Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

The public’s opinion about Count Roberto Worden was not bad at all. In fact, from the outside, there was no better lord than him.

His father, the former Count Worden, died early during a monster hunt, leaving Roberto to succeed him as family head at the tender age of just over twenty.

If his mother, who passed away while giving birth to him, had been alive, he would have had someone to lean on, but he didn’t even have that, which made the mental burden heavier.

A successor with a weak support base suddenly ascended to the seat of power. It was a situation where big and small problems could arise due to power struggles.

However, he couldn’t just stand still out of fear of potential problems. Roberto actively resumed monster hunts, which had been halted due to his father’s death.

To maintain the dominance of the Rangar region, he built a support base and turned the battlefield into his field to divert the attention of the discontented factions.

Thanks to such attempts and efforts, despite suddenly inheriting the domain, count Roberto of the Worden managed to maintain the dominant position of Rangar, and the experience at that time led to the importance of the heir.

Therefore, he loved peace in his family while leaving discord unchecked and stirred competition even as he worried about the children.

It was a decision as a father for the continued existence of the Worden family and for the child who would inherit the fief in the future.

However…

“It’s different from before.”

Seeing two children warming up their bodies after changing into training clothes and holding practice swords, Roberto thought.

The children had changed.

Though sparring with swords when he was at the mansion happened occasionally, having both of them face off at the same time was rare.

The reason for that was simple. Whenever they met, they would grind their teeth and ignite a sense of rivalry.

Aira mostly showed it towards Christian, and thus, he had to teach them swords separately to avoid one getting broken down.

What he desired was endless competition, not for one to be broken and fall.

“They are only looking at me.”

But now, something was different.

Aira no longer harbored an inferiority complex towards Christian. Likewise, Christian did not treat Aira indifferently.

Their demeanor during sparring had changed a lot, which aroused Roberto’s curiosity as well.

“Come.”

At those words, both Christian and Aira charged at Roberto simultaneously.

Aira was the one who always jumped in first when teaching swords, while Christian, conversely, observed the situation remarkably calmly and looked for an opening.

The attributes of their teachers, Garcia and Laura, impacted both children.

However, this time, both children rushed at him at the same time. This was a part unexpected by Roberto.

“They are fast.”

The agility of the children approaching in an instant was not something that could be described as merely fast.

Moreover, Aira’s sword was strong and rough, while Christian’s was remarkably sharp and precise. It was hard to believe they had achieved such accomplishments in such a brief period.

Roberto used body activation to match the children’s level.

Klang—!

“Gasp?!”

Firstly, he brushed aside Aira’s sword headed for his solar plexus with the flat of his blade. Despite having enough leeway, the tingling sensation felt in his grip astonished the Count Worden.

But there was no time to continue being astonished.

If Aira’s sword was a direct strike full of force, Christian’s sword slipped in like a sharp dagger, silently cloaked.

Roberto was purely amazed at Christian’s newfound skill with the sword.

“Did he suppress the presence of the sword? I can’t properly sense it even when watching with my eyes.”

However, it wasn’t as fast or powerful as Aira’s.

Roberto stepped back to avoid the sword targeting his thigh. Yet Christian, as if predicting his move, lowered his stance and tenaciously aimed for his thigh once more.

Klang—! Ka-kang—!

Roberto, thinking he couldn’t avoid all the persistent attacks like a living snake, decided to counterattack.

As Roberto’s and Christian’s swords clashed, Christian got pushed back due to lesser prowess. Roberto swiftly retracted his sword, intending to thrust into the opening.

“Huh?!”

But Roberto hesitated, feeling an intangible force pulling his sword back.

“Can’t detach my sword?”

His sword and Christian’s were stuck together as if they became one.

Seeing Christian smirk devilishly at his flustered self, Roberto was taken aback.

“Mana synchronization, erosion, then… adhesion?”

Sharing the same root named “Worden”!

Roberto’s mana and Christian’s mana circuits were identical.

Christian seized the moment when the swords clashed to synchronize them using the swords as a medium.

Then, as Roberto tried to retract his sword, at the same time, he infused mana, bonding the swords through adhesion.

He transformed the inevitable move of retracting the sword into an opening, turning it into an opportunity to attack.

“Remarkable.”

If it had been a simple adhesion, there wouldn’t have been a reason to be helplessly trapped.

Utilizing as many as three forms of wave application simultaneously, deceiving the opponent, and creating openings with a brilliant idea, Roberto couldn’t help but be astounded.

“And to think you two coordinate attacks.”

