Episode 198
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“Archduke Lancaster of the Heavenly Sword and Lord Sepilia of the Sword have officially announced their intention to participate in the ‘Ritual of the Sword’.”
A whisper was heard through the blue spiderwebs that had spread throughout the empire. After hearing the report, Dale, sitting at the table, nodded silently.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
After submitting the report, the person asking about the ‘Blue Whisper’ left, and Dale quietly got up.
The Sword Ritual. A tradition passed down through generations in the old Teutonia Knight Nation to determine the strongest sword on the continent, but after the Knight Nation was destroyed, the tradition was lost.
In other words, those who are now called the Seven Swords of the Continent are those who won the title of sword in the last sword ceremony more than a dozen years ago, before Dale was even born.
Conversely, it is possible that there is a swordsman in the entire continent who is better than the current Seven Swordsman. Just like another Aurelia who is currently being reborn as a holy swordsman, and the ‘Black Prince’ who is the avatar of the Shadow Lord.
It was no exception for the pitch-black Aurelia, who was buried in Dale’s shadow.
Involuntarily, the image of the girl who had left her master’s side and was growing up alone came to mind.
It was a showdown between the strong swordsmen. It was a fact that the daughter of the new sword would participate in the ceremony held in the old homeland.
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Fortunately, the ‘Ritual of the Sword’ doesn’t happen overnight. In the meantime, there’s only one thing Dale has to do.
The Duchy of Saxony’s castle, an absurdly large training ground prepared for the training of the Night Raven Knights.
There, three of the Seven Swords of the Continent, counted on seven fingers, were gathered.
Sir Helmut Blackbear, the swordsman of the light sword, Master Baro, and the nameless swordsman with the name of the Wandering Sword.
Finally, the Shadow Lord who had obtained the loyalty of their sword, and Lady Shadow who claimed to be his shadow, were no exception.
“It wouldn’t have been easy for the three Seven Swords to gather here.”
“Oh my, how dare I be so cautious when faced with the call of His Majesty the Duke of Dale!”
“That’s right.”
“What the hell.”
Master Baro shook his head and swore, and Sir Helmut the Light Sword’s expression hardened.
“You are such a shameless assassin who even volunteers to be a knight. You are truly thick-skinned.”
In fact, even if they were living in the same Duchy of Saxony, there would be little chance of them ever meeting. It’s not that they didn’t know each other’s existence, but that didn’t make a difference.
Sir Helmut the Light Sword was carrying out his duties as the sword of the Duke of Saxony, while Master Baro the Sword Master was operating in the shadows as the sword of the Shadow Court.
“Oh my, damn it. What can I do with the world turning out that way?”
“What can I trust in someone like you who doesn’t know the oath and entrust Prince Dale with his back?”
“Don’t worry, Sir Helmut. Master Salgeom Baro is more trustworthy than he looks.”
“Oh, Your Highness… … !”
“Your Majesty, you are not here for personal strife.”
But Dale shook his head quietly and smiled, softly but without any room for objection.
Sling.
Dale then pulled out the pitch-black magic sword, Kia, hanging from his waist.
“In the coming sword ritual, there are two people we must be wary of, aside from the nameless rising powers.”
Dale continued.
“The Archduke of the Heavenly Sword, Lancaster, and the Noble Sword, Sir Sepilia. And both knights have expressed their intention to participate in the ‘Ritual of the Sword’.”
“The Heavenly Sword and the Ghost Sword… … .”
He had expected it, but when he actually heard the name, Sir Helmut held his breath quietly.
“The position of the Holy Sword is a position that is only granted to those who possess the Holy Sword. However, the position of the New Sword, which is left vacant, will not be like that. Surely, all of them will aim for the position of the New Sword and challenge for it.”
Dale said.
“And I, too, will participate in the ‘Sword Ritual’ with the monks.”
“… … !”
At Dale’s words, the three swords swallowed their breath.
“Your Majesty, your participation in the sword test is limited to… … .”
Sir Helmut swallowed his breath as if he had realized something, before continuing.
Dale smiled brightly at the sight.
“I have to use Aura.”
“Yes.”
“However, I have heard that in the old sword rituals, there were quite a few swordsmen who used both swords and magic.”
Dale spoke, and Sir Helmut’s expression hardened as he understood the meaning.
“no way!”
“From now on, I plan to create an Aura Heart within my body, just like the ones used by knights.”
The reason why the wizards and knights of this world cannot master both at the same time was very simple.
Because wizards use magic and knights use aura.
However, the two types of magic and aura are merely differences in the way they process mana, and in the end, both are powers that come from the supernatural power that exists in the air, mana.
Knowing this fact, there were many attempts in the past to use swords and magic at the same time. However, there is only one reason why knights and magicians are strictly distinguished in this era.
The efficiency is so terrible that you end up killing two birds with one stone.
Even just studying magic or aura requires a lifetime of effort for the average person, and those who can reach the extreme can be counted on one hand. It would be strange not to worry.
“I understand your concerns, sir. However… … .”
So it was time for Dale to explain his intentions.
