Merlin did not waste much time in his room. Thankfully his clothes had already been washed and stitched. So he changed quickly and was currentlly, he was walking down the stairs that leads to the main hall---one with the entrance door. Whatever its called.
Reaching the 1st floor, he turned left and walked into yet another long ass corridor. It looks like this body did actually boost his memory huh? So the brain of this body does affects me, and the brain is the one that maintains personality, conciousness and stuff.
If that applied to this world.
He had already begun to notice irregularity in his personality. Previous few days had been like a fever dream to him. The way he talked to so many people, and was even able to hold conversations for long. That isn't who Arv is.
He is an introvert to the core. No friends no bitches. Not even familial connections.
To think he was able to get to know so many was--"Strange as heck, almost as if--" he was thinking himself to be someone else in the previous days.
Then, was he this person?...Whoever this body's owner was.
Or was he Arv?
Was he becoming this guy?
If so, was Arv a parasite within him right now?
Or, was someone like Arv even in this body to begin with. Is he just my memories, or is he me?
Who am I---
"Oh well shut uup." he let out a scathing sigh, rolling his eyes so hard it looked painful. It was painful. He pressed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index and continued walking.
After clearing his mind, he looked ahead in the still dark corridor. He could barely see anything, and in a somewhat foreign place, this darkness looked creepy.
He turned his head to look out the windows by the side. It seems that the sky was starting to become somewhat blue at the far end, near the horizon. Sunrise was not so far away huh? He wondered what such a scene would look like in a world different than his.
It would probably be the same, he knew but he still felt curious.
After walking a little more, he could see another turn. Entering the final corridor, he could see the exit.
The doors, which were made of glass and a white wood of sorts that made intricate designs on the glass, were wide open.
'Adelheid must've arrived.'
He walked past the door and entered the garden. Finally!
"Finally."
"Hey who copied my thoughts!---Oh, its you."
"Why do you have such an unpleasant face as the first thing in the morning."
There she stood, in the middle of the garden, dressed in a simple white shirt with her sleeves rolled above her elbow and tucked in a black pant. Her crimson hair tied up in a ponytail as her ocean like eyes stared at him emotionlessly.
No, maybe it did held a bit of annoyance.
Aside from that, Merlin was caught off guard by her looks. He would be lying if he said his heart didn't skip a beat.
This was unfair!
She looked the same on the previous day but why is he acting like this now?! No way I am a ponytail supremist! No way!
When Merlin suddenly stopped, it felt strange to Adelheid who held a wooden sword in her hand. This man had made her wait nearly half an hour. She felt an annoyance usually reserved for pestering nobles. He made her wait and now is making such dumb expressions? Was he making fun of her? A want to smack the daylights out of him arose, but she contained herself perfectly.
Only until she saw the slight tinge of pink on his cheeks and his eyes on her.
She didn't require any divine protection to know. She pursed her lips tightly but the corners turned upwards by themselves even when she tried to supress them.
The time that should've been utilised for training went away in quiet, awkward silence.
Finally, Merlin coughed into his fist and broke that embarassing moment.
"Well so, what did you call me here for?" He spoke with a flat expression, as if nothing happened. What an irritably fast change!
She gave her head a quick, sharp shake---literally rattling out the moment out of her head before slipping back into her usual blank face.
"To train, of course." She said, as if stating the obvious as she tossed another practice sword by her feet, which landed right infront of Merlin's leg.
He bent down and picked it up. It looked pretty new, without any chipping on the wood or anything. It was probably unused huh? Nah it definetely was. But wait.
"Why am I holding a sword again?" he asked with the confusion of a magician given a sword. What was he even supposed to do do this? True, that he had showed some "swordsmanship" against that black bitch. But that was just this body moving reflexively! Even then I almost got folded. And if what Felt said was correct then, Adelheid had annihilated all the...MaBeasts i think they were called?
He and everyone were probably so close to dying to those dogs. But she? She had used a single, mind you. A SINGLE SWING TO DESTROY THEM!
"Oi! How will training with you be training at all?! This'll be just bullying!"
She scoffed. "You don't want to? If you're scared then I can get Carol-san."
Now that irritated Merlin.
And the worst part? He couldn't even deny that!
With a defeated voice, he grumbled under his breath. "It's not my fault i'm a human among monsters..."
Her grip on the sword tightened for the fraction of a second but relaxed the very next moment. She closed her eyes for a bit and then opened them to look at him. "You should learn not to speak without thinking. Your words can definetely hurt a person."
His eyes widened. "H-huh?" What was she calling him out for? 'Mind your words--' my words? Was it something I just said?....Wait, monster? Is it because I referred to her as a monster?
"W-wait no. I didn't mean what you're thinking! Back in my home we used it very casually so, uh...it just came off accidenally! Ah! We used monster for ones who were ridiculously strong! So I didn't mean it as an insult or anythi---!"
"Sorry. As much as I'd like to, I dont think we have that much time to hear about your world right now."
Before Merlin could say anything more, she raised her hand. As a signal for him to stop speaking.
"Also, you haven't said 'sorry' once. I am not forcing you to start apologizing. I am just pointing it out." As soon as those words reached him, he was stunned into silence. A cold sense of realization washing over him.
He lowered his eyes, the carefree persona gone. "I--"
He stuttered. "I'm sorry. I said it by mistake."
Adelheid continued to stare at him for a good amount of time, as he started to feel uncomfortable. So he diverted his eyes to the side, and admired the trees in the garden.
When he looked back at her, she already stopped looking and was testing the wooden sword by swinging in the air.
"Adelheid?..." he stifled out her name nervously.
"I think I've started to understand you better." she spoke without looking.
....
Who does she thinks she understands?