Aura and Aura entwine, devouring each other.
Aura Blades tear at one another but ultimately fail to penetrate each other’s domains, retreating back to their own.
If a battle can’t be decided by Aura alone, the outcome will be determined by physical strength and skill honed through training.
‘Now I understand.’
The moment I realized why an Aura Master is called a Sword Saint, I leapt over the wall. Intense euphoria coursed through my body, but I couldn’t afford to get lost in such sensations.
Whether I became a Master or not, my physical condition was dire. It wouldn’t be strange if I dropped dead any moment; without Aura reinforcement, I wouldn’t even be able to move.
‘Aura Blade… is an additional ability granted through sword mastery.’
The family’s secret technique. I understood when I heard that finishing moves using Aura were just ordinary strikes for Masters.
Aura is merely an additional element. Talent in Aura is needed to imbue it into oneself or one’s weapon, but beyond that level, what’s required is skill.
Swordsmanship that transcends limits creates the Aura Blade. The principle is unknown, incomprehensible. One can only empirically discover that this is so.
‘The important thing right now─ is defeating this guy.’
But the immediate priority was defeating Chantaka and returning alive, not understanding how the Aura Blade came to be.
Swish-! When the sword imbued with Aura swung, a trail of white light followed its path. From afar, their fight looked like two dazzling stars sparkling brilliantly.
“You’re quite nimble for someone in that condition!”
Chantaka leisurely parried my sword. He probably knows best that my condition isn’t normal.
Indeed, my condition isn’t normal. A prolonged battle is impossible. Therefore, I aim for a decisive blow.
Both he and I are aware of this fact.
‘So… let’s finish this─.’
In the midst of fiercely swinging my sword, I deliberately created an opening. Spotting this gap, Chantaka thrust his sword as if he had been waiting for it. His movements suggested he thought it impossible for a severely injured opponent to counterattack after showing an opening.
He’s right. With a battered body, giving flesh to take bones isn’t feasible—it would cost me my life instead.
That would be the case if I were alone.
─Thud!
“Ugh…!?”
From afar, an ice spear flew in—only then did Chantaka realize who had been behind him. I watched Chantaka, who revealed an opening while trying to exploit mine.
His expression was filled with regret. Making sure not to repeat the same mistake, I swiftly swung my sword and severed his neck.
A light that cuts everything enveloped the grand warrior, and the great warrior of the barbarian tribe that had plagued the North for decades fell to his knees.
After confirming with my own eyes Chantaka’s head dropping and his body collapsing to the ground, I passed out.
Thud—using the cold snowfield as a blanket and the distant shouts as a lullaby, I began dreaming a dream from which I might never awaken.
* * *
“Kail!”
From afar, the Duke who had been supporting Kail with magic saw Kail finally beheading Chantaka and immediately flew towards him.
Though the mastermind tormenting the North for decades, a figure like a family vendetta, had fallen—the Duke had no time to spare for him right now.
“Are you alright… No, you’re on the brink of death.”
Upon reaching Kail, the Duke immediately noticed his dire condition. Blood was flowing profusely all over his body—from his mouth, nose, eyes—probably every hole in his body was bleeding.
Even if he somehow recovers, the injuries were severe enough to potentially leave lifelong complications.
The Duke stabilized Kail’s body with magic, then carefully lifted him up. In this Northern region, it was common knowledge that moving a critically injured patient roughly could result in death.
Crack─!
“What’s this?”
Lifting Kail, the Duke heard an unidentified bone sound from Kail’s body. It was an unsettling noise, so the Duke used all remaining magic power to quickly return beyond the Great Wall.
As soldiers and knights gathered upon seeing the Duke’s return, he landed atop the Great Wall and shouted loudly.
“Cleric! And Military Surgeon! Prepare the operating room and bring potions!”
“Yes, yes!”
The Northern soldiers had never seen the Duke shout like this before. Rumor had it that even when his daughter was born, he simply said, ‘Is that so?’ and moved on, being such an indifferent noble.
Indeed, the effect of the Duke’s stern command was tremendous. Even before the Duke reached the operating room, the Cleric and Military Surgeon were already waiting anxiously, wiping away beads of sweat.
The Duke brought Kail into the operating room and placed him on the clean cloth-covered operating table. The Military Surgeon and medics quickly cut off Kail’s clothes with a knife, and upon seeing the exposed wounds, the Cleric immediately began praying.
