Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

In the past, despite continuously calling out and knocking, the door of the Arsenal had not responded, but it swung wide open as if to save my life.

At that moment, the mana of the Ether Weapon, which would destroy my body, and the impurities that aimed to consume it clashed against each other.

When the door swung open, the first to rush out like a beast was the rough Ether Weapon, “Wolf of the Dark Night”.

Even though the distinction of being a mercenary had practically disappeared with the ongoing war against the dragonkin, this was the Ether Weapon of Nemea Robran, who called himself a mercenary and asked to be known as the Mercenary King.

“I knew you’d be the first to come out, you lousy mutt.”

Among the Ether Weapons that Christian possessed, this one had the strongest sense of self, even retaining the will of the monster it was made from, rendering it practically a magical creature.

“Whether the owner resembles the Ether Weapon or the Ether Weapon resembles the owner, I don’t know, but its keen nose was a huge help…”

This unique Ether Weapon could operate independently.

Especially its ability to traverse shadows made it specialized for reconnaissance and assassination.

Because of this, when he was with Nemea Robran, he didn’t have to worry about those tasks at all, which was very convenient.

However, thinking back on the effort it took to subdue this self-aware Ether Weapon after inheriting it from Nemea Robran still made him shiver.

So much so that he had to seek help from his master when nothing else worked.

“… After getting beaten by my master and also by me, it finally learned its place.”

Thereafter, whenever I released “Wolf of the Dark Night”, it showed its belly and wagged its tail in front of me and my master, looking utterly adorable.

“Come on, give it your all, you rascal.”

Even “Wolf of the Dark Night” was quickly captured and devoured by the impurities.

The sight of an Ether Weapon being consumed was utterly shocking, but it was a matter of necessity.

If one intended to crudely treat the illness, they could use the mana of the Ether Weapon to incinerate the impurities and evaporate them…

“But I’d die that way. I’d die. And then it’s all for nothing.”

Moreover, this was not just about treatment, but about filtering out the pure mana within the impurities to make it one’s own.

The situation hinged on whether one could overcome this process and reap the results.

“Oh, really. How many dragonkin bones did I toss to you, and how much dragon meat did I give you as a special treat?”

Seeing “Wolf of the Dark Night” gradually lose its form and disappear saddened even Christian.

Among the many Ether Weapons, it was the only one he could truly communicate with, and it was the closest to him.

“Sorry.”

Watching a loyal companion vanish without being able to fully utilize its power felt like watching a pet suffer due to being unlucky enough to have an incapable owner.

“But Nemea will be waiting for you, so don’t feel too lonely.”

Huh? Not there, you say?

… Indeed.

Just wait for another half-century.

I’ll send it up to you.

It seemed like there was an angry dog barking somewhere, but let’s just ignore that.

As the “Wolf of the Dark Night” was devoured, another Ether Weapon immediately sprang out and attacked the impurities.

“The Cage of Kayan. Wings of Zephyris. Oh dear, even the Verdant Land…”

Every time an Ether Weapon entrusted to me by my companions was consumed by impurities, it was heart-wrenching.

Was it because of the waste? Of course, but it also felt like all the bonds shared with Christian and Aira Worden were disappearing.

“This damn thing, eat all you want. Stuff yourself silly. But in return…”

The impurities that had rapidly consumed four Ether Weapons slowed down as the fifth Ether Weapon approached.

Realizing this, Christian knew the time had come to start, and he focused his mind.

“You will vanish from my body today.”

In a way, the impurities were nothing but lumps of mana.

The problem, however, was that they were more of a harmful growth than helpful, intent on destroying the host’s body while endlessly craving energy.

“If I don’t remove it, I’ll break.”

Such growths must be removed, or the body couldn’t withstand it.

“Discard what’s valuable and discard what’s not.”

Previously, my master had used her mana to gradually remove these malignant growth-like impurities, akin to how a priest or healer would treat an illness.

But now, my master was no longer here. This was a task I had to achieve on my own.

And then…

‘Take it apart bit by bit. Detach, detach and… expel.’

The mana impurities voraciously consumed the Ether Weapon and grew in size. Then, they used the ‘pure mana’ expelled due to their inability to digest the Ether Weapon.

He utilized the mana of the Ether Weapon entrusted to him, the power of a bond, to overcome the crisis once again.

‘Even in life and after death, I continue to receive help. Truly…’

Life seemed to be just about receiving help, after all.

In reality, he had not done anything in return.

‘If I survive, I will surely do something in return this time.’

Bonds. And companions.

When he thought of them, it felt like strength surged within him, bringing a smile to his face.

‘I will do it. I will survive for sure and repay them.’

All that they had done for him…

Christian, having steeled his resolve, subtly nudged the pure mana expelled by the impurities consuming the Ether Weapon.

The mana seemed to comply smoothly with Christian’s will, seemingly annoyed by being pushed by the impurities.

‘Carefully sever and gently move it…’

Due to the enlarged mana impurities, Christian’s body swelled like a balloon.

