Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

“Did you see that?”

At Liber’s question, Sonya nodded.

“Why are they being so ridiculous?”

However, Liber’s question was directed at Caedwin, not Sonya. Liber looked at Caedwin, ignoring Sonya’s words.

Caedwin was fiddling with a ring on his left finger, his eyes hollow.

“Insane, insane. Those siblings are definitely crazy…”

“Get a grip, Caedwin.”

“I am fine. Please take your hand off my forehead. You don’t need to pull out a potion.”

Seeing Caedwin express his opinion clearly, Liber stepped back. Caedwin sighed toward Liber, who seemed overly worried.

“So, are you feeling better?”

“I feel like every bone in my body is about to break, and the magical devices are constantly weighing me down, so I’m tired, but I’m fine.”

… That’s not fine at all.

Even Sonya, who usually bickered with him, looked at Caedwin with concern.

After a moment’s hesitation, Liber decided that Caedwin was in a state to talk, so he sat next to him. Sonya hesitated on whether to sit next to him.

The two of them sat comfortably on the dirt ground without cushions or chairs, but unlike them, Sonya was wearing an expensive dress and shoes.

Liber smiled as if questioning why Sonya was just standing there. Watching from the side, Caedwin pouted and grumbled at Sonya.

“Why don’t you lay something out? She’s never going to sit down.”

“Ah…”

Realizing his mistake, Liber hurriedly stood up, as if to fetch something to lay on the ground for her.

Just like a servant, when Liber moved to act, Caedwin wrinkled his nose and was about to say something but was preempted by Sonya plopping down beside Liber.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Hm…”

The expensive dress got wrinkled and would be dirtied by the ground. She didn’t look fine at all, though Sonya said she was. The problem was that her cheeks puffed up in dissatisfaction like a balloon.

And she expressed that dissatisfaction by glaring at Caedwin.

Caedwin returned her glare, silently calling her a ‘damn brat’ with his eyes.

Caught between them, Liber blocked their view of each other with his body and spoke to Caedwin.

“Aren’t those kids amazing?”

“It’s not amazing; it’s extreme.”

“That’s why I think it’s more amazing. Normally, people don’t go that far.”

Anyone can speak of their abilities and demonstrate them.

However, few truly align their words with their actions. To reproduce the actions imagined in one’s head requires corresponding skill and strong self-assurance.

The varied uses of body activation embedded in slow movements, along with the delicate and precise distribution and sustainability of waves, were astonishing and terrifying.

“… Do they look fifteen to you?”

“What do I know?”

Caedwin fiddled with the ring on his finger. His tone had changed slightly.

His previously sharp demeanor, filled with complaint and hostility, had turned into awe.

Caedwin had been the one to belittle it, calling it nonsense when he first heard that the two siblings used waves.

In truth, how many could take such rumors seriously?

Realizing the wave at fifteen, that feat was a significant achievement even in the history of the kingdom. And both siblings had realized wave.

“Amazing, right?”

“Ffft, amazing, my foot.”

Liber was smiling. There was admiration and envy in that smile, but no trace of jealousy or any other unsightly emotion.

Caedwin, however, seemed dissatisfied with Liber’s passive demeanor and pouted.

“Aren’t you even a bit envious, elder brother Liber?”

“Envy is a pointless emotion. It’s more realistic to set it as a close and achievable goal to strive towards, don’t you think?”

“Ha. By close goals, you mean I should aim for the family head of Cotra or that far up Sir Lloyd Michael.”

“But your father is both near and far, and Sir Lloyd Michael, is too high up.”

“What a frustrating man.”

Viscount Cotra was undoubtedly an exceptional knight. There was nothing strange about setting him as a target.

However, the gap was currently too large for even catching the hem of his cloak.

And Lloyd Michael was a supreme power currently hailed as ‘the best on the continent.’ He was a god-like presence above the clouds.

A goal should start from somewhere more realistic and nearer. And there was someone quite close by who could serve as that target.

“That ring really won’t come off?”

“It won’t. I’m telling you, it’s a cursed ring. Why on earth would those crazy siblings give me something like this? No, now that I think about it, they’re wearing something like this too. Crazy, they’re out of their minds…”

If they had made only him wear it, there might have been a resolved confrontation. However, both siblings wore magical devices of equal or perhaps superior performance.

Despite that, he vomited, and those siblings were perfectly fine. More than fine; they were always lively and active.

Caedwin growled as if ready to pounce but could not dare to approach. The only thing he could do was grumble from behind.

