The bedsheets rustled as Aria shifted.

Nnng.. huh? I fell asleep… I'm still sleepy.

A yawn escaped her as she thought so. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. There was a quick knock and the door handle moved as someone grabbed it. A head peaked in and its weary eyes spotted Aria. It was Master.

"Hey Aria, it's pretty late now. Sorry for leaving you alone for so long. Paperwork was a menace… ugh, I'd rather subjugate a thousand monsters than do that every day."

"Was today special?" asked Aria.

"Well, a little bit, but not really. In the end, it was just more paperwork than usual. Again, I apologize for leaving you by yourself for so long. It must have been boring."

Aria shook her head. "It’s okay. I read the book a bit and then fell asleep."

"Oh yeah? How far did you get?”

“Um.. not too far but--,” Aria paused as she held her hand up. “I think I understand how to use magic now...”

Aria waited as Master nodded somewhat indifferently as Aria casted [Water Sphere]. Granted, it was a smaller version because she didn’t want to get everything wet again; she made enough that she could drink it to get rid of it; the book had mentioned that it was safe to do so. Perhaps these things were simple and not even a feat? The book mentioned that it would be difficult to grasp quickly, however, the book did seem fairly old. Its condition was great, but the aesthetic just felt.. ancient. Perhaps its standard of skill was outdated.

“You aren’t surprised?” asked Aria. She felt embarrassed about it now, but she was certain that her accomplishment would elicit some type of response from Master.

“Did you think that would surprise me?” said Master. “Sorry, but you’ll have to try harder than that...”

“Eh?”

A sly smile grew on Master’s face as she held up two fingers. Aria watched, confused, until a small sphere of water grew over each finger. Master had impressive control over her matom… though Aria felt she was good enough to do it too. She simply hadn’t thought of it.

“I casted two simultaneously on my first try when I was starting out,” bragged Master. Aria pouted slightly in response, but nonetheless gained further respect towards Master. She definitely wasn’t any old mage. Wait, mage? Mages use magic.. right? But Master wielded a sword by her hip that she noticed during their first meeting.

“Master,” said Aria.

“Ah, yes?” Master replied.

“Are you a mage? Do mages use swords?”

“Hm? Well, they don’t. Mages use wands or staffs that contain matom to help channel or control their own matom when casting spells. Some of these can even amplify the effects of the caster’s spell. Why do you ask?”

“You're good at magic, but I remember that you had a sword earlier."

"Ah I see," said Master. She reached out with her arm as if grabbing something when suddenly the same sword Aria saw earlier shimmered into existence. Master grabbed it and motioned at Aria, showing it off to her.

"Your sword!" said Aria.

"Indeed, it's my sword. I am a mage but, well, I'm also skilled in swordsmanship. I'm like a mage and a knight put together."

"A knight that uses magic, a magic knight?" said Aria.

"Haha sure, a magic knight. Well anyways, adventurers normally choose to be either a mage or a warrior, a more common version of knights, though those aren't the only professions that exist for adventurers. There are variations of both and other unique ones do exist. But these two are the most common. Well, warriors are a dime a dozen while mages are more sparse. Anyone can train to be a warrior but not everyone can train to be a mage. Me? I'm the best of both put together, strong enough to protect those I cherish. I kind of rambled but does that answer your question?"

Aria nodded but already had another question in mind. So many questions, so many things to learn about the world she is in, so many things to learn about the people around her, so many things that intrigued her. Aria yearned to know more.

"How did you do that with your sword?”

“Ah that? Well, it’s a secret. Let’s say it’s a perk of being a magic knight.”

A perk of being a magic knight. A mage and a knight, the best of both put together. A magic knight is someone who is strong enough to protect those they cherish. Perhaps that is the essence of a magic knight. It was odd, but Aria felt something within her stir. A small fire, ignited by awe and respect, burning deeply within.

“Master,” said Aria. “Please teach me how to be a magic knight like you!”

“Teach you how to be a magic knight like me huh...”

"Yes!"

"It’ll be a hard path to take," she warned.

Aria nodded, determined to become a magic knight.

“You’re going to have to be an adventurer here at the guild. And I’ll work you down to the bone. It's not going to be fun and it will require constant diligence from here on. Do you understand?”

Aria nodded again, unwavering.

“You will be suffering; your goal will be paid with your blood, sweat, matom, and tears. There will be countless hardships. Are you certain you want to continue?”

