Chapter 58
Even Parzali, the only one in his twenties, was a mere twenty-one years old.
By contrast, the youngest of the thirteen who had come to learn spirit arts was twenty-three.
Since even the youngest was a woman, Illait thought at least half of them would drop out during physical training.
“Khe-he-heup!”
“You never know. Maybe every last one of them will stubbornly endure it.”
Ged's gaze turned toward the middle-aged man.
Despite being the oldest, the middle-aged man had run for the longest.
It was impossible to tell whether he was trying to lead by example or had simply been blessed with good stamina from birth.
There was one thing, however, that was clear.
“What are you doing? I'm running too. Are you going to keep resting?”
“Nngh!”
“Can't you see the kids are still running?”
“Yes, we can!”
At the middle-aged man's shout, those who had been sprawled on the ground and vomiting in various positions got to their feet one after another.
Yet their complexions were so pale that they looked ready to collapse at any moment.
Their running form was also a complete mess compared to when they had started.
“Damn it! Why do we have to do this kind of training? I came here to learn spirit arts!”
“Hey.”
“Do you think everyone is like you? Do you think people chose not to learn weapon arts because they didn't want to? They gave up because they had no talent and spirit arts were all they had!”
Everyone's eyes turned toward one young man.
But the looks directed at him were all far from ordinary.
In particular, the nine younger ones, with Parzali among them, stared at the young man with exceptionally cold eyes.
“That was a bit harsh.”
“You must be thinking the same thing as me deep down, aren't you, Uncle? That this training is completely pointless! Of course, getting fitter is good for your health! But we didn't come all the way here to work on our stamina, did we? Isn't what everyone wants advanced spirit arts or a mana cultivation method? Isn't that why we all came here?”
“……”
At the sight of the young man angrily venting everything on his mind, not only the middle-aged man but the other eleven also gave him cold looks.
They understood that it was difficult and frustrating.
To some extent, they had been thinking along the same lines as the young man.
But those thoughts should never have been spoken aloud.
“Come on, say something! You don't want to keep doing this boring physical training forever, do you?”
“If you don't like it, leave.”
“Huh?”
“Don't speak informally. It's not as though we're close enough to be on casual speaking terms, are we?”
“Eek!”
The young man's complexion darkened.
Jade had suddenly appeared, carrying the Gold Drake hatchling in his arms just as he had when they first met.
“I never forced you to stay. You were the one who clung to me. You were also the one who said you would swear loyalty to me. But I suppose that resolve lasted only a single day.”
“Th-that’s……”
The young man rolled his eyes from side to side.
He was racking his brain over how to make excuses and get himself out of this situation.
As he furtively looked back at his companions, however, they all avoided his gaze.
No, they looked at him as though he were filthy refuse, which went beyond mere avoidance.
“Tired? Bored? Then leave. I have no intention of holding you back.”
“I-I was thoughtless! It was just that things were so difficult for a moment……”
Thud!
The young man dropped to his knees.
When the atmosphere began to take a serious turn, he bowed his head without hesitation.
But even then, Jade's expression did not change in the slightest.
“If you can't endure even this level of training, how will you fight monsters? Ged.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Put him out.”
“M-My lord! Please give me just one more chance! I swear, I swear I'll never let this happen again! Please, just one more chance……!”
The young man shouted desperately, as though spitting blood.
But neither Jade nor Ged paid any attention to his words, merely giving him cold looks.
Brrrrr!
The young man struggled with all his might against Ged's rough grip, but to someone who trained hard every day, his resistance was little more than a child's play.
Before long, Ged expelled the young man from the training ground.
“What are you doing? Why aren't you training?”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Jade spoke matter-of-factly, as though nothing had happened, and the twelve spirit mages hurriedly ran around the training ground.
The children continued running as well, their faces set hard.
-There seem to be people like that everywhere, humans who are so thoughtless and greedy. They know the value of spirit arts and mana cultivation methods, yet they still throw tantrums.
-He's just immature. Growing older doesn't necessarily make someone mature.
-But what was he thinking? Did he really think Jade would teach him if he threw a tantrum like that?
-His head must have stopped working for a moment.
Silestin tilted her head as if she truly couldn't understand him.
He was simply too stupid to make sense of.
Elestra, on the other hand, was of the opinion that it was possible.
-It could have been calculated. Agitators are everywhere.
-That's going too far.
-Calculated? He didn't look nearly smart enough for that!
At Jade's words, Elestra and Silestin strongly objected.
It was because he really did not look like that kind of person.
“Huff, huff, huff!”
While Jade leisurely conversed with the two spirits, the twelve ran with every ounce of determination they had.
Though they had lived alongside him for only a day, seeing one of their number expelled made them grit their teeth and run even harder.
The nine children, including Parzali, followed close behind them.
No, they overtook them in an instant.
With two sandbags strapped to their legs, they passed all twelve at once, as though toying with them.
“Hup!”
Crack!
But that was not the only time.
When it happened a second and third time, the twelve's expressions changed.
They realized the children were deliberately overtaking them.
-The atmosphere is getting strange.
-A little competition is good for both sides. Still, they don't have to take it quite that far.
Since they were all spirit mages, there had already been a subtle competitive spirit among them, but the young man's thoughtless behavior had made the children's mood hostile.
