WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
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Chapter 237: Time to Prove Yourself (4)
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“Come with me for a moment.”
Brett Lloyd suddenly appeared before Airen Farreira, who had been chatting with Lulu and Kiril.
There was clear excitement on his face.
Without asking any questions, Airen quietly followed Brett. Kiril also sensed that something was different and let the two go without complaint.
Waiting for them were five members of the Purification Order, including Quincy Myers.
All five stood with their swords drawn, smiling. Before Airen could say anything, the commander of the Subjugation Force spoke.
“You don’t need to think of this as learning the swordsmanship of the Holy Kingdom.”
“...”
“I suppose saying that only makes it feel more burdensome. Just think of it as five elders showing their respective swordsmanship to their juniors. Nothing more. You and the one beside you have both reached Master, so you’ll each have your own style. There’s no need to force yourselves to imitate us. Take what you find useful and leave the rest. That’s all.”
Only then did Airen understand their intention. He looked at Brett with a dazed expression.
Brett had kept it hidden all the way here, but something far more incredible than Airen expected had been waiting for them.
‘Have Paladins of the Holy Kingdom ever taught their swordsmanship to outsiders?’
He could not say for certain that it had never happened.
But it was certainly rare.
And he had just been given that rare opportunity.
Airen felt his heart pound.
Setting aside his obsession with his ideals for a while and focusing on the bonds around him.
That was why he had refused to join the Subjugation Force.
Still, that did not mean he intended to stop training with the sword during that time.
There was no reason to give up becoming a good swordsman just because he was trying to become a good son and a good friend.
‘If anything, I need to keep devoting myself to the sword if I want to become a good disciple.’
Before he realized it, a look of delight appeared on Airen’s face.
No matter what, he was now a swordsman more passionate than anyone.
“Thank you!”
“Thank you!”
Quincy Myers nodded at Airen and Brett’s brief responses.
Hummm.
Drawing a white Aura Sword, Quincy spoke.
“Paladins of the Holy Kingdom possess a greater total amount of Aura than swordsmen from other kingdoms. Did you know that?”
“Yes.”
Brett Lloyd answered.
More precisely, it was not that their total Aura was greater. The difference was that they could use holy power much like Aura.
Because of that, when their swordsmanship was at a similar level, the knights of Abilius held the advantage far more often.
But.
“That advantage can be fully displayed even at the Expert level, but its true power emerges once one reaches Master or above. The swordsmanship that I and the knights of the Purification Order will teach you from now on was all devised on the premise that you can wield an Aura Sword.”
“What?”
Brett asked in surprise.
There were sword arts that required one to be a Sword Master at minimum?
And they were going to teach them now?
There was no time to recover from the shock.
Vmmmm.
With an even deeper sword resonance than before, Quincy Myers’s Aura Sword gathered at its tip.
It was similar to what Ignet had shown in the Jester Demon’s dungeon.
Remembering that scene, Airen swallowed hard. Quincy Myers murmured in an even voice.
“If you can’t master it right away, at least commit it to memory.”
* * *
The swordsmanship of the Holy Kingdom truly lived up to its reputation.
Airen now understood why Master was the minimum requirement.
Every technique they taught was at a level that could not even be attempted without an Aura Sword.
They compressed the Aura Sword coating the blade into a sphere, then fired it.
That alone was an absurdly difficult technique. Adding speed, the principles of explosions, or changes to its trajectory was something even Airen found difficult to imagine attempting.
It was one thing to scatter Aura around. It was an entirely different matter to scatter energy dense enough to rival an Aura Sword.
‘It consumes an insane amount of Aura! The total amount matters, but if even the slightest bit is wasted while controlling it, I’ll be exhausted after only a few uses.’
Even that was manageable compared to the rest.
The defensive art of spinning one’s sword to spread an Aura curtain was so draining that using it twice seemed impossible.
They had to fill a broad surface, neither a point nor a line, entirely with dense Aura. It was an almost brutally wasteful method.
Yet depending on what variations one added, it could completely turn the tide of a fight. It could not simply be dismissed as a wasteful sword art.
Before long, Airen had become completely absorbed in the Holy Kingdom’s methods of Aura control and swordsmanship, swinging his sword.
Of course, he did not possess Aura as abundant as the elder knights’, so he had no choice but to rest frequently.
“Huff, huff, huff...”
Even so, he was better off than Brett Lloyd.
Brett had not even been a Master for a month yet.
He had been born into a wealthy family and consumed many valuable elixirs, but even then, his reserves could not compare to those of an average Sword Master.
He could not even attempt the Aura curtain. Even gathering Aura at the tip of his sword left him looking as though he were about to die.
Still, he never succeeded.
Since Airen had managed it relatively easily beside him, Airen thought Brett might be especially sensitive about it. Concern showed in Airen’s eyes.
Brett spoke to him.
“Stop looking at me like you’re worried about me.”
“Hm?”
“I became a Sword Master at the continent’s third-youngest age. I was a full year ahead of your pace.”
“...”
