Chapter 13

Gilbert and Barbarotto had been teaching Leord physical combat and swordsmanship for a month since he came to Zeato.

Every morning, he learned physical combat from Gilbert, and from noon, he studied swordsmanship with Barbarotto, and at night, he voraciously read magic books.

Thanks to this, Leord's talent was evident, and his physical combat and swordsmanship skills were improving rapidly. However, he had never managed to land a single blow on either of them.

His growth in magic was even more remarkable than in the other two areas. Unlike in games, there were no numerical values to track, but Leord was focusing on training in magic other than lightning. Currently, his earth magic was becoming quite powerful.

Thinking that he might be able to land a blow on the two of them by using magic, Leord challenged them, but the legendary assassin and Zeato's top knight were not to be underestimated. In real life, they wouldn't wait for him to cast a spell. He was defeated when a punch hit him while he was chanting, and again when a sword struck him while he was chanting.

If that was the case, he tried to use spell interruption, but it lacked power, precision, and range, making it difficult to fight effectively. Leord was disheartened by the differences between reality and games.

"Perhaps only steady effort will do..."

In the battle scenes of Fate 48, spell interruption and non-chanting existed. However, this was in a game, not in reality.

In the game, spell interruption increased mana consumption by 1.25 times and reduced power. However, there was a skill called "Spell Interruption" that eliminated the drawbacks for those who possessed it. Non-chanting, on the other hand, increased mana consumption by 1.5 times and halved the power, but it was also a skill, so the drawbacks were eliminated.

Incidentally, among the sixty-four heroines, only one possessed the skill for spell interruption, and only one possessed the skill for non-chanting. However, the protagonist Siegfried could eventually use both.

Skills were generally limited to one per person, but there were rare exceptions. Some could possess multiple skills, known as multi-skills. The highest number of skills possessed by anyone in the past was five, though it was unclear how excellent all of them were.

Regarding skills, Leord naturally possessed one. It was thanks to this skill that he could become the final boss in a certain route.

Leord's skill was called Mana Sharing. As the name suggests, it allowed him to share mana with any chosen person. While it might not sound impressive, it was a game-changer for mages, as it allowed them to draw mana from others to cast spells.

For example, if Leord and Gilbert shared mana, and Leord had 80 mana and Gilbert had 120, their combined mana would be 200. If Leord cast a spell that exceeded his own mana, the consumption would be from their combined total.

Using this skill, Leord rose to become the final boss, commanding many subordinates to corner Siegfried. However, if all his subordinates were defeated, the mana sharing would be cut off, and Leord's mana would rapidly deplete, leaving him as nothing more than a punching bag. He was a tragic figure.

Leord understood the usefulness of his skill but found no immediate application for it. Therefore, he focused on improving his physical combat, swordsmanship, and magic, which were the fundamentals.

And so, every day, Leord was punched away by Gilbert and knocked down by Barbarotto.

"Ugh... still... not good enough!"

Covered in mud and bruises, Leord bravely stood up again, no matter how many times he fell.

"That spirit is commendable! But it's not enough!"

"Ugh!?"

Leord was sent flying by a punch to the abdomen from Gilbert and landed on his back, hit by intense pain. However, he gritted his teeth, got up, and approached Gilbert.

"Phew... phew..."

Thanks to a month of daily training, Leord had grown both mentally and physically. Unfortunately, his weight hadn't changed much, but his physical combat and swordsmanship had improved dramatically, worthy of praise.

"Let's take a break."

"Ha... ha... ha..."

Leord collapsed on the ground, and Gilbert and Barbarotto moved away to talk out of earshot.

"The results of a month of intense training are evident."

"Yes, from my perspective, Leord's physical combat skills have improved remarkably."

"His swordsmanship has also improved. He has a natural talent for martial arts."

"True, but he was quite poor at first."

"He started slacking off in sword training around the age of twelve, so the three-year gap is significant."

"Indeed. After three years of neglect, it's natural for his skills to rust. In fact, he was stronger at ten when he trained more diligently."

"But with this kind of training, he will undoubtedly become a renowned warrior in the future."

"Yes, but unfortunately, it will be difficult for him to return to the public stage. It would have been better if he had repented earlier."

As Gilbert said, Leord's punishment was exile to a remote area, meaning he would not appear on the public stage. If he were to achieve any great deeds, it would be by slaying a monster that even the knights couldn't defeat or by defending Zeato in a war with a neighboring country.

"It's too late..."

"Yes, truly..."

Unbeknownst to the two, Leord was not pessimistic. He believed that as long as he could change his fate, he didn't need any achievements.

The break ended, and Leord waited with a wooden sword for the two to return. When they did, the sword training resumed.

"Ha!"

"Too soft! Be sharper and more precise!"

"Shii!"

"Don't rely on brute force!"

"Ugh!"

Barbarotto's wooden sword struck Leord's wrist. Without any protective gear, Leord dropped the wooden sword from the pain.

"Ugh...!"

"How long are you going to wallow in pain? Pick it up and attack!"

"Y-Yes!"

While clutching his wrist in pain, Leord heard Barbarotto's angry voice. He gritted his teeth and picked up the fallen wooden sword.

In front of Leord, Barbarotto glared at him sharply. Despite the glare, Leord stepped forward without hesitation.

"Here I come!!!"

"You've got the spirit, at least!"

"Ugh...!"

Leord attacked Barbarotto with a loud shout but was easily defeated, struck in the chest and forced to kneel on one knee.

"Shall we call it a day here?"

"No way. Not yet!"

Seeing Leord stand up, a smile appeared on Barbarotto's face, filled with anticipation for how strong he could become.