Chapter 6. Training

Last time.

After I caught those masked people who climbed over the mansion walls.

My life definitely got better.

First of all, the servants' eyes looking at me changed, at least a little.

From a barbarian who threatened the Young Lady...

To a barbarian who threatened the intruders as well?

No, it feels like they got even more docile.

“Eat this!”

“Thank you.”

I think it's because I'm being obedient to the Young Lady.

“Should I eat a lot?”

Right now, in front of me, there are all kinds of snacks.

From expensive-looking cakes to well-baked cookies, all sorts of snacks are laid out on a cloth on the floor.

Ever since I asked for snacks as a reward last time, they’ve been bringing me a ton of snacks like this, claiming it's for me.

“Thank you.”

“Uh, uh-huh….”

But... it doesn’t really feel like they're bringing them for me.

I always eat them since they’re given to me, but the Young Lady's eyes look unusual.

“...Would you like some?”

“C-Can I?”

“Of course.”

“Ah, no… These are the doggy’s rewards….”

…At times like this, she's really like a kid her age.

Well, she’s usually like this too, but….

Those red eyes are the problem.

Sometimes when they gleam, a chill runs down my spine.

“...I belong to the Young Lady, so shouldn’t my rewards also belong to the Young Lady?”

“...!”

Well, it's a problem that can be solved if I'm just obedient and quiet.

Honestly, it’s much better than being a Gladiator.

Me, born a commoner in the slums, eating luxurious cakes that only Nobles eat.

It really feels like I've risen from rags to riches.

“Mmm- Delicious!”

“Eat slowly.”

And so.

I sat in the garden, having a tea party, not a tea party, with the Young Lady.

“I’ll go to my lesson now…!”

With her cheeks still puffed out from the cake in her mouth, the Young Lady left for her lesson.

“Phew.”

Now then, shall we go?

I took out the key hidden under the cushion on the floor and unlocked my leash.

As soon as I did, the blocked Aura circulated freely, and a pleasant sense of liberation washed over me.

It was so stuffy.

The feeling of not being able to use my Aura keeps bothering me.

How did Alden endure it?

Ah, he couldn't, so he cut it off and ran away?

I wonder if he’s doing alright.

Judging by the lack of news from the Colosseum, it seems like he wasn’t caught.

If he were, they would have executed him as an example and proudly announced it to the Gladiators.

Anyway.

I crossed the garden, now a little familiar to me.

Past the servants who look at me with suspicion, no, more like they see me as something slightly dangerous.

If I go around to the opposite side of my doghouse, there's an open training ground.

To be precise, it’s the back of the mansion.

Since I’m a dog let loose in the courtyard, I’m near the entrance of the mansion.

“You’ve arrived.”

“Yes, Lowell.”

“Go change into your training clothes.”

There's one more reason why I like living here.

It’s none other than being able to stretch here since recently.

They told me to come if I was bored, so I wondered what it was.

Wanting to use me somehow, or maybe it's a real reward.

I receive training here when the Young Lady goes to her lessons.

There are as many as three Knights in this mansion.

The two Bodyguard Knights of the Young Lady, who were punished for letting me through momentarily, and the Knight in charge of training the Security Guards guarding the mansion and overall security.

However.

I have a different instructor here.

“Let’s loosen up a bit.”

It’s that old man.

He seems bored during the Young Lady's lesson time, so he's been calling me out and training me lately.

“Try using your Aura today. I need to see it eventually.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Confidence is a virtue, but it's often not the same as arrogance.”

…He’s so relaxed.

Well, to be honest, I don't have the confidence to even touch a hair on his head.

“Then here I go.”

I focused my mind for a moment and circulated the Aura throughout my body.

The Aura circulated through my whole body, giving me vitality and exhilaration.

And.

*Bang-*

It gives me overflowing power.

I couldn't use it freely in the Colosseum because I had to train secretly.

But since everyone here knows I'm an Aura User, I unleashed my power without hesitation and rushed towards Lowell.

*Whoosh-*

Immediately after, the wooden sword I swung strongly cut through the air.

…He disappeared again.

Does he have a specialized movement technique?

*Swish, swish-* He keeps disappearing. This is troublesome.

I immediately swung my sword backward.

*Clang!*

My sword was blocked.

“Good reflexes.”

“If I can’t see you, it’s usually behind me, right?”

I put more force into the wooden sword and spun around using the recoil.

There, I saw Lowell holding my wooden sword with his fingers.

“Huh.”

That old man is really spry.

If I can’t win a power struggle and my wooden sword is grabbed, I should let go.

