Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Chapter 33: The Sword (3)
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Jamie yawned as he gazed at the pitch-black sky outside the window.
It was 5 AM. Normally, he'd still be dead to the world at this hour, but starting today, he was finally going to learn the sword.
The Welton Count had ordered him to assemble at the training grounds by 6 AM yesterday, so he'd woken up an hour early to get ready and shake off the drowsiness.
"Purrrr— purrrr—"
"...You're really snoring in the weirdest way possible."
Ban was curled up like a shrimp in the meantime, letting out bizarre breathing noises as he slept.
Jamie considered pranking him but decided against it.
Unlike yesterday, he had to deal with Sara today.
She'd already bawled her eyes out yesterday, whining about missing Ban. Today, he'd let them play together all day long.
"Sweet dreams. They'll be over soon enough anyway."
"Ugh..."
Ban's body shivered faintly, as if he'd heard Jamie's voice even in his sleep.
Jamie chuckled and changed into his training clothes.
Then he spent a short time meditating before heading to the training grounds right on schedule.
"I wonder what kind of training it'll be."
He wasn't expecting to learn the Welton family's swordsmanship right away. No matter that he was the heir, they wouldn't teach secret techniques to someone without even the basics.
Fine by him.
He'd start from a blank slate.
He'd absorb everything like a sponge and shine in swordsmanship just like he had in magic.
'This body's got top-notch specs, after all.'
Blood of the Weltons, enhanced by the Orb of Life.
He'd never tested it in close-quarters combat, but he was confident he'd at least handle the fundamentals.
Fundamentally, Jamie Welton had been a massive narcissist since his Diablo Volpir days.
He didn't entertain the thought of failure for even a second.
"Here we are."
Jamie eyed the door to the training grounds.
Stepping through that door meant officially beginning his sword training.
Learning something new was always exciting, even if it was a field totally different from magic.
What will Father teach me today? With that thought, he pushed open the door and stepped inside.
But the one waiting in the training grounds wasn't the Welton Count.
"My name is Hamilton Leonardo. Starting today, I'll be the instructor in charge of your training, Young Master."
The man who introduced himself as Hamilton had reddish-brown hair, sharp features, and tanned skin.
Jamie knew him.
He was one of the Count's closest aides and the vice-captain of the Pier Knight Order.
During the Upton expedition, he'd stayed behind in Hice to stand in for Captain Jack.
Jamie hadn't seen him once since his return.
They'd had no reason to cross paths, and he was a busy man even within the household. So why was he standing in the training grounds at this hour instead of the Count?
'Instructor?'
Something felt off, so he asked.
"Where's Father, Sir Leonardo...?"
Hamilton replied with a blank expression.
"Do you think the great Sword Master would personally instruct a greenhorn just stepping into swordsmanship?"
It wasn't wrong, but the biting tone caught him off guard.
Jamie was the Welton heir.
Not even the vice-captain of the family's elite Pier Knight Order could speak to him so casually.
Hamilton pressed on regardless.
"I'll be training you for a while."
"I... see. But I don't see any wooden swords around."
He looked around, but there were no training tools prepared in the grounds.
You needed a sword to learn swordsmanship.
Not a real one for a beginner, but at least wooden practice swords—yet there was nothing.
Hamilton smirked mockingly.
"You won't need wooden swords for today's training, Young Master."
"Huh?"
"You'll be running laps around the training grounds from now on."
Running all of a sudden?
Jamie had come to learn the sword, not to go jogging. He called out to Hamilton.
"Sir Leonardo?"
"Enough. From now on, address me as Instructor, not Sir."
But the response came with a cold, merciless expression and voice.
Hamilton had donned a red cap at some point, its unfamiliar design casting shadows over his eyes and amplifying his intimidating aura.
'When did he even put that on?'
Magic trick or something?
As Jamie pondered the triviality, Hamilton continued.
"And from now on, respond to this instructor's words with 'Yes, sir!'"
"Yes, sir?"
"Young Master. No—Trainee Jamie."
Even the form of address had changed.
This would never fly under normal circumstances, but for some reason, Jamie couldn't defy him right now.
"Y-yes, sir!"
"That's all the volume you've got?"
"Yes, sir!"
"That's it. Good job."
Hamilton had even put on sunglasses while saying this.
Where the hell did they come from, and when did he put them on?
Jamie wanted to ask but couldn't bring himself to in this atmosphere.
Hamilton adjusted his sunglasses and barked at the trainee.
"Start running now."
"...How many laps?"
"No questions! Just obey orders! Run!"
"Yes, sir!"
Jamie grimaced and began running across the vast training grounds.
"As expected, Hamilton's the best at breaking in trainees."
The Welton Count watched Jamie running diligently from the top of the mansion, where the entire training grounds were visible.
Sears Bell Welton stood beside him, watching her son with a worried look.
"Will he be okay?"
"Probably not."
Sears frowned at her husband's irresponsible words.
Seeing her expression, the Count spoke firmly.
"But he has to push through. That's the only way to truly prove the resolve he showed yesterday."
If he buckled at mere running, then Jamie's determination was worth that much.
And if Jamie gave up, the Count had no intention of ever teaching him the family secrets.
