Finally being used to Elizabeth's presence, he soon fell asleep. Unfortunately, not even an hour later, Elizabeth would wake him up to perform the ritual.

The training would happen interspersed throughout the week.

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The next week soon came and at the beginning of the night, Elizabeth returned to the mansion.

Tibaut had decided to clean the mansion and saw her as soon as she entered.

“Oh you're ba-”

She wasted no time making her way over towards him. She examined his arms for a bit before turning to him.

“Mind opening your shirt?” She asked.

“Tch, I assume you won't take no as an answer?”

He opened it and Elizabeth had a thorough examination of his torso.

“Well, you look healthy enough to fight properly. (I'm still not a fan of his body's current state.)

Tibaut had gained a substantial amount of weight and was, at worst, looking a bit skinny. But if they were going to encounter that man in black again they'd need all the help they could get including having Tibaut in perfect health.

(“Oh well, I knew this was going to happen. I suppose I'll make sure to keep a close eye on him.”)

Tibaut was blushing from how thoroughly she had been examining his bare torso but she seemed to have little care for his embarrassment.

“You done?” He asked with his face turned away.

“Oh, yes.”

He buttoned back up.

“By the way, Tibaut, get ready for the day after tomorrow.”

“What's going on?” he asked.

“Based on our discussions, we'll leave for the cultists after today. So make sure to prepare yourself. And as Vanessa suggested, please make sure to wear some armour.”

“Trust me, there's no way I'm forgetting it this time. (Though against the type of foes that give me trouble, would it even be that helpful?)”

Although his armour was a mixture of leather and metal, the metal only covered his chest and parts of his limbs. Against a foe like Albus, he imagined the metal would do nothing against his strength. Same with Cormac. And with the man in black, the places he'd aim his stiletto weren't anywhere that'd have armour.

“That's a foolish expression you're wearing,” Elizabeth said after a look at his face. “If your armour can stop even a scratch from reaching, it was worth wearing.”

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Trust me, I'll wear it… Speaking of armour, I haven't seen Vanessa in a while.”

“Tsk, don't tell me she's still working on that?” Elizabeth mumbled to herself.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, just make sure you're prepared tomorrow, I assume we'll be leaving before morning, so you'll have no time to prepare on the day we leave.”

“Alright then, see ya.” He continued cleaning and Elizabeth walked off.

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The two days passed and they were ready. Well for the most part anyway. Other than his armour, Tibaut wasn't sure about bringing extra clothes. After they were there only to fight the cultists, he shouldn't need more than one extra set of clothes to travel with.

(“I can't imagine if that guy shows up that I'm gonna walk with my clothes intact.”)

He looked outside his bedroom window and although it was still dark, he could make out several figures waiting outside.

“Is this place a local town hall or something? Why do these guys use this place as a meeting area? Seems like you'd really have to go out of your way to get here.”

The door soon opened and Elizabeth was surprised to see him awake.

“Well, this is unexpected.”

Tibaut was fully confident he could sense someone in his bed as he slept. She must have watched him and left before he awoke.

“Why the hell would I oversleep for something like this? You think I'd miss a chance to make those bastards pay?”

“It's nice to see you're enthusiastic, at least.”

He got up and walked over to her. “So when are the rest of them coming?” He asked.

“The rest?”

“Yeah, there was a lot more when they last gathered here.”

“Tibaut everyone we're travelling with is all out there.”

“Huh?”

He quickly looked out his window, making sure his eyes weren't tricking him, and by his count, there were only ten people outside.

“Ten? That's it!?” He asked.

“Well, counting the one that came inside, in addition to Tina, you and me, it'd be fourteen.”

“Woah, woah, woah, you're telling me, we're gonna storm 'em with fourteen people? You know they probably have more numbers than the ones that attacked us right? You guys can't be serious.”

Elizabeth sighed. “There is a reason for that. We'll be exploring a dungeon.”

“A dungeon? (So they exist in this world. Though, the image of one spawning monsters I have in my head might not be accurate.)”

“Correct. We chose to be cautious and decided it would be better to choose our strongest instead of focusing solely on numbers.”

“Strongest? What does exactly mean when you're talking about these guys? This parish doesn't exactly seem to be brimming with adventurers.”

“Rest assured, all these people gathered are strong. I'd guarantee they'd have no problem joining a guild from the capital.”

“Is that impressive?”

“I suppose that means nothing to someone who has no history with adventuring. Let me put it this way, the capital is where the top guilds around the country gather. The fact they are allowed to operate in the capital is a testament to their strength. And we have several people here that would qualify for the height of adventuring in this country.”

“I see. So they'd be big shots?”

“I wouldn't go that far. They would likely fall among the nameless faces that do the grunt work.”

(“Wow, that sounds a bit harsh.”)

“Regardless, they're powerful. Make sure to make your way down, we'll be leaving within the next hour.”

She quickly left the room.