Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

The exterior of Flamme, shrouded in deep darkness, felt like an entirely different world.

Though a massive wall stood imposingly if one just turned back, the city sky beyond it shone brightly. However, the view in front was different.

Pitch darkness made it difficult to see even an inch ahead. The land claimed by this darkness was territory forbidden to humans—land belonging to monsters.

With each step taken forward, it felt as though one was being consumed by darkness and heading deeper into the monsters’ realm. Yet, there was no sense of fear or tension.

“They haven’t noticed yet.”

The knight, John McCain, thought as he observed the monsters stationed at quite a distance ahead.

“Sleeping ones: twelve. Awakened ones: ten. A total of twenty-two, then? No reinforcements.”

He had confirmed at the outer wall, and upon exiting the east gate, verified again that nothing had changed. If anything, it was the distance between themselves and the monsters, which was growing shorter.

“Twenty-two medium-sized monsters. Any more delays could indeed be dangerous.”

Assigned to the east gate were four in total: three knights and one mage from the Logia Magic Tower branch. These four people needed to defeat the twenty-two medium-sized monsters.

However, neither John McCain nor the others felt nervous. On the contrary, they were confident the operation would succeed.

In the case where the enemy numbered more than twenty, the plan shifted to annihilation, agreeing in advance to eliminate them as quickly as possible.

With no need to worry about the monsters’ hides or bones being damaged, they could fight to their heart’s content. In fact, quite a few knights had hoped for more than twenty monsters to gather in one place so they could let loose.

Thus, they moved silently, reaching close to the monsters before pausing.

『Handle it as quickly as possible. I’ll take the right. Sir Krian will take the left. Sir Huk, stay and guard Jay.』

John McCain issued instructions through sound transmission. Those who received his orders nodded slightly, and the operation began.

『Jay, start when ready.』

The mage always fired the opening salvo. At John McCain’s signal, Jay gathered their mana.

“As expected of the Logia Magic Tower, your mana concealment is exceptional.”

When mana congregates, those with excellent mana sensitivity recognize it instantly.

However, the Logia Magic Tower was established by mages who sought to deceive others.

As mages who devoted their entire lives to hiding everything about themselves and deceiving the eyes of others, they had concealed themselves so perfectly that even John, who was right beside them, could not detect them.

『I’ll begin now.』

As soon as Jay finished speaking, John McCain and Krian adjusted their stances.

Boom-boom-boom.

Large boulders and stones surrounding them began to lift. Despite attempts to minimize sound, due to the sheer volume, not all noise could be contained.

As if they sensed something amiss, a werewolf perked up its ears, sniffing the air. An owlbear growled, cautiously scanning the surroundings.

Before the other monsters, sensing something unusual, could act, enormous boulders and stones enhanced with mana rained down like a storm.

Crash!

Screeeech! Bark! Growl!

Several monsters, seemingly awakened from sleep and attempting to rise, were crushed under the large boulders, unable even to scream.

The other monsters suffered varying degrees of injury from the rocks that pelted down on them from above.

“Haaap!”

In the chaos, John McCain and Krian charged from opposite sides, swinging their swords.

The intense mana waves emanating from their swords added cutting power to their sharp blades, and their activated bodies exhibited agility and destructive power far beyond mere monsters.

Swish!

Screeeeech!

John McCain and Krian’s swords sliced through the monsters’ bodies with every swing. The creatures, like sheep facing a wolf, appeared more eager to flee than to retaliate.

‘I should have held back a bit more.’

John McCain, having cleaved an owlbear in half with ease, felt a slight disappointment at the too simple and weak battle.

Had they processed the bisected owlbear fully, its hide, claws, and gallbladder would have been precious assets, fetchable at a high price.

However, John McCain, prioritizing safety for this operation, readjusted his grip on his sword and bifurcated the owlbear charging at him once again.

Realizing that the only living beings in the operation were themselves, John McCain shook off the blood from his sword before sheathing it once more.

“Sir Krian, are you hurt?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Sir Jay and Sir Huk, are you two alright… huh?”

Yet, Jay and Huk couldn’t answer. Instead, they lay on the ground, pale-faced, their mouths opening and closing without sound.

“What on earth is!”

“Kreugh?!”

“Sir Krian?!”

As John McCain and Krian rushed towards them, krian suddenly clutched his shoulder and collapsed. At that moment, sensing something, John McCain unsheathed his sword and swung it.

“Guh?!”

Clang—

Instinctively drawing upon the wave, he parried the unseen attack, though the jolt nearly made him drop his weapon.

