The next day, Hajime woke up as he usually did, with Bradly coming in and interrupting his peaceful sleep.
Later, Hajime continued his sword lessons, losing to his father every single time he sparred with him.
I swear I can still see Father's stupid grin after beating me nonstop and calling it a sword lesson, Hajime thought bitterly.
Hajime was angry. Though it had only been a week since he started sword training, he had improved a lot. He was getting the basics down, but just as he was starting to feel confident, Kazuma decided to teach him more advanced techniques.
Standing in the middle of the training grounds, Hajime had just finished sparring and was gasping for air while Kazuma looked at him with a smirk.
"Well, now that you've got the basics down, time for you to learn some sword styles."
"Sword styles?" Hajime asked in confusion.
"Yes. Sword styles—depending on which one you choose—can affect a lot. For example, Water Style, which you can probably guess, is more of a flowing combat style involving a lot of maneuvering and parrying. Another example would be Mana Sword. Though it has a stupid name, it's one of the hardest techniques to learn. It involves wrapping your mana around the sword and sustaining it. It's hard, but powerful. The downside is that the wielder will probably get tired quickly unless they have a large mana supply."
"You said mana. Does that mean I can use mana to wrap fire or water around my sword?" Hajime asked, his interest growing.
"Yes," Kazuma replied.
So all they do is wrap their mana around their sword and manipulate it...
A spark jolted through Hajime's mind.
Wait, I already know how to do that!
In that brief moment, Hajime recalled his second day of magic lessons from a week ago. Rin had taught him how to manipulate his mana for stronger spell output and better control—so he wouldn't accidentally blow anything up.
Well, I already know how to use and control my mana, so I'm going to give it a shot.
Kazuma was still talking, but Hajime was no longer listening. He wanted to try using Mana Sword.
He closed his eyes, visualizing his mana as blue liquid flowing through his veins and exiting through his palms.
Alright, I'm halfway done... but I guess this is the tricky part.
Still focusing, he imagined the mana wrapping around the wooden sword in his hands and shaping itself to match the blade perfectly.
Opening his eyes, he saw a blue radiance coming off his sword, as if it were some kind of holy relic.
"This is awesome!" Hajime shouted, interrupting Kazuma, who had still been talking.
"Are you even paying attention?" Kazuma snapped—until he saw it. The wooden sword resting in Hajime's two delicate hands, wrapped in a glowing blue aura.
"No way," he muttered, jaw dropping.
"Hajime, what did you do?" Kazuma asked.
Crap, I got carried away. I forgot Father was even here.
"Well, you said to use Mana Blade I had to wrap my mana around the blade… so that's what I did."
Kazuma, unable to contain his excitement, pulled Hajime into a warm embrace.
"I can't believe my son's a genius! Even I couldn't use Mana Blade until I turned twenty!"
I regret trying to use Mana Blade now. He's going to make me do more stuff… and probably introduce me to nobles once I come of age.
In this world, people became adults at eighteen—just like Earth—but there were other ages where kids were expected to start doing things. For example, kids who were eight years old, like Hajime, began school and started training in magic and swordsmanship. When kids turned ten, their family was supposed to host a party to formally introduce them to the world—a tradition Hajime was not looking forward to. But at twelve, they could enroll in Magia Frisia's best school in the kingdom, where they could learn and practice both magic and swordsmanship. That was the part Hajime was looking forward to.
When Kazuma finally let go, he had already made up his mind.
"Son, I've decided that we'll train Mana Blade from now on," he said with a big grin.
Hajime, still trying to catch his breath after Kazuma's overly affectionate hug, let the words fly in one ear and out the other.
"If you're already able to use Mana Blade, I can already see you becoming a sword master one day!"
Hajime flinched at those words.
Crap. What have I done? I get transported to another world with magic, and now I might be forced to become a swordsman? Hell no.
"Father, I'm fine with swordsmanship, but I would still like to practice magic," he said cautiously.
"Of course. The main component of Mana Blade is magic. Like I said before, the hardest part is sustaining and shaping it."
Hajime let go of his doubts and gave in to Kazuma's enthusiasm.
I wonder what else Mana Blade can do… I bet it doesn't just boost the strength of your slash. I'll just ask Father.
"Father, what else can Mana Blade do?"
Kazuma let out a little "heheh" as his lips curled into a smile.
"I see you understand the potential of Mana Blade, then?"
"I think so," Hajime replied curiously.
"Well, as I told you, Mana Blade can boost slash strength, but it can also change shape without adding any extra weight—though that part is difficult to do."
Kazuma lifted his wooden sword and pointed it at Hajime. Releasing his mana, he wrapped it around the blade—but something was different.
Instead of shaping the mana to fit the sword, Kazuma reshaped it into a greatsword.
"You see, you don't have to shape your mana to match your sword. You can shape it into any weapon you like."
The mana shifted again—this time into the shape of a long whip.
"You can even shape it into a whip!" Hajime blurted out in astonishment.
"Yes, indeed," Kazuma said with a smirk.
Unfortunately, Kazuma's explanation had gone on too long, and before they knew it, it was time for lunch.
Later, after lunch, Hajime returned to the training grounds with his mother to practice magic once again.