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Chapter 126: Caliburn’s Military Merchant (5)

Ronan was in a good mood after sparring. His wooden sword had ended in a slightly better condition than Henry’s. The difference was small, but he was still delighted.

On the other hand, Henry didn’t care about it. He was satisfied that he had managed to go toe to toe with an intermediate-level Sword Master even though he’d only reached the Expert level.

After returning to Iselan’s residence, the two chose to drink cold beer instead of coffee.

Putting his beer on the table, Ronan said, “You’re also an intermediate Master, right? Since your Aura is similar to mine, it seems like we’re roughly the same.”

“Intermediate Sword Master?”

“Don’t pretend like you don’t know. I’ve seen a lot of skills, but yours is really unique. I’ve never seen a green Aura that also glows like a flame. It was burning like you were a Sword Expert.”

“...Really?”

Henry thought to himself for a while, then smirked and decided to reveal the truth.

“Not like an Expert, but as an Expert. I am actually a Sword Expert.”

“What?”

“I am still an Expert and only recently Awakened my Aura, which is why I can’t control my Aura like a Master swordsmen yet.”

“...You’re joking, right? You’re telling me that an Expert, n-no, a guy who has just Awakened his Aura went toe to toe with me, an intermediate-level Master?”

“Yes.”

“That doesn\'t make any sense…”

Ronan was about to drink his beer but paused in mid-sip. His shock was understandable; other Master-level swordsmen would have reacted the same way.

However, Ronan still managed to bombard Henry with questions.

“What’s that emerald-colored Aura earlier? I’ve never seen such an Aura in my entire life.”

“Of course you haven’t, even I’ve never seen anything like it before. Oh, by the way, I haven’t shown my Aura to anyone yet. I haven’t even revealed the fact that I mastered the Aura to anyone.”

“What? So you’re saying I\'m the first one to see your Aura? Why?”

“Because you’re my only friend. Even though we don’t see each other often, I trust you quite a bit. So keep what happened today between us… You know?”

“Henry…!”

Ronan was truly moved by Henry’s words because he was constantly struggling to survive in the Foram family. Earning someone’s trust without sacrificing something was meaningful in many ways. Ronan smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

“You can trust me. Isn’t this what friends are for?”

“Thank you.”

“If you have only mastered your Aura recently, your Aura is really powerful. You went toe to toe with me, an intermediate Master, after all.”

“I’m still figuring out how powerful I am, that’s another important reason I can’t reveal this to anyone. Anyway, you’re also incredible. Using your aura to make your sword into a greatsword, is that your main skill?”

“That’s right. I work on my main skill whenever I have time. That way, I can acquire a decisive skill as well.”

‘A decisive skill, huh…’

A decision skill was something that showed the characteristics of the power of Master-level Aura users. If they became famous, they would get nicknames based on that skill.

‘I guess I’ll have to start working toward becoming a Master.’

Swordsmen were classified into three main ranks:

Sword Learners—swordsmen with no Aura.

Sword Experts—swordsmen who had just acquired an Aura, but were unable to control it well so it burned like a flame.

Sword Masters—swordsmen who could freely control and release their Aura.

At the Expert level, swordsmen were ranked based on the amount of Aura they had. At the Master level, they were ranked based on their special skills—intermediate-level Masters had a main skill, advanced Masters had a decisive skill, and peak Masters had an ultimate skill.

‘Von’s decisive skill was called… the Falling Milky Way, I think?’

Von\'s signature technique involved soaring high into the air and releasing a long, beautiful streak of sword energy that resembled the Milky Way.

If Ronan’s main skill increased the overall size of his sword, Von’s skill simply made it much longer.

“If you can release so much Aura even though you’ve just acquired it, imagine how much Aura you’ll have by the time you reach the highest level.”

Ronan was genuinely impressed.

Usually, at the beginner Expert level, the sword energy only had a bluish tint, but Henry’s was different. Henry also possessed an extraordinary amount of Aura output comparable to that of a Sword Master.

As he listened to Ronan’s admiring words, Henry was suddenly struck by doubt.

‘Huh? Come to think of it, the output of my Aura seems to be proportional to the amount of mana I have. If so, then the standard for Sword Experts based on the Aura they release is simply meaningless to me.’

It made sense.

‘If this doesn’t apply to me, does that mean I can aim for the Master level even though I’ve just learned to use the Aura?’

Henry made his decision as soon as the thought appeared.

‘It’s worth a try!’

There had never been a magic swordsman on the continent before, which meant that Henry had to challenge and check everything by himself.

Henry needed new knowledge about the master stage. It was serendipity that an intermediate-level Sword Master was right in front of him.

“Ronan, when did you become a master?”

“Me? I think it wasn’t long after I was discharged.”

“When was that? Did you Awaken during your mission?”

“Yeah, but in my case, I Awakened in a pretty ridiculous way.”

“Ridiculous?”

“Yeah. I had a mission in the 5th district, so I went out with my troop, but I ran into a dangerous monster when I was alone.”

“And?”

“I should have run away according to the rules, but I felt like I could defeat the monster for some reason. So I broke the rules and drew my sword.”

“Okay, and?”

“And when the thought that I could defeat this monster filled my head, the output of my Aura regulated on its own.”

“So you became a Master?”

“Yeah, just like that.”

“...I see.”

Henry had forgotten for a moment that Ronan was a genius.

However, his story didn’t sound implausible either.

It was said that the Awakening of one’s Aura usually happened when one acted on instinct during an extreme situation, while the Awakening of a Master was through a minor enlightenment.

‘Come to think of it, Von also said something similar. He said that the reason Hagler hadn’t become a master yet was that he was anxious about something, there was something bothering him.’

