Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

The incident in which two siblings fainted, covered in blood, in the middle of the night was enough to cause great turmoil in the residence of the Count Worden.

To prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, the security of the mansion had been tightened, and this quickly spread throughout the city.

Above all, the doctor, who had been dragged out for unknown reasons in the middle of the night, could not help but be alarmed by the sudden situation.

Treating the heirs of those in power was usually an extremely arduous task. If there were no signs of recovery after treatment or if the condition worsened, they would face threats to their lives from the factions involved.

However, the fact that the heir siblings had collapsed at the same time suggested that today, the number of corpses the servants of the Worden household would have to clean up might increase by one.

“Hmm.”

The doctor, examining the siblings, furrowed his brow and tilted his head in confusion. At that sight, two women were startled.

“Why, what’s wrong?! Is it really bad?!”

“Is there a serious issue with the children?”

With the Countesses shouting from both sides, the doctor broke into a cold sweat, as if his own life was at stake.

“Well, it’s……”

He had to contemplate for a moment how to explain it.

Seeing the doctor’s hesitation, Neria and Liana grew pale, fearing that there was indeed a significant issue.

“I knew this would happen! What kind of training were they doing together? Why did they go and cause this disaster by trying to teach that poor child?”

“Poor child?”

At Neria’s words, Liana’s expression quickly turned icy.

However, Neria merely narrowed her eyes sharply at Liana and spoke again.

“Exactly. My child was doing just fine on his own! Attempting to be kind by teaching Aira is what led to this mess!”

“It wasn’t forced on anyone. And if there’s blame to be placed, doesn’t Christian bear more of it?”

“You’re saying my child is at fault?”

“Isn’t it obvious? As you mentioned, Christian was the one who suggested training first. He forced a training regimen he couldn’t handle himself, and now you’re pointing fingers?”

“Ugh! My child acted with good intentions! Moreover, it was you, lady Liana, who initially allowed them to train together!”

“Who can tell whether those intentions were good or ill? Besides, even if I permitted it, ultimately, it was your child who wanted it.”

Neria’s intense gaze towards Liana was nothing short of fierce.

Ordinarily, they wouldn’t have had a quarrel to this extent, but since it concerned the children, it seemed they had lost a bit of their rationality.

Liana, too, met her gaze with eyes filled with emotion. She wasn’t pleased with the current situation either.

However, seeing the children lying on the bed, she soon calmed her emotions and bowed her head gently.

“I was too harsh with my words. I’m sorry.”

“… I understand.”

Since the children were in such a condition, what mother wouldn’t be emotional?

Thus, Liana didn’t take it hard on Neria. She had acted somewhat emotionally as well.

“So, how are the children faring?”

Caught between the two mothers, unable to move or speak effectively, the middle-aged doctor was startled by their question and answered quickly.

“Both are healthy!”

“…?”

“…?”

“They have some internal injuries due to overstrain, but right now, they’ve only fallen asleep because they’ve exhausted their energy.”

Hearing that the children were just sleeping, veins appeared on Neria’s smooth forehead, and Liana quietly clenched her fists.

The doctor hoped fervently that the anger of those two mothers wouldn’t turn toward him.

***

“Oof, I feel like I’m dying…”

As soon as Christian opened his eyes, he was overwhelmed by the endless scolding of his two mothers, making his ears ring and his mind go blank.

Fortunately, since he was still a ‘patient’, the lecture ended there.

If he hadn’t had internal injuries, he would have had to endure the scolding all night long.

After the storm had finally passed, Christian stumbled back to the infirmary bed, mumbling as if his soul was half-escaped.

“Maybe it would have been easier to actually die?”

The mental anguish was etched into his soul, never to heal.

He could somewhat empathize with why his master seemed to find the mothers so exasperating.

How many times had you experienced such things, master?

Is that why you chose to inflict pain on the body rather than through words?

“Phew. At least the gamble paid off.”

Latima’s Chalice had activated in sync with Christian’s survival instincts, allowing its efficacy to manifest.

Because of this, he could withstand the massive mana from his Master’s Ether Weapon without his body breaking down.

However, the exhaustion that accumulated as his body repeatedly broke down and healed did not disappear, lingering within him. Simply put, he was extremely weary.

“Karma, karma. Tsk tsk.”

“……”

The sound of someone clicking their tongue caught his attention, and he turned his head slightly.

“…… When did you wake up?”

“A while ago.”

