Blades and Mana: A Day of Training

"You are wise, young master," Sir Max said with a smile. "Today, I'll show you basic footwork and moves you can use with a dagger or a short sword. You will then mimic them while I'll correct your postures or mistakes."

Julius glanced questioningly at Adam, wondering which weapon he should choose before hearing him say matter-of-factly, "Your name is Julius: of course, you should pick the short sword."

Following the advice, he grabbed one from a rack and trained for the whole morning, determined to learn as much as possible.

Further behind, hidden from his view, Adam imitated his moves with his Beastbane dagger clenched in his right hand and absorbed everything Max taught him like a sponge.

Not knowing how to fight caused him to end up in a sorry state during the first trial, where he had to sacrifice his right arm to avoid being bitten to death by the wolf, for example, and was determined to learn combat techniques to avoid this situation from occurring again.

As hours passed and Julius tirelessly trained, Max couldn't help but widen his eyes in astonishment. He had thought he would have to let the kid have several breaks and take things slowly, but Julius was more resilient than his looks suggested.

With a raised brow of admiration, he also glimpsed at his lean, muscular body through his sweat-drenched clothes.

With their lesson coming to an end, he retrieved a booklet and a gem and gave them to the boy.

"In this world, mana is the most important resource for every path, not only magic. This book records a breathing technique used to reinforce organs and muscles by inhaling mana," Max explained patiently, scrutinising the boy to ensure he understood everything before continuing.

"The technique is more effective if you use it while you train. You should practice it every day for at least one hour to readjust your breathing."

With a nod, Julius took both items before Max slapped his own forehead and said, "Oh, I gave you the gem by mistake. Let me take it back."

After handing the gem in confusion, Julius returned to his room to clean before having lunch.

***

In the meantime, Max went straight to see Lucius.

"The gem showed no reaction. I'm sure I already tested him once when he was a baby. He is not a summoned My Lord." Max said seriously.

Sighing in relief, Lucius asked, "What do you think about him? Be honest."

"He doesn't have much muscle mass, so it is hard to notice, but his body is well-trained... Too well-trained. He endured several hours of practice without pause even after I increased the difficulty. The man who taught him is crazy! He didn't leave a single muscle group untrained." Max said with a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Oh, did he already have a breathing technique, then?" Lucius asked suspiciously.

"No, I checked him several times. His muscles were void of mana." Max said in confusion.

He didn't understand how someone could train Julius so extensively but not give him a breathing technique. It felt like a waste to him.

"I asked who trained him, but he said it was the same friend who gave him his name," Max revealed this crucial information.

"His imaginary friend again? Interesting. I think he is clean, and we can drop our vigilance for now," Lucius said with a smile. If he discovered the boy was a summoned, he would have been forced to hand him to the royals or face the consequences once discovered.

But what he dreaded most was to find he had been sent as a spy by that traitorous bastard.

Upon thinking about him, he gritted his teeth as anger caused his vision to turn red for a second.

Resolved to discover the truth, he would test Julius one last time this evening.

As for the imaginary friend? He honestly didn't care. If Julius heard voices telling him to train, it was great, and everyone should hear them.

****

After lunch, Julius followed Eleanor to the manor's library, where they would have their class.

They agreed she would teach him how to read, write, mathematics and history, while Lucius would teach him politics and magic.

Adam was eager to hear about this world's history. Sadly, she focused on the country and its nobles' families, disappointing him.

He still learned he was in the western part of the central continent in a small country named Belloria.

Its access to the sea in the northern region of the kingdom allowed its economic policies to focus on maritime trade. Profiting from its inland neighbours, the royal family bought their manufactured products before shipping them to other continents while buying exotic commodities and reselling them here.

After listening for ten minutes, he grimaced in boredom.

'No thanks. I don't want to attend class ever again if they are not about magic.' Adam thought, remembering all the years he spent in school, then college after that, with an icy shiver.

"Good luck, Julius, study well!" He encouraged before swiftly floating to a corner of the room to train his mana, ignoring the lesson entirely.

Meanwhile, Julius shook his head silently as Eleanor eagerly taught him. However, he couldn't help but feel her gaze weird and wondered why she looked at him as if he was a treasure.

After two long hours, Eleanor clapped her hand with a broad smile and said, "That will be it for today. Keep it up, Julius. You are doing great!"

Satisfied with her student, she offered him a candy as she marvelled at his discipline and focus. He listened to her explanations without a moment of distraction and even asked questions that forced her to think.

In truth, only Adam believed Julius was stupid, and it was only because he hated to explain the same things several times.

Soon, Eleanor left, and Lucius took her place.

"Let's start with something interesting after Eleanor's boring lessons." He said, holding a stack of paper.

Adam's ears perked like a cat, eager to learn magic from a proper teacher instead of fumbling in the dark.

"Using spells is easy on paper but can be difficult in reality, especially the elemental ones." Lucius started to explain while showing Julius five spells. "To use a spell, you need to order your mana to shape its form and determine the effects it should have."

"Most tier-one novices and tier-two acolytes use long chants in old languages to voice their orders and help them visualise the desired effects. Tier three apprentices require shorter chants and are thus more effective."

"We call tier-four practitioners mages because they can manifest their spells with a short group of words like the spell's name, for example. I have even heard that tier seven archmages could conjure spells with a movement of their hands and without uttering a word." He said while ensuring that Julius understood everything. 

"Now, choose a spell and try to cast it." He said, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.