By Zephyria 
On Sunday, I went to the library with Shayden as originally planned. I put off the child, who was about to say something more about yesterday’s events, by saying we had a lot to study today and would talk another day.
The more I thought about it, the hotter my face became.
I couldn’t decide overnight to follow Shierun’s ways from now on, nor did I have the confidence to do so.
I decided to forget it because I couldn’t accept it at all. It wasn’t such a big deal that it would make me postpone my immediate tasks.
As always, I studied for the Imperial Genealogy pop quiz. While I was diligently working with my pencil, Shayden, who had been paying attention to me, also started his own studies and finished his memorization.
In the middle, I briefly ran into Prince Rubel and exchanged greetings, but I was too preoccupied to have the mental space to talk with the child for long.
Not feeling like prolonging the conversation, I just nodded at his polite remarks and sent him away, saying we’d meet next time.
And so, Monday arrived.
For two days, whenever my thoughts drifted, I tried hard not to think about it.
Thanks to moving my body busily, I was able to avoid getting lost in strange thoughts.
During the beginner swordsmanship class, Maelo Sanson advised us to be careful not to strain our joints, as the training would be more intense than usual.
I agreed with his words and willingly relaxed my limbs, trying to regain my composure.
After that, it was time to finish our meal and head to magic class. By the time I was walking towards the west side of Shierun Academy, I had somewhat settled my mind.
Yes, no matter what I thought, it was someone else’s business. It was right to turn a blind eye and not get too involved.
The Martial World was vast, and there were always many events. Among them, there were many that were too far removed to be concerned with right or wrong.
This time too, I intended to let it pass, considering it unrelated to me.
“Hello, Mikael! You went to see the play last Friday, didn’t you?”
“No, but.”
“Yes?”
“…It’s nothing. Did you see Marianne too? That, the Countess.”
“The Tale of Countess Daisy? Of course, I did. Did you hear that Ms. Bennet, who debuted this time, used to work at the cafe on 21st Street in the capital before her debut? How could she have hidden such beauty for so long? I should have gone to that cafe before she became so famous! It’s such a shame!”
…Right, it was none of my business.
The magic formula we learned today was the 1st Circle Freezing Magic Formula.
I wasn’t unfamiliar with it, as I had seen Marianne use it once when she tried to re-solidify melted chocolate.
It required little Mana and had only six connection points between cooling and supercooling, making its form and structure simple. The magic formula looked like a flower, which was pleasant to see.
At this point, I foresaw that I wouldn’t be learning offensive magic formulas from Professor Angela Sting by the end of this class, but I wasn’t too disappointed, having already experienced it thoroughly through Edwin before.
Today, while other children demonstrated magic formulas to Professor Angela, I practiced drawing Mana into my Middle Dantian alone. No, was this even practice? It felt like a pointless endeavor to me.
The Great expansive divine skill of azure sky, which I had cultivated my whole life, involved refining the external energy of the body, storing it in the Lower Dantian, and releasing that energy when needed to strengthen parts of the body or attacks.
Drawing the internal energy from the Lower Dantian to the Middle Dantian was part of the process for a martial artist who had reached a high realm to more rigorously control the power of their entire body.
However, the Mana operation I was doing now was fundamentally different from an internal energy cultivation method; it involved drawing Mana from outside the body to the vicinity of the Middle Dantian, around the heart, circulating it once, and then releasing it back outside.
I still couldn’t understand the purpose of painstakingly drawing in and circulating energy that wasn’t meant to be stored within the body.
If I had to describe it, it was like adding a cup of water to a flowing river and idly watching it drift away.
However, after repeating it for a long time, I became accustomed to it, and now the arduous task of drawing in, circulating, and releasing Mana felt comfortable without much effort.
The Freezing Magic Formula seemed simpler in structure than the Purification Formula, so I wondered if I should try it… just as I was contemplating whether to thinly spread my internal energy.
Professor Angela Sting stood before me. Seeing her, I looked up with a puzzled expression, and her gentle voice reached me.
“Young Master Ernhardt, you may try to construct a magic formula today too… With the amount of Mana you can handle now, you should be able to activate the Freezing Magic Formula… Since you have received Mana’s blessing, it would be good to memorize at least one useful basic formula…?”
“…! Yes! Thank you.”
Looking at the handout Professor Angela Sting gave me, I slowly drew in Mana under her guidance.
Perhaps it was due to my consistent practice. The flow of energy that didn’t start from my Lower Dantian felt natural, and I was inwardly greatly surprised.
I marveled at Professor Angela Sting’s Eye Technique, which had noticed my newfound familiarity before I did.
She told me to draw it from afar, so I put aside my internal energy, which was close by, and gathered the thin structure of Mana from afar as if raking it in.
She instructed me to take my time when drawing the formula, to keep my left hand still, and to draw the spell formula with only my right hand, following the steps of condensation, radiation, submersion, cooling, and contraction.
Wherever my hand movements were clumsy and the spell formula wasn’t drawn properly, Professor Angela would cover it with a layer of her own Mana.
And finally, I finished with the Alpha spell formula.
Soon, a blue coldness began to emanate from just above my palm. The temperature wasn’t extremely low, but I could feel the cold energy on my forearm, close to my hand, and even on my chest.
“Now… Very good… Now, slowly, return the Mana. Spread your hands a little more so that the little fairies gathered on Young Master Ernhardt’s hand can stand up… Good, you’re doing well. As you exhale… Now, draw in Mana again, rotate the Circle, and send it far away…”
I did as I was told. It was fascinating and enjoyable to see the coldness gathered on my palm crumble and melt away.
