42 – Physical Exercise

Lars arrived at the study less than five minutes later. He entered the room after knocking once.

“I heard you needed me for something?” The knight looked ready for anything, hand on his sword’s pommel.

“Nothing very serious. I have recently developed a desire to not be totally helpless in a fight. I’m sure you understand.”

He nodded, a grave look on his face. Come to think of it, he himself was useless against both the actual demon and the demon hunters recently. Probably not a good feeling for a bodyguard. Beating down those traitors barely made up for it.

“Now, you know – or at least assumed – that I’ve started learning magic from the book my uncle gave me.” Another nod. “Still, I want you to drill me in how to move my body. I know I’ve not been the most athletic person in my life up till now. Frail might be a fitting descriptor, even. But that has changed recently.”

Lars looked a bit interested at that. Though a mix of genuine curiosity and wariness. Not misplaced, considering what events the word ‘recently’ encompassed.

“Nothing demonic, I assure you. I’m pretty sure I’ve been through so many tests for that I’d have caught on fire if I was even a little tainted. Not to mention that uncle Anaster wouldn’t have left me be.” Well, probably. The man was very… eccentric. Still, Lars agreed with me.

“It might be some combination of divine blessing or magic, but I’ve discovered I’m surprisingly strong.” Magic was definitely involved, so this wasn’t technically a lie. The magic being a ritual performed under guidance from a demon was something no one else needed to know.

“Now, due to my past inaction, I don’t actually know what to do with my body. It would be terrible if I got into a fight and got run through because of it. Or mauled by a monster. So, I’d like you to train me.”

“Alright.” Though he seemed a bit reluctant, probably because of remembering just how exercise-averse Kalin used to be, there was an undercurrent of expectation there too. “Follow me.”

“Ah, just in case you don’t remember, this training needs to happen indoors. I’d rather not peel my skin off after a single session.”

“… Right.” I wasn’t sure whether he’d actually forgotten or not.

The only place in the manor large enough to host proper physical exercise while not inconveniencing other people was, predictably, the entrance hall. Good thing a replacement door had been fast-tracked, or this would have been very awkward.

Lars’ first instruction was simple. “Run laps. Don’t stop until I tell you.” His look contained the expectation that I’d complain, but I didn’t.

Running was the most basic form of exercise after all. Good for warming up before other exertion too.

While the hall was pretty large, it still took less than a minute to jog the entire circumference. Well, that just meant I had to run more laps to reach a reasonable distance covered. I wasn’t running at full tilt, both because I didn’t want to reveal just how strong I was quite yet and also because my coordination tanked when I started moving too fast. I’d rather avoid face-planting into a wall if I could help it.

Something I learned quickly was that the shoes I was wearing weren’t made for running. They were comfortable enough normally, but the material was cut in a way that it strained at the movement.

After about five minutes of watching me lap the hall, Lars’ expression was hard to read. It was obvious he knew I was holding back – I was only jogging, after all – but by now I still wasn’t sweating at all. So far this hadn’t been much of an exertion.

I was getting better at turning while maintaining this medium speed though. The hall floor, made of mosaic tiles as it was, didn’t have great grip. Another reason not to sprint around in here.

Without a word, Lars joined me in running. I’d lost count of how many laps I was at, but it was definitely over ten already.

At first he just ran next to me. Then, two laps later, he sped up slightly. When he was a few meters ahead, he barked, “Keep up!” over his shoulder. So I sped up in turn.

Then, when I’d kept pace for another lap, he accelerated a little more. And I caught up. He kept speeding up more and more.

Eventually, I was barely handling the turns at all anymore. Laps were flying by in easily under half a minute. Not that I was counting the seconds right now. My mind was fully focused on not slipping and bashing a face-shaped hole in the wall.

Finally, after who knew how many laps, Lars slowed down. He was breathing a bit heavier than before, his heart deviating from its previous slow rhythm. Barely a few more beats per minute though.

In contrast, I had actually broken a sweat, my own breath coming rapidly. I could feel tiny amounts of blood be absorbed to heal micro tears in my muscles. Actually, is that good? Does that help or hinder the purpose of exercise? Guess I’ll find out eventually.

My stamina came back surprisingly quickly. Another side effect of my body?

Only now did I notice that Mia had arrived at some point and leaned in the doorway leading deeper into the manor. Running had consumed my focus utterly during the last bit. She didn’t say anything, just watching. Well, her expression was suitably impressed for how fast I’d just moved.

A minute of recovery later, Lars beckoned me over.

“Get on your hands, like so.” He demonstrated what I recognized as a push-up. I quickly complied.

Just like the running, this too was easy. I barely felt anything in my arms, even when Lars made me hold a position halfway down for a minute. The movement itself was noticeable, but the weight really didn’t put any strain on me.

“I think I’m not heavy enough for this to challenge me,” I said in between sets. Lars grunted in response.

He made me go through a battery of other exercises. Pull-ups on the door frame, easy. Same issue as the push-ups. Squats were a bit more effort, probably caused by the previous run. Or the weights Lars had someone bring in. Through the side entrance, so the main doors wouldn’t flood the room in sunlight.

Sit-ups were the first move that actually challenged me a bit. Apparently, my core muscles weren’t quite on the same level as arms or legs. I still completed all the sets, but felt them afterwards.

On to the actual weights.

With some guidance on how to properly grip and lift, I managed fifty kilograms easily. Which raised a new issue – these weren’t well-made barbells that could just take more and more plates to increase weight. I was currently lifting a box full of rocks. Sure, I could theoretically lift one in each hand, but maintaining proper form while doing so would be challenging.

So Lars laid down and had me pick him up. The perfect plank he maintained while I did that was impressive. Not that a full-grown man was the most ergonomic weight either. Still, Lars more than made up for any awkwardness by just how damn heavy he was.

Holy shit, is this guy made of metal or what?

His physique wasn’t anything spectacular. Sure, the knight was muscular, but more on the lean side. No roided-out bodybuilder. Yet somehow, he weighed well over a hundred kilos. Probably more than two or even three hundred as well. The comparison to my previous weights got a bit inaccurate at this point.

Well, this gave me a challenge at least. I could actually lift the man, a fact both of us found at least a little surprising. Raising him over my head and lowering him back down repeatedly was straining my arms properly though. Which was good, because that was the whole point of exercise.

It did make me feel a little ridiculous, lifting a person like this. We’d have to find a better solution in future. Mia was locked in between staring in awe and giggling.

When he finally allowed me so set him down, I had a question for Lars.

“So, what happens if you get on a boat? Or walk over a bridge? A poorly constructed elevated floor?”

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“Are you calling me heavy?” His delivery was deadpan, but I was almost certain this was a joke.

“Yes.” I rolled my shoulders to relieve the strained muscles. They were already healing too.

Lars cracked a smile. “Well, it’s not as big of an issue as you might think. One of the techniques I have mastered allows me to increase or decrease my weight. That just now wasn’t the highest possible, but it wasn’t far off either. I’m usually much lighter. Maintaining the change is pretty draining.”