Gale Knight of Valera

“And that’s why I’m assigning you to train him.”

It hasn’t been long since I’ve been under Balduin’s teachings.

“But why me?” I ask.

“You’re already a First Class Valerian Knight. It’s now your turn to bloom and show the world how much of a hero you truly are.”

He’s right.

I finally achieved my dreams.

To be a hero.

I quickly finish my squat routine.

“Alright, let’s see this Tsubasa-guy!”

Balduin escorts me to the infirmary room where my soon-to-be student is recovering.

He’s accompanied by a pretty gal in indigo hair.

“It’s just a nosebleed. It’s nothing too serious!”

From my first impressions, he’s horrible at talking to girls.

“You are Tsubasa Kazetani of Team Akimitsu, correct?”

They put their attention on my teacher.

“Hey, aren’t you Archie’s Squad Captain?”

Balduin adjusts his glasses upwards.

“That’s correct.”

“What are you here for, Captain Balduin?” ask the eloquent girl.

“Your foolish captain assigned me to teach you. He knew you would lose to Captain Mira.”

To be honest, I’m a little doubtful my teachings would benefit him fighting someone like Mira.

She’s powerful.

But this guy has audacity.

“You’re a Squad Captain. Why are you—”

“It’s true if I were to be your instructor, you would technically be a fourth member under my teachings. To avoid that, I’m assigning my greatest student to teach you in my stead.”

I wave at them with a welcoming smile.

“Hi there! I’m Zeke Wynde, First Class Valerian Knight!”

“Zeke Wynde?! The Gale Knight of Valera?”

The girl has great knowledge of my name.

“Who’s that?”

But he doesn’t…

She scolds him for his lack of knowledge.

“How do you not know him? He’s a hero amongst all heroes! He’s saved multiple towns from enemy kingdoms and monsters.”

Multiple is an exaggeration.

I only saved like three or four.

“If he’s so popular, how come I don’t know him?”

“That’s because you’re a peasant.”

How interesting…

“Alright, alright, that’s enough praise for me. Tsubasa, was it?”

“That’s me!” he smiles.

The dream he chases is his blood, and determination drives him forward.

I can’t help but smile.

It’s like I’m looking at my own reflection.

“What’s your affinity?” I ask the first question.

Balduin’s teachings come flooding back to my mind.

I may have inherited my teacher’s training habits.

“I don’t know,” he blurts.

“He’s a peasant,” the girl remarks.

I can sense it.

The low magick reserves courses through his veins.

His birthright means nothing when it comes to low magick reserves.

A three-day training may increase his magick capacity, but that isn’t enough for him to unleash his full potential.

That would take years to come.

“To be honest with you, Tsubasa, I can’t help you with magick reserves; however, I can teach you in different departments. I have fought against lightning users before.”

Although, it would be best if his magick capacity increased.

Like exercising, muscle fibers break and thus increase to compensate for that.

He won’t be able to sense the lightning Mira is throwing at him, nor would he detect the swift attacks she would deliver.

Judging how he managed to pass the first exams, he must’ve compensated for his abilities through combat—meaning he mostly excels in hand-to-hand combat.

After his nose recovered, we left for the nearest training area.

Balduin had already left while his teammate remained.

“So how are we going to train?”

“It’s simple!”

Fire manifests in my hand.

The concentrated energy hurls into a sphere.

Applying wind to it causes the flames to grow larger in size.

Strong winds would, but a burst of strong winds can increase its acceleration.

Though, the timing is strict.

I blast the projectile at my target who quickly reacts to it.

“Not bad! Now try to keep up!”

A barrage of wind and fire is blasted at Tsubasa.

He is quick on his feet.

It’s not as fast as lightning magic, but it does the job.

Despite his nimble stature, his endurance is admirable.

It’s only a matter of time whoever falls first.

“Don’t be afraid to attack me!”

When he approaches me, I immediately block each punch he throws.

The attacks are careful and dangerous.

Jab. Jab. Right cross.

He definitely knows how to fight.

At the moment, I realize an idea he can apply to defeat Mira.

I seize both upcoming fists to end the small session.

“You’re quick and skillful at hand-to-hand combat, I’ll give you that!”

He has been training tremendously to compensate for his weakness.

In a world where magick ceases to exist, he would definitely suit the role as a First Class Knight.

“How much magick can you manifest without exhausting yourself?”

“Not a lot,”

“Try it. Pull your hand out and concentrate all that energy into your palm.”

He does what I instructed.

A moment of struggling occurs until he only gathers a faint residue of magick.

Now that I first hand witness his magick.

It’s clear the problem is not him.

He doesn’t need to increase the capacity.

No, there’s great potential in him.

I sense a large pool of magick inside of him.

The issue is that it’s being blocked, and only a small amount of magick can only budge.

Tsubasa pants in exhaustion.

“Keep going!”

“I-I can’t! It’s too exhausting!”

“That’s not an excuse to give up!”

The pressuring manages to help him push through.

His hand is trembling, and the energy he previously released is slowly diminishing.

I guide him by placing my hand under his hand.

“Feel that warm energy coursing through your entire body?”

Words can’t come out of his mouth, so he nods.

“This is how magick feels. You become aware of your surroundings, and when you put your mind into one spot, that is how power is created.”

He takes a deep breath.

More energy is being delivered.

At this rate, the barrier blocking his magick will deteriorate.

So long as he puts his mind to it…

A breeze of wind passes by.

Not a natural wind, however…

“I can feel it!”

The barrier isn’t broken completely, but he can finally use more magick he normally would have.

“Alright, let’s return to our training!”

“Yes, Master Zeke!”

I can’t help but giggle.

Never had someone called me that before.