Interrogation in the form of conversation(2)

Ethan didn't understand why his teacher was confused by his uncle's words. After all, Ethan himself noticed that after his first contact with his teacher, his perception of the world changed, and he became more focused on learning and becoming stronger, quite opposite to how he was before that night.

"Okay, I understand."

"Good. That should be all I wanted to learn from you, but is there anything you want from me, Ethan?"

'Right.'

Thought Ethan, remembering his conversation with his teacher.

"Um, yes. I want to learn how to fight."

Karl listened calmly, but the reaction of Captain Siegfried was different.

"Hoho, it looks like a little boy wants to become a man. But it might be pretty bad."

He said this, stroking his moustache.

Ethan was expecting agreement, or at least he might be told to wait a little bit, but he wasn't expecting such an answer. After all, it was common to learn how to fight or use magic from age four, although in Ethan's case, he awakened his mana at age four but wasn't able to learn so fast or increase his control over his mana as now. Because every time he trained in mana control or learned magic, after about ten minutes of focus, his head would start to ache. But now everything is different. He was able to increase his mana control much more in three months than in four years of training earlier. Ethan didn't know the true reason behind this situation, but he was sure it was thanks to his teacher.

And, although Ethan wanted to learn how to wield a sword from his father when he was younger, he always told him that Ethan should focus on learning magic and that his dad would teach him when Ethan became at least a mage of the first circle. And Ethan was on such level now. So there wasn't any problem for him to learn how to fight. And it was his teacher's advice to learn how to fight.

So Ethan was lost after such a dejection from Captain Siegfried.

"Um, why can't I learn how to fight?"

"Hoho, don't make such a face, young boy. It looks like you misunderstood something, so let me correct myself. I didn't say that you can't learn how to fight, but it would be bad for the morale of our new recruits, specifically. Even now, some of them are dispirited after seeing how you were able to improve so rapidly in shooting. Imagine their faces if it so happened that you were also talented in close combat. And you also should get approval first from your uncle."

He looked at Karl, and Ethan, too, did so.

"Huh? You want my opinion? But you did my duty so well that I started dreaming of leaving my obligation to you and concentrating on spending my time with my family. So keep going."

"Hoho, sorry about that. But I am already busy enough with my current duty, so no."

"It's a shame."

Karl turned his attention to Ethan.

"So showing Ethan's talent is bad for the morale of our guards? Though I sent him to guards quarters to learn how others train, it looks like it was a mistake. So from now on, you will be training in Anselm's family's private training hall. You know where it is, right?"

"Um, yes."

Of course Ethan knew where it was, though he had only been there once with his parents, but it was so spectacular that it left a very strong impression on the mind of a six-year-old kid. Though it looked just like the small stone house from outside, it was a personal training hall belonging to the count's family, so the outlook was fitting. But it was nothing impressive for Ethan. What impressed him was that this small stone house was only a storage room for some training equipment, and the training hall was in the basement.

It was huge, like the training field in guard quarters. One part of this training hall was to train in magic; the other was to train in close combat, with training dummies and magic puppets. Also, there was a shooting range of two hundred meters and a place for physical training.

The training hall was bright, and even in the heat of the summer and the coldness of the winter, the temperature inside was the same.

After Ethan's amazement subsided, he became curious about how such a small house could have such a big basement. And his mother told him that it was because the space inside was expanded with magic and the walls of the training hall were built from stone resistant to magic.

Of course, it didn't impress Ethan at that time because he didn't know much about magic and was too little interested in stones resistant to magic. But now, after gaining some knowledge, he knew how costly the stone resistant to magic was and how difficult it was to expand the space.

Ethan became silent due to the reminiscing of the past, and, of course, his uncle noticed it.

"Why have you become so silent, Ethan?"

"Um, it's nothing."

He shook his head.

"I just was thinking about the past, about how impressions of things can change with gaining new knowledge."

"Huh? You sound very mature. Hah, it looks like I'm the one whose words went to the wrong ears."

"Um, sorry."

Ethan scratched his head.

"It's nothing. You can get advice from others, but the decision about how to behave is yours after all. And it was inevitable that your perception might change after you went through."

Karl sighed.

"If it's all, you can go, Ethan."

Ethan learned everything he wanted from his uncle and had already drunk his tea, so there was nothing left for him to do. And also, he felt that he disturbed the conversation between his uncle and Captain Siegfried. So Ethan nodded and stood up.

"Um, okay. And thanks for the tea."

"You're welcome."

Ethan went towards the door, and when he almost reached his hand towards the door handle, he heard his uncle's voice.

"Wait Ethan."