NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11: The Beginning Of Swordsmanship (2)
Eil pointed at the sky, his urge to scream out loud overwhelming him.
“At fifteen, he’s using Sword Aura? I could barely mimic it when I was over twenty!”
Having mastered Sword Aura at the age of twenty, Eil was far from untalented.
No, on the contrary, he could be regarded as a prodigy.
But what about Ray, who had entered the realm of Aura users at the tender age of fifteen?
“Hahaha… That concludes today’s lesson.”
Eventually, Eil admitted defeat.
Observing this, Saein commented disdainfully,
“Is that all for today? At least you weren’t defeated.”
“Eh. Defeated? Are you suggesting I should beat my own son?”
“Isn’t learning through punishment a valid method? Continue the lesson, teacher.”
Having said that, there was nothing more to add.
He clenched his teeth and channeled mana into his sword.
In an instant, a blue aura congregated on the sword, and the Sword Aura ascended.
The aura was undeniably denser than Ray’s, distinct from Ray’s, which was formed merely by comprehending mana.
Eil smirked and declared,
“Alright, now we’re really starting.”
Seeing his stance, Ray swallowed hard.
‘Am I truly going to learn through punishment?’
Ray enjoyed dealing blows but not receiving them.
Furthermore, the idea of being hit by another man was utterly unacceptable.
He tightened his grip on the sword handle, and immediately Eil’s sword swung towards him.
His Sword Aura, radiating a sharp force, was intercepted by Ray’s sword.
Kagagang-
Though it should have been the sound of wooden swords clashing, a noise resembling the friction of metal resonated, and sparks scattered everywhere.
‘I’m going to be forced back at this rate.’
Ray’s expression turned serious.
His hastily constructed Sword Aura was weaker than Eil’s.
No matter how much he channeled his pure and orderly mana into the sword, the sword of a genuine Aura user, forged through experience and enlightenment, was unimaginably powerful.
In the end, before the test of strength commenced, Ray had no option but to retreat.
Furthermore, Eil was in a state of physically enhancing himself with mana, which made him several times faster and stronger than Ray.
“Ugh. It hurts…”
Ray’s grip was torn due to the brief collision, unable to withstand the shock.
‘If it continues like this, I’ll keep getting pushed back. I need to find a way…’
The more he thought about it, the more he realized he relied on magic.
Furthermore, facing Eil who continuously attacked without waiting like before, it was not easy to even think.
On the other hand, Eil was at ease.
“Hahahaha. Don’t worry too much. I’ll remove the aura when I hit you.”
Ray gritted his teeth at his father’s annoying words.
‘It’s come to this. I’ll push through with quantity!’
“Hoo…”
Ray sighed and once again retreated.
He then began to absorb all the surrounding mana without leaving any behind.
It felt as if the air itself was moving.
“Eh, eh…?”
Both Eil and Saein were surprised by the enormous flow of mana.
The mana being pulled towards him was immeasurably vast, as if he was gathering all the mana in the world.
Strong and pure mana gathered and began to condense on the sword held in Ray’s hand.
As mana was infused, the sword aura naturally had to increase in size.
The sword aura that sprang from Ray’s sword grew larger and larger.
Eventually, when the sword surrounded by mana became about three times the size of Ray’s body, the flow of mana stopped.
“……”
“……”
Sain and Ail, watching the scene, were at a loss for words.
It was absurdly magnificent.
They wondered if their son had a fountain of mana spouting from within him.
Ray wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled.
“Whew… is it fair now?”
“……”
Now, there was no rationality left to answer.
In a dark place in Bilo village, figures were busy moving around.
They were all information merchants.
Most of them were acting on the request of the Gaid Baronet family.
The family’s survival hung in the balance, so they did not hesitate to send requests to the information guilds and black merchants.
In the deepest part of the alley, behind a tavern’s back door, two figures stood facing each other.
A bald man in a hood voiced his disbelief.
“Is that really all?”
“Yes.”
The bald man thumped his chest and said.
“No, I intended to give it my all because I received a bit more for the initiation fee… but to find someone based on hair color and age range? What kind of absurdity is this?”
His counterpart’s expression twisted slightly.
“That’s tough. That’s why you were paid a lot of money.”
“Even with a lot of money, the impossible remains impossible. How many people do you think share the same hair color? Moreover, it’s not even a specific physical feature, but an age range.”
“Don’t worry about the hair color. The person is a boy with white hair.”
The bald man cocked his head at his words.
‘That person?’
“Finding someone with such pure white hair is quite rare. I believe he might be the only one in that age range.”
