18 Ch. 18: Training [1]

"It's been a while." Nathaniel greeted Adrian with a smile planted on his face.

Adrian nodded, his face devoid of any expression. "Yes, it has." Well, it had been a month since they last met.

"Ahem!"

A sudden clearing of the throat diverted their attention, prompting the boys to turn towards the source of the sound. Standing before them was a tall, muscular man, his heavy stubble beard framing a stern expression. He had brown hair and eyes that shared the same color.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but training will begin shortly," the man announced briskly, cutting through any lingering pleasantries.

It was rude, but then again, once you entered the training ground, Imperial titles did not apply here. There was only the Instructor and the trainee.

"Yes, Sir!" Adrian and Nathaniel responded in unison.

The Instructor then directed his attention to Adrian, his tone softening slightly. "I'm sorry for what happened to you."

Adrian replied nonchalantly, "Thank you."

However, the Instructor's next words carried a warning. "But do not expect me to go easy on you."

Well, that was exactly what Adrian hoped for. Because he realized that just running and exercising alone would not help much. His body needed real training. "Yes, Sir!"

Soon, the man gave them 10 minutes to stretch.

Fredinand provided him with some information about the Instructor. His name was Sir Walter, a retired military man; a former Commander. Walter was assigned by the Emperor to train both of his sons.

In the middle of his warm-up, a whisper pricked Adrian's ears. "Pst, Ian."

He glanced over and when his eyes met with a pair of golden eyes, they gleamed mischievously. Adrian raised one of his eyebrows quizzically. He didn't know why the boy next to him was in a strange mood.

"Hehe," Nathaniel chuckled softly, his mood buoyant. "You know, when I sneaked into the plaza last week, I found a delicious food stand–"

"No talking!" Walter's voice boomed, prompting both boys to swiftly return their focus to the task at hand.

"Yes, Sir!"

–Piii.

The whistle blew, marking the end of the stretch.

"Alright, kids. Run for 30 minutes."

Nathaniel spun to his brother and spoke. "If you feel tired just stop running, okay? Don't push yourself too hard. You're still recovering."

The fact that Adrian stood here meant that he had recovered, then how come he was still recovering?

However, a thought crossed his mind and he asked. "How often did I stop when I was tired in the past?"

"You did it all the time, so it doesn't matter," Nathaniel stated matter-of-factly.

Adrian was flabbergasted. "I did?"

Nathaniel nodded vigorously. "Yep."

Adrian murmured. "I see." 

Now he understood why there was no improvement in his Physical Stats even though this body had trained for more than 3 years. Turned out the original Adrian never pushed himself to the limit and only depended on his Magical. He didn't blame Adrian, though, it was his choice if he wanted to be an Elementalist.

But now this body was his, solely relying on one power was a red flag for him. Not that he was greedy for power but, learning from the accident back then, he needed another option. Mana could only be used for Magical purposes and couldn't be used to enhance Physical Power.

In other words, if one wanted to be physically strong then one had to train physically. And that was what he intended.

–Piii.

Adrian decided to jog instead of run–it would be best if he could last as long as possible. He didn't want to faint in the middle of practice because the lessons were too valuable to pass up.

As he settled into his jogging pace, memories of his godfather's training sessions flooded back. What was different was that there were a lot of trainees and he didn't have an effing-shit physique like this.

"Ian, aren't you tired?"

Adrian turned to the voice and saw Nathaniel jogging next to him, prompting him to crease his forehead.

Receiving such long stares made Nathaniel take aback. "Uh, is there something wrong?"

Without beating the bush, Adrian asked. "May I know what you are doing?"

"Huh?" Nathaniel tilted his head. "I'm running, of course...?"

Adrian shut his mouth tightly. Alright, it was his fault; he asked the wrong question. "You can go ahead and leave me, it's alright. I'm not tired yet."

With his own strength, Adrian knew that Nathaniel could run as fast as he could without breaking a sweat. 30 minutes was a piece of cake for him, so there was no need to match his pace.

Yet, the black-haired boy shook his head. "Nah, I like company."

What kind of answer was that? Regardless, Adrian shrugged. "Do as you please."

Just as he thought their conversation had ended, Nathaniel surprised him by continuing. "By the way, let's go to the plaza! I've listed many delicious food stands!"

"I don't think my mother will allow me." Adrian realized that he owed Aerilyn an apology because he just sold her name. 'Sorry, mom.'

