Chapter 244 (Patreon)

By the time midnight finally settled over the village, the world had gone quiet.

Lanterns dimmed. Doors closed. Footsteps faded. One by one, the villagers surrendered to sleep, the rhythm of rest reclaiming the narrow paths and wooden homes.

All except Kana.

Sleep refused to come.

Not in the way it always had before because sleeping had never been a challenge for her before. Her body felt charged, alive with a restless energy as if beating through her veins, a strange, electric alertness that made stillness feel unnatural. She lay there for a while, staring into the darkness, until the realization settled in with quiet clarity.

This isn’t normal.

And she knew exactly why.

Her new class.

Something inside her had changed.

Rin, Elle, and Yuri were sleeping in Suri’s bigger house at least compared to Kana’s, while the boys had scattered between Boris’ home and the village guest house, the old patterns of village hospitality quietly reforming around them. Kana had already cleaned their old home earlier, wiping away dust and time from the furniture and walls, restoring it just enough to feel lived in again. But even in that familiar space, rest would not come.

So she chose movement instead.

She stepped outside into the cold night air and drew the curved sword taken from the empire, its metal catching the faint glow of moonlight. The weapon was balanced, responsive, obedient in her grip, though part of her still longed for something heavier, something with more weight and presence. Not like the guildmaster’s massive blade, but something with gravity of its own. Still, for now, this would do.

She tested it with a few slow slashes through the air.

The blade whispered.

Her muscles remembered that even her memory couldn’t even explain where she even learned it.

Her mind replayed the fight from the previous night, the rhythm, the pressure, the flow of movement, the instinctive transitions between force and control. The memory didn’t feel distant. It felt close. It felt so real like her body was still inside the battle.

She inhaled.

Then whispered, “[Shadow Assault].”

Her arm blurred.

But this time, it wasn’t just speed.

Multiple arcs of motion split from her blade, overlapping shadows peeling away from the sword like living echoes, mimicking the strike in layered waves. The air itself seemed to fracture as the shadowed arcs carved through space, phantom blades trailing her movement like spectral reflections. She was impressed. Not because it's going to be effective in real combat simply because for the first time she felt using a real skill. A magical skill though she preferred a more flashy one.

Magical? Kana shook her head at the strange distant English word.

Then she stopped.

Not because she was tired.

But because she felt it.

A presence.

“Can’t sleep?” Kana asked calmly, without turning.

Boris stepped into view, scratching the back of his head. “I thought no one could notice me,” he said. “Did I mess something up?”

Kana chuckled softly. It was probably her [Night Awareness], sharper now, deeper, more sensitive to movement and intent than before. For a moment, she wondered if she could even feel Zia’s presence in the nighttime now.

“How did you do that?” Boris asked, eyes locked on the sword. “That wasn’t your skill. You got a new one? And you can use a sword now too? What about spears?”

Does the tip of a spear count as a blade? Kana wondered.

She laughed quietly. “Not sure.”

“I was planning to spar with you,” Boris said, shaking his head. “But… yeah. Never mind. I’m not winning against that.”

“Let me borrow your spear,” Kana said.

Boris smirked and handed it over.

“It’s a bit long for me,” Kana said at first.

But the moment her fingers closed around the shaft, the weight felt… right.

Familiar.

Natural.

Not that heavy.

Not awkward.

Like something her body already understood.

She planted her feet and mimicked Boris’ original stance, grounding herself with minimal movement, firm posture, controlled balance, the kind of positioning that turned a fighter into a fortress. She swung. Thrust. Recovered. Each motion was clean and stable just like Boris did.

Then she changed.

The pacing shifted.

The rhythm transformed.

Her footwork loosened.

Her movement became fluid.

She swept low, rotated the spear across her back, ran forward, pivoted sharply, and thrust again, the motion rippling through the air with focused intent. It wasn’t Boris’ style anymore.

It was hers.

Instinctive. Listening to her body as if it had a brain of its own.

Then she activated it again.

[Shadow Assault].

The spear blurred.

Shadows split from the thrust.

Multiple phantom spears surged forward, layered and overlapping, as if living silhouettes were striking alongside her, the air trembling under the pressure of the technique.

She stopped.

Breathing steady.

Heart calm.

“I feel good, I felt it’s quite a while.” she said quietly.

She turned.

Boris was already standing in front of her, eyes wide, staring like she had just rewritten the rules of reality in front of him.

He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “Tell me how to do that!”

The night wind passed through the village.

The moon hung overhead.

And Kana smiled. Because this wasn’t just power. 

It wasn’t just a new class.

It was something deeper that even her memory couldn’t even remember. One thing was for swords but it was another thing for spear.

How could she teach something she couldn’t even understand herself?

……

A sharp knock echoed against the door.

“Kana!”

