Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

Aira lovingly caressed the sword she hadn’t held in a long time, a broad smile spreading across her face as if she couldn’t be more pleased.

No matter how crucial mana sensitivity training and theory classes were, in the end, a swordsman had to sweat while wielding a sword.

It was an innate instinct, and suppressing it for a week while merely running had naturally left her full of frustration.

Having finally held a sword again, there was nothing more satisfying for Aira.

“Do you like it that much?”

“Of course! You said it yourself, that a knight is someone who exists to wield a sword. I never expected you to make me do nothing but run.”

However, that moment of contentment was brief as Aira, cradling the sword against her chest, glanced at Christian cautiously.

“You’re not going to tell me to run while carrying the sword this time, are you?”

Aira’s fierce expression suggested she would start swinging the sword if he nodded his head. Christian chuckled quietly at Aira’s reaction.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to make you run today.”

“Then what are we going to do?”

“Today, we’ll spar.”

“Spar?”

She had thought that might be the case when he handed her a sword, but she was genuinely surprised to hear they were going to spar.

Given Christian’s teaching methods, it wouldn’t have been unusual for him to make her do a perfect stance and swing ten thousand times or thrust ten thousand times.

For Aira, it was confusing to not know how to react.

“Why do you think I spent so much money setting up a mana concentration array? It’s all for you.”

“Liar. You made it because it wasn’t in your room.”

“… Look into my eyes. Do these look like the eyes of a liar?”

“Why don’t you actually make eye contact when you say that?”

Avoiding Aira’s gaze, Christian looked toward the training grounds and said.

“I made you run because you were clumsy at storing and using mana. Through breathing, you can naturally store mana and deplete it while also building up stamina. You might have thought it was just running, but without realizing it, you’ve grown accustomed to mana.”

“So, in the end, I still have to keep running?”

“Of course. From now on, you’re going to run for two hours without fail after every training session here.”

“Haa.”

A sigh escaped Aira as she realized she’d have to continue the grueling running.

“But we’re sparring today, right? Right?”

“Yes, but is that something to be so excited about?”

“Hahaha. I can unleash all the frustration I’ve pent up over the week, so of course it’s exciting!”

“Shall we get started right away then?”

Just as she was about to charge, Christian took his stance, prompting Aira to hold up her palm.

“Wait a minute! Are we really going to spar with these on?”

Aira pointed to her own ring, questioning it. Christian nodded as though it was no big deal.

“Of course.”

“Of course? How am I supposed to spar with this on?”

It was a magic artifact layered with gravity arrays. She was already feeling heavy just standing there, and sparring with it on seemed unthinkable. Unlike the serious look on Aira’s face, Christian was relaxed.

“Try taking it off by yourself if you can. I won’t remove it until you do it on your own.”

“You sneaky!”

“Why? I’m wearing mine too, so it’s fair.”

“Fair, my foot! Is that thing even working properly? Why are you the only one moving so lightly?”

It seemed as if she’d pounce on him at any moment if it wasn’t working properly. Concerned he might provoke her further, Christian pointed the tip of his sword to the ground.

“Calm down. You should be able to use it right away.”

“Huh? Use it? Use what?”

“It’s a trick, so listen carefully and make good use of it.”

Aira, realizing it was an important conversation, focused on Christian’s words instead of pestering for more details.

“First, you’ve pretty much mastered the stage of body activation. Although it’s still at a basic level.”

“… I know that.”

“And the foundation of body activation is awakening the strength and senses beyond the limits of the body.”

“I learned that much during Sir Garcia’s theory lectures.”

“Yes, the current you can stand without issue, bearing more weight than you could handle a week ago.”

“Without issue? This is tough, you know?”

Aira voiced a tiny protest, but in reality, it wasn’t as difficult as Christian described.

Perhaps she had become accustomed to it. The weight felt on her body was now as if she were wearing clothes, naturally accepted.

“Frankly, even if you had set up a mana reservoir, running for long periods while applying a heavy gravity array like you is unheard of. It usually takes about a month to perfectly make this basic part your own.”

“Well, it’s just the basics, right? If you had taught me something else, I would have learned that quickly too.”

Perhaps pleased by the unexpected compliment, Aira puffed up with pride.

“That’s right. Your growth rate is far faster than I anticipated. So now, we’ll move on to applications.”

Aira’s eyes sparkled as Christian mentioned he would teach her something new.

Although it was merely the application of what could be considered basic body activation, to Aira, eager to learn even one more thing, it was invaluable knowledge.

“First, this is the basic step.”

Christian adjusted his stance as if he was about to demonstrate.

Though he merely slashed his sword, the movement was so well-controlled that there was no hint of excess.

