Chapter 111 – Breathing
I mostly had a grasp of things after sparring.
Despite being disrespected by those damn sows, Mortriage seemed to be an ordinary honor student, with excellent athleticism and magical skills. He didn’t seem inferior to my classmates at the Imperial Academy. Well, except for the Rebal… in this case, I felt that it would be better to put more focus on teaching magic than martial arts.
Oratski has a decent heart. He’s not good with detailed magic, so I think it’s better to narrow down a few simple magic spells and teach close combat techniques such as martial arts combined with weaponry.
Mobner easily loses his nerves, but he seems to have a talent for avoiding crises and is good at evasion. That said, he is still quick to run away. I want him to overcome his fears more while teaching him how to evade properly.
I’m wondering if I should make Budeo lose weight or use his weight as a weapon. However, surprisingly, he had the advantage of being ambidextrous. He always ate his meals with both hands as if it was only natural… However, I still had no idea how to make use of this.
That’s how I finished today’s training with those guys.
We arranged to meet again tomorrow.
And now, while I was sleeping, I was sparring with Tre’ainar in the world of Vier.
「Great Demon Flicker!」
「The rhythm is too monotonous! Add more variety!」
I thought my level of skill had improved due to the experience of sparring with Mr. Machio, but my left fist was still cutting through the air without hitting Tre’ainar.
「The Flicker’s advantage is the difficulty of evading it. If tis too easily read, it cannot be used to fight stronger opponents.」
「tch… Then, speed!」
「Too slow! The next moves are obvious. Weave in more feints.」
「Ku, ha, haeee!」
I thought I could use my footwork to lead the opponent around, but I was still treated lightly during the spar with Tre’ainar.
「Let’s go! Great Demon Smash!」
「Idiot! Do not strike with such huge motions without thought! You will never land a lucky punch on high-level opponents! It simply creates extra openings.」
「Ah, damn, I can’t land a hit…」
「Right! Such heavy blows are not swung and hit honestly. Control your opponent so that you can hit them and they cannot evade you.」
I can’t hit him. I can’t touch him. I can’t keep up with his movements.
「Ha, ha, ze, ze…」
「Hmm… On the whole, you are adequate enough. But as you know, that Machio still hides something. He is the man that received Jamdi’el’s endorsement, you must be even sharper.」
「Ha, ha… Osu…」
The stronger I became, the more I realized how monstrous Tre’ainar was.
「Geez, I thought I could go a little longer…」
「A thousand years too early. That said, I admit that we are making steady progress.」
「Tch…」
Let me land one hit. Let me graze him. Let me change his expression a little bit.
I kept setting the goal of the spars lower and lower, but I can’t achieve it no matter how low I go.
I thought that I had become stronger, but after all, the gap with Tre’ainar was too large for me to really understand the power difference yet.
I was reminded of the fact that I didn’t know his ceiling.
「Well… I broke the fighting spirit of a child who had lately begun to lose respect for his master…」
「No, I’m not losing respect for him… I think he’s amazing, I appreciate him, I respect him.」
「Fah… ah, oh, oh, hmm, tis so tis so… kohon, well then soon, in addition to training for improving basic performance, I shall teach you a new magic technique.」
Though Tre’ainar was a little bashful as he told me so, I was so surprised I stood up involuntarily.
「Magic technique…?」
So far, I’ve only learned the Breakthrough and Great Magic Spiral.
I couldn’t help but lean forward at the proposal.
「What is it?」
「Fufufufufufu… that… can be applied not only for the Breakthrough, but for other magic as well.」
I couldn’t contain my excitement when I saw Tre’ainar somewhat laughing confidently.
What is the magic technique that Tre’ainar was talking about?
「Tis called ‘Magical Breathing’.」
「Magic Breath?」
It was the first time I heard those words, and I inquired about it.
「Hmm, child. How does a person get the oxygen they need into their body from the air?」
「That’s… breathing, I guess.」
「Yes. And so…… how does a person restore the magic power they have consumed?」
「Eh? …… That’s…」
If you think about it, it’s a magic lecture. What’s more, the basics that even a kid knows…
「That’s what you talked about when you opened my ‘Magic Hole’, right? Magic power is taken from the magic that drifts in the air into the ‘Magic Tank’ in the body through the ‘Magic Hole’, passageways for the magic power for the body, holds it, and releases the magic power through the magic hole if necessary……. they say. Therefore, the magic power that is consumed takes in the magic that drifts in the air through the Magic Hole.」
「Hmm, tis so.」
I was asked a similar question before, and I answered the same way.
And Tre’ainar nodded, meaning it wasn’t wrong.
However…..
「Then, let us return to breathing… what do you do to take in ‘a good deal’ of the oxygen floating in the air?」
「Eh? That’s…… like that… you take a big breath… you take a lot of breaths…」
「Yes. Then…… how do you take in ‘a good deal’ of the magic drifting in the air?」
「………… eh?」
I was involuntarily at a loss for words when I asked an unexpected question.
Certainly, magic power is usually stored in the magic tank of the body, and when it is consumed, the magic that drifts in the air is taken in through the magic hole and restores it. However, that was just a theory, and in my mind, the recovery of magical power was similar to ‘natural healing’.
So, I had never thought about ‘taking a lot of magic from the air’, so I didn’t know how to answer the question.