The throbbing pain in his hand left cold sweat beading across John McCain’s face.

“What in the world… huh?!”

As he steadied his grip on the sword, gathering mana, John McCain staggered and fell to one knee.

The mana that had been coursing through his body and filling his mana reservoir vanished in an instant, leaving him in shock.

“This, this is…”

A mysterious object embedded in his thigh glowed faintly.

‘A feather?’

A crimson feather. Realizing that his mana had been completely siphoned through it, he was astounded.

Whistle— Whistle—

‘What in the world is this.’

Though John McCain’s vision was blurring, he forced himself to look in the direction of the sound.

He used the last of his mana to enhance his vision, and in the moonlit sky, he saw enormous wings leisurely drifting and blocking the light.

He had no idea when it had been watching from above, failing to detect it over their heads.

Whistle— Whistle—

The whistling sound grew distant. Confirming the direction of its departure, John McCain’s expression twisted in despair.

‘Could it be heading…’

The massive wings flapped as they soared towards Flamme’s southern gate.

***

“Arghhhhh!”

The mana reservoir nestled at her heart pumped wildly, sending mana coursing through her entire body.

The mana that had been circulating throughout her body soon concentrated in Aira’s arm, attempting to travel from her hand to the sword but failing repeatedly.

Yet, faced with the brink of death, Aira’s mind urged her body to surpass its limits.

Finally, Aira’s mana broke free from her body and transferred into the sword. The mana that enveloped the sword sharpened and honed it further.

Bam!

The mana consolidated in the sword exploded outwards, bursting the head of the owlbear.

Thud!

The massive body of the owlbear toppled backward, with Aira’s body collapsing on top of it. The beast’s rank odor assaulted her nose, but it was a small price to pay for survival.

“Haha. I did it.”

Despite having no strength left to lift her overtaxed body, Aira breathed heavily, a smile on her lips.

“Wa… wave?!”

Garcia, who had been intently monitoring Aira even while felling the monster, froze in genuine surprise. Fortunately, no monsters were left to threaten him.

“When did Miss Aira…?”

It was indeed a wave. Though weak, the mana pattern Aira demonstrated was unmistakably a wave.

Melissa, who had been assisting Garcia, also seemed to have sensed Aira’s wave, her expression turning rigid.

Even though the wave was a basic technique, it typically took at least a year, and sometimes up to three years, to master.

That’s roughly the average time required to understand, internalize, and render mana one’s own.

‘And yet she succeeded in body activation and wielding a wave in just a month?’

It was this astonishing feat that left Melissa and Garcia shocked. Aira had been unable to use mana at all until just a month ago, and now here she was, completely transformed.

She had changed so much it was as though she were a different person.

Constructing a mana reservoir and achieving body activation was perhaps plausible, considering the amount of gold Liana had poured in, it might even seem slightly belated.

‘What on earth did Young master Christian do?’

Melissa herself had taken a year and a half to fully grasp a wave, making Aira’s talent all the more remarkable.

And the extraordinary capability of Christian, who had taught her, was equally impressive.

‘Perhaps she concealed her abilities even during the duel with Sir Garcia.’

Now, with Aira utilizing a wave and surpassing body activation, Liana would be quick to act, ensuring Aira was no longer overshadowed by Christian’s aura.

‘Maybe he’s drawing up a grand scheme to overpower Miss Liana and Miss Aira at once?’

The leader of a family wasn’t solely someone with superior martial prowess.

Christian’s talent was significant, but compared to Aira’s maternal family and Liana’s political acumen, it seemed modest.

However, if there were a way to overturn all that at once?

Melissa felt as though a halo radiated behind her young lady, Aira.

“Hah. Did you see, Melissa?”

Sir Garcia approached Melissa, his face sporting a smug grin as he seemed to revel in the moment.

“Yes, indeed she is truly remarkable.”

“She is the one who will lead the Worden family in the future. Look at her; she mastered the wave in just a month!”

“… It was our young master Christian who taught her. If we are speaking of talent, it would naturally imply that Young master Christian is indeed more outstanding, would it not?”

“Ahem, nonsense. Miss Aira was already poised to break out of her shell. I mean, how much could young master have possibly taught her? A person should have some conscience.”

“C-on-science? The reason Miss Aira managed to learn the wave within a month, after repeatedly being corrected by young master, was thanks to his generosity. And is there anyone in our family who understands the greatness of Young master Christian better than Sir Garcia?”

Melissa shot a sidelong glance at Sir Garcia, slipping a verbal dagger into his side. It seemed to hit the mark, as Sir Garcia’s face flushed bright red.