It appeared smooth and even beautiful. Watching Christian, Aira noticed the gap between them, her mouth slightly agape.

“And this is the application of body activation that you need to learn now.”

Christian took the same stance again and swung the sword.

For a moment, the end of the sword appeared blurry, and then, the sword swung by Christian cut through the air with a chilling sound.

It was so sharply executed that it was deeply unsettling, too swift for the eyes to follow. Alarmed by the distinct difference from the previous swing, Aira exclaimed.

“F-Fast!”

Even though she knew it was being swung, her eyes couldn’t keep up with the speed.

Executing it effortlessly, Christian retrieved his sword as if it was nothing, leaving Aira with a strange sense of deja vu and a chill.

How could he do such a thing so nonchalantly?

Whether Christian was aware of Aira’s thoughts or not, he spoke to her calmly.

“If you amplify abilities in specific parts of the body like this, you can momentarily exceed your limits in speed and strength.”

“Only specific parts separately? How on earth?”

“You have to work hard. If you find this basic application difficult, do you think you can land a hit on me at all?”

“Ugh!”

Possibly because her mind was overwhelmed, Aira’s expression wasn’t pleasant.

Yet Christian continued with his words, indifferent to Aira’s visible struggle.

“Think about it. What do you do when you swing your sword?”

“Well….”

Aira paused and took a stance to swing her sword. Christian, observing intently, snapped his fingers and spoke.

“That’s the same. Just like before. You only need to infuse your mana into your muscles. Channel it into the muscles, bones, and veins you intend to move.”

This was precisely what Christian intended to teach Aira.

“Muscles. Bones. Veins…?”

Upon hearing Christian’s explanation, Aira frowned deeply, appearing to ponder intensely as she muttered those words repeatedly.

“Well, I guess I’ll give it a try.”

Christian found it admirable that Aira was eager to solve the issue independently.

Whooosh—!

A gust of wind blew, rustling her hair and clothes. Although the area allowed some air circulation, it was not a place where such powerful winds typically surged.

Christian looked at Aira, the cause of this peculiar event. Aira closed her eyes, as if intent on capturing the sensation she had just wielded, mulling it over.

“…….”

“Ah, it’s a bit confusing, but it’s not as hard as I thought?”

Why did it come so easily to her?

Christian genuinely wanted to ask that question.

***

Swordsmanship inherently involved swinging, cutting, thrusting, and stabbing.

How can one cut better? How can one thrust more effectively?

Warriors pondered over how to slice more skillfully and thought of ways to pierce better.

As swordsmen began slicing better and thrusting more precisely, their opponents also grew adept at evading and blocking. Consequently, they altered their swordplay and developed deceptive maneuvers.

Thus, while swordsmanship has evolved in the direction of honing skill and technique to the utmost, its essence remains singular.

Victory is determined by who slices better, who stabs more effectively.

“Haaah!”

And Aira’s assault remained true to that essence.

A simple slash whipped up a gale, brandished with a ferocious momentum that seemed to want to shatter everything around it.

Christian hurriedly twisted his body to evade Aira’s deadly sword strike. Her sword, narrowly grazing past him, was undoubtedly formidable.

‘This is really dangerous, isn’t it?’

The body movements Aira showcased, enhanced through body activation, far surpassed Christian’s expectations.

She had grown increasingly familiar with body activation that utilized her entire body and focused power into a single point, enabling versatile maneuvers freely.

‘Even with the aid of a mana concentration array, her growth rate is abnormal, isn’t it?’

A mana concentration array is a mana array that literally draws mana from the surroundings into one spot.

This array serves as a kind of auxiliary device that allows those within it to sense and absorb mana more seamlessly, but it doesn’t create talent where none exists.

“Indeed, real combat is the best!”

‘Come to think of it, ever since she ran away from home, she’s been thriving. Wasn’t it that she wasn’t actually lacking intelligence but was truly a woman of action?!’

In her past life, Christian’s master grew stronger by leaving the comfortable confines of the Count Worden’s estate, surviving countless crises and close calls.

Considering she emphasized real combat over theory and actually established a new doctrine of physical training, it’s possible that a systematic educational framework could have held her back instead.

“Hahaha! Where has that oh-so-great Christian vanished to?”

“You brag and raise your nose every time we spar, but now you’re scrambling away like a goblin with its tail on fire?”

“What? Are you going to whine to Aunt, crying that your elder sister is bullying you?”

“……..”

Christian initially dismissed the taunts as childish provocations, but it seemed he couldn’t hold back any longer as subtle veins appeared on his once smooth forehead.

Perhaps it was high time to clarify who the master was and who the disciple was in this lifetime.