“So I understand why you’d be concerned, seeing me work through the Holy Kingdom’s swordsmanship so quickly... Heh heh heh.”
“...”
There had been no need to worry at all.
Thinking about it, that was only natural. Brett Lloyd had always possessed a far stronger mind than Airen in matters like this.
Airen let out a small laugh and dropped heavily to the ground.
Brett sat down beside him.
The members of the Purification Order had returned to their lodgings after finishing their instruction.
In the vast training ground, with only the two of them remaining, Airen spoke quietly.
“We’re really lucky.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Isn’t it true? So many opportunities that others would struggle to get even once have come to us like this...”
It truly was.
Looking back, Airen had received countless fortunate encounters.
He had entered Krono Fencing Hall, where every child on the continent dreamed of studying.
He had learned the Five Elements Divine Technique from the extremely insular Durkali tribe.
He had learned the Heart Sword directly from Ignet, the continent’s greatest genius. And now, as if that were not enough, he was receiving instruction in the Holy Kingdom’s advanced Aura control.
These days were beyond anything that could be described simply as good fortune.
But Brett thought differently.
After silently listening to Airen, he shook his head.
“It’s a little different.”
“Hm?”
“It’s not because you’re lucky that so much good fortune has come your way. You, me, Illia, and Judith... We’ve been given more opportunities because we’re people worthy of them.”
“...”
“Do you think everyone who taught you did so simply because they were kindhearted? Airen, that’s not it. You need to have a little more confidence in yourself.”
Brett truly believed that.
If Airen had possessed only mediocre talent.
If Airen had not been someone who worked day and night.
If Airen had not possessed a kind nature that put those around him at ease.
Would they really have offered him their teachings so readily?
And the same applied to Brett himself.
When he first saw Quincy Myers’s swordsmanship, irritation had risen in him beyond mere bewilderment.
Why show someone who had only just reached Master techniques that were difficult even to imitate poorly, let alone learn?
Was Quincy making fun of him?
But after giving it some thought, Brett realized that was not the case.
Quincy believed in him.
Even if not now, Brett already possessed the potential to fully master it someday.
Beyond that, Quincy also believed Brett possessed the character not to use that power for foolish purposes.
“So you can stand a little prouder. We’re allowed to. Don’t think of it as luck. Think of it as us receiving more opportunities because we’re capable.”
“...”
“That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be grateful to the seniors who taught us, of course. But that’s no problem either. We can give back as much as we’ve received.”
“You’re right. Tomorrow, we should thank the Paladins...”
“That wouldn’t be bad. But...”
Brett looked at Airen for a moment, then raised his gaze and continued.
“I think they’d be even more pleased if we helped the people who truly need our help, rather than simply thanking the senior knights.”
“...”
“In my own way, I think that’s something like my duty... No, our duty.”
At those words, Airen suddenly remembered Brett’s days as a preparatory trainee.
Come to think of it, Brett had been much the same then. He had seemed somewhat arrogant, but he had never been the type to pressure others through his authority or status.
If anything, Airen remembered Brett caring more about duties than rights, just as he did now.
The difference was that, unlike before, when he had clung to rank and birth and shown prejudice because of them...
‘There’s none of that left now.’
...Though Airen had never expected Brett to start dating Judith.
“You’re right.”
“I know. I only ever say the right thing.”
Airen answered with a smile, and Brett nodded calmly.
They did not speak for quite some time afterward.
But the silence was not uncomfortable.
The bond they had built was too deep and solid for a brief quiet moment to make things awkward.
“Whew, we’ve rested enough. Shall we try again?”
“Then I will too...”
Having regained their strength, the two rose to their feet. Then they challenged Quincy Myers’s brutal swordsmanship again and again.
It was not easy.
Even Airen failed often, and Brett went without saying. Less than five minutes after getting up, he had no choice but to sit down again.
But neither of them despaired.
The two swordsmen remained in the training ground for a long time.
* * *
While Airen and Brett were immersed in sword training, Lance Patterson sat alone in a quiet tavern within the territory, drinking strong liquor.
Do not be consumed by inferiority.
Consume your inferiority, and grow.
He kept repeating the words of Keira Fin, Krono’s Vice Hall Master, but they brought him no comfort.
His face was full of darkness.
So was his heart.
Something hidden in the corner of the tavern watched him.
It was so stealthy that even the knights of the Holy Kingdom would have struggled to notice it.
Something deeper, darker, and more persistent than even the dreadful Jester Demon.
Just as it slowly, very slowly approached Lance Patterson...
Creak.
Thud.
“...?”
“Mind if I join you?”
Lance stared coldly at the unfamiliar figure.
Dark green skin, a massive frame, and a tattoo covering half his face.
It was an orc.
Since the orc was fluent in human speech, Lance assumed he was probably a diviner. He shook his head.
“I’m not interested in fortune-telling.”
“I’m not a diviner. Orc Counselor would be a more fitting description.”
“...?”
As annoyance and slight curiosity appeared in Lance Patterson’s eyes, the darkness that had been drawing closer stopped moving and cautiously watched the two.
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