Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

Zephrys Falcon, hailed as the great hero of the western continent, was known by the alias ‘Mana Devourer’.

This was due to one of the powers of his Ether Weapon, the Wings of Zephrys.

Among the Ether Weapons known to Christian, the Wings of Zephrys had slain the most dragons, and before Christian, Zephrys Falcon was regarded as the dragons’ natural enemy.

The power of such a great hero’s Ether Weapon was now manifesting before his eyes. And not from anything ordinary, but from a demon beast right before him.

“Were you the ingredient?”

Since Spirit Stones were the materials of Ether Weapons, it wasn’t entirely strange. However, just as not all monsters possessed mana stones, not all demon beasts detained Spirit Stones. Hence, it was all the more incomprehensible.

“Why is this creature here?!”

If it indeed belonged to Zephrys Falcon, who had been called the hero of the western continent, it would not be strange to suspect he had fashioned an Ether Weapon after acquiring a Spirit Stone while exterminating demon beasts in the Rangar region.

Although Zephrys Falcon never disclosed the hows or whens of its creation, one thing was certain.

It was that…

“The territory type, huh? What in the world is this?!”

Christian, fearing that Masaya’s concealment might be compromised, yelled fiercely while rushing forward, swinging his sword.

Though there was no longer any mana wave surging through his sword, he focused even more intensely on body activation and propelled himself further by releasing the wave externally.

By investing all his mana purely into his body, Christian’s movements and sword became incomparably faster than before.

Clang—!

“Damn! It’s insanely hard!”

The harpy used its wings as a shield to block Christian’s attack, then launched its feathers aggressively at Christian.

Fortunately, those feathers targeted exclusively Christian, not heading towards others.

Thanks to the quick-witted Masaya, who promptly relocated them to her side when Christian charged forward, the harpy’s animosity was solely fixated on Christian.

-You, tasty… aren’t you? Indeed, you were the one!

“I’m not tasty, you bastard! I didn’t even wash out.”

The harpy’s eyes, tinged red, gleamed miraculously like a manifestation of desire. It appeared thrilled with uncontainable excitement.

‘Damn it. I’m running low on mana…’

Though Christian managed to fend off most of the feathers heading his way, he knew this couldn’t last indefinitely.

With the continuous consumption of mana for body activation, application, and rapid acceleration via external waves, Christian understood how highly disadvantageous a prolonged battle would be against the harpy’s attacks. Beads of sweat formed on his brow.

-Give it to me, what’s yours! That which will make me more perfect is mine!

‘Is this creature really!’

Christian caught sight of it.

His reflection within the harpy’s eyes and the faint glow of mana emanating from his chest.

No, it could have been a mere illusion.

Such an illusion born from the harpy’s near-obsessive fixation might explain it.

But as the harpy licked its lips and stared it down, the illusion took root as veritable certainty.

‘Is it here for me? Did it sense the mana essence of the Wings of Zephrys from the Arsenal?!’

The cunning enticement of prey, and the morbid obsession with mana were all characteristics that matched those of an territory type demon beast.

He had never heard of an territory type demon beast abandoning its territory, but with one before his eyes, it was hard to dismiss outright.

‘Could it be that the harpy’s Spirit Stone and the mana essence of the Ether Weapon are drawn to each other?’

When he created a mana reservoir for Aira, it had been similar.

Master’s Ether Weapon seemed to strive to find its place, ultimately finding a home within Aira’s heart.

‘This is troublesome…’

The mana from an Ether Weapon pulls towards the demon or spirit beast that was used as its material.

If his speculation was correct, such situations would inevitably repeat. It was the worst-case scenario for Christian.

***

“Ugh, Dame Melissa, are you able to move?”

Garcia tried to push himself up with difficulty from the ground, panting heavily in an awkward pose.

Melissa, seemingly lacking the strength to respond, also strained to rise, not much different from Garcia.

And trying to calm the two, Masaya intervened.

“Please don’t exert yourselves. The sudden loss of mana must have caused havoc inside your bodies.”

“But we can’t just lie here idly! Young master Christian is…”

Christian was facing a demon beast alone, a creature with complicated powers, not merely a monster.

Unable to merely rest, Garcia attempted to crawl back to the battlefield.

“There’s no immediate threat, so please be reassured.”

“What do you mean by ‘no immediate threat’?!”

Garcia shouted, inciting Melissa who was listening intently to glare at Masaya.

Masaya let out a small sigh at the two knights’ anxious disposition.

“That demon beast, something’s clearly not right. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, yes?”

