Chapter 35
(Kyle Calendar
Year 504: Age 11)
The Mages
Translator : PolterGlast
A month had passed
since the bandit attack.
Needless to say, this
incident became an opportunity to further accelerate the strengthening of our
defense system and the mobilization of our citizens.
And while my brother
and Commander Weiss's activities stood out, all the mages and I could do was
watch from the castle walls with our fingers in our mouths.
This ignited a fire in
the mages' hearts.
"We want to
protect the Estol territory too."
"We want the
power to stand against unreasonable violence."
With such thoughts,
they participated in Commander Weiss's training, each voicing their
determination.
The training, held
twice a week, consisted of self-defense, such as swordsmanship in the morning
and magic combat training tailored to each individual's magical attribute in
the afternoon. It was a very rigorous program designed with actual combat in
mind.
The magic combat
training was conducted on the outskirts away from the town of Est on horseback,
so as not to attract attention.
Therefore, everyone
first started with riding practice, and now everyone has become proficient
riders.
"Now, we will
begin training for each attribute!"
Everyone watched
Commander Weiss with tense expressions each time.
The commander during
training was a demon. My brother and I knew that well.
More accurately, we
had been thoroughly made aware of it many times.
Half a month had
already passed since the mages had begun receiving the commander's guidance,
which my brother and I had endured. Excluding Bart, who was away on a trading
trip, nine new members (excluding the five who were serving in the military)
were participating.
When starting
Commander Weiss's magic combat training, my brother, I, and the commander
carefully decided on the direction.
Many of them were
still young, and the proportion of women was high. Using magic for the purpose
of killing might be inherently difficult for them.
With such concerns in
mind, a magic combat training menu focusing on defense was prepared for them.
We decided to start
from there and add offensive content only for those with aptitude. That was the
result of our discussions.
Wind Mage: Wind Wall
to protect allies from enemy arrows.
Fire Mage: Flame Wall
to hinder enemy intrusion into our positions.
Water Mage: Water Wall
to hinder enemy intrusion into our positions.
Earth Mage: Freely
construct fortifications and set traps.
Light Mage: Emit
flashes of light freely, together with my brother.
Holy Mage: Accumulate
experience in practicing healing.
We would strengthen
these magics so that they could be deployed faster, with greater power, and
more accurately.
For the holy mages,
there were no opportunities to use magic without injured or sick people.
However, performing it
in the public infirmary would make secrecy impossible.
Therefore, they also
accompanied the mercenary corps, who underwent intense daily training, and
played active roles as healers and medics.
As an aside, it goes
without saying that the mercenary corps' training, which was already intense,
became even more so with the presence of healers.
The commander's demon
level had risen even further.
"Now I can push
the members without reservation. This is a great help."
"Haha... please
be gentle."
Commander, please don't
say that in front of everyone. Look, the mercenary corps' resentful gazes are
directed at me...
Their stares are
painful...
It will probably come
for us too, not just the members.
The enhanced
commander's (demon's) rigorous training I mean...
By the way, during the
training tailored to magical attributes, I, the only one who couldn't use
magic, had nothing to do...
I had no choice but to
join the mercenary corps under Commander Weiss and was thoroughly drilled in
swordsmanship, mounted swordsmanship, and other skills.
That's why I
constantly had fresh wounds, and I thought that I might be the one who was the
most frequent subject of healing magic.
Thanks to that, I
finally managed to raise my sword skill from [Trainee] to [Swordsman].
Partly because I was
still a child physically... but it had taken me three years to get this far,
and I once again felt my lack of talent.
"You there! Can
you really block an arrow with such a weak wind!?"
"Your deployment
is too fast! How can you protect yourself if you're afraid of the
arrows!?"
"Such a small
fire can be easily jumped over by a horse!"
"The deployment
time is too short! That won't be a barrier!"
"Such a low earth
wall can be crossed even by children!"
"Your
construction is too slow! The enemy won't wait for you to build
fortifications!"
"What is this
flimsy wall? Pay attention to its strength, too!"
"Such weak light!
Do you want to let the enemy know it's a fake!"
Commander Weiss (the
demon) was merciless.
Those who had only
seen his usual gentlemanly demeanor were completely taken aback.
But they gritted their
teeth and followed the commander's instructions.
"Do you really
think you can protect Takuhir-sama with that?"
Somehow... I felt like
I was a burden...
Every time training
ended, everyone was exhausted.
Of course, including
me. The only one full of energy was... my brother.
"Commander, how
is their magic in actual combat?"
"To be honest,
they are still immature as a collective fighting force. They are useless on the
battlefield right now."
"I see... so
that's why mages rarely go to war, or so it's said?"
"That's part of
it. However, not wanting to lose valuable mages in combat is probably a big
reason too.
But please rest
assured. If I train them for half a year, they'll be capable. If I train them
for a year, they'll be a fully usable fighting force."
"Haha, that's
reassuring. Be gentle, though..."
I thought I saw fangs
in the corners of the commander's (demon's) mouth as he smiled.
Including combat magic
training, their weekly schedule looked something like this:
・2 days morning: Basic academics such as reading,
writing, and arithmetic at the Lord's Manor.
・2 days morning: Specialized education at the Lord's
Manor according to individual aptitude.
・4 days afternoon: Administrative work at the reception
center and regular tournaments, etc.
・2 days all day: Magic practice in the outskirts of
town.
・1 day all day: Holiday.
For the basic
academics course, people from the administrative office served as teachers.
The specialized education
course was, in principle, based on magical aptitude, with some optional
courses.
・Military Strategy and Tactics: Christoph, Clan,
Brother
・General Domestic Affairs, Commerce, etc.: Claire,
Carleen, Me
・Urban Planning, Construction Knowledge: Elan, Mary,
Sasha
・Medical Knowledge, Herbology: Rosa, Mia, Younger
Sister (Chrisia)
"Is Takuhir-sama
also considering the development of future civil officials?"
"If possible, I'd
like us to be able to do various things ourselves."
Raymond-san was
initially surprised, but he quickly agreed and put a lot of effort into
establishing these specialized courses.
The nine mages, able
to learn knowledge for free while working, began studying with an enthusiasm
that far surpassed my brother and me.
They quickly mastered
the basic academics, and that time was also allocated to specialized education.
Um, you guys are
allowed to rest on your days off, you know?
You must be tired from
the intense magic training twice a week, right?
I felt a little
awkward at how much harder they worked compared to my brother and me, to the
point where it was almost alarming.
Later, the knowledge
they gained would become necessary in Teigun.
As if they knew my
intentions, they absorbed knowledge rapidly even in their specialized education,
and in less than a year, we were facing a shortage of teachers to instruct them
within the territory.
Raymond-san handled
domestic affairs, Father and visiting merchants handled commerce, and we even
invited lecturers from the neighboring Cornell barony for urban planning and
civil engineering.
The only two stable
courses without a shortage of instructors were military strategy and tactics,
taught by Commander Weiss, and medical knowledge, where we actually had doctors
in the infirmary.
And a year later,
their knowledge would get a chance to be put into practice. In the land of
hope, Teigun.
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