She jolted awake, her body heavy with lingering sleep as she pushed herself upright, the world spinning slightly as if her thoughts were still tangled in dreams and shadows. Moving on instinct more than awareness, she shuffled to the door and pulled it open, only to be met by a wall of sunlight so bright it forced her to lift her arm and shield her eyes, squinting against the glare.

“Kana, it’s already late in the morning,” Suri said, peering at her with a knowing look. “Did you sleep late last night?”

Rin, Yuri, and Elle followed in behind her, already stepping into the house with open curiosity, eyes scanning the walls, the furniture, the corners of the room as if expecting secrets to be hidden in plain sight. Rin wandered toward Kana’s bedroom, hands clasped behind her back. “So this is where the strongest girl in the academy sleeps,” she muttered thoughtfully. “I wonder what kind of secrets are hidden here.”

Kana nodded faintly, still half-asleep, her mind slow to catch up with the morning.

“Nothing here,” she said drowsily.

Suri stepped closer and gently fixed Kana’s messy hair, smoothing it down. “Come with us to the chief’s house,” she said. “I found them.”

Kana’s eyes snapped open. “That fast?”

“Well,” Suri replied calmly, “I just followed what you pointed out last night.”

“There’s really nothing here.” Yuri said as she toured the house.

“Maybe that’s her secret?” Rin muttered then quickly shook her head.

The four of them set off together toward the village chief’s house, the village already alive with morning sounds and movement. Rin, Yuri, and Elle spoke quietly among themselves, but none of them found anything of interest along the way, only a few old, damaged books and scattered remnants of past years, nothing that hinted at danger or mystery.

Then they stopped.

Boris stood ahead of them, bare-chested in the morning light, stretching every part of his massive body with visible strain, his face twisted into a grimace as he forced his muscles through movements they clearly weren’t designed for.

Elle stared. “You’re still doing that?”

Boris squinted his eyes at Kana. “Someone told me last night that I’m not flexible enough,” he said seriously, “so I’m training my body for it.”

“With your body size,” Elle replied flatly, “I don’t think that’s physically possible.”

“I will prove it,” Boris said, his expression solemn, as if declaring a sacred vow.

Suri sighed and waved her hand dismissively. “Just leave him alone,” she said. “We need to eat breakfast anyway.”

And with that, they walked on, leaving Boris behind to wage war against his own muscles, the morning sun casting long shadows over the village as the day began. 

A large pot sat at the center of the village chief’s house, steam rising in slow, curling spirals as a simple local soup simmered within it, filling the room with the familiar scent of herbs, broth, and morning warmth. It was the kind of dish served every day in Saltrain, humble and hearty, meant to give strength for labor rather than luxury for pleasure.

All the students were present, gathered around the long tables, except for Boris, who was still outside, locked in his personal war against flexibility. Thorne had already abandoned him, curled contentedly on one of the seats, her tail wagging lazily as villagers passed by with food. Someone had clearly remembered her fondness for meat, because a separate plate of roasted cuts had been set aside just for her, glistening in the firelight.

Even more surprisingly, cups of milk had been prepared for everyone.

Kana noticed it immediately.

It was a small thing.

But it wasn’t random.

It carried memory.

Influence.

It carried her mother’s habits, her old beliefs about strength and health, quietly shaping traditions even after her absence. Well, many folks believe it was one of her mother’s secrets that made Kana exceptional.

The boys were loud, animated, their voices filling the house with their high morning energy as they chattered and joked, some of them already mingling with the villagers as if no time had passed at all. Toby, in particular, had launched into an exaggerated retelling of his adventures, arms flailing dramatically as he spoke, while Roy drew a small crowd when he summoned one of his skeletons, the villagers reacting with wide eyes and laughter as if witnessing a living miracle rather than necromancy.

But at the far end of the room, the tone was different.

A map lay unrolled across the table.

And beside it stood the village chief, Suri, and Kana.

All three wore serious expressions.

Suri leaned forward and pointed. “I found them here,” she said, her finger pressing against a mountain range deep within the southeastern border of the empire. “They’re digging rock. Forced labor. I saw all of them wearing a metal collar.”

The village chief’s face darkened. “This is bad news,” he said slowly. “They’re truly inside the empire’s territory. I’m not sure any adventurer group would accept a request like this. It risks conflict between two nations.”

Kana exhaled softly.

Relief washed through her chest.

They were alive.

That mattered more than anything else.

“A royal knight will be coming here soon,” she said calmly. “He’ll help us rescue them.”

The words settled into the space between them.

“If not, we’ll rescue them anyway", she declared, voice cold,” and they should pay for it.”

Post note:

Is it possible for Boris to have a flexible body? Sexy Boris incoming? 😂Have a great weekend!Hope you enjoy the chap!