Hah, hah, hah. ......

　Kirill runs as fast as he can, out of breath.

　The forest is not an easy place to run.
　The roots of the trees, with only a portion of them exposed from the ground, are a natural trap that can quickly trap a human being's feet if they are not careful.
　The branches and leaves of shrubs and trees are always blocking our path and slowing us down.
　If your feet are caught in the soft ground hidden by the fallen leaves, you will instantly be unable to move.

''Why, huh, hah, how could this happen ......

　Kirill has learned those things over the past few days, and he's struggling to move his feet as he questions everyone.

　The sound of footsteps following Kirill from behind.
　The sound grew louder and louder, and he could see that it was steadily closing the distance.

　When Kirill turned around to check the distance between them, that's when I saw him.
　He was rewarded for neglecting to check his feet.

''Ouch!''

　A piece of rock jutting out of the ground like a hump takes his foot off the ground, and Kirill lets his body plunge into the foul-smelling bushes.

　His pursuer doesn't miss the opening.
　Quickly closing the distance, he pounced on Kirill, who was trying to raise himself up.

''Whoa!''

　It attacked, and it held Kirill's body down.

　Normally, it would be in a desperate situation.
　But what was released from it's mouth was a squeal with a strangely bright and bouncy tone.

''Wan.''

　Kirill turned his attention to it holding him down.
　It was a four-legged beast about a meter long. Its body is covered in golden fur.
　Its head stretched slightly back and forth with the tip of its nose as the tip, and sharp fangs peeking out of its open mouth. The top of the head was lined with triangular ears.

''Somehow, it's something like fifteen minutes.''

　A man's voice came from above his head towards Kirill, who was doing his best to catch his rough breath.

'Hah, hah, ...... Al, Mr. Dis.'

　Kirill called out to the owner of the voice and Aldis came down to the ground almost simultaneously.

'Your first step is slow. Don't try to run with just your leg muscles. Shake your upper body and use that momentum for your initial speed.'

　As soon as he gets off, Aldis immediately starts teaching Kirill.

Don't look back. The slower you move, the more dangerous it becomes. Judge the movements of the beast that is chasing you by its presence, not its sight.

'Well, that being said, ......, haha. How can you have any indication ......

'The sound reaching my ears. The sounds that reach our ears, the tremors that travel on the ground. If you keep your senses pointed in the right direction, you'll be able to tell if it's naturally occurring or if it's caused by an organism.

Oh no, it's that easy: ......

　Kirill looked like he was going to start crying.

　Certainly Ardis would be able to do that.
　The world's famous mercenaries must also be able to sense danger like that.
　But it is impossible to ask Kirill, who has no good battle experience, to do so.

　After all, Kirill is just a mere student who has barely touched the letter "ma" in magic.
　I'm not sure I'm going to be able to tell the signs that Ardis is talking about if I continue to practice, but it's just an unreasonable request for the current Kirill.

Well, I'm not asking you to be able to do it right now. For now, you lack basic physical strength. If you can't keep running away at your current pace for at least an hour or so, it's going to be dangerous for you to get through this forest by yourself.

'Well, its ....... Are you sure you want to just run away?

　Kirill, who is finally catching his breath, asks with reservations.

'I don't have to win or fight. It's not like we're being asked to take down anyone. The point is, you just need to be able to pass through the forest in one piece. The first priority is to build up basic physical strength and acquire the ability to escape.

Haha. ......

　Kirill knows in his head that Aldis's argument is reasonable, but when he is told that his main purpose is to escape, he cannot accept it honestly, 'Yes, I understand,' because he is a boy who still has a longing for the strong.
　The actuality of this is that it's not just a matter of time before you're going to be able to get your hands on a new one.

''Shall we take a short break?''

"Wan.

　As if in reply, a beast named Rona chirped and sat down next to it.

'How's the academy?　Are you used to it now?

　The topic of conversation is the Marielle's School, which Kirill has started attending this time.

'I'm still not sure ....... I'm still trying to keep up with the classes.

They're all the same, aren't they?

''Unlike the academy, even though there are a lot of commoners, there are also a few children of the nobility. The children of wealthy families seem to be learning magic before they even enter ...... and they're desperate because they don't want to be left behind.

　Among the children who have been tutored and gifted from an early age, there are those who can already handle rudimentary magic when they enter the school.
　And when it comes to the children of a nobleman, their menswear is at stake, so it seems that the necessary knowledge and skills have been firmly drilled into them beforehand.
　This is different from the starting point from the merchant apprentice Kirill, who until just half a year ago had never even thought of entering the school.

　I sighed.

''I'm envious of people with talent.

If you can become strong with talent alone, no one will have any trouble. Of course, the same amount of effort will not be enough to catch up to and overtake a talented person.

