By Zephyria 
And so, Thursday. Advanced swordsmanship class had returned.
The five close and familiar friends formed a group, watching each other’s sparring, practicing sword forms, and seeking advice from Professor Maelo Sanson.
After much deliberation, I gave up on mixing new sword forms with Namgung’s swordplay. Instead, I decided to try linking them by finding similarities between each sword form.
During the lunch that followed the end of class, I couldn’t tell if the food was going into my nose or my mouth. It was all because of Princess Lucilla Anti Sierran, who was chattering loudly and boisterously as if drunk, though she hadn’t had a drop of alcohol. Her way of speaking was something I could never quite get used to, no matter how many times I heard it.
After some thought, I invited Matt Nico, the Princess’s friend, who seemed to handle her well, to join me for Friday’s flying dagger practice, but I was refused. When I asked why, Matt Nico said he had something he absolutely had to do every Friday, so I didn’t press further.
After the hectic mealtime, aura class began.
As it had been decided that I would carefully consider the proposals made by Douglas Mustang and Mage Boulder, no other mages came to visit. Instead, Professor Douglas asked if I would try using aura in the Sierran style. It seemed he had heard from someone that I had become capable of using cold magic formulas.
“Aura… you mean?”
“There was no other way when Young Master Ernhardt could only use pre-refined aura. But if you’ve succeeded in drawing in the mana from the atmosphere, wouldn’t it be worth learning and utilizing Sierran’s method? Were there any problems mixing aura with the new mana?”
“Hmm… Not really.”
“I thought so. If Young Master Ernhardt couldn’t fully control the energy he uses, the energies would have surely clashed, and you would have ended up in the infirmary. Since Professor Angela Sting saw no major issues, I think it’s worth a try.”
“Mm.”
“The method Young Master uses is still an unverified one, isn’t it? If your goal is to become a Grand Sword Master, trying a method that has been verified for hundreds of years isn’t a bad choice either.”
“Huuuum…”
In the Central Plains, the name Namgung was great and lofty. Even those not from Anhui would never omit Namgung’s name when listing the Five Great Clans. The names of Transcendent Peak masters recorded in their five-hundred-year lineage numbered in the dozens. It was a mind method passed down through generations, practiced by thousands. I considered it a sufficiently verified and safe path. However, before I could speak up to assert the tradition and legitimacy of the Great Expansive Divine Skill of Azure Sky, I first pondered how valid Professor Douglas’s opinion was. I had never lost anything by listening to what he had to say.
The internal energy cultivation methods of the Central Plains were based on refining the energy of nature and storing it within the human body. This pure energy was inhaled and accumulated in the Lower Dantian below the navel, a third bodily organ that could not be seen with the eyes but had to be felt with Qi sense. In Sierran terms, it could be described as a formalized version of mana from the immaterial realm.
The refined energy within the body was then measured in units of ‘gapja’. One gapja was a realm achievable by accumulating sixty years of pure Tonapbeop (*basic stage of Qi cultivation). In my past life, I accumulated two gapja of internal energy, attained enlightenment, opened my Middle Dantian, and reached the realm of Transcendent Peak. It is said that Martial artists of Hwagyeong open their Upper Dantian and wield internal energy of three or four gapja, bringing about a harmony that shakes heaven and earth.
On the other hand, Sierran methods utilized the raw, natural power without refinement. Sierran martial artists trained their bodies to withstand the direct influx of natural energy without collapsing. It was more akin to training Oegigong (a type of martial art focused on physical training) than Naegigong (cultivating internal energy within the body). This way, one could draw and use aura equivalent to many gapja of internal energy without actually accumulating it.
While a few clans in the Central Plains also emphasized external arts, there were always those who looked down on external arts as a crude method of training. They were hesitant to believe that one could reach a higher realm through external arts than through internal arts. Thinking that it was impossible to practice external arts at my age, I quickly realized I had been mistaken. The fact that I was still thirteen years old struck me anew. If possible, training both external and internal arts would undoubtedly be of great benefit. With a joyful heart, I nodded.
“I will do so.”
“Since your eyes are already open to seeing aura, it would be good to practice drawing the energy from the atmosphere directly and channeling it into your sword, rather than the energy within your body. Just like the other students. I’ll demonstrate first and then observe you continuously, so don’t worry and do as much as you can.”
“Yes, Professor.”
And so, I practiced drawing aura in a way different from my usual training. Instead of drawing and expelling mana through the Middle Dantian, I tried to channel it into my sword. I understood the method, but actually doing it was incredibly difficult, like moving someone else’s hand. I wasn’t sure how mana, aura, and internal energy would mix and react. Professor Mustang had repeatedly emphasized that this method should never be practiced alone and only attempted in his presence, to which I had agreed.