「… Is it possible? Such a thing …」
「Fufufu. Recovery magic, so to speak, ‘rapidly heal injuries’. Then you would think there was a way to ‘rapidly restore magic’, would you not?」
And that’s the answer that Tre’ainar gave, a new magic technique that I will learn. That’s……
「That is the ‘Magical Breathing’… instead of relying on nature and time to restore magic power, harvest the magic in the air at your own will and forcibly restore it.」
It’s something I’ve never heard of before…
「A… at your own will?」
「Learn this, and so long as you have physical strength, you will never be unable to use magic for lack of magic power… in other words…… use it during a breakthrough, and the breakthrough will never be interrupted, and you can hit the Great Magic Spiral so long as your physical strength does not fail…」
And I heard the explanation…
「Such a cheeeeeeaaaaatttt!!」
I couldn’t help screaming, that technique was too foul.
「Hey, wait! You’ll be able to recover your magical power right away… in a sense, it’s infinite magic power! Or rather, teach me that from the beginning!」
Magic power does not run out. In other words, it is possible to have longer breakthroughs and a series of Great Magic Spirals.
It was too much of a foul.
「No, of course there are risks. Tis not infinite magic power… you still cannot use magic beyond your magic storage capacity, and above all, long breakthroughs and a barrage of Great Magic Spirals would put a constant strain on the body.」
「That’s true. But then I wouldn’t have had to think about preserving the breakthrough…」
「No, tis certainly possible for prolonged periods, but at this point, tis better to set a time limit. Consider the burden on the body. That is why, after use you cannot endure the undue burden and end up injured, you may not be able to move properly due to muscle pain, potentially you may ruin the body itself, and if not used properly, you could die afterwards, could you not?」
「Uh, oh … oh, oooh…」
At that moment, Tre’ainar emphasized the “risk of death” to me with a serious look.
I gulped at the force of his words.
「W, well, I see… there are risks attached to such amazing techniques…」
「Yes. People cannot power up so easily. There is always corresponding risk to it… without exception…… right…… without exception.」
The moment he spoke of the risks, Tre’ainar’s eyes became even sharper.
I mean, it’s something to give a lot of thought to…
「But you can manage such risks with a view on the future rather than what is before you.」
「Eh…?」
「Your bout with Toulowe, to offer such an earnest challenge without using the breakthrough and win. An easy victory in the commemorative match was right before you, you put on a conceited display to the opponent to the tune of his futility, and yet are unwilling to use the power you have acquired indiscriminately. Today’s exchange with the Wizarding School small fry is evidence of this. You have a mind to aim for higher levels. That is why I guide you.」
I felt that it was praised for something like my attitude as a human, not my skills in punching or footwork.
「Oh, yeah … maybe?」
It’s a rare thing, so I’m a bit embarrassed… in front of me, Tre’ainar was grinning.
「Fuhahaha, embarrassed are we?」
「Nuh-uh!? I’m not embarrassed!」
「No, you were embarrassed! Fuhahaha tis delightful. Payback for always illuminating me.」
「Tch, you’re surprisingly persistent… hmm? Always…… in the end, you’re embarrassed, aren’t you?」
「Eh? …… I, I am never bashful!」
「No, you clearly said it now! I heard you!」
「Yes, now silence! Focus on training! Anyway, we shall begin the lesson on Magical Breathing!」
We seemed to have derailed each other’s conversation a little, but in the end, Tre’ainar forcibly restored it.
Well, it’s a draw for now.
If I were to talk, I might have been able to drive the Great Demon King to a corner a little…
「Now, ‘breathing’ and ‘meditation’ are important for learning magical breathing. Moreover, tis not just breathing and meditation. First of all, tis training to concentrate on breathing and meditation in any situation and to do it precisely. There is a perfect training method for that.」
Tre’ainar… it wasn’t, Tre’ainar coughed lightly and immediately started talking seriously, and I sat up and paid close attention.
「Fufufu, it seems that Jamdi’el was also trying to have the students of the dojo learn Magical Breathing… I witnessed them performing something similar in the dojo, though sporadically.」
「Eh!? Well then… can Jamdi’el also use Magical Breathing?」
「No, she cannot. And what was being performed in the dojo was incomplete training. In that case, no matter how much they try, they cannot learn Magical Breathing. In this way, Jamdi’el imperfectly conveys what I once devised, in the hopes that ‘someone will learn it’.」
「I, is that right… it?」
「Tis so. And you are in luck. With certainty, I shall guide you correctly. Yes, I am different from Jamdi’el.」
Tre’ainar looked confident with a smug expression.
The other day, I was frightened when I saw the “darkness” of Jamdi’el, but when I thought that this guy was much stronger than Jamdi’el, I felt somewhat complicated.
「Well… the best training to learn Magical Breathing…… is a practice called Magical Yoga.」
Yo… ga? It was the first time I heard of it.
「In this training, tis essential to learn various movements and poses. You should learn my movements and try them later in front of the dojo mirror.」
With that said, Tre’ainar decided to immediately give me a demonstration.
「Ah!? S, see here… eh!?!」
And I… to conquer my laughter… failed a second time, and received an impact as a result.
Author’s Note
I came back yesterday, much earlier than I expected, and I ended up writing… but I couldn’t help it. The world is so cruel.