"Hey, you're still at it...? Even Knight Caprine, who boasts top-class mana capacity, raised her hands in defeat and stopped to take a break. How's your mana right now?"
With the time already being noon of the next day, Hugo flashed a bitter smile as he called out to Al while approaching him.
"Err, I’ll take a break after 2— no, 3 hours."
Hugo checked his pocket watch and squinted his eyes.
"One every five seconds, huh? Frankly, your pace isn’t that great compared to the other explorers. I was sure you’d be down for the count after going through your seasickness... but man, you sure are rocking a huge mana capacity, huh?"
Al, however, shook his head.
"I would say it's more of a difference in technique than mana capacity. I wanted to increase my pace a bit, but then I would outpace my mana regeneration and drain myself before I could fill my reserves back up using mana compression during the activation and movement of my magic. So this was what I settled on instead."
Hugo's eyes turned as wide as saucers.
"Mana compression...? You're saying you can focus on mana compression while doing strenuous actions that strain both your mind and body at that age?"
Al confirmed with a casual node.
"Well, yeah. Then again, I’m still a beginner in it. According to Allen, you should be able to complete the mana compression in the split second your leg leaves the ground and lands back down again while running. Though the best I can do is compress it gradually at a slower jogging pace, and that too after participating in the club activities every day."
"Pfft! Fuhahaha! What a bizarre lad. But yeah, this technique is indeed a godsend given the situation, very much so... However, I can't imagine where you’d need such a huge pool of stamina except in some rare scenarios. Just what is your end goal that you would keep doing this bland basic training, a battle of attrition? For how many hours?
I mean, after getting this far, there should be thousands of other methods you can use to raise your strength, right? Is it because of your coach's command, or was it Sir Godorfun's suggestion?"
Hugo asked Al out of profound curiosity.
"Well~, Godorfun-sensei doesn't often say anything in our club activities. Allen is our coach, but even he doesn't give us specific directions. He just shows us the value of something, and then the rest of us just pick it up voluntarily...... though I can't deny if we had just been unknowingly led to think this way. In the end, you just never know what goes on in the head of that guy."
I heard he’s been holding it like a toy since he was a toddler, long before his mana organ developed. It's quite a valuable piece of craftsmanship, though they took quite a gamble on a child whose talent was uncertain at that time.
He also has a good temperament, and his base magical power seems quite high. In two years, there'll be a scuffle over him among the Knight Order legions to get him in their ranks. You might want to keep an eye on him."
Ravel appeared astounded. He hadn't expected such rave praises coming from Hugo.
"Oh? I'm quite surprised to hear such praise for a mere student. I don’t have the eye to ascertain a mage's strength like you, Commander, but is he really that exceptional?"
Hugo promptly nodded.
"Yes, very much so. He’s a born prodigy, but that doesn't eclipse the bland, tasteless basic training that he's been doing for so long without giving up. A look at his magic makes that apparent. If I have to assess him right now for Knight Order employment, his potential would be...... B+."
Hugo uttered with a narrow gaze.
"......B+? That means he has sufficient caliber to join the Knight Order... but have you found anything noteworthy?"
"Well~... given his age, I wouldn't say it's that much of a flaw, but..."
Hugo's hand glided up and down his arm as he dragged his words, his eyes sharp.
"He's too reliant on Allen Rovenne. That's why his spirit is so soft despite his strength. In the future, when he meets a nigh impossible wall, whether he can surpass it, or face the setback... would be the moment where his true worth would be laid bare.
Well, he's just 13 years old now, so I'll give him that. Plus, he appears aware of his naivety and is even challenging it. His crazy foundation is proof of that. The broader and firmer one's foundation is, the higher their leap will be— were the words of Shell-san."
"......Oh, what? After all that talk, you still respect him, don't you? Though, you could have discarded that 'slipshod' attitude of yours, at least......"
'No way,' Hugo shrugged off Ravel's murmur with a wave of his hand and asked him to report the team's overall progress.
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