Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

“…… The children disappeared?”

Liana, who had just been settling down for sleep, rose from her seat upon hearing the maid’s report. The maid, with an apologetic bow, reiterated her words.

“Miss Neria was looking for Young Master Christian, who has not yet returned to his room, and found that Miss Aira is also nowhere to be seen.”

“Hmm.”

Does that indulgent woman still go around checking whether the children are asleep at night or not?

Reflecting on her position, she ought to maintain her dignity and set a good example for the servants, yet not a single aspect of her behavior or attitude was satisfactory.

However, she found it somewhat puzzling that the two children were missing. Considering the time, Liana was also concerned and asked the maid about it.

“Why do you think they’ve disappeared?”

“We have searched thoroughly both inside and outside the household, but there has been no word yet. Miss Neria is certain that something has befallen the young master and miss….”

“A mishap for the children, you say.”

For the young ones of the Count’s family, a mishap would mean a major accident or possibly an abduction. After pondering deeply, Liana Worden shook her head.

“That shouldn’t be the case. Have you checked the training grounds?”

“Yes, miss Liana. We’ve inspected all the training grounds inside and outside the mansion.”

“And the family head’s private training ground?”

“Pardon? How could that be….”

Being a knight family, most training grounds were open to entry, but there were some that were strictly closed and access was restricted.

Among them, the exclusive training ground that only the family head could use was inaccessible without the head’s permission.

With the maid’s explanation, Liana Worden, having expected as much, rose from her seat.

“The children are probably in the family head’s private training ground.”

“But without the Count’s permission, no one can enter there….”

“I gave permission for them to be there, and Neria agreed as well. Let her know that the family head’s training ground hasn’t been checked yet, and tell her to come there.”

Responding calmly, Liana Worden draped her clothes over herself, making a move as if to leave the room. The maid promptly stepped forward to assist her.

“Although diligent learning is commendable, there’s no need to be so dedicated to training until this late hour.”

The earnestness in their training deserved praise, but there was no need to engage so late without a word.

“In their growing years, they ought to understand that getting ample sleep and rest is beneficial….”

Although she had been born into a merchant family, having lived as the lady of a martial household for a long time, she had come to learn much about various matters.

Especially how, during one’s youth, eating well, resting well, and sleeping well were more crucial than anything else.

This idea wasn’t exclusive to the sword; it applied to all who lived in this world.

Walking with a deeply furrowed brow, Liana Worden’s displeasure was evident, causing those following her, including the maid in waiting outside, to wear anxious expressions.

Those who followed Liana Worden with an anxious heart eventually had to stop after a short distance.

“So noisy indeed.”

“Well, that’s….”

The mansion was brightly lit; not just the mansion but also the outside. Even though the lights fueled by mana were typically on, this was excessive, to a point where it almost resembled midday.

Moreover, the bustling movement of people inside and outside was akin to announcing to outsiders that something significant had happened at Worden’s Count house.

“Was it Neria’s order?”

“I-I apologize.”

“Enough. It’s not your fault.”

Rational Liana and emotional Neria. The stark personality differences between the two ladies quickly shifted the atmosphere of the mansion.

No one had adapted easily, so the household staff always faced significant challenges during such times. Especially without the family head to mediate, the disparity became even more pronounced.

“Let’s go quickly.”

“Miss Liana. We can go look ourselves. There’s no need for you to step out….”

“It’s fine. I’m going to give those children a piece of my mind.”

Going to give them a piece of her mind?

To the ones trailing behind, such words only brought more cold sweat.

Rather than hear such scolding, fainting might seem the better option.

Though they say not to worry about nobles, their best effort was to offer silent solace to the daughter and son who would soon hear Liana’s rebuke.

“Wait.”

Having been walking ahead, Liana paused momentarily and spoke to the maid trailing behind her.

“Before coming to the training ground, make sure to sort out all those noisy things.”

“Pardon? Oh, yes. I understand.”

“And be sure to add this as well.”

The maid hesitated for a moment, receiving this unexpected command, but then replied vigorously.

However, her confidence was short-lived. With a deeply uneasy expression, she waited for Liana’s next words.

“They’re too noisy, so tell them to moderate and be quiet.”

“How…?”

How am I supposed to convey that? The maid sincerely wanted to ask.

***

Christian blamed himself for his complacency.

The opening of the Arsenal through mana synchronization had been an unexpected incident, but since they were betting their lives as a wager, even the slightest possibility of failure had to be eliminated.

‘I was too complacent. I was too overconfident.’

He had momentarily forgotten that he was no longer a being with absolute mana.

He couldn’t even handle a single Ether Weapon and was inexperienced, lacking proper mana.

‘At this rate…’

The Arsenal, aware that its survival was at stake, was doing its best to hold its door closed.

If it had opened wide, and the master’s Ether Weapon had come out pointing towards Aira…

‘… Instant death.’

Or an explosion.

Whatever it might be, death was certain.

‘I can’t harm my master with my own hands.’

