Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

“Ooh! Go, Sir Garcia! Fight on!”

“Don’t lose, Young Master!”

At first, it had been a festival.

“Wow, as expected of Sir Garcia. Fast and precise. It would be great if he only had a different temperament…”

“Young master Christian isn’t any less impressive, right? I thought he wasn’t training his mana sensitivity at all recently, but it seems he was practicing in secret.”

Everyone leisurely evaluated the duo’s movements and swordsmanship, enjoying the spectacle.

“Haha. Is Sir Garcia perhaps getting pushed back a bit?”

“Hey, that… Young master Christian, is that wave? Wait, no, it can’t be. No way. Oh, oh?”

However, as time went on, the spectators’ complexions turned pale. Since most of them were knights skilled with the sword, they were particularly taken aback.

Their duel, with both drawing mana to their limits and swinging their swords as if battling a mortal enemy, seemed like much more than a mere sparring match.

“…….”

“…….”

Bang—! Thud—! Crack—! Snap!

Wasn’t this supposed to be just a spar?

No one dared to speak up, but everyone present shared the same thought.

“Shouldn’t we stop this?”

At someone’s minor whisper, all eyes converged in one direction.

A place with a distinctly different atmosphere among the crowd of spectators. It was the seat of the mistress and first wife of the Count Worden family.

Everyone kept glancing at Liana for her reaction, but none had the courage to approach her.

That included even those standing right beside Liana.

***

Aira frowned deeply as she watched the duel between Sir Garcia and Christian. She couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions towards Christian’s tenacious fight.

‘Was he hiding his skills?’

The Christian crossing swords with Garcia, far from being the play-mate from their pretend duels, was different from the one she knew.

‘What’s this? Such a…’

A speed and strength that were overwhelming, yet light and splendid.

Every time their swords clashed, mana sparks flew, but that was not all.

With every direction Christian moved, clusters of mana exploded, accelerating his movements even more.

Speed translates to power.

He wasn’t just fast. Christian constantly adjusted his speed to keep Garcia from adapting, making his movement unpredictable and effective.

‘How is he doing this…’

Even though Sir Garcia was restricting his mana, he was still a seasoned knight.

Most of the mana patterns he used were ones Christian hadn’t even learned yet.

In skill, experience, and mana, Christian appeared to lag behind.

He should have, but…

“Is it just my eyes, or does it look like Sir Garcia is having a hard time?”

“That seems to be…”

The knights beside Liana couldn’t provide a clear answer to her observation.

Anyone could see that Sir Garcia was gradually losing ground. As the situation continued, Liana’s expression became increasingly frosty.

“What do you think?”

“I….”

When the arrow of the question turned towards her, Aira hesitated, gauging Liana’s reaction.

Those eyes. That gaze.

Eyes that always judged and compared. Once again, they seemed to ask, “Can you do the same?”

‘Mother surely knows.’

That, even if she were to be reborn, she couldn’t defeat Christian now.

But Liana hadn’t asked to hear such excuses from a defeated soul. So Aira gave the answer her mother wanted.

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Don’t you know? They say Garcia is being pushed back. It looks that way to me too. You have eyes and wield a sword, don’t you think you should come to the same conclusion?”

At Liana’s words, Aira briefly gauged the reactions of the surrounding knights.

Though inferior to Garcia, these knights were quite skilled in their own right. If Aira openly disagreed with their assessment, it could hurt their pride, yet they looked at her with genuine concern.

Aira took a deep breath, comforted by their warm gazes, and spoke.

“It may seem like Sir Garcia is being pushed back for now, but there’s no way he’ll lose.”

“But isn’t Sir Garcia fighting with mana similar to that of that youngster because of constraints? If that’s the case…”

“Even if mana can be a measure of a knight’s strength, it’s not the criterion for determining superiority over another knight.”

“That’s odd. Wouldn’t that make Sir Garcia even more disadvantaged?”

“No. That’s exactly why Sir Garcia will win.”

Liana had never held a sword nor harbored any interest in doing so.

Her singular interest lied in one thing—securing control of this household. Aira becoming the head of the family was a mere means to that end.

“If the conditions are equal, then what decides the victory is…”

Even knowing that her mother would never understand, Aira offered her own answer.

At Aira’s words, Liana, the knights standing by her side, and the maid waiting on her pricked up their ears.

“Experience.”

Time was equal for everyone, but how they utilized it varied greatly. And Aira, having observed Sir Garcia, knew that while he might have some personality issues, he wasn’t someone who wasted his time foolishly.

This was a truth Aira well understood, as she was learning both sword and mana from him.

“Christian’s talent is indeed remarkable. But in this world, there is a gap that mere talent alone cannot bridge.”

“Is that gap experience, essentially time?”

“Yes. Once Sir Garcia fully adapts to his current state, Christian won’t be able to rampage as he is now.”

Liana nodded in agreement, acknowledging the validity in Aira’s words.

‘This should be fine, right?’

With the shared understanding, Aira let out a sigh of relief.

“Experience, you say. Even if the amount of mana is similar, the weight of the years certainly tips in Sir Garcia’s favor.”

“You are right, miss Aira,” one of the knights confirmed to Liana. “Before Sir Garcia began teaching Miss Aira the sword, wasn’t he alongside the Count on the front lines, subduing monsters?”

“That’s correct. In the Count’s household, there are fewer than three knights who could confidently claim victory over Sir Garcia.”

