! How sturdy the priests of the Church have become lately!”

“Oh.”

That, in itself, was quite an enticing proposal.