Aria did not doubt nor hesitate. Not even for a second. She nodded once again.

"Good. Then we shall begin tomorrow! There's not a moment to waste! Rest up now for we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. You can stay in this room, I have other rooms I can sleep in--"

Aria shook her head. "Umm.. well I just..”

Aria was bold and determined, full of fervor even, just a moment ago when asking to be trained but now she fidgeted.

"What is it?"

Master looked at Aria with an expression that seemed to already know what her question was going to be.

"C-Can we sleep together? I don't want to be alone."

"Hm, I don’t see why not. I'll be right back though, give me a moment."

Master simply smiled as she closed the door behind her.

"You’re a child after all," muttered Master. “I thought it would never happen at this rate, but lo and behold. I guess it begins, for better or worse, we're in the dawn of a new era.”

She shook her head slowly as if to let go of these thoughts. A smile replaced the uncertain expression her face took as Master decided she would focus less on the far future, and more on the present and near future.

A few minutes later, Master came back dressed more suitably for sleep. Fortunately, as Master had a full sized bed, it was spacious enough for both of them to settle in comfortably. They lay facing each other beneath the soft covers, with not so much as a moon’s glimmer to light the room.

“Master..,” said Aria. She looked ready to enter the realm of dreams any second now.

“Hmm?” replied Master.

“Do you think I can be a good magic knight?” asked Aria.

At first, Master did not respond. She closed her eyes and shifted to face the ceiling. A moment of contemplation fell over the two. One pondered their potential, and the other pondered of that potential’s limits. A couple minutes passed and Master smiled. What better answer to give than a completely honest statement?

“I think you can be the best, but only if you work hard enough to achieve it.” said Master.

"M’kay.. I'll work hard."

Aria murmured her response sleepily.

"Mhm."

It wasn’t long before Aria fell asleep while Master gently gazed upon her face.

“Good night~,” said Master.

Suddenly, Master frowned as a thought came to her. She had grown very soft for this girl in less than a day. It’s true that Aria, this little girl, will bring much to her and the guild’s future, perhaps the world’s future even, but treating her specially..? That won’t do for her training. Special treatment would only bring about unwanted behaviors that hinder one’s growth. Perhaps special training would be okay to aid in her growth, but in terms of teacher-to-student interactions, she would have to tighten the reins.

~ ~ ~

The morning birds sang as the sun woke up from its slumber, slowly rising to its perpetual routine. Nearby, Aria shivered lightly to the chill of dawn. She wore a complete outfit of casual clothes suitable for training that was given by Master.

"Master, what are we doing here and so early?"

She looked around the large stadium that Master brought them to. Apparently, it was owned by the Adventurer's Guild and frequently used for training adventurers or lent to others for events. In recent times, it was used less for training adventurers and more for events due to a reputable academy accepting adventurers as a serious profession. With an actual academy training kids from a young age, new adventurers nowadays were naturally more prepared as opposed to new adventurers of the past. Thus, training from the guild was not as necessary to have. Though, it wasn't entirely rare to have training sessions with top adventurers as instructors to help out. In front of Aria and Master lay training dummies.

"Training," Master simply stated.

“Training.. to be a magic knight like you?” asked Aria.

“Mmm, yes and no. You will have to get stronger overall before you can become a magic knight or get stronger as a magic knight,” said Master. “After all, one can’t simply make jewelry before refining the gem itself.”

“Jewelry?”

“What I’m trying to say is that we need to build your foundations before you can start building on top of that to be a stellar magic knight like me. You need to get a solid grasp on swordsmanship and magic.”

Master reached out while saying that before grabbing her sword that shimmered into existence. She unsheathed it and took a casual stance. Standing straight with one hand holding the sheath by her hip and the other hand holding the sword out in front of her, Master swung the blade down the middle of a dummy. The blade disappeared and reappeared pointing to the ground with a gust of wind. For a second nothing happened, and Aria watched, confused.

The immediate thought she had was, ‘Did Master… miss?’

Suddenly, the dummy split down the middle and slid apart. Even with her [Sharpened Senses], Aria’s eyes couldn’t keep up with Master’s swing at all.

“A-amazing.”

“With a good foundation, even a simple swing like that can produce a devastating blow.”

“Simple..? Master, I couldn’t even see the swing!”

“Well, perhaps it was a little more than a simple strike. But it really was nothing special. This is the least a magic knight should be able to do.”