　Aldis utters a somewhat encouraging word.

'Yes. People with no talent have to work harder than others. And that's why we're running around in the forest like this.'

Don't. It doesn't make much difference whether you have a talent or not. Of course it would be better to have a talent, but if you have it, you will have your own hardships. Talent is like rain. Sometimes it is a blessing, sometimes it is a disaster. Sometimes it is a blessing, sometimes it is a disaster, sometimes it is a burden, a hindrance. Therefore, if you have talents, they are there in their own way, and if you don't have them, you should work with them in their own way.

What's that?

'An old acquaintance of mine told me that. "A guy I knew once told me he had so much talent I was jealous. I think that's what geniuses are all about.

"More than Mr. Aldis?

Me?　I was trying so hard not to drag my guys down, you know? I don't have any talent, I know that.

　As expected, Kirill felt that this was too humble.
　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it.

I'm sure you'll be able to find the right kind of fighting skills even if you don't have any talent, if you work hard enough. The important thing is a balance between believing in your own abilities and not being overconfident in your own abilities.

　Aldis stands up and pats Kirill on the head.

'And that's just to get some basic strength in first. I think that's enough of a break for now. I'm going to have you running away from Rona for another hour today for exactly one more hour.

U......, you're still doing it.

Of course.

Woof!

　Kirill reluctantly sat up heavily.
　Every muscle in his leg, including his calf, screamed in unison.
　Right now it was only his legs, but it was obvious that tomorrow his entire body would be in pain.

　Thinking of the basic practical skills class that was waiting for him in the morning, Kirill had to run around the forest for the entire hour after that with anxiety.





　Gran, the capital of the Kingdom of Naglas.
　In this town, commonly called the royal capital, there are two large educational institutions.

　One is the Royal Academy.
　This is an educational institution for the aristocracy that was established by the idea of a certain royal family.
　The purpose of the academy is to learn the etiquette, education, discernment and etiquette of a nobleman, and of course only the children of nobles are allowed to enter the academy.

　The other educational institution is the Marieles School.
　This one was founded by a man named Mariusz who once served as a court magician.
　In contrast to the academy's goal of educating the nobility, the academy's goal is to recruit and train a wide range of people to contribute to the development of the kingdom.
　Therefore, even commoners can enter the academy if they have superior abilities such as academic ability, warfare skills and magic.

　Of course, commoners can't afford the tuition to send their children to the academy.
　There have been countless others who have talents, but have given up the path due to the high cost of tuition.
　If it weren't for Marida, he would probably be one of them.
　Thinking about this, Kirill left the dormitory in the school and walked to the building where the lecture hall was located.

　Working hard on a leg that didn't feel like his own, he walked into the lecture room, enduring the pain with each step, and sank into a seat not far from the entrance as he collapsed.

'Hey, Kirill. You don't need to sit this close to the entrance. Let's sit further over there anyway.

Hmm?　Oh ......, Rae?

　Shrugging from his position as if he were clinging to a desk, Kirill looked at the owner of the voice.
　There was a vivacious-looking boy with long, bright blue-green hair.
　The boy opened his mouth to give Kirill a dumbfounded and yet labored look.

''Well, you look like a dead man today too.

I'm good in here. I don't want to move now.

　When he belatedly returned his answer to the call, the boy called Rae sat down next to him as if it was natural.

'Your usual tutor?'

'Yeah. ...... I'm good, Rae, go to the seat of your choice.

I'm good in here. But I don't understand. Why are you in such a shambles at your tutoring job?

　Kirill's suggestion was brushed aside, and Rae took a seat next to him and began to take out the instructional book from her bag.

Yes, it's strange. Why do my muscles ache all over my body from working as a tutor ......

　Haha, Kirill laughs dryly.

　Yes. Kirill's undertaking was supposed to be the job of teaching common sense and language to the twins that Aldis was protecting.
　It was enough for Kirill himself to ask why that was supposed to be running away from Rona, who looked like an assailant every day, Kirill wanted to ask.
　This made it impossible to tell if he was working as a tutor or if he was being trained in combat techniques.

'But, Kirill. You do realize that we have a lecture on basic practical skills before lunch?

Yeah, I wish I could forget about it: ......

　Basic practical skills is a form of tactical training.
　Although the term "study at the academy" can be used to describe the academy, the content of the lectures differed depending on the path one took.
　Some aim to become a merchant, some study medicine, some try to make a name for themselves in poetry, some try to establish themselves as civil servants, and some try to follow the path of the martial arts.

　The art of fighting is essential for those who wish to follow the path of the martial arts, but not necessarily for those who wish to become civil servants.
　If you have the time to train your body, you should read as many books as possible to deepen your knowledge.

　Of course, the school understands that.
　So it was natural that the content of the lectures differed according to the students' desired career path.

