Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

A fierce surge of mana gathered on Christian’s sword.

It was merely a makeshift use of the windstorm Roberto had summoned, which Christian had finely fragmented and overlaid onto his own sword.

Roberto, at the unheard-of and unseen act of seizing another’s wave and wielding it as one’s own, was left speechless.

“I borrowed it!”

While Roberto was in shock, Christian approached him and swung his sword.

Realizing his surroundings when Christian’s sword was swung right in front of him, Roberto hurriedly raised his sword.

Ka-aang—!

The opposing waves clashed with a clear metallic sound, erupting with force.

“Heh.”

As the sword’s gust swept over his hair, Roberto couldn’t help but genuinely utter a sound of admiration.

‘Christian, this guy is something else…….’

Roberto, pushing away Christian’s sword, sent out his wave.

It wasn’t packed with the full force of his strength, but each strike was undoubtedly threatening.

However, Christian dodged them as if it were natural and skillfully minimized the impact of those unavoidable.

Even though his attacks were continuously warded off, a pleased smile lingered on Roberto’s lips.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself, Father.”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Roberto’s gaze, which had been on Christian, now shifted to Aira standing beside him.

“I never expected the day when I’d exchange swords with you would come so soon.”

This time, Roberto moved first. Christian swung his sword to block his movement, but it was easily stopped.

Without hesitation after his attack was thwarted, Christian delivered a kick.

“Uraat!”

The overwhelming power of the wave embedded in that kick was threatening enough, and Aira seized the opportunity to slash at Roberto’s thigh with her sword.

Their combination was perfect enough to impress their opponent.

Feeling exhilarated, Roberto heightened his mana. Sensing this, the smile on Christian’s face deepened and expanded to reveal his white teeth.

‘This density…… he is more exceptional than I thought.’

He wasn’t like the typical knights who simply expanded their mana inordinately.

Roberto’s mana was reminiscent of the cold wind that heralds the onset of winter.

This wasn’t achieved merely through exceptional mana sensitivity. A great deal of effort was required to refine one’s mana into such a unique property.

‘Did he gain enough practical experience through monster subjugation? Or is it due to the characteristics of the formless ‘wind’? Whatever it is…….’

Ever since awakening in this body, Christian hadn’t encountered anyone who could make him feel a sense of crisis.

Not even during drills with Garcia, nor the battles with the harpy.

Garcia, from the start, was holding back his full strength, rendering those drills meaningless, and the demon beast had lost half its power.

But the man before him, Roberto, was different.

Although it resembled a spar like with Garcia, Roberto, at present, was formidable enough to casually take Christian’s full strength to the limit.

This fact exhilarated Christian, causing faint waves of mana to seep from his body.

“Am I finally going to see your full strength?”

Aira, who was quietly observing Christian, spoke up.

“I’ve always been at full strength.”

“Liar.”

“It’s not a lie. The opponent just fell before I could give my all.”

“That’s the same thing!”

Aira harbored mixed feelings of anticipation that she might see Christian at full strength and disappointment that he never did so against her.

“…… Okay, run wild as you see fit. I’ll do the same without intruding to help.”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

At Christian’s calm reply, Aira pouted her lips. Christian, quietly observing Aira, spoke indifferently.

“Don’t go against the wind. Just let it flow.”

“Wait, what does that mean?!”

Leaving Aira who didn’t understand his advice behind, Christian unleashed a wave and charged towards Roberto.

Aira, too, rather than standing still and mulling it over, gritted her teeth, deciding to confront it directly, and followed Christian.

‘He must have understood the spatial domination characteristic and yet chooses a frontal battle? Or is he trying to mislead me into thinking that?’

Anticipating some brilliant move, Roberto swung his sword widely, matching the children’s steps.

Huuuung—!

The mana storm, spread wide enough to evoke the northern wind of winter, swept through the training ground. Yet Christian faced the storm head-on.

The storm was irregular, spread over a wide area, leaving no room to evade.

Also, carrying a massive amount of mana, it was an impossible feat to penetrate it with Christian’s level of mana.

“This is….”

Thus, Roberto had no choice but to be startled at the method Christian unveiled.

Amidst the constantly shifting storm, he found the connection point of mana, striking accurately to shatter the central axis.

It was a skill that Roberto judged to be beyond Christian’s displayed ability.

“Extreme Trust?”

Roberto deflected Christian’s straight-lunging sword and was surprised yet again before he could catch his breath.

“Hup!”

Kaang!

“You are not always right.”

Christian’s teachings were always correct, extremely orthodox, and therefore, alien.

Aira, not being Christian, couldn’t completely mimic him. Nor did she desire to.

Without sophisticated skills or exceptional mana sensing, she solely protected herself through body activation and mana barriers to penetrate Roberto’s space.

Though her clothes were torn here and there, and her body bruised in places, Aira trusted in her sturdy body.

She believed in the power of her mana. She believed in her efforts.

“I have my own way!”

Thus, without hesitation, she did what she excelled at.

Aira, not caring about her bodily state, swung her sword desperately, and for a moment, Roberto, overwhelmed by her vigor, reacted a second too late. Christian didn’t miss this opportunity.

‘Impressive, truly impressive.’

If Christian blurred the vision with his swift and unpredictable swordplay, Aira delivered a powerful strike, using the resulting opening, Christian lunged in.

