Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Training (1)
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The next morning, Yuno headed to the training grounds with Eliza for his usual basic physical conditioning, just like always. But today, there were two unexpected faces among the group.
"Yuno~"
"Big brother~~"
"Huh? Sis? Marie? What brings you two here first thing in the morning? Don't you have other classes?"
Normally, after breakfast, Isabella and Marie would head to the lecture halls in the empress's palace for their lessons, but for some reason, here they were at the training grounds.
"Ugh... Even if it is Lady Katrin, losing without landing a single counterattack stings so much... From today on, I'm joining your physical training at least."
"Me too! If I train even a little with you, big brother, it'll make it harder for enemies to get close. And even if they do, I should be able to dodge one or two attacks, right?"
'Well... Princesses aren't exactly going to see the battlefield anyway. How often would they even need to fight? Still... building stamina never hurts...'
Thinking that, Yuno made sure both of them promised not to get swept up in his pace before starting his run with Eliza.
As Yuno began circling the training field at an insane speed, Eliza—who was trying her best to keep up—soon fell behind. Isabella and Marie jogged slowly while watching Yuno's workout.
"Whoa~ Didn't he get even faster after passing out and waking up?"
"I thought big brother still couldn't use mana? How's he so quick?"
"Yeah... Knights channel mana through their bodies... It's totally different from how we do it, but that's weird."
It wasn't just them—Yuno himself was shocked at how much faster and stronger his body felt compared to before.
'What... what's this? I'm definitely not using mana... But I feel this massive energy surging through me!! No matter how much I run, I don't feel tired at all!'
Before he knew it, Yuno had forgotten all about Isabella, Eliza, and Marie around him, completely immersed in his training.
Even after running laps nonstop for a full hour without showing a hint of fatigue, he activated his weighted bracelets and started hoisting massive iron chunks like it was nothing. From afar, Katrin Aragon and Richtenaur Count watched him.
"Heh heh heh, that kid... Weren't you gearing up to train him yourself? Must burn pretty bad that I snatched him away, huh?"
"Grr... To think His Highness the Prince's mana core was in such a place... Teach him properly, you hear!! Or else my sword won't leave you in peace!"
"Hmph!! As if your sword scares me? What're you gonna do if I don't teach him right?"
In a real clash, it was highly likely neither Katrin nor Richtenaur would come out on top, so Richtenaur just glared at her. But moments later, a sly grin crept across his face as if he'd thought of something clever.
"Heh! Then I'll just slash your teaching stipend! I hear you've racked up quite the tab at the capital taverns... Let me have a word with the Finance Minister..."
"Tch... You sneaky bastard! Blackmailing me with my life's joy, booze... Haha, why's the Imperial Guard Knights Captain being so petty?"
Katrin flashed a servile smile for a moment before hardening her expression and speaking to Richtenaur.
"Don't worry, I was gonna teach him properly even without your cheap threats. When's a chance like this—seeing a body like that—gonna come twice in my life? Hell, I should've been the one begging him to take me as his master."
"Well... fair enough. I've been watching His Highness since he was little, wondering just how strong he'd get."
"Then it's not quite 'if you can't have pheasant, chicken will do,' but... how about her? That princess from Leon Kingdom. Yesterday, I saw she had some serious talent too."
When Katrin suddenly pointed at Eliza, Richtenaur looked at her with genuine surprise.
"Hm? Princess Eliza, you mean? Teach swordsmanship to a princess? And to an enemy kingdom's princess at that—the Empire Knights' techniques, culmination of 500 years of history? If she took that back to Leon, it'd be my head on a pike."
"Heh... For someone saying that, doesn't it look like that princess is head over heels for our prince? When I tested him by attacking, she charged in with a look like she'd kill me if she could."
"Hmmm... Alright. I'll bring it up with His Imperial Majesty at lunch. The Imperial Guard Knights belong to him, after all—I can't decide on my own without permission."
Even as he said it, Richtenaur's eyes were fixed on Eliza.
Though she couldn't match Yuno's movements, Eliza showed impressive athleticism, proving the time she'd spent training with Yuno wasn't wasted. Richtenaur found himself wanting her as a disciple too.
'Hmm~ Teaching a pretty princess beats stinking dudes any day. And she's tight with His Highness... Holding back a bit while training her wouldn't be so bad.'
And so, Yuno and Eliza each found their masters. From the afternoon, they began lessons under Katrin and Richtenaur.
Eliza parted ways with Yuno and headed to the knights' training grounds, joining the Imperial Guard Knights trainees for swordsmanship under Richtenaur.
The knights' sword training itself wasn't too hard for her to follow the basics, thanks to all the physical conditioning with Yuno. But during personal instruction from Richtenaur, she spent a ton of time rolling on the ground.
Richtenaur exploited her openings with all sorts of advanced stances and tricky swordplay, and as someone still at the basics, she couldn't block—let alone dodge.
