"Hey, hey...Young Boy, I think that's enough. Take a break here."
"Huff...huff...Okay, Master..."
Today is Winfred's third day of training with Wayne. On the second day of training, in addition to continuing to practice using the Mana Sphere, Wayne also began incorporating physical training such as running around the field, jumping as high as possible, and walking while manipulating Mana. Another change is that Wayne now calls Winfred "Young Boy" and Winfred calls him "Master." This isn't because of Victor's orders, but because of a secret agreement between the three of them, including Nina.
On the second day, Winfred felt disturbed and awkward with Wayne, who often mixed up his words, and when he innocently pointed out that Wayne was not suitable for teaching with formal and rigid language, Wayne was shocked and then laughed out loud. Winfred tried to persuade Nina to keep their exchange a secret, which Nina agreed to on the condition that they continue to uphold noble ethics.
In his previous life, Winfred often encountered people like his mentor. They were completely different when they were at work due to the demands of professionalism, their true nature often being the opposite of how they were at work. And sure enough, Wayne was actually a very easy-going person, yet he remained friendly and maintained the ethics of a nobleman.
"Huh...Master, are you a noble? I mean, a real noble?"
"Haha! I am indeed a noble, but as you know, I'm not very good etiquette and stuff like that. Eh...if you want to know more, you can ask your father or Alcott."
Standing while twirling the spear in his hand, Wayne briefly explained his difficulties with etiquette among nobles. From his words, Winfred assumed that his teacher was quite close to his father and his current formal educational teacher. Nina then approached him and gave him a bottle of water and a towel. Winfred then took a short break to catch his breath, drank from the bottle, and wiped his sweat with the towel. A few moments later, Wayne put down his spear and walked towards him.
"Alright...let's move on to the next stage."
"Sparring with weapons!?"
"Well, Young Boy. It's still too early for that. Hmm...maybe next week we'll start our lessons on weapons. For now, I want you to draw out the Mana from within your body."
"Eh!? But...how? Hmm...does that mean we'll be using basic magic, Master? But I..."
"Not exactly. Just because someone doesn't have an attribute doesn't mean they can't release Mana. I'll show you, watch carefully."
Another thing he didn't know that wasn't explained or mentioned in the game. Before Winfred could think any further, Wayne sat down right in front of him and positioned his body as if he were meditating, then he took a deep breath and exhaled. After a few seconds, Winfred felt a burst of Mana emanating from Wayne's body. It wasn't much, but it was enough for him to feel it.
Wayne then stood up and smiled broadly at Winfred. He then told his disciple to do the same.
"See? That's how you emit Mana from within your body. Do you have any questions?"
"Okay, Mentor. Should I sit down? Or..."
"It's up to you. Since this is your first time, make yourself as comfortable as possible."
Winfred then sat on the ground like his teacher had done earlier and imitated what he did. Mana manipulation began by first channeling Mana throughout the body, followed by the user's free will. After finishing channeling Mana throughout his body, he tried to release his Mana, using the same image as when he moved the iron ball and sand inside the Mana Sphere.
"Very good, Young Boy. But I feel like you're still holding back a little. Can you release a little more? Just a little, you understand?"
"I... understand, Master."
Wayne could sense the Mana his student was emitting. It was remarkable that this little boy in front of him could do it after just one attempt. Although he had no attributes, from his observations during the three days of teaching, he could see that Emerdine's youngest child had good control and excellent instincts. Additionally, his innocent nature yet concern for others made this middle-aged man feel it was worth his while to set aside time to come here as a mentor.
While Wayne struggled with his own thoughts, Winfred thought about how he could extract a little more Mana from his body. Although it wasn't difficult, what he was doing required a lot of concentration, so he looked for another way to obey his mentor's orders.
Then an idea popped into his head. He imagined a dam controlling the water. If the dam was currently only slightly open, causing the water to flow slowly and in small amounts, then all he needed to do was open the dam wider. And that was Winfred's mistake.
"...Argh!"
