The mana gathered in his dantian began to move along the blood meridians throughout his body. It was moving according to the mana cultivation method unique to Pencelut, passed down to him by his father, Hales. Through the Mingmen acupoint, unrefined mana began to surge in like a flood. Damon was continuously pouring in the mana he had drawn together. Damon’s face was filled with seriousness.
“What you have learned is an orthodox internal energy cultivation method, so I cannot say how effective this will be. However, what I am injecting is the pure mana of nature itself, and since you have already reached a considerable level, you may perhaps achieve far greater results than expected. So from now on, engrave in your mind the principles of martial arts that I recite to you.”
Mitchell had no leisure to answer. He was devoting all his strength to controlling the raging waves of mana pouring in through his back.
The amount of mana Damon, a Ninth-Circle archmage, was drawing in and infusing with all his might was truly vast. No, it was something no ordinary mage could even dream of attempting. It was something no one could do unless they were a mage who had once been a master of profound internal energy—something even dragons, the progenitors of magic, could not accomplish. Across the two continents, the only one who could read and control the subtle flow of mana within the body was Damon alone. Into Mitchell’s ears, his face flushed crimson, came Damon’s murmuring.
“The ultimate essence of martial arts is enlightenment. The end of every martial path returns to one single point. What is seen is not all there is. Though the orthodox and the unorthodox pursue different things, once they reach the summit, there is no difference between them.”
What flowed from Damon’s mouth was none other than the ultimate essence of martial arts. As a former master of demonic arts, there was only one thing Damon could teach Mitchell, who had learned an orthodox internal energy cultivation method. That was enlightenment.
For a master like Mitchell, it was no longer easy to increase his strength through training alone. Only by attaining enlightenment and breaking through the wall could he easily step into a higher realm.
Based on the experiences he had once felt, Damon was striving to grant Mitchell enlightenment. He was transmitting all the experience he had gained while fighting countless masters.
“Do not think of the sword as a mere tool. Think of the sword as your hand, and also as an extension of your bones. If you can fill the sword with qi, then you can surely do the same with anything else. Think. The empty air, too, is only a passage through which qi can be condensed. To perform that is the manifestation of ganggi.”
Mitchell’s face repeatedly brightened and darkened. Damon’s words, which sounded like an incomprehensible incantation, were gradually seeping deep into his mind and showing him something before his eyes. For now it was still shrouded in something like a hazy fog, making it difficult to distinguish, but its shape was becoming clearer and clearer. At last, the moment Mitchell grasped the identity of that form, a thunderous sound burst inside his head.
Puh.
Mitchell vomited blood like a fountain. Then he fainted on the spot. Before his consciousness vanished, Mitchell somehow managed to hear Damon talking to himself. It was a drained voice, as though he had exhausted every last bit of his strength.
“Th-that fellow is truly remarkable. I was half in doubt, and yet he actually gained enlightenment in the end… Whew, this is terribly exhausting. At any rate, congratulations on reaching the pinnacle realm, you bastard. From now on, you are a Sword Master.”
“A… Sword Master?”
With that thought as his last, Mitchell’s consciousness tumbled down into a distant abyss.
The next day, Mitchell was only able to wake when the sun had risen high in the sky.
“Hm?”
Mitchell, who had half raised his upper body, opened his eyes wide. It was because, overnight, his body felt as though it were no longer his own. In a word, it felt light. Bewildered, Mitchell circulated the mana within his body once. In that instant, he felt a vast amount of mana, something he could not even have imagined before, moving according to his control. It was such an immense change that Mitchell’s mouth fell open.
“Wh-what on earth…”
Suddenly, thunderous applause broke out from over there.
Clap, clap, clap.
When he turned his head, the mercenaries were looking at Mitchell with broad smiles. Kasim approached with a grin and held out his hand.
“Congratulations on becoming a Sword Master, Mitchell.”
As Mitchell absentmindedly clasped the hand offered to him, the cheers of the mercenaries continued to reach his ears.
“Congratulations, Mitchell.”
“Now we won’t dare talk back to Mitchell. How could we talk back to a Sword Master?”
Mitchell could not quite believe it and merely blinked.
“Have I really become a Sword Master?”
This time Damon approached. Perhaps because he had consumed a great deal of energy yesterday, his face looked very haggard. Coming fully to his senses, Mitchell sprang to his feet.
“D-Damon. I… I don’t know how to thank you…”
“You bastard. If you’re grateful, then act accordingly. Because of you, my lifespan must have been cut short by ten years, you punk.”
“Th-thank you very much.”
Hot tears streamed from the corners of his eyes. The hearts of the mercenaries, who were sincerely congratulating him on his achievement, touched him deep in his chest, and he could not help feeling intensely proud that he had eight such comrades. On top of that, even Damon’s rough tongue felt so warm and familiar at this moment.
“Good grief. Why is a grown man crying? You bastard. Stop crying and pack your things.”
“Are… are we leaving?”
“We have to. But before that, we should stop by the Pencelut palace for a bit.”
“Th-the palace? Why?”
“Shouldn’t we deal with that fellow Riley you mentioned before we go? Everyone has already agreed that we should teach him a proper lesson.”
Mitchell, who had been thinking about something for a moment, hardened his expression.
“Can we not simply leave? Even so, Pencelut was my father’s homeland. I do not want to cause harm there—ugh.”
Before he could finish speaking, Damon struck Mitchell hard on the head.
“Don’t worry, you bastard. I intend to teach only that fellow Riley a lesson without causing Pencelut the slightest harm… Hm?”
