Bloomed to Wither

Chapter 7

—–CROW—–

“Tsk, tsk… Everyone looks like melted butter, all soft and without substance.”

Sunken eyes.  Wildly puffed-up hair.

Late in the evening, Simon, standing before the lined-up knights, looked extremely tired once again.

“Today is the long-awaited Embodiment training. Now, Perinem. Have you ever seen the statue of the legendary knight, Sir Weber?”

Perinem raised an eyebrow as if being asked something obvious.  After all, his statues were scattered all over the Imperial Palace.

“Of course.”

“What is on the back of his left hand?”

“…Bite marks are engraved there.”

“Correct.”

Simon snapped his fingers.

“As you know, recalling a memory that stimulates the will to survive can unleash powerful Aura.  And it’s known that Sir Weber recalled the sacrifices of his comrades every time he bit the back of his left hand.  He vowed never to die, for the sake of his fallen comrades.”

Simon’s gaze stopped on Kata.

“I’m sure all of you have memories that can ignite your will to live, right?”

“…….”

“Like Sir Weber, who recalled his memories by biting the back of his hand, associate a specific action with reliving that memory. This is ‘Embodiment’.”

Simon swung his sword, and white Aura surged from the blade. Then, he opened his mouth wide and yawned with great relish.

*Yaaawn.*

Simultaneously, the Aura shot upwards as if to engulf the sword.

“My Embodiment is yawning.  When I yawn during battle, my Aura strengthens dramatically.”

As the knights exchanged disbelieving glances, Simon smiled innocently.

“By the way, Sir Richard, the Chief Knight, goes on and on about Semasiar every time he fights…  Anyway, he’s not showing off, he’s just Embodied that way.”

“…….”

“No, let me correct that. Sir Richard probably Embodied that way because he *wants* to show off.”

He shifted his gaze.

“I saw a rookie who was already utilizing Embodiment well during the first training session. Monia?”

“Yes!”

“Come forward.”

“Understood!”

Monia walked forward briskly.

Monia exuded a strong, sturdy aura. Her upright posture, square shoulders, tanned skin, and bold features were impressive.

“Everyone, Monia will now demonstrate Embodiment in person.  Now, Monia, attack as you usually do.”

Without hesitation, she immediately imbued her sword with Aura.  The moment the flame-like red Aura surged, Luna covered her ears with her fingers.

“Iyaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

And Kata was semi-forcibly deafened.

***

It had already been two weeks since the dawn training began.

And the senior knights, including Leah, were starting to get fed up with Kata.

Perhaps stubbornly tenacious by nature, Kata didn’t give up no matter how awful the training was.

If they threw her into the cold lake, she was busy swimming excitedly, and if they gave her a rag, she scrubbed the floor spotless.

Moreover, for some reason, Xenon Corer was always present at the training grounds at dawn.

Soram thought about kicking them out, but seeing the Aura embroidering the air, he changed his mind.

Forget it. There’s no need to antagonize someone who’s about to become a full knight.

Then one day.

“…Sir Soram?”

Unexpectedly, Soram appeared less than half an hour after the training began.

Since the first training session, Kata’s training had been handled by the junior knights, so his appearance was quite unusual.

Leah looked puzzled.

“What brings you here at this hour?”

“I thought I’d give her some more proper guidance.”

“Excuse me?”

Soram threw his sword, still in its scabbard, towards Kata.

“I heard you’ve received Embodiment training, so this is a good opportunity.”

As Kata caught the sword reflexively, he nodded arrogantly.

“A spar.”

***

Soram was naturally strong.

He completed his First Awakening at twelve and broke through the wall of Second Awakening at fourteen.

Years after joining the Arcane Knights Order, his promotion to Chief Knight was now imminent.

He was always fascinated by strength.

“She’s a monster.”

So, Simon’s casual remark caught his attention.

He had heard about the duel from Leah’s report, but the simple assessment was far beyond his expectations.

“I’m talking about Catarina Donovan.  I didn’t expect much because of the first training session, but she’s different from the average First Awakened.”

“…Aren’t you overestimating her?”

“No way. She completely toyed with Perinem.”

Simon might be a bit unreliable at times, but he wasn’t the type to boast about a rookie’s skills.

‘Hmm?’

Soram’s curiosity was piqued.

His impression of Catarina Donovan’s first training session was that she was pathetic, and afterward, he felt she didn’t know her place. After personally ‘guiding’ her, he only thought she had needlessly good stamina.

However, Simon’s assessment was certainly intriguing.

“I’m a Second Awakened, but I’ll only use Aura through my sword.”

“Yes.”

“Fight your best.  Don’t make a pathetic spectacle of yourself like last time.”

Soram smiled mockingly.

He saw Xenon watching them from a distance.

This would be a chance to show the dignity of a full knight to this year’s top rookie as well. He nodded with satisfaction.

“You go first.”

A few seconds of tense silence followed. The moment their eyes met, Kata kicked off the ground.

‘Huh?’

Soram’s eyes widened.  He raised his sword to meet her attack.

*Claaaang!*

The air exploded.  He lunged and swung down at Kata’s head, but she blocked the attack with the flat of her blade.

*Clang!* *Clang!*

A flurry of attacks followed, too fast for the eye to follow.  Their positions shifted and crossed in an instant.

‘…With this level of skill, why did she act like a half-wit during the first training session?’

Soram frowned.

Donovan’s Aura wasn’t that of a typical First Awakened.

The most significant characteristic of Second Awakening was the ability to draw pure Aura without a medium, but the skill itself also blossomed like a flower.

When someone of Soram’s caliber imbued their sword with Aura, most First Awakened couldn’t even parry it properly.

Kata, on the other hand, seemed a bit strained, but she was meticulously deflecting his attacks.

“Too bad.”

*Slash!*

A straight cut appeared on her white cheek.

As Kata flinched in surprise, Soram stepped back and sighed.

“To have this level of skill and still be a First Awakened.”

“…….”

“There are very rare cases of Second Awakening after fifteen… but since you’re past adulthood, it’s practically impossible.”

He smiled, curling his lips.

“That’s really unfortunate.  If you had only achieved your Second Awakening, you could have been treated like a hero again.”

In any case, the one who must be most frustrated was her.

If only she could Awaken one more time, just one more time… she must have prayed every day.

In the Empire, which worshipped victory, Soram knew how easily the strong were frustrated.

Since individual strength often surpassed that of an entire unit, the Empire’s gossipmongers enjoyed ranking the strong and commenting on their skills.

While dismissing it as meaningless chatter, those who weren’t recognized were consumed by feelings of inferiority.

How frustrated Donovan must have been, hearing her reputation fall to the bottom.

Soram was amused.

He understood Simon’s fuss, but in the end, she was just a First Awakened.

Compared to her, how lucky he was.

“Yes, it’s unfortunate.”

Her cheerful voice broke his train of thought.

“So, I’d like to ask for a little more guidance.”

Kata steadied her stance, unwavering.

—–CROW—–

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