Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

“Are you still at it?”

Liber let out a small sigh as he watched Caedwin crouched in a corner of the room.

It was pitiful to see him earnestly trying to cut the ring off his finger with a tiny saw, the origin of which was unknown.

However, Caedwin expressed strong dissatisfaction at Liber’s words.

“I can’t keep participating in this crazy stuff anymore.”

“Weren’t you the one who started it?”

“I was duped! If that crazy brother and sister had explained properly, why would I wear this and do something crazy?”

“Crazy… indeed.”

Certainly, the training method seemed crazy enough for anyone to feel so.

“But it won’t get cut by doing that.”

“If I keep at it little by little, I’ll eventually cut it off. Once I finish with mine, I’ll do yours too, so just wait.”

“No, it’s not that…”

Even though Caedwin was more focused than ever, it was clear the saw wasn’t working. He hadn’t given up, but Liber wanted to inform him that the idea itself was pointless.

“Magical devices are made from metals specially refined through alchemy.”

“What? Really?”

Caedwin looked at Liber with a slight respect as if he thought, ‘Elder brother, you’re really smart,’ having been completely unaware of this fact.

“And once the engraving is activated, a spell manifests to protect the magical device itself, so you can’t cut it with a saw. You’d have to cut off your finger.”

“……”

Upon Liber’s words, Caedwin quietly dropped the tiny saw to the floor.

Having never used a magical device nor had any particular association with it, Caedwin could do nothing but feel disheartened at this basic but unknown fact.

“Well, anyway, get some rest now. It looks like we’ll be leaving first thing in the morning.”

“Damn it.”

Liber left the room quietly, unable to find any words of consolation for Caedwin, who sat dejectedly on the floor.

*

After leaving the room, Liber, unlike Caedwin, confirmed that Sonya was having a good rest, and he headed to the back of the lodging.

There was a spacious vacant lot behind the lodging. It was used for hanging laundry left by guests or for temporarily storing luggage.

When he inquired with the staff, he learned there was no laundry or luggage stored currently, and he could use it freely. Liber planned to stretch his body there.

‘Resting isn’t bad, but warming up my body a bit without overdoing it could be good too.’

The vacant lot, suitable for the lodging’s scale, was quite large, with a big well positioned there to handle a lot of laundry.

Since no laundry was hanging out, the lines and large poles used for laundry were at one corner, making it perfectly suitable for a short training session.

“Huh?”

Entering the vacant lot, Liber stopped his steps and focused on a place a short distance away. Someone had arrived there earlier than him.

“… Aira?”

It was none other than Aira Worden. Wearing just a sleeveless shirt, Aira seemed unaffected by the increasingly chilly weather, doing push-ups tirelessly.

Watching Aira sweat profusely as she pushed herself, Liber carefully approached her.

After finishing her push-ups, Liber handed Aira a water bottle and a towel that he had brought for his own use.

“Here, use this.”

“Huh? Elder brother Liber?”

Liber chuckled softly when Aira awkwardly called him elder brother, clearly uncomfortable with the term.

“Feel free to call me whatever you want. But didn’t Christian tell you to train your mana sensitivity?”

Taking the water bottle from Liber, Aira took a sip and then poured the rest over her head.

She then roughly wiped her head with the towel and said, “I have no intention of taking that guy’s words literally.”

“Haha, is that so?”

“And what brings you here, elder brother?”

“Oh, I came to do some stretching too. Didn’t expect to see you here, though.”

“You’re quite diligent too. Isn’t it hard?”

Aira’s inquiry was met with a wry smile from Liber as he fiddled with the ring.

“I can manage, for now.”

“You’re doing quite well, elder brother. When I first wore it, I thought I was going to die from fatigue for days.”

Since Aira had gone through similar hardships, she empathized with Caedwin.

However, seeing Liber handle his initial training effortlessly indicated that he possessed significant ability.

If it were just maintaining daily life, as he mentioned, it would be manageable. Caedwin had also held on reasonably well until the running began.

But when they found themselves running like crazy, they realized how insane it truly was; Caedwin was currently at this stage, pushing both his body and mind to the limits.

Yet, Caedwin didn’t collapse or give up; he persisted admirably.

“I’ve been quite dedicated to training, although not as much as you and your brother.”

