Sword training continued over the following few days. Nothing exceptional took place.
As in the first session, Lloyd ran repeatedly around the training hall. When he had the time, he learned how to hold the sword, get into a fighting stance, and use his feet. The training mainly centered on the basics. But Lloyd didn't gripe even once. He never demanded that Javier move on to the powerful techniques that are useful in actual combat.
He simply gave himself entirely over to the training.
Javier was surprised to see this. But he wasn't alone. The people in the barony were equally surprised.
"The young master spent the whole day training, again?" a maid said.
"Yeah, he didn't complain once. From morning to night," another maid yawned.
"Good gracious. Even though he comes home exhausted every day…"
"I know, right? I can hardly believe what I'm seeing."
"Me too. This makes no sense."
"What do you mean?"
"Hmm, do you think he might be ill?" The maid's voice sounded wary.
"Ill? How so?"
"I mean, mentally ill."
"You mean, he's lost it?" another maid spoke.
"Yes, yes. It looks like it."
"You have a point…"
This kind of talk among the maids became common on the estate. The soldiers were just as confused as the maids were.
"What do you think is wrong with the young master?"
"Eh? Be specific," a soldier said.
"I mean, he seems a bit strange. Doesn't he? Have you seen him drink lately?"
"Oh my, I don't think I have?!"
"Right?"
"Huh. Now that you mention it… I don't think I've seen him drink for at least two weeks."
"Wow," another soldier paused for a second. "Wait a second."
"What is it?"
"I know it sounds absurd, but I have a possible explanation."
"What?"
"Maybe Lloyd is taking drugs in secret."
"Drugs?"
"Uh-huh."
"Yeah, but what kind?"
"What do you mean by what kind of drugs? The drugs," the guy emphasized.
"What!?" he exclaimed in disbelief.
"Shh. Lower your voice. Hear me out," he leaned over to make sure no one was listening. "This man, who did nothing but drink every day, quit overnight. And he spends all day training in the hall. What else is there? It's the drugs in him that give him the energy."
"Come on… You're being absurd."
"No, I'm not. There is a kind that helps the user get hyper-focused. He might be taking that. That's what's keeping him in one piece despite the training."
"Right? How else would that piece of trash be able to train so hard? Uh, uhm… Shush."
"What is it?"
"Behind you… behind," he muttered.
"Behind…? Oh… how are you today, Baroness Frontera!"
The soldiers guarding the front gate bowed when they saw Baroness Frontera walking toward them. She smiled elegantly.
"Very well. I hope you are doing very well, too," she cooed gently.
"Th-thank you, madame."
"Here. Could you give my son this towel when he returns from training?"
"Yes, madame."
"Thank you. It must be boring to guard the gates, mustn't it?"
"Pardon me?"
"Gossip is an excellent distraction to help alleviate boredom. However, please mind the subject of your discussions. After all, he is my son," she said with a reserved sternness in her voice.
"We will keep that in mind, madame…"
So, Lloyd found himself at the center of estate gossip. The maids concluded that he was mentally ill. The soldiers, on the other hand, believed that he was taking drugs. Lloyd's parents were happy and concerned at the same time about their son. All the while, Lloyd continued his training without a hitch.
Like everyone else, Javier was equally stupefied. It's as if he has become a different person overnight.
He trained from morning to night. It was a hectic and hellish regimen. He ran and even rolled on the ground all day. He brandished his sword in the same position innumerable times. The skin around his palms scraped and peeled, leaving calluses and bloody scabs.
And yet, he didn't complain. He was enjoying it instead. Initially, Javier was convinced that Lloyd's cockiness would disappear after a few days. But he had since changed his mind. Rather, he became concerned over the young master's injuries. Lloyd's determination was too strong. Javier watched over Lloyd's training with great anxiety. And when Lloyd seemed to have reached his tipping point, Javier jumped in and forced him to rest.
How is it possible for a person to change this drastically? How is he no longer the wild drunk who lived only to drink another bottle and take his rage out on innocent people?
