Chapter 2               Training

Since then, it’s been a year, I was able to grasp my situation. Now I have many things to learn about regarding my case. This is not Japan, let alone Japan, it’s not even on planet Earth. That day in the convenience store, I was killed by the robbers, and now I’m in a world called Hecato, in a country that is named Sacred Kingdom Vandamme. I’ve been somewhat troubled with the circumstances that I am in right now, but it seems I fall under the category of reincarnation.

My name right now is Christoph von Brutzels – that would be an impossible name in Japan. I look like a 12-year-old blond kid with blue eyes.(Fortuneeternal.com)

The 11-year-old Christoph was sickly since his birth. Whether I robbed Christoph of his body, or my memory before I reincarnated was coming back to me while I was at death’s door, I don’t know. It’s good that I have my memory up until I was 11 years old, but unfortunately, the 11-year-old Christoph was not the same as me, and I’m in a situation where I don’t understand the language. I needed 1 year of living normally until I was able to learn the language.

Just that is enough of a big surprise but, this world is known as Hecato, also has magic. Christoph was sickly, but he was blessed with talent in magic. The current Christoph (me) had enormous magic power. However, even if I had magic, I’ve got no knowledge about it. To learn the language, I’ve indulged in reading, starting from picture books, then to history books, and finally magic books.

Mother is the person that hugs me that time – the pretty lady with the dress, although Mother stopped me from learning magic during that time, 1 year later, because my condition improved, I’m getting permission to learn magic.

“When you are using external mana, you can minimize internal mana usage. So let’s start from feeling mana.”

Because Mother has given me permission, a home tutor has assigned to me. When the tutor was 16 y/o, she became a Court Magician, and when she became 20, she was appointed Magic squad Leader of the von Brutzels territory by my grandfather. Right now, she’s still the Magic squad Leader but, besides her weekly duties, she became my tutor in magic. Even in the long history of the Holy Van Damme Kingdom, she was the first person that became a Court Magician at the age of 16. “It’s just something talented people do” Father was saying.

My Father, not to mention, is the person that is governing von Brutzels Frontier Territory and is a Margrave of the Holy Van Damme Kingdom. The von Brutzels Frontier Territory is vast, and when I’ll be entering my adulthood I’ll be a Viscount, governing a small town, or so I hear. Until then, I must train my body, learn about magic, and study for the sake of governing the town. In the Holy Van Damme Kingdom, 15-year-olds are considered adults, in 3 years I’ll be 15 years old, so I’ll pack everything I can into my brain.

Back to the story, right now, I’m doing magic training. I don’t feel magical power at all.

“Master Rosalia, it’s hard to feel the magical power.”

“Christoph-sama’s magic is plentiful, that’s why it will be felt sooner or later. I too need to train for 2 weeks before I began to feel the magical power, so it’s all right,” she told me gently.

“Anyway, please try to feel the magical power.”

“Yes, understood.”

It seems that using magic is easy. For now, I’m training to feel the magical power by meditating for 1 hour. It’s refreshing.

After magic training, it’s time for kenjutsu (sword art). The teacher is Federer, the leader of the Knights Squad.

“The basics of swordsmanship is swing. Practice swinging until you can reach 100 swings, there is no time limit. Then, please start.”

I’m not good at Kenjutsu. In the previous life, too, but Christoph (me) is not good at moving his body. The sword I’m using is the same size as adult’s wooden sword but just 30 swings make me *pant pant* resulting in harsh breathing.

“Do not move your waist. Please swing more. At your limit already?”

I’m not good with moving my body, you know! If it like this, I will only finish swinging 100 times the next morning. I take a lunch break and then start studying about social circles and manners. Born in modern Japan, living until 33 years old as a commoner, for me, it’s a harsh time to learn. When you ask whether it’s swordsmanship or manners – which is more troublesome, without a doubt it would be manners.

The teacher of manners is Chief Maid Hanna. Hanna is an influential person in the shadows of the von Brutzels house, and Father seems to be indebted to Hanna also. Heck, I’d bet that it was Hanna who changed Father’s diapers.

“Stand straight, look straight, and don’t look down.”

Hanna is more Spartan than the others – 3 hours of lessons, without a break, of walking and dancing. It’s too much.

“There turn. More smoothly in the turning desu.”

Like that 3 hours were being spent but thinking like that will make it even longer.

…At last, it’s finished. From here on it will be my free time. The long-awaited free time. I have read a grimoire (magic book), so I had a little bit of knowledge about magic but, if I can’t feel the magical energy then it won’t work, so I’ve used the free time to learn how to contact the magical power.

Anyway, should I do some meditation? Because of the swordsmanship training and manners lessons, my strength has been depleted, so while I’m resting, I’ll be training to feel the magical energy.