No matter how hard the Arsenal tried, without the owner’s assistance, it couldn’t control the master’s Ether Weapon alone.

‘There’s no way my power can stop it. That’s certain. In that case…’

Currently, three Ether Weapons existed within his body.

The Arsenal, which was following his command and the master’s Ether Weapon trying to return to its owner.

And…

‘Latima’s Chalice. I trust only you!’

The holy relic of the Latima Order—Latima’s Chalice.

Relying on the power of Latima’s Chalice, which healed Christian Worden’s mana corruption, he used it as a buffer.

‘Unseal.’

With those words, the door of the Arsenal swung wide open, and two Ether Weapons shot out simultaneously.

“Gah!”

The shock made his mind go momentarily blank, but he didn’t lose consciousness. Although his body felt severe pain, it did not lead to death.

His master’s Ether Weapon, by its existence alone, could destroy Christian’s body.

Latima’s holy relic, by its very nature, protected Christian’s body.

The clash of these two powers resulted in a mutual offset.

‘What I must do is clear.’

Despite the situation where losing focus for a moment could mean losing consciousness, Christian remembered what he needed to do.

‘Anchor the master’s Ether Weapon in the Arsenal and transfer only as much as Aira can handle!’

Even though it was merely a trace amount, it was still a heavy burden for Aira. No matter how much residual mana it was, it was the master’s mana compressed at its peak.

He didn’t think they wouldn’t manage. He trusted the master and Aira.

Thus, Christian, disregarding his own bodily decay and healing, devoted himself entirely to the task for Aira’s sake.

***

At first, there was nervousness and fear.

Not only had she yet to fully trust Christian, but also the actions he was about to take were not easy to believe.

And by the time she realized something was wrong, it had already reached an irreversible state, leading to fear at her inability to do anything. On top of that, came immense pain.

‘The pain isn’t the problem, the problem is…’

With hollow eyes, Aira turned her head with difficulty.

“What did you do to my body…?”

No, in fact, the pain had already started to fade.

Something was filling Aira’s body, replacing the pain, leaving her at a loss for words.

It filled her body and constantly moved to one place, settling there and gradually expanding.

“Mana.”

After she sensed mana, she had made countless efforts to gather it and studied extensively to create her own mana reservoir.

However, no matter how much she studied and tried, creating a mana reservoir seemed like grasping at clouds.

“But how is it created so easily?”

Christian had said that all he could provide was a foundation. But Aira was fully aware that even that foundation was significant.

Many knight cadets or aspiring mages failed to build even this basic foundation, and they stumbled against an unyielding wall.

She realized she could easily have been one of them.

Merely thinking of such a method or attempting it was no ordinary task.

Yet, what surprised Aira the most was something else.

“What on earth is this…?”

This semi-transparent pink light enveloped not only Aira’s body but also Christian’s, emitting a holy energy different from mana, enveloping them both warmly.

“What are you hiding?”

Christian’s body kept changing moment by moment.

His body swelled as if about to burst, then shrank down to almost nothing again. An eerie sound of bones breaking was heard, wounds appeared everywhere, and blood flowed.

Yet, the wounds quickly healed. Perhaps, she thought, it was the same for herself.

The image of Christian emitting such miraculous changes was hard to watch.

But Aira did not avert her gaze.

“Why to me… like this…?”

Whatever power this was, she had no idea. But one thing was certain.

“Did you stake your life on this?”

This act, putting his life on the line to do something for her. That intention.

Aira was keenly sensitive to it and was filled with deep questions.

Why? Why go to such lengths?

She longed to ask but knew now was not the time.

Just as Christian was giving his all, she too had to respond accordingly.

“It’s not about just doing what you’ve set up for me. I need to, with my power… with my will!”

Even if Christian provided the foundation and frame, it was she who had to form it properly.

Therefore, Aira started moving the mana from the mana reservoir created by Christian and slowly built walls around the mold.

Initially, it was slow, but as she became accustomed to it, the transferred mana moved almost as though she was leading it, not Christian.

Mana, almost boundless, was being transferred and built into a mana reservoir.

She concentrated hard, unaware of how much time had passed. Eventually, the flow of mana stopped, and Aira ceased her actions.

Within her body.

A single entity that had settled in her heart made of mana.

Seeing it, Aira couldn’t look away for a moment.

“Gasp!”

“Ch- Christian…?”

At the sound that came from behind her, Aira snapped back to reality and turned around.

There lay Christian, spread out on the ground as if he had lost consciousness. Alarmed by his condition, Aira quickly reached out to check on him.

“Hey! Are you alri… whoa?!”

Suddenly, she felt dizzy, as if everything turned white before her eyes.

And it was precisely at that moment.

“Aira!”

“Christian!”

The door to the training ground burst open, and two women, Liana Worden and Neria Worden, entered. The sight jolted Aira awake.

“Mother…?”

It was the first time she had seen her always calm and intelligent mother so flustered. It was both surprising and strangely satisfying.

And that was the last scene Aira witnessed.