Time for training

**(Naruhito's POV)**

"Okay, Naru, you need to focus and try to move your mana from your core into your sword. But remember to keep some in your head so that you don't pass out," Sebastian told me, then proceeded to draw a sword—a normal one—and rushed towards me. Needless to say, I was utterly defeated.

"You have to keep training, or you'll end up fainting again the moment you unsheathe your sword."

"Did I actually pass out from mana exhaustion?" I asked.

"Yes. Even though it's simple, it's extremely dangerous, especially when using a magical weapon. It could drain you in a moment."

"Seb is right. Besides, I wouldn't serve an ugly old man with his mana drained," Megumi cut in. She was the one who caught me when I fainted. I heard later that she and Midori were taken away by Aiko because they wouldn't stop screaming at me to wake up.

"Let's try one more time," I said and proceeded to lift my sword from the ground. I tried to visualize the mana channels inside my body and concentrate my mana into my sword. I felt warmth in the center of my chest—where my mana core was located—and thought of it like water moving through pipes to reach my right hand. So far, it was okay. The problem occurred when I tried to imbue my weapon with it. Usually, I pass out, but sometimes...

(Crack)

"Seb... my blade broke," I said, disappointed.

"Again?" Seb asked angrily.

"How useless can you be?" Megumi said.

"It's my first time training with mana," I protested. Only Midori seemed to be on my side, saying, "It's only natural to be bad at something you try for the first time. Don't you suck at cooking, Megumi?" as she picked up my broken sword and rubbed my back, telling me it was okay.

"Huh? Midori, after all this time, you betray me like that?" Megumi asked, almost crying—something she was clearly faking.

"Enough of that," Sebastian cut in. "Back to training, Naru, and you two, I have some special tasks for you."

The girls sighed and followed him inside the tent. After the fiasco at the tower, we took our things and left the inn in the middle of the night. We ended up camping a few hundred meters north of the city, in a place behind some huge rocks.

"Okay, okay, I'm going," Megumi shouted as she went toward a small mountain in the east. Midori, on the other hand, waved to me, and alongside Sebastian, we headed into the forest in the west.

"I purposely sent Megumi away so that you two could be alone. You, Naru, have the ability to one day control the power of your family's blade, as you demonstrated in the tower when you created an illusion. I have to thank you; you saved my life. I don't think the guard would have missed his shot if he hadn't been under an illusion," Sebastian explained. "Midori, I believe that as the daughter of a priest, you can understand mana better than both Megumi and Aiko combined. Am I wrong?" Sebastian asked, and Midori nodded in agreement.

"Okay, what I want you to do is, Naru, try to move your mana across your entire body to enhance it, and Midori, try to identify which part of his body he has enhanced each time," Sebastian finished with his instructions and left to find where Aiko was.

I opened my kimono and removed my shirt, and Midori touched my bare skin. She placed her left hand over my mana core and closed her eyes. The moment she told me she was ready, I started moving my mana from head to toe, to the left arm, and then to the right leg. Megumi, to my surprise, managed to identify almost all the positions, just as Sebastian had instructed her.

"Midori, you did it," I said, holding both her hands in mine while praising her.

"...?!!" She was surprised by the action and turned red. Red like a tomato.

"Oh, what a beautiful couple," Sebastian teased as he came closer.

"Couple?..." asked Midori, who almost fainted.

"I'm just kidding. Congratulations to both of you. Now you can train on other things. Naru, take this sword, and Midori, this is for you." Sebastian gave me a new sword and handed Midori a thick black book with golden letters written on the cover.

"A book about emitters?" Midori asked.

"Yes. You are amazing at detecting and controlling pure mana, which makes you a perfect candidate for a healer."

Emitters were rare. Healing was a special type of holy magic that only priests could use. To have one would be a great asset. The strange thing was that Midori wasn't a priestess, but as the daughter of a priest, she probably inherited her affinity for healing magic.

"Okay, I'll do my best to become a good healer and stay by Naru's side when he becomes the shogun," she said, clearly blushing while hiding her face.

"Oh, it's good to hear that," I said, having lost my words.

"What I'm going to do is use Naru's blade to create an illusion. This way, we can train while avoiding hurting each other," Sebastian said, but he kept talking. "The only problem is that Naru is too weak right now, so he'll have to train harder in the coming days to be able to withstand an illusion powerful enough to affect me." Sebastian finished speaking and looked at us, waiting for questions.

I then asked him, "What kind of training?"

That was a good question. What kind of training could make me withstand that and fight against Seb at the same time?

"You're going to try moving your mana into every inch of your body so it becomes accustomed to magic. Midori, on the other hand, will be enhancing and purifying the mana inside your body. Are you okay with that?" Seb asked with a calm face. It had been several days since we last saw it.

I removed my shirt, and Midori placed her hand on my back. She had quick access to my mana core, so she could help me get stronger at a much faster pace.

And the training started.

"My core burns," I thought. It burned as the mana started moving around my body. My mana channels, which were closed, were forced open.

It hurts.

More channels opened.

It hurts.

My eyes started to blur. I felt my mana suddenly being absorbed by the muscles and organs around my mana channels. I closed my eyes and fell forward, moving my body away from Midori's hand.

I had passed out.