After a brief talk everyone went inside the castle. The castle had no electricity so there were numerous torches that illuminated the whole castle. The castle halls had the architecture of the Sumerian mythology so one could say this place is a perfect haunted house.
In fact there were a few instances where a soul or two would pass through the walls. They all retained the form of their former self but none of them had any emotions in their eyes. These ghosts are Ereshkigal's palace servants.
As a queen of this underworld all the souls who come here are under the authority of Ereshkigal. But due to the nature of this underworld no soul lifeforms like grim reapers were born here. So Ereshkigal had no choice but to use her powers to actively control the souls here to do housework.
Since there aren't many it is a piece of cake for Ereshkigal to control all of them. But at the end of the day these souls are nothing but puppets so they couldn't help Ereshkigal with her loneliness.
After a few minutes they arrived at a reception room. Like the rest of the castle this room is also filled with Sumerian architecture. If a historian were to come here they would die of happiness.
" Please take a seat " Ereshkigal said as she gestured for all of them to take a seat. Tannin had already shrunk himself to a level of a human being since it would be inconvenient to move in the castle.
So while Tannin and Ereshkigal took their seats Roxanne excused herself and dragged outside to go to the training ground. It's not like Roxanne didn't want to be there for the negotiating; it's just that Ereshkigal told her that she would handle it.
" Since this is my first business negotiation I would like to handle it all by myself. " were her words as she studornly diclined
Even though Ereshkigal may look like a lonely girl who could be deceived by any shady uncle, the truth is that Ereshkigal as one of the oldest beings has enough experience to handle things herself.
Due to her loneliness and curiosity she sometimes read the memories of the new souls that come to her domain. After reading them she writes some books the soul read in his or her whole life. Since she has been doing this for many years she has collected a large library full of knowledge.
And in that library there is an entire section separated for business and negotiation. So Roxanne is pretty confident in Ereshkigal's ability to bargain.
" Hey Roxanne, where are you dragging me? " Issei asked as he tried his best to break free from Roxanne.
Well it isn't because issei is against Roxanne dragging him or anything it is because he is being injured every few seconds due to Roxanne dragging him and running at high speed. And luck would have it this castle has so many turns that issei felt his whole body hurt as he's being crashed into the walls.
So as not to have any serious injuries he tried to break free from Roxanne. But no matter how much strength he used he could even move a single finger of Roxanne.
Feeling desperate he finally asked Roxanne in a sorrowful voice. But the reply he got almost made him spit blood. " To the training hall , just hang on tight, we only have to go twice as far as we came. It will be quick since I'll increase my speed "
"Nooo " Issei screamed as he felt endless despair. But Roxanne, as his good old friend, ignored it.
Truthfully speaking Roxanne was actually temparing issei's body right now. Due to his magical reserves being very low he only has his body as a support. But in a fight magic is as important as the body.
So Roxanne discovered a body tempering technique that allows one to make the mana flow in the body even smoother. But it is extremely painful. The principle of this technique is to remove the blocks in the mana veins. And to do that you would need an expert who could identify and solve the blockade perfectly without harming the mana vein. .
And what better person is there other than Ciel who has absolute control over everything. Right now Ciel is continuously supplying a bit of her demonic mana into Issei to identify the blocks. And then she informs the exact place where the blocks are to Roxanne. And Roxanne then smashes Issei into the wall in that exact location and technically uses an outside force to remove the blockage.
These walls were sturdy so Roxanne didn't worry about breaking them. As for Issei he wasn't even a concern she even thought off. If issei could be seriously injured and be brought over a near death state because of this then he wouldn't be the protagonist of this world.
After a while they finally arrived at the training hall. Well they would have arrived earlier if Roxanne hadn't taken a few wrong turns on the way.
"Arrgg I feel like every bone in my body is crushed " Issei said as laid on the ground groaning in pain. He truly meant those words as Roxanne might have slammed every part of his body on the walls.
"Hehehe sorry about that Issei, why don't worry you will notice the changes in your bodies in a few minutes " Roxanne said, using an illusion to mask the pain Issei is feeling.
Since Issei had just finished tempering his body Roxanne couldn't use any healing magic as it would make the whole tempering process meaningless.
There you should be fine for now " Roxanne said as she helped Issei get up. After the pain subsided Issei didn't have any problem getting up.
After standing up, Issei finally began to observe his surroundings. The training ground is a spacious, rectangular area enclosed by high walls, which are topped with traditional tiled roofs. The main training area is a large, flat, yellow-tiled surface with a slight downward slope at the edges, creating a sunken effect. Surrounding the tiled area is a grassy section that provides a soft transition between the ground and the walls.
"So why did you bring me here again? " Issei asked after looking at his surroundings. Although Roxanne said she would train him , Issei had no idea on how she would do it. And in the first place does Roxanne even know how to train someone.
" I'm glad you ask " Roxanne said as she snapped her fingers. Then a big screen appeared in front of them. And on that screen a video of Issei's and Tannin's battle was shown.
" Now before I teach you anything let's show you what you were doing wrong and how to improve your techniques. " Roxanne said as she began her explanation.
For the next half an hour Roxanne went on explaining how Issei could have done better in his battle. Whether it is battle tactics or how to actually throw a punch , Roxanne explained everything.
She even explained how many flaws Tannin showed in their battle for issei as bait. And after the lengthy explanation Issei felt his brain was very heavy after listening to that many details. Although this explanation did broaden his horizons.
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