Chapter 76
Although the amount she controlled was small, one thing was clear: she was moving mana on her own.
Moreover, because she was moving the mana exactly as Jade had taught her, even Silestin and Elestra, who were watching, wore surprised expressions.
They had never expected her to memorize the entire mana circuit on her first day and move mana on her own.
But the truly astonishing part was only beginning.
Uuuuuung.
No sooner had Della moved mana with her own power than the mana around her began to churn.
Then, before long, it began to be sucked toward Della’s body.
She had begun accumulating mana in earnest.
“Huh!”
Jade wore a surprised expression at the sight.
The mana cultivation technique he had taught Della was an intermediate technique one level above the one he had taught the children, but even it was not supposed to make mana pour in to this extent.
Yet Della had made it possible.
“So this is what they call a genius.”
-Even Jade wasn’t this good.
“I started with the Basic Technique, after all. Even if I’d wanted to, I couldn’t have done this. Maybe it would have been possible if I’d learned the mana cultivation technique I use now from the beginning?”
-Heeey, what’s this? Are you jealous of Della now?
Silestin poked Jade’s cheek repeatedly with a mischievous expression.
But Jade’s expression did not change despite her teasing.
“Jealous? Not at all. I’m actually grateful—for having met Della.”
-Are you drawing up some grand plan again?
“Not exactly a plan, but I think I need to raise the level of her training regimen a bit. I seem to have underestimated Della too much.”
Kkyuu!
Whid had flown into Jade’s arms and waved a forepaw.
Della’s rapid growth was visible even to Whid, and it excited him.
-She probably can’t do physical training right away. She’s so thin that we should feed her well first.
“Of course. And unexpectedly, she might not have any aptitude for physical training. Heaven doesn’t give you everything.”
-But there are exceptions.
Elestra looked at Jade meaningfully.
As if to say that Jade was one such exception.
“I’m no exception, either. Compared to the absurd things I’ve been through, this is nothing. I never wanted a life like this.”
-True. From Jade’s perspective, this really did come out of nowhere.
-But I like it! Because Jade came here and met me!
-……You really are selfish.
Elestra shook her head at Silestin’s utter simple-mindedness.
Yet she also felt envious.
Of being able to say everything she wanted so freely.
Even if she wanted to, Elestra could not do that.
Fwoosh!
Jade waved his hand while talking with the two spirits.
Because allowing it to continue would be bad for Della.
Accumulating mana quickly was a good thing, but it had to happen within the limits her body could handle.
Mana her body could not handle was no different from a bomb that could explode at any moment, so Jade scattered the mana being sucked into Della and roused his disciple.
-That’s enough now, Della.
Startled!
Della, who had been absorbing mana in a trance, suddenly came to her senses.
Only belatedly did she realize that she had lost herself and practiced the mana cultivation technique.
At the same time, more than half of the mana pouring into her body dispersed.
Even so, far more mana remained in Della’s body than before.
“Too much mana puts a strain on your body. It’s best to accumulate only the proper amount. And accumulation isn’t everything, either.”
At Jade’s gentle voice, Della looked sheepish.
She felt she had trained far too frantically.
“Still, you did well. You’re truly beyond my expectations. I knew Della had incredible talent, but I didn’t realize it was this great.”
“Uu……”
Della blushed and lowered her head.
She was embarrassed by the unfamiliar praise.
At the sight, Jade hugged Della warmly.
“You did really well, Della.”
“Uu!”
Perhaps she was getting fairly used to it now, because Della did not refuse Jade’s embrace.
Whid also made room in Jade’s arms and snuggled in with them.
“But for the time being, let’s train together. It’s dangerous for you to do it alone. You understand why without me having to explain, right?”
Nod!
Knowing she had momentarily lost herself, Della nodded vigorously.
But more than that, Della was happier that she could be with Jade.
She was overjoyed that she was no longer alone and had someone on her side.
“Then shall we go see your big sisters and brothers?”
“Eeh!”
“I’m sure there will be plenty to see, hehehe!”
Jade took Della’s hand with a meaningful smile.
Soon, Jade left the room with Della’s light footsteps accompanying him.
Farzali wore a blank expression.
After being helplessly beaten by apprentice knights who were not even official members of the Royal Knights, without managing even a token resistance, his mind had gone numb.
The same was true of Rael, Quatis, Ellie, Colin, and the others.
All of them stared down at the floor with unfocused eyes.
“Th-this is…….”
“Were we really only this strong…….”
All twenty of them muttered with devastated expressions.
Their self-assured demeanor from that morning had vanished without a trace.
Not a speck remained of the confidence they had gained after overwhelming the spirit studies students.
“The lord must have told you not to become arrogant. I know you all worked hard, but those children have devoted themselves to the sword alone for at least ten years. The amount of time you’ve spent training cannot even be compared. Spirit arts are certainly a tremendous power, but that power isn’t absolute. To call it absolute, you would at least need the lord’s level of skill.”
Ged reminded the children who had lost hope of reality.
He believed they needed a defeat this crushing at least once at this stage.
Of course, he knew the children possessed considerable potential.
They were, after all, talents Jade himself had discovered.
But at present, the children had only potential to show for themselves.
To bring that potential to fruition, they needed ceaseless effort and perseverance.
“I thought we’d gotten a little stronger, but we still have a long way to go.”