The continuous exchange of their strengths, seamlessly transitioning like the flow of water, evoked the feeling of a single person wielding two swords, rather than two separate individuals.

‘Should I watch a little longer?’

It seemed Roberto, wanting to see where their limits lay, gradually drew out more of his mana.

***

The kitchen of the Worden County had become quite busy for the first time in a long while.

In the family head’s absence, Liana and Neria rarely dined together. Most meals were either with their children or something light and simple.

However, today was different. There was a big family gathering for a meal, so a lot of food had to be prepared, and many dishes required special attention.

Because of this, Beryl, the head chef responsible for the mansion’s meals, felt even more determined.

“Come on, hurry up with the preparations! We can’t afford to be late! If anyone makes mistakes in this rush, I’ll toss you into the pot so you can feel the pain of the ingredients yourself, so stay focused!”

With his face red from the heat of the kitchen, Beryl yelled while puffing his cheeks like a furious boar rather than a head chef.

But today, no one uttered a word in protest, doing their best at their respective tasks.

Beryl was satisfied with the sight of his chefs focused on their cooking, but he kept up his vigilance.

‘I’m sure those out with the subjugation missions only had gruel. I must present the best cuisine that will leave them pleased with the meal today!’

Beryl prepared a special dish that had been passed down through the generations of the Worden County’s head chefs.

With a knife in hand, Beryl deftly sliced the meat on the cutting board into large pieces while keeping a keen eye on supervising the other chefs.

Amidst the focus on cooking, Beryl’s expression darkened at the distinct clicking sound of heels.

‘Who in their right mind wears heels into the kitchen?’

The kitchen floor was particularly slippery, so shoes with heels were forbidden. Even the aides required to wear boots.

Under normal circumstances, Beryl would have logically assumed, ‘It isn’t kitchen staff.’

But with all his attention focused on the kitchen, he didn’t have the luxury for other thoughts.

Hence, Beryl shouted irritably, without a second thought, while continuing his chopping.

“Who on earth dared to come into the kitchen wearing heels… huh?”

Everyone halted at Beryl’s outcry. There was a peculiar stillness. Beryl raised his head and looked around.

At the entrance, Liana and Neria stood, staring blankly at him. Realizing the situation in a split second, Beryl shouted again, as if to convey that nothing happened.

“People can come in! Who causes a commotion over such trivial matters?!”

Liana coughed lightly at Beryl’s attitude and cautiously stepped into the kitchen, Neria following her.

“Ahem. My apologies. It seems I momentarily forgot the kitchen rules. I apologize, chef Beryl.”

“N-n-no need for apologies, first mistress!”

“S-sorry, chef.”

“N-no, second mistress too?!”

Surprisingly, Beryl’s eyes widened not due to the two prominent family figures apologizing but the alarming fact that the nemeses were in the kitchen together.

“Could it be that the two of you came together?!”

“There’s no need for surprise. I glanced around the kitchen; this side seems seldom used. Would it be possible for us to use that space?”

“What? Why would you want to use that corner space…?”

Liana’s request was beyond Beryl’s comprehension. Neria answered his puzzlement with a bright smile.

“We wanted to try making a simple dish each. Since it’s been a while since our husband returned home, it’d be nice for him to have a dish touched by his wives.”

Despite Neria’s cheerful explanation, Beryl’s face was quickly turning pale. Indeed, some truths were perhaps best left unknown.

“Hah, what?! Cooking?! The L-ladies are going to attempt cooking?!”

“…… Why?”

“N-no way! Especially not the second mistress!”

“Why, especially me?”

“Have you forgotten?! Last year on the family head’s birthday, you wanted to create a special gift and ended up burning down half the dining room with a cake!”

“Th-that’s, because Milly made a misstep….”

‘Me?!’

Milly, standing nearby, mouthed silently with a greatly aggrieved expression. Liana, having pieced together the unresolved arson incident from a year ago, glared at Neria.

“…… The culprit was here all along.”

“Ugh! So, is it that Liana just wants to cook? That’s out of the question!”

“Do as you wish. However, do it a hundred meters away from me. And no using fire.”

“Humph! I’ll do it my way.”

The message essentially meant to leave the kitchen, but Neria, predictably, ignored it. She accompanied by Milly, ventured to the opposite of the spot Liana had chosen.

“I apologize on their behalf. Please forgive the discourtesy.”

“It’s alright, great Lady. But, do you truly wish to cook?”

“I do.”

“Forgive me, but have you ever done any cooking?”

“I have read a lot, including one called ‘Continental Traditional Cuisine Collection.’ It was quite intriguing. I have thoroughly prepared for today’s dish.”

“No, I mean actually picking up a knife and cutting vegetables and meat to cook….”

Liana, taking Beryl’s skepticism regarding her skill as a challenge, reached for the spices and seasonings on a wooden shelf, picking one to present.

“Hmph, isn’t this salt? However, it’s unexpectedly sweet.”

“…… It’s sugar.”

Liana, as if nothing had happened, put down the salt container she had picked up and grabbed the sugar next to it.

“Well, preparing a dish myself for my husband, who has returned after a significant outing, could indeed be worthwhile.”

For Beryl, it felt as if the sky was collapsing and the earth was shaking.

Yet, it wasn’t just an illusion. Not far from there, Roberto, Christian, and Aira were clashing in a chaotic storm of waves, exchanging sword strikes.

“M-mistresses! The house is coming down!”