Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

The grand road connecting the Rangar region to the kingdom’s mainland had become so stabilized that it was nearly impossible to find monsters there, serving as a monument to the success of pioneer efforts.

For the travelers and merchants frequenting the road, monster attacks were no longer a concern, but that didn’t mean they were entirely safe from all threats.

Particularly when camping out with a small group, as they were now, constant vigilance was required, and thus Liber never neglected to survey the geography and surroundings closely.

“Alright. That should do it.”

He positioned the carriage with its back against the direction from which they had traveled, shielding it as much as possible with makeshift barriers.

The tents used for camping were designed to obscure the light and were chosen in a dark color suitable for concealment.

Additionally, they installed magical devices that would emit loud noises and bright lights if someone approached, outside of the light’s reach.

The people of the Rangar region, accustomed to frequent monster exterminations, were well-versed in long-term camping, with even non-knights or soldiers being trained in camping.

Their gear included easily assembled tents, blankets to ensure warmth, and portable beds to avoid the cold seeping up from the ground.

Survival was a serious matter, and the Rangar people were sensitive about the quality of their sleep.

After completing the final checks, Liber walked away with a satisfied expression.

When he knocked on the carriage, Sonya opened the window slightly, showing only her sulky face.

“Sonya. It’s time to come out and eat.”

“I’ll eat here.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to eat together?”

“You could just eat with me here, elder brother.”

“Uh, that’s a bit…”

Liber looked troubled, and seeing this, Sonya puffed up her cheeks even more.

“That’s unfair! The carriage was shaking a lot, I feel sick, and my hips hurt. Yet, elder brother can’t even do me the favor of eating together?”

“I’m sorry. The others got ahead too fast, and I was trying not to lose them, so I couldn’t take care of you.”

“Why are those siblings so strange? They’re really weird.”

Sonya glanced at where the bonfire was set up, and Liber followed her gaze with a wry smile.

“It’s not so much that they’re strange…”

Gently opening the carriage door, Liber held out his hand to Sonya, who, after a moment’s hesitation and a pout, took his hand and stepped out.

Though her stomach felt queasy, she was hungry.

And she couldn’t reject Liber’s invitation when he extended his hand so kindly.

The two of them walked slowly toward the bonfire while holding hands. Watching the three people around the fire, Liber whispered.

“They’re just a bit unique.”

By the campfire, in the dim light, the brother and sister were exchanging swords.

“Yeah, they’re unique. And…”

Liber was simply impressed as he watched the siblings.

He hadn’t been amazed when he saw Aira knock out Caedwin with a single blow and her trained physique.

“They’re impressive kids.”

However, the siblings’ movements as they exchanged swords were overwhelming to such an extent that any knight wielding a sword would find it impressive.

“Really? That?”

But to the young and inexperienced Sonya, it was simply puzzling.

“To me, it looks really slow… like a play.”

Like a theatrical performance, Christian and Aira’s movements were exaggeratedly slow.

To the untrained eye, it seemed more like playing around, but to Liber, their attacks were as sharp and intimidating as any real fight.

Caedwin, sensing this to some extent, was watching their performance with an open mouth, and Liber, too, was engrossed in studying their movements.

***

“Whoo!”

Christian’s slow sword swing looked comical. Yet, he was utterly serious and more focused than ever.

The sword’s tip was unwavering like a painting, with all the mana Christian could muster concentrated in it.

It could pierce rock like cheese, and releasing all this mana would pulverize it to dust.

But the attack was too slow. Even a child who couldn’t walk could crawl to evade Christian’s highly controlled movements.

“Ugh…!”

Facing the slow sword, Aira nervously observed the blade approaching her. The sword’s tip was precisely aiming for Aira’s neck.

Simply stepping sideways or taking a step back could easily evade it—if not for Christian being known for his speed attacks, this would be an incredibly slow attack.

“Damn…!”

But Aira couldn’t perform even these simple actions, as if wading through water. Eventually, realizing her limits, Aira exclaimed, surrendering hastily with her hands up.

“I give up! I lost!”

“Hoo!”

Christian’s sword halted just before reaching Aira’s neck at her outcry. He retracted the blade, exhaling deeply.

Aira, too, caught her breath, before exclaiming in frustration.

“Again! Again!”

“As much as you want.”

Christian smirked, which only made Aira’s face twist even more. Despite her reaction, Christian remained unaffected.

“Since I won this time, you start.”

“Tch…”

Aira grumbled but then regained her composure and fell into deep thought. Her contemplation was brief. After gathering her thoughts, Aira glared at Christian and announced.

“Full body activation at 100%.”

“You’re starting at full power again?”

