Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

Christian had narrowly dodged the feathered attack and dived into its grasp, prompting the harpy to flicker its tongue and raise its massive forepaw.

– Give it to me! It’s mine!

Thud—!

Nonetheless, despite its bold charge, it was effortlessly crushed under the harpy’s stomping feet.

– Kahat?!

Yet, when the ‘prey’ it had pinned disappeared in an instant, the harpy, bewildered, widened its eyes.

『Logia Magic Tower, as expected, you spent a lifetime researching deceit. It’s truly the worst.』
『Is that a compliment?』

Half, perhaps?

Christian swallowed his last words and reappeared behind the harpy, the mist around him thick and gray.

Emerging through the haze, Christian’s form startled the harpy, causing it to ruffle its feathers and swing its wings fiercely.

“Kaak!”

Slash—!

Like a gigantic saw, the wing sliced through the air, tearing the apparition of Christian with a single pass.

For a moment, the fierce wind seemed to disperse the surroundings of mist. However, it quickly filled the void, cloaking Christian’s torn figure.

– What, what is this?! What on earth?!

Despite the apparent ravage of his body, Christian smiled and vanished into the mist.

The strangeness of the situation caused the harpy to furrow its brow for the first time, lashing out with its wings and launching a flurry of feathers.

『We can’t last long. If the harpy uses its mana devour against the illusion, it could be dispelled.』
『Don’t worry. I don’t plan on dragging this out.』

Both the mist and the fake Christians were mere illusions created by Masaya. Meanwhile, the real Christian hid within the mist, watching the harpy go berserk.

『Aira.』

“…”

Keeping an eye on the harpy’s movements, Christian spoke to Aira. She blinked and gazed at him. Unable to communicate through sound transmission yet, Aira found herself at a loss for words.

『Soon, I’ll start moving. You initiate the attack. Go on, swing your sword bravely and freely.』

“…?!”

Aira’s eyes widened, her lips parting slightly — likely hurling silence-laden curses, looking somewhat irritated.

『Don’t worry. I’ll cover your openings. And Masaya will assist too.』

“!”

Aira gestured in discontent, but Christian continued his words as if he couldn’t see her.

『Think about our sparring sessions; the harpy’s movements are actually a tad slower and more predictable, aren’t they?』

“…”

Really? Unsure whether to stay angry or not, Aira began to calm herself.

Indeed, when Aira focused, enhancing her vision with mana, while following Christian’s guidance, she found herself dodging the harpy’s feather attacks with relative ease.

Although she was growing familiar with the harpy’s movements, she couldn’t yet rely on her body’s responsiveness.

Seeing Aira hesitating, Christian offered her a gentle smile.

『You’re not weak at all.』

In fact, purely in terms of physical power, Aira was stronger.

This was because Aira had amalgamated mana essence — attained in a past life — and Ether Weapons’ essence into her mana reservoir.

Her mana reservoir boasted a performance unmatched and beyond the reach of any other knights within their family’s domain.

‘Were it not for that, such absurd growth speed wouldn’t be possible at all.’

The output, the speed of storage, the capacity, and recovery rate of her mana all vastly exceeded what was standard.

What Aira needed now wasn’t luxurious and opulent training, but blood-and-flesh-stained real combat experience.

While Christian tried to bridge her experience gap through sparring, Aira subconsciously thought, ‘Christian wouldn’t truly kill me.’

That difference was what prevented Aira from taking the next step forward.

It was after her deadly battle with the owlbear, instead of sparring with Christian, that Aira awakened to the wave.

Christian wasn’t forcing Aira into real combat to torment her, but because such combat was the most fitting training method for her.

『That demon beast will aid your growth. Isn’t dying quite improbable?』

“…?!”

『Don’t worry. If it truly seems life-threatening, I’ll step in before it’s too late. Oh, but remember Masaya and I are only human, so we might be a tad late. Master always said a bone breaks and then knits back stronger. I’m not too clear about lacerations though.』

“…”

Perplexed by Christian’s words, Aira gazed at him with bewildered eyes, and he casually shrugged his shoulders.

‘Yet wasn’t it you who devised this outrageous training method?’ he internally retorted.

In her previous life, when training Aira, Christian’s real battle experiences were far harsher than now.

Back then, he was thrust into monster-infested areas as if tossed for a meal, and only whimsically saved before turning into a finely diced snack.

Seldom was there any gentle advice or guidance given, as is the case now.

‘Ah, I’m far too soft-hearted.’

Despite his amiable smile, Aira felt uneasy, wondering if this wasn’t a ruse to eliminate a contender.

『Now, let’s start moving.』

“…”

Prompted forward by Christian, Aira finally stepped forth.

Stifling with mist, Masaya’s magic, however, didn’t obscure Aira and Christian’s vision.

– Where are you?! Give it back! That’s mine! Give it to me!

