Chapter 386: Training Together [2]

"And when I asked you to guide me during spear training, I saw how much strain it put you under, so I didn’t want to burden you with swordsmanship on top of everything else." He took a deep breath and smiled. "Besides, I actually ended up enjoying the spear once I started practicing it. It suited my needs at the time and helped me build confidence when I needed it most... That’s really all there is to it."

"...I see," Ethea whispered. "Thank you for telling me all of this, dear."

"Haha, there’s no need to thank me. We’re loving husband and wife, aren’t we? It’s only natural for us to talk about these things." Soren grinned, keeping his eyes locked straight ahead while trying his best not to let his arms shake. "Besides, if I can’t be honest with you, then who else can I turn to?"

"Right..." Ethea’s features softened into a tender smile as she looked at him. "It’s natural... we are a loving couple after all..."

Then her soft expression faded. Her lips curled into a mischievous arch, and her eyes gleamed with intent. "By the way, dear, you broke your posture just now. That’s why the countdown starts from the beginning."

She leaped into the air and helped him ’correct’ his posture, as before.

’...’ Soren noticed she changed almost nothing but said nothing other than, "Understood."

They spent the next fifteen minutes in silence, with Ethea staring at Soren without missing a second.

"...You’re doing remarkably well, dear," she finally broke the silence, standing up and walking back toward him slowly and deliberately. "Your posture hasn’t wavered once since you reset."

She stopped just a step away.

"Now we move to the real test," she continued, beginning to circle him. "Holding your form like this must be easy now. However, keeping it under pressure or distraction is what keeps you alive in battle. That’s why, for the rest of the time, I’m going to actively test your focus. If you break your stance, drop your arm, or let your mind wander, even for a second, another half hour will be added to your time."

"...Go ahead," Soren replied while steeling his resolve.

"..." Ethea merely smiled before suddenly snapping her hand forward. A sharp rush of wind whistled in his ears as a wooden blade materialized in her grip, stopping barely a hair’s breadth from his throat. Soren didn’t move, let alone flinch. His eyes remained focused on the task.

Ethea didn’t give up with that surprise feint attack either. She continued to test him, sometimes with another surprise attack, while other times with subtle mental attacks. She even told him he could relax since he passed the test, but Soren, counting the time in his head, didn’t let his guard down.

Eventually, the full thirty minutes passed and the test ended.

"...Good job, dear. You did well."

"Thank you for not going easy," Soren replied while stretching his somewhat stiff body.

"..." Ethea smiled, not mentioning that she could have used the previous method to make it harder but chose not to. "...Now let’s move on to the next step."

"Yes."

"First, let me tell you the basics of swordsmanship..."

Ethea started explaining, and Soren listened, taking in every detail. She broke down the core mechanics, showing him how to hold the blade in different scenarios and positions, move his feet, perform basic moves, and so on.

But understanding the theory was only the first step. To lock each movement into muscle memory, she had him repeat every stance, footwork pattern, and swing for at least half an hour, or a hundred times, under her watchful eye, correcting his form whenever his technique drifted even slightly.

By the time they finished going through the entire sequence, it was already time for Ethea to sleep. So, he told her to rest and promised he would get some sleep himself soon.

But the moment she left the mental realm, he picked up the sword again and resumed his drills. He repeated every movement she had taught him until his body moved without thinking, until the sword felt less like a foreign object and more like an extension of his arm.

He only stopped when the first rays of morning light began to filter through the curtains in the real world. However, he was certain he had learned more in this one session than in years of ’learning’ during his childhood. He resolved to work harder and train this way every day, then left the mental realm to wash up and make breakfast.

───────

’Malakor.’ Soren called out mentally as he began cooking. ’Can you give your feedback now?’

’Of course, Master.’ Malakor’s voice echoed in his mind. ’The rice meal and the roasted meat were both delicious. Honestly, they’re one of the most flavorful things I’ve ever eaten. The effects were amazing too. Despite being at the Emperor level, I could feel the fire mana settling into my core and affecting my pathways.’

Soren nodded, waiting for the rest.

’However,’ Malakor continued, ’they didn’t exactly match the effects you were aiming for. According to my calculations, the meal would indeed help strengthen and heal the pathways and the core, but it contains too much pure fire mana. That makes it volatile if consumed in large quantities. And the core-healing effect is probably lower than what you intended as well.’

Soren paused, considering this. ’Thank you for your help. That’s exactly what I needed to hear.’

He set the knife down and thought it through.

’If the fire mana is too concentrated, I’ll need to adjust the preparation to tone down the volatile heat while preserving the restorative traits.’ He wiped his hands on a towel and decided to hear Ryan and Nura’s opinions first before attempting again.

───────

Later morning, Etenia Academy.

Three figures waved at the blue-haired boy as he walked toward the building. He turned once, waved back with a confident smile, then disappeared through the doors.

The three of them stared at the building for a moment. Then the woman holding the wheelchair turned to the man beside her.

"Then, we’ll get going too. Call us when he comes out, Sir Ren."

The man called Ren, who was Soren in disguise, gave a nod and watched the two of them until they disappeared around the bend of the walkway. He then turned, strolled to a nearby bench nestled in the shade of a large tree, and sat down.

’...Let’s see. Lady Zura said similar things as Malakor, but Ryan’s thoughts were a bit different from theirs.’ He paused as he recalled Ryan’s words about how beneficial it had been for him. He said it not only strengthened his pathways and core, but also improved the quality of his existing mana by a small margin. Although it might have sounded small, mana quality meant a lot for an awakened. Higher quality meant stronger spells, more efficient techniques, and a higher ceiling for growth.

’...I think I forgot something important.’ He narrowed his eyes as an idea formed in his mind. ’While Malakor is an Emperor, he doesn’t have affinity with fire. In fact, his being at the Emperor level might have been the issue. And the same goes for Lady Zura. Although she has high fire affinity, she’s already at the sixth circle, and her core and pathways are already strengthened, perhaps to the point where the meal’s effects felt weaker than they actually were.’

He was preparing the meal for Nura, who had high fire affinity, a weaker constitution, and a damaged core and pathways, so the recipe might actually be closer to the target than he had thought.

’...No, I still have to research more and make sure first. Nura’s life depends on this, so I can’t afford any mistakes.’ He leaned back against the bench, letting out a breath as he stared up at the rustling leaves above. ’...Perhaps if I could give her a small sample first to gauge her reaction, it would make balancing the recipe so much easier.’

He closed his eyes, thinking about how to pull off this not-so-simple task.

’...It seems I have to rely on Lady Zura again.’

He sighed inwardly. The best and easiest solution he could think of was to have Zura offer the sample to Nura while teaching her personally. She could also tell her it would be beneficial for her and help her absorb its effects much better.

Then again, this had been his initial plan for the actual magic meal all along. Since Zura was already guiding Nura through her training, having her introduce the dish under the guise of an instructional aid was the most natural way to deliver it without raising suspicion or causing unnecessary worry.

’...I was overthinking it again.’ Soren opened his eyes, a small smile softening his serious expression. The more he considered it, the more he liked the idea: it was safe and controlled, and it gave him the data he needed without putting Nura at too much risk. ’...I’ll discuss it with Lady Zura later.’