And where did he pick up all those strange stories he recites every night? Every night, Lloyd prattled on about concrete, stress points, and so many other things Javier couldn't remember because he would fall fast asleep. It didn't sound like a magic spell, but it worked. Though he could barely remember the gibberish, it put him to good, happy sleep.
Javier furrowed his brow.
Who is he? Really, who is he? His indecent past was filled with disappointments. But his decent present was filled with surprises. The huge gap between the two stopped Javier from crediting it to a mere change of attitude. It would make more sense if another soul came to be in Lloyd's body, Javier thought to himself.
Though it would be completely absurd… Javier shook his head.
He shouted to Lloyd, who was on his 30th lap of runs.
"That is enough, Master Lloyd."
"Whew. Already? I can run some more," Lloyd said as he panted for air.
"I know that."
"But why did you stop me?"
"I'm thinking about moving to the next step."
"Next step?"
"Whoa!" The corners of Lloyd's lips rose.
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
I was starting to get bored with basic training. Lloyd had been running for many days now, never complaining that he wanted to move up to the next level.
That was mainly because he was reaping the benefits of enduring the strenuous workout. His skin tone brightened. There was more vitality in his body. When he woke up in the morning, he felt refreshed and strong. On top of that, thanks to the commitment he demonstrated to others, he earned quite a lot of additional RP.
I've earned quite a lot. I already have 97 RP. In the last few days, his approval rating increased by one point with Javier. That got Lloyd 18 RP. And the approval rating with his father and mother increased by two and three points, respectively, bagging him 20 and 30 RP.
Lloyd was getting the hang of this RP system.
So, for every increase by one of my approval rating, I get 18 RP with Javier. As for my fictional parents, it's 10 RP for every approval rating increase. I guess that means the characters in the novel give out different RP. He concluded that the higher the significance of the characters in the story, the more RP he would get.
This means that I should work hard to get liked by Javier. As for the baron and baroness… they were a surprise. The novel hardly mentioned the baron and baroness in the story. To put it bluntly, they were only extras in the introduction. So, it came as a surprise that they would render more than half of the RP Javier gives out. This meant they could have a greater role in this world that has yet to be revealed.
Anyway, I'm finally proceeding to mana reaction training. The upcoming lessons filled his heart with expectation. I need to start reinforcing my mana now, so I can beat Sir Neumann. The duel was fifteen days away.
He knew that he wouldn't be able to reach the level of skill required to conjure a manaheart in such a short period of time. It took a tremendous amount of work before one could create a manaheart. More than ten years for a person lacking any skills. Around five years for an average person. A gifted person would take two, while a genius may require six months to be able to use it. Even under the dedicated training of a learned master, that was how long it took to develop a manaheart.
But Javier reaches the level in a day. And he does that all by himself: What a monster. Lloyd was thinking about it when Javier spoke.
"Surely, it is in your best interest to curb your hopes that you will be able to develop a manaheart as soon as you reinforce and strengthen your mana. You need to take this one step at a time. In any case, you will see your body getting stronger by simple training of mana reinforcement."
Javier continued to speak. "Please, take your seat here."
"This way?"
"Yes. Please relax. Lose the tension around your shoulders," Javier urged.
"Will this do?"
"Yes. Now, I will imbue some of the mana into your body."
"What should I do?"
"Nothing," Javier replied. "Close your eyes and feel the mana coursing through your body as I control its movement."
"Is it like energy transference?" Lloyd muttered, a concept he picked up while he was reading fantasy stories.
"What is energy transference?" Javier asked.
"Nothing. Let's get started," Lloyd said.
"Yes."
Lloyd then closed his eyes. He relaxed all of his body as the tension loosened. He felt Javier's palm touching his back, and the rough and rigid texture caused Lloyd to think how coarse it was for an elegant, noble-looking person. Seconds later, cold and clear energy flowed into his body, starting from the back.
Whoosh…
So this is what mana feels like. It's foreign yet amazing. The mana penetrated his skin and muscles. Like a dry cloth slowly absorbing water, the mana passed through his body down to his intestines and further down to his navel. That's where the mana made a U-turn. Like an automobile making its way onto the highway, it entered the spine. It crept upward from one bone to another, stimulating the senses along the way. It traveled up to the back of his neck and to the tip of his head. Afterward, it spread downward, from his face down to his chest. It then started to wrap around his heart.
