Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

Christian arrived at the training ground with Aira, brimming with excitement. The chance to spar with the master he thought was dead thrilled him beyond words.

Smack—!

“Oomph!”

“…”

At least until Aira was knocked down with a single hit.

‘This is strange. It shouldn’t be happening.’

The practice sword had no sharp edge, and its weight was no different from a wooden sword. Although being struck would hurt, it shouldn’t be enough to make someone crouch and tremble while clutching their head.

‘No, I always thought Master could even defeat an ogre barehanded when I was young!’

Christian looked at Aira in bewilderment.

“Shall we go hunt an ogre?”

“What nonsense is that? How could I take down an ogre?!”

“No, you can do it. Yeah, it’s just because you haven’t experienced it yet. Once an ogre stands right in front of you, you’d probably tear it in half.”

“Ugh!”

Aira, seemingly quite riled up, grabbed the sword again and stood up abruptly. That determination was commendable, yet…

“Why are you holding the sword like that? And your stance?!”

“This is how I’ve always held it!”

Her grip on the sword and stance on the ground didn’t match any of the habits he knew from the Master.

“Lack of strength!”

Clang—!

“Ah!”

Christian knocked away Aira’s approaching sword and kicked her shin with a shout.

“Weak lower body!”

“Yikes!”

And then…

Boom—!

Christian swung his sword near Aira’s face as she fell, leaving her looking pale. He sighed softly before speaking with a complicated expression.

“… Lack of experience.”

Aira was just as confused. Admittedly, Christian’s achievements surpassed hers, but the current overwhelming difference was unexpected.

His swordsmanship was as seasoned as sparring with Garcia, and his recent mastery of physical activation seemed effortlessly executed.

“Hasn’t it been just a little while since you succeeded in physical activation?”

“What’s so difficult about physical activation?”

Aira’s face twisted in response to Christian’s nonchalant reaction. But Christian’s face bore a similar grimace.

The basics of mana involve sensing it first. By channeling mana into the body, it becomes activated, granting superhuman senses like strength, stamina, and vision, previously unattainable.

Based on this foundation, imbuing objects (mainly swords) with mana leads to an introductory stage of mana application. Christian mastered these basics and the introductory process at the age of ten under his master’s guidance.

‘Just the basics, and these basics aren’t even achieved by Master?’

No, it wasn’t the master he once knew! Moreover, how could he demand others do what he himself couldn’t do back then…?

Christian found himself wanting to deny the reality in front of him.

‘Is there some special secret within this body?’

There was a small amount of mana stored in his body, and thanks to living well in a good environment, his body was healthy. Although compared to his original physique, he was still a fledgling, considering he was in his growth phase, it wasn’t bad.

However, Aira failed to meet even the minimum standards.

‘It must be a delusion. She’s definitely hiding her power.’

As Christian withdrew his sword and stepped back, Aira, biting her lip in frustration, sprang up and charged at him once more.

“Hiya!”

“…”

“Hiya!”

“…”

“… Ha.”

“A sigh?!”

Despite Christian moving vigorously and charging, there was no strength behind his swinging sword.

Aira, who just stood still and only moved her hand slightly while letting out a sigh, gritted her teeth at the sight of Christian.

“Aren’t you doing it properly?”

“Properly?”

When Christian raised his sword slowly, Aira’s face turned pale, and she hurriedly stepped back.

She also assumed a defensive stance, raising her sword to protect her head.

Seeing her pitiful state, Christian covered his face and muttered quietly, almost in tears.

“Why have you become like this…?”

“W-what is it?”

The Dragonkin Slayer. The Killer with Red Eyes. Just a crazy… no, a rather aggressive woman and so on.

It was pitiful how the “master”, who was once a figure of fear, had deteriorated to the point of trembling at the sight of even a passing orc.

“Still, she belongs to the same race. If that’s the case, Aira can become a monster like our master.”

If Aira underwent the same training method as their master, she could definitely return to her original strong self.

No, she might become even stronger, perhaps conquering the huge wall she’d never surpassed before.

“Aira.”

“W-why?”

“This won’t do.”

“… What is it now?”

“I’ll take responsibility, so entrust your body to me!”

“You’ve finally gone insane! How can you say such a thing?”

Aira quickly distanced herself from Christian. Christian, seemingly unsatisfied with her-nimble movements, briskly approached Aira.

“That frail body, that rotten state of mind! The solution is to overhaul it all. Do you want to live your whole life being beaten by me?”

“There’s no way that would happen! I think you forget, we’re competing for the young master’s position right now!”

