Chapter 8: Sword Training

Cecil Leywin:

I started slowly scraping away impurities from my core by using fire mana. It was a way to progress my core quickly, but I needed to control myself from overdoing it.

Noticing the cracks spreading around my red core, I started seeing the orange color seeping through, and it didn't take long before my core entirely broke into dark orange.

I felt stronger than when I progressed just through the same color. If my connection to mana increases by two when my core goes from dark to solid and solid to light, the jump from light to the next dark stage is like a four or five.

It's the same feeling I got when I first reincarnated and saw mana, and when I got my core, it's similar to putting on glasses and seeing the world clearly.

But at my core, I feel like I'm still missing a part of myself that's not allowing me to use my powers at their full potential. It's a weird feeling.

After the feeling of having my brain put through a blender due to the heightened connection lessened a bit, I stood up and went outside to see if I could perfect my mana sword.

No mana sword sounds boring... What should I call it?

Hmmm...

The blade can phase through objects like a phantom, so Phantom Blade sounds nice.

---

"We're back, Cel!" Lilia yelled as she ran towards me.

"I saw so many clothes that would look good on you. You need to come shopping with us next time." Aunt Tabita said as she also walked outside.

"Thanks, Aunt Tabitha, but I'm good with the clothes you bought me last time," I told her, but I said it because I didn't want to go shopping with them again. How can someone even shop for clothes for six hours!?

"Kids your age should enjoy life, not train all the time." She said and sighed.

"Well, what can I say? I enjoy learning more about magic. It's fun for me." I told her while scratching my head.

"He got that from Rey when he decided something he would only focus on that one thing." Mom said as she walked outside with Ellie

"Really?" I asked her. I couldn't imagine Dad focusing on something longer than a few days or sometimes even minutes.

"Maybe not on the same level as you, but yes." She answered me and laughed a little, looking like she was reminiscing about the past.

After that, Lilia started telling me about everything she saw today. Since I started helping her to form a mana core, she started looking at different magical artifacts.

"Actually, Aunt Tabitha, would it be possible to find someone to help me learn swordsmanship?" I asked her after a while.

"We could have one of our guards teach you or hire a teacher. I need to talk about this with Vincent." She said after thinking for a while.

Knowing Uncle Vincent, he would try and find the best tutor, especially now that I helped Lilia.

I helped Mom by taking care of Ellie until Dad and Uncle Vincent returned from the auction house, and Aunt Tabhita told him about my request.

"Ah yes, I know the perfect tutor for Cecil. Give me a moment I will send him a letter." He said and went to his office, and Dad took me for my daily tort... I mean training.

---

"Wrong!" My new instructor yelled and hit me with a wooden sword making me fall.

"Urghh... I'm starting to regret my decision." I muttered, but unfortunately, he heard it.

"What is that? Already giving up after two days? It seems the prodigy isn't anything special." He said with a smirk enjoying my suffering.

This was Enwyld, an adventurer that retired due to becoming a father. His son works as a guard in the auction house.

When he got the news I was going to be trained by his father, he only gave me a sympathetic look and said I'm sorry.

At that time, I didn't understand what he meant, but now I do...

"Now stand up and do it correctly."

His teaching method consists of showing me how it's done and then beating me until I get it correct.

Ahh... Yes, this was the worst decision I made since coming to this world...

This continued for several months until I got the footwork down, and we continued with more swinging of the sword and different stances before learning both offensive and defensive techniques.

I also got a matt-black wooden sword handle similar to the one Dawn's Ballad has from Dad for starting my sword training. My parents and the Helsteas were confused at first why I wanted to get just the handle of a sword, but after I explained that I wanted to use pure mana to form the blade, they understood and got me just the sword handle.

I almost drooled thinking about completing this spell. But, even using this spell as a projectile, I could make it go through enemy shields.

Then there is also Lilia's progress in making her core. I maybe made it so she would awaken in about six months. While helping her, I thought about how Cecilia could restore someone's core, so I tried something similar on Lilia. Now that I think about it, using her as basically a guinea pig wasn't my best decision, but nothing bad happened.

Speaking of guinea pigs, I need them for some of the spells. That's why I need to become an adventurer before the war starts.

I don't need to go to the academy. That extra time would be better spent training, so I would have about four years.

But how do I convince Mom to let me become an adventurer with Arthur? He had problems convincing her, and I'm even younger than him, so she would probably tell me to at least wait until I'm older.

Well, that's a problem for future me.

---

Authors Note:

Thank you for reading this chapter.

I'm trying to publish two chapters a week instead of just one, so I hope you enjoyed reading the second chapter this week.

If you enjoy this story, remember to vote and leave a review if you haven't.