With Eisen’s approval, Henry had gotten an exemption issued by Eisen and asked Von to meet Hagler and Count Diallo together.

‘Something weighing on his mind, huh…’

Henry pondered the word “mind” for a while.

The mind and enlightenment.

There was no difference in this aspect for wizards and swordsmen—both reached the next level by means of a minor enlightenment.

‘Does it depend on my mind then?’

Henry wasn’t sure, but if this was the key to Awakening as a master, it was worth a try.

‘I need to verify this.’

There was no need to go far. His mind made up, Henry got up and said, “Ronan, can you lock the door?”

“What? That’s unexpected.”

“Yeah. There’s something I need to check.”

“Okay, I guess…”

At Henry’s request, Ronan obediently locked the door.

After confirming that the door was locked, Henry slowly closed his eyes.

‘According to Von and Ronan, I can definitely become a master.’

He controlled his emotions and calmed his mind. Henry was a master of meditation so it was a piece of cake.

Tzzzzz!

The Aura moved the way Henry wanted it. Ronan looked surprised at the sudden release of Henry’s Aura. However, he held his breath and quietly watched Henry.

“...!”

Ronan looked even more surprised.

‘Can it be?’

He didn’t know why Henry had asked him to lock the door out of the blue. However, Henry had gotten up from his seat and started releasing his Aura, which showed a surprising change.

Tzzzzz.

Henry’s Aura, which had been burning like a flame, started to calm down like that of a Sword Master.

‘Is it possible that he’ll Awaken as a master now?’

He had never believed it was possible. He also hadn’t expected Henry would try to become a master at this very moment. Henry’s blazing Aura gradually subsided. It smoothly flowed around him, rippling like the surface of a lake and covering Henry until he seemed twice his size.

After some time, the rippling ceased, and Henry slowly opened his eyes.

Henry raised both hands and quietly examined his body, which was coated in a smooth, green Aura. At first glance, it seemed like his attempt had been successful.

‘Is it done now?’

However, since he had never experienced it before, he was not sure.

Henry looked at Ronan.

Gulp.

Ronan involuntarily swallowed.

It was rare for an Expert to Awaken as a Master, but that didn\'t mean it was impossible. Henry\'s Awakening was not entirely unheard of.

However, when Ronan saw the mysterious emerald light reflected in Henry\'s green eyes, he was struck by an indescribable feeling.

“How was it?”

“H-how was what?”

Ronan was startled, but Henry was indifferent to his reaction and continued, “You watched what happened from beginning to end, didn’t you? So, do you think I have Awakened as a Master?”

“...Hm, I don’t know for sure, but I think you did.”

“Really?”

Henry had simply followed his imagination. Previously, his power had been like a relentless wave, but this time, he consciously restrained it, turning it into a calm lake.

His Aura stayed calm even when he was relaxed and wasn’t paying much attention.

Henry dispelled his Aura, then released it once again.

“Hmm.”

His Aura released in the same calm manner.

It seemed like there was no problem.

Henry stopped his Aura again and said, “Let’s go.”

“Go where?”

“I need to check if I’ve really Awakened.”

“You want to spar again?”

“Then, who else is here to go against me other than you?”

“...Okay.”

Ronan had no choice but to be Henry’s sparring partner for the whole day.

* * *

Henry’s training with Ronan lasted for half the day until Henry finally nodded and put down his sword.

“It’s done now.”

“Yay!”

Ronan collapsed on the training ground with a short cry. It wasn’t for lack of stamina; he had moved according to Henry’s orders and was now fatigued.

However, Henry was still immersed in his thoughts and ignored Ronan.

‘I’m sure of it. It would be a different story if I were just an ordinary swordsman, but my level cannot be measured by my Aura.’

His conclusion was that his Aura was not a good metric for determining his level as a swordsman. It felt pointless and also a bit disappointing. If the experiment had proceeded as expected, he would have been certain that he was a Sword Master.

However, Henry could at least confirm once again that ordinary standards couldn’t cope with a new kind of power.

As Ronan lay on the floor, he asked, “Why? Did it not work?”

“Yeah. It didn’t work for sure. It was just that I imitated the Master level’s Aura.”

“Ugh, I don’t really understand. I thought the color was different, but to say that the fundamentals of your Aura are different as well, your life seems pretty difficult.”

“I guess it can’t be helped. It’s not urgent anyway, so I’ll just stick to my main job for now.”

“Main job?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

Although he was disappointed, he had also gained something, so Henry wasn’t too dissatisfied.

‘I’ll have to get moving soon.’

After finishing the experiment, Henry decided to leave. This was enough of a reunion, and Henry was going to start visiting the fortress regularly from now on anyway.

“I should get going now. You don’t need to walk me out, just rest,” said Henry.

“What? You’re leaving already? We just finished sparring all day, why don’t we have a drink?”

“Next time. I’ll be coming regularly anyway so don\'t be too sad.”

“You’ll be coming here regularly? Why?”

“Ask the deputy commander about that.”

“Okay. I guess I can’t hold back a busy person.”

Surprisingly, Ronan wasn’t too disappointed, and Henry could leave the fortress without any worry.

“Teleport.”

Oong!

There was a lot of work to do.

Although Henry had found the secret of his Aura, the urgent problem right now was not his Aura but his Awakening as an Archmage.

Swoosh!

A blizzard blew so hard he couldn’t see an inch ahead.

Henry had arrived in Salgaera.

“I should get to work.”

After arriving at the mansion he had built, Henry greeted the residents before moving to the laboratory that had been set up in one corner of the mansion.