Chapter 17. 9. The Price Needed for Learning
The day after Boomer Simpson's attack.
Teoro Schutegarn made his way to the training grounds early in the morning. He had someone to meet.
A man who cultivated his body while sweating profusely among crude exercise equipment every morning.
Lumian greeted Teoro.
"Oh, Teoro. Thanks for yesterday. Of all things, for me to make such a mistake..."
"Lumian."
"Yeah?"
"Can you... teach me how to handle aura?"
Teoro got straight to the point.
He knew it would seem shameless. But he didn't beat around the bush.
When asking someone for a favor, it was better to speak cleanly and directly. At least, that's what Teoro thought.
'If I get rejected, then so be it.'
There was probably a 99 percent chance of rejection. But not wanting to miss that 1 percent possibility, Teoro lowered his head along with his pride.
And Lumian nodded so readily that Teoro looked foolish by comparison.
"Alright."
"...Huh?"
"I said I would. I'll teach you."
"..."
"What's with that expression?"
Lumian asked with a puzzled look. Teoro couldn't speak for a moment as he organized his confused thoughts.
'No, he's saying he'll teach me this easily?'
He couldn't understand it.
There wasn't particularly deep friendship between him and himself. No, rather, until last year they were on bad terms.
He had provided some help regarding romance recently, but that much was something anyone could do.
Teaching someone how to handle aura, the secret to one's rapid growth, was a completely different matter from that.
Yet seeing him nod so readily, without even asking or questioning, Teoro couldn't help but be surprised from his position.
He spoke with a still flustered face.
"No, I mean it's too easy... hmm. Honestly speaking, I think my current behavior could seem quite annoying..."
"Hmm. Is that so?"
Lumian didn't particularly think so.
Of course, this body's original owner hadn't thought well of Teoro, but that was that guy.
For his current self, there was no more reliable connection than this fellow.
'Taking someone who knew nothing to the ballroom, cleaning up after my mistakes... where else is there a guy like this?'
To continue receiving advice related to romance in the future, he needed to strengthen his relationship with Teoro even more.
Besides, passing on teachings wasn't particularly burdensome either.
'Originally, giving a few teachings to this brat...'
No, even if he poured out dozens of teachings, there was no way his foundation would be depleted. His level was that high.
Actually, even if it were depleted, it wouldn't matter.
In his past life, Lumian wasn't stingy with teachings either.
The more the knight order's skills improved through his help, the more excellent and trustworthy knights there would be, the stronger the nation would become.
When the nation grew strong, naturally the people could live in peace and pursue their livelihoods, and the nation's finances would flourish. Accordingly, the king's worries decreasing was an inevitable sequence.
'Hogging everything just for one's own benefit is not knightly behavior. Everyone should prosper together.'
He had become a lecherous 15-year-old teenager, but he was still an excellent knight.
He was ready to share everything except women's attention and love. He smiled broadly at Teoro.
"Never mind. No need to feel too burdened. If you're okay with it, I'll teach you this and that from now on."
"...Thank you."
Teoro Schutegarn nodded slightly.
The dawn's cold air and the not-yet-fully-bright gray backdrop wrapped around him.
Seeing the handsome Teoro emanating a cool yet dignified charm, Lumian pursed his lips.
'Bastard, he's good-looking. Should I just not teach him?'
There was a moment of conflict, but Lumian wasn't that petty a man. He forced his expression, which had nearly stiffened, under control and patted Teoro's shoulder.
Then he resumed his exercise.
"Hoo."
Teoro let out a large breath.
He felt like he had crossed a great mountain. He had come out thinking he would be rejected, but he had still been hoping Lumian would grant his request, so there was no way he couldn't be nervous.
He sat on a nearby bench, massaging his arms and legs while watching Lumian exercise.
And he was greatly surprised.
'It hasn't even been two weeks... but he's improved that much?'
Teoro recalled the first day of the semester.
At that time, Lumian was in a completely terrible state by physical standards.
He lacked strength and flexibility even compared to the freckled guy below class average, so it was safe to say he was at the bottom of the year.
But now, a little over ten days later, the person had changed.
Muscle strength, muscular endurance, and cardiovascular endurance had all grown significantly. It was a level impossible to understand with common sense.
'No matter how much hard training and rest are repeated, is this possible?'
It was impossible. At least according to Teoro's knowledge.
Of course, if one utilized aura to greatly increase the body's recovery ability, one could produce results much faster than ordinary people, but there was still a limit.
Even if the muscles held up, the joints and ligaments wouldn't. Those were areas that were not easy to restore even if one was well-versed in aura.
Of course.
Wuuuuung
This was only Teoro's standard; Lumian's standard was completely different.
Lumian could do everything that most veteran knights said was 'impossible.'
At least in aura utilization, he was the best on the continent.
The fact that he was using that exceptional aura control for 'building a body popular with women' was ironic, but anyway, that was how it was.
"Hoo. Done. Ah, sorry. Must have been boring waiting."
"No, not really... there's nothing to do on the weekend anyway."