To this evident behavior of Caedwin, Liber, finding it somewhat interesting, reached out to touch the ring on Caedwin’s finger and spoke.

“Maybe I should ask them to lend me one too.”

“… Are you out of your mind? You know it’s a cursed ring.”

“That’s the thing.”

Rather astonished at the absurdity, Caedwin faced Liber, who only smiled.

“This insane training method you call might be one of the secrets to those kids’ strength, don’t you think?”

“Oh…”

Caedwin’s gaze directed towards the cursed ring on his finger shifted to check the bracelets on the siblings’ wrists.

“Ha, but how… how could this be any kind of secret…”

The pressure exerted on his body doubled his body’s weight.

Running madly like this, no matter how much body activation he performed, it was hard to endure.

Due to that, the mana gathered in the mana reservoir bottomed out, and his body felt like it was being tortured to the point of breaking.

No matter how much he thought about it, it was hard to see this as more than torture.

Liber, perhaps not having experienced hell just yet, watched those siblings with sparkling eyes.

“I think those kids focus more on training their bodies than improving mana sensitivity, or as much as the training for mana sensitivity.”

“Why would they do something so inefficient?”

For Caedwin, it was an obvious question and unresolved mystery.

For those who reached the stage of body activation, it was important to raise mana sensitivity.

The higher the mana sensitivity, the more mana could be gathered in the mana reservoir, resulting in naturally enhanced body activation and strength.

Thus, training the body seemed meaningless, only accompanied by training of the mana sensitivity and swordsmanship.

It was a natural order.

Because by raising mana, one could naturally get a better, stronger body. Body activation was akin to a blessing of mana for knights.

“Why would they do that? I wonder.”

Liber, too, scratched his cheek, finding it difficult to give an immediate answer. After pondering for a while, he gingerly offered a suggestion.

“Could it be that body training is the reason why those two were able to reach such a level at a young age?”

If that’s the case…

“Huh? What is it?”

Feeling pressured by Liber staring at him, Caedwin grumbled nervously.

“No, I just had an interesting idea.”

Those siblings, particularly Christian, shared with Caedwin their unique training method.

For Caedwin, who couldn’t understand such generosity, he considered it torment, but in reality, it was an invaluable favor beyond measure.

‘They didn’t dislike Caedwin at all.’

No, they were probably quite fond of him to have taught Caedwin their training method.

Yet, the question of why still remained.

Considering the bad blood with Aira, that shouldn’t have been possible.

Judging by his demeanor towards Christian, it shouldn’t have been possible.

Even if Caedwin was a loyal servant, such a valuable method wasn’t one to easily share.

‘Can I join too?’

He wanted to learn, acquire, and experience to become stronger. Firm in his resolve, Liber took immediate action.

“Hoo…”

Christian sheathed his sword and took a deep breath to steady his internal state.

Bringing a theoretical sword match into a physical duel was a rather tiring task.

Like wildly swinging a sword all day, it required immense mana and intense concentration.

Because of that, Christian was quite exhausted, with his head throbbing from the mental fatigue.

“Huff, huff. Haah, haah…”

Yet beside him was Aira, who wore a more severe expression, panting heavily. Seeing Aira, Christian felt his headache vanish as he smiled wryly.

“Tsk, tsk, I thought your stamina improved a bit, but you’re already exhausted from this little?”

“Take this off of me! Then I wouldn’t be this tired!”

Aira snapped back when Christian looked at her disdainfully. Pointing at the bracelet with trembling hands, she argued, but Christian gave her no heed.

“Why should I? You take it off yourself.”

Aira, fuming from his dismissive words, laboriously stood, but Christian’s attention had already drifted away.

Following his gaze, Aira turned her head to see Liber looking earnestly at Christian, directly meeting his eyes.

“Um, Christian.”

“Yes?”

Feeling the pressure of Liber’s gaze, Christian involuntarily stepped back. Aira observed them both with interest.

“It might be sudden, but could I ask you a favor?”

“A favor?”

Liber’s gaze dropped from Christian’s neck to his wrists. He pointed at the bracelet and asked,

“Do you have any more of those magical devices you gave to Caedwin?”

“What? Why…”

“Well, I was thinking of running along with it.”

Liber endeavored to maintain a nonchalant smile, but was overwhelmed by Christian’s stare and eventually lowered his head.

Christian thought to himself as he looked at Liber.

… Are you out of your mind.

Though it had slipped from his thoughts, that didn’t stop it from coming out of his mouth.