In the evening, after a full day of being busy, Leon finished his dinner and went straight to Finn's office to formally ask for guidance.
"Teach you close-combat skills and techniques?"
Finn, who was processing a document, looked up with a hint of surprise upon hearing Leon's request.
To the side, Riveria, holding a stack of parchments, and Gareth, who was sitting in a chair checking over something, both turned their heads to look at Leon simultaneously.
"That request is quite sudden." Gareth seemed to take a fair amount of interest in the matter, speaking up, "What made you suddenly want Finn to teach you close combat?"
"It is indeed a bit sudden," Riveria agreed wholeheartedly with a nod, adding, "You're still in the middle of learning how to use magic. Wanting to split your attention to learn close combat right now isn't a good idea."
In Riveria's view, Leon's magical talent was unquestionable, but because he had only been exposed to useful magical knowledge for a short time, there was still a vast amount for him to learn in that field. Under these circumstances, Leon should keep his focus on studying magic to continue unearthing his strengths. That was the proper path.
For him to want to split his focus for close combat now felt like putting the cart before the horse, and perhaps a bit greedy.
"I will definitely keep honing my magical techniques, but I don't want to let my close-combat capabilities slide either," Leon said straightforwardly, knowing exactly what Riveria was worried about. "After all, I'm a Magic Swordsman. Whether it's magic or swordsmanship, advancing both in tandem is the most ideal state."
"If I only hone my magic and neglect close combat, I might as well just comfortably be a back-line mage. Why bother being a Magic Swordsman at all?"
"Besides, technical skills and knowledge aside, my basic stats regarding magic are already very strong. It's time I put some effort into honing close combat so that my martial capabilities can blossom as well."
Hearing this, the three executives looked at one another before ultimately nodding in contemplation.
"You're not wrong about that, kid," Gareth said, stroking his beard. "Even though your magic is powerful, your close-combat foundation isn't weak either."
"According to Loki, before your rank-up to Lv.4, didn't you raise all your close-combat-related basic stats close to SS in every previous level?"
"Since you could push your martial stats to a degree that breaks ordinary limits, building such a powerful foundation at every single level, it would be a true waste not to cash in on that potential and unearth it."
Since Leon's four basic stats—Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, and Agility—could be trained all the way to SS at every level, not developing his close-combat capabilities would be a total waste of such an absurdly powerful foundation. Thus, after a brief consideration, Gareth began to favor Leon's approach.
"But his talent in magic is far more outstanding, and he's currently at a phase where he just got his hands on highly useful magical knowledge. Continuing to reinforce his greatest strength isn't necessarily a bad choice."
Although Riveria also saw the logic in Gareth's words, she held a different opinion.
"There's no need to rush anyway. Wouldn't it be better to learn close combat after completely mastering your magical studies?"
At least, if it were Riveria, that is exactly what she would do. Making an already powerful asset even stronger, and only branching out after reaching a temporary ceiling, was the wisest approach. Therefore, Riveria didn't quite approve of Leon diving into close combat right now. Continuing his magical pursuits was what he ought to be doing at this stage.
To some extent, Riveria's way of thinking was also correct. However, Leon still wanted to start developing his close combat immediately.
"Whether it was during the fight against Goliath or throughout this latest expedition, I could only rely on magic to counter enemies whose levels far exceeded mine. Because of that, I had to try every trick in the book to open up distance, leaping up and down and running back and forth just to keep their attacks from landing. But facts have proven that gaps can be closed, and enemy attacks won't miss forever. There will always be a time when they connect."
"When that time comes, if I can't cast my magic, how am I supposed to deal with them?"
"Overusing magic also places a severe strain and dependency on my mind. Lately, I've practically been drinking Mind Potions like water. But those potions will run out eventually. Am I supposed to just sit and wait for death if I can't cast spells?"
Leon recalled the battle with Goliath, as well as the situation when dealing with the demi-spirit monsters.
"I don't ever want to encounter a situation where I am completely helpless in everything except magic again. So, please teach me how to fight in close quarters."
With that, Leon bowed deeply to Finn, showing the utmost respect.
"This—"
Riveria's brows furrowed tightly. It wasn't that she couldn't understand Leon's thoughts. As a high mage herself, she required protection to chant her magic in peace. Without it, she had to use every means at her disposal to deal with enemies, desperately scrambling to find an opening to cast during the gaps in their attacks.
One could say her magic was the sole condition for victory; if she could cast it, she won, and if she couldn't, she died. But wasn't that exactly why mages needed to master concurrent chanting and learn how to wield magic effectively under pressure? As long as one mastered those skills, why worry about being unable to cast during a fight to secure a one-hit victory?
Leon could entirely pour his efforts in that direction, so why split his focus onto another field entirely?
It wasn't unusual for Riveria to think this way. Her own role was that of a rear-guard high mage, and her combat style was to use magic to its absolute limits without considering anything else. In her eyes, Leon's magical talent surpassed even her own and Lefiya's; aside from having fewer spells, he wasn't inferior to her in any other aspect.
Furthermore, Leon's Magic stat could be trained to SSS at every level, proving that his most proficient trait was magic. Coupled with several development abilities that enhanced his magical output and skills tailored toward boosting his spells, failing to thoroughly master magic under such pristine conditions would be a terrible waste of talent.
Just as Riveria was about to voice her thoughts, Finn raised a hand to stop her.
The Pallum captain stared into Leon's eyes, clearly seeing the determination and sense of urgency within them. Seeing that look, Finn knew that Leon had already made up his mind to learn close combat.
Since that was the case—
"I'm not free all the time, and you could even say I am incredibly busy," Finn spoke up. "The expedition just ended, so there's a lot of paperwork and aftermath to handle. Once that's done, we have to prepare for the next expedition, otherwise we'll just have to turn back again if we encounter those new species of monsters."
