Hal continued to stare at the two women, unable to avert his gaze.
He would've been in quite an embarrassing situation if he hadn't caught himself in time.
Hal quickly cleared his throat and took a deep breath, staring awkwardly in another direction and fighting the urge to look.
He then heard the two women giggling as they passed by.
Petrified for a moment or two, Hal finally eased up as the sight before him returned to "normal," where everyone was wearing appropriate clothes.
However, he couldn't deny that his curiosity about the establishment only grew stronger.
Hal inched closer.
'What the hell are they doing inside this building…?'
Fortunately, the walls, made of a strange, see-through material, made it easier for him to see what was going on inside.
The first thing he saw was the Imperial Army Wizards entering some sort of room with their bags.
Only when they were gone did he shift his attention to a different area... and reddened once more.
It seemed that the three who had left earlier weren't simply peculiar individuals with strange clothing tastes.
Everyone inside the establishment was wearing more or less the same type of clothes.
A few moments later, the Imperial Army Wizards—two men and two women—exited the room they had entered, wearing the same outfit as the others inside the rather bizarre establishment.
'W-Wha... Why would you even…'
Hal saw them as professionals and was less flustered while observing them, despite their revealing clothing, thinking they had to be doing something meaningful here—otherwise, the respectable wizards wouldn't be wasting their time.
The wizards, now without their bags, began doing strange motions with their arms, torso, and legs, seemingly trying to loosen up.
They split up the next moment, heading to stations of their choice.
One of the two men chose a station with an extremely small and narrow bed, the size of a mere plank, with a huge and long metal bar suspended around the head area by two finely crafted metal poles.
The wizard then picked up two small wheels and hung them on the sides of the metal bar, lying down on the plank-sized bed shortly after and starting to lift the metal bar up and down around twelve times before stopping.
Hal was initially confused.
However, upon observing a bit more, he finally realized what the Imperial Wizards were doing.
They were training their bodies using that simple but effective equipment.
This time, Hal managed to gather the courage to look at one of the two women, his heart calming and his confused, flustered expression easing upon realizing that she was doing the same.
'Oh... so this is a physical training establishment, huh?' Hal mused, his focus shifting from one person to another to observe what they were doing.
He hadn't noticed that he had been watching for fifteen whole minutes.
"Hello, young sir from the Grand Magic Academy."
A voice sounded beside him, snapping Hal out of his musings.
"You seem interested in training your body. I can give you a tour inside if you want…"
Hal quickly turned to the source, slightly startled by the cute young woman who seemed to be around his age.
"I-I'm not sure yet, m-maybe next time!" he quickly replied, rejecting the offer and preparing to leave.
However, the staff member was faster. She knew just what to say to turn curiosity into cash.
"Oh, no worries, sir! The tour is free, and you can apply for a membership anytime you want. It doesn't have to be today, and you can think about it for as long as you'd like." The young staff member said, pausing for a moment before continuing:
"Being physically fit, strong, and agile would only help, even for wizards like you. In fact, we have many members from the Imperial Wizard Army."
Hal froze at the words.
He couldn't deny that he suddenly had the urge to join and train, especially since those from the Imperial Army were doing it too.
Besides, it was undeniable that a trained and toned body looked good and would probably boost his handsomeness by a notch.
'Damn it…should I go with her? What if she suddenly charges me?'
Hal remained skeptical, but in the end, his curiosity got the better of him.
'I earned quite a lot from my previous missions anyway, so worst comes to worst…'
"Well, j-just a quick look, then."
The skillful staff member smiled professionally, though she was celebrating inwardly at her small victory.
She enthusiastically led Hal inside for a closer look.
Naturally, the young man from the sticks was overwhelmed—by the quality of the establishment's interior, the unfamiliar equipment, and the revealing outfits.
It took everything he had to act appropriately and avoid looking at the women.
'Sh*t... Hal, focus... your goal is to become a strong wizard... ignore the distractions…'