Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Azel Zestringer (6)
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Chapter 1
Azel Zestringer (6)
'What a strange guy.'
Not only was it miraculous that he was alive and kicking, but upon closer inspection, there were plenty of other odd things about him. His speech patterns were strange too. His accent had a slightly foreign lilt, as if he were from some distant land, and he occasionally used archaic words. Sometimes, he reacted oddly slowly, as if he hadn't quite caught what was said.
'His hearing seems fine, though.'
In any case, it was certain that he was a Spirit Order practitioner. Hard to believe from his appearance, but he might be a master who had reached a considerable realm.
Zail asked his adjutant,
"How's he doing?"
"No unusual activity, sir. Seems like he's just eating and resting. But there's something surprising."
"What is it?"
"They say he changed dramatically just from eating lunch and dinner. He was skin and bones before, but now he just looks a bit lean."
"What? Is that true?"
"Yes. Everyone's whispering that it's some suspicious magic."
"Intriguing. I should go see him."
"Shall I come with you?"
"No, I'll go alone."
With that, Zail left the office and headed to the medical tent where Azel was staying.
"Military Doctor Rick, it's Centurion Zail. May I come in?"
"Come on in."
Zail entered at Rick's reply. But contrary to expectations, Rick wasn't greeting him—instead, his attention was fixed elsewhere.
Following Rick's gaze, Zail's eyes widened involuntarily.
There was Azel, shirtless and inverted in a handstand, doing push-ups on the index finger of his right hand. And beneath that finger sat three small, round stones stacked precariously.
In just a few hours, his body had swelled to an unbelievable degree, though muscle was still barely visible. Given how emaciated he'd been, most of his muscle tissue must have died off.
What he was doing with that body was astonishing. A Spirit Order practitioner of a certain level possessed superhuman strength and balance, so handstand push-ups on a single finger weren't all that shocking. But stacking three small, round stones—ones that would slip at the slightest imbalance—and doing it on top of them? That was a method Zail hadn't considered.
'I should try that myself.'
Azel stopped his push-ups as Zail entered, then lightly flicked the finger supporting his body. The three stones scattered in different directions as his body floated up, spun gracefully, and landed.
"Whew. Centurion Zail... or should I call you Sir Zail?"
Seeing Azel like this, Zail was shocked once more. He looked completely different from that morning. Even his voice had changed, and if not for the matching fiery red hair and blue eyes, Zail might not have recognized him as the same person.
Hiding his surprise, Zail said,
"Call me whatever you like. You're not my subordinate."
"Then Sir Zail it is. Shorter that way."
"Fine. Interesting training you're doing."
"I remembered doing this kind of training before, so I gave it a shot. My body's in such bad shape, though—it's tough."
Azel grumbled, eyeing his body with dissatisfaction.
"But how did your body recover so much in just a few hours?"
"Because I ate and drank a ton. Supply the body with what it needs, and it recovers quickly."
"That's hard to buy. The debilitated can't handle large amounts of food at once. Don't they recover gradually, eating small amounts slowly?"
"Of course, that requires proper digestive control and body mastery. You've never been pushed to the brink like me, Sir Zail, but I'm sure you could do it if you tried. Spirit Order practitioners learn to control their heartbeat rhythm from the start, so adjusting blood flow or sleep states should be basic."
Spirit Order used the heart's pulsation as its power source. Each beat resonated with the Life Rings to move mana force.
Thus, those who mastered Spirit Order could manipulate their heartbeat. They could make it race wildly while standing still or slow to a slumbering pace.
Intrigued, Zail asked,
"So, an extension of that technique lets you manipulate the body to that degree?"
"Naturally. Controlling the heart's beat means controlling the entire body. As a Quadruple Master, you must be able to control your body in ways ordinary people can't, right?"
"You're right."
Zail nodded.
Even so, separate from his understanding, Azel's transformation was wondrous. For a human to change so drastically—no matter Spirit Order practitioner—this was truly awe-inspiring.
His heart raced after so long. Staring straight into Azel's eyes, Zail said,
"Hm. Azel Zestringer, how about a spar with me?"
A gulp came from behind. Rick's face must have stiffened.
'Sparring with a guy who was half-dead this morning? Is he insane?'
That was surely Rick's thought. From a healer's perspective, it was unforgivable.
But Azel grinned.
"Sounds good. Sparring another Spirit Order practitioner might help jog my memories. My condition's still rough, though—I might not be much of an opponent."
220 years after his active era, Azel was curious how knights had evolved. How had Spirit Order and swordsmanship advanced? What was the level of knights in this age?
From Azel's view, Zail's challenge was more than welcome.
Zail said,
"I wouldn't demand a fierce bout from someone fresh from a sickbed. More like a light exchange of techniques as fellow Spirit Order practitioners—how's that?"
"If that's what you want, Sir Zail."
Sparring wasn't limited to clashing swords. Spirit Order had various methods.
Zail said,
"Then after lunch tomorrow."
As he left the tent, Rick frowned at Azel.
"You're really sparring with Sir Zail?"
"Yeah. My body's moving fine now—no problem."
"Sir Zail's young, but no slouch in skill. Most don't know, but he's the real deal. My advice: unless..."
"I know. That's why we'll spar in a way that avoids injury. Don't worry."
"Sheesh. Patient acting all cocky in front of the healer."
"Do I still look like a patient?"
Azel flexed his arms, posing. But being so skinny, no muscles bulged.
"..."
Under Rick's stare, Azel awkwardly averted his eyes.
"Tch. Give me a few days. I'll show you some killer abs!"
"If muscles were that easy to build, every guy would be ripped."
Rick snorted. Azel shot back.
"You think anyone else could pack on weight in a day like this?"
"Well... no."
"But I did. So in a few days, muscles too."
"..."
Rick was speechless at Azel's baseless confidence.
Grinning triumphantly, Azel asked,
"So, how old's Sir Zail?"
"Nineteen this year, I think?"
"That young? He looks it, though."
"He's been with the unit less than half a year. Still, everyone respects his skill."
In that time, despite being a centurion, Zail had joined patrols like the Ballan Forest reconnaissance to learn the ropes, showing diligence. When encountering beasts, he'd demonstrated prowess that amazed his fellow soldiers.
At first, no one liked a rookie knight as their superior. Now, they all acknowledged and followed him.
Rick said,
"Our unit clashes with beasts often, so skill rules. Skilled and diligent—he earned respect fast."
"I see. Impressive at nineteen. How's he stack up against other knights?"
"Not sure. Mid-tier, maybe. Any knight centurion in our unit is no ordinary."
Facing beast threats constantly, it made sense. But Azel frowned slightly.
'I want to see other knights too... Quadruple Master at that age is notable, but without this era's standards...'
In Azel's time, Quadruple Masters weren't rare.
Dragon Demon King Atein and his legions threatened humanity's survival, forcing desperate struggles. Warriors died daily; only the strong survived.
Short on manpower, secret arts once hoarded were widely shared. Talented recruits got them freely, raising knights' levels far beyond pre-Dragon Emperor War.
Even then, nineteen-year-old Quadruple Masters were rare. Azel recalled fewer than ten.
'Add one year, and it's double.'
But that one-year gap was huge.
'Hm. Guess I'll find out gradually.'
Putting it aside, Azel resumed training—this time with his other arm, stacking three stones and doing finger handstand push-ups atop them.
Watching, Rick muttered in exasperation,
"Damn. Impressive in a way, but why does he seem so weird?"
Azel just smiled at the words, focusing silently on his workout.