Chapter 3 Episode 16
Editor: SniperIRL
Proofreader: mr.tanen
Day 18th, 9th Month, the Year 2812, Western continent calendar: (The Ways To Learn Magic Arts 2)
"Khu! My body feels like it is on fire..."
Ryouma's face was distorted while he groaned in pain.
He only muttered in a small voice. However, the fact that Ryouma, who usually hid how he felt, was showing a pained expression, indicated just how much pain he was currently enduring.
At first, he only felt a warm feeling from where the sisters touched him, but the warmth was suddenly switched into intense heat.
Ryouma desperately withstood the pain while trying not to jump from his position.
Because he bit his lips too hard while enduring the agony he felt, a taste of blood began to spread within his mouth.
"Right now, we're channeling our Prana into Ryouma-sama's body. Please bear with it for a while, and also, try to control the heat within your body."
Following Sara's words, Ryouma tried to heighten his consciousness.
The Prana poured by the sisters began to encroach Ryouma's body little by little.
Five minutes had passed. Ryouma now felt as if he was burning from head to toe.
Due to his sweat, his clothes and even the blanket he had laid down on were soaking wet.
"How is it? Is Ryouma-sama able to keep going? Please inform us if Ryouma-sama becomes unable to endure it anymore, alright?"
The sisters began to show a pained expression.
The reason for that was because, as long as Ryouma was unable to control the energy that had been awakened inside his body, the sisters had to continue pouring more into him.
Such an act was just like pouring water into a bucket with a huge hole in it.
The question now was whether the sisters would exhaust their Prana first, or if Ryouma would be able to control the Prana within his body first.
"Yes... I'm fine... I can still keep going, please continue."
The moment he opened his mouth, a drop of sweat fell down from the tip of his nose.
At the moment, due to massive perspiration, Ryouma's body was in dire need of water.
Despite having trained his body thoroughly for a long time, he had never felt so badly cornered before. However, he couldn’t unreservedly stop and withdraw here.
If he were to stop now, he would need the sisters to pour their Prana again tomorrow.
(Gaies... Kyle... There should be at least a fragment of life force from those whom I've killed inside my body... I can do this... Begin to rotate my chakra!)
Ryouma tried to imagine channeling the hot feeling towards his lower abdomen
He then tried to awaken the Muladhara chakra inside his body.
The basics of magic arts were to strengthen one's body.
After being able to feel the existence of Prana and use it for martial arts; the second stage was to then learn the magic arts that required chanting; and the last stage would be learning how to use magic arts to endow magic on things.
After all, the way to use chanting magic arts or to enchant something was a little bit different.
Being able to control the life energy inside one’s body, did not mean that one could control the life energy released outside of the body.
Like this, in order for him to master the first stage, he needed to accomplish three things.
1. Being able to feel a
nd recognize Prana inside his body.
2. Being able to awaken his Muladhara(root) chakra with his Prana.
3. Then being able to stop the rotation of Muladhara chakra by his own will.
Being able to use magic arts, meant being able to awaken the chakras inside one's body.
By rotating the chakra wheel, a person would be able to exert more power from their body. And the more chakra rings awakened, the more power that person would get.
Within the human body, there are 7 chakra wheels. And right now, Ryouma was trying to awaken and rotate the chakra wheel called Muladhara(root) by borrowing the sisters' life force.
(Feel... Something is different... I can feel something is moving around within my body... Is this Prana?)
Something that was sleeping inside his body began to awake thanks to the twins’ triggering it by pouring their own Prana.
Ryouma desperately tried to control the life force that was currently moving violently inside his body. It felt like trying to control a beast.
Then the sisters sensed some kind of resistance while pouring their Prana into Ryouma's body. The moment they felt that, the sisters immediately took off their hands from Ryouma's body.
"How is it?"
"Yeah... I can feel it... It felt like a beast rampaging inside my body..."
Ryouma answered Sara who was feeling worried.
Right now, Ryouma's Muladhara chakra was rotating violently due to the injection of energy.
If Ryouma had relaxed his body and stopped being careful he might have actually jumped towards the sisters like a hungry beast.
The desire for battles, the desire to harm people, the desire to kill people.
Such desires were overflowing within Ryouma's mind and heart.
Normally desire was something that was always being connected with something called reason.
(Calm down... Take a deep breath, then breathe out...)
However, Ryouma's body wasn’t listening to him and began to retaliate.
His muscles started to move involuntarily, and his heart started beating faster. The sensation he experienced at that time was as if all of his senses had been awakened.
After looking at Ryouma’s condition for a bit, the Marfisto sisters nodded towards each other and then left the tent. Because there was nothing they could do other than waiting for now.