“When I was being tortured with nagging?”

“Yes.”

“…….”

Christian’s hands trembled with betrayal.

However, if he tried anything, there was a chance his mothers, who had left the infirmary, would rush back in to scold him further, so he could only swallow his resentment in silence.

Though Aira, who had risen from the bed while observing Christian’s pitiful state, did not seem to be in perfect condition either, as she wobbled slightly with dizziness.

“Tsk tsk. Your body is in such poor shape. I’ll have to think about how to train you harder.”

“I’m already being trained enough!”

“No, you have to endure more. Now that the mana reservoir is established, soon we’ll get to body activation too. You can handle more.”

“Oh, is that so? Try it if you can. I’ve also created a mana reservoir, and body activation is ….”

Aira, initially replying sarcastically to Christian’s words, suddenly stopped speaking upon realizing something unusual.

“Mana reservoir? Body activation?”

“Yeah. Now all I need to do is push to the brink at a mana concentration array worth ten thousand gold coins.”

“What, that….”

Christian, now comfortable in the infirmary, yawned while lounging back on the bed with legs crossed.

However, instead of objecting to his relaxed demeanor, Aira was more bewildered by the changes she could feel within her body.

“The ma, mana isn’t leaking?”

“Since you’re in the midst of storing, for now, most of the mana you can accept will be stored.”

“Oh…?”

“As you get used to it, you’ll filter out the unnecessary mana and start storing only the purer forms. Also, even if it feels slow, there’s no need to be concerned.”

“That…”

“Oh, about body activation? Truthfully, after successfully establishing the mana reservoir, the next step isn’t difficult. Just think of it as harnessing the state during a mana shower and continuously cycling it through your body. I’ll let you experience it firsthand at the training grounds someday.”

“……”

It seemed like it was being explained so simply and easily, but from Aira’s perspective, it felt confusing, as if her head was spinning.

“So, is there really a mana reservoir in my body?”

“Seriously, how many times are you going to repeat that? Or were you too dense to notice?”

“I’m not dense!”

At Christian’s indifferent remark, Aira yelled out. Her face turned red, her breathing grew ragged, but her expression gradually brightened.

“This is my mana reservoir……”

The very mana reservoir she had dreamed of.

She had put in so much effort to create this mana reservoir.

She had sought advice from her sword master, Garcia, numerous guest lecturers and knights within the family, and even her father, the family head.

Yet despite all her efforts, she had never been able to establish it—the mana reservoir.

“What, what did you do to my body?”

“Oh, what do you mean by that? Is that how you talk to the benefactor who helped you?”

“I’m not saying it like that, how could this be done so easily……”

“Easily, my foot. I risked my life for this.”

“Oh……”

“If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t have even attempted something like this. I don’t want to do it again ever. I thought I was really going to die.”

For a complaint, his words were no less than a chilling recount of a life-threatening ordeal.

Even for Aira, who had undergone the process, it had been such a tremendous ordeal that she felt she might really die.

Christian had done such a dangerous thing for her.

Aware of this fact, Aira hesitated for a moment, but eventually, she looked away, murmuring softly.

“Th-thank you.”

“What? I can’t hear you. What did you say?”

“You heard me!”

“Is that the attitude you should have towards your benefactor? That’s too much. Someone risked their life and went through all that trouble.”

“Argh! I said thank you! Thank you! Is that enough?!”

With her face beet red, Aira shouted.

“Alright, be grateful all you want. Haam……”

“Huh? But are you just going to sleep like that?”

“Of course. You should avoid overexerting yourself and rest well for a few days too.”

“R-rest? What about training?”

“No, not doing it. No can’t do it.”

“Not doing it? You?”

For Aira, it was surprising to hear the training fanatic suggest taking a break.

However, Christian was already lying on the bed, pulling up the blanket. As he closed his eyes, really seeming like he intended to sleep, Aira was at a loss.

“I’m completely exhausted from helping you make your mana reservoir. I don’t have any mana left in my body. Besides, you’ll need a few days to adjust to the mana reservoir and gather mana, so think of it as a rest.”

“Well, if that’s the case……”

Perhaps convinced by Christian’s words, Aira also lay down and pulled up her blanket.

“Hehe. I have a mana reservoir now…… woohoo.”

‘Yeah, now’s the perfect time. Enjoy it while you can. That way, you won’t want to run away later.’

Christian thought while falling asleep, using Aira’s laughter and joy as his lullaby.