---

At the moment Maria was escaping the imminent threat, Conra was also moving to subdue the Tibićenas. He lowered his center of gravity to the extreme and dashed toward the Tibićenas with a sprinter-like motion.

Although the spear he wielded was fundamentally a defensive weapon primarily used for suppression, Conra’s specialty wasn’t restraint or defense. Rather, what he was most confident in was a fighting style that endlessly created variables through beast-like agility and ever-changing techniques.

For a moment, Conra’s irises dilated and contracted, and his senses, which had been in a normal state, were liberated and then condensed. In that very moment, all the innate nervous and muscular systems, along with his ethereal brain and ethereal muscles, were fully utilized for an instant action.

With a scraping sound, Conra’s figure, almost glued to the ground, swept through the surroundings. Like a snake slithering, his zigzagging path caused the Ceraunos Tibićenas to lose their horns one by one, their necks grabbed, eyes rolled back, and they collapsed.

In that short time, he had mastered a technique that embodied the secrets of a Druid within the movements of a warrior.

Even Esras-Hermes and Rugus-Artaeus, who had guided him, were astonished by his absurdly fast learning speed.

{“I taught him, but his learning speed is unbelievable. This isn’t a technique that can be mastered so easily, is it?”}

{“Perhaps all the conditions were already in place, and he just needed a push to take the next step. A talented hero’s egg, nurtured by a good teacher. You’ve seen it too—the education from that Nun Knight is anything but ordinary.”}

{“I see. That education indeed squeezes out a person’s potential to the limit. Not only that…”}

{“It’s almost obsessively systematic.”}

The spirits, having observed how Sophia taught her disciples, couldn’t help but marvel. The insights into humanity accumulated through the dramatic awakening and expansion of human reason and cognition in the modern era. The teaching and training methods built upon that foundation were truly impressive.

Indeed, Conra had shown remarkable growth in less than a year since first meeting Sophia. Even considering that Esras-Hermes and Rugus-Artaeus hadn’t known Conra for long, his growth was unprecedented.

While the spirits were marveling, Conra had already incapacitated a third of the twenty-five Ceraunos Tibićenas. But as they say, one hand can’t block ten? Meanwhile, the remaining Tibićenas had spread out, moving to bite others.

“Ahhh, I’ve been bitten!”

“Damn it, these cursed mutts!”

“Ugh!”

Some were bitten, some were gored by horns, and others were attacked by spells—chaos was about to erupt. However, this confusion ironically gave Conra the opportunity to cast a spell.

“Enamacha Aimhid Aegus Plendai! Keagail Mo Naimd (Spirits of flora and fauna, bind my enemies)!”

As the spell was chanted, things that didn’t belong in the spell tower, built of brick and marble, appeared amidst the chaos.

Tree roots and vines sprouted from the ground, and ethereal beings resembling bears and monkeys appeared in the air, merging with them. The roots and vines, imbued with animal spirits, moved dynamically, binding the horned death spirits.

“Grrr!”

“Ugh!”

The bound Cernunnos Tibićenas struggled, but the vines only tightened, showing no signs of loosening.

What was particularly unfortunate for them was the antlers on their heads. When the Druid’s bindings were applied to the antlers of the Cernunnos Tibićenas, it became an inescapable snare, constricting their movements.

What followed was swift. After Conra performed the ritual Esras-Hermes had taught him to return the antlers—the symbols of Cernunnos’s servitude—a Berber summoner who arrived late reversed the summoning of the death spirits, who were no longer under Cernunnos’s control. And with that, the commotion ended.

Having watched the entire process from start to finish, Sophia shrugged her shoulders at the desk clerk as if to say, “See?” The clerk exhaled and said,

“An impressive friend.”

“Hoho, that boy is my disciple.”

Hearing the clerk’s admiration, Sophia curled her lips. She was deeply enjoying the pleasure of nurturing an outstanding prodigy, something she hadn’t experienced in her past life.

“Anyway, I should probably tend to those bitten by the death spirits soon, so let’s hurry with the transaction.”

“Ah, yes. What would you like to exchange?”

“Hmm, looking at the list, these two catch my eye. Can we proceed immediately?”

“Oho, inner armor made from sea monster hide and a rune book. Excellent choices. Don’t worry about the exchange; all items listed in the catalog are available for immediate trade.”

“That’s good. Let’s proceed.”

With the clerk’s response, Sophia smiled and urged the transaction forward. Shortly after, having completed the task of lifting the death curses from those bitten by the Tibićenas, Sophia and her disciples left the spell tower with satisfied expressions.