Excluding the Count, who was one of them, the gap between Garcia and the remaining two wasn’t large.

“Furthermore, even if there’s a constraint on mana capacity, it doesn’t mean all acquired skills disappear.”

“Exactly. Even if cash flow temporarily halts, it doesn’t mean the merchandise on the shelf is gone.”

Liana’s analogy was befitting of someone from a merchant family, and it made the situation easier to understand.

“So, all we need is to watch how Sir Garcia utilizes his assets to secure cash flow.”

“… Yes.”

Though Liana appeared more relaxed, Aira’s expression darkened slightly.

‘That guy is pushing himself to the limit.’

Christian might seem to be the one driving the action, but it was a temporary result, extracted by forcing his body beyond its limits.

In reality, Christian didn’t look great. His protective gear was tattered, and the flesh visible through his torn clothes was full of wounds.

Unable to bear watching, Aira turned her gaze away, only to be drawn back by Liana’s voice, which carried an unconcealed interest.

“But look.”

Aira quickly lifted her head again at her mother’s words, sensing something unusual.

“It seems like…”

Liana’s voice trailed off, which was atypical for her, causing Aira to tense. Liana, however, seemed unaffected by her daughter’s reaction, speaking in a low voice.

“He is being pushed back.”

“Pardon?”

Following Liana’s gaze, Aira turned her eyes to the training field. The duel between Christian and Garcia continued there.

Amid the sounds of bursts and clashes, Aira noticed Sir Garcia gradually being pushed back, causing her eyes to widen.

Initially, it was normal for the one who pushed hard at the beginning to eventually be overpowered. Yet, unexpectedly, Sir Garcia seemed to be the one being pressed as the duel progressed.

Aira appeared shocked by the turn of events, and it was the same for Liana. Except Liana maintained a stoic exterior, concealing her emotions.

“If the cash reserve is the same, but the competitor’s product is of lesser quality, do you know what happens?”

“Of course…”

Aira realized what Liana was hinting at, but couldn’t bring herself to voice it.

Liana nodded, understanding the sentiments of Aira.

“Yes. It’s bankruptcy.”

Then, with cold eyes, she looked at Garcia and Christian and continued to speak.

“In plain words, it’s called ruin.”

***

“This, this is unbelievable!”

Even though his mana was limited, his skills were not restricted. The only effect was a reduction in power.

Those skills were precious assets, honed over years of learning and practice.

Before he had even turned ten, he held a sword, swinging it tirelessly and training his mana.

His mana was plentiful, and compared to others, he didn’t think he lagged in skill.

In fact, he often received quite high praise for his abilities.

Especially his larger physique, which allowed him to hold more mana, was a key reason for his exceptional talent.

Based on that, he managed to execute relatively complex mana patterns, soon allowing himself to step into the ranks of the mighty.

“Why, why is this happening?!”

Though startled by the fact that Christian could send waves through his sword, he was even more shocked by being pushed back.

Even though the volume of mana was restricted, this was still an impossible situation.

“And what on earth is that?! Why is the wave emanating from his entire body?!”

The most incomprehensible point was that waves were emanating not just from the sword but from various parts of his body.

Of course, mana waves could be used through the body. In critical moments, clasping an enemy tightly and detonating mana was common.

However, that was a last resort, akin to taking each other hand in hand towards death.

“Your arm! Your arm! Young master, at this rate, your arm will explode!”

“It won’t explode!”

“Huh?!”

The wave exploding from Christian’s arm accelerated the sword, which swung with the force to slice through Garcia’s head.

Garcia dodged the attack and observed. Christian’s arm guard was already in tatters, with bruised flesh visible beneath.

Had there been any more force, a truly horrific incident was not out of the question for either Christian or Garcia himself.

Whether he knew it or not, Christian used the waves throughout his body, driving himself hard.

But a human body is not made of steel. No matter how much he reinforced his body, it only reduced the impact from outside. It could not prevent shock from bursting out from within.

“How can you use that body continuously?!”

“Because I’m not dead yet!”

“…”

“And as long as I’m alive, limbs can always be reattached!”

“Ugh!”

Garcia found himself speechless at Christian’s first response and forced to dodge another sword attack with a short groan at the second.

“If this continues, I’ll lose!”

The duel was not just his alone. His defeat would mean defeat for Liana Worden, and that would tarnish the honor of his lord.

A knight failing to support his lord should rightly atone with death.

But he did not fear death itself. What he truly feared was the humiliation that Liana would endure.

“If this continues, the successor will eventually…”

He had been the one teaching Aira all this time.

Therefore, he was more confident than anyone else in knowing how Aira had grown and how much he would continue to grow in the future.

A little slow perhaps, but that talent was unquestionably unique.

Though Christian was currently a step ahead, Garcia was confident that Aira would catch up in a few years.

“Liana was right in her judgment.”

Now he understood why such a scenario had been prepared and why those particular orders had been given to him.

Liana’s official order was “recognition through sparring”!

In other words, it meant dealing with Christian at his discretion if deemed a threat.

“I’m sorry, Young Master Christian.”

Garcia tightened his grip on his sword as if he had resolved himself.

“To me, my lord’s honor is more precious than a knight’s honor.”

As Garcia’s gaze changed, a change also began in his mana pattern.

TL’s Corner:
Well, Garcia is a loyal knight at least. But it is a misguided loyalty.