When the rebounding force transmitted from Mitchell’s head was beyond his imagination, Damon’s eyes went round.
“You have definitely become a Sword Master. To gain enlightenment from just a few words I recited— you really are something else.”
“H-have I truly become a Sword Master?”
Damon nodded without hesitation.
“Of course. But do not become arrogant. They, too, will reach the same realm as you within at least five years. The mana cultivation method they learned does allow for rapid progress, but it has one drawback. It is that transcending the pinnacle—that is, the realm beyond Sword Master—is markedly difficult. But you are different. If you steadily devote yourself to training, you may even have the possibility of becoming a Grand Sword Master.”
Mitchell’s shoulders rose without him realizing it, but he did not let it show on the surface. Before he knew it, he had acquired the mindset of considering his comrades. However, the mercenaries did not seem to pay much mind to Damon’s words.
“Come on. Still, being a Sword Master is amazing enough, isn’t it? Until just a year ago, we were third-rate mercenaries. So wouldn’t we have no regrets even if we only became Sword Masters? We wouldn’t dare dream of anything beyond that. People ought to know their place.”
When the glib Patterson spoke playfully, the group burst into laughter all at once. Swept up by the atmosphere, Mitchell was laughing along as well. For some reason, his heart felt more at ease today than ever.
Hahaha.
When the group stopped laughing, Kasim quickly rose to his feet.
“Now then, let’s quickly put the plan into action. Since Damon has already devised a plan, all we have to do is follow it.”
“Understood.”
The mercenaries picked up their luggage and left the inn together.
Riley, the vice-captain of the Pencelut Royal Guard Knights, was leisurely enjoying tea. Suddenly, the son of Hales who had visited yesterday came to mind. He abruptly burst into laughter as though deeply pleased.
“Hehehe. The look on that fellow’s face when he left was truly worth seeing. What a stupid fool. How dare he come here, of all places…”
After driving Hales out in the past, he had, quite literally, sped down a smooth road. Because his wife was the daughter of the chief instructor of the Royal Guard Knights, he had taken first place every time in the qualification evaluations held each year. Of course, there had been some who were dissatisfied with that, but he used his family’s backing to quietly suppress their complaints without anyone noticing. At least from his point of view, there was nothing that could not be solved with money. As a result, he had risen all the way to the position of vice-captain of the Royal Guard Knights.
“If Hales had had even the slightest greed for money, he wouldn’t have ended up like that. By the way, I wonder where that fellow is and what he’s doing now?”
Thinking it was none of his concern, Riley shook his head.
“In any case, if Hales’s son has even a little sense, he won’t come back, will he?”
Before his monologue could end, the voice of a Royal Guard Knight came from outside the door.
“Vice-captain. The applicant from yesterday has come to inquire about the status of his qualification evaluation.”
Riley wore an expression of disbelief. He had seen Riley tear up his application right in front of him, and yet he had come again…
“Could that fellow perhaps be an idiot?”
No matter how he thought about it, he could not understand. But since he had come, Riley thought he should meet him, and gave an arrogant order.
“Bring him in.”
A little while later, Mitchell once again faced Riley. Riley looked at Mitchell with a repulsive smile.
“So, you came to inquire about the status of your qualification evaluation?”
Mitchell answered with an expressionless face.
“That is correct.”
“How unfortunate. Your evaluation application has been rejected for failing to meet the requirements. I am sorry to have made you come all this way for nothing.”
However, Mitchell was not shaken in the slightest.
“Then can you certify in writing that the evaluation was rejected because I failed to meet the requirements?”
“That is not difficult.”
Riley immediately picked up a pen. Since whether knight candidates could take the qualification evaluation was entirely within the vice-captain’s authority, there was nothing for him to worry about. After writing the document, Riley even showed the kindness of reading it aloud.
“Listen carefully. This candidate’s application for the Royal Guard Knights qualification evaluation is hereby rejected due to significant disqualifying factors. As he falls short of the standard in all areas, including character, swordsmanship, and appearance, it is judged that he absolutely cannot become a Royal Guard Knight of this nation. Therefore, by the authority of Riley Friezman, vice-captain of the Royal Guard Knights, the application is personally rejected. Will this suffice?”
“It is enough.”
When the other party unexpectedly showed little reaction, Riley handed the document to the Royal Guard Knight standing beside him. The knight soon passed the document to Mitchell. Folding it and placing it inside his clothes, Mitchell looked straight at Riley.
“I have one request.”
“What is it? Speak.”
“May I perhaps have a look at the training grounds of the Royal Guard Knights?”
“Well, that much is not difficult. Of course, it is limited to observation.”
Riley immediately drew up the paperwork. It was a document allowing him to observe the training grounds. As he did so, he was sneering inwardly.
“Hehehe. He must be planning to prove his skills against the knights and draw attention, but he is sorely mistaken. If someone who has been granted permission only to observe picks a fight with the knights, he will be arrested by law on the spot… In that case, I can lock him in prison and slowly cook him at my leisure.”
Unaware of such schemes, Mitchell continued speaking.
“I have companions. There are eight in all, so I would like them to be permitted to observe as well.”
“That is no problem.”
To Riley, this was even more welcome news. If they swarmed in as a group and caused a disturbance, their crime would become even greater. Having completed eight observation passes in an instant, Riley had them delivered to Mitchell.
“Then farewell. I wish you good fortune.”
Mitchell turned away without answering. Riley stared at his back with a sinister gaze.