“All right.”
Sir Helmut Blackbear nodded without a moment’s hesitation.
“Sir Helmut?”
“I trust Prince Dale.”
That’s right. What Dale is showing now is by no means all his accomplishments as a wizard. Despite being the avatar of the Shadow Lord and even calling himself a wizard, he possesses a sword that is in no way inferior to the Seven Swords of the Continent.
What if you were to obtain an aura that could focus solely on strengthening your body in that state?
They could believe it because he was the ‘Black Prince’ who was called the greatest genius of the empire. At least when he talked about catching two rabbits, it was not an exaggerated story. They could know because they had witnessed Dale’s activities endlessly and could not hide their wonder.
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“Oh my, damn it. You already have so much, but you’re really greedy.”
“You are in front of Prince Dale, so be careful what you say.”
“Oops, excuse me.”
Master Baro bowed his head exaggeratedly, and Dale turned his head away.
In fact, what Dale was trying to get was not some wild ambition, as he had said. Rather, it was something he had been more familiar with than his entire life combined.
In the past, it was a secret technique possessed by the warrior of the other world. However, what Dale was trying to do now was a little different. The five circles surrounding Dale’s heart were by no means ordinary circles.
“Shoove.”
Dale opened his mouth. As if he had been waiting, an otherworldly monster and a young girl in a dress appeared next to Dale.
“Please do as I say.”
─ I was waiting to hear that.
Shuv smiled and Dale nodded. He quietly braced himself and rotated the five circles of his heart.
Dale opened his mouth, leaving behind the three swords, each at the peak of their aura, behind him.
“Let’s get started.”
Choaack!
The five circles of Mana Heart, which can be considered the core of a wizard, began to accelerate.
At the same time, the 『Book of the Black Goat』, which was fusing with the Shadow Lord’s heart, created a new bundle of tentacles and began to slide down Dale’s body.
Like a gastroscope going down the esophagus and into the stomach.
Using Shub’s tentacles as a ‘mana circuit’, a path of mana was opened from the heart to the lower abdomen.
Riding the mana circuit, he began to pour the vortex of mana swirling from his heart down into his body.
A mass of pure mana began to flow like a dam bursting towards the navel of the lower abdomen.
The ‘mana heart’ of a wizard is in the heart. The aura heart of a knight is not like that. The lower abdomen, a few inches below the navel, is where the ‘knight’s heart’ is, where the knights accumulate mana and process it into aura.
Shub’s tentacles slid down towards the very place where the Aura Heart was, forming a delicate vein of mana circuitry.
The path of mana connecting the circle of the heart and the aura heart.
“Keuk… … !”
Dale regained consciousness amidst the pain that twisted his entire body.
At the same time, a mass of mana that was pouring down like a dam bursting through the mana circuit was swirling around Dale’s lower abdomen as if exploding.
Strictly speaking, starting out as a proper knight is like creating an ‘Auror Heart’ within your body.
This is the first circle that awakens the first circle based on the wizard, and as a knight, Dale is still a rookie who hasn’t even created the first circle yet.
So, as if trying to force a puncture through the boundary between oil and water, Shuv’s tentacles twitched in excruciating pain.
The raw mana that was endlessly pouring out through the mana circuit began to form the outer shell of the aura heart and accumulate mana within it.
The Aura vessel was finally created in Dale’s lower abdomen, and was filled with mana.
Who would dare imagine it? But the three swords that reached the pinnacle of aura could be known.
What’s happening in Dale’s body right now.
The wizard created a ‘mana circuit’ from the heart to the lower abdomen, and by flowing mana through the circuit, he created the knight’s heart, the Aura Heart.
“Oh, Your Majesty… … !”
“Hey, damn it.”
Master Baro couldn’t hide his shock and swore.
It is not for nothing that the warrior of the other world is called a monster. It is because no one has dared to bring out the efficiency of the magic swordsman to that extent that no one has succeeded.
However, there was only one reason why Dale had not created an Auror Heart until now and had focused thoroughly on being a wizard.
No matter how outstanding the eldest son of the House of Saxony was, he could not compare to the physicality of that time.
So in the end, you’ll end up killing both rabbits.
But now that he has obtained the power of the Shadow Lord, it is not like that. Rather, for Dale to devote all his energy to a single wizard would be like burning down a house to catch a flea.
The 『Book of the Black Goat』 in the heart created a mana circuit that connected to the heart by shooting out tentacles, and mana began to flow through that circuit.
The hearts of the wizard and the knight became connected, and with each breath, magic and aura began to be generated from each heart.
But it wasn’t the end yet. Rather, it was only the beginning.
Just as a wizard can increase his level as a wizard by increasing the number of circles, a knight can also increase the amount of aura he can accumulate by expanding his aura hearts.
Dale had just created an Auror Heart, and there was no way he could stop at this point.
So, through the mana circuit connected by Shub’s tentacles, an absurd amount of mana began to pour from the heart towards the Aura Heart.
To obtain the ultimate goal, which is said to require a lifetime of dedication as a knight, right here and now.