What was more than anything, it wasn’t Christian who utilized that small gap.

He stood awkwardly erect as Aira swung a sword infused with waves at Roberto. Her sword threatened to slice Roberto into two.

“Eryat!”

Bang—!

The massive wave power infused in the practice sword, coupled with the force raised through body activation, achieved a destructive power akin to a wave transformation technique.

But whether by misfortune or blessing, Aira’s sword did not end up bisecting Roberto.

Having cautiously observed what tricks the two kids prepared and then sensing danger, he released his mana, overwhelming Christian’s adhesion with superior force.

“Hey, why’d you lose grip? I told you to hold it tight.”

“Father suddenly increased the output, nothing I could do. If it was Sir Garcia, he probably would be going to a nice vacation right now.”

Despite narrowly avoiding the strike and then backing away, Roberto listened with a complex expression to the conversation between the siblings, looking down at the floor.

“If I’d been hit by that…”

The training grounds’ floor and walls were robust enough to withstand mana waves, so they rarely broke. However, Aira’s attack was so potent that even the solid floor showed cracks.

“And if you plan to bisect father, you should go easier. Were you trying to turn him into mince?”

“Why would I bisect father…?”

“So mothers can share him equally. He almost went without leaving a will.”

Listening to the siblings’ dull conversation caused a drop of cold sweat to roll down Roberto’s forehead.

He already heard that the two children could use waves.

However, hearing and experiencing were entirely different, and the brief encounter with the two children’s waves was quite threatening.

“Waves, huh…”

After returning, what shocked Roberto the most regarding the children was indeed the waves.

Though the monster subjugation was remarkable, considering the participants, they were certainly not lacking in power.

But waves were different.

With Christian’s exceptional talent, having achieved body activation already, Roberto predicted that Christian might awaken to waves by the end of the year.

Christian possessed exceptional talent, not only within Count Worden’s lineage but also counting as one of the top within the kingdom.

In contrast, Aira’s talent was middling. Though she sensed mana, opening a mana reservoir was yet a distant prospect, even more so when compared to Christian.

“Frankly, Aira’s growth is more surprising than Christian’s.”

Judging by simplified observation alone, Christian’s mastery of waves already seemed well advanced.

Conversely, Aira was simple and rough, only fast and strong.

While Christian’s accomplishments might seem superior, as a father, his attention was naturally drawn more to Aira. Wasn’t she the child who couldn’t even use mana back then, let alone waves?

“And just by looking at mana quantity, it seems double that of Christian. Have you borrowed the financial power of Viscount Miles’s family?”

Even with a significant difference in proficiency, utilization, and application, Aira contained a substantial amount more mana than Christian.

Whether it increased naturally or was augmented artificially, possessing such an amount of mana was a blessing for those handling swords and mana.

“What on earth happened during that time?”

But he decided to solve that question later.

With much time to spend together in the future, he decided to focus solely on how much the two children had grown for now.

“That should do as a warm-up, right?”

Roberto adjusted his stance with a smile.

Seeing Roberto’s serious expression, Christian issued a warning to Aira.

“Looks like he’s serious now, so don’t let your guard down.”

Roberto released his mana. Covering the training grounds was an apology for underestimating the children’s capabilities.

Realizing this, Christian shouted.

“Aira! Barrier!”

Both Christian and Aira opened their mana, wrapping it around their bodies. This was the move: the wave application technique, barrier.

Having a definite effect against external physical force, this wave application also offered resistance to mana.

Provided the mana sustained it, the technique equipped them against both physical force and mana. Though, it exactly demanded a massive mana consumption compared to other applications.

“The response is fast. And precise.”

Observing this, Count Worden bore a deep smile.

Space domination through mana was a concept created through a lifetime of research by an archmage concerning nest-type demon beasts within the demon realm.

Utilized initially as a mage’s monopoly, this technique became commonly used by mana users post-emphasis on mana’s significance.

Additionally, this space domination served as an indicator of a mana user’s strength and level.

How delicately could one handle mana, and how much mana did one possess? Space domination let these be easily assessed.

Christian had perfectly countered the space domination with this mana.

“This is more incredible than I thought, Father.”

As though piercing Roberto’s level, Christian too saw through his skills at a glance.

His mana control and absolute capacity were impressive, and the tumultuous waves of rough mana surrounding Roberto’s sword earned Christian’s admiration too.

“Aira, seems like our father’s planning to grind us down?”

Distinct from the master’s, yet it was the wave technique Aira witnessed countless times.

Christian knew well just how dangerous and fearful a force it was.