"I am personally very concerned about the appearance of those new monsters as well. Once the aftermath of the expedition is cleared up, I intend to study and investigate them thoroughly to figure out our next move."
"Under these conditions, the amount of time I can squeeze out every day is very limited. Are you fine with that?"
Leon easily caught the underlying meaning in Finn's words.
"Yes, that's perfectly fine," Leon's eyes lit up as he immediately replied. "It's enough if Captain can guide me whenever you have free time. I also need time to review, practice, and take care of other things on my own."
Expecting Finn to teach him all day long was indeed unrealistic. But as long as he could learn something from this master of the technical style, it would be a massive gain no matter what. At worst, when Finn was busy, he could always go ask someone else. While he didn't think anyone could teach better than Finn, it was still far better than blindly fumbling around by himself.
"—Is this really alright?"
Seeing that Finn had already tacitly agreed to the teaching, Riveria couldn't help but speak up.
"There shouldn't be anything wrong with it, right?" Finn smiled and said, "Focusing on reinforcing one's strengths is certainly a fine choice, but putting effort into shoring up one's weaknesses isn't a bad thing either, is it?"
"Besides, just as Gareth said, Leon has built such a wonderful foundation in his martial stats. Wouldn't it be a shame not to develop them properly?"
"In any case, his growth rate is already incredibly fast. There's no need to keep sprinting down a single path; versatile development might turn out to be a good thing."
"Perhaps, given his growth speed, his progress in both close combat and magic won't slacken at all?"
Finn actually wanted to teach Leon a few things as well. There was no helping it; Leon grew simply too fast. While this allowed him to become powerful rapidly, it also meant he would inevitably miss out on many invaluable experiences and insights along the way.
By now, both Loki and Finn viewed Leon as the Familia's greatest prospect and trump card—he was their ultimate ace. Since Leon had the intent to seek his guidance, he had no reason to refuse.
"Fine."
Riveria was ultimately persuaded, though she still laid down a condition.
"I won't stop you from learning close combat, but I will still periodically check your progress in magic. Therefore, you cannot neglect the lessons I assign you while you study martial arts, understood?"
Like Finn, Riveria wanted to teach Leon as much as possible. It was simply because Leon's magical talent was so extraordinary that she couldn't bear to see it squandered. Lately, Riveria had even been pondering over preparing a special gift for Leon, intending to help him shore up his disadvantage of having too few spells. Once this busy period passed, that item should be ready to be gifted to him.
"Understood, I won't fall behind on my magical studies."
Unaware of Riveria's plans, Leon readily nodded and accepted the arrangement. It was the same principle: he was a Magic Swordsman. He would develop his close combat, and he would develop his magic. He had no intention of abandoning either.
The next day arrived.
Today, the members of the Loki Familia were just like yesterday, heading out early in the morning to handle various tasks related to the expedition's aftermath. Consequently, Twilight Manor became somewhat quiet, with only a small portion of lower-tier members staying behind for guard duty and patrols, while almost everyone else had gone out.
Leon, however, didn't leave that early today. The workload assigned to him wasn't much, and it would be perfectly fine even if he went out three to four hours later to handle it.
Evidently, this was the result of deliberate consideration from the Familia leaders, serving as a small privilege for Leon. One had to know that even senior executives like Ais didn't receive such a privilege and were all driven out to work early in the morning, while Leon, a newly advanced Lv.4, received this treatment. It showed just how much Finn and the others valued him.
For the sake of his growth and training, Finn and the others were highly reluctant to let the Familia's mundane chores waste his time. If they weren't worried about Leon becoming too eager for quick results and forgetting to balance work with rest, they might have exempted him from the aftermath duties entirely.
Thus, early in the morning, Leon brought his Dragon Fang Sword to the courtyard, performing some sword-swinging exercises first to warm up his body.
Half an hour later, Finn's figure appeared in the courtyard.
"Time is limited, so let's get straight to the point."
Finn held a wooden sword in his hand, delivering these words right off the bat. Leon naturally had no objections, his expression instantly turning serious.
However, just as he raised his Dragon Fang Sword and prepared to spar with Finn, Finn spoke up again.
"That being said, I actually won't be teaching you any swordsmanship or spearmanship. Those things probably don't hold much meaning for you right now." Looking at Leon's somewhat familiar sword stance, Finn smiled slightly and said, "You've already studied swordsmanship under Ais for a year. Your technical skills in that regard are sufficient, so there's absolutely no need to learn anything new."
"Ais's swordsmanship originates from an incredibly great figure, and after years of her own refinement, it has already become a highly mature and powerful technique. Since you have already learned this style, just keep using it."
"What I want to teach you is not new techniques, but how to use what you have to fight—methods to create as many favorable conditions and advantages for yourself as possible."
With that, Finn raised the wooden sword in his hand.
"Watch closely."
The moment his voice fell, Finn's hand blurred, and the wooden sword suddenly lunged toward Leon.
A sharp wind kicked up as the wooden sword turned into an afterimage, thrusting straight for Leon's throat. Leon's pupils contracted, and he instinctively raised his sword to parry.
However, just as Leon's sword began to lift, Finn's wooden sword had already arrived before his throat, its tip resting lightly against it.
"..."
Leon froze right there, completely motionless.
"Was that thrust fast?"
Finn retracted his sword, asking the question with a smile.
"Fast," Leon replied without a second thought.
Yet, Finn uttered a sentence that left Leon utterly astonished.
"It actually wasn't fast," Finn said calmly. "The speed of that thrust just now was only roughly equivalent to the full-force strike of an Lv.3 whose Agility stat sits at D."
"Let alone the current you who is already Lv.4, even if it were you before your rank-up, a casual swing from you would likely be faster than that thrust."
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