Doubts

As 3 days passed in silence, Haruhime found it difficult even to clean a window as her legs shook.

When Ryuu announced he would "train" her, she couldn't help but think of the training arcs she read about in stories where the hero and his party had to spar with someone more experienced to understand their mistakes. These training arcs often lasted for several years, with even the strongest heroes having to train with their masters for a full year in an isolated room.

Haruhime was wrong to think training with Ryuu would be so simple. The first thing he had her do was run. He told her if she couldn't run three laps around the mansion, Luna would slap her butt as punishment. At least Ryuu had the decency to leave the punishment to another woman to administer.

This was not much of a challenge for even a level 1 adventurer with low stats, as although the mansion was large, it was not massive. This meant 3 laps would not take much time, even for less skilled adventurers, although Haruhime was somewhat of a special case as she trembled with fear. However, she did not back down. Ryuu had told her that the training would be intensive…

She thought that was all, but that was just an appetizer…

Haruhime panted heavily, raising her fists in triumph as she thought the training for the day was finished.

However, Ryuu had other plans in mind. He noticed even a simple Kobold could easily sneak up on Haruhime and potentially kill her due to her poor perception of her surroundings. He planned to correct this, as the first thing he did was…issue a warning!

"If you think you can't do it, say that. This kind of training is an extremely cruel one. I would avoid using it if I could, but your situation truly is hopeless."

He didn't believe raising Haruhime's awareness normally would be enough to fill the problem, so an extreme training regime was needed. However, he would be careful not to abuse it.

That could have the opposite effects on someone, thus developing trauma. He would adjust it to avoid any negative consequences, though he couldn't predict the exact result in her mind.

She nodded determinedly, despite being scared. She wanted to be remembered as a reliable person by Ryuu, and if this training was a way to achieve that, then she was determined to do her best.

Ryuu nodded and then quickly pulled out a dagger that he had asked Luna to prepare. He moved with such speed that Haruhime barely had time to register it before the blade was pressed against her neck. His expression was icy, and he released small amounts of his monstrous killing intent, causing her to almost collapse from the intensity of it. However, Ryuu paid no attention to this, as he knew that this would be just the first of many hundreds of times he would have to repeat this.

———

While Haruhime rested, he chose to make some time to visit the Hostess of Fertility once again as, after he and Anya stared intensely at each other for a while, Chloe stepped in.

She took him to a private table, and although the two held a small discussion, Ryuu felt there was something different in her behaviour. Thus, he delayed his formal invite to treat her for another time as there was no need if she felt awkward around him...

Chloe understood his gesture, though she did not say anything and soon walked away. She glanced at him one last time with an apologetic smile as Lunoire's words kept echoing in her head.

She realized she was not as accustomed to 'death' as she thought. The adventurer she was interested in was a magnet to danger, which made her enter a huge spiral of doubt as the likelihood of him dying was high in her mind.

Lunoire had no intention of causing her any trouble but simply wanted to warn her about the risks adventurers face so that she wouldn't be too upset if something happened.

Ryuu ignored Chloe's concerns as if they were not a problem for him. He had previously believed that the emotion of 'love' was weak and feeble, but that had changed recently as Hestia, Luna, and a certain Amazoness had all managed to make their way into his heart.

However, Chloe was not included in this change. He was interested in her mainly because she had experienced true despair, something that most people were unaware of. He thought she might be a good person to have a conversation with due to this shared experience, even finding her beautiful. If she was 'consumed' by these worries, then that meant she was not someone he should pursue, and the matter would end there.

Ryuu Lion, who was bound to him by karma, suddenly sat down at his table with a curious expression. However, Ryuu shrugged his shoulders and dismissed her suspiciousness, not wanting to deal with any unnecessary drama.

"It's not my fault. It's useless to look at me like that..."

He said such words as she thought about it for a second before nodding as she knew of what doubts Chloe had, and she felt it was indeed a rightful observation on Lunoire's part, considering who the 'adventurer' was...

"...I know....By the way, Ryuu-san. Don't you have a family name?"

She wanted to know the man's family name to make the situation less awkward, as using her own name to refer to someone else was strange. However, the man's response shocked her. He looked at the drink in his hand with a nostalgic smile on his face, his aura calm as he spoke terrifying words with ease.

"...Oh, that? I don't. I had something similar in the past, but you see...I killed all of them. My previous family, that is."

Memories of him brutally killing other dragons flooded his mind, and his leaked bit of killing intent was so strong it sent chills down her rspine. Even though she was an experienced killer, she still felt a sense of fear from the cold emanating from him.

"...I see. I will not ask what happened, as that is not my place to do so."

She remained silent after uttering this, but no further words were necessary as Ryuu's killing intent dissipated, and a smile returned to his face as if nothing had happened.

"By the way, Ryuu-san. Would you like to join in the Official Expedition of the Hestia Familia?"

Although he still had to receive an expedition request from the Guild properly, he liked to be ready perfectly.

His goals were much more ambitious than what the Guild would assign him. He wanted Luna to lead the expedition, while he left her with a group of high-level adventurers to provide backup and went alone into the deeper floors. He believed that personally experiencing them would be far safer than simply studying records.

Ryuu Lion was taken aback by his sudden proposal. She had never mentioned to him that she was a high-level adventurer and was impressed by his ability to deduce this fact. However, she remained quiet about it and simply considered the possibility of joining the expedition as an extra. She had not visited the Astraea Familia graveyard in a while and thought this could be a good opportunity, but she did not want to make a reckless decision.

"I will consider it..."

Of course, she had reservations about immediately accepting to help him, though he was not worried in the slightest as a smile erupted on his face.

"Thanks. I'll come to ask you once again when the Quest will be ready. You don't have to feel pressured about this. If you don't want to, you can refuse. I will not be offended."

Ryuu Lion rolled her eyes at the man's words, thinking that he was too smart for his own good. Her expression remained unchanged as the two parted ways, but neither of them forgot to glance at Chloe, who seemed to be very interested in their conversation.

This caused Ryuu Lion to sigh as she watched the man give Chloe twice the amount of Valis that he had to pay, his actions not going unnoticed as everyone in the tavern recognized him. The entire establishment grew silent, with no one daring to speak for fear of offending him. Even the first-class adventurers avoided interacting with him, although they maintained their dignity in front of their peers as they merely waited for the crazy man to leave…

---

Notes:

Of course, the next chap will explain this training regime better, though you get the gist of it already in this chap! After this "week" in Danmachi ends, that is when we will really start with this arc as for now, we're just dealing with all the stuff left from the Introduction arc!