After the lesson with Teacher Renne, I headed to the training hall to begin my swordsmanship lessons with my brother.
I understood why Brother Adrian had come with me, but I couldn't quite grasp why Sister Anastasia was joining us.
Sensing our curiosity, Sister Anastasia turned to face us.
"What?"
"Sigh... why are you here?" Brother Adrian sighed, his tone a mix of exasperation and amusement.
"What's the problem?" she replied, crossing her arms and pouting.
"Father has granted me permission to train in martial arts! Hehe, this is the culmination of my persistent requests to join the practice every afternoon in Dad's office."
Uwahh, she can be so stubborn.
It was clear she had spent hours pestering Dad from noon until evening every day. Is she really that free?
Brother Adrian and I exchanged glances and sighed in unison.
"Oh, it looks like you all are gathered here. Other than Young Master Adrian, Young Master Allen and Miss Anastasia are meeting me for the first time. My name is Jose Pearson. It's a pleasure to meet you both. Now, let's begin the training!"
The introduction was brief, yet it felt charged with energy. This instructor seemed lively and enthusiastic, perhaps a sign that he would be a good teacher.
He clapped his hands together and regarded us in turn.
"Young Master Adrian can train as he usually does. As for Young Master Allen and Miss Anastasia, I want you both to run laps around this field."
Brother Adrian immediately started running. Meanwhile, Sister Anastasia and I stood still, exchanging glances.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and run!" Instructor Jose urged.
"Y-yes!" I stammered.
"Yes!" Sister Anastasia echoed.
We took off, but he hadn't specified how many laps we were supposed to run.
Is this a test of our stamina?
Alright then. I was curious to find out how much endurance I had, considering I had never exercised before and usually spent my days playing.
.
.
.
Hah... hah...
Uwahh, this is crazy!
I had already completed at least 13 laps and was completely out of breath.
"Young Master Allen, your legs are slowing down!" Instructor Jose called out, his voice brimming with encouragement.
I was exhausted, you merciless instructor!
This training ground was at least four times the size of a basketball court. It was enormous.
Yet, both Brother Adrian and Sister Anastasia were still going strong, effortlessly overtaking me as they continued to run.
Round 18.
Round 19.
And here I was, struggling through the 20th round.
I stumbled forward from sheer fatigue.
At just seven years old, I had managed to run twenty laps around this vast field. At least my body showed some potential.
To my surprise, Sister Anastasia was still running.
Sister... isn't this your first practice? Where did you find such monstrous stamina?
"Young Master, do you wish to continue lying on the ground like that?" Instructor Jose asked, his tone matter-of-fact.
It's not that I wanted to stay sprawled on the ground! I just didn't have the energy!
"I'm tired," I managed to say between breaths.
Instead of helping me up, he grabbed the fabric of my shirt and hoisted me off the ground.
"Eh?"
"Let's move to a shaded area. It's too hot for you here, young master."
I didn't mind being carried, but could he at least do it properly?
He took me under the trees, providing a welcome respite from the sun. As I watched my siblings continue to run, the instructor turned to me.
"If I may ask, what drives your desire to wield a sword, young master?"
"To survive," I replied, my tone earnest.
His eyes widened, and he fell silent for a moment. Clearly, he hadn't expected such a candid answer from a child.
At my age, most kids might dream of being knights, wanting to protect others or revel in the thrill of adventure.
But I had no such noble or innocent aspirations.
In this world—no, in any world—the weak would inevitably be crushed.
Yet, he remained quiet, staring at me.
"What's wrong?" I tilted my head, puzzled.
"Ah, no. I just didn't expect such a response from the son of a nobleman."
"Sometimes the world doesn't unfold as we wish it to, instructor. If something happens, I want to be able to protect everyone."
"You are very wise for your age, young master," he said, ruffling my hair.
"And that's the 35th round!!!"
During our conversation, Sister Anastasia had completed an impressive thirty-five laps.
"Ahh, I'm so tired, ahahaha!" she exclaimed, laughing as she approached us. Sweat glistened on her forehead, dripping down her cheeks, and her shirt was soaked.
"Good job, sister," I said, offering her a smile.
Instructor Jose handed her a small towel, advising her to take a moment to rest.
"For the next two weeks, your training will focus on improving your stamina. If I feel you are ready before then, we will progress to the next stage of learning."
"Instructor!" Sister Anastasia raised her hand, her enthusiasm evident.
"Yes?"
"When can I choose my weapon?"
"After this training. What weapon do you wish to use?"
"I want to wield a rapier."
A rapier, huh?
I decided I would use a sword like my brother.
If given the chance, I wanted to wield a katana as well.
Hmm, since I was ambidextrous, I thought it would be thrilling to wield a sword in my left hand and a katana in my right.
But alas, it seemed this world didn't have katanas as a common weapon.
If they don't exist, we'll just have to create them.
"You can head back now or watch Young Master Adrian's training," Instructor Jose said, breaking me from my thoughts.
I turned to Sister Anastasia, and we nodded in agreement.
"We'll stick around a bit longer to watch and then head back to rest."
We observed as Brother Adrian trained, moving from physical drills to sparring sessions with Instructor Jose.
Even though my brother was only nine, he exhibited remarkable skill in fending off attacks from the instructor.
His instincts were sharp, and his movements were agile.
There was a fluidity to their exchanges—each of them executing their maneuvers with precision. Even nearby knights paused in their training to watch the captivating display.
"That's great, Adrian! Keep going!" one of them cheered.
Hearing those words, my brother smiled and grew more aggressive in his attacks.
I couldn't help but laugh at the scene unfolding before me.