They were all angry that he would make such an unreasonable demand instead of being grateful for the chance he had been given.
Perhaps that was why the children ran even harder, showing the twelve through their actions.
It was as if they were saying that anyone who couldn't endure even this much should leave on their own.
Boom! Boom!
Although the area had now been incorporated into Baden Village, it had nevertheless become a district primarily inhabited by beastfolk. Heavy vibrations sent clouds of dust rising.
Two figures were clashing without pause in a training ground built to accommodate the beastfolk's physiques.
Kyu! Kyu-uuuu!
Compared to the more than six-meter-tall Pent, Aruellia looked incredibly small and frail, yet the fight was unexpectedly even.
Pent was not only tall but thickly built, and he launched a fierce assault at Aruellia using overwhelming strength. Unfortunately, none of his attacks landed directly.
Aruellia evaded them all with her characteristically uncanny movements.
Whid watched the scene, wiggling his rear end.
-Our Whid is having a blast!
Kyu-uuu!
As Whid fluttered his wings and focused on the fight as though he wanted to spar as well, Silestin gave him a motherly smile.
He seemed to have been showing a competitive streak more and more lately.
More precisely, it seemed that he had gained confidence in himself.
-Even so, Whid still can't take on Pent. Leaving experience aside, the difference in strength is simply too great.
-Of course. Pent may be the strongest beastman alive right now. Whid still isn't ready for him.
-But Whid's growth has been so rapid that I don't think he'll lose easily by next year.
-Oh, come on. No matter how quickly our Whid grows stronger, that's impossible. You seem to have forgotten for a moment, but our Whid is only fourteen months old.
Kyu-uuu!
As though he had heard their conversation, Whid stuck out his lower lip and shook his head vigorously.
He was directly objecting to Silestin's words.
He couldn't even block a single one of Pent's blows now, but next year might be a different story.
The Wolf King's heart was being absorbed even at this very moment, after all.
-Before that, though, he'll need to start talking.
Kyu-ung……
Whid looked dejected.
He understood what people said and could clearly express his intentions, but there was one thing he still couldn't do.
He still couldn't communicate through thoughts.
Nor were his mouth and vocal cords suited to speaking human language.
-Why are you putting the poor kid down? Our Whid's lost all his confidence!
-I only stated a fact.
-You don't have to tell him the truth for no reason!
Kyu-uuuuu.
Whid, who had been wiggling his rear end, slumped.
Even his tail, which had been standing stiffly, now lay sprawled on the ground.
“Why are you thinking about next year already? Our lives are such that we don't even know what will happen tomorrow.”
Kyu-ung.
When Jade reached down to pick him up, Whid naturally nestled into his arms.
By now, Jade's embrace had become his designated spot, and he curled up snugly in it.
-True. We did get a little ahead of ourselves, didn't we?
“Of course. He's only fourteen months old.”
Jade gently stroked Whid's head.
Whid purred contentedly, as though the touch felt good.
Apparently, he enjoyed Jade's touch every time.
Kwoooom!
While stroking Whid, Jade watched the two fight.
To an onlooker, the battle between Pent, who used the overwhelming strength emanating from his massive body, and Aruellia, who evaded him with movements that could only be described as uncanny, looked as though Pent had driven Aruellia onto the defensive.
But the reality was different.
Though Pent continued to unleash a terrifying momentum, he was actually the one being driven into a corner.
No matter how fiercely he attacked, none of his blows could reach Aruellia.
‘His reflexes, agility, and flexibility are all no worse than Ria's. If anything, my strength and stamina are superior. Yet there's only one reason I can't move like that: the difference in experience.’
Jade's eyes sharpened.
No matter how many times he replayed the fight in his mind and challenged her, the result was always the same.
Even though his physical abilities were actually superior to hers, he could not imitate Aruellia's movements.
Jade found the reason in their difference in experience.
Krrrk!
Moreover, Aruellia's strengths were not limited to evasion.
Using two swords, she deflected her opponent's attacks with ghostlike skill.
Even though she would not have been easily overwhelmed in a head-on clash if she used mana, Aruellia thoroughly avoided fighting directly.
Strategically, there was no reason for her to do otherwise.
Boom! Bang!
Pent's huge, thick hands, reminiscent of giant hammers, bombarded Aruellia without pause, but most of them failed to come anywhere near her, and she deflected every attack that did reach her.
As a result, Pent's momentum began to weaken as time passed.
Once the fight became prolonged, his mana and stamina dropped rapidly.
“Bwooooo!”
Pent's momentum suddenly flared again for an instant, as though he were squeezing out the last of his strength.
Fearsome aura blades rose from his two tusks.
And Aruellia did not evade that attack.
Kwoooong!
At last, the collision produced an enormous roar and a shockwave that swept across the training ground.
Yet their postures were clearly different within the storm.
Unlike Aruellia, who stood proudly, Pent was down on one knee, his face drained of strength.
“……I have lost again today.”
“You've improved a lot. Enough to truly surprise me. Most of all, your control over your strength has improved—both physically and in your use of mana.”
“Thank you. It's all thanks to you, Lady Aruellia.”
Though he had lost, Pent looked refreshed.
He had entered the sparring match without ever expecting to win.
The gap in strength was overwhelming, so victory had never been a consideration.
Instead, he had focused on finding and making up for whatever he lacked.
“You both worked hard.”