My Servant System

Jahi PoV

Wiping the sweat from my brow, I regulated my breathing as best I could as I capitalized on the short break that we were taking from training, which was me, Nirinia, Vienna and Dante, the four of us occupying a large corner of the training grounds as we made use of our day as best we could.

The problem with the down time that we were currently finding ourselves in - these days where nothing was happening yet, but we knew something was likely coming so we couldn't do anything else - was that there was little that we could do to truly make progress that wouldn't put us in a slump of exhaustion that might be problematic.

We could train somewhat and rest our minds, eat up and shore up our strength, but we couldn't make leaps and bounds in our training without the threat of being over exerted and 'useless' for the beginning of whatever we were doing, which was - again - problematic.

Hence this weird spot that we were stuck in, left to mingle around together and do whatever we could to not go crazy but have to forcefully limit ourselves.

And sadly for myself, my need to remain active and train made this a frustrating experience, since sitting down and reading would drive me insane while trying to practice my magic wasn't the most thrilling or rewarding process for me; I needed to feel my muscles burning or I went through 'withdrawals', though that's likely me just being dramatic...

That was why Nirinia, Dante and Vienna all visited the training grounds, and upon finding me making use of the weights they decided that practical combat training was a must.

With three different fighting styles available to me to train against, I had no issue accepting the workout they wanted and capitalizing on their appearance to further hone my skills, and we had been doing so for almost an hour now.

Dante passed a bottle to me, and I sniffed it before bringing it to my lips, taking a sip of the wine inside and not questioning why that was the first drink of choice for a break, just accepting it and enjoying it as I handed it over to Nirinia, who took a swig as well.

"Jahi, what exactly are your plans for the imminent future now? The last time I asked, things weren't as... hectic as they are now."

Leaning on my great sword, I looked towards the Dragonkin man that was doing the same, his tower shield showing minimal wear and tear despite having taken a beating over the last hour, while his brown skin glistened beneath the noon sun, sweat gracing his brow just as much as it did mine.

Beside him was Vienna, who was just as tall as I was and equally drenched, our spar lasting a dozen minutes that left us drained and needing a breather, though the Wolfkin looked just as ready for another bout as she did look ready for a bath.

Her interest in the question was also rather clear, but she remained silent and let her older brother handle the talking, though she did lean forwards and drain the rest of the wine bottle when Nirinia handed it to her.

"That... I'm not entirely sure just yet. There's a lot going on, like you said, and a lot that I want to get done. Anput wants materials for certain projects, Leone needs time to understand her magics better and make some more progress on her alchemy, and Kat wants some time as well to progress her enchanting skills... So I don't know. We need the practical experience, but what good is practical experience if we don't make any progress in understanding our techniques and the like?"

Dante nodded, glancing at Vienna and saying "Practical experience is important; learning what works and doesn't work is very needed to improve, but only relying on practical experience can be a downside, which I've tried to explain to this sister of mine many times..."

The Dragonkin locked eyes with the Wolfkin for a few moments, only looking back at me when she looked away from him, her ears fluttering as she frowned sullenly.

"I would suggest taking a week to let them do so, before picking a location and heading there to put whatever you learn in this week to practice. Learn something and return to make more improvements, and then head out again. You needed materials, correct? Pick the Dungeons you need and remain there for seven days. Go as far as you can, learn your limits, and find an understanding of yourselves if possible."

"Indeed, it would do you all some good to head off on your own, without someone to rely on for backup... Though, I doubt the Empress will allow it. Perhaps whomever she sends can stay out of the way? Either way, I do think you should heed Lord Dante's advice and head out soon, but after you progress some in your theories... Perhaps a visit to the Academy would be in order?"

Wiping away some more sweat, I sighed as I thought about returning to the Academy, wondering who there would aid me that I didn't already have access to here; Mom was far and above any physical combat teachers down at the Academy, and Mother would be an excellent teacher for magic, as would Kolia and and any of the Empress' wives.

Specifically Lady D'Arcon; I really needed to ask if she would be willing to share any of her understanding about Light Mana with me, and ask her about the complexities of such a magic.

Then there was the general theories of magic that Leone was studying very closely, as well as Kat; those would benefit me greatly as well, if I had the patience to sit myself down and focus on my arcane prowess...

Something I should work on, I guess.

Whilst I was mid thought, someone approached us and joined our conversation, their red skin giving away who they were rather easily.

"If you're looking for something to do and some places to explore, might I suggest the beautiful, familiar and newly improved Three Kingdoms of the former Human Country~?"

Belian grinned at me, continuing on without waiting and speaking with an intriguing amount of enthusiasm.

"The Empress wants to further cultivate the Three Kingdoms that we acquired and bring them into the fold of the Empire properly, and one said Kingdom has been... gifted to the Demon Clans. Your Mom just refused any claim to it though, accepting coin instead, but I suggested that this might just be the perfect time for you to really get in contact with your dearest cousins, young Jahi~!"

"Gifted... an entire Kingdom?"

The red skinned Demon grinned even more, nodding and happily explaining "The Empress decided that we were deserving of a reward for our long winded service, and she decided - in her boundless wisdom and benevolence - that our Demon Clans would do well ruling over one of the former Kingdoms! As such, we are sending a preliminary force to begin setting up proper governments and improve the cities as much as possible before we send a branch Clan over to rule the Kingdom. Interested~?"