By Zephyria 
The next day, I went to the martial arts training ground at 9 AM.
The expedition was not far off. To prevent the knights from wasting their energy unnecessarily, I had forbidden dawn and night training as of yesterday. Therefore, I had to follow the rules and set an example.
I had set the training time to a total of six hours: three hours from immediately after breakfast until just before lunch, and another three hours after lunch.
During the morning training session, the focus was primarily on forming defensive formations centered around the mages, and then practicing moving in those formations while freely attacking. Since most of them were familiar with the Imperial Swordsmanship and Combined Formations and were physically adept, there were few mistakes.
The afternoon training was designated as free practice time, allowing individuals to spar with acquaintances or refine their swordplay alone. Even after the official training hours ended, they could mingle with other knights in the training ground until dinner, and I made it clear that they should get ample rest after dinner.
This was a gathering of individuals considered the most outstanding talents from each territory. Even after only a day, some of the more sociable ones had already mixed in and were calling each other ‘hyung’ and ‘noona,’ flaunting their newfound camaraderie.
I, too, had no intention of skipping training.
“Alpha, Beta, charge!”
“Charge!”
“Gamma, defend!”
“Defend!”
It was Mac Weaber shouting commands to the members with a loud, resonant voice. She was a talented individual who had served as a platoon leader or squad leader several times before. She was very accustomed to giving orders and had a voice that was louder and more resonant than anyone else’s.
My unit, the 1st Platoon, was simply referred to as the 1st Platoon. Their mission was to support me and prioritize rapid movement. Their task was to lead the entire group from the front, assess the situation, and communicate with me.
The remaining nine platoons were divided into three groups each and named Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, borrowing terms commonly used in Magic Formulas. Platoons 2, 3, and 4 were the Alpha group, 5, 6, and 7 were the Beta group, and 8, 9, and 10 were the Gamma group.
We practiced deploying the four formations—Charge, Defend, Attack, and Rest—as quickly as possible dozens of times. Once a single squad of eight members moved as one, we planned to practice the Combined Formation of the 24-member upper-level groups, and then train the linked formations of the 72 members across the nine platoons.
The most crucial aspect during a charge was synchronizing everyone’s movement speed. Generally, Sword Masters possessed exceptionally strong physiques, so matching each other’s pace was not a significant issue. Therefore, the movement speed of the mages at the center of each formation greatly influenced the overall movement speed of each squad.
During defense, we practiced stopping in unison to protect the mages. Each mage spared no Mana Stones or reagents, striving to shorten the casting speed of their shields. Still, it was good that they were Battle Mages chosen over Research Mages, as their personalities had no flaws.
For attacks, we typically simulated situations where monsters were present on all sides. Everyone turned their backs to each other and thrust their swords forward, practicing their primary sword techniques while ensuring their blades didn’t clash. Originally, they had trained with different knights in their respective territories, so they adapted quickly.
At this point, the mages completed and then canceled their primary magic casting. The mana consumption was enormous, causing the mana concentration within the training ground to temporarily spike significantly.
Of course, our 1st Platoon couldn’t afford to skip practice.
The hemispherical shield spreading down from the crown of my head was lighter in color than before. It seemed insufficient mana had been used. After a single touch, I looked at the panting mage.
“Your shield activation speed is about 5 seconds slower than the adjacent platoon, Boulder. And the sturdiness is also lacking.”
“N-no, I, huff, have never tried casting a shield while moving! All my Memorized spells are gone! How many times is this? What is this, wizard abuse!”
“The adjacent platoon is doing it.”
“Please, you guys here are the strongest, do something! I can’t reduce the time any further!”
It seemed possible.
I had witnessed Mage Boulder’s abilities with my own eyes and body more than once. It would have been cumbersome in many ways if Boulder hadn’t been there when transitioning from Yulan to Biban, and I recalled him showing decent skills in the Magic Territory as well.
In my opinion, this guy had developed a bad habit. Accustomed to casting spells in the high-density mana of the Magic Territory, he seemed to be trying to cast spells using less mana than usual. That’s why he’s in this state. I scanned the sloppily intertwined mana knots again with my eyes.
However, I hesitated, unable to push him further when he was panting as if about to cry.
“Then, perhaps, what if you reduce the shield’s range a bit?”
“Reduce it?”
“Yes. It seems difficult to deploy a shield large enough for all eight of us to fit inside right now. If you exclude me and we narrow our spacing like this… the diameter should shrink by about a span.”
“Uh, let’s try… But we still have to deploy it rapidly while running.”
“I’ll give you time for Memorization.”
“…”
He glared at me, but what could I do? I couldn’t just abandon all these people in a monster field without shields. Having included Mage Boulder in the expedition through personal acquaintance, I felt responsible for his every action.
“Alright, let’s go,” I said, about to run again, but Hugh Benson grabbed my forearm. Unintentionally, only Benson and I stood still, watching the others run off in a rush. Puzzled, I turned to Hugh Benson, and he said,
“A captain doesn’t do frivolous things.”
“…Then what are you?”
“I’m… a strategist.”
If he’s a strategist, then it can’t be helped. I just watched from a distance and kept track of time.
