Chapter 5
Vanessa blinked at the sudden remark, and Ashmia smiled as she continued.
“The location will be the Randolph Riding Club.”
Vanessa’s eyes widened at the name.
“Will that be okay? As far as I know, that place belongs to the Duke of Pendragon…”
“Yeah, that’s right. But don’t worry. Ivan Randolph is like a quick-witted bat. No matter how much pressure comes from Pendragon, he won’t dare turn away a Kalashniel at the door. Great, then let’s start training as soon as the training ground is ready. For now, could you call Claudia for me?”
“Yes, understood!”
After greeting Ashmia and leaving the room, Vanessa let out the breath she had been holding.
All throughout her conversation with Ashmia—no, ever since that sudden body search—she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was facing someone completely different.
…It was the same last night too.
The image of Ashmia blocking Damian’s slap lingered so vividly in her mind that it had even kept her from sleeping properly.
And what about the accident? For most people, going through something like that would lead to severe post-traumatic stress, enough that they wouldn’t even be able to get into a car. But Ashmia? She had driven—and better than Vanessa herself, no less.
And according to her, it was her first time driving.
The young lady she had served faithfully for ten years had, in the span of just one day, done nothing but astonish Vanessa over and over again.
Almost as if she had become an entirely different person.
Could it be…? Could it really be?!
Had her lady truly awakened?
She didn’t know what kind of ability it might be, but as someone of Kalashniel bloodline, it wouldn’t be surprising for her to have awakened some unimaginable, extraordinary power!
Determined to keep this special and amazing secret to herself, Vanessa looked around cautiously, straightened her clothes as if nothing had happened, and walked down the corridor.
* * *
The next day.
“Oh! Nice!”
Ashmia admired the training ground set up in the basement. From basic fitness equipment to sandbags and martial arts gear, everything was there.
To think Claudia had managed to set up such a professional facility in less than a day after Ashmia said, ‘Please build a training ground.’ As expected of Claudia.
“We’ll make sure to get the remaining items within a few days,” Claudia said.
“Looks good enough already, don’t you think?”
Claudia pointed to an empty section of the space.
“And the shooting range will be set up over there. But the soundproofing work will take some time.”
“Okay. As long as I can shoot, that’s fine. You’ll teach me how to shoot, right?”
“If that is your wish, I will gladly teach you. But I won’t be teaching you half-heartedly.”
“…Why do you sound scary?”
She had thought Claudia was capable of almost anything, but knowing she could handle guns too…
What is her real identity?
As that thought flickered through her mind, Ashmia asked, “Did you get any word from the riding club?”
Claudia nodded.
“They said they’ll have a horse ready in about ten days.”
“Ten days? Even after I told them any decent horse would do?”
“Yes.”
Ashmia rubbed her lips with her fingertip.
Smells fishy already.
She had expected this, but for them to play games right from the start…
Those damned nobles are all the same.
Claudia asked the same question Vanessa had asked yesterday.
“Will that be okay?”
“Of course. No problem.”
In her past life, she had been helpless against their pathetic pride games, but now, things were different.
Let’s see who wins this time.
Ashmia gave Claudia one more order.
“I just thought of something else I need.”
Despite the strange request, Claudia replied without changing her expression.
“Understood.”
* * *
Training began that very day.
And then—
“Ughhh—”
“Are… Are you okay, My Lady?!”
Vanessa rubbed Ashmia’s back as she vomited in the corner of the training ground, her face full of worry.
“No… Not okay…”
The moment training began, Ashmia once again realized how weak this body really was.
I’ve got a long, rough road ahead of me.
Still, perhaps because she was of Kalashniel bloodline, her constitution wasn’t fundamentally frail. Once training was over, she displayed a healthy, almost voracious appetite, as if she hadn’t just been sick a moment ago.
“This is so good! Is there any more?”
“Huh? Ah, yes! I’ll bring more right away!”
The maids, already stunned that Ashmia—who had eaten exclusively in her room for seven years—was now in the dining hall, were left even more speechless when she asked for seconds.
“But eating alone feels weird. Vanessa, come join me.”
“What?! I—Um, would that be okay?”
“What wouldn’t be okay? Claudia, you haven’t eaten yet, right? Sit down too.”
The kitchen grew busy as they now had to prepare two more meals on the spot.
“My gosh, what’s going on?”
“Seriously. Do you think the accident scrambled her brain?”