“Really…”

Aira glanced at Liber and then giggled.

“Uh, um? Why?”

“No, you just seem a little physically frail.”

“…….”

Physically… frail?

Liber had never thought of himself as frail.

He had considered his well-honed body, gained through a lot of real battles, to be adequate even if it wasn’t outstanding.

Was it because he was wearing comfortable clothes that made him appear frail? Liber pondered over his attire but soon recalled Christian’s physique in his mind.

No matter how well-trained a physique was through real combat, it couldn’t compare to Christian’s.

“Your standards are strict. But it seems you and your brother build your bodies in various ways, not just through running, right?”

“Yes. Running is to build basic stamina. He said stamina is needed to do anything.”

Aira, displaying a somewhat sullen expression, mildly complained about the person who had made that remark. Just at that moment, she looked like a child of her age.

“Basics, huh…”

Indeed, that was something he could resonate with. The basics were indeed crucial.

Whether it was swordsmanship, mana, or anything, one must have a solid foundation to reach great heights.

“So, how much more do you have to run to learn those basics?”

“Huh? Do you really want to learn?”

When Liber nodded, Aira widened her eyes, as though she had encountered someone truly extraordinary.

“Uhm, as for Caedwin, I’m not sure, but Elder brother Liber seems to have a decent amount of stamina and enough mana to start straight away if you wish…”

From Aira’s perspective, that seemed to be the case, although it would ultimately be up to Christian to make an accurate assessment.

“Then could you teach me a little bit? Uh, that is—it wouldn’t be a problem, right? If it’s supposed to be kept a secret from Christian…”

“It’s nothing that needs to be a secret. It’s just a matter of whether you’re sure you can handle it.”

“Huh? Handle it?”

“This is pretty tough. It makes running seem easy in comparison.”

“That bad?”

“Worse than you imagine.”

With Aira’s resolute words, Liber hesitated slightly. Though hesitant initially, Liber made up his mind as he looked at Aira, reflecting his determination.

“It’s okay. Once I’ve decided to do it, it’s best to give it a proper try.”

“Wow, proper indeed? You’re completely different from that slacker.”

Liber knew exactly who she was talking about and managed to put on a smile.

“Alright then. But there’s one condition.”

“A condition? Uh, like facing penalties if I quit halfway through?”

“That too, but more like you have to fulfill something I want before we begin.”

“What is it you want?”

“It’s nothing difficult. But it’s a prerequisite.”

Facing her sudden condition, Liber was momentarily taken aback but nodded cautiously, deciding it wouldn’t hurt to listen first and decide later.

“Okay. What is the condition?”

“That would be…”

Aira smiled mischievously.

Her smile and eye smile were playful, yet oddly unsettling.

*

“Huh? Where is everyone?”

Upon returning to the lodging, Christian headed straight for Aira’s room, but it was empty. Not only Aira, but Sonya, Liber, and Caedwin were also nowhere to be seen.

“What’s this?”

As Christian wondered about their absence, a staff member approached and informed him that his companions were doing something strange at the back of the lodging.

Seeing this as peculiar, Christian decided to head there as well.

Upon arriving at the vacant lot, Christian was impressed by its size, thinking it would be perfect for light exercises. As he looked around, something caught his eye.

There, in the middle of the lot, his companions were gathered together.

However…

“So heavy! Why, why are you on my back instead of Sonya?”

“I’m not heavy! Quick, can’t you do it properly?!”

On Caedwin’s back doing push-ups, Aira was energetically tapping him with a laundry bat.

“Hmph! Huff!”

“E, elder brother Liber, are you really okay?”

“I-I’m fine. Sorry for waking you up when you were resting.”

Meanwhile, doing push-ups with Sonya gently sitting on him and looking at him with concern was Liber.

“D-damn it! Elder brother, why me?! Why did you bring me into this?! What did I do wrong?!”

“Sorry. It was the condition.”

Liber turned his head quietly, seemingly unable to face Caedwin, though he continued with the push-ups.

Watching the scene unfold with a satisfied smile, Christian turned away.

“Heh, I told them to rest while they could…”

Though he worried they might overdo it, he didn’t want to interrupt since Aira seemed to be enjoying herself for a change.

If it helped them relieve some stress, that would be fine, wouldn’t it?

“I’m going to catch some sleep.”