Chapter 210

“It’s my fault.”

The girl blamed herself. No matter how long she waited, not even a corpse surfaced, let alone a living person.

A servant had died. It wasn’t a big deal, but if the reason for their death was because of her, the story was different. The girl was still young, preserving a shred of innocence.

Someone had died because of her. She was too young to be indifferent. As the girl blamed herself, people began to gather around her. She was the daughter of Duke Ezwill. When else would they have a chance to catch her eye?

Servants and maids had no place here. Noble attendants or her friends swarmed in to comfort the young lady.

“It’s not your fault, my lady. They were just stupid and died because of it.”

“Who could blame you for their own foolishness?”

But then, that very “stupid” person burst out of the water, rising with a bracelet in hand, carefully landing on the lake’s surface.

Everyone stared at them with dumbfounded eyes. The person stood perfectly fine on the rippling water, and their eyes widened in shock.

“You… you…”

The young lady’s knights pointed in confusion at the mere servant. Despite having swum in the water, they returned without even their clothes wet. And to the knights who could sense magical power, something else was visible.

The boy seemed to have become one with the magical power of heaven and earth, perfectly harmonizing with the lake. When the lake rippled and vibrated, the boy moved in sync.

As a result, it looked as if he was in complete stillness. No one had ever seen anything like it.

The boy walked over and handed the tearful girl the bracelet. Seeing the dirty dishes on the table, he silently took them away to clean. This time, no one mocked him as a mere servant. Nor did they think it was a coincidence.

Coincidence? What kind of coincidence could make someone like that? This was pure skill. His ability was on a level even these knights had never encountered.

The knights exchanged glances. This was a serious matter. They were eager to report it to Duke Ezwill immediately. They ordered the oarsmen to row at full speed.

They needed to report this strange individual as quickly as possible. They had to find out why someone with such skill would disguise themselves as a mere servant.

Looking around, nothing in the sky had changed, but the way people treated the boy had.

Now, no one dared to ignore him to his face. Rumors spread quickly. At first, people were skeptical, but seeing the knights treat him with respect, they began to believe.

Now, even the Duke of Ezwill’s household provided him with fine clothes and delicious food. Menial tasks were out of the question, and the Duke himself set a date to meet the boy.

The boy didn’t refuse the meeting. Did the Duke know? That today happened to be the last day of their ten-year agreement.

It seemed like he had learned enough, but the path of learning truly has no end. The boy was secretly excited. He wondered what the Duke would teach him on this final day.

“Heron? Heron, you say? Who is this guy? Why have I never heard of such a person in our family?”

The Duke was furious, far from thinking about teaching. He had just heard the story of how the boy named Heron had fallen off a cliff years ago.

The terrified supervisor from that time was brought in for questioning. Hearing the whole story, the Duke was speechless.

“Did he use Power Techniques?”

“No. It seemed like he didn’t even know about Power Techniques. Maybe he knew but chose not to use them. He wielded magical power in its raw form, so there was no need to refine it into Power Techniques.”

The Duke summoned two knights who had witnessed Heron’s abilities and questioned them thoroughly.

Those who wield magical power, unless they are mages, generally create Power Techniques. They start by refining magical power into colorless Power Techniques, known as Beginners.

A more advanced stage is creating Power Techniques with a specific color. These are called Users.

Beyond that, creating Power Techniques with a specific form is the realm of Experts. Reaching this level earns one the title of a master.

Mastering both color and form, and creating a unique Power Technique, is the mark of a Master. This distinction is possible because Power Techniques are the most standard method of using magical power on the continent.

In contrast, the boy wielded raw magical power without refining it into Power Techniques. He was an ambiguous existence, hard to categorize.

The more the Duke heard, the more confused he became. He decided to meet the boy in person. The Duke had reached the level of a Master. A Master should recognize another Master.

‘I can’t figure him out at all.’

Upon meeting Heron, the Duke couldn’t hide his confusion. The boy seemed utterly ordinary. But unless all his subordinates had gone mad and lied, this made no sense.

Could the boy’s level be beyond his comprehension? That was even more absurd.

The boy simply gazed at him with a longing look. The Duke found it hard to make a judgment. He decided to test the boy.

“Will you take on my Power Technique?”

“If you wish,” the boy replied.

“Then follow me.”

The Duke gestured and stood up. He led the way without even bringing a servant.

