A hero who wants to help others wants to live a normal life - Chapter 65

Chapter 65   Children’s Training

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“That damn old man… Next time, at least let me travel in a more normal way.”

In the end, I was once again carried under Tenma’s arm, bounding through the mountains at an insane speed on our way back.

Because I wasn’t running on my own but being carried, I felt incredibly nauseous by the time we arrived. It passed quickly, but that method of travel feels more like being on a ship tossed about in a storm.

If it were Inori, she could’ve carried me on her back or in her arms and still followed Tenma without jostling me too much.

But regardless of how strong she is, I just couldn’t accept being carried by my little sister.

So, reluctantly, I chose Tenma… but seriously, I hope he comes up with a more normal way to travel next time.

“Hey, Seiji!”
“Hm? Oh, Kiriya.”

Inori had gone to take a shower, leaving me alone as I walked back to the main house of the Kamiarizuki family, heading to the room assigned to me. On the way, I ran into Kiriya.

The guys gathered around him were probably other trainees. A group of boys around our age stood together, but after exchanging a few words with them, Kiriya walked over to me.

I appreciated the gesture, but… was this okay? I could definitely feel people staring at me.

Well, I guess it can’t be helped. Unlike them, I don’t come here every year for training. If someone new shows up, it’s only natural for people to stare. Understanding that, I did my best to ignore their gazes.

“Where’d you go? You weren’t just talking the whole time, right?”
“Tenma-sensei showed up midway. He said, ‘You two, come with me,’ and basically abducted us. We’ve been stuck with him until now.”

As I said that, I realized something. Kiriya had been worried about leaving just the two of us in that room. I probably should’ve left a quick explanation before leaving.

But honestly, with how suddenly we were whisked away, I completely forgot about that.

“Tenma-sensei… You mean the former head of the family…? Getting direct training from him is seriously amazing.”

Kiriya was clearly amazed when he realized our training partner had been Tenma. And sure, it is amazing.

But only people who haven’t experienced Tenma’s training firsthand can react with such pure awe.

“I mean, yeah, it’s impressive, but honestly, I’d rather not do it again.”
“Why not? Did something happen?”
“It’s not just something. That guy’s like an absolute monster—insanely strong and completely ruthless.”

It’s true that his training is incredibly valuable, and it does make you stronger. I’m grateful for that, no doubt.

But it’s also true that he’s utterly merciless, to the point where you genuinely feel like you might die.

And since Inori and I can’t actually die from normal injuries, he pushes us even harder, without holding back.

“Ah… well, I guess that’s just how it is. It’s training, after all. Besides, things on this side were pretty rough too.”

Kiriya sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping as if to physically display how exhausted he was.

Come to think of it, what kind of training did Kiriya and the others go through? Obviously, it wasn’t with Tenma, but I imagine they had to spar with other strong fighters or something similar.

“What were you guys doing?”
“We did some sparring, yeah. But mostly it was stamina training and stuff like that. Running all over the mountains, climbing cliffs, jumping between tree branches… all kinds of things.”

Climbing cliffs and jumping on trees… Is this really training to become a warrior?

“…Are they trying to train you guys to be ninjas or something?”
“Close enough, honestly. But if you think about it, when you’re fighting monsters, someone who can move across different terrains and strike from unexpected angles is way more useful than someone who can only charge head-on. So I think their approach makes sense.”

Kiriya replied with a wry smile, but his explanation was surprisingly reasonable.

During the last test, I used my blessing, but if I could move freely across buildings or rough terrain like that, it would definitely give me an advantage in a fight.

Even so, despite understanding the logic, it still feels more like ninja training than warrior training.

“Well, yeah, I see your point… but it sounds pretty intense on your end too.”
“You get used to it after a few years. We pretty much do the same stuff every summer.”

Climbing cliffs every summer vacation, huh…? I guess if you frame it as ‘rock climbing enthusiasts,’ it sounds pretty normal. Except in their case, it’s mandatory, not a hobby.

As we chatted, I caught something out of the corner of my eye—a group moving through the courtyard.

“Hm? Are those… kids?”

The group consisted of noticeably smaller figures, and from the looks of it, they seemed younger than us—around ten to twelve years old, maybe?

Honestly, even our age feels pretty young for something like training, but aren’t those kids too young for this?

“Ah, those kids… that’s the Junior Division. I was part of it too. The idea is that it’s better to build up at least basic stamina and foundational skills from a young age, so they send kids here from around five years old.”

“Now that you mention it, I think you’ve said something like that before.”

It’s not just Kiriya’s family. I’ve heard that many martial families, or households aiming to make a name for themselves fighting monsters, start training their kids from an early age. Those kids probably have similar family expectations.

But… do they actually make kids that young climb cliffs and jump between trees? Isn’t that a bit much?

“Well, obviously they don’t make them do the kind of brutal running drills or limit-breaking strength training we do. That’d destroy their bodies and mess up their growth. They focus mainly on building stamina, basic techniques, and fostering connections with kids from other families.”

Ah, thank goodness. That makes sense. No way they’d push those tiny kids to extremes like that.

But… fostering connections with other families? Is that some kind of political thing?

“When you say ‘connections with other families,’ do you mean like… building ties with influential houses?”
“Yeah. Some of the families here are even rivals, but in the end, these kids are the ones who’ll fight side by side on the battlefield someday. It doesn’t hurt to have them get along early on.”

Hmm… Yeah, I can see that. When fighting monsters, they might end up in the same place, or even need to cooperate to take down a tough opponent.

In that case, having some prior connection is probably better. Even just a small shared memory could make working together easier compared to fighting alongside a total stranger.

“Plus, even if there’s political rivalry between houses, things would get messy if they couldn’t coordinate on the battlefield. Kids don’t really understand house rivalries at that age, so getting them to bond now makes it easier for them to work together in the future. Once you’ve been through something together, it’s easier to cooperate later on.”
“…Man, the families in charge sure have a lot on their plate.”

To maintain power, they need results. And to get results, they have to lead from the front lines in battles against monsters.

That’s why even their children are trained from a young age, and why they’re expected to get along with rivals.

Sure, there are probably privileges and rewards that come with that life, but honestly, I’d prefer a normal, peaceful family life. I guess that’s just because I’ve always wanted to stay ‘ordinary.’

“Yeah, well… the tough part only falls on a few people. Most of the extended relatives are just living easy lives, messing around. Honestly, every time I see them, I wanna punch them in the face.”
“…Yeah, it really does sound like being in an influential family comes with its own headaches.”

Kiriya spoke with clear frustration, and I couldn’t think of anything else to say, so I repeated myself.

Deciding it was probably best not to dig too deep into this topic, I started walking through the main building again.