Breakthrough with the Forbidden Master Chapter 442: Lacking Ingenuity

The citizens of the Empire were slowly succumbing to a pervasive sense of ennui.

The cause was the predictable, unchanging nature of Earth’s narrative—or more accurately, his training regimen, which had devolved into a monotonous and uneventful routine with little deviation.

“Hey~, perhaps we should consider returning home for a while?”

“Hmm~, this is rather dull.”

“Seriously. One would expect the son of a hero to engage in more formidable training, wouldn’t you agree~?”

Earth's training sessions were, in fact, being broadcast to the entire world.

And the content presented was far from extraordinary—there were no elaborate ritualistic ceremonies or clandestine demonic pacts. It merely resembled "ordinary" training.

Consequently, since there were no grounds for its censorship, no one at that juncture grasped its true significance.

This was because Earth’s training comprised nothing more than the rudimentary "strength training," "sparring," and "running" that viewers had been observing.

At that precise moment, within a secluded area of the Imperial City, the assembled Imperial Knight units, stationed "to quell any potential civil unrest," also emitted sighs of exasperation as they observed Earth’s endeavors.

“Indeed. He ought to formulate his training regimen around a distinct objective—'This is the ideal I aspire to achieve'—and subsequently deduce the requisite skills to attain it. Instead, he is merely engaged in an endless cycle of mundane drills.”

“That sentiment holds true. Now I comprehend the reason behind his perpetual inferiority compared to the princess and Rebal. He will never attain true strength through this path. He will inevitably be compelled to resort to clandestine tactics, much like his approach during the Imperial Tournament.”

“In my professional assessment, that young contender is not merely lacking in pure swordsmanship with a Magic Sword—his magical abilities are overwhelmingly underdeveloped. He must forge a significantly more potent Magic Contract.”

“Absolutely, had that young man been inducted into the Imperial Knights, I would have instilled a far superior and more efficient training methodology within him.”

“And on top of all that, is this truly the appropriate juncture for engaging in ‘such activities’~?”

Not only the common populace of the city but even the esteemed Imperial Knights offered harsh critiques of Earth’s training regimen—despite his lineage as the Hero’s son.

“Proceeding in this manner yields no favorable outcomes”— an assertion that could solely emanate from individuals recognized as Imperial Knights.

Amidst the monotonous cadence of Earth’s training, the sole noteworthy alteration thus far is his increased dedication to coaching young men of his age whom he encountered in Cacretale.

〔Oraaaa!!〕

〔A rather sluggish strike! Cease striking merely to vent frustration; instead, visualize your adversary!〕

Oratski, a ruggedly built youth hailing from Cacretale, impacted a punching bag with the full force of his might.

He vociferated as he delivered blows to the bag.

Following his lead, the exuberantly spirited Mortriage, the somewhat melancholic Mobner, and the portly Budeo all engaged in strenuous exertion, glistening with sweat.

〔Hark, Mortriage! Mobner! Budeo! Let us engage in a sparring match, the three of you simultaneously, present your best efforts! Mobner, exert greater diligence in evading my leftward thrust! Mortriage, initiate a low-tier magic assault upon me from a mid-range distance. Budeo, identify an opening and deliver a strike!〕

〔〔〔Osu!!〕〕〕

〔What troubles you, Mobner! It is merely a decelerated left-handed flick! If you are incapable of contending with such a maneuver, then you are not worthy of discourse!〕

〔Ku~, a utsu, u, gu~〕

〔Mortriage, in the ensuing phase, invoke thunder! Nay, persist! You possess the dexterity to wield diverse elemental attributes! Rather than half-heartedly pursuing potent spells, you should endeavor to master the instantaneous activation of basic spells in rapid succession! Presently, execute wind magic!〕

〔Ts, 【Bit Wind】!〕

〔What manner of abomination is that! Wha puh!?〕

〔Inadequate! Your execution lacks alacrity! Such an attack possesses negligible impact, and even direct contact would inflict minimal harm! Incorporate a momentary step-in and channel your entire physical being into the strike!〕

He imparted instruction, adopting the stance of a coach during their training.

His tutelage in martial arts and magic closely mirrored the dynamics of genuine combat, and the four youths responded with utmost seriousness to his guidance.

〔Hah, hah~… Precisely. That is the essence. The remaining requirements pertain to muscular development. As I have previously instructed, when engaging in paired exercises and one individual is performing the bench press, the other shall provide assistance.〕

〔〔〔〔Ou!〕〕〕〕

The underlying reason for the youths' unwavering focus.

Their singular objective was to surpass an individual named José, their fellow student and widely acclaimed as the "foremost contender within Cacretale."

It was to achieve a state of being stronger than their present selves.

Earth, even at the cost of sacrificing his own training regimen, readily accepted the requests from Mortriage's cohort, bestowing upon them fervent instruction.

To those unacquainted with the underlying circumstances, he might have appeared as "an individual possessing a benevolent disposition."

However, from the perspective of the Empire's populace, already entrenched in biased viewpoints……

“My word, he adopts an ostentatious demeanor towards individuals deemed 'inferior to himself,' does he not?”

