Chapter 293
Chapter Title: The Masters' Methods
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In the center of the training grounds.
Three girls stood.
One of them.
Ar’s ears were perked as she struggled to contain her excitement.
‘I get to learn Aura Skills directly from Lord Ar-on!’
What a tremendous honor!
While Ar’s blue eyes sparkled brightly.
Eiran kept glancing furtively at Verchia, who stood beside her.
‘To think I can learn alongside my ancestor.’
The Fairy Knight, Verchia.
A great hero who had led the elven race after the end of the Age of Calamity.
As a disciple of Luna, the Progenitor of the Nebula, she was the guardian of the elves until the very end of her life.
That was why Eiran loved Verchia's heroic tales as much as Luna's.
It wasn't just because she was an ancestor of her family and a great hero.
In the stories, Verchia was always dignified.
As a disciple of the Great Heroes, she always did her best not to tarnish their names.
For Eiran, who had been timid since childhood, it was impossible not to be captivated by those stories.
And now, she could learn martial arts from the Great Hero Ar-on alongside such a hero.
‘Hau! I’m so nervous!’
Just as Eiran wore a tense expression.
“Why do you keep glancing at me like that?”
Verchia asked, looking over at Eiran.
“Huh? Oh, no! I mean! Th-that!”
Startled by the slightly sharp gaze, Eiran quickly bowed her head, her face flushing red as she spoke.
“B-Because you’re beautiful.”
Verchia stared blankly at Eiran, who spoke in a barely audible voice, then said.
“You’re pretty enough yourself, aren’t you?”
“R-Really?”
Verchia looked at the genuinely delighted Eiran with suspicion.
Despite Verchia’s gaze, Eiran simply smiled with pure innocence.
*Swish-!* Verchia approached Ar.
“Hey. Isn’t she a little weird?”
“She seems normal to me.”
“You call that normal?”
Verchia narrowed her eyes.
“The way she looks at me is overly wistful and passionate, don’t you think? Could she have fallen for me? That would be a problem.”
“I don’t know about Eiran’s preferences, but I think the wistful and passionate part is normal for her.”
Just as Verchia was giving Ar a strange look.
“Sorry I’m late.”
Ar-on appeared in the training grounds.
“Lord Ar-on!”
“Heek?”
Like an excited cat, Ar dashed toward Ar-on.
“You’re so cool! I respect you!”
“G-Get away from me!”
Ar chased after Ar-on, who fled in terror.
Watching the scene, Verchia fell into deep thought.
‘Are these kids perverts?’
Ar-on took a deep breath as he looked at the three girls standing before him.
Ar’s passionate expression and the uncomfortably intense sparkle in her eyes were a bit frightening.
But Ar-on also had a question for Ar.
“Hey… you.”
“Yes!”
“You said you can use Beastification at will, right?”
“Yep!”
Verchia’s eyes widened.
‘She can use Beastification at will, just like Master Ar-on?’
“Can you show me?”
“Yes, sir!”
At Ar-on’s words, Ar steadied her breathing.
The reason Ar-on could use Beastification at will was due to his unique breathing technique.
It was a skill that stimulated the beastkin blood flowing through the body via breathing, forcibly inducing Beastification.
A unique breathing method only Ar-on possessed, it was passed down to later generations of beastkin under the name [Brave Hero’s Breath].
However, they couldn't replicate the unique respiratory wavelength Ar-on had, so they still couldn't achieve Beastification.
During her entrance exam.
By conquering Ar-on’s world with Leo, Ar had obtained Ar-on’s breathing technique as a reward, gaining the ability of Beastification.
‘That’s my breathing.’
Ar-on’s eyes widened as he saw Ar’s breathing, which was identical to his own.
‘But she isn’t controlling her Beastification properly.’
Watching Ar, who had successfully transformed, Ar-on spoke.
“Can you use Howling too?”
“Of course! Should I do it now?!”
“Wait…!”
“Kuaaaaaaaah!”
The roar of a ferocious beast echoed through the air.
Verchia and Eiran, elves with sensitive hearing, instinctively covered their ears.
Ar-on buried his face in his hands.
Ar’s eyes sparkled as she looked up at Ar-on, seeking praise.
“Ouch!”
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Verchia, looking annoyed, flicked Ar on the head.
A moment later, pale-faced people rushed over from the surroundings.
“What’s going on!”
“That was an unusual sound just now!”
Ar shrank back as she looked at the training grounds, which had instantly descended into chaos.
“It’s nothing.”
Ar-on calmed the soldiers and sent them away.
“Right, I think I get it.”
Ar-on nodded.