"Hey, Young Boy!"
"Young Master Winfred!"
When Winfred allowed more Mana to escape from his body, a large amount of Mana came out. Winfred only intended to open the dam a little wider, but something unexpected happened. Even more surprising, he couldn't fully control the dam or the Mana.
In that tense moment, he closed his eyes tightly and stabilized his breathing. Wayne and Nina, panicked, tried to help him, their expressions full of worry and fear. Something else surprising happened.
In that moment, all his senses became clear. He could feel the winds outside the building, the ants crawling between the walls, the overall structure of the building, the birds and insects flying above the building, and even the moss seeping and growing inside the building. He received this information accompanied by an excruciating headache.
While Winfred battled his inner turmoil, Nina and Wayne panicked. Wayne was shocked because his student had lost control of the Mana he was releasing from his body. He thought that Winfred would be fine because of his ability to control Mana during demonstrations with the Mana Sphere, but it seemed he was wrong.
Furthermore, the amount of Mana his disciple had released was almost equivalent to that of an Expert-rank Mana user, an amount that a 10-year-old child should not possess. However, Wayne was a professional handpicked by Victor, so he quickly and responsively tried to handle the situation.
"Miss Nina! There's a healing potion in my bag. Please get it for me while I dispel the Mana! Give it to him when I'm done!"
"I understand!"
Nina quickly picked up Wayne's bag that was lying on the ground and searched for the potion. Meanwhile, Wayne held Winfred's shoulders as he lay on the ground, holding his head. Wayne then removed the Mana that was leaking into the air and tried to calm his student down.
"Breathe, Young Boy! Steady and control your Mana! You'll be fine! Follow my lead!"
Winfred felt someone grab his shoulder, and that person then controlled their own Mana. Apparently, that person was Wayne, and Wayne controlled the Mana in his own body very calmly. He could feel his mentor's control, which caused him to calm down as well.
Wayne knew that Winfred was following his lead, and like himself, Winfred was manipulating his own Mana well. Slowly, the Mana flowing out of his small body began to diminish, and after a while, it stopped completely. All that remained was a small amount of Mana circling his entire body.
"Hah...ha...hah...Master?"
"Are you okay, Young Boy? It seems your Mana is normal again."
"Yes, Master...It's just...I feel a little dizzy..."
"Here, Young Master. Please drink this."
Winfred drank the potion Nina gave him. It tasted a little bitter, but he drank it anyway because he had overheard his mentor and maid talking about it being a healing potion. It didn't take long for the potion to work, because moments later his headache was gone and he felt better.
"Thank goodness you're okay. I don't know what you were doing just now or what caused it... but I know it's my fault for teaching you that lesson too early."
"Master..."
Wayne crossed his arms and rubbed his forehead. Winfred wanted to say that it was entirely his own fault, but he didn't want to disturb his mentor who was deep in thought at the moment. Besides, he didn't want to worry Nina any further, who was sitting next to him. Today's events had really opened his eyes to the fact that he couldn't control his Mana completely as he had thought.
"Let's end today's lesson. As for tomorrow... let's wait for your father's decision. I have to report this to him. Miss Nina, can you take him to his room to rest?"
"I understand, Sir Wayne. Young Master, can you stand?"
"I... can..."
Winfred stood up with Wayne and Nina's help. They ended the third day's lesson early due to an unexpected incident. They left the building together, and throughout the journey, only words of concern were heard from Wayne and Nina. Wayne excused himself to leave because he wanted to inform Victor as soon as possible, leaving only Winfred and Nina behind.
On the way to his room, he kept thinking about why he had lost control of his Mana. And most importantly, how was he able to know such detailed things? Ants, moss, building structures? Or was it just an illusion created by his brain to protect himself? But the moment felt so real, as if he were right in front of it and seeing it directly.
He thought his talent would be limited because he was a gray child. But thanks to that surprising incident... It seems he is beginning to believe that he is not entirely a gray child and that his unique power still holds other mysteries.