The trainees sat in a circle, creating a space, with the sparring participants in the center.
Everyone watched the situation with interest, but only one person, the instructor, had a worried look on his face.
"Sir Butler, isn't this a bit dangerous...?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Mr. Aster is also a guest of the young master, and I heard he hasn't properly learned magic. If he suddenly starts a challenge like this..."
"That's why it's more valuable. His stubbornness needs to be broken at some point. Once it is, Mr. Aster will grow to a new level."
"..."
The instructor gave up on communication at the firm tone.
His eyes almost rolled back.
There were only three people who could calm the Butler in this state: the head of the household, the lady of the house, and the young master.
And now, the only person he could rely on...
'...The lady of the house, she must come.'
But who could call her in this situation?
No one.
Just as he thought that...
"..."
A boy stood at the entrance of the training ground.
Beside him was a familiar servant, and the instructor soon recognized the boy.
"Y-Young Master!"
"Hmm?"
The instructor rushed to Damian.
"Y-Your friend is in a very dangerous situation right now. Please, try to talk some sense into the Butler. Making him spar with five trainees is just ridiculous..."
"Spar?!"
"Yes, that's right. A spar!"
The instructor rejoiced at the slightly stiff expression on Damian's face.
'It's done! It's done! I can talk some sense into the Butler!'
He thought Damian wouldn't just stand by and watch his cherished friend in danger.
The Butler would come to his senses after a stern word from the young master.
'...Thank goodness.'
The instructor was responsible for everything that happened in the training ground, even if it was the Butler Alfredo's decision.
For a cautious person who wanted a stable and long life, the current situation was not pleasant.
However,
"I?"
"Yes...?"
"I'm also surprised."
"..."
The instructor was stunned.
Even if the boy was a guest of the young master, his life was already in danger. Now, with the young master joining in...
If the boy was a gentle breeze in his life, the young master was a typhoon that would sweep everything away.
This wouldn't just result in a few months of pay cuts; it would shorten his lifespan.
But fortunately, there was someone who thought rationally.
"Young Master?"
"Hmm?"
At the servant's call, Damian looked up.
"If you join in, you'll get in trouble with the lady of the house."
"It's fine as long as we don't get caught."
"Like 'play-sick'?"
"..."
Damian tightly closed his mouth.
It seemed the servant had decided to keep 'play-sick' a secret.
Now, even if Damian didn't understand the meaning, he knew it was a bad word that required 'etiquette training.'
"I don't know that word."
"Neither do I. As long as you don't join in, that is."
"..."
Damian tightly closed his mouth and moved among the spectators.
The trainees hastily tried to greet Damian but quickly averted their eyes when they saw his expression.
The servant, having confirmed this, turned and left.
"I'll be right back."
"Yes, please... please."
The instructor pleaded.
Please bring the lady of the house quickly.
But his earnest wish was in vain.
"Instructor, what are you doing? Come here and start the sparring."
Alfredo's command rang in his ear.
"Y-Young Master Damian is here..."
Trying to buy time, he mentioned Damian among the spectators, but it didn't affect Alfredo at all.
"You seem upset. The young master likes to be alone when he's upset. And he seems to want to watch the sparring. We should start, shouldn't we?"
"...Yes, I understand."
The instructor weakly nodded.
Rank was everything.
Alfredo, the Butler, was a figure whose authority was respected even by the current head of the household. A low-ranking instructor like himself couldn't defy his words.
However, he hoped that his efforts would be recognized when everything was over.
The instructor trudged over and stood between Aster and the trainees.
"Let me explain the rules. The sparring format is turn-based..."
"Hmm, let's go with an annihilation match instead."
'Ah.'
The instructor swallowed a sigh.
Turn-based was a simplified sparring format for mages, where they take turns attacking.
A match is considered lost when the field is broken, and the main advantage is safety.
However, an annihilation match...
It continues until one side surrenders, with attacks and defenses similar to a real battle.
A much riskier format than turn-based.
But rank was everything.
"The format is an annihilation match. The duel continues until one side completely surrenders. However, the instructor can stop the sparring at his discretion, so be aware of that..."
He pulled a coin from his pocket.
"The sparring starts when the coin hits the ground. Take your positions."
Aster and the trainees were already in position, so there was no need to move.
"Let's toss the coin. By the way, don't worry about the aftereffects of magic. The trainees will create a field to contain them."
As he said, a round dome-shaped field created by the trainees enveloped the space.
With that, the sparring began.
Clang!
The coin soared into the sky.
And when it fell,
Clang!
The sparring started.
* * *
Just a few days after regressing.
Aster, who practiced Heavenly Origin every day, had accumulated a negligible amount of mana.
Although he had reached a high level in his previous life, that level only affected his mind in this life.