　Those who wish to follow the path of the martial arts - mostly those who wish to join the national army, local fiefdoms, or the private armies of the aristocracy - have more than half of their curriculum devoted to practical training and exercises.
　The boy named Rai was a perfect example of this.

　Kirill's path, on the other hand, is to become a sorcerer.
　A sorcerer needs a wide range of knowledge, not to mention the numerous knowledge required to learn magic, as well as mastery of ancient languages, spells and herbalism.
　Naturally, they must be familiar with the magic system, and the past history of witchcraft is unavoidable when dealing with magic.

　When he first saw the curriculum when he first entered the academy, the amount of things he had to learn made Kirill dizzy.
　That's probably why the magicians don't want to spend time on 'extras' like general education and rituals.

　In fact, like Kirill, many of the sorcerer's eggs who study magic at the school are somewhat out of touch with the world.
　If you don't, you'll never achieve great success as a magician.
　The moment your abilities are recognized and you become a court magician or a magician for the nobility, you will inevitably struggle with friction with the people around you in areas other than magic - you could call it differences in temperature and common sense. It was a thing.

　In that respect, Kirill's background as a merchant apprentice was alive and well.
　It seems to be unusual for a sorcerer with excellent interpersonal communication to be the genius of a sorcerer, and as a sorcerer with a decent command of the language, he is treated rather favorably.
　Rai, who has a personality like a broken bamboo, is valuable enough to be a friend.

'It's not easy being a sorcerer, is it?'

　Rai speaks in a sympathetic tone.

　A sorcerer is a civil servant, a researcher and a fighter.
　For this reason, a minimum level of combat skills is required as an essential skill at the school.

　As the years go by, the various courses become more specialized, so older students can choose whether or not they want to receive training in combat skills.
　But freshman Kirill does not have that choice.
　In the name of minimum combat skills, he was forced to participate in what was called basic practical training.

　Although it's called a practical skill, it's not actually advanced combat training that uses magic, but rather something as humble as running incessantly and strengthening muscle strength.
　The reason why Rai, who aims to become a combatant, and Kirill, who aims to become a sorcerer, take the course at the same time is because the content of the course is to build up physical strength that is acceptable regardless of the type of job.
　It goes without saying that it is unpopular with mages, regardless of whether they are graduates of the academy or current students.

'Tomorrow, ......, I'll be on vacation.'

　In the meantime, if you complete today's basic practical skills and finish your tutoring work - the training that is called - tomorrow is a holiday.
　On a day when the school is closed, the tutor's work will be off, so he'll be able to rest his body all day long.

　It's strange.
　Wrong story. Kirill complained in his mind.
　I'm sure it was originally supposed to be only in the afternoon on school holidays.

　However, in reality, after the academy ended, we are forced to train with Ardis every day.

If Kirill doesn't learn to go back and forth on his own first, we won't be able to proceed.

　That is what the black-haired demon instructor said.

　From Aldis' point of view, it seems that training Kirill was the priority before the tutor.
　In the end, when the school is closed, the tutor's work will be on a holiday, and all weekdays will be devoted to training instead.

　It takes two hours to walk to the forest and back, and Kirill resisted, saying that it's too late to make it after the school is over, but that was forcibly resolved by having Ardis take him to and from the school during the training period.

'I never thought I could fly: ......

　Flying through the air as a matter of course with Kirill's body in his arms, Aldis shortened what would have taken two hours on foot to only about enough.
　Kirill was once again puzzled by Aldis' bullshit, which he hadn't expected.

''Hm?　What's wrong with the sky?

No, it's nothing: ......

　Since the time required for the round trip was greatly reduced, Kirill was left with no place to run.
　And then Ardis and Rona would continue to train with him day after day. And every day for two hours straight.

　It's strange.
　As I recall, it was originally supposed to be one hour of tutoring and one hour of training, but ......, where did the tutoring job go? The question that I dared not to think about suddenly arose.

　The only time you can take a break from the school is on a day off.
　If you think about it, Kirill doesn't remember going anywhere on a holiday since he entered the school.

　Maybe it was a mistake to take on the job of tutor. Such a thought suddenly flashed through Kirill's mind.
　It was a relief to say that he was getting paid for tutoring, even if it was just to receive training every day.

'Oh, the instructor is here.

　The man acting as a lecturer walks into the lecture room.
　The time for prostrating oneself at a desk was over.
　You can't be riddled with aches and pains all over your body, no matter how painful it may be to have muscle pains, but you can't be riddled with them when you think of Marida who supported you, the owner of the trade association who willingly sent you away, and Ellie, who is your sister-in-law.

'If you don't have the talent, you have to be without it' or ......

　Remembering some of the words Aldis had said, Kirill managed to get his heavy body up.