Nothing unusual happened in the bar after I finished my first training.

  Sis Celes and Sissy visited me in the evening and I bragged to them about my first try in absorbing and releasing the mana.

  They praised me as usual.

  In the work, I also saw the red-haired adventurer along with his slaves again.

  I want to help them, but I think it would be bad if I cause troubles when I’m still new here.

  The next afternoon, a different instructor who seemed to be around 27 years old was waiting for us in the underground training hall.

  He was a tall, muscular man—his build comparable to my father’s—with brown hair styled in a faux hawk. A greatsword was strapped to his back, the hilt resting over his right shoulder.

  His deep-set brown eyes exuded a calm yet firm presence.

  The others visibly relaxed.

  It seemed they were relieved it wasn’t Sister Karin again.

  His name is Fauz.

  “Ray, Gill, Kenya—grab your weapons and try wrapping them with your aura. Then, release it toward the target dummy. And don’t forget—absorb mana first before you start. You don’t wanna pass out, do ya?”

  ““Yes!””

  The three boys took wooden swords from the rack and focused.

  “Ryan, Rei, Freed, Cheri, take a look at them.”

  I watched intently, noticing a faint white mist-like energy gathering around their weapons.

  <”Aza, is that aura? It looks different from my dad’s and Sissy’s aura.”>

  【Yes. That faint white aura is a neutral aura—an aura without elements.】

  A few moments later, they swung their swords.

  Even though they were several steps away from the dummies, the aura-coated blades sent a wave of energy forward. The invisible force struck the target, then dissipated soundlessly.

  I blinked.

  Nothing happened. No sound. No impact.

  Did they fail?

  But then—

  “Good,” Fauz nodded approvingly. “You’ve improved since I last saw you. Ray and Kenya, you can start learning how to use elements, I will teach you today.”

  ““Finally!”” Ray and Kenya cheered, pumping their fists.

  Gill, however, looked disheartened.

  Fauz ruffled his hair. “Hey now, don’t look so down. Everyone learns at a different pace.”

  “But they will learn how to use elemental aura, and I’m still stuck at this level…” Gill muttered.

  “Ray is ten years old and only just now learning elements,” Fauz reminded him. “I myself didn’t grasp elemental aura until I was twelve.”

  Gill brightened slightly. “Really?”

  Fauz gave him a firm nod. “Yeah. Your aura control is improving. I bet you’ll be ready before you turn ten.”

  Gill’s eyes sparkled with renewed determination. “Un!”

  Fauz then turned his gaze toward our group. “Ryan, Rei, Cheri, Freed—did you watch them carefully?”

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  ““Yes!””

  Cheri hesitated before speaking up. “Umm… Brother Fauz, why didn’t the aura do anything when it hit the target?”

  I had the same question as her.

  Fauz grinned. “Because it wasn’t elemental aura. Raw aura and raw mana don’t cause physical damage when released.”

  “It’s kinda like… getting hit by warm air or a breeze—you feel it, but it doesn’t hurt,” he explained.

  That made sense.

  I vaguely remembered Dad explaining something similar when I was still a baby.

  “I see. Thank you!” Cheri bowed slightly.

  Fauz chuckled. “Any other questions?”

  We shook our heads.

  “Alright, let’s move on to your training.”

  “Ryan is good at handling mana, even Rei can already use elements from mana, right?”

  “I heard Cheri and Freed are also good at handling mana.”

  “You guys probably have the talent to be a mage. So, you don’t have to be as good at handling aura like Ray and others.”

  “But, you still have to increase your aura capacity.”

  I remember Sister Karin said the same thing yesterday.

  “Just like mana, you can increase your aura capacity through practice, releasing the aura inside your body actively. However, unlike mana, you can’t absorb aura from surroundings. You can only recover it by resting or using potions.”

  “You should also never train aura and mana at the same time,” he warned. “Mana training drains your mentality, while aura training exhausts your body. Doing both at once will knock you out cold.”

  “Got it?”

  ““Yes!””

  “Good. Now, for those of you learning elemental manipulation—listen up.”

  Ray, Kenya, and Rei perked up.

  “Unlike basic aura and mana, using elements will drain both your body and mind. But, the proportion would be different.”

  “If you use elemental aura, the exhaustion will strike your physical body more than your mind. If you use elemental mana, your mind will bear most of the fatigue.”

  He crossed his arms. “That’s why people often faint when training their elements.”

  I nodded. That explained a lot.

  Suddenly, a question popped into my mind. “Brother Fauz, why can’t we absorb aura like mana?”

  Fauz’s lips curled into a grin. “Good question, Freed.”

  He tapped his chest. “It’s not that you can’t absorb aura. It’s just way harder than absorbing mana.”

  “Why?” Cheri asked curiously.

  “You saw their aura earlier, right? When it hit the target, it vanished. But it didn’t actually disappear—it transformed into mana. You know what that means?”

  That’s the first time I heard about it.

  I frowned. “Does that mean… there’s no aura in our surroundings?”

  “Exactly.”

  Fauz nodded. “Aura is something we generate internally. So, to absorb aura, you have to first absorb mana and then convert it into aura.”

  That sounded complicated.

  Fauz chuckled. “That’s why very few people can master both. Most warriors stick to aura, and most mages stick to mana.”

  “It’s rare, but it doesn’t mean it's impossible. Those who can handle both are called magic swordsmen.”

  I exhaled slowly.

  A magic swordsman…

  That sounds cool…

  “Alright, if there are no more questions—let’s start!”

  We sat cross-legged and closed our eyes, beginning our practice.

  “First, absorb mana like before,” Fauz instructed.

  That part was easy. I pulled mana into my body effortlessly.

  “Now, focus below the mana in your chest. You should feel something hot.”

  I visualized my internal energy, picturing the mana swirling inside me.

  Then, I searched beneath it—

  There.

  A warmer sensation sat deep within slightly above my stomach.

  “It seems you guys have found your aura. Now, try releasing it the same way as you did when you released the mana.”

  I strained, forcing the energy toward my hand.

  It was much harder than mana.

  But I kept pushing—

  The aura is already inside my hand.

  I kept trying to imagine the aura coming out of my hand.

  Until finally—

  “You did it, Freed!”

  “Haa.. Haa.. Ha…” I gasped, my body drenched in sweat, and collapsed onto my back.

  Fauz grinned. “Incredible. I heard your first mana release was in just 15 minutes. And now you released your first aura in 20 minutes. You really are a genius.”

  I smiled weakly. “Ha… Ha… Thank you…”

  “Remember about what I just said to you before? Since you are good at handling both aura and mana, you may become a magic swordsman in the future. So, keep training a lot, okay?”

  “Ha.. Yes! Ha…”

  “You can take a rest for now, Freed. Ryan, Cheri, Rei, do it at your own pace. It’s okay to do it slowly. No need to rush.”

  Thus, I rested while waiting for them.