Soon, they reached an abandoned building. The Duke ordered the boy inside, and without hesitation, he entered. The Duke then unleashed his own Power Technique, the Blazing Flame.

Magical power surged, turning into a scorching flame. The fiery torrent engulfed the entire building. The Duke didn’t hold back. Whether the boy lived or died, it didn’t matter to him.

If he died? He paid the price for mocking the Duke. If he lived? Then he was someone worthy of respect.

The Duke’s Power Technique was as fierce and aggressive as fire itself. Surviving it alone would make the boy someone the Duke had to honor. If he lived, the Duke even considered granting him a high position.

Whoosh!

Amid the oppressive flames, the boy remained unshaken. In fact, he never lost his composure, no matter where he was.

He had the ability to remain calm and composed even if a mountain collapsed. The ferocious flames, threatening to burn even his soul, couldn’t disturb his tranquility. Instead, he reached out his hand to the fire.

Whoosh!

The flames wrapped around his arm but couldn’t burn even a thread of his clothes, merely swirling around him.

The heat couldn’t penetrate his body. His sense of self was clear, and so was his mind. His heart was firmly rooted, preventing any distractions.

While others moved magical power through their bodies, the boy moved it through his heart. He didn’t engrave magical circuits on his body. He moved the world purely with his mind.

He never doubted the truth he had discovered. That unwavering belief was the greatest force that brought him to this level.

Unfazed by the heat, the boy looked at the collapsing ceiling of the burning house. With a wave of his hand, a gust of wind wrapped around the falling ceiling and blew it away.

“You didn’t get hurt at all?!”

Duke Ezwill was astonished. The boy wasn’t even singed by the fire, let alone covered in ash. Not a speck of soot stained his clothes, leaving the Duke utterly shocked.

“Fine, then take this!”

The Duke drew his sword. The blazing flames compressed several times, coiling around the blade.

The special material of the sword couldn’t withstand the extreme heat, glowing red-hot. The Duke swung the sword, filled to the limit with his Blazing Flame Power Technique.

In response, the boy also drew his sword. Before coming here, the Duke had told him to bring a sword.

He had offered to let the boy choose one from his collection, but the boy only had one sword—a plain iron sword. He gripped it firmly and swung.

As the sword moved, magical power gathered from all directions. It blocked the Duke’s powerful Blazing Flame Power Technique as an external force. It wasn’t a Power Technique, but it surpassed one.

Unlike the Duke’s Power Technique, which only had the attribute of fire, the boy’s power encompassed all the properties of heaven, earth, sun, and moon. It was the infinite nature of raw magical power.

Magical power is highly subjective. Its attributes depend on how it’s used. Essentially, from the infinite attributes of magical power, only the desired attributes are filtered out.

Refining it into a Power Technique inevitably gives it a specific attribute. But using raw magical power doesn’t.

It could be wind, lightning, brilliant light, or deep darkness. It seemed to encompass all attributes between heaven and earth.

The melted sword turned into molten metal and shattered, and the Duke was flung far away. His face was filled with disbelief. The boy sheathed his sword and bowed to him.

“I’ve learned so much over the past ten years.”

“Learned from me?” the Duke asked, his tone now respectful. It was no longer the time for prejudice based on age or status.

The person before him was a master of a level he had never seen before. Respectful treatment was the least he could offer; he should be treating him with utmost reverence.

How reassuring it would be to have such a person by his side with a sword. But alas, the ten-year agreement ended today. The boy had paid his dues and learned what he needed.

“Now that I’ve grasped the principles of heaven, I’ll have to figure out the rest on my own.”

The boy bowed and leaped into the sky. The Duke shouted in panic.

“Wait, Heron! No, Sir Heron! Wait, let’s talk…”

But the boy was already far in the sky. His speed was something the Duke couldn’t hope to match.

The Duke had to rely entirely on his own power to fly, but the boy flew with the assistance of heaven and earth. Now that he understood the flow, such feats were easy.

The Duke could only stare blankly at the sky. It all felt like a dream.

But it couldn’t be.

“Wake up now. That’s enough watching.”

A familiar voice struck the ear of the girl, lost in a trance between dream and reality.

Just moments ago, she had been Heron. She had experienced his childhood from 500 years ago as if she had possessed his body. Unknown things had opened up, and she had touched principles beyond reach.

“This much is enough to have seen.”

It all felt like a dream. A mere fantasy.

But it couldn’t be.