The Blessed
"Instructor Luke, can I talk to you for a second?"
Sai approached the young man who was watching over some trainees.
"It's almost time to continue the training, can it wait a bit?" He looked hesitant to leave.
"Well… the thing is that I don't think I can keep training here."
"What? Are you giving up already? It hasn't even been a day!" His loud voice attracted some attention from the nearby trainees.
Sai looked around half embarrassed and half incensed.
"It's not like that… I welcome the training and all but… there is a situation…" He trailed off as he intended to take this conversation elsewhere.
Luke glanced at him with a raised brow and then addressed his students.
"You guys wait here for a bit. Take a short rest when you finish the current exercise." He then turned to Sai. "Let's talk inside."
They walked to the nearest office building and found an empty room. Sai entered while Luke closed the door. Sai chose to stand up and face it as soon as possible. Luke also didn't take a seat.
"So, why can't you continue training?" Luke sounded annoyed or perhaps… frustrated.
"My situation is a bit complicated. Have you heard anything from Eula?" Sai started.
Luke frowned. 'Can he address her by the name like that? What is the relationship between them?'
"No. Someone was supposed to tell me everything later but it hasn't been long since then. Are you not a relative of Eula's?"
"Relative? Do we look related?" Sai almost scoffed at him.
"Er... I guess not. What then?" The instructor hid his wry smile with another question.
"I am a guest of Acting Grand Master Jean, so I wanted the chance to learn some swordsmanship while I could. That's all I can say." Sai was resolute.
"A guest?" Luke pondered for a while. "Have you changed your mind about learning swordsmanship?" He snickered.
Sai noticed that the instructor's opinion of him was decreasing by the second, so he hurriedly tried to amend it.
"It's not that. I truly wish to learn, but I am too weak."
Luke flinched but gently smiled a second later.
"You may be weak right now, but if you keep working hard—"
"No, you don't understand. How much weight do you think I can lift in that chest strength machine?"
"You mean the chest press?" He saw the nod and then pondered. "I guess someone your age could lift about one twenty, one thirty with no training, but you look like you have worked out before, and you're tall… so… about one fifty or sixty?" Luke was hesitant since he gave such a small value. He deduced from Sai's words that he couldn't be much more than that.
"You're wrong."
"…" Luke was surprised. 'Was it more after all?'
"I would be surprised if I could lift half that number."
"What?" He was still trying to process those words.
"I can't lift more than fifty, no, more than thirty kilos."
"I must see it for myself. Punch me with all your strength." Luke was suspicious.
"W–wait, I don't—" It was his turn to be taken by surprise.
"C'mon, I won't get hurt no matter what you do." He showed his right shoulder, indicating he was to hit right there.
'Sigh… I'm worried about me breaking my wrist, not about hurting you… I just hope he isn't as tough as a wall.' Despite everything, Sai still had pride, so he wouldn't steer away from a challenge like that.
He took a step forward, trying to remember the movements of a proper punch. 'Fixate the form, stable foundation on the ground. Tense muscles, body weight, gyrate the waist. Straighten fist ahead!' He gave it his all in that single punch.
'Thu.'
"Kgh." Sai held his injured wrist and softly grunted between gritted teeth.
Luke took a step back, he was shocked. 'He! He's took weak! How's this possible?'
"You… not even my grandma is that weak, how come—"
"You think I know? I came here to try and figure that out!"
The instructor held his chin while scanning Sai. The latter sighed, lowered his hands and simply waited. Suddenly, Luke realized.
"Oh! Could it be that you aren't Blessed? But… why would he come here in that case, especially for the greatsword routine…" He started with surprise, but his last sentence was but a mumbling.
"Hey, what do you mean? What does being 'blessed' mean?" Sai raised a brow.
"Yes, that makes sense. I should go talk to Eula… it's the perfect excuse to see my bride…"
Sai heard something he definitely shouldn't let pass, but he had other priorities at the moment.
"HEY! Luke! Answer me, what's this 'blessed' thing about?"
Luke flinched and looked at him again. He then explained:
"It's exactly what it sounds. It's being blessed by the gods, similar to what a Vision is, except much more common. The proportion is almost 1:3, a third of the population. We call them the 'Blessed', although that by itself is not enough to make a living."
"Interesting, does this blessing give people physical prowess?" Sai was wondering.
"Yes and no. I am no specialist, but they taught me that being a Blessed allows one to be nourished by the energy of the world, which in turn makes us stronger and more resilient."
Sai nodded and fell into deep thought. Luke just waited for further questions.
"How can I get blessed?" Sai went straight to the point.
"Well…" The instructor gave him a wry smile. "I haven't heard of anyone being blessed after their birth. It's something we have since we were born." He was going to continue but Sai interrupted with a yell.
"What?! No way!!!"
"Yeah… usually, only the Blessed receive knight training and become knights. The ones that aren't can only apply through a civil format to be desk officers. That's why it never crossed my mind that you weren't Blessed…"
"Damnit! Is there really no way?" Sai was getting angrier with his situation.
"Well, there is a way, actually." Luke was now looking down.
"…" Sai waited for one moment only. "What are you waiting for?!"
"…I've heard that anyone who gets a Vision naturally gets Blessed as well…" He didn't dare look ahead, fearing an eruption from the young man in front of him.
A scowl took over Sai's face, and the more time passed, the darker his semblance became. Inside his head, he was cursing the gods and whatever transported him to a magical world without the ability to use magic.