“You can’t properly control your power, whether it’s Beastification or Howling.”
“Huh?”
Ar’s eyes widened.
She had heard something similar before.
‘The Black Rabbit told me that.’
Ar’s tail swayed gently.
“How should I explain this? For now, I’ll think about it a bit more.”
After pondering for a moment with his arms crossed, Ar-on looked at Verchia and Eiran.
“Eiran. You seem a lot like Verchia.”
“Me, like her?”
“S-Such a gracious compliment…”
Verchia narrowed her eyes, while Eiran was beside herself with joy.
“Yes, it’s like you and Verchia are blood relatives.”
At Ar-on’s words, Ar and Eiran flinched.
“I-In what way?”
“You smell the same.”
‘A-As expected of Lord Ar-on.’
‘He’s sharp!’
If the fact that Eiran was Verchia’s descendant were to be discovered, the conquest would fail.
Just as Ar and Eiran wore tense expressions.
“So. If you two spar, perhaps you’ll have something to learn from each other?”
“That makes sense.”
Verchia nodded and drew her sword.
“Draw your sword. Face me.”
“I-It’s an honor.”
Ar’s eyes sparkled.
“Lord Ar-on! Am I going to fight those two as well?”
“No.”
Ar-on shook his head.
“For now, kneel down.”
*Thud-!*
Ar promptly knelt before Ar-on.
“Close your eyes.”
Ar closed her eyes.
“Focus your mind and don’t move for a long time.”
“What’s the effect of this training?”
“Mental discipline.”
“I see! To avoid being swayed by my power, I definitely need to improve my concentration!”
‘If she calms down, she won’t pounce on me anymore.’
Ar had no idea.
That the Brave Hero Ar-on, whom she admired so much, was genuinely afraid of her.
***
Lunia looked at Katariu before her with a tense expression.
Beside her, Piora was pecking at the chocolate Lunia had given her.
Katariu looked at Lunia with a bored expression.
“What do you think is the essence of fire?”
At Katariu’s question, Lunia answered.
“I believe it is immortality.”
At her words, Katariu chuckled.
“The reason?”
“Because the flame of a phoenix burns forever.”
“Right. A fitting answer for an elf who wields the phoenix flame.”
Katariu rested her chin on her hand.
“But you’re wrong. The essence of fire is destruction.”
Katariu’s eyes grew cold.
Lunia flinched.
“Even a phoenix eventually meets its end. It means even the flames we emit are not perfect.”
*Fwoosh-*
A white flame appeared in Katariu’s hand.
“Even my flame, the flame of the Phoenix King, cannot burn for eternity. Because I am not an immortal being.”
When Katariu clenched her fist, the flame scattered.
“Ah, of course, a flame that truly never goes out does exist.”
With a captivating smile, Katariu said in a low voice.
“The hateful flame of calamity that burns the world.”
Lunia’s face turned pale.
Seeing this, Katariu grinned.
“You’ve seen it, haven’t you?”
It was impossible to forget.
The Primordial Evil that had presented overwhelming despair with just a small fragment.
Katariu gave Lunia a deep smile.
“The hateful black flame that the white flame of the Phoenix King, known for generations as the [Flame Emperor], could barely block. Even that flame is a fire that burns the world. That is why the essence of fire is destruction.”
“Flame… Emperor?”
“Hm? The fact that the Phoenix King’s title is [Flame Emperor] is a very famous story, isn’t it?”
“R-Right.”
It wasn't a famous story in Lunia's era.
The bloodline of the Phoenix King had vanished at the end of the Age of Calamity.
The reason Lunia was surprised was simple.
[Flame Emperor].
It was the same name as the magic of Luna’s that had ultimately failed to be completed, which Leo had told her about.
“Of course, that perverted old man prattles on about the essence of fire being creation or some such nonsense.”
A golden flame rose in Katariu’s hand.
“Is that?”
“Dweno’s flame. That old man told you he would give you the essence of flame, didn’t he?”
Katariu’s lips curled up.
“That means he intends to give his flame to you.”
“Give… his flame? Is that even possible?”
“Yes. It’s possible if you possess a flame on par with mine or the Great Spirit of Fire.”
At those words, Lunia’s eyes widened.
It meant that Dweno’s flame was on the same level as the Phoenix King’s and the Great Spirit of Fire’s.
“Fire burns more fiercely when it consumes a stronger flame.”
‘I… will take Master Dweno’s flame…’
Katariu giggled.
“Well, I think it’s absolutely impossible for you to consume Dweno’s flame, though.”
“Why is that?”
“Because Dweno’s flame is special.”
