Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

From Paltima to the capital city was a long distance, even by carriage.

Yet, Christian, seemingly unbothered by this fact, relentlessly urged the two individuals driving the horses and carriage as if he were possessed.

There was work to be done in the capital, prompting his haste.

Since Christian had had ample rest the previous day, he felt no guilt whatsoever. His incessant whipping grew increasingly severe, brewing discontent along the way.

“Just kill me, just kill me already…”

“Urgh…”

On the third night of their crazed journey, with the carriage parked slightly off the main road at a suitable spot for camping, the two individuals collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.

Caedwin and Sonya. Both gasped for breath, but Caedwin’s eyes were fiery with anger. However, this anger was not directed at the Worden siblings.

“Hey, Sonya, why is that carriage… why is it still in one piece?”

After such a brutal ride, it was surprising nothing had broken, yet the carriage was entirely unharmed. Its excessive sturdiness left Caedwin completely bewildered.

And the horses? Why had they not collapsed yet? There was no clear reason for this.

As Caedwin expressed his frustration, Sonya, who had been retching beside him, murmured.

“Dad specially commissioned this as a mana tool. Ugh.”

“Why turn a carriage into a mana tool?!”

Unbeknownst to Caedwin, the carriage that Sonya had brought had substantial resistance to both physical and mana-based attacks.

It was outfitted with powerful protective magic, granting it mana resistance, and its frame was meticulously crafted by a dwarf, giving it exceptional hardness.

It was robust enough to withstand a troll’s full-body charge without breaking, resembling military-grade equipment.

Furthermore, the horses were purebred creatures seemingly born to pull the carriage. They were not fit for battle, but their endurance was extraordinary.

As a result, the carriage showed no signs of breaking, and the horses showed no signs of fatigue. Caedwin wished one or the other would fail, driving him nearly to insanity.

Observing Caedwin and Sonya, Aira addressed them as she carried a pot.

“Hey, stop laying around and get dinner ready.”

“Just kill me. I can’t do it!”

“Well, then go hungry.”

“…”

At Aira’s indifferent comment, Caedwin flinched and wobbly rose from his spot. He began unloading logs from the carriage.

And Sonya awkwardly joined him, gathering small dishes to help.

Having missed a meal, they understood just how painful hunger could be, and their bodies moved instinctively.

“Hmm…”

Christian, watching Aira exert effortless control over people from a distance, couldn’t help but smirk.

Really, he thought, she must have a knack for making people move.

“Anyway…”

Christian glanced over at Liber, also preparing dinner.

It was strange that Liber, surely exhausted too, showed no signs of fatigue.

‘If only he would express dissatisfaction like Caedwin does…’

he thought. It made Liber’s unrelenting dedication all the more confusing to Christian.

While he might look like the oldest among them and thus the leader responsible for them all, that was not quite the case.

‘Well, let’s think after dinner.’

Not understanding someone was something that left Christian more than a bit uncomfortable.

*

Once dinner was over, personal free time was naturally granted before bedtime.

Yet, there were those who did not use this time for rest but rather for personal pursuits.

“Huff! Huff!”

Holding a specially crafted, substantially heavy practice sword, Aira repeatedly swung it from above, without changing her stance.

In the absence of sparring sessions with Christian, she would train by herself in this manner.

Though it was merely a repetition of the basics Christian had taught her, it was also part of her daily routine which she never skipped.

Today, however, Aira’s solo training had become a “group” endeavor.

“Huff, huff! Huff!”

Only a few steps away from Aira, Liber also wielded a specially crafted practice sword, swinging in the exact same stance as Aira.

The sword Liber held was a spare brought by Aira, lent to him on the first day they left Paltima.

“Huff…”

Now on the third day of this practice method, it was not something easily adjusted to. Liber, nearing his limit, occasionally lost form as he panted heavily.

Yet, despite his struggle, Liber did not give up and picked up his sword to swing again.

Observing Liber’s stubbornness, Aira halted her own practice and addressed Liber.

“Don’t overdo it; take a break.”

“I’m fine to keep going.”

“You don’t look fine at all. This is something you gradually increase over time. So take a break now, and start again later if you want.”

“Uh…”

“You’ll be in trouble if you tear a muscle. Don’t regret it later.”

