We are not safe here.

I was sleeping peacefully until a servant woke me up. It was very early morning, and they woke us up for training.

I got on the training ground. I saw everybody was already there. I was still feeling sleepy.

Today's training was no joke. We were not even halfway there, people started taking a rest. They were all huffing. It will take some time to get used to this training.

Yesterday was just a warm-up. It's chilly this morning, but I can already feel myself starting to sweat. Ryker looks good, as does the princess. I'm holding up fine, too. Meanwhile, the others seem like they've already faced their doom.

Maipakpi said to me, " Are they thinking of killing us? I can't even get up. I have a muscle cramp from yesterday."

Ningthibi adds, " We'll die at this rate."

The General said, "You have so much to do; get rest for now, but we are not finished yet." It was just a warm-up, and everybody is already tired. I think it is too intensive for a beginner. What are they thinking?

Tamphasana approached me and stood by my side, studying me curiously. "What's your name?" she asked. "I didn't even think to ask before challenging you to a duel."

"I'm Laija," I replied, feeling that she didn't seem like a bad person at all. 

She continued, "Laija, our fight isn't finished yet. We should have a rematch later." She stood tall and resolute.

I admired her competitive spirit. "Alright, let's plan for some time later," I said.

"Sounds good," she agreed before walking away, still keeping her guard up.

The General called us for exercise again. I don't want to go, I'm tired.

While we were practising, the King visited us and urged us to work harder. Rather than looking satisfied, he looks impatient. His way of talking gives away what he was thinking.

It has not even been 2 days. We can't become masters in 2 days, just two days.

When we finished our exercise, we were allowed to go for breakfast. The General didn't even let us have our breakfast before exercise.

Someone asked the general if we would learn magic. He responded only after we had learned swordsmanship.

Why do we need to learn swordsmanship for magic? I couldn't understand that. Magic can be used without a weapon, which means we don't need to know swordsmanship.

I was having my breakfast while catching up with my friend. There were many stories. Many things happen after just being transported into this world.

I decided I should take a bath. After taking a bath, I was resting in my room. I can't stay silent, I was getting bored. After some time, I have lunch.

I decided I should do some sightseeing. I left Furball in my room but before I could, it jumped onto my shoulder.

I got out of my room. Everything was peaceful. Too peaceful. I don't know what to do.

I would have returned to my room if I hadn't seen Ryker reading a book under a tree. I went to him.

" What are you reading?" I said to him.

He sure looks like a different person. Is he acting like this, or does he actually have a split personality?

He looked up and said, " I just grabbed anything I found in the library. I was getting bored."

I sat down with him, " Hmm, let me see."

He showed me the book. It was a novel.

" They have novels here I didn't know, I must visit the library next time," I said excited.

" It's boring here," he said.

" It would have been more fun if we could fight demons," I said.

He said, "The Other girl almost fainted seeing one, and you are talking about fighting them."

I said, "I'm not like other girls. I have faced demons, but I wasn't able to fight them. I didn't have the proper weapon, and my dress wasn't suitable for fighting. Plus, I was pretending to have lost my memories, so suddenly becoming skilled at fighting could have raised suspicions."

"Why are you so interested in fighting a demon?" 

"It looks cool to me." 

He just smiled, but that smile was different from the one he had that night. I found myself lost in thought. 

"Are you daydreaming?" he asked teasingly.

We were talking when we saw the pope. He said to me, " Follow me."

I didn't know where he was going, but I just followed. He was going after the pope.

The pope entered a room that was guarded by guards. It was guarded but not fully guarded. He led me near the window.

From there, we could hear the conversation. It was the king and the pope.

The king said, "Other kingdoms are also training their heroes. They are far better than ours."

The pope answered, " Don't worry, my majesty. They are chosen by the goddess. They are special."

" I don't care if they are chosen by the goddess or not. If a war were to be waged right now, we are at a disadvantage."

" My Majesty, why are you so worried? Even if the heroes aren't useful, they are with us. We'll just sacrifice the heroes to them and tell everyone they died while fighting the demon lord. They will help for sure." The pope said calmly.

"Is the saintess visiting soon?" The king asked.

The pope answered, " She will be coming soon."

Ryker grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of there. We were far from that place.

" Why did you suddenly pull me?' I asked.

" Staying there for long will cause a problem," he said.

I posed a question that had been on my mind: "I don't understand. We were trained to defeat the demon lord, so why are we being brought to war?"

"Maybe he plans to use us as weapons in battle. I overheard that he doesn't actually want us to defeat the demon lord," he replied.

"It's dangerous to stay here for long. The pope made it clear that if we are of no use, they will dispose of us," I said.

"Why don't we run away?" he suggested.

I responded, "But where would we go? The wilderness? And we can't just abandon our friends."

I continued, "Let me connect the dots. We were summoned to defeat the demon lord, but the king doesn't want that; he wants to use us as weapons for war. Other kingdoms also have heroes. If they're being called heroes, perhaps they're preparing to fight the demon lord too."

" Maybe or maybe not," he said.

"We don't have very much information right now. We should collect more," I suggested.

He smiled and said, " But first, let's head back, it's getting time for practice." He started walking.

I said, " Yes." And followed him.

I asked, "Do you trust Tamphasana?" 

"No, why do you ask that?" he replied firmly. 

He's really a difficult person to read. 

"I heard she joined the fight against the demon lord because of you." 

"Me? Why?" 

I didn't know how to respond. Maybe she likes him, but I couldn't bring myself to say that. 

He then asked, "Laija, are we friends now?" His voice was barely a whisper. 

"Aren't we already?" 

He smiled brightly, and oh my, I think an angel blessed me with his light. It would have been even better if I didn't know about his other self.