❖ ❖ ❖
On Friday morning, I relayed Professor Douglas’s words to Professor Maelo Sanson. When he suggested that the three of us should meet and discuss it sometime, I agreed. It seemed more practical for the professors, who likely had more complicated schedules than a student like me, to coordinate their own availability first. I promised to follow their lead once a date was set.
Shayden Rose and Benjamin Claudian also listened to the conversation beside him. Unlike Benjamin, Shayden only had a vague understanding of the internal energy cultivation method I used, so he showed great interest. When Benjamin, who was usually quiet, spoke with a proud tone about the time Douglas Mustang asked if I was a dragon, Shayden burst into loud laughter. When I sternly rebuked him not to tease, he apologized but struggled to contain his laughter for a long time, which I found displeasing.
“No, but I understand why that question came up. Dragons are often depicted as quite beautiful beings.”
“They were just round and chubby.”
“That’s not true, Young Master Ernhardt.”
“That’s only in children’s fairy tales. How many dragon enthusiasts are there in the Sierran Empire? Even Young Master Claudian here looks disappointed. I wonder if that book is in the Academy library, I’d like to show it to you…”
“The complete translation of the ‘Twenty-One Dragons in History’?”
“…You have that? I heard it was a limited edition released before we were even born!”
“My father passed it down to me. Shall I lend it to you, Young Master Ernhardt?”
“No, thank you.”
A flicker of curiosity arose, but I didn’t want to be teased about it again. More than anyone, I knew myself that I was not a dragon. I was a man born and raised in the Central Plains, who lived and died there, and was reborn into this world in human form. I had never been anything other than human. What need was there to learn about mythical beings that might not even exist on this land? It would be more helpful to memorize the types of monsters I would have to kill in the future. With that thought, I refused again, and Benjamin did not press me.
Walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Benjamin, we arrived at the flying dagger training field and met the Prince and Princess twins. It seemed they were in the middle of some argument when we arrived. However, as soon as they sensed my presence, they fell silent, so I couldn’t tell what they had been discussing. Not being particularly curious, I didn’t bother asking and instead took out my bundle of flying daggers.
Adjusting my stance, I threw a few daggers. The first missed awkwardly, but from the second one onwards, they lodged into the target. As expected, practicing only once a week was insufficient. When I trained in the Central Plains, I often spent the entire day, from morning till evening, practicing a single sword form. To expect my skills to suddenly improve with only two hours of training once a week was nothing short of greedy. Still, I had managed to get a feel for it, and I could lodge the daggers into the target without channeling my internal energy, which wasn’t bad. Prince Rubel, standing beside me, praised my improved skills with words and applause, to which I gave a brief smile.
Was Rubel sixteen now? I remembered myself at fifteen, after I had cut down the first human neck, systematically defeating the Black Road practitioners of the capital. It was a time when I tried to look menacing to hide my youthful face. Though I thought I was serious, it must have looked amusing to the older ones. The current Rubel was exactly like that. He tried to act mature but wasn’t, tried to be dignified but lacked it. Despite his height, which was taller than his peers, there was still an awkwardness about him that I found utterly endearing.
“You don’t have to do that. I know my own skill level.”
“…No, I’m genuinely praising you. Throwing a dagger like this at this distance, not even a bow, isn’t easy. For practicing only once a week, this is very fast progress.”
“Hmm.”
Come to think of it, it did sound plausible. Not knowing what kind of ‘serpent’ resided within me, I could understand this innocent boy’s genuine admiration. However, unlike the boy, I was well aware of my own shortcomings. I had promised myself multiple times not to be impatient, yet I continued to push myself due to my innate disposition. “Is that so,” I said, feigning agreement, and picked up another flying dagger.
While I stood before the 10-meter target, Lucilla and Benjamin, who were standing at the 20-meter mark, caught my eye. Lucilla was teaching Benjamin various skills and chatting when she suddenly called out to me in a loud voice.
“Young Master Ernhardt! Young Master Ernhardt! Yooooung Master Eeer-nhardt!”
“You only need to call me once, I can hear you perfectly well.”
“You look a bit troubled today, how about we stop here? It’s ‘that day’ today.”
“…What?”
“It’s the third Friday of the month. Didn’t you know?”
I couldn’t not know. The third Friday of every month was when the night market opened. I had previously gone out with friends from the camping class, bought various items, and had a good time. However, today, I had resolved to spend the entire Friday afternoon training, so I hadn’t planned on going out. I stood silently, looking at Lucilla, then glanced up at Rubel. Gazing into his dark eyes, which were trying to avoid my gaze without a word, I suddenly looked up at the sky and gauged the time. There was a clock in the flying dagger training field, but I was more accustomed to reading the sun’s inclination than the clock.
“Do you think the same way, Senior Rubel?”
“…No.”
This time, I turned to Benjamin Claudian. He glanced over at me, then stepped over the safety line and began retrieving the daggers stuck in the targets one by one. Seeing him do that, my mind was made up.