Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

His breath hitched in his throat.

It had been a long time since he had felt such intensity, and Christian was aching for this sensation.

Even though the passing waves of mana were difficult for his current body to handle, Christian was not intimidated at all. In fact, the familiar waves of mana brought a smile to his face.

“It’s coming…”

As Roberto lifted his wind-whipped sword high, Christian adjusted his posture.

Although the caster was different and the magnitude of the waves varied, the mana’s lingering resonance was very familiar to Christian.

A simple downward strike from above. The wave of mana contained within the strike drew a beautiful arc, scattering a pale green wind.

Wave Secret Technique – High Wind

One of his master’s secret techniques and the Worden family’s unique wave skill.

The wave skill, which shaped the hot and dry wind crossing the gigantic mountains, blew towards Christian and Aira.

Whoosh—!

Following the pale green arc, the light stream of the wave naturally blew. Christian remained composed and concentrated body activation on his eyes.

His vision, heightened to its limits, showed the world moving almost as if it were in slow motion. During that brief moment, Christian’s mind raced.

“There’s no gap. Should I focus on evasion then?”

The High Wind was a wave skill that Christian also used frequently.

Therefore, despite being well aware of its structure and weaknesses, he dared not attempt to counter it. His current body and mana were not robust enough to exploit its weaknesses.

No matter how outstanding Christian’s skills were, they were useless in the face of the overwhelming mana before him.

Such was the extent of the mana capacity Roberto possessed and the power of the wave secret technique, the High Wind, exhibited before him.

“If I don’t handle this correctly, I could get seriously injured.”

Indeed, avoidance was the best strategy. Having concluded his thoughts, Christian retreated slowly, stepping out of the High Wind’s influence zone.

Aira, watching him, chuckled fiercely.

While Christian judged a head-on confrontation to be dangerous, Aira revealed her white teeth and gripped her sword, taking a step forward, seemingly thrilled.

‘Master never retreated easily.’

A being who always moved ahead and led those who followed.

And he had always been by that side. Christian stopped walking, watching Aira’s retreating figure.

“Ha…”

Had he been living too comfortably?

Contrary to the joy he had felt at the prospect of sparring boldly with his father, he felt ashamed of himself for constantly analyzing and calculating in his mind.

“I don’t have to do it alone.”

In truth, in his past life, Christian had rarely fought alone. He always had the best comrades running alongside him.

“Whoaahhhhh!”

As Aira swung her sword with all her might, it countered Roberto’s High Wind. At the same time, Christian poured all the mana he could muster into his sword and swung.

“Whooaahhhh!”

The crossing swords stood firm against the massive wind, not yielding an inch. Aira Worden and Christian. Both then, and now, they were together.

***

“Well done indeed.”

“…”

A cold voice and an icy expression. Roberto, confronted with the chilly aura radiating from her, couldn’t bring himself to speak.

“The first thing you did upon returning home… was it to torment the children?”

“T-To torment? We only had a legitimate spar. The children wanted it, and I enjoyed joining in, so yes, they got a bit bruised, but it wasn’t deliberate…”

Liana averted her gaze from Roberto and glanced sideways. Neria was tending to the children’s wounds there.

“A bit bruised?”

Their hair was disheveled, and they had matching bruised eyes while their training clothes looked ragged for some time. Their exposed skin showed purple hues, indicative of bruises all over their bodies.

Seeing this, Roberto could only lower his head.

“I am sorry.”

“Don’t tell me you wanted to make them so uncomfortable they’d never approach you again?”

“No, it’s not that… my dear, if you’ll let me explain, you might understand why I did it.”

“That’s unnecessary. Even if there is a logical reason, I don’t defend making the children a mess as a parent.”

“…”

Scary, she’s scary.

Christian, observing Liana and Roberto’s exchange, couldn’t find it in himself to take Roberto’s side. Liana’s serious anger was thirty times more frightening.

‘I’d rather get hit a few times than be pierced by words like that…’

He wondered if the family head often stepped out due to such a terrifying wife. Fortunately, the arrows of blame were aimed solely at Roberto.

His body ached all over, yet he took comfort in the lack of any mental distress.

“You two are just the same.”

“…”

“…”

Liana’s scolding towards Roberto seemed to conclude, and her arrows were now directed at Christian and Aira. The two siblings flinched, quietly clinging to Neria.

Instinctively, they realized that Neria was the only person they could trust and rely on in this situation.

“Did you ever hear us nagging about your funny business outside? Or did it seem as though we indulged so much that you thought it was fine to do it at home?”

However, Neria wasn’t thrilled about the situation either. With her face furrowed in lines, she spoke to the two siblings clinging to her.