"Block the incoming blade, then counter immediately! You think grinding your heels in with brute force changes anything? Defense is key, but attack and defense must happen simultaneously."
"Haaah!!"
"Don't rush! Feel the sensation of blades locking."
Richtenaur's teaching was brutal. The moment her form slipped even a little, a kick flew in, toppling her.
But every time she hit the dirt, Eliza thought of how she'd failed to protect Yuno, gritted her teeth, got up, and swung her sword again.
"Yes! That's it! Grit! Tenacity is what matters most. Even against an unbeatable foe, clench your teeth and endure—a breakthrough will come."
Richtenaur was delighted by her spirit but pressed her relentlessly once more.
While Eliza was getting put through the wringer by Richtenaur, Yuno headed to his personal training room on the first underground level.
Katrin was already there waiting, and she greeted him with a booming voice the moment he entered.
"Welcome, Yuno! As I said yesterday, I'm Katrin Aragon, your instructor from today on. Now, before we dive in... Come at your master here with everything you've got. Any technique or weapon—doesn't matter!"
Bam!!
No sooner had Katrin finished than Yuno lunged at her without hesitation, as if to redeem yesterday's loss.
"Is that all the snap your fists have? Every motion must be concise! Move faster!!"
"Grr!! Hah!!"
Every so often, Katrin checked Yuno's spread arms or sloppy footwork, correcting him with slaps and kicks from her hands and feet.
Whoosh!! Boom!
"That was good! Your stance is much tighter. But what if the opponent does this?"
Katrin flung sand from her pocket into Yuno's face as he cornered her against the wall. Caught off guard by the surprise attack, Yuno shut his eyes in panic.
Thud!!
Immediately, Katrin's fist smashed into his jaw. No mana infused, but the power was enough to knock him out cold.
As Yuno crumpled unconscious, Katrin splashed pre-prepared water from a bucket in his face, forcing him awake.
"Puh! Gah!! Hah... hah... Master?"
"We'll spar full-force like this every lesson before class. As you saw, I'll hit you with every dirty trick in the book. So forget fair play—fight like a street brawler. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!"
Until now, training solo or occasionally sparring barehanded or with wooden swords against Imperial Guard Knights—the elites held back too much, and the trainees required him to pull punches. Yuno had no one to go all-out against.
That's why he loved Katrin's straightforward style.
And her personality shone through in the lessons that followed.
"Your body's already near-perfect. So our sessions will focus on specific combat moves, using terrain and objects, and mana training."
"Uh... Mana training—how does that work? Knights swing swords along fixed paths with breathing exercises... But my mana core's down there, so that doesn't fit..."
"Don't sweat that. Our school's method doesn't care where your mana core is. Watch closely—I'll show you."
Katrin hauled a ridiculously thick, massive iron lump in front of Yuno and threw a bare-knuckled straight punch.
Boom!!
A fist-sized dent caved in the iron, crumpling it.
"See that? How's my fist?"
"It looks fine? You used mana, right? As a master... with aura blade."
Thwack!
"Hey! Think I'd waste a demo like that on you? What is mana? The power dwelling in all things in this world. Every living being has it. And when injured, bodies naturally channel mana to heal."
"Yes... That's true, but..."
"So if you deliberately abuse your body and inflict wounds nonstop, won't mana constantly circulate, making it stronger? Take you—you trained daily without mana, and your endurance and strength hit superhuman levels."
"No way...?"
Yuno doubted it, staring at his master's mouth, clinging to hope. But Katrin's words shattered it.
"Yep. From today, you'll strike this steel sandbag with every body part. For spots you can't hit, I'll oblige with this iron ball—so no worries."
"B-But starting like that... Won't injuries make daily training impossible? Shouldn't we ease in...?"
Yuno gathered the scraps of his hope and offered them, but Katrin ground them to dust.
"Hahaha, relax. After the intense stimulus, I'll stabilize you with my breathing technique. You'll feel your body recover naturally. Repeat that, and your mana grows, pushing your 'peaked' body further. You know muscle growth needs repeated stress and nutrition—we're just cranking the stress and swapping mana for food."
'Aaaah, what is this!! I reincarnated to live easy... This is too much!! Shouldn't have trained and drawn attention!!'
Yuno was filled with regret, but it was too late.
"Eh, just a little hardship ahead. I've been through it—I know it's tough. But endure, and you'll end up like this!"
Katrin drew a hidden dagger from her training garb and stabbed her arm repeatedly.
"Whoa!! Master!! What're you— Huh?"
Yuno rushed over in shock, but Katrin casually extended her arm. No wounds— instead, the dagger was bent. Yuno's eyes went wide.
"Well? This is the result of Aragon Style training. That's how I fight armed knights barehanded—why they call me Fist Master. No one else has reached this level... but you, Yuno—you could surpass me."
'This... is amazing... A body immune to assassination? Even if it hurts, I have to learn this right.'
With the proof right there, Yuno had no choice but to trust. His eyes blazed with training fervor, and Katrin smiled warmly at the sight.