By Zephyria 
I had the child extend his sword again, and then I demonstrated how to feign a rebound by bringing my sword to the point where it had just clashed.
Benjamin, understanding my explanation, nodded with an impressed expression.
“So, I received this force with my sword and launched myself. Thanks to knowing Young Master Claudian’s power was formidable beforehand and reacting accordingly, I was able to get this far. However, when turning in mid-air, it’s like this…”
He demonstrated by leaping from his spot and swinging his legs to maintain his balance in the air. Benjamin watched intently and immediately mimicked me.
The training uniform worn for swordsmanship practice was cut short so the hems wouldn’t interfere, and it didn’t make a rustling sound with ordinary movements.
However, both Benjamin and I were martial artists who moved at speeds that outpaced the wind. The sound of our hems flapping was loud.
I felt pleased knowing Benjamin had grasped the subtle technique, even if imperfectly.
“Yes, that’s right. Rotating the legs around the navel as the axis directs the force downward.”
“…This is interesting. Is it perhaps a variation of that Limitless Steps from before…?”
“Yes.”
I nodded, pleased that he recognized the movement was based on the footwork I possessed. As he stepped back, suggesting we try again, I didn’t refuse.
We exchanged blows several more times, lost in the moment, until we were drenched in sweat.
There was nothing as refreshing as sparring, pouring out all the energy in one’s body. Panting lightly, I wiped the sweat from my cheeks with the back of my hand when I felt the children’s gazes and looked up.
The swordsmanship club children, standing rigidly, had all stopped what they were doing and were watching Ikyun.
My surprise lasted only a moment.
It was strange that all of them, swordsmen with Third-rate to Second-rate skills, weren’t captivated by the sparring of a First-Rate Martial Artist happening right beside them.
I thought it would be a good thing if watching this sparring inspired the children to strive for improvement.
I turned back to the children with a pleased smile. Some of them chuckled sheepishly, perhaps embarrassed.
Maelo Sanson, who had been watching from afar, spoke up.
“Don’t go corrupting perfectly good kids for no reason, Mikael.”
“Pardon?”
“No, it’s nothing…”
I was puzzled by Sanson’s hand pressing down on his sweat-soaked hair, but then, pleased by his friendly demeanor towards me, I smiled again.
❖ ❖ ❖
The quiet ticking of the second hand filled the silence.
Douglas Mustang had gladly agreed to my request that my companions could come to see the Golem.
“My professor’s office is always open to students,” he had replied graciously, as cool and collected as ever.
Boulder, who had been visiting three times a day for the past week to check on the Golem’s condition as there was nothing more to do, had already left a little while ago.
I was waiting for my companions’ classes to finish before visiting Douglas’s office.
The Golem sat in the center of the professor’s office, pushing the sofa to the side. I sat facing the wall on the displaced sofa. I tried hard not to focus on the Golem’s breathing, but it wasn’t easy.
Douglas, who had been rummaging through various books at his large desk, occasionally spoke to me as he saw me.
“You can refuse anytime if it bothers you or you dislike it, Young Master Ernhardt.”
“…It’s not that bad.”
“I see. But if it’s difficult, please let me know anytime.”
“Yes, Professor.”
He expressed concern for me, and sometimes asked questions.
“Perhaps it’s because it’s only been a week… There’s no sign of a Dantian forming yet.”
“I suspect it’s because the nature of internal energy and Mana are different… but who knows.”
“It didn’t feel that different through the body. Ah, you told me about the Secret Incantation for the Mind Method last time, didn’t you? I’ve tried interpreting the will of the heavens in three ways…”
We spent time chatting about various things when a knock sounded at the door.
Just by the presence, I knew it was my companions and turned towards the door with anticipation. A mischievous feeling made my heart flutter. The door slowly opened.
“Aaaargh!”
“Eek! What is this!”
“Hahaha!”
I couldn’t suppress my laughter.
No matter how I thought about it, I wasn’t the only one who found it horrifying.
Unlike the two adults, including Maelo Sanson, who were accustomed to seeing gruesome things, the children reacted with the same, or even more intense, shock than I did upon facing the transparent Golem.
The children who came today to see the transparent Golem were those among my close companions who were particularly curious.
There was Benjamin, curious about the principles of Circulating Qi; Marianne, curious about the magic Golem; and Shayden, simply curious about what I was doing. The three of them had come.
As I laughed heartily at the children’s pale faces, Marianne, who was annoyed, pinched my forearm hard, making me stop laughing.
Douglas was covering his face with both hands, trying to hold back his laughter, but it seemed he couldn’t bring himself to be angry with the professor. Laughter erupted again.