“…”

Yet the harpy’s desperate cries momentarily stalled Aira’s stride.

‘Did you actually steal something from it?’

… Aira gave Christian a sideways glance, silently conveying her disbelief, but Christian simply responded with a mysterious smile and a shrug.

‘Ha.’

Aira exhaled softly, soon steeling herself and gripping her sword tightly. Christian, too, was poised, ready to spring at any moment.

‘I’m ready.’

Gathering mana, Aira lunged. As she darted to the harpy’s left flank, Christian simultaneously moved to its right.

Striking together in synchronized motion, without a signal.

Clang—!

Clatter—!
– You…

Assuming another trick to deceive, the harpy swung a wing, feathers shattering amid harsh metallic sounds, inflicting a slight cut upon its wing. The harpy grimaced, baring its teeth.

– Surrender it, quietly!

The harpy charged at Christian with bared teeth, but he had already retreated, with its forepaw swiping ineffectively at the air.

“Haa!”

While the harpy was distracted by Christian, Aira aimed for its nape and thrust her sword.

This wasn’t an honorable duel between knights.

It was a desperate struggle, where fighting meant doing whatever it takes to survive. Hence, Aira had no qualms about striking from behind.

– Kahat!

Slash!

Yet the harpy avoided Aira’s sword from penetrating its head.

Though its attention was diverted by Christian, the harpy’s survival instinct kicked in, jerking its head to dodge Aira’s thrust. Her blade left a long scratch along its cheek.

– You wretch!

“Your pronunciation is improving.”

Determined not to allow any respite, Christian charged at the harpy, swinging his sword. Despite its simplicity, his movements were too swift for the eye to follow.

In an instant, Christian’s blade grazed the harpy’s thigh, leaving another long gash.

Masaya used illusion and phantom magic to keep the harpy deceived, distracting its attention so Christian and Aira could focus solely on attacking.

The trio took turns capturing the harpy’s attention, allowing Aira to gradually alleviate her initial anxiety and attack more comfortably.

However, Aira soon realized how tirelessly Christian and Masaya operated to allow her this liberty, recognizing their exertion.

‘No. I must focus on what I can do now.’

Almost ensnared by a feeling of helplessness, Aira reminded herself.

What needed to be done? As she pondered over this while observing the battle, she tightened her grip on her sword. Though she couldn’t yet wield waves freely, it wasn’t a concern.

‘Christian only uses waves to increase speed. If his attacks land… surely there’s a way.’

Unlike Christian, Aira couldn’t deliver such swift and precise sword swings.

She instead recalled her strengths: a larger mana capacity than most, and a recovery speed and mana sensitivity even Masaya acclaimed.

She didn’t need to adapt to Christian. Instead, she could capitalize on her strengths.

“Hoo.”

That annoying genius overshadows in all areas, except for one. Only in one factor does she surpass.

“With the sword, all or nothing.”

Aira activated the gateway to her mana reservoir, allowing stored mana to flood her body.

Surpassing limits, mana could be a poison that damages the body; still, she had developed a resilient frame to handle such poison.

While taking hits. While running. While moving like mad!

“This rage! This resentment! This despair!”

Though her resentment was misplaced, Aira’s sight remained focused on the harpy. She anchored her magic, lowered her stance, activating her calf muscles.

Thud—!

As she stomped her foot, Aira sprang toward the harpy at a blistering speed. Even Christian briefly lost sight of her, such was her rapid pace.

In just a blink, she came right before the startled harpy, who hurriedly attempted to dodge.

But it was already too late to evade when she arrived point-blank. In desperation, it unfurled its wings in an attempt to ascend but remained trapped within the sweeping arc of Aira’s sword.

So, it attempted to move sideways…

-Ugh?!

Yet, the lingering pain in its thigh hindered its motion. It was an unintentional yet perfect assist.

-Damn you!

Determining evasion was futile, the harpy crossed its wings defensively like a shield and channeled mana to its feathers.

The aim was to diminish and absorb the impact with its sharp, sturdy feathers.

Boom—!

“Uraaaaah!”

-Kahaaak?!

Sword met shield in a resounding clash.

Unable to withstand the impact, its wings crumpled, feathers shattered entirely. Yet, their form endured, truly a testament to its monstrous resilience.

“Ha, haha…”

『… For a moment there, I thought the young miss aimed her sword at young master.』

I’m no demon beast, but that would have been lethal. Christian withheld his comment whilst gazing upon the aftermath of Aira’s destruction.

Where the harpy stood, the ground was left with a crater reminiscent of a meteor impact, leaving the hapless harpy trembling like a drenched pup.

‘Will she tear apart orcs with bare hands next?’

Aira fixed her gaze on Christian, who had neutralized the harpy’s fury. To her, his scarlet eyes looked rather chilling.