After successfully releasing the entire formula, I looked up at Professor Angela with a joyful expression.
Perhaps it was like the moonlight on a deep, clear night sky. Her gentle, dark blue eyes shone with a kind light.
“You did very well… I thought you would succeed because you seemed to be on good terms with Mana, Young Master Ernhardt… Although the structure is a bit rough, I am truly happy to see you doing so well… I hope this formula will be helpful when you train in the Swordsmanship Department… Practice it steadily a few more times during class, and then you will practice deploying the spell formula quickly on your own… You can do it, can’t you…?”
“Yes, Professor. Thank you very much.”
“…It’s my job.”
Although she said that, I could read the pride reflected on Professor Angela Sting’s face.
It was still amazing that my fingertips were cold, so I touched my thumb and index finger together and apart, and then stroked my palm.
While Professor Angela was helping other students with their magic formulas, I was given the assignment to draw Mana from outside the body into my Middle Dantian again, but this time it wasn’t boring at all.
I calmly observed and tried to memorize the Freezing Magic Formula thoroughly.
❖ ❖ ❖
During advanced swordsmanship class, I stood on the training stage for sparring.
My opponent today was Prince Rubel.
If all twenty First-Rate Martial Artists were to spar with each other once, the number of combinations would far exceed a hundred.
Since we sparred sequentially, I had only observed his skills with my eyes for half the semester without experiencing them directly, so I was excited even before we began.
I focused my gaze on the young boy standing before me, his straight shoulders and the firm grip on his sword hilt.
In this land, Shierun, it was rare for a single sword style to be owned by one family. Therefore, the forms of swordplay that martial artists prided themselves on each resembled their individual temperaments.
Among them, Rubel primarily used a straightforward sword style, as if he had completely absorbed the textbook of Imperial Swordsmanship from beginning to end. Although his Sword Path was honest, his strength was considerable, making him no easy opponent.
He held his sword hilt with both hands, while I held mine with one.
Our gazes met.
Professor Maelo Sanson did not announce the start of the sparring verbally. A First-Rate Martial Artist was understood to include those at the upper level of Sword Expert, meaning those who could freely control their aura.
They were at a realm where they could perceive every minute movement of their opponent within their Sword Domain.
Although the paths of the sword in the Central Plains and Shierun were different, in both places, it was considered a virtue for a master to yield to an opponent and allow them to attack first.
However, neither of us was willing to yield the initiative. We both knew that it was impossible to determine superiority in skill between us.
Rubel and I stood eight paces apart, catching our breath.
Clang!
Our sword blades met. We exchanged sharp glances at close range. I knew we had the same thought. We leaped simultaneously. The clashing swords let out a fierce cry.
If we were to clash with brute force, I would surely lose, so I deflected the attack to my left and retreated, turning halfway. After just one clash, my grip felt numb.
The way I perceived the world was only complete when it was through my sword.
The expression of the crow before me was serious. I knew he was someone who didn’t act carelessly. His sword, swung in a wide arc from lower left to upper right, aimed at my chest, so I planted my legs firmly on the ground.
I leaned my body back as far as possible, creating a distance of about a foot from the sword’s tip. Pushing off my left foot, I tried to kick his knee with my right. I knew my arm was too short to reach him, but it was enough to straighten my body.
Leaving my sword behind me, I lunged forward.
When I was in the Central Plains, my body rarely moved before my sword. I would only shoot my body forward like a cannonball when covering long distances using Light Footwork.
This was because the main martial art of the Namgung Family was swordsmanship. No matter how exquisite the art of fist and foot combat was, it was inferior to a weapon imbued with internal energy.
However, combat in Shierun was based on using the entire body.
That was why the heroes in picture books all carried shields. To overcome the strength of giant beasts, a single sword was not enough.
Unlike humans, who die if their neck or chest is cut, this sword was born from the need to defeat monsters that would tear open their jaws no matter how many times they were stabbed or slashed.
A martial artist in Shierun endured the moment, even if it meant rolling on the ground and kicking up dust, to strike the next blow, in order to kill the opponent and save themselves.
So, I did the same.
Incorporating the technique of the Golden Crow, I used my left hand like a hook to try and grab Rubel by the collar. However, he dodged it perfectly in time, and my hand brushed past his pale cheek. My fingertips felt empty. I didn’t want to lose the momentum I had gained. I lunged into his guard and thrust my sword.
The extended sword stopped with a loud sound. Rubel primarily used a two-handed sword, and my one-handed strength couldn’t overcome it. His stance remained unwavering throughout.
However, I didn’t think the fight would end in an instant. I persistently looked for opportunities and pressed forward.
Having crossed worlds and time, my forte had always been my Eye Technique, which I had awakened early. I read the direction of his sword thrusting from lower left to upper right. It was better to advance than retreat.
The more I pressed him, the shorter the interval between his sword swings became. Rubel suddenly eased the power in his sword. As he brought it down, I hesitated at his move, and then, a sword hilt shot towards my chest.
Since the distance was short, it was difficult to swing his sword, so he tried to attack me with the rounded ornament at the tip of the sword hilt, not the blade. I narrowly managed to read the subtle shift and dodge it.
The back of my neck felt taut from a style of combat I had never experienced at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
A smile flickered at the corner of my lips.