"You said Budo mentioned a prophecy in his words, right?" Esdeath asked.
"It seems he did say something like that, about killing me based on a prophecy or something."
"That's the so-called traitor from the Revolutionary Army. That guy determined the future through his own Teigu, then defected to Muzan. After becoming a demon, his Blood Demon Art also seems to be related to prophecies, which is why he is highly valued by Muzan. The Allied Forces were wiped out so quickly before precisely because of his predictions."
Speaking of this, Esdeath seemed to recall something, grinding her teeth, but quickly regained her composure and continued: "However, you actually have such great value. Although I don't know what was prophesied about you that would lead to you being taken so seriously, this is actually a good thing."
She paused for a moment, then asked solemnly: "Do you want to take revenge? Against Budo, against Muzan."
Feeling the lingering pain in her body, Jean did not hesitate: "I do!"
"Hahaha, good! From today on, I will train you, but the level you can reach depends entirely on your own abilities."
Since someone was going to teach her, and that person was one of the strongest people originally, and even a super beauty, Jean naturally agreed very happily.
Then she regretted it.
Esdeath, who revered strength and survival of the fittest, was simply a violence addict, and her teaching method was equally incredibly violent.
In just one day, Jean felt that she had suffered injuries almost as severe as when she had collapsed in a pool of blood.
It wasn't like the wooden swords used when sparring with Akame and Kurome, but ice swords created by Esdeath using her ability—the kind of ice sword that would slice a stone in two with a single swing.
Furthermore, her combat style was more direct and wild; there were no theories or techniques. Speed fast enough, power strong enough, intuition sharp enough, and will firm enough—these elements constituted the strength known as Esdeath.
Therefore, Esdeath's training was essentially a brutal beating meant to stimulate potential.
Fortunately, the medicinal soup that Esdeath brought out each time was very potent, and the effects were getting better and better. The feeling of lying on the bed on the verge of death would be gone, and by the next morning, she would be full of vigor again.
Jean was naturally curious about what this was, but using the system to appraise the soup only yielded the result 'a soup filled with vitality,' and her own status panel didn't show any special debuffs.
Since she couldn't be trained to death, she could naturally be trained as hard as possible. Exercising endurance that exceeded that of an ordinary person, the next day, Jean successfully managed to get beaten half to death again.
Fortunately, seeing that Jean really couldn't move this time, Esdeath, not knowing what she was thinking, once again fed it to Jean mouth-to-mouth.
'What is called sweetness after bitterness, what is called an interim victory, what is called wonderful! Tactical lean back.JPG'
After a good night's sleep, early the next morning, Jean had recovered quite a bit. Because she didn't fear the cold wind, she luckily found a stone at the cave entrance and stared blankly at the sky outside.
Unlike other demons, Esdeath always remained active during the day, even if that meant her range of activity was limited to the cave.
Sensing someone walking behind her, Jean said leisurely: "I've heard others say that a first kiss is green and sweet, but why is it bitter and spicy for me?"
Hearing Jean say this, Esdeath clearly paused for a moment, then said in a tone rich with queenly temperament: "Hehehe, do you want a green and wonderful first kiss? If you lick my feet, I might be able to satisfy you."
"Eh? Really? Let's agree beforehand, if I happen to lick them until they break, don't blame me."
For a true pervert, this counted as a bonus, not a condition at all.
Esdeath didn't expect Jean to be so thick-skinned; she gave Jean a flick on the head and changed the condition.
"Tsk, how about this: as long as you can defeat me next, you can do whatever you like, how about that?"
"That's what you said! Bring it on." Who would have thought there would be such a good thing in the world? Naturally, Jean threw herself into the new day's training full of hope and vision.
Then she regretted it again.
After making this so-called wager, Esdeath became even wilder; her killing intent was greater, her force was fiercer, and she even started doing combos like in Devil May Cry, keeping her flying in the air without being able to fall down.
Fortunately, Esdeath did not use any ice abilities other than creating weapons, and Jean did not use her wind element.
And the result was self-evident; Jean collapsed on the ground again, like a puddle of mud.
Fortunately, Esdeath did not withhold the final benefit, though Jean didn't have the energy to appreciate it.
This kind of training had lasted for more than a week in total, and Jean had been repeatedly jumping back and forth between being covered in wounds and recovering to her original state.
To prevent any hidden injuries or defects from being left behind during this process, Jean would perform a comprehensive appraisal on herself every day. Fortunately, in the end, the result for every part was healthy.
And during these few days of being beaten up, Jean felt that her strength, reaction speed, and coordination were constantly increasing. Sometimes she could even parry a few of Esdeath's moves, and even had the chance to launch some counterattacks.
However, Esdeath knew this assassination swordsmanship of Jean's too well; no matter how Jean attacked, it was meaningless.
Sent flying by Esdeath again, Jean couldn't help but feel annoyed. She held her sword in a stance, staring at the opponent, thinking: 'When it comes down to it, why am I suffering this here? Wouldn't it be better to return earlier? Sigh, as expected, I must have been bewitched by how pretty she is.'
But before she could finish her thought, she was sent flying again by Esdeath, who had rushed over.
Staggering to her feet again, just as she was preparing to counterattack, Esdeath suddenly asked: "Do you have any goal you want to achieve?"
"Eh? Revenge against Budo?"
"But you don't actually care much about this goal in your heart, do you? From the very beginning, you haven't held any expectations. If you succeed, everyone is happy; if you fail, you won't be sad. It even makes me curious about what you are persisting for until now."
'Addicted to beauty.' Jean naturally couldn't say this answer out loud. She thought about it seriously and said: "A long time ago, my body was very poor. Basically, it could be said that I was living day to day. Although it gradually got better later, ever since then, I have developed the habit of treating every day seriously."
'And also not looking forward to tomorrow.' Jean didn't say the second half out loud, but Esdeath understood the implication.
"I think I understand what you are missing—greed. Craving those unattainable things is the driving force of biological progress, and even more, an instinct!"