“You’re fairly skilled as spirit summoners, but that’s as far as it goes. Considering your ages, you’re remarkably talented, but the world is full of children stronger than you. There are even geniuses.”
The children squeezed their eyes shut.
They remembered how they had acted that morning, swollen with pride over a trivial victory.
There were many strong people in the world, and they were merely beginners who had just taken their first steps.
“So you must work even harder. Or give up now. If you don’t think you can do it, it’s better to quit now.”
“I will never give up. I have a family to protect.”
“Me too. I’ll work even harder.”
The gloomy expressions vanished in an instant, and a fierce resolve appeared in Farzali and Rael’s eyes.
Unlike the mercenaries whose goals were wealth and honor, the people from the marquisate, including those two, had a clear goal.
That was to protect their homeland.
Having learned spirit arts for that one reason alone, all ten of them immediately blazed with fighting spirit as though they had never been intimidated.
“That’s more like it.”
“My lord!”
Everyone turned at the familiar voice coming from behind them.
Haynes and the Royal Knights also looked toward the training ground entrance.
They had instinctively turned at Jade’s appearance.
“That child…….”
“She doesn’t look particularly special.”
The Royal Knights and the apprentice knights alike turned their gazes toward Della.
Everyone was interested because they had learned she was Jade’s personally taken-in disciple.
But she did not look particularly special.
Not in terms of either appearance or bearing.
“Looks like not a single one of you won?”
“That’s right.”
At Ged’s answer, all twenty lowered their heads.
They were too ashamed to face him.
The ten who had recently been taught the mana cultivation technique they had so desperately wanted looked especially miserable.
Even though they were apprentice knights in the Royal Knights, they had also lived as mercenaries, so failing to defeat even a single opponent had filled them with self-loathing.
“Your expressions are completely different from this morning.”
“…….”
The twenty lowered their heads even further.
They remembered how arrogantly they had acted.
Jade must have known then.
Yet even knowing that, Jade had not said much.
‘He probably knew we’d be crushed.’
Farzali was suddenly reminded of Jade’s words telling them not to become arrogant.
And of how he himself had let those words go in one ear and out the other.
How ridiculous he must have looked, getting carried away after gaining only a pathetic little ability.
Farzali could not raise his head.
“If the apprentice knights had lost, today would have been a difficult day for them. In a way, that would also have meant they had been slacking in their training. They may be apprentice knights, but they all graduated from the Royal Academy’s Department of Knight Studies.”
“They’re promising talents as well.”
“That’s right.”
Each one had been personally selected by Lloyd and Haynes.
In particular, since Haynes, a Sword Master, had separated the gems from the stones, there was no need to question their skills.
They had been chosen as the knights who would protect the royal family in the future.
“It’ll be good medicine.”
“I agree. It isn’t good for them to be too full of themselves. But the young lady has changed completely, hasn’t she?”
“She’ll change even more. She’s still at the age when she’s growing rapidly.”
Della, who had been standing quietly while holding Jade’s hand, opened her eyes wide.
She was unaccustomed to being called a young lady.
She was even more surprised because it had been Ged, a knight, who said it.
“She’s practically unrecognizable.”
“Children grow by the day. Whid’s the same.”
Kkyua!
Perhaps because Whid and Haynes had grown fairly familiar with each other, Whid raised a paw from Jade’s arms.
It was Whid’s way of greeting Haynes.
At that sight, a faint smile appeared on Haynes’s usually impassive face.
Haynes was extremely stern with the Royal Knights, but he was different with Whid.
Since Whid could, in a sense, be considered a comrade-in-arms, Haynes smiled and waved at him.
“I’m jealous. Whid even greets you.”
“I’ve spent much more time with Whid than you have.”
Ged wore a genuinely envious expression.
Even though quite some time had passed since they began living together in Baden Village, Whid barely paid him any attention.
Since Whid had never acknowledged him first as he had just now, Ged wore a dejected expression.
“Alfredo.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Stay with Della.”
“Understood. Please come this way, Miss Della.”
Jade called Alfredo over because the Royal Knights had been tense from the moment he entered the training ground.
It was so he could leave Della in Alfredo’s care while he granted Haynes’s request.
If Arellia had been here, he would have asked her, but she was absent, perhaps because she had business elsewhere.
“Watch with Alfredo. It’ll probably be fun.”
Jade knelt on one knee to meet Della’s eyes and grinned.
Della gave a small nod.
She meant that, just as Jade had said, she would stay with Alfredo.
But she did not take Alfredo’s hand.
Kkyuu!
Instead, Whid took Della’s hand.
Whid stood upright on two feet like a person and stood beside Della.
Seeing Whid try to pass on to Della all the love he had received, Jade found a smile forming at the corner of his mouth.
“Hohoho.”
Perhaps he wasn’t the only one who found the sight adorable, because Alfredo, who always wore a solemn expression, laughed.
Though he quickly composed himself again.
“Is everything ready?”
“I’ve been waiting for the marquis.”
“That’s quite a crowd.”
“Aside from those on duty, away on assignments, or on personal leave, you can assume everyone has gathered.”
Jade swept his relaxed gaze over the Royal Knights standing in formation.
Yet the funny thing was that the Royal Knights were the ones who were nervous.
Even though there were well over two hundred of them, they swallowed dryly as they looked at Jade.
“Isn’t this too many?”
“You seem to have grown more prone to complaining since I last saw you.”