“Oh God, grant this pitiable lamb courage─.”
The main power of holy energy: blessings and healing seeped into Kail’s body. While the holy energy treated the injuries, the Military Surgeon inserted a needle into Kail’s arm to inject potion.
After cleaning the scabs, checking for infections, and removing internal fragments, the doctor and Cleric had done all they could.
From here on, it was up to fate.
“The prayer is complete.”
“The injuries are severe, but… not fatal. Being a knight, he’s surprisingly sturdy─.”
Creak─!
At that moment, a bizarre bone sound started coming from Kail’s body. Those who heard it panicked and began praying again, diagnosing Kail’s condition.
“Eh, eh—what’s going on here…….”
“Oh God—grant this lamb your mercy…….”
While the two were bewildered by this inexplicable phenomenon, only the Duke who had directly brought Kail remained calm and explained the symptoms.
“He’s undergoing rebirth.”
“—Pardon? What do you mean.”
“Rebirth……”
The Military Surgeon and Cleric looked at the Duke with disbelief.
Rebirth.
It was a special phenomenon experienced by those who had reached the Master level.
It was understandable that the two didn’t immediately grasp this well-known phenomenon since there were no Master-level individuals around.
After all, Kail lying in front of them was still a fresh-faced youth without a beard.
“Your Grace, does this mean this person….”
“Yes. A Master.”
“I thought the youngest record was in the 30s…”
“It’ll be halved today.”
At the Duke’s words about halving the record, the Military Surgeon tilted his head, thinking he misheard. The two were even more confused because they didn’t know Kail’s identity.
Unable to contain his curiosity, the Military Surgeon cautiously asked the Duke.
“Excuse me, his age is—.”
“Don’t you know? He’s our son-in-law. The same age as my daughter.”
“Pardon? Your Grace’s daughter is clearly—”
“Yes, fifteen this year.”
Those who reach the Master level in their 30s are called geniuses.
Then, what should we call those who become Masters in their teens?
The two didn’t know.
“……Then, I’ll administer nutritional supplements first.”
“Do so.”
Knowing there was no need to force understanding of the incomprehensible, the two added nutritional supplements and potions for Kail’s rebirth and left the room.
Creak, creak—
In the room where the three had exited, eerie bone sounds continued to echo.
* * *
“I almost died.”
When I opened my eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted me. However, I knew this place was the mansion of the Duke Grace family.
Because right next to me, my fiancée Yuri was looking down at me with an extremely cold expression.
“Hello.”
“Yeah.”
“……Anything you’re dissatisfied with?”
I rolled my eyes to look at Yuri. Her expression hadn’t changed much from when I last saw her, but somehow I realized she was expressing dissatisfaction.
Could this be part of a Master’s ability? To subtly sense others’ emotions?
Yuri nodded while looking down at me lying in bed, only moving my mouth.
“Yeah.”
“What’s the dissatisfaction?”
“—Isn’t it common sense to look for your fiancée first when you visit your in-laws?”
Swiftly—Yuri said this while perching on the edge of my bed and looking down at me. Upon hearing this, I grinned widely, agreeing completely.
Seeing me smile, Yuri moved her eyebrows about 1mm in dissatisfaction.
Seeing this, I burst into laughter even more.
“Hahaha-!”
“……What’s so funny?”
“Yuri, smile for me.”
“No way.”
“No, now you can. Father-in-law can’t possibly drive me away anymore.”
Even if I were a good-for-nothing who gets drunk and beats my wife, the Duke would have no choice but to reconsider divorce.
He couldn’t possibly let go of a knight who became a Sword Saint in his teens.
Hearing my words, Yuri tilted her head and asked again.
“Father?”
“Yes. Want to go ask him?”
“……Yeah. I’ll believe you.”
Yuri said this and closed her eyes to concentrate for a moment.
Shortly after—a radiant smile like the sun bloomed on her face.
“Ah.”
The Duchess said that her daughter’s smile was so beautiful that countless people had fallen for it.
Seems like that wasn’t a lie.
“…Kail?”
Yuri returned to her original cold and rigid expression and tilted her head, wondering if something was wrong. I shook my head as I listened to her words.
“No, nothing.”
I simply fell for you.
Once again—I felt satisfied knowing she was my fiancée.
* * *
The next day, the Count who rushed to the Duke’s residence said to me lying in bed.
“Go to the Academy.”
“Huh?”
……Me? There?
