Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

“A, a demon beast?!”

Demon beast?

In this Rangar region, monsters were quite common, so demon beasts weren’t unheard of either.

However, it was unusual for them to appear near big cities, unlike in small mountain villages.

Though during the early days of Rangar’s development, it might have been different, by now the territories of humans and monsters were distinctly separated.

“Why would a demon beast appear in Flamme…”

Aira, who encountered a demon beast for the first time, was taken aback by the sudden encounter but managed to calm her breath and gripped her sword tightly.

Meanwhile, Garcia and Melissa’s movements were a step quicker than Aira’s response.

The two recognized the demon beast and quickly made judgments, moving swiftly.

“Haaap!”

Garcia unleashed the power of Shatter to its utmost limit.

His swordsmanship was focused on overpowering the opponent with sheer strength, which made its impact extraordinary.

The Shatter carried on his sword had the power to pulverize anything it touched.

Kagagaga—!

The harpy, perhaps sensing the threat, crossed its wings to shield itself from Garcia’s attack, much like a shield.

‘Each feather is imbued with mana?’

If not, the harpy would have been crushed like the previous monsters by Garcia’s sword. The feathers infused with mana absorbed and deflected the impact like chain armor.

“Haap!”

As soon as Garcia’s sword was blocked, Melissa sprang forward and thrust her sword.

The wave contained within her sword was unlike Garcia’s, tightly coiled and akin to a well-honed drill, possessing the power to penetrate anything it met.

Wave Transformation – Extreme Thrust

The harpy, instead of being startled by Melissa’s sudden thrust, licked its tongue and lifted its leg.

Kaan—!

“Ugh, is this creature made of steel or something?!”

Melissa’s thrust was easily blocked, causing her to mutter a rare harsh word as she felt the recoil in her palm.

However, Garcia remained undeterred, charging more aggressively and swinging his sword.

The waves imbued in his strikes created a chaotic force that seemed to prevent any ordinary person from approaching.

Watching this, Christian also moved. He easily kicked off the ground, jumping upward, and then brought his sword down from above.

Unlike Garcia and Melissa, there was no menacing wave felt from his simple sword.

The harpy, as if swatting away an annoying fly, blocked Garcia’s attack while swinging another wing at Christian.

-Kaak?!

Yet, the moment Christian’s sword clashed with the harpy’s wing, the wing was forcefully driven back, eventually forcing the harpy to back down.

This unbelievable sight caused Garcia and Melissa to pause in surprise. But only for a moment, as the two used the opportunity to charge at the harpy again.

Christian landed back on the ground, watching the movements of Garcia, Melissa, and the harpy, then sent a sound transmission to Aira.

『”Wave is the most basic mana pattern, but since it’s the foundation of all wave techniques, it can encompass all traits.”』

Aira looked at Christian with an expression of disbelief at the inappropriate sound transmission in such a situation. Christian glanced at Aira briefly before continuing.

『”It’s particularly effective against such sturdy opponents. If you directly project the mana wave inside, you can inflict significant damage.”』

It was a technique Christian had once demonstrated during a spar with Garcia.

However, aside from Christian, the only person aware of this was Garcia, who had experienced it firsthand.

Even knowing the theory, without extremely refined mana sensitivity, it wouldn’t be possible to penetrate a hard external surface and directly embed a mana wave inside the body.

Instead of doing such a thing, it would be easier and more practical to use Shatter or cut sharply.

These techniques, although consuming a lot of mana, are such that anyone can perform them with enough training, time, and effort.

Of course, Christian was well aware that it would be easier that way.

Just that…

‘If I use transformation techniques with this body, it won’t survive.’

Currently, still in the process of forming his body, his absolute mana capacity and compression rate were poor.

If asked to use it now, he could, but after one or two uses, his mana would be depleted.

‘I have to rely on application techniques for now…’

The advantage of wave application techniques was they consumed less mana.

But being basic techniques, they often lacked power or were not well-suited for combat.

‘If I shake the inside with waves, Sir Garcia or Dame Melissa will handle it.’

Christian had no intention of handling it alone. He wasn’t foolish enough not to gauge his current level.

“Sir Garcia! Why is someone as strong as you faltering so much?! Don’t just bluntly force it, parry it like this!”

“Faltering?!”

“Why are you sneakily poking around, Dame Melissa?! Aim for the eyes or the asshole!”

“… The asshole?”

As Christian shook and destabilized the inside with waves, Garcia pierced through the harpy’s defense with Shatter, and Melissa aimed for critical hits.

At first, the coordination wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t easy to penetrate the defense and land critical strikes.

