16

After finishing his sword training in the morning, Id practiced manna breathing on the magic diagram in the afternoon for four hours a day. As time went by, he could feel the amount of manna accumulated in his manna hall gradually increase, but Id did not know if he was training in the right way. Andrew did not know either. All the information he got from James Billford was that he sucked in and accumulated manna through breathing and made a manna hall around his heart. They did not know why the manna hall was formed not in the chest but the lower abdomen nor how to send the manna accumulated in the manna hall to the weapon in hand and through what procedure manna would implement Aura Beam. But the expected risk was too significant to blindly go to the Wizard Tower in Mudria and ask about these unknown issues. Id was forced to leave everything to chance and concentrate on training every day.

As the volume of manna accumulated in Id’s manna hall exceeded a certain amount, a part of it started moving out of the manna hall on its own. Detecting such movement, Id did not attempt to control it. To Id, manna was like a precious friend who protected and comforted him in his lonely and troubled childhood. It was a warm and comfortable substance that gently touched the boy’s wounded heart. Id had confidence that it would do him no harm no matter what. Id just watched the manna’s movement in his body casually.

In the evening, Id learned reading, writing and the etiquette of a Knight.

“Although I cannot knight you myself because I’ve handed over the Marquisate to my brother, it is not difficult to ask my family or acquaintance to make you a Knight when your sword skills rise to a certain level. But if you don’t thoroughly learn the etiquette and have common sense about social structure and history, no matter how good you may be at swordsmanship, people won’t easily recognize you as a Knight. It’s all the more so because you are from a mountain village. Therefore, not only swordsmanship and manna training but also your studies should not be neglected.

“Yes, I’ll bear your words in mind.”

Every evening, Andrew struggled to pass on all the knowledge he had to Id. It included military knowledge, strategy and tactics. Having been educated for a long time as the heir to a time-honored family and once a Commander of an Imperial Order, the amount of knowledge he had was truly vast.

Two months after Id built a manna hall in his lower abdomen, the two left Derevnya. Their new residence was a hunter’s hut a day's travel away from the village. Thick woodblocks surrounded two cabins in preparation for attacks from evil beasts.

“The villagers began to wonder what we were doing. Nothing good will come of rumors spread about us. Moreover, I chose this place because it seemed to be much richer in manna here than in the village.”

The sound of wooden swords’ clashing every morning had stimulated people’s curiosity. Andrew, who had no intention of staying in the village for a long time, gave two pieces of black panther’s fur to the hunters staying in the hut and sent them away.

The hunters’ hut was deep in the forest, the air rich with manna, making it perfect for Id to train. In addition, there were times when they did not see people all year round, so he was not disturbed during his training at all. Over time, the occasional visitor, namely evil beasts, became good training partners and prey for Id. To purchase scrolls for Id’s manna training, Andrew wandered through the woods every three or four days for an evil beast hunt and every six months took the furs to Nordburg to exchange them for scrolls and everyday necessities. Id didn’t leave his new residence in the forest for two years, preoccupied with training. One day Andrew was preparing to go to Nordburg with another bundle of fur and asked Id

“Why don’t you come with me this time? I’m proud of you for following the training schedule for the past two years without complaining, so I’m going to give you a present. I think it’s time to use a real sword, not a wooden one.”

Although he had grown a lot in the past two years, he was still a twelve-year-old boy. Going to a crowded city, where he had memories of visiting together with Julia and George, was a great temptation for young Id.

“Yes, I’d like to go there once.”

“Then, prepare for it. I thought I wouldn’t be able to take all furs this time because we had too many of them, but since we are going together, I’m going to take all of them and get enough scrolls to cover for the foreseeable future.

“Yes, master.”

Id nodded with a look of excitement. Id first packed Andrew’s gear. As he put a shield on his back and crossed a battle-ax and a mace beneath it, a heavy weight pressed down on his shoulders. The first time he carried Andrew’s weapons on his back, Id had a proud look on his face.

“If they are too heavy, you don’t have to take them. The weight of the furs will also be considerable.”

“This is fine.”

Combining the shield, battle-ax and mace, it weighed well over twenty kilograms. Although Id’s body was the typical size for a kid his age, since the manna from the growing manna hall roamed his body, constantly reinforced his muscles and bones, Id’s power was much stronger than even the burly and robust adults. Id, carrying Andrew’s gear, picked up a large bundle of fur. Andrew, wearing thin chainmail and a sword around his waist, also held a large bundle of fur. Their journey was smooth. The evil beasts feeling Andrew’s fierce ardor, never pounced on him before he showed any hostility towards them. By the time they were near Derevnya, the sun had already set, and they decided to stay in the village for the night.

“Thank you for the nice dinner and a nice bed, Aunt Anna.”

They gave Anna two bunny skins and stayed at her place. Anna, who ran a lodging house in Derevnya, smiled warmly. Id’s close relationship with the villagers had not yet been forgotten.

“You’re welcome, Id. Thank you for not forgetting to visit me.”

As Andrew and Id were about to leave the village after an early breakfast at Anna’s house, the chief stepped up to dissuade them.

“Stay in town for a few days and leave together with a merchants’ group. It’s too dangerous if you two go alone.”

As Andrew ignored him, Id replied.

“It’s OK. When grandpa shows up, the evil beasts run away.”

Leaving the awkward-faced villagers behind, the pair left for Nordburg. Since there was only a dense forest between Derevnya and Nordburg, the two had no choice but to sleep out in the open. After settling under a large tree, Id said:

“I’ll prepare the soup.”

With his excellent cooking skills, it was always Id’s task to prepare meals. While Andrew went to pick up firewood, Id prepared to boil the soup. The soup, made of grain powder, dried meat and dried vegetables with a few spices, was Andrew’s favorite dish. Using very ordinary ingredients, the combination of the proper seasoning and ingredients had given off a rich flavor. Smelling the delicious soup, Andrew praised Id:

“It smells good. You are a natural at cooking.”

“I got the recipe from my stepfather. He said it’s something they used to eat on the battlefield.”

Although Id learned how to cook from George, the flavors in Id’s dish were completely different from what George had made, as Id used many different seasonings compared to what George had taught him.

“I just mixed the ingredients in moderation and seasoned them properly.”

Andrew never managed to achieve this ‘properly’, so he messed up every time. Thus he was dependent on Id to prepare meals. Id handed a large bowl full of soup to Andrew.

“It’s the most enjoyable time of the day.”

As Andrew received the bowl with a smile, Id poured the soup in his bowl, too. The two soon went to sleep after the meal. The next day, they would have to walk with heavy luggage all day, so they had to sleep as long as possible. Four days after setting off from the hunter’s hut, the pair arrived at Nordburg’s gate. It was early in the morning, and not many people were lined up to be inspected, so it was soon their turn. Unlike their usual roughness, the manner the guards greeted Andrew was prudent. Andrew, dressed in chainmail and a sword around his waist, looked like your typical Knight, and no one knew what would happen if they dealt with the proud Knight improperly.

“May I ask what brought you to Nordburg?”

One of the guards asked Andrew carefully.

“I’m traveling with my apprentice. I’m here to sell the beast furs I hunted for travel expenses.”