episode_0077

Raymond Astrea, my master, the training with him was so intense that it made me want to give up several times a day.

To keep up, I had to invest all my free time in personal training, excluding the time spent training with my master.

Even Claire and the others who visited with me only had time to see each other during meal times.

Claire worried about me, saying I seemed to be losing weight.

“Still, all of this isn’t meaningless.”

With just this fact in mind, I can gather my thoughts and stand up every time I feel like quitting several times a day.

At first, I thought his swinging of the sword was more like a playful gesture, but as he continued to swing the sword relentlessly, I ended up with more wounds on my body, leading to more visits to the infirmary.

I couldn’t even properly check the sword and, in trying to dodge with big movements, I got injured by additional attacks and even collapsed. However, as time passed, I could feel myself changing little by little.

“I can understand. I can follow.”

As my eyes and body gradually became accustomed to my master’s attacks, there were more instances where I could react instantly and deal with them stably or block them with my sword.

I also broke down and understood swordsmanship in my head, anticipating how my master would swing the sword.

Although the Astrea family probably has many swords, it was still puzzling why I could only use my broken sword.

[Successfully interpreted and dodged part of the incomplete Rising Swordsmanship.]

[Understanding of swordsmanship increases.]

[Swordsmanship Lv.24 > Lv.25]

Of course, the continuous increase in swordsmanship skill level during my master’s training must have had an impact.

As my body gradually recovered, I continued practicing the Ora usage that my master mentioned before, but I still hadn’t succeeded.

First, I thought it was essential to fully grasp the flow of mana and Ora within my body, but I faced obstacles even with this.

I tried to fully grasp this flow and then delicately adjust the Ora after memorizing it, attempting to operate both Ora and mana simultaneously as my master suggested, but I overlooked one fact.

The human body is never consistently fixed.

Some days, the flow changed slightly, while on others, it changed significantly.

“Considering even the momentary changes, protecting the inside of the body without proper operational ability is impractical and, above all, lacks practicality.”

Even if I succeed in enveloping, it will take considerable time to grasp and execute it in practice.

Whether I wanted to realize it myself or judged that my body was not fully healed, I don’t know, but since then, my master provided no further advice on this matter, solely guiding me through swordplay duels and physical training.

One notable point, perhaps, was when he mentioned during breaks that those with strength must know and think about many things to use it in the right way?

“What are you thinking about during the duel! In actual combat, making mistakes that could cost your life wouldn’t be surprising. If you’re a knight, you should never let your guard down against any enemy at any moment.”

Was I too engrossed? I was hit by my master’s kick and flew, crashing into the wall.

“I’m sorry.”

I said that, but I couldn’t help the smile creeping onto my face.

Though my master still watched over me, enduring and taking hits while thinking about other things during our duels showed how much I had grown.

Naturally, I slipped away from the wall, brushing off the dust and debris on my body in preparation for the impending attack. However, upon seeing me in that state, it was my stern master who stood before me.

“Today’s training ends here. Reflect on what you’ve learned, complete your physical conditioning, finish with stretching, and then take some personal time.”

Until now, I had been too absorbed in following my master’s training to entertain other thoughts, but now that some questions had formed in my mind, I stopped my departing master.

“I have something to ask regarding Ouro, Master.”

“If you seek advice related to what you previously used, I decline. I clearly stated that until your body fully recovers, focus solely on mastering Ouro itself.”

Although my master seemed angered, thinking I was training in both Ouro and magic simultaneously, today’s purpose was different.

“That’s not it. Since your words, I haven’t directly trained in that regard. I simply have questions about handling Ouro itself.”

“In that case, proceed.”

With my master’s approval, I composed my words and slowly began speaking.

“You are aware that I am studying in the School of Magic. I have been advised that since I have yet to master magic, perhaps focusing on Ouro instead might yield similar results, even if I cannot use Ouro for magic.”