"How is the boy’s condition? I want to report that the children’s training has finished for today. Is it alright for me to enter?"
"Lione-san... Not yet, Ryouma-sama is still training inside..."
Lione then told the sisters how the training for the children had gone and that it had finished successfully for today.
Today's training ended after they taught the 320 children the basics of knowledge about magic arts and pouring Prana into all of the children's bodies.
However, the person Lione wanted to report to had not yet finished his own training.
Knowing that, Lione then nodded towards the sisters.
"... It seems like he took a lot of time... You guys started before noon right?"
Looking at the position of the sun, they could tell it was already past three o'clock.
"Yes... We were going at it for around 5 hours..."
Hearing Sara's words, Lione showed a surprised expression.
"Then, for you guys to be outside right now, his ring chakra is..."
"Still rotating..."
An uneasy expression appeared on Laura's face.
Lione also began to frown.
They both were concerned about the same thing.
"For five hours... I guess that was because he has a lot of life force from the people and creatures he has killed... No wonder we've finished our training first...It can't be helped then... But still, five hours, huh?"
Although the learning method was the same, the prerequisites for the training were very different between Ryouma and the children.
Not to mention the total life force the individual had previously absorbed.
The amount of Prana within the children’s bodies that had no experience of taking the lives of other people or creatures was the amount that was originally already inside of their bodies.
On the other hand, Ryouma had killed a lot of human beings and many monsters. As a result of this, he had been absorbing part of his victims’ life force, and therefore the amount of Prana within his body was nearly twice as much as that of an ordinary man.
Commonly, it would be considered that the more energy one had the better. However, for someone who had just begun to learn how to control it, this was not necessarily the case, since too much of it could become disadvantageous at this point.
In other words, it had now become more difficult for him to control his Prana.
That was the general knowledge that everyone knew. They had also advised Ryouma about it, but he chose to dismiss their misgivings.
The reason for that, was because no one could guarantee that Ryouma's chakra wheel would naturally awaken.
"Well, I guess we don't have any other choice but to move forward since we've already come this far, huh.... By the way, how about you guys take some rest? Both of you have been using a lot of Prana, right? I will watch over the boy, so you guys can relax and have something to eat."
Lione looked at the two sisters with a gentle gaze.
"Thank you for your concern... But if that’s the case, Lione-san should take some rest as well..."
"My elder sister is right. Lione-san too, has been pouring Prana into the children up until a little while ago, right?"
Hearing the two sisters’ response, Lione laughed out loudly.
"Oh dear... Did you guys forget? I've only poured my Prana into six children you know? Unlike the boy, it was quite easy to pour one's Prana into the children’s bodies."
Indeed, Lione did not show any fatigue at all.
That was also a proof that Ryouma's life force was enormous compared to the children’s.
"It's fine! You girls should take some rest now..."
*Dosha*
A sound as if something falling could be heard from within the tent.
The three of them immediately rushed into the tent.
""Ryouma-sama!"" "Boy!"
In front of them, Ryouma was laying face down.
"He's fine... It seems like he just lost his consciousness... Laura how about you prepare his bed for now? And Sara, go and fetch some water!"
His pulse was normal. Judging that he had lost his consciousness due to dehydration and fatigue, Lione immediately ordered the sisters to set things up for him.
"Understood!”, “I will immediately prepare it!"
Even though they were exhausted, the sisters immediately got going.
"For the love of the Gods... After I told him to do the training in moderation, he ended up like this..."
After Lione judged that there was no danger to Ryouma's life, she uttered such words in a low voice.
Lione herself understood that they did not have much time.
It was fine for Ryouma to be unable to use magic arts since the others could just back him up. There was no need for him to work this hard.
But despite wanting to chide Ryouma for his impatience, Lione was actually feeling happy inside.
Ryouma who was their leader worked hard to learn how to use magic arts.
That meant that he was trying to step onto the same stage as Lione and the others. Ready to soak his hands with blood, both his own and his enemies’.
Although Lione had only known Ryouma for a short while, she already understood his personality.
Looking at him in his current state, it showed just how much Ryouma was preparing to face what was to come.
(Ryouma... I'm glad that I've met you... If it's you... I'm sure you can change it... I'm sure you can change the fate of all of us...)
The fate of the mercenaries would often be to end up being betrayed by their clients or getting killed on the battlefield. Either way, mercenaries were people without bright prospects.
Only a few mercenaries managed to live long enough to meet their grandchildren.
That was why they were mostly not afraid of death. This did not mean that they liked dying in vain, either.
If it was unavoidable, they would at least want to find a good place to die.
(If it's you... If it's for your sake...)
Lione gently stroked the hair of the boy who was currently fainted in her arms. Just like a little baby.