You fools!
Protect yourselves, at the very least!
You lot rely way too much on your skills!
You have no defense whatsoever!
Now, who's next?!
Whoa!
Hey! Don't you run away!
I-I didn't know training would be this rough...
Are you slacking off over here?
Gah! Miss Lilia!
We let you join our guild because you said you'd work hard to mend your ways,
but you're not putting in any effort!
Cut me a break! Rod is being downright diabolical!
Well, he's definitely become a more passionate trainer
since getting back on his feet.
And it's all thanks to Arel.
Speaking of, is Master Arel not coming in today?
Oh, Arel's dropped out of the guild.
What?! Master left the guild?!
He sure did.
Oh, Arel! Why did you leave me behind?!
We were supposed to get married!
Not even Reiner is here since she went chasing after Arel.
Jeez. It's really troublesome how self-centered they are.
Hero Without a Class: Who Even Needs Skills?!
Arel's Homecoming
I must say, Sir.
The champion of the Sword God Cup
has never just disappeared right after their victory like this.
Shouldn't you have stuck around?
Well, there was nothing left for me to see or do there.
Sure. But then why come all the way out to the sticks?
Oh, unless you're here to visit your hometown?
Yeah. And to test my skills.
Huh?
I may be able to beat my mother now.
Even the great winner of the Sword God Cup is afraid of his mother, eh?
I suppose moms are always the strongest in any family!
Mm, what a lovely fragrance.
Perhaps I'll make a bouquet to celebrate your return, Arel.
Here I was trying to be stealthy.
I can tell you've gotten some experience under your belt.
I didn't pick up on your presence until a few moments ago.
I won the Sword God Cup.
Oh my! Just like me!
Yeah. So, about that...
They smell nice, don't they?
I'd be done for if that flower was a sword.
You got me.
You saw right through what I wanted to do, huh?
Of course I did. I'm your mother.
But we'd destroy the house if we sparred here.
Shall we go to the training grounds behind the mountain?
Yes.
I'm excited to see how strong you've become.
You better laugh it up like that while you still can.
My, my...
I hope you don't get the impression that I'm not taking this seriously.
Divine Step into a direct attack!
I wouldn't have been able to block
if I hadn't seen her pull the same move in the front yard!
I have to go on the offensive if I want to win!
Was that move a mix of the Divine Air Slice and Twin Blade Slice?
How interesting!
Which skill did you just use to defend against that, Mom?
I simply swung my sword.
That wasn't a skill?
I learned to fight without relying on skills from you, Arel.
Makes sense. You really are a powerhouse, Mom.
Wh-what is that?!
Uh-oh! Is it some kind of monster?!
Yikes!
Now you're coming at me with the Divine Swordsman's Aerial Leap?
Oh no, you don't!
Divine Presence!
That won't work against me anymore!
Then I'm pulling out all the stops.
Infinite Break!
This place is deserted.
Did everybody take off because of whatever caused that awful noise earlier?
Though it seems to have stopped now...
Anyways, I hope he's here.
Who are you, lady?
His younger sister, maybe?
Um, I'm Reiner.
I'm here to see Arel.
Here to see my brother?
A fat cow like you?
Fat cow?!
My brother isn't here right now.
And he isn't interested in cows anyways.
Goodbye.
W-wait a second!
I don't understand cow talk!
Now, now, Mira.
You mustn't be rude to guests.
Huh? What are you doing here, Reiner?
Arel!
Mommy! Brother! Welcome back!
I'm home. You've gotten bigger.
I figured you were his little sister.
Hey, why do you two look so beat up?
Well, Mom and I had a match.
Who won?!
I lost! Arel's very strong now!
Nah, it came down to skill against skill
and I barely won because of the difference in physical strength.
But that's still amazing.
I mean, your mother is actually a Sword God, right?
Yeah. But she's not in peak form like back in her guild days.
It's not a win I want to celebrate.
A-ah I see.
Oh, that's mean!
It's not like I'm an old biddy, you know!
You're so pretty, Mommy!
So, when are you going to introduce me to this lovely young lady?
I was going to ask about your adventure in the City of Swords,
but I think I'd rather hear about how you two met first!
I love a good romance story!
Ew, no! Don't waste time listening to this cow!
Um, sorry. I don't understand why you keep calling me a cow.
Am I really that overweight?
Hmph!
Well, her name is Reiner.
We lived together in the city.
Uh, together?
Oh my, together?!
J-just as members of the same guild!
So, what did you come here for?
Oh, right! Arel! How could you just abandon our guild like that?!
I made sure to leave behind a letter of resignation.
That's not the problem!