+++++

When Sophia and her disciples returned, only Esiocles and his spirit, Saraswati, remained on the ship.

“Hilda must have gone for a drink.”

As if she had expected it, Sophia nodded. Hildegard’s love for drinking was that sincere.

High-ranking clergy, who knew more about the world’s truths than most, also underwent rigorous training to maintain their virtue and humanity. Thus, it was common for high-level clergy to have one or two eccentricities.

In Hildegard’s case, her love for alcohol was one such quirk. Still, she was someone who knew self-restraint, so she would return on her own when the time came.

Esiocles and Saraswati were just finishing their cooldown exercises.

Since contracting with Saraswati, Esiocles’s recovery had reached an unusual level. Even after exhausting all his strength with a 1RM barbell lift, he could recover about 80% of his stamina just by resting and regulating his breath, allowing him to lift weights again.

Esiocles was using this to dramatically increase his workout volume. Lifting the maximum weight he could, exhausting all his strength, then recovering with a brief rest before lifting again.

Alone, this would have been impossible. It might have been a reckless act that could have threatened his life with a single mistake. But with the assistance of his spirit, Saraswati, Esiocles could perform this reckless training safely.

“Ughhh! Huhhhp!”

[……!]

With a strained grunt, he lifted the heavy barbell. Saraswati was helping to keep the bar’s center of gravity steady.

Sophia and her disciples quietly entered their assigned private rooms to avoid disturbing them. Next was the time to evaluate the disciples’ experiences in the recent battle.

“Using the attribute banishment spell in the initial confrontation was a bit hasty. If you hadn’t later mastered the art of blending Druid techniques into martial arts, you would have been in a tough spot. Do you agree?”

“Yes. Indeed, choosing to use the banishment spell at that time led to a situation where I had to recover from a disadvantage.”

“Good. Then do you know what a better response would have been?”

As Conra calmly evaluated his own battle, Sophia, inwardly satisfied and expectant, asked to see if the boy had progressed to the next level. Conra met his teacher’s expectations.

“If I had cast a binding spell before the opponent completed their spell, I could have taken control of the situation.”

“Haha, correct. In battle, there’s nothing better than seizing the initiative. Of course, forcing the initiative recklessly risks falling into the opponent’s unexpected moves. So, what would you do in this case?”

Pleased with Conra’s answer beyond expectations, Sophia smiled and posed a more advanced question. Frowning as he pondered the unexpectedly difficult question, Conra cautiously offered his answer.

“I would need to carefully weigh the pros and cons of each choice at every moment.”

“Hmm. Do you think you can make such distinctions well in the heat of battle?”

Sophia couldn’t help but smile at Conra’s answer, but she didn’t stop poking holes in it. Eventually, Conra sighed and said,

“In the end, it comes down to training and practice.”

That was the answer Sophia had been waiting for. She clapped and nodded, confirming that Conra’s conclusion was correct.

“Exactly! With that in mind, I’ll prepare a training manual for you starting tomorrow.”

As always, Sophia and Conra’s dialogue ended with training. When Maria, watching this, made a tired expression, Sophia’s gaze turned to her.

Maria braced herself for a question or reprimand, but instead, Sophia’s words were praise.

“Maria, you handled yourself well earlier, just as I taught you. Today, you did your best within your limits, so I have nothing more to say.”

The unexpected praise brightened Maria’s expression. But as they say, one must listen to the end. Sophia then smiled and put on a stern expression.

“However, you know you can’t keep relying on the same methods forever, right?”

“Yes. I can’t keep being a burden to you, Master.”

“Good. What I’ve been teaching you these past few days has mostly been simple exercises, self-defense, and stamina-building workouts. And your body isn’t yet ready to fully learn the Reverse Muscle Technique. So, from now on, practice Sphere Exercises until your body is ready.”

The Sphere Exercises involved spinning in circles while maintaining a specific posture, sometimes rolling a large ball in one’s hands or tossing it into the air and catching it while stepping through footwork.

Combining these two exercises into one, the Sphere Exercises improved agility, stability, and flexibility, and familiarized one with handling weight—laying a solid foundation for Maria before she fully delved into martial arts.

After giving Conra and Maria the necessary advice and setting their training schedules, it was time for Esiocles to finish his training, and for Hildegard to return.

Sophia, Esiocles, Conra, and Maria all wondered why Hildegard hadn’t returned yet, despite it being time.

At that very moment, Hildegard was facing a bit of a predicament.

 

---