It was unclear who this man was that the bald man was speaking so respectfully to, but having received the initiation fee, the bald man was obligated to do the job.
“Hmm… Alright. I’ll do my best to find him, focusing on the village.”
“I anticipate good news.”
The man said as he rose from his seat.
Soon, he quickly exited the alley and vanished, leaving the bald man to rub his head and mutter to himself.
“Heh, showing respect to a kid. Telling me to find him just by hair color. Has the world lost its mind?”
Holy Kingdom, Gaia.
A country rich in history and significance, having produced saints and holy women through ‘revelation’ since ancient times.
As always, the pope of this holy kingdom knelt, his hands clasped together in prayer.
The sight of him radiating divine power while engrossed in his prayer was such that everyone would step aside and leave him be.
Approximately three hours had passed when a voice began to resonate in the Pope’s mind.
[Your devotion is admirable.]
Tears welled up in the Pope’s eyes as he heard the affectionate voice in his mind.
“Oh, Lord, my Lord!”
This was the first answer to his ceaseless prayers since his papacy began.
Despite his tears, Lord Gaia continued to speak.
[My child of faith, seek the new saint. Find him in the nation of Silia, the one with white hair.]
As her voice echoed, the Pope tilted his head in puzzlement.
“…Is that all?”
Instead of a compliant reply, the Pope questioned as if wondering if that was truly everything, and she responded.
[What do you mean?]
“In the Kingdom of Silia, there are many people with white hair. Even in our Holy Kingdom, there are a significant number. Searching for a saint in such a place could result in the worst-case scenario of not finding him until his death.”
Gaia sighed at the Pope, who was lowering his head as he spoke.
[The new saint is fifteen years old. Find him and bring him to the Holy Kingdom.]
“Yes, I understand.”
As the Pope’s response echoed, the voice that had been lingering in his mind vanished without a trace.
It felt as if he had just awakened from a dream, and a small sigh escaped the Pope’s lips.
The joy of finally receiving a response from the god he worshipped did not diminish.
Even though he seemed to sigh at the end.
The following day, the Holy Kingdom promptly informed the Kingdom of Silia that they would be searching for the saint.
Given that the revelation had been granted, if Silia refused, the Holy Kingdom would declare a holy war, leaving Silia with no choice but to comply.
The Holy Kingdom’s delegation and intelligence agency were the first to go to the Kingdom of Silia, followed by the dispatch force that would begin the search for the individual.
The dispatch force was composed entirely of holy knights, clerics, and priests.
Their combat power naturally surpassed that of a typical knight order.
The dispatched force was divided into three groups: the upper, middle, and lower guards. The upper guard consisted of the most skilled individuals.
Following them were the middle and lower guards. Typically, when the three groups were united, the upper guard assumed the role of leadership.
Given their trait of enhancing their divine power as their faith increased or as they earned their god’s trust, the upper guard usually had the oldest members, while the lower guard had the youngest.
Two knights from the lower guard were in conversation.
“The new saint is quite young, isn’t he?”
“We already have a holy woman, and now there’s a revelation about a new saint…”
“Well, if we gain one more saint, our Holy Kingdom will expand even further.”
“True… There’s never been such an instance in history.”
In the history of the continent, including the Holy Kingdom, there had never been a period when two saints and a holy woman emerged in the same era.
Since the Pope, who had received a revelation from their god, had issued the command, they were not seeking a ‘potential saint,’ but a ‘saint’ who was a child.
Unlike the holy woman who came to the Holy Kingdom, was baptized, and received divine power from the god, this child was a saint from the start.
They were eager to see what kind of child he would be.
An upper guard cleric noticed their chatter and issued a warning.
“Do not create a disturbance. We are about to uphold the divine words of our lord. I will not tolerate any frivolity.”
At his words, the two knights immediately straightened their stances and lowered their heads.
“We apologize. We will be more careful.”
“Sorry.”
Accepting their apologies, the cleric slightly shook his head.
He understood too.
Being young, it was inevitable that they would be unrestrained.
Even in the Holy Kingdom, it remained a secret to other countries, but there were instances where young and energetic holy knights, clerics, and priests violated the doctrine and were excommunicated.
Leading the lower guard involved handling a plethora of nonsensical matters, and there were also those who slipped into the forest to secretly share their love.
He had sternly reprimanded them, but the cleric understood that it was not easy for them to live a life of restraint and devotion to God alone.
That’s why he deliberately spoke more strictly to instill discipline in them.
To prevent reaching the worst-case scenario.