Chapter 96

"Wait, that doesn't make any sense! How did I lose body mass if I was only passed out for a day?"

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders.

"Though, something else that happened to your body might be related to it."

"?"

He looked at her for clarification.

"You do notice your body is healed, correct?"

"Yeah? What about it? Didn't you heal it like usual?"

She glared at him.

"Like usual, huh? It must be nice to have someone like me healing you, so you can say something like that." She continued "But regardless, are you sure you're fully healed?"

"I know that beatdown you gave me was particularly nasty but I can guarantee you didn't do a sloppy job. What, is your ability to heal slowing down?"

"(Well there is that to worry about but it should be fine as long as I don't overdo it) No. I wasn't even the one to heal you."

"What? Then who did? Was it that other girl that came with Tina and Lily?" He asked.

"No, I'm not even sure if she even knows any healing magic. You did."

Those last three words confused Tibaut even more. 

"Um, Elizabeth, this isn't the time for jokes like this. In the first place, I don't get why you'd admit to beating me up like that yet deny healing me. Are you being bashful?"

She flicked him on the head and he reeled back in pain. 

"It seems you're still dreaming." She sighed. "Like I said, you were the one who healed yourself. And from what you said and the fact you didn't squirm when I checked your body, it seemed you fully healed it."

"Check my body? How'd you do that?" He asked.

"Well, I…" her face started to blush and she punched Tibaut in his side. "A-anyway, you seem to have gotten something quite useful."

Tibaut had given up reacting to her every blow and accepted the pain running through his body.

"I-I see, well i-it sounded like it was quite something, I wish I remembered w-what it was like. (Couldn't you have held back with that punch?)" She said while his body jittered slightly.

She put her hand on his side and healed him.

"Well, I suppose since you are awake, we can start practicin-"

Before she could finish her statement Tibaut was attempting to jump out the window.

Lucky (or sadly in Tibaut's case) She grabbed his leg and pulled him back in.

Tibaut had a look of fear on his face and she sighed and let him go.

"Get some rest. I'm not cruel enough to send you outside after you've just woken up." She got up and walked towards the door. "And I'd encourage you to remember what happened when you hit me. I'm curious to see how powerful you are like that."

She went through the door and closed it behind her.

"I hit her during all that?"

A few hours passed and Tibaut was in the mansion cleaning the floors to clear his head. (It seemed he fully accepted that he was the mansion's maid)

"Ugh."

That was the only sound he made as he thought back to what happened. His memory of it was blurry and the only thing he could piece together was fearing for his life as Elizabeth beat him like a wet brush. He decided to save those unsavoury memories for later and continued cleaning the mansion.

"Are you really cleaning right now?" Said a voice behind him.

He turned around and saw it was Tina. She wore a shirt and shorts combo that looked a little too tight for her overall, especially in the chest area.

"So should I not be cleaning?"

"Of course not you idiot! You should be training that blue aura you got."

"Blue aura?"

"Of course your blue aura thing. It was amazing, you launched Elizabeth into the mansion. What the hell are you doing here?" She started pushing him "Come on, you can't let that go to waste. You're gonna train right now."

"Nah."

A vein on her forehead bulged.

"What the hell did you say?" She asked in a scathing tone.

"I'll do it after I'm finished."

"Are you kidding me? You experienced power like that and decided cleaning took more priority? Don't joke around with me, weren't you the one who said you wouldn't be able to take on that bastard at full strength? So why the hell are you wasting time doing this?"

"Does it really matter if I try to do it now or later?"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing, of course it does. Have you never heard of adventurers or martial artists mastering a technique on their first and then struggling to do it again after? That was nothing more than beginner's luck, so get your ass out of here and start practising."

"I really don't feel like it but is there any chance you're going to leave?"

She dragged him harder. "Of course not!"

"Ugh, fine (do a few hours of difference matter? I was out for over a day. Besides, this would make me stronger, why does she care so much?)"

Now outside, Tina looked at him in anticipation.

"Now, do it."

"Uh, I'll try my best."

He closed his eyes and started focusing. Tina braced herself for something amazing to happen but after waiting for a few seconds she grabbed his hair.

"Last time I checked, I was here to see that blue aura, not you standing around like an idiot."

"Hmm, let me try again." He removed her hand and now stood in a different pose. Nothing. This attempt he recalled all the events he went through, hoping would show him the way to gain that power again.

This time he stood around for a few minutes while making a strained face, as if he needed to use a bathroom but there wasn't one for another few kilometers.

Worry started to creep on his face and sweat gathered on his forehead.

"Don't tell me?" Tina said as she observed him.