Aura
Bagan had bought Arien so many medicinal herbs that they were practically uncountable, and he had also purchased plenty of interesting trinkets for Sally to enjoy with Spia. Once evening came and they had finished their meal, during a leisurely moment, he quietly asked Arien,
“Arien, what are you planning to do with all those herbs?”
Her expression grew serious as she answered.
“Arien lost her younger brother to a rare, incurable disease when she was young. That became the catalyst for her goal of creating a medicine that can cure every illness in the world.”
Bagan wanted to say, ‘But that’s just the story from the novel,’ yet he simply nodded in respect for her determination. Perhaps it was because he had witnessed Arien’s abilities firsthand. The idea of a medicine that could cure every disease in the world no longer seemed like a mere fantasy.
“I’ll cheer you on.”
“Arien also wants to cheer for you, Sir Bagan.”
“Huh?”
“By combining the components of Plasia, Doplin root, Tibica, and Purvia, Arien has manufactured a new medicine.”
She suddenly began concocting a potion using the herbs they had obtained that day. Time passed.
◈ Rapid muscle development
◈ Dramatically increased recovery of all bodily energy
◈ Amplifies all growth-related abilities
“Success. The Elixir of Growth has been created.”
“Elixir of Growth?”
Bagan couldn’t help repeating the rather unusual name of the potion. Arien handed it to him and explained.
“Arien made it because it seemed like it would help Lady Selena with her training.”
“What does it do?”
“It enables rapid muscle growth, dramatically increases the body’s recovery of all forms of energy, and amplifies every aspect of growth potential.”
“So, for example, if someone drinks this and then performs mana breathing, their circles could grow much faster?”
Bagan asked Arien to confirm the exact effects. From what he had heard, it didn’t seem harmful to consume, but there was a big difference between knowing and not knowing the details.
“Correct. In that regard, growth is possible.”
Arien nodded in agreement with his assessment, then made her usual expression that practically begged for praise.
Ziiiing.
Bagan had no choice but to ruffle her hair and gently stroke it. Arien beamed with a bright smile. Leaving her behind, he gazed at the potion inside the vial, which shimmered with an ethereal glow.
‘Elixir of Growth, huh…’
A faint smile spread across Bagan’s face. Then, suddenly—
‘Wait, her muscles won’t grow too much, right?’
The moment he imagined a hyper-muscular Selena, Bagan felt a wave of horror. Having too vivid an imagination could be a curse. He decided to seal away such thoughts from now on. With that resolution, he stepped into the inn room.
The next day, Bagan headed to De Marinda Castle once again—as if going to work. Arien came along to watch Selena’s training, carrying the Elixir of Growth she had made in her hands. The moment they arrived at the training grounds, he handed it straight to Selena, who was warming up. A greeting was an afterthought.
“Hey, Selena. Want to take this first?”
“Ah, what is this?”
Selena accepted the potion in surprise. The answer came from Arien.
“It is a potion Arien created. It should help with growth.”
“I see.”
After hearing its effects, she didn’t hesitate. She firmly pulled out the cork sealing the vial.
Pop!
A cheerful sound rang out as the liquid went straight into her mouth. It must have tasted unpleasant, because her face scrunched up for a moment, but she endured it and drank every last drop. Bagan was impressed by her willpower—she would try anything if she was told it was good for her.
“Huu. Alright, let’s begin.”
She wiped her lips as if nothing had happened and signaled to Bagan that training could start.
“Good. Then shall we begin with a question?”
At Bagan’s words, Selena paused briefly before answering with a confident expression.
“I think the Empire’s one-handed sword style would be appropriate… My current swordsmanship is also a one-handed style, after all. Rather than direct defense, a style focused on deflecting and counterattacking would suit me. Since it emphasizes fundamentals, combining it with the Anilova-style footwork should make up for my lack of power.”
“Excellent. Let’s learn the Empire’s one-handed sword style together this time. As I said before, fundamentals are crucial, and the Empire’s swordsmanship is famous for having no wasted movements.”
In truth, there was no single correct answer for the next sword style she should learn. It was ultimately about creating a swordsmanship that was entirely her own. From now on, she simply needed to continue mastering techniques that complemented her weaknesses, just as she was doing now. In that sense, her judgment had once again hit the mark.
While there was no absolute right answer, if one were to choose a sword style that best compensated for the weaknesses of the Anilova style, the first thing that came to mind was the Empire’s swordsmanship. The Bolton Empire’s techniques were so refined that the word “orthodox” fit them perfectly. Although there were occasionally flashy styles, most swordsmanship manuals bearing the Empire’s name were excellent foundational arts that placed great importance on basics.
In particular, the Heavy Pressure Sword that Bagan had learned also originated from the roots of the Empire’s swordsmanship, so its prestige was undeniably high.
“Is it like this?”
Selena began moving first, attempting to replicate the forms she had read in the Empire’s one-handed sword manual. As he watched her, Bagan emphasized one key point.
“You’ve now reached the stage where you must elevate it into your own sword style. Move while thinking about how your existing swordsmanship and the Anilova-style footwork can connect. The most important thing is figuring out which movements can link together.”
“Hmm… It’s not easy to incorporate deflecting techniques into spinning motions.”
Selena was struggling quite a bit, and the reason was immediately obvious to Bagan.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Huh?”