“I can’t be a magic knight if I’m not capable of this?”

“It’s simply a perk of being a magic knight.”

Another perk..

“There’s a small fact that makes magic knights so powerful, it’s a very simple one too, but extremely overlooked.”

A small fact that makes magic knights so powerful. Aria couldn’t think of anything that would make someone so powerful. A knight that could use magic, that by itself could be the small fact. It was simple as well. A strong warrior that had the spellcasting advantages a mage has, or a mage that wasn’t lacking the physical tenacity a warrior would have. It would make sense if that was the fact that made magic knights so powerful.

A warrior was physically fit, but lacking in magic or ranged capabilities, thus remains in close quarter combat. On the other hand, mages aren’t as physically capable, but are nigh-indomitable in ranged combat. Plus, they’re more capable at adapting to different situations, combat or no. Aria nodded to herself, lost in thought.

So if a warrior and a mage fights, the warrior would be largely at a disadvantage until they bring it into a close quarters fight, which is their strength. Even then, the mage might be able to adapt to close quarters combat, but still runs the risk of getting severely injured due to being physically outmatched. However, a warrior that was as capable with magic as a mage would be strong in both close quarters and ranged combat. They would always be fighting to their strengths. Surely this must be why magic knights are so powerful. Aria tilted her head, before speaking her thoughts.

“A magic knight is strong because they are always in their element whether they are fighting at a distance or in close range to their enemy. They have no weakness?”

Aria awaited an answer, prompting Master to continue.

“That is somewhat true, but remember Aria, almost everything has a weakness. While a magic knight enjoys the strengths of a mage, they also suffer the same weaknesses unique to a mage, fatigue from matom depletion,” Master held up a finger and corrected Aria. “Matom depletion is something they must keep in mind, as it can put extra stress on your body if you force it while being fatigued through a lack of matom. In worse case scenarios, they can simply collapse out of fatigue.”

Aria hadn’t thought of the weaknesses unique to a mage. She focused only on the strengths of a mage and their magic.

“Then, what could be the simple fact that makes magic knights so strong?”

“Aria, what did the book say about a mage’s body as they get stronger in the arts of magic?”

Suddenly, it clicked.

“Oh! A mage’s body naturally strengthens as they gain more matom in order to bear the pressure of their own matom.”

Master smiled, clearly happy that Aria caught on, and began to practice her swordsmanship as if to prove the statement. Each swing that sliced the air made an impressive whoosh.

“Mhm. Their aura grows in intensity and their body strengthens the more matom they have. So a skilled mage is more physically fit than the average person, though they’re still not as robust as a well trained warrior. Interestingly enough though, there aren’t any physical, visible indications of this body strengthening. Such is one of the wonders of magic.”

Still, confusion plagued Aria. Just why was ‘this’ what made magic knights so powerful? They were physically fit through swordsmanship on top of their natural body strengthening through matom? That couldn’t be it, could it?

Upon noticing Aria’s confused state, Master elaborated whilst battling an imaginary foe.

“If a mage simply has an absurd amount of matom, they can naturally be stronger than any warrior. Due to this strengthened body, most mages do not spend much time on physically improving their body. Instead they focus all their attention on improving their magical skills. However, no normal being has such an absurd amount of matom to naturally be that strong. Thus, how much a mage improves their body physically is usually a tell-tale sign between a top tier mage and an average mage.”

Aria digested this information slowly, before responding. “So what makes a magic knight so powerful compared to others is simply the fact that magic knights exercise more?”

Master stopped the intense battle with her imaginary foe and straightened her posture.

“That isn’t.. wrong. But there’s actually one more thing that separates a magic knight and a top tier mage.--”

That’s not one small, simple fact anymore then…

“-- A magic knight has to begin magically and physically training from a very young age. Most ordinary people can figure out whether they are magically talented or not when they’re 9 to 10 years old. It is at this age that one sees a natural growth in their matom. And it is at this age where their matom begins strengthening their body in response to their matom growth. A magic knight must be magically talented before this growth in matom. They must also train their body before this stage, the reason being that the body strengthening is interestingly more effective the more physically strong an individual is before this stage. That is what sets a magic knight apart from the rest. The boost in strength received when these conditions are met is incomparable. And it is only with this boost in strength that one can truly aim to be a proper magic knight.”

The conditions to be a magic knight. Aria had them.

“You, Aria, are a perfect candidate to be a magic knight.”