However, after several exchanges, they began to harmonize and, perhaps surprisingly, Christian’s blunt remarks turned out to be effective advice, enabling effective responses.

The chaos caused by the sudden appearance of a demon beast subsided quickly, and with the sharp interplay of the three, the harpy gradually retreated.

***

As the three worked together to hunt it down, Aira, too, instinctively tried to rush forward. Masaya grabbed her arm, shaking her head.

“Please restrain yourself, miss. Given your current skills, you’d only be a hindrance.”

“A hindrance?”

Though it stung, it wasn’t incorrect. Aira knew all too well that she was a burden.

‘Is Masaya unable to do anything because of me?’

Masaya was the deputy manager of the Logia Magic Tower’s Rangar branch. Aira was aware why such a skilled person wasn’t participating in the demon beast hunt.

She knew the reason Masaya, a talented fighter, stayed back was to protect her from any unexpected demon beast attacks.

‘Is it still too soon?’

She wondered if she should consider witnessing Christian’s battle part of her training.

‘If I were just a little stronger, I could fight alongside them.’

Christian seemed accustomed, giving instructions and coordinating positions, becoming a linking point between the two knights, dynamically exchanging offense and defense.

Aira could barely comprehend it. Surely, both she and Christian were facing a real battle for the first time.

While observing the battle of the harpy against the three warriors, Masaya suddenly seemed to notice something peculiar, tilting her head.

“Actually, there’s something I find odd.”

“Masaya, you do too? I don’t get it either. How is Christian, having his first real fight, managing this…?”

“Well, he’s doing better than I expected, but I’m actually talking about that demon beast.”

“The demon beast?”

“Of course, it’s strange for one to appear here, but doesn’t that harpy seem peculiar? I suppose you haven’t seen a demon beast before, have you?”

“… It’s my first time in actual combat.”

Aira responded shyly, avoiding Masaya’s gaze, to which Masaya replied mildly.

“Well, I haven’t seen such a demon beast before either.”

“You haven’t?”

Aira seemed oddly pleased, making Masaya sigh slightly and shake her head.

“No, I’ve participated in hunts numerous times as a proxy for my master, taking down demon beasts.”

“… I see.”

“What’s important is not that, but miss, you’re familiar with the types of demon beasts, right?”

“Yes, I’ve read about them. There are naturally occurring, nest-type, and territorial types, aren’t there?”

“Correct. We usually distinguish them into those three categories.”

As she explained the habits of demon beasts with her gaze fixed on the harpy, it wasn’t to confirm Aira’s knowledge but more to validate her own judgment.

“Nest-types create highly suitable environments for themselves and exclude any intruders. And territorial types…”

“Conversely, they don’t exclude intruders but rather draw them in, either making them prey or subordinates, right?”

“Exactly. Unlike nest or territorial types, naturally occurring types retain monster-like tendencies. Their behavior patterns change depending on the original creature, but… they usually act alone.”

This was something even Aira knew. Perhaps the three who were battling the harpy also knew but just didn’t realize it amidst the sudden assault, like Aira.

“Alone, they act alone?!”

Aira’s eyes widened as she finally realized what Masaya found unusual while looking at the harpy entangled in combat with the three.

“Then, Masaya, could that be…”

“Yes, it seems to be a demon beast that has ventured out of its territory.”

Aira found herself at a loss for words in response to Masaya’s sentiment.

It was, after all, akin to a nation’s king abandoning their royal castle if territorial or nest demon beasts left their realms.

“It’s naturally perplexing, but miss.”

Understanding the confusion that Aira must feel, Masaya cast an indescribable smile at the harpy.

“Even if that’s a naturally occurring demon beast, it still doesn’t explain the current situation, does it?”

“That’s…”

“Think about it. If it’s maddened by the taste of human flesh, there would have been reports of human casualties, and a hunt would have been organized already. Plus, there are numerous places more accessible for it to hunt than Flamme, isn’t there?”

Even if a naturally occurring demon beast, Masaya’s assertion was still valid for the current situation.

Never before had there been a scholarly record of a harpy demon seeking out human cities to hunt humans.

It was clearly an abnormal phenomenon, and when considering recent events in Flamme and the current situation comprehensively, Masaya’s conclusion was only one.

“It isn’t merely people that it seeks. Rather, something precious held within people…”

“Could it be…?”

The harpy, since it first appeared, had its gaze fixed on Christian. Even while defending against Garcia and Melissa’s attacks, its eyes traced Christian in a rather disturbing manner.

“Are you suggesting it’s craving mana?”