Earl Vazquez and his family lived in a castle similar in size to many modern shopping malls. To the front of the castle was a garden filled with exotic plants. Behind it was a large open space that was used as a training ground. I was observing the fifty or so men who were scattered around the training ground in small groups. Some were practicing with spears. Others were practicing archery. These men were part of the Earl's standing army. Since the kingdom was not at war, the Earl only kept a small standing army to reduce costs. The solders didn’t seem very motivated either. They were swinging the weapons haphazardly.

However, there was one person among them who took training very seriously. He was a knight's apprentice.

The word 'knight' held a very different meaning in this world. Knights could use magic while regular soldiers couldn’t, so the power disparity between them was huge. It differed for each knight, but generally it was assumed that one of them equaled a hundred foot soldiers. Knights were the only ones who could get promoted to commanding positions, such as captain or general. So for people who wanted to make a living as soldiers, whether one had a talent for magic determined one’s fate.

There were three knights who had sworn allegiance to Earl Vazquez and one apprentice knight who was training under them. The knight's apprentice was Julian Haye, the main character of the novel.

Julian was born into a regular family. He only became a knight due to his talents and hard work. In the novel, Florence grew jealous of Julian and cooked up all sorts of plans to torment the young knight. I didn't plan to do the same and end up dying.

Before coming to the training ground, I had asked the headmaid working at the castle about Julian. I knew that he had become an apprentice knight only a week ago. And this was going to be our first time meeting each other. I needed to make a good impression.

I walked up to Julian.

"Hey, Julian. Let's have a mock battle." I said.

Julian seemed surprised after getting called out. "Sir Florence. How did you know my name? Did I offend you in some way?"

"I heard the head maid talking about you. She said a talented young man became an apprentice knight, so I came to see."

"That's embarrassing. I'm not talented at all." Julian scratched his head.

"Let’s practice our swordsmanship for a while."

"But—"

"Don’t worry. I won’t complain if I get hurt." I interrupted him before he could decline.

"That's not what I mean. I would be delighted to spar with you."

The two of us walked to the side.

I grabbed two of the wooden swords that were kept beside the training grounds and threw one to Julian.

Julian took his position opposite me.

The Florence Vazquez in the novel was talented in both swordsmanship and magic. Many people called him a prodigy. It was time to find out if the same applied to me.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

I closed my eyes and focused. I could sense the mana in my body and in the air around me. It floated like gas, but at the same time, it flowed like water.

I tried to manipulate the mana in my body.

A long moment passed. However, the flow of mana in my body did not even budge.

Why is it not working? I tried again, but the result was the same.

Don't tell me that I have to practice mana control. Since I could sense mana, it meant that I had a talent for magic. However, if my speculation was correct, the current me was like a newborn infant who had yet to learn mana control, the sense necessary to use magic.

Do I really have to practice mana control before I can use magic?

I had hoped that this body would somehow instinctively remember how to control mana, but I had no such luck.

Julian took a stance, but he didn’t make a move. He seemed to be waiting for me to initiate the fight.

I took a large step forward and swung the wooden sword as hard as I could.

Julian easily deflected the diagonal slash with his own sword and counterattacked.

I barely managed to jump back and block his attack. This body was a lot more muscular and easier to move around in than my original body. However, I was a complete beginner with the sword. As expected, the wooden sword flew out of my hand with Julian's next attack.

Even though it might have seemed pointless, I had learned three important things from the short exchange of blows with Julian. Firstly, I confirmed that I could not use magic. But it wasn't that I didn’t have the talent. I probably had the same talent for magic as the original Florence. That was why I could sense mana. However, I would have to practice for years if I wanted to master mana control. Secondly, I was a complete amateur at using the sword. I hadn’t inherited the memories of Florence from the novel, so it was only natural. I had never touched a sword in my life on Earth.

Lastly, I had managed to make a good first impression on Julian. If I could become good friends with the protagonist, it would make my life a lot easier.

"Julian. Can we train together tomorrow morning?" I asked.

"Of course. If that’s what you want, Sir Florence,"

Instead of avoiding Julian, I planned to keep him close and make use of him if needed.

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(Julian Haye)

Julian opened the door to his house and saw his mother peeling potatoes near the stove.

Edith Haye was in her thirties. Black circles lined her eyes, and her skin was rough from all the manual labor she did every day.

"Mom, I’m back!"

"Julian! Go. Go sit down. I am just about to finish making dinner."

"No need, Mom. I’ll help." Julian took the knife from his mother.

"Aren’t you tired? You should rest well after training hard, you know?"

"It’s fine. Mom, you won’t believe what happened today." Julian smiled at his mother. "Lord Florence talked to me. He said he wants to train with me tomorrow."

"Lord Florence? You mean the Earl’s oldest son? What did he say?"

"We didn’t talk much. But he seems very friendly."

"That’s good…"

Julian wanted to reassure Edith that he was doing well at the lord’s castle. The truth was different, though. The three knights at the castle looked down on him and hadn’t taught him anything, only asking him to do chores around the castle. He had to train by himself in his free time. The Earl probably hadn’t even noticed him. The only exception was Florence Vazquez, who had come to talk to him.

"Don’t worry, Mom. Once I get paid at the end of the month, you can also stop working at the diner," Julian said.

Edith was the daughter of a rich merchant. She was originally supposed to marry the son of a noble, but she had fallen in love with Rafe Haye—a knight—and had eloped with him. After her father found out, he disowned Edith.

Rafe had a stable income, so Edith getting disowned hadn't been a problem for the couple. However, disaster had struck. Soon after Edith gave birth to Julian, Rafe passed away in battle. Since then, Edith has been working in various places to earn money for the family.

Julian didn’t know what Edith had done to get him the position of apprentice knight at the Earl’s castle, but he wasn’t going to waste her efforts.

"Julian. Don’t worry about your mom. I can still work for many more decades." Edith patted Julian’s head.

Julian swore to himself that he would become a full-fledged knight as soon as possible. After all, he was the only one who could protect his mother’s smile.