During special education with Iris, she had always commented on my dismal talent in magic-related matters.

“I have also heard about the utilization of Ouro. There are individuals who have reached levels far beyond simply manipulating Ouro blades or armor. For instance, succeeding in manifesting Ouro in the air or wielding Ouro to produce effects surpassing magic.”

I had heard of individuals attempting seemingly absurd feats, challenging things that even I found incredulous. Perhaps my master would be familiar with them.

“Do you have any insights on this, Master?”

After pondering my question for a moment, my master closed their eyes and responded.

“It is not impossible. It is a fact that such individuals have existed historically and achieved some level of success. It cannot be guaranteed that there are no individuals in the Empire currently attempting such feats.”

Subsequently, just as during our initial training, my master pushed me back and, placing their hands on the earthen floor, triggered an explosion.

However, this time, the explosion seemed significantly weaker than the previous one, despite containing a similar amount of Ouro.

“As you can see now, it is not impossible to produce effects exceeding those of magic using Ouro. If you contain Ouro strongly enough, you can generate ample power. However, I find this method excessively inefficient compared to utilizing Ouro and magic concurrently, so I have abandoned this approach.”

‘Indeed, even my master finds it impossible to extract sufficient power efficiently using pure Ouro alone.’

While I considered it inefficient, using magic straightforwardly would likely be more effective than converting magical power into Ouro.

“However, manifesting Ouro in the air is not the answer. At the moment, there are roughly two methods that come to mind.”

My master continued to emit Ouro from their entire body, filling almost the entirety of the training grounds with it.

Throughout my time at the mansion or in training, I had never seen my master sweat or struggle, but now they poured out sweat, concentrating intently.

When my master finally opened their eyes, an Ouro blade was aimed at me from behind.

“If you’re Yukal, you probably know what I just did. The first step is to spread your aura around you like mist, making the external environment nearly indistinguishable from your internal world, using this as a basis to manifest the Aura Blade.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off the scene before me.

Although the preliminary work took a while, the master succeeded in projecting the Aura Blade from outside the body based on the aura he had unfolded.

“I haven’t practiced extensively in this area myself, so it may seem daunting, but it’s by no means an easy process. Interfering with and controlling the external environment is more advantageous for a mage and closer to their perspective. For a knight, the primary task is to have complete control over one’s own body.”

I understood that it wasn’t an easy task if the master was struggling so much.

However, as I continued to practice the emission and control of aura, along with long-range projection, I began to think that it might be possible to use it effectively in practical situations.

My intuition tells me that this is not the end.

“The second step is to make the inside of your body similar to the ambient magical energy in the vicinity. Never attempt or even consider this. It won’t simply result in bodily harm.”

“Perhaps the accumulation of mana differs between knights and mages.”

While I can’t grasp it immediately, I feel it’s too early to give up.

Since Iris mentioned that there isn’t a significant difference between how knights and mages fundamentally handle mana.

I should start by training to handle both aura and mana simultaneously and then releasing the aura to gain control over the external environment.

“Thank you. It was a great help.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard. If you get injured, I’ll stop teaching you while you stay at the mansion.”

It seems the master has somewhat figured out why I asked the question and what I intend to do.

Considering the way he’s speaking.

“If I may ask one more thing since I’ve already made a request? I would like to train with Lady Rachel as well in future sessions if possible.”

“If that’s your request, feel free to ask.”

He seems quite pleased about something; perhaps it’s just his mood?

I made this suggestion to enhance Rachel’s abilities for the next scenario, assuming the master’s daughter would naturally approve, but the atmosphere seems unexpectedly positive.

“At least he said I could make any related requests. That’s a relief.”

“In that case, I’d also like for Victor, a student who visited the mansion with me, to participate in the training.”

“…Do as you wish.”

When I suggested that Victor join the training, he seemed rather displeased with the idea.

“I hope things go well for Victor in the future, whatever his relationship with the master might be.”