“Is that from experience…”

“Yah! Hyat! Hraah!”

When Liber lowered his sword and asked, Aira hastily swung her sword with a mad determination.

Her swings were so powerful that the blade sliced through the air with an eerie, cutting sound.

Observing this from a distance, Caedwin instinctively rubbed his head as his face turned pale, recalling previous experiences.

Seeing Aira’s intense actions, Liber took a deep breath and decided to rest, taking Aira’s words to heart.

“Here, drink this.”

“Huh? Oh, thanks.”

Liber, heading toward where Caedwin and Sonya were, paused to accept a drink offered by Christian, smiling his thanks.

He brought the drink to his lips, only to pull it away in surprise.

“Is this a potion, by any chance?”

“Yes. I thought you might need to recover a bit. That arm of yours seems misaligned.”

“…”

Liber was genuinely surprised. He had not shown any signs, or so he thought, yet Christian’s sharp eyes had picked up on it. Even Aira beside him hadn’t noticed.

As Liber silently regarded Christian, Christian shrugged under his gaze.

“We have plenty of potions, so don’t worry. But don’t rely solely on potions to overexert yourself, either.”

“Thanks.”

Even though Christian told him not to worry, potions were quite expensive.

That Christian could afford to carry many and provide them without hesitation was a testament to the wealth of the Worden family, which Liber found quite impressive.

After hesitating briefly, Liber downed the potion in one go.

“Phew…”

As the potion entered his body, his breath quickly stabilized, and the pain in his arm subsided. It seemed to be a potion more effective than expected.

“By the way, Liber!”

Christian started, “I wanted to ask you something…”

“Huh? Something you want to ask?”

After thinking for a moment, Liber nodded. Seeing this, Christian asked eagerly, “Why do you work so hard?”

“That’s a strange question. Isn’t it normal to work hard?”

“Yes, quite.”

“…?”

Liber was puzzled by Christian’s firm response.

“Typically in such a situation, isn’t it more common to grumble like that guy there?”

Christian gestured toward Caedwin, who was sitting with a disgruntled look, staring their way. Liber glanced at Caedwin and produced a wry smile.

“He’s forced into this, but I do it because I want to.”

“And that’s what’s strange. Did you really want to?”

“Yeah. I’m serious.”

“… Why?”

Christian truly wanted to know.

Why?

The training method went against the norm practiced by current knights, knight aspirants, and anyone aiming to wield a sword.

Liber, who was accustomed to magical training, suddenly diving into physical training was inexplicable to Christian.

Even Aira had been initially forced into it by Christian before embracing it herself.

As Christian sincerely wondered, Liber scratched his cheek with a slightly embarrassed smile.

“At first, it was out of pure curiosity. Seeing you siblings with such skill, despite your age, it piqued my interest.”

Well, that indeed would be intriguing.

While Christian still had a lot to learn, Aira’s growth speed, having just begun learning, was nearly inexplicable.

It was a result of a fortunate and coincidental explosive growth from recovering a portion of past life mana and creating a mana reservoir through it.

“Gradually, it captured my attention. Your training method, I mean.”

“Hmm, interest…”

“Watching your sparring sessions, I was convinced.”

Their sparring sessions were indeed mesmerizing but lacked flashy techniques.

Yet, to those well-versed in swordsmanship and mana control, their duels defied logic.

Witnessing the precise mana movements and situational adaptability, Liber was sure of one thing.

“One doesn’t have to follow a fixed path to become strong. The method you two follow seemed faster than the path I had been on.”

He realized that the path he had been walking to become strong might be slower than the path the siblings were traveling. Hearing this, Christian couldn’t help but make a peculiar face.

“Aren’t you concerned about your pride? Considering the training method comes from kids far younger than you…”

“Pride?”

Liber laughed lightly, meeting Christian’s eyes directly.

“Pride isn’t necessary when learning. If someone stronger and more accomplished exists, wouldn’t you lower your head to learn regardless of age, gender, race, or occupation?”

“…”

For a moment, Christian was taken aback, staring blankly at Liber’s face. Liber’s demeanor reminded him of his master.

Perhaps the betrayal of the Cotra family held secrets yet to be uncovered.