No matter how skilled Aster was, there was no way to quickly accumulate mana.
On the other hand, what about the five trainees, including Winstar?
Young as they were, they were from one of the top five magical families in the eastern continent and had received consistent training.
They had learned advanced techniques provided by Blando and had a plentiful supply of mana thanks to Blando's support.
Objectively, this was a sparring match that Aster had no chance of winning.
This was a fact known by everyone present, regardless of whether they knew Aster's background.
However,
- I'll take on all five at once.
Where did this absurd confidence come from?
'You damn vagrant.'
Winstar seemed to be seething with anger at the sight of Aster.
'Just because the young master favors you, you think you can get away with anything?'
That was the only explanation.
With the Butler's favor as well, how ridiculous must the world seem to him?
He would crush him. With the young master present, he would show the true nature of this dirty vagrant.
This was Winstar's mindset.
The other four trainees shared a similar mindset.
However, why?
Clang!
The moment the sparring started, Winstar couldn't think at all.
Smack!
"Ugh!"
The overwhelming impact to his chest.
'What...? Why?'
He didn't even sense any magic. Something hit his chest. The pain was like being hit by a piece of metal...
"Choke, choke..."
Unable to catch his breath.
'Help... me...'
Winstar turned his gaze to seek help from the others.
However, the scene that met his eyes was incomprehensible.
"Ugh, ugh."
"Choke!"
The other trainees, like him, were clutching their chests and writhing on the ground.
They all looked up, their eyes filled with confusion.
When the five trainees looked at each other, a chilling voice echoed.
"The world is wide. And wicked."
Everyone's gaze turned to Aster.
Soon, the trainees realized what had happened.
Aster's palm was facing the ceiling, and blue spheres floated above his fingers.
They were small, perhaps the size of a fingernail. The shape was familiar.
'Mana... pellets?'
This wasn't magic.
It was a mana manipulation technique that new mages practiced to learn offensive magic.
However, it wasn't used in mage battles due to its high mana consumption.
Additionally, it was ineffective against mages, as it couldn't penetrate their mana resistance.
But how could this destructive power...
By the time Winstar thought this,
Aster spoke again.
"I will now show you how wide and wicked the world is. Learn it firsthand."
Thud, thud!
"Ugh!"
Five more mana pellets hit the trainees.
Aster moved.
There was no more magic.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
Just ruthless physical assault.
Only that.
* * *
The sparring that started solemnly ended in a truly meaningless way.
Of course, it wasn't completely over.
Inside the space created by the trainees, Aster was still moving.
But the form was so broken that it couldn't be called a sparring match.
"Ugh, please... ugh!"
"No, don't surrender. Not yet."
Aster was moving around, beating the trainees, and when they tried to surrender, he would interrupt them with mana pellets.
Not only that.
"Stop the pain!"
Damian, who had somehow entered the field, was healing the trainees.
However, he wasn't healing the fallen trainees but those being beaten by Aster.
'Please, Young Master...'
If he had healed them when they were down, they could have surrendered with a single word.
But being healed while being beaten meant they couldn't fall and continued to be hit. Aster would keep hitting until they fell, but they couldn't fall, so the pain just dragged on.
The instructor gave up on the scene.
'I don't know, I don't.'
His mind was blank with the thought of pay cuts and responsibility.
On the other hand, Alfredo, watching the scene...
'...Impressive.'
He was simply amazed.
'Are those mana pellets? How many times did he compress them?'
For mana pellets to have that much power, they must have been compressed multiple times.
At least four or five times to achieve that level of power...
The scene brought back a memory.
'Back then...'
At their first meeting, Aster had also created mana pellets in his hand.
At the time, it was just a 'mana pellet,' but now, it sent a chill down his spine.
Of course, it wouldn't have been a problem for him, but it was still impressive.
However, what was truly impressive...
'Natural mana manipulation.'
The reason mana pellets weren't used in actual battles was simple.
Others couldn't do it.
Even highly skilled mages found it difficult to handle 'mana' itself, not just 'magic.'
He had thought it was just a matter of talent, but now he realized Aster's true talent.
And there was another kind of surprise.
"Wow."
Alfredo watched Aster beating the trainees and thought,
"How can he beat them so well?"
It wasn't just a few hits.
With one body, he was beating five people, moving around like a conductor of an orchestra.
As everyone watched the scene in shock,
Then,
"Alfredo!"
A sharp voice came from the entrance of the training ground.
"L-Lady of the house...?"
Why is she here?
Just as he thought that,
"Ah."
Alfredo's mind finally cleared.
In the center of the training ground.
The trainees were being beaten like drums.
Aster, the guest of the young master, was beating the trainees like goblins on a festival day, and the young master was happily helping him.