So, I released the wooden sword and kicked the ground.

*Whoosh!*

Sand exploded upwards, obscuring Lowell’s vision.

Taking advantage of the opening, I immediately spun and tried to plant my foot in his head… but…

Immediately after.

*Thump!*

I felt a strong impact in my chest, and my body flew through the air.

*Crash! Bang! Wallop!*

“Ugh…”

How many times did I roll?

Just because I kicked up some sand, he hits me?

“Excellent situational awareness.”

“Thanks a lot.”

So, because I obscured his vision, he just decided to attack me head-on.

As expected, he’s experienced.

“By the way, what was that?”

“What are you talking about?”

“That disappearing act. Do you have some kind of teleportation?”

Now that our sparring session was over, I asked.

Isn’t he way too fast?

I'm an Aura User, and my dynamic vision is pretty damn good.

If he disappears like that, how am I supposed to find him?

“…You don’t know about Fleet?”

“Huh? What’s that?”

“I guess you really don’t know…”

For a moment, Lowell stared at me as if he couldn’t believe I didn’t know.

But I genuinely had no idea.

What is that?

Alden didn’t teach me anything like that.

“It’s one of the basic techniques for Aura Users. Who taught you about Aura?”

“Uh… the former Champion of the Colosseum. I only briefly learned a Meditation Technique.”

“You only briefly learned it?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t learn much because the Champion ran away. I’m self-taught.”

At my words, Lowell stared at me in disbelief for a moment.

And after that…

“…Well, then I’ll teach you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, it’s just the basics, so you’ll learn quickly.”

For some reason, he said he’d teach me himself.

“First, you need to learn Track before Fleet.”

“…What’s that?”

“I see, you don’t know this either. We’ll have to start from the very beginning.”

What’s Track?

…I thought I was a pretty good Aura User.

I feel like a savage among civilized people.

I don’t know how I got past those Bodyguard Knights back then.

If I hadn’t been desperate, I might have been subdued immediately.

“It’s good to know what's out there first, so do you know how to read?”

“Yeah, I can read and write.”

“You can write too?”

“Is there anything I *can’t* do?”

I learned to read and write back in my Gladiator days.

…Actually, Alden was a big help with that.

He was quite knowledgeable, being a Knight and all.

Come to think of it, I’ve received a lot from Alden.

I should repay him if I ever see him alive again.

Well, if he saw me now, a Noble Family’s dog, he’d probably roll on the floor laughing his ass off.

“That’s good. Then I’ll give you some paper and a pen, so you can take notes.”

“Alright.”

And so,

I learned about the basic techniques of Aura Users from Lowell.

I heard that there are four common basic techniques for Aura Users on the continent:

Track, which enhances the eyes to capture instantaneous movements.

Fleet, which concentrates Aura in the body for a momentary burst of speed.

Rush, which, conversely, explodes Aura outward from the body, overwhelming the opponent.

And finally, Guard, which covers the body with a thin layer of Aura for defense.

“These are the basics.”

“…There’s a lot to learn.”

It doesn’t seem like something I can learn in one go,

but looking closely, it’s pretty basic stuff.

After all, when I was trying to Escape from the Colosseum, gathering Aura in my legs to jump was probably just a crude version of Fleet.

“You awakened your Aura through self-taught Meditation Technique, so you’ll learn quickly.”

“Other than that, if I learn Fleet, will I really be as fast as you?”

“Our levels are different, but also, the Void Family’s Fleet is a little different.”

I understand about the different levels,

but the Void Family’s Fleet?

“Are there different Secret Techniques for each Family?”

“Usually, yes.”

Oh, man…

So these are the basics, and each Noble Family has their own improved version through Secret Techniques?

“I can’t learn it, right?”

I shamelessly asked, just in case.

“Of course not.”

As expected.

“Well, it’s not entirely impossible.”

“What do I have to do?”

There’s a way?

To be honest, I was interested in that fast movement technique, so I perked up my ears and asked.

“Earn more merit.”

“It won’t work with just any merit, right?”

“Yes, you’d need enough merit for the Young Lady’s pet dog to be recognized by the Head of the Family and learn the Family Secret Techniques that even the Retainers can learn.”

“…Oh, man.”

Isn’t that practically impossible?

How can I, lying in the Courtyard with a leash around my neck, earn merit?

“Sounds tough.”

“You never know, if the opportunity arises, give it a try.”

The Masked Person incident was a special case, and the chances to earn merit are few and far between.

Thinking that I had a long way to go, I learned the basics that day.

However,

The opportunity to earn merit came sooner than expected.