EP.19 Training (2)
Nearly six years had passed since Yuno began learning martial arts from Catherine.
From the day he took Catherine as his master, Yuno's days became a relentless cycle of harsh training.
Every day, he would spar with Catherine until his body was a wreck, then, dragging his injured body, he would punch and kick a steel sandbag and strike his body with an iron ball. Later, he even had to train his fingers by stabbing them into hot sand.
Every day, the skin on his hands and feet would peel, and there wasn't a bone or muscle in his body that wasn't injured. But as a prince, Yuno used the best potions to heal external wounds, and for internal injuries, Catherine would help by circulating mana during post-training cultivation, so by the next morning he would be back to normal.
As a result of this grueling training, Yuno's body became stronger and tougher day by day, but as he grew stronger, Catherine increased the intensity, so the difficulty always felt the same to Yuno.
Sometimes, Yuno regretted choosing such a harsh path. But whenever he sparred with the Royal Guard members and realized how much stronger he had become, he would redouble his efforts.
Even today, during his morning personal workout, Yuno was helping Eliza, Isabella, and Marie with their exercises, pushing himself hard from the start. Isabella asked as she watched him:
"Yuno! I heard training with Catherine is really tough… Why do you still work out so hard in the mornings?"
Yuno, who was helping Marie stretch, turned around.
"Mm~ Thanks to Master's teaching, I feel like I'm just about to reach the master's level. If I work harder, I think I can get there. It's been almost a year like this."
"Still, take it easy. Today's your coming-of-age ceremony, so make sure you come tonight."
"Yeah, got it, sis."
With that, Yuno lightly warmed up and headed to the backyard. Now that they were all becoming adults, since age 14 they no longer used the knights' training ground, but had set up a private training area behind the Empress's palace where even attendants and maids couldn't enter.
There, Yuno freely stripped off his top and started running.
Yuno's body, after years of training with Catherine, was far more developed than in his childhood. He was nearly 190 cm tall, with muscles so rugged he looked like an ogre. The scars covering his body showed just how brutal his training had been.
Isabella and Marie, watching, sighed together.
"Sigh~ Look at all those scars on Yuno's body… On that once-smooth skin… It's so upsetting. Mom gets sad every time she sees him, too. He never goes to balls, just trains every day."
"Yeah, sis. Oppa doesn't need to get that strong, I could protect him… Why does he want to be so strong?"
"Hm? Marie? I'll be the one to protect Yuno. So you should start thinking about getting married."
"What are you talking about? If anyone's getting married off by arranged marriage, it'll be you, the older sister. I'm going to become a high-level spirit mage and stay by oppa's side instead of marrying."
"Hmph! A high-level spirit mage? You? With your personality, what spirit would make a contract with you? Just watch me become a mage and live with Yuno, and you can watch."
The two sisters, resting after their workout and watching Yuno, glared at each other and bickered. Eliza, observing them, smiled knowingly.
Eliza was set to return to the Leon Kingdom at age 20, so she was training with the goal of reaching the master level before then. She had the talent and drive certified by Lichtenauer, so she planned to win her freedom to marry Yuno. Plus, both Isabella's old secret pact and a proposal from Marie's side meant she had support from both, securing her position.
Of course, Yuno had no idea about any of this, but all three girls watched him with different feelings in their hearts.
Even on his coming-of-age day, Yuno didn't skip training with Catherine.
Training was always tough, but today Catherine was especially harsh from the start.
"Don't just move fast! Like I always say, if your strikes have no power, they're useless!"
"What if your opponent has a dagger? What then?"
"You always said if I trained like this, I could ignore daggers… Ugh!"
Yuno tried to talk back, but after a chop to the abdomen, he fell silent.
"If your opponent is at the master level, even my body can be pierced. That's why you need to become a master and learn to wrap your body in mana."
'Why bring that up now… I'm not even a master yet… Dammit… I'll get stronger than Master and train her someday… Just you wait, Master… grr!'
Even as he grumbled internally, Yuno kept moving, continuing his sparring with Catherine.
After an especially brutal session, Yuno was left gasping for breath, but Catherine gave him no rest and ordered him to hit the steel sandbag.