With determination in his eyes, Christian crossed his arms after sheathing his practice sword and said,

“Competition? Do you really think you and I are in competition?”

“Ugh!”

“If things continue like this, you’ll never beat me.”

That one sentence made Aira press her lips together tightly. Her eyes, filled with doubt and disbelief, turned into ones filled with anger.

Yes, those eyes. Those are the eyes of the master.

The murderous red eyes that made both Dragonkin and others freeze instantly when met.

Seeing them convinced Christian that she was finally resembling his master.

“I’ll teach you from now on, so let’s train together.”

“Train together? Or teach me? You, teaching me?”

Aira scoffed, her disbelief expressed with a sneer.

“More than anything, the words you just said seem like you’re mocking me, and that’s the worst!”

“The w-worst?”

“It’s suspicious that you’re making such an offer in the first place. Why the sudden change?”

“That’s…”

Certainly, straight-up saying ‘your skills are pathetic, so I’ll teach you’ would be suspicious.

While contemplating what to say, Christian thought of the most compelling reason for this situation.

“Because we’re… family?”

“…”

“Y-you know, the expression you’re making now is more painful than being stabbed with a sword.”

Aira increased the distance between them and replied,

“Talking about family and suddenly saying something like that…”

Well, it was understandable why she’d think that way.

After all, they were in a competitive relationship for the official successor position.

In such a situation, who would reveal something helpful to a competitor? Anyone would doubt the true intention.

‘What explanation would make her understand and accept it?’

Such concerns were fleeting.

Upon reflection, Christian realized that no one knew the master better than Christian himself. Even at this time, not even the family would know what kind of person the master was.

Thus, he quietly smiled and said, recognizing that while they might be different people, their roots remained the same.

“It’s not a loss. Competition serves as a great driving force for mutual development. I felt that today.”

“Then you’re saying it hasn’t been a competition until now?”

“To be honest, yes. I felt like it was a waste of time until now.”

As Aira looked indignant, Christian quickly pointed to his side.

“But then one blow here. Honestly, it was thrilling.”

It truly was thrilling.

… How did my ribs survive? Could it be a transformative skill that slowly destroys my insides over time?

“Of course, I was quite careless. I was complacent, too.”

“So, what’s in it for you to train with me? Won’t it be a loss for you?”

“Loss? Not at all.”

“Why?”

“When I see you growing rapidly, I’ll feel a sense of crisis, and so I’ll strive harder to surpass you just like now. Isn’t that a constructive competition among family?”

“Competition…”

“And the master once said that teaching someone can lead to self-discovery.”

“Laura?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah, uh-huh.”

… Who is that?

Christian didn’t know who it was either but nodded appropriately.

However, that statement was true.

It’s by no means an exaggeration that those who have achieved everything can find new insights and break barriers unexpectedly while teaching their disciples. Aira, who had been a teacher herself, surpassed her limits several times by teaching Christian.

Christian had witnessed this as a firsthand witness.

“So in the end, it sounds like you plan to use me as a stepping stone for your growth?”

“Let’s take it positively. It’s a chance for you to use me as a stepping stone, too, isn’t it?”

Christian smiled brightly and lifted his sword.

Aira flinched for a moment but then had to widen her eyes at the faint mana imbued in Christian’s sword.

“You, you, since when could you imbue your sword with mana?!”

Aira hadn’t even mastered the basics yet, while Christian had already stepped into the advanced stages. The realization deeply astonished Aira.

On the other hand, Christian was sweating coldly.

‘It’s incredibly tough!’

Despite using every bit of mana he had, it couldn’t even match a breath in the dead of winter…

Still, Christian maintained a relaxed expression and spoke.

“How is it? You could say I’m capable of helping you, right?”

“…”

“Are you still suspicious of my sudden actions?”

“Halfway. Most of what you say is sophistry.”

Aira already saw with her eyes and experienced that Christian was far ahead. In such a situation, she knew there was no reason for Christian to waste his time like this.

Her pride was hurt by the statement about using her as a stepping stone, but conversely, the idea of using Christian as her own stepping stone was enticing.

“I might fall for your sophistry, but my mother won’t. Without her permission, this is all meaningless for both you and me.”

“Hmm.”

Surely, at this age, permission was needed for anything.

“Well, I’ll take care of that. More importantly…”

Christian pointed the end of his practice sword at Aira and said.

“You’ve rested enough, right? Then, come at me again. If you have the confidence, that is.”

“Ugh!”

Provoked, Aira bristled and charged at Christian without hesitation.

Even though much had gone away from them…

‘Once again, with the master…’

Even that thought alone was enough to make Christian smile.