She had been spinning several times in a row to execute the Anilova style when she heard his words and stopped abruptly. Confusion was written clearly on her face.
“There’s no need to obsess over spinning. While the Anilova style is centered around rotation, if you break down each individual movement, you’ll find some that are similar to the Empire’s one-handed sword style.”
At Bagan’s explanation, Selena immediately understood and put it into practice. Instead of spinning, she began from the stance itself. Before the sandstorm-like spin, after the spin, and even during the spin—she broke down every motion and practiced them slowly.
“Indeed, if this movement is cut off here, it becomes very similar to the Sixth Chapter—Decisive Severance—of the Empire’s one-handed sword style.”
That was correct. She was currently in a posture with one knee bent and her sword extended forward. It was remarkably similar to the Sixth Chapter, Decisive Severance, described in the Empire’s one-handed sword style. Although the sword was thrust forward, she wasn’t putting much strength into her wrist, letting it flow naturally. It meant she was ready to counter an opponent’s attack at any moment.
Decisive Severance was a technique that embodied an unyielding conviction. According to the Empire’s one-handed sword manual, the Sixth Chapter—Decisive Severance—and the Seventh Chapter—Reverse Scale—were practically a set. It was a technique where one deflected the enemy’s attack with Severance and then swiftly stabbed with Reverse Scale to counterattack.
Once she understood this principle, she would realize it could be seamlessly incorporated into the gaps of the Anilova style.
“I get what you mean. If I just twist my ankle slightly from here, it becomes the Severance stance, and if I put strength into my back foot and thrust, it becomes Reverse Scale.”
She achieved harmony between the styles by trying it herself. She didn’t need to spin to fuse the techniques. She had even created the flexibility to execute the Empire’s sword style in the middle of a spin.
Yes. Flexibility. That was one of the abilities she needed most.
“Good. But you should also grasp the meaning behind every chapter from the First to the Eighth, not just the Sixth and Seventh.”
“Why? Don’t I need to create my own sword style?”
“Of course, if you can defeat enemies with only your own style, that would be ideal. But if your opponent has learned the Empire’s sword style, you’ll need to break through it. And sometimes there will be enemies your personal style simply can’t overcome. The world is vast, after all. Against such foes, straightforward, honest power without any tricks can sometimes be more effective.”
“Everything you say makes sense.”
Selena agreed with Bagan’s words. Beyond just the stances of the Sixth and Seventh chapters, she practiced all the forms from the First to the Eighth chapter, linking them with footwork based on what she had learned directly from the book. She swung her scimitar and felt a new kind of stimulation. She was truly engraving into herself what the joy of learning felt like.
Her scimitar sliced through the air of the training ground as she breathed heavily. Yet she showed no signs of fatigue. Her body moved better than yesterday, and her tireless stamina only added to the pleasure of training.
On the other hand, Bagan was thinking differently.
‘Is it thanks to the potion?’
He could only conclude that Arien’s Elixir of Growth was performing its role perfectly. Otherwise, he wouldn’t understand why Selena was smiling. No matter how enjoyable training was, sweating buckets, breathing raggedly, and pushing her muscles to their limits couldn’t possibly be that fun. Yet she was smiling as if she were playing an amusing game. If she hadn’t drunk the potion, he might have thought she simply had peculiar tastes.
With that in mind, Bagan continued watching her movements.
It had already been a full week since Bagan began overseeing Selena’s training. During that time, Selena had nearly completed her own unique sword style. All that remained was steady practice. Bagan watched her with pride, yet he was also mesmerized by the beauty of her swordsmanship, which flowed like a dance.
Even though today was the final training session, nothing else came to mind.
‘Is there something I’m missing?’
That was all he could think about. Since her becoming stronger was not a bad thing for him, he wanted to teach her just one more thing. At this point, the only way for her to grow stronger through swordsmanship was to perfectly master her own style. Moreover, since she had shaped it like dance movements, her inherent trait, Sword Dance, would activate properly and continue to show results.
The same went for her symphony. He had told her to think of lyrics and melodies that matched each movement, so she would surely use her judgment to wield the power of a Siren appropriately.
Then what exactly was lacking?
“Hah! Uraah!”
Pleasant shouts echoed across the training ground, but Bagan’s mind remained in a whirl.
‘What element could make her even stronger?’
At that moment, his eyes fell on her scimitar, which carried no power whatsoever. Of course, she was cutting through the air with considerable force using her own strength, but there was clearly something missing. And Bagan knew exactly what it was.
‘Aura.’
Mages spoke in terms of mana, but warriors spoke in terms of aura. For those who were not mages, manifesting aura was that crucial. In the Bolton Empire, a swordsman who could not manifest aura could not even become a knight. Pure swordsmanship and physical strength had their limits. Even Gion of De Meca and Drake had used aura, hadn’t they? Of course, Gion was a legendary adventurer and Drake was a boss of the underworld, so it made sense. But Selena was the Navy Grand Admiral, and yet she wasn’t using aura at all.
So Bagan asked,
“Wait, wait a second, Selena. Are you unable to manifest aura?”
Selena, who had been trying to continue her next movement, froze in place at his words. What she said next was enough to shock even Bagan.
“How do you do it?”
Bagan slapped his forehead in disbelief.