Chapter 129

The front gate of the Tenest mansion is in a commotion. Soldiers are lined up in two rows across the street. The status of the visitor is no small matter. Even Aol and Ahile had to come out to greet them, which says it all. Mircel grumbled with a displeased face. “Can’t they just be told not to come…?” Ahile nodded in agreement. “Indeed, Mircel.” Aol furrowed his brow. “…It’s the princess. No matter how bothersome, we must maintain propriety and avoid rude remarks.” “Oh my, you just said something a little disrespectful yourself,” Mircel recalled Deisel, who had gone abroad under the pretext of broadening his knowledge. In the meantime, a carriage arrived. An imperial envoy swiftly jumped out and announced the princess’s arrival in a booming voice. “Her Highness, Princess Ezna Din Lungard, the seventh princess of the empire, has arrived!” The emperor of the empire had so many concubines, possibly because of all the supplements he consumed, that even as an old man, he continued to have children. The result: twelve children so far, with a thirteenth on the way. Princess Ezna stepped down from the carriage, lifted her dress, and greeted them formally. “How have you been, Duke?” For someone around the same age as Mircel, Ezna smiled with an air of maturity. Mircel, knowing why she was acting this way, let out a small sigh. Ezna exchanged formal greetings with Aol and Ahile and approached Mircel. “It’s been a while, Mircel. How have you been?” It was an uncomfortable situation with many watching. Mircel had no choice but to respond politely, otherwise, his father would scold him. “…I’ve been well. And how have you been, Princess Ezna?” Even though the words were spoken with little enthusiasm, Ezna smiled. But judging by her slightly twitching brow, she was surely irritated inside. “Shall we have a private conversation, just the two of us?” Not wanting to, Mircel casually replied, “Without a bodyguard? That doesn’t seem wise, considering your safety. It would be troublesome if something happened.” Aol gave him a sharp look. Mircel reluctantly added a respectful tone. “It would be… troublesome… indeed.” “Oh, how kind of you to worry about me. But don’t worry, here at the Tenest mansion, there’s no danger to my safety.” Mircel glanced at his father. Aol, eyes closed, nodded. His mother, Ahile, gave him a sharp look, but it was of no help. Mircel gauged the reaction of the man standing beside Ezna. He seemed to approve, or rather, encouraged the situation. With no choice, Mircel agreed to Ezna’s request. “Well, as you wish.” Mircel and Ezna walked alone through the garden. Of course, the guards were watching them closely, but they kept their distance, far enough that their conversation couldn’t be overheard. Ezna looked around and, in a slightly sulky tone, said, “For a first greeting, you should’ve added a compliment. I went to all this trouble to dress up…” She flicked her hair while gesturing to her dress. To Mircel, she didn’t look much different than usual. But saying that would only make her drag him around longer. “Wow, you look really beautiful.” Even though his compliment sounded insincere, Ezna didn’t seem inclined to ease her furrowed brow. She soon sighed deeply and brought up a topic Mircel didn’t want to hear. “Have you thought about the engagement?” Mircel kept his lips tightly sealed. Ezna was the ninth child. Compared to her older sisters, she was the lowest-ranked princess. If she didn’t find a decent match, she was destined to marry some remote prince in a political marriage. To Mircel, Ezna’s intentions were clear: she wanted to use him as a tool to secure power within the empire. “What’s there to think about? We’re still young. Why bring it up so soon?” “Think about it carefully. If we have a son, who knows? He might become the emperor one day.” Only males could inherit the imperial throne. All that was needed was a powerful family to back them up and strong bloodlines. The Tenest family, one of the pillars of the empire, and Mircel’s lineage provided just that. “Perhaps we might even give birth to a magic swordsman. Our family has always produced powerful wizards. I, too, have inherited magical talents.” Ezna puffed out her chest with a smug look. Mircel glanced at her lazily and asked, “But do you even know how babies are made?” “No? Do you?” “How would I know? Anyway, what I mean is, don’t bring up such things when we’re still supposed to be having fun.” Feeling chastised, Ezna pouted her lips. Mircel was in a difficult position. He had no intention of getting engaged. But he couldn’t give a firm answer, as Aol had told him not