It has been ten months since Lambert started his open field training with the kids. They started with fewer than twenty people, including some town guards, kids, and aspiring adventurers. Over time, the number slowly grew as more people began to hear about it.
The courses he teaches are simple. Basic combat with swords, spears, halberds, bows, daggers, and survival training. Nothing fancy, nothing advanced. Just the fundamentals.
The sessions are at least two hours long, usually held after school so he can gather children who want to learn self-defense and aspiring adventurers like Leon.
At first, most of them treated it like a game.
That stopped quickly.
“Lambert! Lambert! It has been a few months now. It’s time for you to teach me Ember!”
“How many times do I have to tell you, it’s Ember. And it is not time for you to learn magic yet. Save it until you’re ten. Once you get appraised by the guild, I’ll teach you all the magic that I know. Well, it’s all Tier 1 magic though.”
“Tier 1 magic?”
“Listen. Magic is divided into seven tiers. The higher the tier, the harder it gets. Of course, the higher the mana you need to activate the magic. You can lower the mana cost of a spell if you have good control, but if your mana capacity is really low, there is no way around it.”
“You know, if I had a little bit more mana capacity, maybe I could reach at least Tier 3 or Tier 4 magic. I could have been chosen as the hero.”
“Mana? Hero? Tier?”
“Ah, is that a bit too heavy for you right now? Anyway, mana will stabilize and your body will start adapting to it once you reach ten. The guild even has a tool to appraise what type of magic you can use. For example, me. I can use fire magic and some unique magic that only I can use.”
“Unique magic?”
“Yeah, yeah. It means a magic type that is different from the usual. People can usually use fire, earth, wind, and water magic. Some can combine those, but some people only have a magic spell that only they can use. As for me, I can make things heavier and lighter, but only for a few seconds.”
Leon’s eyes widened slightly at that.
“Anyway, do not touch magic for now. Let’s focus on basic training. Swords first. Maybe two years after you turn ten, we can work on magic. People are starting to gather. Let’s talk about this later.”
A group of twelve guards arrived at the open field beside the stables. Their steps were heavier, more disciplined than the others. Each of them carried spears and long poles, the wooden shafts resting against their shoulders.
“Fidly, you are the first one to arrive, aside from this brat. I have something that I want you to do after the basic training.”
“Oh, Lambert, what is it? Do you need more help with Linda?”
“No, no. Let’s discuss it once everybody is here.”
Another group arrived, a group of ten people equipped with bows and daggers. Their movements were lighter, eyes scanning the surroundings out of habit.
“Theron! Come here for a bit!”
“What is it, Lambert? Do you want me to look for flowers for Linda again? Did you piss her off again? What did you do this time?”
“Not you too. Anyway, I have to discuss something with you guys. We just need to wait for that bitch!”
“Spak!”
The sound cracked sharply across the field.
“Who’s the bitch, huh?!”
Several of the nearby kids froze.
“Oh. Lyra. Did you bring your friends?”
“Yeah. What is it?”
Lambert clapped once, drawing attention back to him.
“I am planning to add something after the field training. Something like specialized training. Yeah, let’s call it that.”
The three exchanged glances.
“Captain Fidly of the town guards will teach polearms and spears. Theron and the hunters will teach people how to use bows and basic dagger techniques. Maybe monster dismantling and skinning in the future too. As for you, Lyra, teach people basic magic. Since you are more on the fire side, teach people how to use fire magic, and your friends can teach others the elements they are compatible with.”
“Elements?”
“Who is this kid, Lambert? Did you find your long-lost son? Is this why Linda is mad at you again?”
“Oh, this brat is Leon. He is my number one slaa… No. Disciple. Yeah, yeah. Disciple. Let’s call him that.”
“The Swift Arsenal taking disciples? What happened to the world?”
“Yeah, yeah. The Swift Arsenal is known to ignore kids and low-level adventurers, but now… disciples? Field training? In an unnamed village far away from the capital? It is probably going to rain soon.”
“Yeah, yeah. Never thought I would fall this hard. Anyway, what do you guys think? Even just for an hour. Just lay down the basics. I’ll even teach what to do. What do you think?”
“Well, if you teach me how you usually use your spears and halberds, I’ll consider it.”
“One hour every week. Let’s do it, Fidly.”
“Two hours.”
“Fine. Two sessions, one hour each?”
“I’ll take it.”
“What about you, Theron?”
“One hour of snap shooting on the bow and one hour of dagger throwing.”
“You too? Fine, fine.”
“Lyra? One hour every three nights. Make sure Linda doesn’t know. What do you think?”
“Spak! Who would like that?!”
A few of the guards quietly looked away.
“Control. Magic control. That’s the only thing that I can get from you.”
Lyra exhaled slowly.
“Fine. Fine.”
“Everything is settled then. Looks like most of the people are here, so let’s start.”
“Leon, gather everyone. We are going to start with warm-ups.”
“Yeah!”
“Everyone! We are going to start in a few seconds. Line up!”
“Kids in the front! Guards at the back! Adventurers on the sides!”
The group scrambled into position. Some of the younger ones bumped into each other, quickly fixing their stance when they noticed the guards watching.
“Yeah!”
And just like that, the basic field training started.
The training began with warm-up exercises before moving on to sword training. Basic swings, slashes, and thrusts. Fifty of each.
A few of the newer kids struggled to keep pace, their swings uneven and rushed.
One of them lost his grip mid-swing, the wooden sword slipping from his hand and landing with a dull thud.
