Chapter 11 - Predictions

Although the sun was right above them and the temperature was relatively high since it was almost lunchtime, Zaos, his father, and his mother were in their villa's training grounds. Only that day, Zaos learned that those areas at the side of the gardens were training grounds… he never saw anyone training in them, after all.

In any case, Zaos thought he would have to wear something more appropriate for the training, but in the end, he was only wearing the usual comfortable clothes that he used to stay at home. It looked like those were fine for a beginner. Laiex was just using his usual armor and cape, but in his right hand, he had a wooden sword that was almost as big as Zaos.

"You will use this for the time being," Laiex passed the wooden sword that was slightly heavy to Zaos. "First of all, as I told you before, you will learn how to run while wielding a sword. A battlefield is a harsh place, so you will have to keep your weapon unsheathed at all times. When you manage to run for one hour without breaking your posture, we will proceed to the next step."

While Zaos expected he would truly start from the basics, that was way more boring than he had expected. Still, he didn't complain and just waited for the next instructions. Laiex wasn't going to teach Zaos any fighting style, he just wanted to make him learn the basics, so since Zaos was right-handed, he taught his son that he should keep his sword arm aligned with his body while he runs, but he couldn't let the arm relax too much. Aside from that, he showed him that he should keep his left arm semi-raised. It was a stance that apparently had been created to teach one person how to fight and run with a shield as well.

"I just need to watch out for the position of my arms?" Zaos frowned.

"For the time being, yes," Laiex said. "Try to run while maintaining that posture, also try to find a good rhythm to keep. As long as you can keep that posture for one hour while jogging, you pass the first phase."

That was simple enough, so Zaos just waited for him to hear when he should start, but his father looked as if he was waiting for something as well. Most likely, ordinary kids would ask what would be the next thing to do since the first part of the training was boring.

"… I won't be able to watch over you every day, so you will need to discipline yourself alone," Laiex said. "You can tell me when you are confident enough to show me the results of this training."

After saying that, Laiex left the villa. Although he suddenly decided that Zaos could train his sword arm, he didn't look that interested, or perhaps he wasn't expecting much from a kid who likes to read books. In any case, Zaos began the training, and it didn't take long for him to realize that completing it would be pretty hard. Zaos decided to start by jogging, but even though his legs were fine, his arms weren't.

"This defensive stance is hard," Zaos muttered. "I should have known that it wouldn't be easy… my right arm is even heavier than the other, even though the wooden sword isn't that heavy."

"Are you fine, Zaos?" Lyra asked. "The beginning is always hard, but you don't have to rush it. Your father didn't give you a time limit for this."

"I am fine, mom," Zaos replied while smiling.

While the heat of the sun was making Zaos think that things weren't that fine, he still decided to proceed. If anything, the weather would only help him increase his vigor. Thanks to his willpower alone, Zaos managed to endure the training for five minutes without taking another break, and thanks to it, he received a reward.

Your Swordsmanship has reached level 01.

Health: 08/08

Mana: 38/38

Stamina: 05/18

Strength: 04

Magic: 19

Endurance: 09

Resistance: 19

Focus: 01

Sorcery Lv 03, Swordsmanship Lv 01

Zaos's stamina increased by ten points, but he didn't feel less tired because of it. If anything, he felt more fatigued since he would have to rest more to restore his stamina.

After resting for five minutes, Zaos tried again, but this time he failed at keeping his posture for even three minutes. It looked like he wouldn't progress all that much on the first day since his arms were that weak. In any case, at least he managed to discover some things. Unlike his mana that could only recover by one point per hour, his stamina recovered one point by the minute. However, that doesn't alleviate muscle pain.

"Let's have lunch, mom," Zaos said after he noticed that his mother was sweating a bit too much even though she was sitting in a wooden chair and had an umbrella with her.

"Let's. Knowing you, I thought you would try to finish the training today or even before lunch," Lyra smiled and then cleaned the sweat from Zaos's forehead with a towel.

"Hahaha, that is impossible. I will need at least two weeks to complete it," Zaos laughed and then said.

Lyra frowned when she heard that number was a bit too exact. But in the end, Lyra just decided to wait and see. In the end, Zaos was so exhausted that he fell asleep soon after lunch. Much to Lyra's surprise, he put the wooden sword on his side of the bed. Since the weather also got her, Lyra decided to take a nap as well, only to wake up and notice that Zaos wasn't on the bed anymore. The wooden sword had disappeared either.

"Like father, like son," Lyra said with a smile on her face. 

As expected, Lyra found Zaos in the garden, and he was practicing again with a severe expression on his face. She assumed that her son wouldn't pass his time kicking an old round helmet anymore. From now on, he would play with his wooden sword.