“We can tell just by looking. The power it utilizes is…”

“Is Sir Garcia being naive, or just feigning ignorance?”

“Feigning ignorance?!”

Melissa restrained Garcia by the arm as she spoke.

“We have yet to fully grasp the situation due to its sudden occurrence. Have you realized something?”

“That harpy, doesn’t it strike you as oddly weak for a demon beast?”

Melissa bit back the words, “What does that make us then!” as they rose to her throat, but upon reflection, Masaya’s words made sense.

The first surprise attack: if Christian hadn’t noticed it in time, it would have been disastrous.

While the power to absorb mana was unfamiliar, a calm approach could block it. Christian, after all, minimized the harm and continued fighting alone.

They failed to stay alert to the harpy’s unique abilities, an oversight akin to being overly focused on its apparent physical toughness and visible strength. There was only one reason for such a mistake.

“Indeed…”

Turning back with difficulty, she observed Christian, who was luring the demon beast’s attention alone.

Though she watched with bated breath, Christian had not allowed a single fatal blow to land, maintaining the battle.

In carefully considering the demon beast’s peculiarities, a conclusion showed itself.

The harpy’s defenses and unique abilities aside, its overall capabilities were exceedingly weak.

For a demon beast extermination, the usual protocol involved deploying over a dozen knights and mages, supported by seasoned soldiers or hunters specializing in monster hunting.

“Could it possibly not be a demon beast?”

Garcia, deep in thought, voiced his speculation, earning a nod from Melissa. Unconsciously, agreeing with the logic.

However, Masaya shook her head. The two turned their eyes toward her, appearing baffled just like they did with Aira.

“It is a demon beast. Though it’s abandoned its territory.”

“A demon beast that abandoned its territory?”

Masaya pointed her staff toward the harpy chasing Christian and spoke.

“That harpy is a demon beast gone rogue from its territory.”

“I’ve never heard of a demon beast leaving its territory, let alone becoming weaker once out of it.”

“Although I can’t explain why it might have happened, that is my current assessment.”

It was unheard of for territory type demon beasts to venture outside their territorys to hunt.

Although he considered it could be a newly created territory nearby or a freshly spawned demon beast, those possibilities seemed even less likely.

Flamme, the central city of the Count Worden’s territory, where the Count’s mansion resided, had been thoroughly cleared of monsters to the point of extinction.

In the midst of the mounting confusion of the two skeptical knights, Masaya handed them two small potions from her bag and encouraged them.

“You two should replenish your mana first. Meanwhile, I’ll try to buy us some time.”

“Will you be okay? That demon beast possesses the power to steal mana. Using magic will…”

“Oddly enough, the harpy seems to focus on Christian. Assisting him shouldn’t be an issue.”

As Garcia and Melissa understood Masaya’s argument, they nodded in agreement, aware of Logia’s tower’s proficiency in supportive roles.

After finalizing their course of action, they chugged down the potion. Aira, having apparently recovered, sprang to her feet and shouted.

“I’ll come with you!”

“Your recovery is impressively fast, lady Aira.”

Contrary to what might appear to be a jest, Masaya’s surprise was genuine. Even after consuming a high-grade potion, a potion was still just that—a temporary aid.

Simply downing a potion wouldn’t fully replenish one’s mana.

For such a rapid recovery, one would have to be someone with meager mana, or a vast amount of mana compressed into a mana bomb, devastatingly potent.

Yet, Aira had already well-capitalized her mana. She was nearly as poised as when she first entered the fray. In essence, she had replenished her depleted mana almost perfectly.

‘… What on earth are these siblings?’

Christian continued to lure the demon beast’s attention alone, deftly managing the weakened anomaly, and Aira maximized the potion’s efficiency in no time.

Masaya took Aira’s hand, heedless of any objection from the two knights, and led them away from the hiding area. She cautiously asked Aira.

“Have you ever considered becoming a mage?”

“No.”

“… Why not?”

“Well, because I will be the head of the House of Worden.”

“Do you have to be a knight to head a family?”

Aira appeared bemused as to why such a question surfaced in this urgent moment. However, Masaya persisted.

“Then unless your family falls, or you decide to run away, you aren’t interested? I’m confident you have the makings of a grand mage.”

“… Thank you, Masaya, but shouldn’t we be helping Christian right now?”

“Ah, don’t worry about that. He’ll call if needed. But more than that…”

It was inevitable. In the remote region of Rangar, finding a talented disciple was scarce.

Had she not been the child of a major client, Masaya confessed she would have detained her at the magic tower, withholding her until she mastered magic.