“Pick it up,” Lambert said without even looking at him. “A dropped weapon is a dead man.”
The boy quickly scrambled to grab it, face flushed.
“Keep your wrists steady!”
A wooden sword knocked against another with a dull crack.
Lambert moved constantly, correcting forms, adjusting grips, and fixing posture.
He stopped beside one of the guards and pushed his arm down slightly.
“Too stiff. You’re forcing it.”
The guard adjusted immediately.
“Again.”
The next swing cut cleaner through the air.
Lambert gave a small nod and moved on.
“One! Two! One! Two!”
Leon kept swinging.
Around him, the rhythm of the field continued. Wood striking wood. Feet shifting against dirt. Short breaths between swings.
Someone behind him grunted as their blade struck too low, kicking up dust instead of cutting through the air.
“Higher,” Lambert called out. “You’re not digging a hole.”
He had been using this sword for a while now, but something started to feel off.
The tip felt heavier.
Not just heavier. Uneven.
Like the motion broke midway through the swing.
A wooden blade suddenly stopped inches from Leon’s shoulder.
He flinched.
“Eyes forward,” Lambert said, lowering the weapon. “You lose focus, you get hit.”
Leon adjusted his grip, moving his hand slightly lower.
“One! Two!”
That felt a bit better.
Still not right.
He swung again.
Same problem.
“…Why does it feel like this?”
“Leon,” Lambert called. “What are you doing?”
“Lambert. This sword feels weird all of a sudden. The tip feels heavier, and the rest is not keeping up. It feels like I am not properly swinging it down.”
Lambert nodded, watching one of his swings closely.
“That’s a good sign.”
“What?”
“You’ve been swinging that for months. You’re starting to notice the difference. Not every lump of metal or wood with a sharpened edge is the same, you know.”
He stepped closer, lightly pushing the blade off its path.
“It might be time for you to move to the next step.”
“Next step?”
“Do you have extra time after the session? I’ll have Fidly set you up.”
“Set me up?”
“It is time for you to move from swords to spears and polearms.”
Leon frowned.
“Why? Swords are cool.”
A wooden spear nearby snapped forward with a loud thud, stopping just short of another trainee’s chest.
“They are,” Lambert said calmly. “But they are not always the right tool.”
He gestured toward the polearm group.
“There are things swords cannot do. Learn spears, and you’ll understand swords better.”
“Learning spears helps with swords? What?”
“It will make sense once you feel it.”
Halfway through the practice drills, the kids, adventurers, and town guards switched from wooden swords to wooden poles. This time, they practiced using long pole weapons like spears and halberds.
Everyone stepped forward with their left foot and held their polearms straight ahead, thrusting forward in steady motions.
Some struggled.
One of the younger kids pushed too far and nearly fell forward.
A pole stopped him mid-motion.
“Too far,” Fidly said, holding the shaft steady against the boy’s chest. “You lose your stance, you lose your life.”
The boy stiffened and corrected himself.
More experienced fighters used shields with their polearms. Some added weights to the tips to simulate heavier weapons like great axes and halberds.
The air filled with dull impacts and the sound of wood cutting through wind.
Lambert moved through the group, correcting bad habits as they formed.
“Do not overextend.”
“Keep your center.”
“Again.”
After the polearm drill, Lambert asked everyone to stay for a few words.
Breathing was heavier now. A few wiped sweat from their faces.
“Today, we are adding something to our training.”
The murmurs died down.
“For those who prefer polearms, Guard Captain Fidly is here to provide specialized training. I have selected a few people for this, but if you have free time today, I encourage you to participate.”
“Leon, Reinhart, Siegfried, Elmharn, and Davion. Follow Fidly for specialized polearm training. Anyone else interested can join as well.”
Some of the named trainees straightened immediately.
“Next, we have the town’s hunter, Theron. For those learning self-defense, he is well-versed in daggers and bows. If you are interested, follow him. He will also be handling survival training.”
A few of the older kids exchanged looks, already considering it.
“For those with magic aptitude, Lyra will be handling basic magic training. She also brought some of her friends, so most elemental affinities are covered. If you are interested in offensive or utility magic, feel free to join them.”
That drew the most reaction.
Some leaned forward with interest. Others hesitated.
“We will give you a few minutes to decide which specialized training you want to join. Today is only an introductory session, so feel free to drop by and introduce yourself to the instructor you choose.”
“Be back after thirty minutes and join the group you want.”
“Dismiss.”
The field broke apart into smaller groups.
Some moved immediately.
Others lingered, glancing between instructors, unsure.
Leon stayed where he was for a moment, looking toward the polearms.
Fidly, Lyra, and Theron gathered at the corner.
“Have you noticed?” Lyra asked.
“Yeah,” Fidly said. “If that guy is putting in this much effort just to set this up, something big might be happening.”
“Hey, we are just normal people,” Theron said. “If anything, I am only a D-rank adventurer.”
“Yeah,” Lyra replied. “Which makes this even stranger.”
She looked toward Lambert, who was still shouting instructions at a group that had not fully dismissed yet.
“If he is doing this much, we should prepare ourselves. That guy is hiding something from us.”
Fidly nodded slowly.
“Knowing him, he will tell us soon enough. For now, let’s take this seriously. I will reach out to others so they can help out.”
He paused, eyes narrowing slightly.
“Either way, we are getting trained by an S-class adventurer. That is more than enough reason to do our best.”
Theron let out a breath.
“Yeah. Might as well.”
Lyra gave a small nod.
“Yeah.”