In the end, Nathaniel could only sigh in disappointment. "Haa… You're right."

...

Several minutes passed, and Adrian found himself short of breath, sweat dripping down his brow. "Haa… Haa…"

His heart and stomach were okay, so Adrian thought that he could push through for a few more minutes. Thanks to his clandestine workouts, he had built up enough endurance to run for 30 to 40 minutes.

However, his head felt dizzy.

No.

It wasn't fatigue from the physical exertion; it was something else entirely.

"Ian, are you okay? Aren't you tired? You look awful. You should stop."

Yes, it was his very dear big brother who gave him a headache.

Adrian suppressed a sigh. It seemed like Nathaniel had asked the same question countless times already. The repetitive inquiries were beginning to grate on his nerves, his ears ringing with annoyance. How had the snarky protagonist he remembered turned into such a caring and talkative brother?

Adrian couldn't fathom the transformation, but he had no time to dwell on it now. "I'm not… haa… tired yet."

"Are you… sure?" Nathaniel's concern only seemed to deepen as he observed Adrian's labored breathing and sweat-drenched form. He was afraid that his brother would faint in the next second.

"Haa… I am." Adrian reassured him, determined to push through despite the growing discomfort.

From a distance, Walter observed the boys as they jogged around the training ground. It was a familiar sight to see Nathaniel matching Adrian's pace, always prepared to offer his younger brother a piggyback ride should he tire. What was different today was the Second Prince.

Normally, Adrian always ran with all his might at the whistle, and moments later the boy would look like he was dying. But today, he approached the task with a more measured pace, employing a breathing technique as he ran. Walter's brow furrowed in astonishment as he continued to observe the scene unfold.

–Piii.

Walter turned to a Knight blowing a whistle behind him. "It's been 30 minutes?"

The knight affirmed, "It has, Sir!"

As Adrian approached, his breaths labored, Nathaniel quickly caught up and affectionately patted Adrian's head, a proud expression adorning his face. "Looks like I owe you a treat!" he exclaimed.

Adrian shook his head. "You don't have to."

Now that Walter thought about it, their interaction was kinda awkward. Despite Nathaniel's efforts to engage Adrian in conversation, the white-haired boy appeared disinterested, a stark contrast to their previous interactions.

However, something was off. Walter had been training Adrian for more than three years. In those years, he could only run for 10 to 15 minutes. But now, he was capable of running for 30 minutes and looked fine.

The weirdness didn't stop, it was reported that Adrian had single-handedly defeated nine out of ten assassins who pursued him. Walter found this notion incredulous; it simply didn't add up. As his Instructor, Walter knew Adrian's capabilities and there was no conceivable way that he could have emerged victorious against such odds.

Yet, he survived.

Looking at Adrian's pre-post memory loss, Walter couldn't ignore the noticeable and unexplained surge in his power. The realization prompted a wry chuckle from the old man as he cast a knowing gaze toward Adrian. 'You little brat, you hid his power.'

With Adrian's memory loss erasing the reason for his concealed strength, he ran like a normal person. Still, it was merely a hunch, but Walter believed there was a way to confirm his suspicions.

–Clap –Clap –Clap

The Instructor's clap brought the boys' attention to him as he announced, "We're going to have a sparring session."

Nathaniel's brow lifted in surprise. "All of a sudden?"

Walter shrugged, focusing his gaze on Adrian. "I will be your opponent."

Nathaniel protested, "You can't do that, Adrian is tired and–"

"So what if he's tired?" Walter interrupted sharply. Before Nathaniel could respond, he continued, "Are you expecting the enemy to say, 'I see, you are tired, then we'll come back later,' huh?!"

"No–you don't understand!" Nathaniel persisted.

Walter snapped back, "Which part did I not understand?!"

Adrian watched them argue in disbelief and sighed tiredly. "Both of you, please, stop it." He turned to his brother. "What the Instructor said is true."

"But–"

Adrian shook his head. "Thank you for your concern, but don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Tsk," Nathaniel clicked his tongue in annoyance, turning away. "Fine."

Adrian then addressed the Instructor. "I'll accept it."

Walter nodded in satisfaction. "Good."

Soon, the two stood in the center of the training ground, each wielding a wooden sword.

As they prepared to spar, Walter couldn't help but wonder, 'Let's see what you've been hiding all along.'