Early the next morning, the page boys began houndmaster training.

Their instructor was an old man with a goatee. At his side stood a lean hound resembling a greyhound from Raine's previous world.

Raine recognized the type.

Long limbs. A body shaped like a drawn bow. Astonishing speed and explosive power.

Even its head was narrower than an ordinary dog's, reducing wind resistance, while powerful jaws gave it a crushing bite.

It was an excellent noble hunting hound.

The old man, however, had drooping eyelids and no apparent interest in teaching. He looked like someone who had come only to fulfill an obligation.

"Soon, each of you will receive a three-month-old Greyhound War Dog. At the assessment, you pass if your dog obeys four commands: sit, attack, stop, and retrieve."

That was all the old man was willing to explain.

He sent the page boys to the kennels west of the outer bailey to choose their puppies, then left them to play with the dogs on their own.

The boys were bewildered, but they were still delighted to have slim little hounds to play with.

Throughout the day, Raine watched Bushy Brow closely.

Sure enough, the boy had a guilty conscience.

While playing with his puppy, Richard repeatedly lost focus and glanced toward Raine from the corner of his eye.

Confusion lingered in his gaze, the look of someone waiting for an event that should already have happened.

Raine smiled inwardly.

*So it really was you, you bastard.*

At the same time, Richard settled on an explanation for Drunk Jack's failure.

The man simply hadn't found an opportunity to attack Raine the day before.

*Damn it. Drunk Jack is completely unreliable. He keeps dragging his feet. I'll have to find him this Sunday and force him to act.*

Once Raine confirmed the truth, he relaxed and played with his puppy.

Playing with dogs was enjoyable.

Unfortunately, spending an entire day at it did almost nothing to improve his strength.

The new Class Panel he had hoped for, something like Houndmaster, also failed to appear.

Raine couldn't understand it.

Did no Houndmaster class exist?

That made no sense.

---

That evening, after houndmaster training ended, the pretty maid in the neat gray uniform found Raine again.

"Raine, Head Maid Shadia wishes to see you. Please follow me."

Unlike the previous summons, the maid came before the page boys had left for the weekend.

The moment she led Raine away, the others erupted.

"Damn it! Since when does Raine have a connection to Head Maid Shadia?" Richard's face twisted.

"Exactly." Freckles shook his head after a moment's thought. "Even my family has no connection to her. Raine's parents are only tenant farmers. This is impossible."

The sight tightened the pressure in Richard's chest.

Raine's talent for swordsmanship was becoming impossible to ignore. Now he had somehow gained access to the head maid as well.

At this rate, one of the guard positions might fall directly into his hands.

"Damn him!"

---

Raine followed the maid through several turns and across the castle's rear garden.

She continued farther and brought him to a room on the castle's first floor.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The maid knocked softly and respectfully.

"Head Maid Shadia, Raine is here."

"Come in."

Shadia opened the door and motioned Raine inside. After closing it behind him, she took up a silent position at the side.

The first thing Raine noticed was an unusual aroma.

It wasn't perfume. The scent stirred his appetite.

He quickly surveyed the room.

From the furnishings, it appeared to be a spacious study. A tea table stood among several lambskin chairs, while an old redwood desk occupied one side.

Candles burned in a mountain-shaped holder atop the desk.

A door at the rear of the study appeared to lead into another room.

Miss Claire sat at the desk, quill in hand, writing carefully across a parchment scroll.

"Raine, there is a piece of Dire Bear meat on the tea table. It was prepared for you. Eat it."

Claire didn't look up.

Raine paused.

Shadia gestured toward the tea table.

A covered silver plate rested there.

Raine lifted the cover and found a palm-sized cut of beast meat releasing waves of mouthwatering aroma.

So that was what he had smelled upon entering.

Dire Bear meat?

Was it some particularly delicious kind of bear meat?

The scent was incredible.

The portion looked rather small.

Ignoring the knife beside the plate, Raine speared the meat with the fork and ate it in large bites.

It was delicious and satisfyingly chewy.

Within moments, the Dire Bear meat was gone. Raine wanted more.

"Excellent. Just a little small."

A teasing smile touched Shadia's lips.

Then warmth bloomed in Raine's stomach and spread rapidly throughout his body.

An immense fullness followed. It felt like swallowing ten packs of compressed military rations from his previous world.

His stomach seemed ready to burst.

Poison?

Impossible. They had no reason to poison him.

Claire's clear voice rang through the study.

"Raine, feeling overly full? That was Dire Bear meat. It's extremely dense in nutrition and energy. With your current physique, that portion is already your limit."

"I understand."

No wonder she had given him only a palm-sized piece.

Claire rose and handed him the parchment scroll.

"Raine, read this first."

He accepted it and unrolled the parchment.

Seven small figures in different postures filled the first line.

Beside them was the title:

Great Bear Breathing Method

The text was written in the common tongue, which Raine could read. In that regard, the empire had done well. Basic everyday writing was widely taught among the population.

Was this truly a breathing method?

Happiness struck so suddenly that Raine nearly felt dizzy.

He devoured the contents with his eyes.

The figures were simple line drawings, but each one displayed the essential details of its posture with perfect clarity.

Combined with the written breathing rhythm, the seven movements resembled an extremely demanding set of yoga poses from his previous world.

A long passage at the end explained how to use a secret medicine called Black Tung Oil during training.

The medicine could greatly accelerate progress in the Great Bear Breathing Method.

*Great Bear Breathing Method? No wonder Miss Claire can swing a seventy- or eighty-pound greatsword like a wooden stick.*

Raine glanced at Claire's impressive figure, certain he understood.

Claire was sharp-minded. At only seventeen, she had already become a Knight. Not a single one of Raine's movements escaped her notice.

That glance just now...

A faint blush touched Claire's cheeks and quickly disappeared.

"Raine, stop imagining things. I don't practice the Great Bear Breathing Method."

"It primarily develops Constitution and Strength. I believe it suits your present needs."

Raine had looked awkward after Claire exposed his assumption, but her next sentence made him understand.

Wasn't that simply a polite way of calling him scrawny and weak?

Don't get angry.

Han Xin had once endured the humiliation of crawling between another man's legs. Raine could endure a veiled insult, especially from a beautiful woman.