It didn’t go well on the first attempt. I made them try again. On the second attempt, only three people fit within the shield’s range. I made them try again. On the fourth, fifth… It was only on the eighth attempt that Mage Boulder finally succeeded in reducing the speed, letting out a great cry.
“Success! It’s a success! Right? This is success! It’s success!”
“…Hmm. Yes. You’ve finally managed shield deployment within 10 seconds. Be careful not to leave anyone out.”
Sweat beaded on the foreheads of the Sword Masters who had run diligently.
However, upon closer inspection, it was difficult to distinguish whether the increased mana density in the surroundings had made deployment easier or if Boulder had simply become more skilled. The residual mana, already used, had become turbid, taking on properties almost identical to Contaminated Mana. Perhaps it was easier for Mage Boulder, who had learned the Hip-Circle Light Cultivation Method…
I looked around. All the platoons, knights and mages alike, who had inadvertently followed the 1st Platoon’s training method and strived to reduce their time, showed clear signs of exhaustion.
“Hmm? …Are you tired?”
Truly puzzled, I grabbed someone nearby and asked. The silver-haired knight, who had been called Steve before, stiffened his shoulders and exclaimed,
“No, sir!”
Right.
It was absurd for individuals who were Sword Masters to be exhausted after just three hours of running.
I figured it was probably because they were unaccustomed to group training after living privileged lives. Checking the time, it was almost noon, so I ordered everyone to disperse, planning to continue in the afternoon.
❖ ❖ ❖
After dinner, I sat down with Spiritus.
The purpose was to learn about the enemy by hearing about the Ninth God’s realm, which she knew.
Gano Paquin’s records were written from his perspective. He primarily described the Ninth God’s intentions and objectives. If his techniques had names, they were recorded, but he couldn’t fully grasp the form of combat without the spell formulas.
On the other hand, Spiritus had not fought the Ninth God extensively, but she was his mentor and senior who had personally taught him magic and combat. She also mentioned often engaging in playful sparring with the Sun God.
I didn’t bother to stop Marianne, who followed along under the pretense of helping me, who had almost no magic knowledge, with explanations.
Most of all, what was most fascinating was his magic during the proxy sparring with Spiritus.
A picturesque scene of a grassy plain unfolded on the table before us.
Upon it, the figures of myself and Wesley stood facing each other. Both illusory figures, created using illusions, were featureless human forms without eyes, noses, or mouths; only their hair color, pink and black respectively, distinguished them as different individuals.
“I will move from right to left and slash in a crescent shape.”
“Then he will block like this.”
“I will kick your leg and strike your temple.”
“What? If you’re not fast enough, your sword will be plunged directly into my chest?”
“I’ll be fast enough.”
Dragon’s bright yellow eyes shifted from the figures on the table to stare intently at me.
I moved my fingertips in a quick, slashing motion, as if to show him my speed, perhaps trying to gauge my intent. However, Spiritus’s gaze remained fixed on my face, not my hand.
“Are you deliberately saying things that grate on my nerves?”
“Pardon?”
“…Never mind. If you get hit once, this guy will immediately use Meteor. He’ll be rigid for about 2 seconds here, but if you get close, your body will be crushed.”
Meteor.
It was a magic I had already encountered during my sparring with Spiritus.
“Is this the method you taught him?”
“Yeah. It’s a good spell to use when you’re angry without thinking… If he didn’t have to worry about the surrounding land being overturned, he’d definitely use it. Of course, its power would be weaker than mine, as half of him is now inside you.”
“If I put up a sword barrier…”
“It will be pierced head-on. It’s better to cut through it; you can’t win against an area if it’s not a point.”
“Hmm.”
Indeed, blocking attacks delivered with such speed and force continuously would make it difficult to find an opportunity to attack. As I watched the illusory Meteors begin to rain down from above, Marianne, who had been sitting beside me watching the entire time, quickly raised her hand and asked,
“Respected and beloved Spiritus, may a humble human ask one question?”
“…Uh, yeah. What is it?”
“Both Portal and Meteor are 10th Circle magic. Naturally, they require complex spell formulas, so are they ‘spells good to use without thinking’? What would happen if Meteor was used from the beginning to the end of a fight?”
“The phrase ‘good to use without thinking’ means… it’s more like showing off strength.”
“Yes.”
“Look, a Portal is about fixing the timeline and opening a rift between spaces. It involves finding and calculating coordinates for one location and another, connecting at least thirty-six common points, and then widening that rift to connect them. Because time flows continuously in all spaces, it’s impossible to activate without performing thirty-six formula calculations simultaneously in a very short time. Do you understand this?”
“Yes! Spiritus, you explain things really well. I understood the theory immediately.”
“…But Meteor is just pulling a piece of star from up in the sky… an asteroid relatively close by, using sheer force. Of course, it uses magic formulas, but it’s closer to a display of strength using mana. Your youngest would barely be able to use it once an hour, even if he squeezed everything out. Finding a star takes time, so his casting speed would also be slower than mine.”
As I listened to the story, I had a question. Before Marianne could ask her next question, I used my energy to grasp a candlestick from the side and pull it towards me. It was a skill similar to Telekinesis, which Douglas used.
“…Is it like this?”
“…What is this?”