“We weren’t fooling around. We were training.”

“Training, training. Sure, training is good. But there has to be moderation. I mean… you brought an ogre’s head back and had a massive fight with your father. If you continue to train at home, the mansion might get entirely destroyed.”

“…”

It’s the training field that got wrecked, not the mansion…

Christian wanted to argue, but the sharp look in Neria’s eyes made him hold back.

Though not as much as Liana, Neria was also sufficiently angry, and it wasn’t a situation that could be glossed over with a joke.

Indeed, if the mothers hadn’t intervened in the middle, both the private training ground and the mansion could have been wrecked.

Typically, practicing external wave techniques was supposed to happen in the spacious, exterior training grounds. It was akin to not conducting explosive tests indoors.

Due to this, both mothers united in scolding their husbands and children. They found the children’s risk-laden behavior unacceptable.

“It seems I’ve given you too much freedom in your training methods. Henceforth, hunting under the guise of outside training is prohibited.”

“What?! That, that has no relation to this! Plus, you said you wouldn’t interfere with my training methods at all. This is a clear breach of contract!”

“Sure, contract, good. Then, let’s return to the original agreement and train separately. If that’s what you want, I’ll comply.”

“… What?”

The terms of the deal allowed Christian complete authority over Aira’s training for three months. And so, she had remained largely silent during that time.

But those three months would soon end. In short, concluding the agreement as it stood meant there’d be no need or reason for interference.

‘That won’t do!’

There was still so much to teach! Something I cultivated! Something I’ll continue to cultivate!

“… I apologize.”

History has proven time and again that when children argue with their mothers, it’s to their detriment.

What use is saving the world or possessing a body that withstands myriad attacks when to a mother, you’re just a son who stubbornly ignores her advice?

Even as one’s body grows tougher, the back smack of a mother infallibly hurt.

Seeing Christian’s wary demeanor, Liana curbed herself, deciding to move forward with Roberto instead, glaring at him.

“I will instruct that dinner be reheated. Since it’s been a while since you’ve been home, perhaps you should take some time to relax. Rest is also part of training, hasn’t that been a mantra of yours?”

Her final words were directed not only at Roberto but also subtly at the two younger ones. And whether Roberto wasn’t oblivious to this or not, he sighed softly and nodded.

“I apologize. I suppose in my delight at the children’s growth, I went a bit overboard. I promise to reflect on my actions.”

“Well, let’s be off. It seems it’ll take some time to prepare dinner again.”

“As you wish.”

Offering no resistance, Roberto followed his wives’ steps, suggesting he obliges Liana’s proposal. Once the three of them left, peace finally returned to the room.

Leaning comfortably on the sofa, Christian replayed the sparring session with Roberto in his mind.

“It wasn’t bad.”

Unlike his sparring sessions with Garcia, there were no restrictions with Roberto. Additionally, with no onlookers around, he could focus solely on the duel.

Although he had consistently sparred with Aira, this was tailored to match her level, limiting his exertions. Today was almost the first time he unleashed his full strength.

“Still a long way to go.”

As much as he had known it, facing it directly reminded him that no matter how much he trained his body and mana, it was insufficient in the face of overwhelming power.

“No way, three months is unreasonable. That’s just wishful thinking.”

Roberto had honed his skills with the sword and magic for over 20 years, successfully defeating numerous monsters on the frontlines.

Regardless of the wealth of experience from his past life, it wasn’t something he could fill in a short time. Christian glanced at Aira, sitting next to him with a cheerful grin.

“You seem very satisfied.”

“Yes. It was tough, but it felt much better than doing it with you.”

That’s a bit envious, isn’t it?

Christian was slightly miffed by Aira’s words but understood.

Training with him focused less on pushing limits and more on basics and physical development, resulting in relatively less stimulation.

“Still, finding enjoyment in that is quite impressive.”

Enduring waves relentlessly without any sense of malice.

Expressing joy in a situation where one might typically feel blocked or overwhelmed reflected exceptional mental strength.

‘She really is master, isn’t she?’

Not fearing the enemy nor retreating against their attacks. Aira already possessed the mindset that forms through long experiences in battle.

Merely reassured by that confirmation, Christian found himself satisfied.

“Do you think we can spar with father again tomorrow?”

“Probably?”

Although Aira seemed eager, Christian thought it was fifty-fifty. The likelihood of tomorrow’s spar happening depended greatly on Liana’s mood.

‘If turned down, I should definitely let her know. Practicing at home is actually safer.’

In fact, the list of people who needed to know this included not only both mothers but also Aira.