Normally, you at least say goodbye when you're leaving, right?!
I already saw all the sword skills that could be useful.
So, I figured it was time to move on.
I can't believe you...
Now, now. It's great that you came this far out to the sticks
because you were worried about Arel.
Well, I'm from this village too.
Oh? Are you?
Also, Arel isn't my only reason for being here.
Actually, I wanted to ask if you'd take me on as a disciple, Ms. Farah.
Oh my goodness!
Lady Farah! Is Lady Farah home?! We have an emergency!
I know that voice...
Evans?
Oh, thank goodness you're here, Lady Farah!
Something cataclysmic happened on the west side of the mountain not too long ago!
Oh, you don't say...
Uh oh.
Many trees were downed and even the ground was split apart.
So, I was hoping that you would join the village security on our investigation.
There's no need for that.
We actually just slayed a monster over there, you see.
O-oh, is that what happened?!
Nice. She explained her way out of it.
Then our problem is solved. Wonderful.
I'll have to tell at the evacuees to come back.
Hm, Reiner?!
Papa.
Oh! So, you're Evans' daughter!
You look just like your late mother.
Why in the world are you at Lady Farah's house?
She wants me to teach her all about how to be a good wife!
Shucks, Reiner. You're already getting to be that age, huh?
I never said that! I only asked to be your disciple!
Yeah, my disciple in romance, right?
No way! I want to learn how to fight!
I'm trying to be a better Swordsman!
Oh! Well, I can teach you all about how to be both a good Swordsman
AND a good wife!
Huh?! Uh, but...
Yes, great thinking!
What?!
Back when my wife passed away,
I was so worried about Reiner's future.
I swore to raise her right!
However, I could only teach her swordsmanship...
I'd be overjoyed if Reiner could also learn about housekeeping!
Leave it all to me!
I'll make Reiner into a proper lady!
Lady Farah... I'm so grateful!
Um, well, that's nice and all! But don't I get a say in this?!
Now then, I'll return to my duties!
You can do it, Reiner!
Are you guys even listening to me?
I figured from all the hubbub that you might have come back home.
Looks like I was right!
Welcome back, Arel.
Thank you.
What have you been doing, magic research?
Yeah, I'm on the verge of a breakthrough.
It's going to be my ultimate technique of sorts.
An ultimate technique, huh?
More importantly, I heard Mira shouting her little head off.
Did you bring back a cute girlfriend or what?
I think she's more beautiful than cute.
You really brought one back with you?!
Oh man, I wasn't sure you had it in you.
What great news!
Well, anyway, I beat Mom in a sword fight today.
Whoa, congrats!
Your hard work's paid off!
So that's why, Dad...
Arel, you don't mean...
Yeah.
Will you teach me magic?
Sorry, but that's impossible. Give it up.
Okay, for starters, let's practice chopping veggies into large pieces.
Right!
Have you never chopped vegetables before?
This is my first time! But I can handle it!
Eek! That's not how a chef holds their knife!
Oh dear.
Oh...
I'm so sorry.
You broke my mug!
I'm sorry.
Oh my... Um, Reiner, dear?
Did you never get a chance to cook at the guild?
I always let somebody else handle it...
All right. I'll just have to teach you
everything about housekeeping from the bottom up, then.
Um, can't we just stick to swordsmanship?
No can do.
Mind, body, and skill.
You must refine all 3 of those to become the best Swordsman.
And you can't do that without being diligent in how you handle everyday chores.
Yes, ma'am.
But I'm quite pleased to have another daughter around the house.
Huh? That reminds me, don't you have a daughter who's older than Arel?
Yes! There is another girl in the family.
Oh, my big sister told us...
I'm going to make a world that's easier for a classless like Arel to live in!
...and then left.
I hope she's doing well.
Well, there are a lot of problems with discrimination against classless people...
But does she really have to worry about a guy who's stronger than most people?
Well, this table was in need of repair, anyways.
So, it all worked out.
Couldn't you have just fixed it with magic?
Well, your mother says she likes it when I smell like sawdust!
Sure, okay.
Oh, did you want to see some magic?
Yeah.
Okay, then.
Rebuild.
Whoa.
Let's chat while cleaning up.
Like I said before, you should give up on learning magic.
Not every person has the mana needed to cast it.
It's a special ability. Like having a magic battery.
Ability, huh?
It's totally unheard of for someone without any mana or skills
to be able to cast spells.
But that doesn't mean it's impossible, right?
That's true.
And I know you've already set a new precedent
by winning the Sword God Cup without having a class.
However...
These old swords are proof that you're a hard worker.
And some things in life are just unachievable even with hard work.