Katariu held the essence of flame Dweno had entrusted to her at eye level.
“Dweno’s flame burns even longer than the flames of the Phoenix King or the Great Spirit of Fire.”
Lunia swallowed dryly.
“If you swallow it carelessly, you’ll get sick. You won’t die, but it’ll hurt like hell. What do you say? Want to swallow it?”
Lunia took a deep breath.
“I won’t die, right?”
Lunia grinned.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“You’re brave.”
Katariu nonchalantly tossed the golden flame to Lunia.
Lunia, catching it, was flustered.
Watching her, Katariu rested her chin on her hand and laughed.
“Swallow it.”
At Katariu’s words, Lunia squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed Dweno’s flame.
“Heuk?”
Lunia fell to her knees as a burning sensation spread through her entire body.
Katariu, watching the writhing Lunia with a cold gaze, beckoned to the panicking Piora.
“You, come here.”
*Peep?*
Piora rolled over and over until she was in front of Katariu.
“That form is certainly cute.”
*Peep! Peep!*
Piora rolled around happily.
“But you are seriously damaging the dignity of a phoenix.”
Piora’s movements came to a dead stop.
*Fwoosh-!*
The chocolate Piora had been eating burned away without a trace.
Katariu stood up from her seat.
“A beautiful flame comes from a healthy mind and a healthy body. So, it’s time for a diet.”
Katariu lifted her leg with a wicked expression.
*Whoosh-!*
A kick flew toward Piora as if she were a ball.
*Pyaaaaaaak~*
Piora began to flee in terror.
“If you don’t run faster, I’m gonna kick you! Kyahahahaha!”
Katariu laughed like a wicked witch as she chased Piora.
A scene from hell unfolded in the open space of Dweno’s workshop.
Karl, watching the scene from the window, wore a horrified expression.
“Is that okay?”
“Leave them be.”
Dweno took a book from his study.
“Alchemy requires personal effort. This is a book on alchemy that I wrote.”
“I-Is it alright for me to receive something like this?”
“Normally, no. But what does it matter?”
“Pardon?”
“Just read it. If you can understand even a little, then it is yours.”
Dweno chuckled and patted Karl’s shoulder.
“You may be hopeless at everything else, but your talent for alchemy seems certain, so give it your all.”
“...It’s sad that doesn’t sound entirely like a compliment.”
Karl laughed mournfully.
A moment later.
The door opened and Driana entered.
“Master Dweno! Here it is! The sculpture I carved with all my soul!”
“…”
Dweno accepted the sculpture Driana handed him.
“It’s original.”
“Yes! As an artist, I believe originality is important…”
“Your name was Karl?”
“Yes.”
“What do you think this is?”
“A work of art.”
“Ahem.”
Driana puffed out her chest.
Dweno’s expression grew colder than ever.
“Tell me the truth.”
“...Trash.”
The moment Karl finished speaking, Dweno threw Driana’s sculpture at the wall.
*Splat-!*
The sound of crushed clay echoed.
“Your name is Driana? You dream of being an artist?”
“Huh? Y-Yes, sir!”
“Give it up.”
“What?”
“Don’t you dare insult beauty! You damned brat!”
“Hiiiiiiik!”
“You gave up being a blacksmith because you thought you couldn’t surpass me? With that rotten mindset, you thought you could become an artist who expresses beauty! That piece of trash is art? Is art a joke to you! Are you looking down on beauty!”
Dweno grabbed Driana by the scruff of her neck with his rough hands and shook her.
At the utterly murderous aura, Karl fled to a corner.
Dragging Driana to one side of the workshop, Dweno forcibly stood her in front of the furnace.
“Pick up the ore! Make a weapon!”
“What? But for years, I’ve only made fakes of your weapons, Master Dweno.”
“Better to make fakes than to waste materials making trash like that! A weapon! Who cares if it’s a fake! It just needs to be able to cut and strike the enemy! It just needs to be able to block the enemy’s attacks!”
“B-But… a weapon is also a work of art, how could you make one with such an attitude…”
“How is a weapon a work of art! A weapon just needs to be able to smash an enemy’s head in! How dare you put something like a weapon on the same level as art! You uneducated fool!”
“Hiiik!”
Driana was terrified by Dweno’s menacing aura as he genuinely considered weapons to be inferior to art.
Karl, watching from the corner, muttered to himself.
‘No… Master Dweno, you of all people shouldn’t be saying that!’
“Grab a hammer! Strike the weapon! I won’t tolerate someone like you pursuing art, not even over my dead body! If I ever hear you spouting nonsense about being an artist, I’ll wring your neck!”