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Friday, XX/XX/XXXX | 10:23 |

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"Thank you," Andre graciously received a tankard full of drinking water from one of his servants. The feeling of refreshing liquid flowing down his throat was heavenly after working out.

He took a glance to his right, where the others were lying on their back, completely spent.

They had been running laps for one hour straight, and followed by sit ups, squats, and push ups. To him this was just another work out, but for them clearly it was not.

"I...I'm dyi...ng..." Anya's voice was very scratchy as she tried (very hard) to firmly held her tankard. She moved like the elderlies in their 90s, "My bo...nes.... are... crackling... Shaking.... ever...ything... shaking..."

Mei and Adit were still laying on the ground almost lifeless, with their servants in the background scurrying in panic to help them. Both successfully demonstrated how good they were in fitness.

Andre saw the instructor getting near. Her face was a mixture of disbelief and disappointment.

She sighed, "By the Mashiach I can't believe how... fragile you three are. Forget the dungeon, your stamina is horrible you can't even do basic training. I even gave you ten minutes break after running..."

"And you," she looked at Andre, "good work. You made it through the first day of physical training, as expected of the >."

He beamed, happy to earn his first praise in the other world, from a knight at that!

"Thank you for the compliment, Ma'am!"

She giggled, "I like that attitude. Keep it up and you'll be stronger in no time. And as for you three, I will cut your run by thirty minutes starting tomorrow. Use your spare time to rest and, unless you love pain, don't do anymore physical activities. Is that clear?"

The three lifted their shaky hands as a sign that they heard her.

"Physical class dismissed. You are free to roam around, but I implore you to inform your servants before heading to town. They will help you with the necessary preparation. Never venture alone and remember you have another class at 14.30 sharp."

"W-We can explore the town?"

"Of course, >. But as I said, let your servants know so that the guards can accompany you to make your experience smoother. Good work for today."

"Thank you, Ma'am! Good work today," Andre bowed respectfully as she returned to the castle.

He didn't believe what he just heard. The higher ups gave them the permission to visit the city! How exciting! What kind of surprises await him there? What kind of people can he meet, shops to explore, and culture to learn?

He couldn't wait!

====== Meanwhile ======

"Greetings, Your Holiness," Lilinara crouched on one knee and kissed the High Priestess' hand.

"How is our summoned heroes faring?" Lemerista asked sweetly, face never ceased smiling.

The female knight stood slowly, but keeping her gaze lower in respect, "As a matter of fact, their physical endurance is... quite lacking. We might need more time to morph them into presentable condition befitting that of a band of heroes. Let alone subjugating monsters, dungeon delving is impossible at this rate."

Lemerista placed a hand on her cheek and frowned, "Dear me, this is making me anxious. What am I going to say to His Majesty now that he has been urging me to deliver the final results as soon as possible..."

Has been urging?

Does that mean she visits him often?

That statement piqued Lilinara's interest. Aside of handling summoning procedure, she had no idea that the Cathedral and the royal family were in close alliance. She thought the Cathedral was neutral to any actions the royal family undertook.

She discarded the thought quickly. Messages could be delivered through a trusted aide and her appearance here might have something to do with the hero summoning-related duties...

"If that's what His Majesty's order, then I shall try my best to realize it."

"Your help is greatly appreciated, First Order Knight Commander Lilinara."

"You can count on me, Your Holiness."

"Oh, on that note..."

Lilinara finally looked up to see the High Priestess smiling sweetly at her. One of her aides was holding a small box, which was presented to her.

"If I may ask, what is this, Your Holiness?"

"This is a box of stamina recovery potions from our beloved Pope. Due to old age, however, he ordered too many for his personal consumption and I asked if these could be donated to our heroes."

"Thank you so much for your generosity, Your Holiness! This will surely help our heroes with their training."

Lemerista nodded gently, "You are welcome. Helping other people in need is what the Cathedral aims to do. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to prepare for the Egrery."

Ah, yes. The free healing service...

"Then I won't keep you any longer, Your Holiness. Thank you for all your help. Have a safe trip."

Unfortunately, Lilinara did not catch the hidden, malicious glints in the High Priestess' eyes as she walked past her...