“Therefore, encountering an inability to triumph over the chosen prodigies, he seeks out those less capable to assume the role of instructor, thereby safeguarding his personal pride, is that the implication?”

“At this trajectory, will he not be outmatched by the exceptionally muscular Machio or that fellow José during the Cacretale tournament as well??”

“Hold, hold. Thus, the son of the hero finds himself incapable of defeating mere commoners from an isolated region such as Cacretale……”

Such was the sole interpretation they could ascertain.

And the extent of the scrutiny did not cease there.

Furthermore, even the academy students who were classmates with Earth…

"Hey, Earth… what if he loses in that tournament? Won’t that be bad?"

"Exactly! Even though he is the son of a Hero and supposedly a student at the Imperial Academy, just like us, if he were to lose to someone unknown from an isolated country…"

"Yes. It will be a stain on the Imperial Academy’s reputation!"

"Huh… if that happens… I’ve already decided what I am going to do after graduation, but I will be laughed at just because we are classmates…."

That is right, at this point, they "do not know anything".

However, that was only natural.

No one knew what Earth’s goals were during this period or what purpose his training served.

In fact, not even anyone within Cacretale knew the answer to that.

"Ugh~, is it not embarrassing to look back on your past self…"

"Uooooooh, how embarrassing! Even though it was only a few months ago, I was so timid even in sparring, Ora!"

"Waaaaah, it is really taking a toll on my mental health~"

"I… I was so fat…"

Seeing their earlier selves from the beginning of their training, when they were even more inexperienced than they are now, Mortriage’s crew squirmed with embarrassment.

Of course, the fact that they find it "embarrassing" is also a sign of how much their strength has improved since then.

"Nyah~, that takes me back~. But is not it great? They look so fresh and innocent. My seniors, Mortriage’s crew, working hard alongside Big brother, they looked really cool, you know~"

"Yeah, I suppose they were all hard workers who wanted to change themselves. And now all four of them have become splendid… and they even have nun girlfriends, too."

"Un. They were doing their best with Older brother."

""""Ugh…""""

""""... ♥""""

Karui and Tsukshi teased Mortriage’s crew, while Amae sincerely praised them. And the ones blushing were Mortriage’s crew, along with the "four sisters".

And on the other hand…

"Training together with Earth… huh…"

Phianse felt "envious" of Mortriage, who had a fulfilled expression on his face, and at the same time, regretful.

"Unlike Rebal and Fu, who were studying abroad, I have been in the Empire the whole time, so I should have had plenty of times like that. Even though I was paired with Earth in mock battles and classes… we never did that kind of thing together…."

"Princess…"

"Well, it is not like anything would have changed if I had trained with him. After all, Earth did become that strong. Still, I never imagined it would involve such relentless, steady training. Was that it?"

"... Yes, that is true. Certainly, when we came here to Cacretale, we learned more than ever about the importance of strength training and endurance training with a 'clear goal,' a 'mental image,' and 'numbers and times' in mind. And although it probably will not show in this recording, he was likely doing Vier training when he went to bed…."

Phianse, overcome with regret at the thought of what he could have done back then, was met with a wry nod from Fu.

But on the other hand…

"Still… I just cannot accept it."

"Rebal?"

"I understand the importance of steady basic training. But even if he was training in Vier at night… I do not think that alone would be enough to defeat even that Paripi. What really matters is the kind of training Earth was doing in Vier…"

Even though he understood the "importance" of what Earth was doing, Rebal felt that "there must be more to it".

If this were all there was to it, could he defeat Paripi just by doing the same thing? When asked that question, Rebal could not nod.

And that has been the case since the Imperial Match.

"Earth says he was doing running drills and things like that before the Graduation Match, but… I still think that is not enough. Above all, I cannot imagine that 'Breakthrough' or whatever it is called could be mastered just from that."

"There must be more to it than this…" Rebal said aloud.

In response to Rebal’s question, both Phianse and Fu nodded, "Certainly….".

However, that was because they had not yet grasped the "true purpose" of Earth’s training.

"That is true. 'Master Vasalar' also said that the technique Earth used was called 'Breakthrough', but he did not know how to acquire it. Indeed, I cannot imagine that could be learned just from this training alone."

"That is right… or rather, now that I think about it. Why does Earth use that Breakthrough to deplete his magic before he goes running…"

That is right, nobody knows yet.

Because Earth’s training days had an important purpose beyond simply improving his physical abilities.

"To be honest, even I do not really understand the intent behind Earth’s training around this time…"

"Mr. Machio."

Standing beside Phianse, Machio whispered as he looked back on that time.

And then…

"But this is just the beginning."

"Just the beginning? What do you mean, Mr. Machio?"

"Earth’s training at this point in time. No, from this point onward… will, frankly speaking, transform into a life-threatening and grueling regimen."

"""Life-threatening!"""

Indeed, apart from those who bore witness to those bygone days at Cacretale, this fact remains unknown to all others.

That Earth abstained entirely from consuming any water.

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