After a short while, the maid that would show us around arrived and everyone followed her. She showed us most of the rooms that were available from the first corridor. There were rooms for general entertainment with many tables and chairs where one could play games that I didn't even know. In one particularly packed one, I could see people play some game with dice that didn't look any like the dice game I knew from this world, although some people did play that. There were many people gambling for that matter.

The fort also had multiple gyms where you could work out or play different types of sport. In one they were playing something resembling basketball, a sport I had seen a few times in my old life. It was a little different since it was played with a floor that would constantly change to being less floor and more a collection of pillars between two much larger metal pillars with round hoops on them.

There was a large library as well, it was so large that it took up almost five entire rooms, the bookshelves lined the walls everywhere except for the spots where windows that gave you a view of the training area down below and except for where the doors were. The middle of the library was mostly taken up by tables, chairs and more bookshelves but I could also see a fireplace that looked a little out of place in a room, no, a hall that was fairly susceptible to fire. The maid said that there were an estimated six thousand books in the library.

Next, she showed us the only rooms I was actually interested in. Small round rooms with doors all around behind which were small chambers that only had a light blue crystal hanging from the ceiling and a few pillows on the floor, benches that were just an extended part of the wall and something akin to a cupholder. These chambers were here for mana training. I was relieved that I could actually do it in a place that basically had an infinite amount of mana since more and more ambient mana would be supplied from the crystal.

After that, the maid showed us a few shops as well as workplaces where the people at the fort could work, earn money and then spend it on things like snacks, toys for some reason and more miscellaneous things that one didn't really need. One particular item they had did catch my interest though. Mana crystals, much smaller than the ones in the mana training chambers, maybe the size of a fist or so, that one could buy and then absorb the mana from. They also had different sizes. The good thing was that they would slowly recharge over time so one could use them over and over.

And that then concluded the tour that felt a lot longer than it actually was since the maid explained way too many unimportant details. By the time we were done with the tour, I immediately returned to my room and threw up for the third time in a day. When I stared into the mirror I noticed that my face was significantly paler than before, my breathing was heavy and honestly even I could smell that my mouth reeked. I brushed my teeth with a fairly normal-looking wooden toothbrush and toothpaste that I had to scoop out of a jar. It did mask the scent but I could still smell and taste it.

I began chuckling as I desperately clutched the edges of the sink and looked at my reflection. Everyone who would now look at me could tell something was wrong. But hey, maybe if I always looked sick no one would notice? Ira chuckled at that thought.

I left the bathroom after showering, undressed and threw myself into my bed, still feeling sick, sick and angry. Was doing this truly worth it when I was already questioning all of it on the first full day? Or would I just get depressed, staying here for who knows how many years? I fell asleep, asking myself these questions.

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POV: Laura Ernest

I left my room, closing the door behind me and walked along the corridor until I reached the room at the end of it. The sign next to the door said: Lestul Regarium and beneath the name: Commander of fort Kalrim. I knocked on the door.

"Come in!" I heard Lestul's commanding voice say.

I carefully opened the door and entered, closing it behind me. When I saw Lestul in all his glory I had to swallow. I felt weak in his presence, without my spirit by me I was nothing but a normal human, no, an insect in front of one such as Lestul, one who rivalled even paladins in strength.

Sitting on one of the chairs I could see Dreifus, on another Haral and on the bed sat Elsa Rigarium.

I bowed to both of them and sat down on the chair between Haral's and Dreifus'.

"Good, now that everyone is here I would like to begin by saying that I am grateful that all of you managed to make it here and that all of you agreed to help me in rebuilding this... army," Lestul said.

"Of course," I said together with Haral while both Dreifus and Elsa remained silent.

"You owe me one," the old man, Dreifus said.

"Everything for my dear brother," Elsa responded.

"Now, I'd like to ask how the lessons of their first day went? In particular a certain... Altair Oberon Lyrius. I heard some interesting things already but I'd like to hear it from you," Lestul said.

Elsa began.

"To be honest, his ability to learn new things is scary, truly scary. After just a few tries he accomplished what others have only accomplished after weeks or even months of training. Even in his lessons on sorcery and spirits... he didn't take any notes, but it still seemed like he absorbed everything I said and learned it at that moment," Elsa said. "The others were nothing two write home about in my lessons."

Lestul nodded and then turned to me.

"Well, there are a few people that do show a lot of promise when it comes to fighting, especially Ivory Marlkes, Evergreen Goruma Epsilon, Servil Akuma and well, Altair Oberon Lyrius. He especially showed an interesting way of fighting. Without using magic he somehow managed to get his hands on two daggers that seemingly appeared out of nowhere and beat a skilled fighter as well as two mages without using his magic even once. I did spar with him as well... and to be honest, something struck me as odd. He was definitely holding back something... something that might have allowed him to beat me if he played his cards right," I said, trying not to make any mistakes while talking in the presence of Lestul. "During my lesson after that, I didn't really have anyone standing out as much as he did..."

Lestul nodded again and then turned to Dreifus.

"Well, honestly all of the mages are worth training. But that boy especially. Play your cards right and he's going to be the first saint this fort ever produced," Dreifus declared. "Not only does he have three types of magic, but he also has an amount of mana one usually sees in someone that nearly finished their training to become a caller. The only thing he is bad at is releasing his own mana, he was fairly slow at doing that. But I believe that to be an issue that can be fixed in a week or two."

Lestul smiled when he heard Dreifus' words. He then turned to Haral.

"Well, noting to say really. I had a few students that knew something about the church. That man, Altair, he has this scary aura to him and he acts like he doesn't care but I can only agree with miss Elsa here, he did seem to absorb all kinds of knowledge," Haral said.

And with that, the reports were concluded. Lestul sent me and Haral away, saying that he wanted to talk to Elsa and Dreifus alone.

As we left both of us bowed and then walked back to our rooms, not talking to each other at all.