“Of course it did. She’s been taking tranquilizers too, you know.”
“What? Really?”
As gossip buzzed near the kitchen entrance, one maid glared at the others.
“Stop running your mouths and start serving, will you?”
“Ah… right, okay.”
Once she left, the others muttered insults behind her back.
“What a stuck-up bitch. Acts like she’s the only one working.”
“Leave her. I heard Matilda’s from the slums. Nothing good comes from picking a fight with her.”
“How did someone like that even end up working here? I really don’t get it.”
Matilda, who had sharp ears, heard every word. But she ignored them completely and silently carried on with her work.
* * *
“Huff… Huff!”
Ashmia ran through the mansion, sprinting up and down the stairs.
“My Lady! You’re doing great! Just a little more!”
Her training routine consisted of basic conditioning, self-defense and combat drills, and firearms practice.
Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!
“Relax your shoulders. I can see you’re afraid of the recoil.”
“Yeah. I want to, but I keep tensing up.”
“You show promise. Don’t let it be mere beginner’s luck—keep working hard.”
“…Thanks.”
Beginner’s luck, huh.
There was a joke back in her past life: ‘Half the bullets in the police shooting range are fired by Michael Rose alone.’ That’s how dedicated she had been to firearms training—and daily drills.
Maybe those old habits were helping now.
After about three days, Ashmia quickly found her pace and began progressing smoothly.
Lastly, she always ended training by practicing something unusual with Vanessa against a “strange mannequin.”
At first, Vanessa had looked puzzled—Why are we doing this?—but after Ashmia explained, she seemed to understand and approached the drills seriously.
“Knock them down without injuring them. That’s the key.”
“Understood!”
Wham—!
Ashmia wiped her sweat with a towel and watched Vanessa spar with the mannequin.
Just like that, eating well, sleeping well, and training hard, a week passed by in a flash.
“Good. That’s it for today.”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
“You too. Let’s take tomorrow off.”
Rest was just as important as training.
Vanessa, as if she’d been waiting for those words, spoke up.
“My Lady, then… How about tomorrow, we visit that Ability Management Bureau I mentioned?”
Ah, right.
She had said something about that before.
Honestly, Ashmia wanted nothing more than to collapse in bed all day, but…
After drinking another sip of water, she looked at her hands trembling from the aftermath of training and replied:
“Yeah. Let’s do that.”
The Ability Management Bureau was located in the city center, practically attached to the police headquarters.
As Ashmia stepped out of the car, she glanced at the police building instead of the bureau.
It felt like she’d opened her eyes just after dying—and though it had only been a week since she last saw it, a strange mix of longing and bitterness washed over her as she stared up at that dull, featureless building.
What are my old colleagues doing now, I wonder?
“My Lady?”
“…Yeah. Let’s go.”
She turned away, shaking off the lingering thoughts.
The staff at the Ability Bureau’s examination department widened their eyes after receiving her paperwork.
“Um, excuse me, but if you don’t mind…”
“You’re thinking what I think you are. Just make sure it’s done properly.”
Vanessa really did seem mafia-like at times.
Faced with her thinly veiled threat, the poor staffer broke out in a nervous sweat and hurriedly began preparing the examination.
It’s been a while.
Back when she was Michael, she had come here for an ability test before joining the force—only to find out she was a Normal. The disappointment had stung like it was yesterday.
“My Lady, aren’t you nervous?”
“Eh, not really.”
“Really? Then why do I feel so nervous…?”
As they chatted, the staffer returned, panting slightly.
“P-Please follow me.”
They entered a small glass-walled chamber that resembled a polyhedron. In the center floated a 20-sided mana stone.
As the moment approached, Ashmia’s heartbeat quickened, even though she’d been calm just moments ago.
—Please place your hand on the mana stone.
Following the automated voice, Ashmia slowly placed her hand on the stone.
The procedure was simple: just touch the refined mana stone for about a minute. If the person had mana—if they were an ability user—the stone would react by glowing and showing some sensory response related to their power.
But then—
5… 10… 20… 30 seconds passed.
No reaction.
Vanessa, watching from outside, grew increasingly anxious.
Could it be that My Lady is actually Normal? No way!
And then, as if answering Vanessa’s desperate hope, the mana stone suddenly lit up and began to vibrate.
Wuuuuuuum—
“…?”
Is… Is it supposed to do that?
Ashmia had no idea—this was her first time too.