"Still, watching someone else exercise isn't exactly fun. Hoo. Alright, want to start learning right from today? Hmm, but what part should I teach you?"
At Lumian's muttering, Teoro's face brightened.
Right, understanding Lumian was impossible anyway.
Rather than that, what was important was learning even one more thing from this mysterious fellow.
Study hard. Then definitely graduate from the academy with good grades and join the royal direct knight order.
Teoro, who firmly resolved this in his heart, opened his mouth.
"Then, first, the method of densely injecting aura into a sword..."
"Wait, just a moment!"
A voice overlapped his from behind.
Teoro turned his head. Lumian was already frowning, having sensed the presence. Teoro also wrinkled his expression as soon as he recognized the other's identity.
Lumian's lips let out his name.
"Boomer Simpson."
"I'm sorry. Really sorry."
"What is it, this guy?"
Boomer Simpson, who had approached them, immediately bowed his head. And offered words of apology.
Lumian made an absurd expression, but he didn't care. Boomer quickly poured out his words.
"I truly feel sorry about yesterday. I believed only the big guys' words without even properly investigating and did such a thing..."
Boomer continued his excuses at length.
That he had misunderstood Teoro and Lumian cursing him.
That he had sternly told the big family not to do that again for making him misunderstand.
That the cursing he did yesterday was clearly his mistake and he would never do such a thing again.
Finally, that he would become a fine knight candidate who would neither tease nor bully others again, just as Lumian had said yesterday.
Lumian, who heard all this story, nodded with a sour expression.
"Alright, I got it. I'll forgive you this much."
"Thank you. Really thank you."
When he came out like this, it was also awkward to continue being petty from an adult's position.
Lumian decided to generously forgive Boomer Simpson.
"Apologize to Teoro too."
"Teoro, I was really sorry. I won't pick a fight with you ever again."
"..."
"Just accept it and end it."
"Alright."
"Th-thank you. Teoro."
Boomer Simpson bowed his head once more and answered thankfully.
His face brightened compared to before as if he had set down the burden of his heart.
Seeing that appearance, Lumian secretly smiled. His own heart felt at ease after forgiving him.
However, when the fellow immediately brought up the next business, such thoughts turned 180 degrees.
"And, if possible... the thing you showed yesterday... raising physical strength with aura, could you somehow..."
"No. Go back."
At Boomer Simpson's words asking for teachings, Lumian coldly shook his head.
It was a cold response as if a north wind storm was sweeping through. This was only natural.
He said he wouldn't be petty anymore, but he couldn't be. The wound from the fellow's words was still remaining in his chest. Blood was still trickling from the not-yet-healed wound.
'Teoro is okay, but not you, you bastard.'
Lumian, who put strength in his eyes, added one more word.
"There won't be a change of heart, so hurry up and leave."
"Please!"
But Boomer Simpson was persistent.
He kept clinging and pleading.
He couldn't help it. Because the appearance Lumian showed yesterday had come to him as a tremendous shock.
'This guy... is amazing!'
His temper was foul, but in some ways, Boomer was also a neat man.
He cleanly accepted yesterday's result. Since he was the one who did wrong, no feelings of hatred remained at all.
Instead, infinite admiration for Lumian's strength took that place.
'If I learn a thing or two from this guy, I'll be able to become much stronger than now!'
It was not speculation but conviction.
Of course, to do that, turning this petty fellow's mind came first.
Boomer Simpson kept begging and begging again.
"Please!"
"No."
"Brother!"
"I said no. If you want to learn something that badly, go find a professor. Or what's his name, there's the guy who's first in the year. Go find him."
"There's no way the swordsmanship professor would personally teach a 2nd year nobody. They're busy with graduating classes... And that Cal Crone guy is also busy taking care of his own class."
"I'm busy too."
"Please, brother! I'll do anything."
"Really? Anything?"
Lumian's eyes changed.
Taking that as a positive signal, Boomer Simpson nodded, and Lumian continued with a serious expression.
"Be loyal to the king, fight for the country, and strive to protect the people. Don't catch and bully the wrong people like yesterday."
"Of course. I said it earlier too. There will absolutely be no such thing from now on."
"Good. You've learned everything you need to. You can go down the mountain now."
"Ah please, brother."
"Stop calling me brother. It doesn't feel good when you call me brother."
'This guy, he's really cold-hearted.'
Boomer sighed.
Of course, he didn't think it would be easy. Because he knew what he had done, and his request itself wasn't light.
Now it couldn't be helped. He wanted to persuade the fellow without bleeding if possible, but that seemed unlikely.
'Damn, it's something I cherish...'
Boomer Simpson fumbled to take something out of the bag he had brought.
Lumian checked this with a sidelong glance. Separate from having treated him cold-heartedly, he was curious what action the fellow was taking.
And he was greatly surprised.
"No, this is!"
"Shh. Be quiet."
Three books filled with erotic drawings between men and women.
Boomer Simpson, who held them out, whispered quietly.
"These are precious items drawn with ultra-precision techniques."
"...!"
Lumian's pupils shook.
He gulped.