“I told you it was horrifying.”
“No, I didn’t realize it would be this bad… Ah, my eyes are ruined. Can’t I cover my face?”
“It’s usually best to avoid any contact during Circulating Qi.”
Even Benjamin, who was usually stoic unless it involved words, had a pale complexion.
Shayden covered his eyes with both hands, let out a bewildered laugh, and then belatedly bowed his head towards Douglas.
“…I apologize, Professor. I was too startled.”
“No, no. It is indeed uniquely grotesque among Golems… I completely understand.”
“Ah! Hello, Professor!”
“Yes. Shall I get you some tea?”
Douglas smiled kindly and served each of the children a cup of warm tea with flowers floating in it.
I now knew that the flower tea Douglas served was an herb used to calm shock. He was a thoughtful man, indeed.
The children, their shock quickly subsiding, couldn’t hide their fascination and peered around the Golem.
“This is practically an anatomical model. Is the blue color the flow of Mana?”
“Yes. The clear blue light represents the flow of Mana, and the pure white is said to represent the blood vessels.”
“Why white instead of red?”
“Because it would interfere with seeing the flow of Mana.”
“Ah, I see.”
Marianne, as if she hadn’t just screamed in shock, clutched her teacup and peered around the Golem, examining it closely.
Given her strong stomach and immense curiosity, she seemed to have the makings of a wizard.
I recalled she had mastered First Circle magic and was dabbling in the early stages of Second Circle.
Since her sister from the same bloodline was Fourth Circle, she would undoubtedly grow into an even greater wizard in the future.
“This is… what’s happening inside Mika’s body every morning.”
“It’s a bit different, but similar.”
“How is it different?”
“Well… it has direction, but I suppose it lacks meaning.”
When Shayden mumbled this without much thought, Marianne’s voice shot up immediately.
“How can you say it lacks meaning when such elaborate experiments are being conducted!”
“Marianne, what do you think when you manipulate Mana?”
“Um…”
“When you draw spell formulas with intent, don’t you think, ‘I will make ice with this Mana,’ or ‘I will forge fire’?”
“Well… yes?”
“It’s not simply about drawing Mana, but about purifying the mind and strengthening the body, aiming to accumulate energy. This Golem, however, is just repeating actions without such intent. That’s why it looks different to me.”
“Hmmmm… But what if the results are exactly the same?”
I couldn’t answer immediately.
I had completely given up on teaching the children of Sierren Circulating Qi or internal energy cultivation methods.
While I could borrow the perspectives of Boulder and Douglas to imprint a refined, Golem-like action onto my body in a simplified form, it was clear that no one else would cultivate internal energy in the same way I did from now on.
Could the Great expansive divine skill of azure sky, which was not Namgung’s, truly be called the Great expansive divine skill of azure sky?
Douglas provided the answer.
“It can’t be exactly the same, of course. But it can be similar.”
Douglas kindly explained to Marianne that everyone cultivates Circulating Qi using slightly different Acupoints.
Lacking the talent to speak calmly and comprehensibly like him, I listened quietly, nodding or occasionally adding a remark.
We sat around the Golem on the floor, as if camping, and chatted about various things.
For my part, I found it quite unpleasant to have to sit with this bizarre Golem in my sight instead of a campfire, but the children’s clear laughter and chatter made it bearable.
On the other hand, it felt ticklish down my spine, like revealing my true nature, which I couldn’t convey to this world, to my close companions.
When Benjamin expressed interest in the internal energy cultivation method, I told him to wait a bit longer, as I could teach him once safety was secured.
After about an hour of pleasant time, we headed to the stable with the same group to tend to the horses.
A sudden curiosity struck me, and I asked Marianne if she didn’t need to go see her lover. The child reacted with great alarm and smacked my shoulder and back repeatedly, making me laugh again.
I asked her what the point was in being embarrassed now when she already knew everything, and when she became shy and flustered again, I apologized several times, saying I was wrong, and was forgiven.
Marianne accepted my apology with a huff and a snort, her face flushed with embarrassment.
“I already saw him today, so it’s okay if I don’t see him.”
“Ah, you already did?”
“Yes. We had lunch together. Listen, Glee Oppa likes seafood more than meat. I prefer meat, but the fish today was so incredibly delicious. Can you believe it?”
It was a fascinating story. Even upon arriving at the stable, the conversations we had were all interesting and novel, making for a very enjoyable time.
After idly passing the time, I returned to my room and, while practicing Circulating Qi, compared what I had seen with my eyes to what I had observed within my body.
I felt like I was on the verge of understanding something, but it was as murky as a fog, leaving me feeling lost.