"Now, keep punching without stopping. No breaks until I say so!"
Yuno thought today was unusually hard, but since it was his master's order, he figured there must be a reason, and kept pounding the steel sandbag.
Bang bang bang bang!
Yuno's fists had long since grown calloused, so there was little pain, but the shock was transmitted directly to his bones, and putting all his strength into every punch quickly exhausted him.
But instead of telling him to stop, Catherine only told him to switch to kicks, and Yuno kept pounding the bag with all his limbs until they were a mess.
Time passed, and even as evening approached, Yuno was still punching the steel sandbag as Catherine ordered.
His fists were so broken that every bone was fractured and covered in blood, his legs were shattered, and his stamina was completely spent, but Catherine wouldn't let him stop.
"Keep going! With extreme training, you'll always reach your limit like this. The brain tells you it's dangerous to keep moving, and that's the pain you feel. If you were an ordinary person, I'd have stopped you long ago… but your body and mana are already at the master level. Let the mana move your body naturally! Go with the flow!"
Catherine finally revealed the purpose of this training, but Yuno could no longer hear her words.
He entered a trance, forgetting his physical state, and just kept hitting the steel sandbag. But instead of mindlessly battering it from exhaustion, his movements were now precise, artistic forms imbued with Catherine's teachings. A clear blue light began to faintly glow on Yuno's fists.
'That's it… You can force yourself to transcend. Surpass human limits! Today, you'll become a master.'
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Now, with every punch, the steel sandbag dented in the shape of his fist. He used to train with hollow bags as a child, but now he was using a solid steel one, and it was getting crushed.
The blue light on Yuno's fists grew brighter and more destructive, and the sandbag lost its shape, turning into a heap of scrap metal.
"Kwaaang!!"
With a tremendous crash, Yuno finally shattered the solid steel sandbag with his fist. The blue light on his fist now formed a tangible shape, worthy of being called "aura," and Yuno stared at his fist in a daze.
Clap clap clap clap
"Yuno. Congratulations on reaching the master level!"
"Master… Did I really become a master?"
"Of course, you idiot. What do you think that is on your hand? I spent ages coming up with this method to break through your bottleneck since last year."
Overcome with emotion, Yuno approached Catherine.
"Master~!!"
"Yeah, yeah, you! You're the first in continental history to reach master at 19. I only reached it at 26…"
Catherine hugged Yuno and sincerely congratulated him. Then she forced him to sit cross-legged on the floor.
"Master? But what's this…?"
"You just forced your body into the master's realm by flooding it with mana from your mana hole. Now you need to let your body know it, too. Only then can you truly be called a master."
With Catherine's explanation, Yuno realized he hadn't undergone the body change that symbolizes a master.
"Ah! Then "
"Now, I'll slowly guide the mana inside your body. Let it flow naturally, like you do during cultivation. And just like before, go with the flow."
Yuno closed his eyes and focused all his attention on the mana inside his body. He felt mana slowly flowing from his mana hole. The amount was several times greater than during regular cultivation, and Yuno was startled, but with Catherine's mana helping, he soon calmed down.
Then the mana began to circulate rapidly through Yuno's body, and at last, he felt something shatter in his mind and lost consciousness.
Crack crack crack crack
Yuno's body began to glow blue, and Catherine took her hands off him. She went up to the first floor and approached the royal guards protecting Yuno's palace.
"Don't let anyone into this building, no matter what. Whether it's Lichtenauer, the Empress, or even the Emperor, no one is to enter for the next day."
"What's going on, Catherine? What's so important that even His Majesty… And His Highness Yuno has to attend his coming-of-age ceremony today!"
"Yuno just became a master. He'll undergo body change for a day, so tell them that!"
The guards' eyes widened at Catherine's words.
"Is that true? His Highness Yuno became a master?"
"Yes! Don't make me explain again, just go tell them!"
As soon as they heard, two of the four guards ran off to the imperial palace and the royal guard headquarters.
Soon after, the entire royal guard reserve unit led by Viscount Speyer arrived and thoroughly secured Yuno's palace. Feeling somewhat reassured, Catherine went back down to the basement to check on Yuno.