He worked calmly, not allowing himself to become impatient, despite being in a situation where his body could explode if handled wrong, maintaining his composure, and proceeded slowly in sequence.

‘The more excited, the earlier you die.’

He transferred the severed mana impurities and expelled them outside.

First, through the mouth.

“Ulp!”

He expelled the mana impurities pulled up from his stomach through his mouth, along with the ones densely settled around his intestines.

‘Those that couldn’t reach around the heart…’

Unlike the vigorously active ones, other segments, having been pushed aside, followed out weakly.

“Whew, whew. Ah, I’ve dirtied the bed sheets.”

Gently, step by step, he detached and expelled the mana impurities through his mouth and sweat pores.

His clothes became soaking wet, so much so that it was hard to tell whether it was sweat or impurities covering his body.

But the situation was too urgent to worry about such discomfort.

‘Grit, how long is this going to keep eating!’

Like an endless tug-of-war, the impurities grew larger with each feeding, and he had to continually separate them.

Initially, the pure mana expelled by the things he had consumed was greatly helpful, but as it increased, it became rather burdensome on his body.

Although the absolute mana capacity had decreased, the pure mana was small, solid, and also heavy.

‘With this body, still…’

The pure, small, solid mana sought by his master.

It was this that was closest, yet the problem was that his body was still not equipped to accept it.

Having set aside his regrets, he managed to swallow the ninth Ether Weapon.

However, right afterward, the movement stopped.

Even the tenth Ether Weapon did not attract the mana impurities.

Like it had nothing to do with it, it merely displayed a majestic stance quietly observing.

‘Or maybe it doesn’t recognize it as food?’

The tenth Ether Weapon—Latima’s Chalice.

It had descended through generations within the Latima Order.

In a sense, it could be considered a holy relic rather than an Ether Weapon.

Thus, the impurities were still debating whether it was consumable or not, or perhaps…

‘Limit?’

Maybe they had reached the end of consuming until their belly burst.

‘This is my chance!’

Focusing solely on eating, without accurately grasping how much of their own body was severed, he seized the remaining impurities with the residual mana of the Ether Weapon.

If he could still consume more, even this mana would be devoured. It was akin to gambling, but Christian had reached his limit and had no choice but to take a chance.

“I won’t eat it. No, I can’t eat it.”

The impure mana tightly binding him couldn’t make it into his mouth at all. However, he didn’t know when he would digest and regain activity again, so this was his first and last chance.

“I will pull it all out as it is!”

It was a mass incomparable to the impurities that he had previously cut and discharged. If he hadn’t pre-cut and reduced the size, it would have been impossible to handle. But not now.

There were remnants of the mana from nine volumes of Ether Weapons, pure mana, while the impurities were nothing but immovable lumps.

“Cut them out and!”

The residual mana from the “Wolf of the Dark Night” gnawed and chopped at the impurities. In line with that, the residual mana of the other Ether Weapons pulled and transported the chopped impurities.

“Ugh!”

Even after chopping it up, its size was in a different dimension than before. Moreover, the pain felt when expelling that mass from within was beyond imagination.

As it passed through, blood vessels, intestines were torn and split, piercing through his pores. Not just impurities but other things dragged along tore and burst out together.

“Damn, was it this extreme?!”

Even at ten years old, when he had done this with the help of his master and her friend, the pain hadn’t been like this.

Sure, they had poured potions enough to bathe in, but no blood vessels tore or intestines got ripped out. But now it was different.

At the age of fifteen. And with no one’s help. He was doing it solely with his strength and the power of the Ether Weapons. Because of that, he realized something he had overlooked.

“The mana of the Ether Weapons is also one of the reasons my body is getting ruined, isn’t it…?”

As shards of impurities slowly discharged from his body, it was becoming a complete wreck. Plus, the mana from the Ether Weapons, free after the impurities vanished, became another cause of Christian’s body ruin.

“I’m going crazy!”

Master. Your disciple seems to be leaving like this again. Still, for the brief time we became a family, I was truly happy…

“Shut up! You give up after your body is in shambles!”

“But, hey, my body really is breaking apart here.”

His body shuddered at the master’s murderous voice heard from somewhere. Though his body felt as if it was in tatters, the pain made it hard to breathe, yet somehow his master’s voice struck deeper.

No, he feared that if he complained of pain, she might just show him what real pain was.

“Don’t forget, Christian. Don’t be swayed by tools. Don’t be consumed by tools. In any situation, you must be able to handle the tools. Remember what I taught you.”

“Master…”

The image of his master appeared before his eyes, changing. That vibrant and lively master, who spent more than half of their life together.

The master he met just a few days ago, childish yet casting shadows beyond their years.

And…

“You are…?”

The images of the two masters disappeared, and a faintly gleaming silver goblet appeared.

Unadorned, but adorned with softly glowing pink blossoms on its surface—the tenth Ether Weapon. Latima’s Chalice gazed at Christian.