“I’ll stab at your upper left shoulder with a force of 30. You will react for a brief moment; that’s the feint. In that instant, I’ll withdraw the sword and strike your thigh with a left kick packed with a force of 50.”

Christian nodded, pondering over Aira’s words.

“Using full body activation with feints to throw me off-balance and bind my feet? Not bad. Halfway success.”

“… Halfway?”

“Now it’s my turn.”

“…”

Christian’s eyes gleamed, and Aira swallowed nervously.

“When your kick hits my thigh, I’ll generate a wave with a force of 30 to counter your kick. The impact will be 8 for you, 2 for me.”

“What?! You think I’ll hurt more from my own full-force kick?!”

“I’m not finished. You’ll stagger back from the unexpected shock, but you’ll quickly regain your stance. But I’ll throw a punch towards your ear, unleashing a wave with a force of 10.”

“…”

“But that’s enough. Along with the shock to your thigh, it’ll be dizzying, shaking your brain. And at that moment, I’ll cut your neck. Without any special techniques, just full body activation and brute strength, slice in one go.”

Christian mimicked cutting his throat with his hand, making Aira’s face turn fiercely.

“You, you madman!”

“Should we test it out? Get ready.”

“Why are you always targeting my neck! Just wait, this time I’m going to cut your neck instead!”

“I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard that.”

“Ugh…!”

Aira bit her lip in frustration.

She took deep breaths, calming her mind and soul, drawing mana from the mana reservoir in her heart, spreading it throughout her body.

Aira had become proficient at full body activation, with many of her previous drawbacks improved.

“…”

“…”

There was silence between them. Only their movements existed.

Aira slowly utilized the strength from the full body activation to stab towards Christian’s shoulder.

Her sword contained 30% of her output; it was a force strong enough to bend even a steel shield.

Loaded with formidable mana, the sword slowly aimed at Christian’s shoulder. Though the movement was slow and sluggish, it was clean and without extraneous motion.

It was a form of image training, a theory-spar.

However, their theory-spar differed slightly.

While traditional theory-spar proposed possible scenarios, the siblings actually brought those envisioned techniques into reality to check their actual impact.

What would happen in this scenario, and is this method optimal for such a situation?

Experiencing it firsthand would provide them with flexibility and adaptability in various situations.

Moreover, making their movements extremely slow increased the strain on their bodies, aiding in precise mana control and enhancing stamina.

As a result, even a short spar posed a significant mental and physical strain, more than any other sparring session.

Aira’s body soon became soaked with the exertion placed upon it.

Nevertheless, without stopping, Aira’s sword moved gradually towards Christian’s shoulder as initially targeted.

Christian briefly reacted to the sword, and with Aira slowly withdrawing her blade, she lifted her foot as planned to deliver a wave-filled kick towards Christian’s thigh.

Bwoong—

“…?!”

Though it was unclear how, a wave generated from Christian’s thigh pushed Aira’s foot away.

The strike connected properly, yet the wave felt different. It was not a powerful explosive wave but rather reminiscent of hitting a thick blanket.

‘What is this?!’

A soft and fluffy wave. Additionally, the foot was pained by the wave pushing it back.

It felt like some mad trick.

Aira, who thought she wouldn’t be any more surprised, found her body honestly staggered according to their predetermined movement’s pace.

And…

“Should we continue?”

“Truly, you’re something else…”

With just the intent of reaching out, the theory-spar’s winner was already decided.

Christian withdrew his hand with a spinning smile, commenting.

“Don’t only consider direct strikes. Living bodies have more weak spots than one might think. Just disrupting hearing can completely incapacitate an opponent.”

“So it’s about using waves more diversely than I’ve been, right? I thought I was doing alright…”

“Don’t just use brute force. The strength of waves lies in creating various methods to adapt to any situation.”

While Christian was showcasing those various methods through their theory-spar, Aira found it all too mind-boggling.

Only recently having started managing waves, Aira viewed Christian’s demonstrated applications as eccentric rather than fundamental.

“Anyway, it’s good to see you consistently improve your wave control. You’re much better than last time.”

“Your compliments aren’t appreciated at all.”

Unappreciative, yet the edges of her mouth curled involuntarily.

Christian noticed Aira’s contradicting behavior with a smile and casually shifted his gaze to Caedwin, who sat blankly gazing into the void.

“Would you like to learn?”

“…”

Caedwin, startled by Christian’s unexpected offer, almost nodded but then hurriedly shook his head.

‘Those siblings are crazy.’

Amidst the insane siblings, one despised him, and the other held excessive interest in him.

These were siblings who, with smiling faces, might have suggested getting used to waves by getting repeatedly hit with them.

‘The Worden family even excels in grudges…!’

If there were a hell, he thought, this must be it.

TL’s Corner:
Christian is planning to make Caedwin a bit more usable.