to rush into any decisions and to wait until they were older. “I’ll think about it a bit more. It’s an important decision, after all.” Sёarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He knew Ezna wouldn’t visit again for a while if he could just get through today. In the meantime, he planned to go to Frostheart, and for now, he could afford to ignore the matter. Though Mircel thought his answer was reasonable, Ezna scoffed and said… “Oh, really? And that kind of person is going to enter Frostheart?” Mircel’s eyes widened. “How do you know that?” “Is that really important right now? What matters is that I came all the way here because of it.” It was then that Mircel realized. Just as his mind began to clear, Ezna stomped on the stone floor and angrily leaned closer. “Be honest. You’re planning to run away, aren’t you? To get away from me.” “I’m not.” “Don’t lie. But why of all places are you going there? Do you even know what kind of place Frostheart is?” Mircel didn’t know. There was nothing in the letter Hersel had written, and when he asked Aol, the only response he got was, “You’ll find out when you get there.” “I don’t know.” When Mircel answered honestly, Ezna’s confident expression shifted into one of doubt. “Hmm, are you sure you’re going without knowing anything?” “I told you, I don’t know.” “Well, fine. I’ll tell you then. Once you hear, you might change your mind.” But even Ezna couldn’t explain concretely what it was. Her words were simple at best. “They say it’s a place where they train knights and wizards to explore the demonic realm.” “Really? That actually sounds fun.” Mircel’s response made Ezna sigh deeply. “But that’s not the issue. You’ve heard of the notorious villainess, Dorosian, right?” The Grice family is one of the pillars of the empire, just like the Tenest family. And its infamous second daughter is Dorosian El Grice. Ezna, who had been badly bullied by Dorosian, wore a wary expression as she recounted the villainess’s misdeeds. “Every time she comes to the palace, she torments me. She once used telekinesis to float me in the air and spin me around for thirty minutes!” Dorosian’s hobby is tormenting anyone, regardless of their status. Even the emperor leaves her alone, even when his own children suffer. There was a reason for that. Because Dorosian… “People say she’ll become the next Grand Mage, but I think differently. She’s a wicked witch who will bring down the empire.” From the moment she was born, she simultaneously awakened all five of her senses, an unprecedented prodigy. Considering that the last Grand Mage naturally awakened their five senses at the age of ten, she is a once-in-a-lifetime talent. “And that’s not all. They say she turns her servants into frogs and eats them. The servants in her mansion disappear one by one. She even drinks strong liquor every day, just so she can breathe fire. To roast her victims properly.” ???? Despite all of Ezna’s attempts to frighten him, Mircel chuckled. “Is that so?” Ezna, feeling frustrated, gritted her teeth. Mircel remained unmoved. After all, he believed Hersel would protect him, even if Dorosian tried to eat him. “Come on, change your mind. Huh? It’s fine to go to an academy, but at least consider Valiant instead…” Just as Ezna reached out to grab Mircel’s shoulder, it happened. “Gasp!” Ezna flinched and quickly crossed her arms over her body, stepping back. She must have seen something that startled her. Following her gaze, Mircel looked up. On the terrace of the main building, Ahile was sipping tea, smiling warmly, and waving. Niasel, sitting across from her, did the same. Mircel returned the gesture and looked back at Ezna. “What’s the big deal? It’s just Mom and Niasel. Why are you so startled?” Ezna, clearly shaken, took a step back without realizing it. Her cold eyes and stiff expression from earlier had clearly left an impression. It was as if the sight of Ahile’s face was something from a nightmare. “Ah, no… it’s nothing.” Ezna reassured herself that she must have seen it wrong, as Ahile’s expression softened again. *** [That happened.] Today, one page of Niasel’s picture diary caught my attention. A drawing of the lady of the house, looking down from the terrace at Mircel and Ezna. Niasel’s drawing skills have improved, capturing the lady’s expression perfectly. “Wow, look at those sharp eyes.” The princess must be out of her mind to think of serving such a woman as her mother-in-law. ‘Fathers never want to give their daughters away, and mothers never want to give up their sons.’ “To her, every woman must look like a fox…” With a brief sigh, I carefully placed Niasel’s letter back in the cabinet. Now it was time to read Mircel’s letter. As expected, just like Aol, it was short. [I’ll be there soon.] It seems Mircel is indeed coming here. No surprise there, though. There had been many signs pointing to it. “Well then, break time is over. Shall we continue the discussion from earlier?” ‘I’ve been waiting, Hersel.’ I stood up, gathered the Liquid Gold into a sphere, and floated it in the air. A special metallic liquid manipulated by mana. When I wrapped it around my arm and swung the sword last time, it moved as quickly as if it were covered in aura. Of course, saying it was fast is subjective. Superior to the average person, but still slightly lacking compared to the key players. After conducting several experiments, I noticed its shortcomings. “I wish we had more of this Liquid Gold. It’s a shame. It’s not nearly enough to activate the mana blade and aura simultaneously.” One disadvantage is that in order to unleash an attack comparable to aura, I have to forego strengthening the sword. Donatan replied, ‘What can you do? You’ll just have to make the best use of the small amount we have.’ “Right, we’ll go with that. Next…” Another issue was the strain on my muscles. To give an exaggerated example, it’s similar to the principle that if a human moved at the speed of a jet, their body wouldn’t be able to withstand it. Human flesh and skin are nowhere near as hard as metal, unable to endure the immense air resistance. “This is the most serious issue. I can’t handle the recoil. Just yesterday, after one swing, I slightly strained a ligament, and my muscles tore.” Donatan explained, ‘Aura is a power that flows from within, allowing the body to handle superhuman strength. But you are not like that.’ “Is there no way around this, then?” I asked, and Donatan sighed. He seemed to be thinking deeply for a moment. ‘Hmm, how about infusing the Liquid Gold into your body? By attaching it directly to your muscles, it could help absorb the recoil.’ It was a pretty good idea. However, there was a big risk with that method. “That would mean I’d have to run the Liquid Gold all throughout my body, right?” I’m no doctor, but I do know the body contains complex organs and blood vessels. I don’t trust myself to control the metal well enough to avoid damaging those organs and only target the muscles. Even if I can’t handle the recoil, using an exosuit would be a much safer alternative. “One small mistake and it could tear my blood vessels or internal organs. That’s a no-go.” ‘True, that’s a valid point. Handling it delicately during battle would be even harder.’ In the end, nothing had changed. No matter how much I trained, my flesh and blood were still the same. Without using aura, avoiding strain on the body was impossible. “So, I can only use attacks that go beyond my physical limits a few times…” ‘Two times. Any more than that and your body won’t be able to handle it. Paralysis would set in.’ Two times per arm and per leg. That means two strikes with the right arm, two with the left, and only two leaps. “Alright, I’ll think about this slowly and use it for now.” I placed an empty bottle on the desk and assumed a drawing stance. What I was about to try was an experiment to channel all the mana I had into the Liquid Gold in a single blow, launching a strike so powerful it would almost tear my arm apart. “Let’s begin.” As Donatan sent the electrical signal, my muscles responded instantly. The mana-charged Liquid Gold felt as if it were transmitting the explosive force of gunpowder into my arm. Ping The slash passed in the blink of an eye. As expected, a cooldown notification appeared on my retina. [Impact detected.] [Ability activated.] [1-second invincibility cooldown: 58 seconds remaining.] If it weren’t for the “1-second invincibility,” my arm would have been torn apart. This was not a speed that an ordinary person without aura could ever hope to endure. At that moment, I heard a belated slicing sound. It seemed I hadn’t even realized the empty bottle had been cut, as the top half slowly slid along the cut surface and fell onto the desk. Thud. I grinned and approached to dispose of the bottle. But then, another slicing sound made me stop in my tracks. “My God…” Because on the wall, where the sword tip shouldn’t have even touched, a long horizontal slash had appeared. It was so deep that light from outside now spilled into the room… Donatan’s words closed my gaping mouth. ‘When a strike draws out extreme power, it creates a sharp blade wind. You can cut without even touching… such is the razor-sharp wind of a sword.’ Prev I TOC I Next