First Training

I got my breakfast from Dr. Rose; it was a combination of scrambled eggs and bread. She was not only a competent doctor but also a brilliant cook.

"Did you like it?"

"Yes, thank you, Dr. Rose."

I was full, don't know maybe it was a terrible idea to have breakfast before the training but worse come to worse.

The door from the backyard suddenly opened and a young, elegant man walked in. Of course, it was William Granade, for others it is difficult to perceive such a youthful person as an experienced veteran of the battlefield but I am already accustomed to it.

I stood up and bowed, welcoming my master. It would be inappropriate not to do so, in our society master is a person of equal footing to parents.

"Good morning, Alexander, how are you?" asked William and smiled.

"Good morning, Master, I am feeling perfectly prepared for the training."

It goes without saying that I was excited and nervous, learning the way of the sword is a very effort demanding tasks in the world.

"That is pleasant... You know that your body is still not good enough for the training thus I came up with an idea of how to increase your physical abilities," slowly said William.

"I will be in your care, Master."

"Well, foremost, children should exercise their muscles, not through hell's training but playing. When you play with other kids outside and eat well, it will be of enormous help to your physical condition. That is why I decided to train all children from the village together with you."

I was a little bit surprised but didn't question his decisions because they were right. Even if I used my mana for tempering my body, it may only harm and not enhance it. That is why a perfect age for physical tempering is 6 to 7 years of age. However, since my rebirth, I have never interacted with other children, they think I am queer and don't know how to enjoy the fun.

"Alexander, let's go, your father and I asked some parent about starting a training for boys and they agreed, children must be waiting."

Dr. Rose hugged me and encouraged me, maybe she thought that William will conduct harsh training for children and I won't be able to keep up.

My Master and I went to the Western Side of the village, it occupied a lot of space and it was a place where children always spend playing games and fooling around. When we arrived, I saw five other boys from the village if I remember correctly there names were: Rou, Gilbert, Anthony, Fred, and John. Rou and Gilbert were 6 years old they were the oldest out of the group, the other three were 5 years of age. What surprised me is the presence of a girl, her name was Fiona, she was 8 years old, actually, the training supposed to be purely for boys but somehow William allowed her to come. Fiona looked at me with jealousy and from my point of view, it was all because she wanted to become strong. My father was considered to be the strongest, maybe she thinks I get some pointers from him and I am just lucky?

"Good morning, children, today will be your first training with me and also the only opportunity to leave."

All the children stood still and didn't even breath. For all one knows they somehow felt that William was strong, and it is an excellent thing to learn from him that is why they didn't leave.

"Good, now let us play with this ring," said William and took out a small metallic ring.

"The rules are simple, you will close your eyes and I'll give this ring to one person. Your goal is to obtain this ring faster than others and for the person with the ring is not to lose it. Understood?"

We all nodded and closed our eyes; I realized that children will obviously use their strength in order to seize the person with the ring. William gripped my arm and made it look like he put something inside. Wait... That means other children didn't close their eyes for real...

"You cannot leave the square I made with the rope. You may start now!"

I rushed to the side so as to avoid other children. However, I was caught by the only girl the moment I jumped out of the boys' grasp. She tightly clenched my neck with her arms and didn't let it go.

"Give me the ring," she coldly asked.

"I don't have it."

"Stop lying," she started squeezing me tighter.

If it continues like that I will suffocate, I may be a magician but close combat is not an unfamiliar thing for me. I used the left hand to push her elbow up, and it gave me an opening to escape from her clinch.

She was slow to react and lost her control over my neck. I ran to the opposite side and avoided boys who dashed towards me.

"She took my ring!" I shouted, so as to escape their attention.

"No! It's a lie."

However, other children didn't believe her words because they saw her capturing me earlier.

"Jerk!"

I smiled and sat down on the ground, observing her pushing back the boys.

After a minute she surrendered and let them inspect her, she was really embarrassed, her face got red all over, only then Rou and Gilbert realized what they were doing.

"Sorry," Gilbert backed down and took younger boys away from her.

"Ok, the game stops here," said William.

"Mr. Granade, then who won?" asked Rou while trying to catch some breath.

"Oh... I won," he showed them the metallic ring.

Children didn't expect that all their efforts were for nothing, Fiona looked at me pouting her cheeks in displeasure.

"Ok, let us play again this time I am not participating."

We all closed our eyes again.

After three hours or running around and fighting between each other the training ended. We were all exhausted but also delighted, although Fiona still disliked me, I got on well with other children. In my previous life we were friends but this time I felt bewildered about them, so I have decided to avoid them but now it is all good. This time I will live without any regrets and make sure that all my friends and loved ones will survive the calamity.

I went back home and enjoyed my late lunch, my parent asked me about the training. After I informed them about what we were playing my father kept nodding in acknowledgment.

"That's right, the best way for children to develop physic is to play with each other and eat well. Senior Granade found a very good way of educating you all."

My mom, on the other hand, was happy that I started interacting with other children, all this time I avoided them and spent my time in the forest. She didn't know that I was training and increased levels of my skills, so she was worried that there was something wrong me.