Lord of Charm



Kisuke was pessimistic about what he could learn from a teenager, and Haruka didn't miss it. 

"Although he is a new magician and only 16 years old, he had been practicing with his sword ever since he was 6. The guards say that he had never missed a single day of training all those years. His technique must be extremely refined by now."

"I see, I will treasure this opportunity."

Kisuke also understood Haruka's intentions. Haruka saw his potential and wanted to invest in him now so he can enjoy the fruits of his investment later when Kisuke becomes powerful.

Next was a theoretical lesson about the local beasts around. It was necessary for the guards to have such general knowledge because they had to escort the princes and princesses when they went out.

In the evening there was one more class of mana control and magic casting. Although the residents of the Chijakor liked fighting with weapons, they still used magic to support and attack.

Kisuke's first session with the sixth prince was scheduled for the next day, and should the prince be satisfied, it would take place on daily basis.

'I wonder if the prince is a spoiled kid. According to the description, he should be sharp and indifferent, and only care about his sword practice.'

Kisuke formed his opinion on the prince based on the prince's diligent training regime. The spoiled rich kids never practiced so much until their parents forced them to.

He went to his room and found Arima already there.

"I heard you were favored by your lieutenant."

Arima said when he saw Kisuke enters the room.

"Maybe a little. What about yours, did he favor you too?"

"My lieutenant has no feelings, so I don't think he is capable of favoring people. But he did seem impressed by me and my prospects."

"That's great. Work hard."

"You too."

They had a little chat about their day and went to sleep. Arima was tired after an intensive day of training, while Kisuke was tired after training his mental strength while pretending to listen in class.

They mainly taught them about third-rank beasts and lower, so it didn't interest him. Even if he met a magical beast he never learned about before, he didn't need to know its weaknesses to slap it to death in a single blow.

But the strain caused by the mental training made him just as tired as the other magicians who learned and practiced all day.

The next day, he arrived at the training grounds again, ready for the swords lesson. The sixth prince trained with his instructor during the morning and only needed a sparring partner in the afternoon, mainly to hone and digest his gains from the morning.

"I hope all of you found the time to practice the sequence I taught you yesterday by yourselves in your free time."

Haruka said to the recruits who looked at each other helplessly. They were exhausted after training the whole day, and they were still expected to train in their free time; of course they didn't do it!

Everyone nodded confidently and Haruka gave an ugly smile. He knew they were a bunch of liars; it wasn't the first time he trained recruits.

"Since you all trained the sequence yesterday, you all must be very proficient in it. To make sure you didn't deviate during your self-practice, I will now test all of you. You will first perform the sequence against me, and I will do it against you right after."

Everyone's faces froze when they heard that but had no choice except to go and get beaten up.

The first student charged at Haruka and performed the first strike.

"It's like you only regressed in your self-practice, you crouch too low!"

Haruka took a step to the side and tripped the recruit with his leg, making him fall on his face.

"You have to train more diligently!"

Haruka kept beating up the recruits one by one, and only Kisuke and the two trained recruits could complete the sequence successfully.

"Good job you three. Everyone, that's the standard I want to see in my recruits!"

Haruka shouted at the recruits who were busy rubbing their sore bodies. Although Haruka used a wooden weapon, he used more power than necessary on purpose to cause some bruises. He believed in drilling the exercises into one's bones by force.

The class was soon over and Kisuke went to the sixth prince's chambers according to Haruka's instructions. When he reached the chambers, he found two true mages standing guard at the entrance.

"Who are you?"

"Corporal Urara Kisuke, I'm here to serve as a sparring partner for the sixth prince."

"Just a magician, hmph. Don't speak unless His Highness wants you to, the prince doesn't like wasting his training time."

"Yes, Sir."

Since the guard was one rank higher than him, Kisuke answered respectfully. In his mind, the guards weren't worth his attention, so he didn't get offended by their behavior.

"Good, after entering just follow the hallway and ask the servants for instructions to reach the training room."

He entered the chambers and asked a servant for instructions and soon reached in front of a wooden wall that could be slid to the right to enter the room.

'The architecture is very different compared to the Amistrys Empire. Almost everything is made of wood, but because of the magic circles and the materials grades, the buildings are still as durable as the houses made in the Amistrys Empire.'

Kisuke thought inwardly while looking around and appreciating the view.

He soon entered the room and found a young teenager in the middle of a round stage surrounded by water training by himself.

"Your Highness, I'm here to serve as your sparring partner. My name is Urara Kisuke, pleased to be in your service."

The prince had a young, round face. His phoenix eyes and short black hair gave him a handsome look, and his body was lean and flexible from his training.