You didn't throw those out?
They're like a monument to all your efforts.
It wouldn't sit right with me to throw them out or repair them.
But you know...
Trying to cast magic without the mana
is like being an armless Swordsman who can't hold a blade
and has to learn by watching moves while blindfolded.
No amount of hard work will help.
Fair point.
But how can you say for sure that I don't have any mana?
If you did, you would have gotten the Magician class through a blessing
and started casting a long time ago.
I must have mana. I just know it!
And what makes you say that?
It happened when I was getting beat up by Reiner everyday back in the guild.
Huh?! Oh, so she's one of those violently jealous types?
I'm kind of concerned now...
No.
I was just having her wail on me so I could obtain the Guts skill.
Oh, well that's a relief.
Or is it...?
Anyways, to restore my Divine Protection after I got hurt,
I needed to drink holy water, but...
Jeez, Arel! You need to stop ruining our budget!
Too much of our monthly supply of holy water is wasted on you!
Why worry about the guild budget when you're just spending it all to bet on me?
Shut your freakin' trap!
If you want to keep running yourself ragged, then drink this instead!
What is this?
Some medicine that was laying around the warehouse.
Use this for recovery first!
Sh-should he really?
What even is that medicine?
No clue. But if it's old holy water we'd be in luck, right?
And what if it's poison?
Actually, drinking poison might help me toughen up my internal organs.
Eh?
Whoa, he really drank it.
Don't drink things like that!
Well, the problem is that it wasn't actually poison.
That sounds like a good thing to me!
The thing is, it felt like I recovered something when I drank it.
However, it wasn't Divine Protection from the Goddess.
So, what else could it be?
Ah, I get it!
You're saying it's possible that it was mana you recovered!
In that case, I think I can teach you magic.
You sound really happy about it.
Of course!
To be honest, I've always been jealous of your mother
getting to teach you her swordsmanship.
Okay! Can you still feel the sensation of that mana you recovered inside of you?
Yes.
Can you make it move throughout your body?
Somewhat.
Try to release it.
Imagine condensing it to a single point in the palm of your hand.
I'll give it a shot.
Yes! You did it!
That tiny flash of light?
It's unmistakable proof that you have mana!
O-oh, okay...
Looks like you've used it all up.
With just that...?
Yes. You may be a champion when it comes to swords.
But, in terms of mana, you're not even at the level of a trainee yet.
You'll need a much larger pool of mana than you currently have to start using magic!
How can I increase it?
Same as practicing with your sword!
Huh?
It's just like how we train our bodies to increase muscle mass.
You have to use your mana over and over to improve it.
Oh, great. Glad to hear...
Honestly, I never wanted to tell you to give up.
Because you've always dug in your heels
and proved that nothing is impossible with effort.
You're the best son I could ask for!
I'd like to buy all of the mana potions you have in this shop.
Mana potion, really?
You need that many? Is this for your dad?
No, I'm going to use them.
Huh?
6 months later
Wow! That's amazing, Arel!
You have the same amount of mana as a Spellcaster right after their blessing!
So that means I'll be able to invoke magic now, right?
No, there's still one tricky issue left to deal with.
First, take a look at this.
What are these markings supposed to be?
This is called magiscript.
In order to use magic, you need to know spells that are written in magiscript.
I see...
With the right skill, the spells that you need to cast magic
can pop into your mind almost automatically.
And I don't have skills...
Right. Which means, you have to form and recite the spell in your head every time.
That is a tricky issue.
Well, it might be possible for you to get some help from
the academy in the City of Magic.
That's where you went, isn't it?
They teach all the basics of magic there.
You'll have to train enough to reach the level needed for entry first, though.
Tell me everything!
Everything you make is yummy, Mommy.
This soup is especially great!
Really? Thanks.
Uh, you made this, Cow Lady?
W-well, the veggies are actually undercooked and too hard!
You need more practice!
I prefer my veggies on the crunchy side.
D-do you? Then I'm glad.
You've gotten so much better, Reiner. Both in the kitchen and with the sword.
Have I really?!
You're being too nice, Mom!
Looks like Mom's really taken a liking to you, Reiner.
I like her, too!
She's valiant and beautiful!
O-oh, shucks...
Really now, darling?
W-well, not as beautiful as you are, of course!
Oh you!
Your whole family gets along so well.
Maybe mine would be the same way if my mom was still alive.
Maybe so.
I'd do anything for you, honey.
Just say the word and I'll make it happen with magic!
Wow!
Ooh!
Consider me your personal genie.
I'm ready to grant any wish!
Magic, huh...
Okay! I'm going to become much stronger.