"That's harsh."
"It has to be. To avoid tarnishing the Welton name. And this is nothing."
"It'll get worse later?"
"This is just the beginning. Once he actually grips a sword, I won't go easy even on my own son."
"Couldn't you take it a little easier?"
"My father never went easy on me."
That's how he'd become a Sword Master.
Sears understood, but watching her son suffer still made her chest tighten.
"He'll do fine. He's our son."
The Count wrapped an arm around Sears's shoulders.
She leaned into his chest and watched their son running hard.
"Oh. I forgot to mention something."
"What?"
"The Valle Viscount's family should arrive in Hice the day after tomorrow."
"Why are you telling me now?!"
Sears cried out in shock.
"This isn't the time. We need to prepare..."
"What's the rush? They're arriving the day after tomorrow. And the Viscount's my sworn brother. We can treat them casually..."
"That's exactly why we need to host them properly. I'm heading down. What should we start with? Goodness."
Sears hurried down the stairs at tremendous speed.
The Welton Count stared blankly at where she'd been, then scratched the back of his head.
He looked out the window again.
Jamie was running better than expected.
"Hang in there, Jamie."
The training had only just begun.
'Hot...'
The sun was high in the midday sky.
Jamie was still running.
He'd lost track of how many hours it'd been, but now he felt no sensation below his waist.
'Isn't it autumn?'
Even autumn was hot for running in the sun.
If not for the occasional breeze, he'd have collapsed ages ago.
Lucky it was autumn—if it'd been midsummer, he'd have keeled over long before.
'Damn it. Doesn't that guy ever get tired?'
Hamilton had stood stock-still in the center of the grounds for hours like a statue.
Early on, Jamie had respected him, but now only resentment remained.
'How long do I have to keep this up?'
His breathing was getting ragged.
His lungs felt like they were shrinking.
His head burned, and worst of all, the world was starting to tint yellow.
Jamie knew exactly what state he was in better than anyone. He'd experienced it dozens of times before.
'My body's hitting its limit.'
Even with Welton blood and the Orb of Life's enhancements, reaching this point was surprising.
Running laps nonstop for hours was brutally exhausting.
Especially for someone like Jamie, who hadn't done proper exercise.
This time was pure hell.
'I want to lie down.'
But it was just a thought. Even in a daze where he could barely tell walking from running, his feet kept moving.
It was grueling, but in his past life, he'd overcome situations hundreds, maybe thousands of times worse, countless times.
That forged willpower wouldn't yield to mere laps.
'Incredible.'
Instructor Hamilton was shocked by Jamie's laps, which had gone on for over five hours without a break.
'How can a seven-year-old boy keep running nonstop like that?'
He knew Jamie Welton was an exceptional boy.
A once-in-a-generation magic genius, and now even a saint of the Pyro Goddess, from what he'd heard.
p>That alone was mind-blowing, but now this absurd stamina too.
'I've never seen him exercise.'
The Orb of Life's recovery was at play, but even accounting for that, Jamie's endurance was unbelievable.
Hamilton, unaware of it, was beyond stunned.
'Unbelievable.'
As the Count's confidant, he knew plenty about Jamie. The Count had consulted him on it multiple times.
—My son was chosen for magic, not the sword. I don't know what to do. With that talent, giving up the sword for magic makes sense, but... what would you have done?
Hamilton hadn't been able to answer.
He'd agonize too if his own child had such magic talent.
The Count had ultimately told his son to choose magic over sword. Hamilton thought it the right call.
'My lord. We were both wrong.'
Ridiculous stamina.
Unyielding perseverance.
Endurance to weather anything.
Jamie Welton wasn't born for magic alone.
'I'll know for sure once he picks up a sword.'
Hamilton was mostly convinced.
A seven-year-old still struggling to run would master the sword spectacularly too.
"That's enough."
Any more would just be torture.
"You're done! Stop running!"
He ordered Jamie to halt.
But as if he hadn't heard, Jamie kept going.
His senses must have dulled as his body hit its limit.
"Trainee! You can stop!"
He shouted louder, but Jamie ran on.
With no choice, Hamilton approached.
Jamie's shoulders sagged, his back hunched like he might collapse any second.
"Trainee Jamie, I said stop—!"
The moment Hamilton grabbed his shoulder to stop him.
Tzzt—
A chilling power emanated from Jamie.
His half-turned eyes gleamed sharp as a beast's.
Hamilton instinctively stepped back. Realizing it, his face twisted in complicated emotions.
He didn't know how to process being intimidated by this young boy.
A moment later—
"Huh?"
Jamie's face returned to normal.
Then, with an utterly exhausted expression, he asked Hamilton.
"Instructor, is it over?"
"..."
"Instructor?"
"Ah. Y-yeah. Training's done for today."
Hamilton snapped back only when called again, clearing his throat before announcing the end.
Jamie gave a faint smile at the news.
"Finally, I can rest..."
His words didn't finish.
The boy flopped down spread-eagled and, incongruously, started snoring.
Hamilton rubbed his face as he looked at the sleeping Jamie.
How was he supposed to report what he'd just witnessed to the Count?
"...Not easy."
He scooped Jamie up and headed to his room.