Thump! Thump!
Lloyd heard the clear rhythm of his pounding heart. The swollen muscles around the organ pulsed and contracted. It sucked and released blood in a steady and strong repetitive motion. A glob of mana seeped into the heart, following the organ's movement and flow. It came naturally into the center of his heart, spreading its energy to other parts of the body.
Lloyd's mind cleared. He remained still in that state of clarity and opened his eyes several seconds later.
"How was it?"
Javier's voice sounded clearer than before. There was more. The training hall, the clouds, and everything in front of him appeared more vivid than earlier. The world he perceived previously was in HD. But now, with mana-powered vision, the world appeared in 8K Ultra HD.
Even the wind felt different as it brushed against his skin. Lloyd's senses improved in all aspects just from one mana reaction session. He turned around and found Javier softly grinning at him. Lloyd grinned back.
It was his first mana reaction experience; and now, it was time for Lloyd to give Javier his honest feedback.
"It sucks," Lloyd concluded.
"Excuse me…?"
"It sucks," Lloyd said once again.
The satisfaction on Javier's face vanished right away.
But Lloyd didn't care about his change of expression. He simply became more brazen and nonchalantly added, "I don't feel much different."
"Did you not feel the movement of mana in your body?" Javier inquired.
"Oh, I did."
"Master Lloyd, that means you reacted to the mana. I am sure your senses became sharper than before," Javier said in an almost defensive manner.
"Oh, come on. Are you telling me you deserve a pat on the back just for this?"
"Master Lloyd."
Javier's look grew serious, and there was irritation in his eyes. It was also reflected in his voice. "You cannot overlook and dismiss the change. It is what it is."
"The mana reaction training is about this? That's it?"
"Yes. I think you have been gravely mistaken."
"Mistaken? What do you mean?"
"You had too many expectations."
"For myself, you mean?" Lloyd spoke nonchalantly.
"Yes." Javier's tone sounded a bit irritated. "One session does not turn you into an outlandishly strong man or superhuman. It's rather the opposite. In order to develop a manaheart, it is of great importance that you take one step at a time."
"You cannot expect the first spoonful of soup to fill your stomach. I am sure you know this since it is common sense."
"Yeah, of course I do," Lloyd replied.
"But then, why are you complaining?"
"Complaining? Me?"
"Yes. Are you feeling anxious as the day of the duel is coming near?" Javier asked. "To be honest, you barely stand a chance in the duel. It was an unfair contest in the first place. Sir Neumann is not a weak man. He is a knight who is on the path to being a proper sword expert."
"Yeah, I know. I know that he's a sword expert. Definitely not someone I can easily compete with, especially when I'm here just beginning basic mana reaction training."
Lloyd had been eloquently defending himself for the first time.
He looked at him in the eyes meaningfully.
"Do you think that I'm simply being ruthless and stubborn without any plans?" Lloyd asked.
"Well…"
"Come on. How long are you going to pretend you have no idea?"
"I still do not know what you are getting at."
"Hey, Javier Asrahan. Why do you think I singularly picked you to teach me swordsmanship?"
"Did you really think of me as a dweeb who goes to challenge an experienced swordsman because fifteen days of mana training is what it takes to beat that old knight?"
"Um, well…"
"Let's be honest, Javier. You got something more than this typical reinforcement method, don't you? Something that you hide for yourself."
J knew it. Lloyd once again realized that Javier sucked at lying. He's just too obvious. The thought made Lloyd laugh.
A chuckle escaped him. "Fine, I will be blunt. The Asrahan Core Technique. I want you to teach me that. And don't even think of playing dumb this time."
Javier's eyes widened in disbelief.
In The Knight of Blood and Iron, the Asrahan Core Technique was the exceptional training method Javier developed that led him to become the first grandmaster in history.
Translator: https://bettertranslation9.wordpress.com