The Secret Art
In a pitch-black chamber devoid of even a sliver of light, the shadows encircling the obsidian round table stirred at the grim announcement spat by one hazy figure.
"Elaine is dead. And of all people, killed by the elites of House Valentia."
"......How?"
"She wasn't one to act rashly."
"An accident occurred in one of the territories where we'd planted roots for that experiment. Looks like she was tracking the culprit and got caught."
"Elaine was the blade we meant to plunge into the heart of Elvenheim! Losing such a valuable asset so easily—"
The murmurs threatened to erupt into chaos, but a single voice from the head of the table silenced the room once more.
"Does anyone here not know that? Keep your voices down."
"At least she died without being captured. And she used a false name."
"As a 5th Circle mage, there won't even be a body left. Small mercies, I suppose."
"Yes. Just the fact that she's an elf won't lead them to dig into her background."
"Most humans can't even distinguish fine details in elven features anyway."
"We can clean this up cleanly, then."
"......Still, we need to lie low for a while. Sever all lines to the imperial center—except for 'Blue Fox'."
The scattered voices fell silent at the command from the head seat. Then—
"......A-all of them...... you say?"
A hesitant voice piped up after a long pause. But the response was unyielding.
"Yes."
"The network I spent twenty years building......"
The voice dripped with injustice, but the reply was ice-cold.
"Which is why you need to disappear too."
"......Pardon?"
Scrape.Thud.
"Handled."
With a faint noise, one voice vanished, replaced by another. The shadows around the table visibly flinched, but the voice at the head continued calmly, as if nothing had happened.
"The culprit is suspected to be a Morse family descendant—a kid."
"What!?"
Gasps of shock rippled around the table.
"That brat infiltrated House Valentia. Devote all resources to gathering intel on him, but don't touch him for now. We cannot let the empire catch our scent."
"......Understood."
"Yes, sir."
"As you command."
As quiet affirmations echoed from every corner, the shadow at the head faded away.
"For now, focus solely on the 'Carun' matter."
Another voice filled the chamber with steady resolve.
"Your Grace!"
"We greet Duke Valentia!"
Servants and knights bowed deeply as he passed, but unlike usual, the duke merely waved them off curtly, his right hand clamped firmly on a black-haired boy's cheek.
"Aaaah...... Master, it wath jutht a thlip of the tongue...... Ow, really."
Every eye in the vicinity locked onto the boy, cheeks stretched like taffy as he was dragged along, but the duke paid no mind.
"Looks like I need to drill some manners into you first."
"I'm not a kid anymore......"
"......Exactly why it's a problem."
The bickering between the man in his sixties and the boy—separated by over thirty years—only ceased when they reached the duke's private training grounds.
"Aaaah, seriously. Is tormenting kids your hobby?"
"Says the one who talks back to adults like it's a sport."
Tiny's complaints, face still pinched, fell on deaf ears. But the duke soon sighed deeply and softened his demeanor.
"A promise is a promise, though. Time to deliver."
Tiny's eyes lit up as he straightened up eagerly.
"So, you said you'd nurture my talents?"
"And to come as soon as possible."
"......Good thing I added that part."
"Huh?"
"A little later, and it might've been too late. You're right on the cusp of 3rd stage—Expert threshold, aren't you?"
"......Yes."
"Utterly ridiculous growth rate. Even accounting for your regression."
"Hm. Is that a problem?"
"No. As I said, it was almost too late—but you're still good. The technique of fully integrating a mana-forged body into your own. Mana Circulation Method? Mana Circuits? Whatever you call that bizarre art—that's the secret technique you've cultivated?"
The duke's gaze swept over Tiny's body with keen interest, far beyond just assessing his mindset during the test.
Tch. He saw right through it......
At their level gap, reading internal mana flow was child's play. Shaking off the sinking feeling, Tiny grinned proudly instead.
"That's right. My own creation."
The duke froze.
"......You created it?"
"Yeah. No one to teach me."
The duke could only chuckle in disbelief at the nonchalant reply.
"......Hah. What insane talent."
Pure, unadulterated admiration—no hidden agenda. Caught off guard, Tiny averted his eyes in awkward embarrassment.
"Forget creating it—that alone is secondary. You need high-circle mage-level mana sensitivity just to pull it off. Ever thought about studying magic?"
"Like I said—no teacher."
"Fair enough. Even if you had, with that thick skull, you'd never cast a spell anyway."
"Hey, how long have you known me!?"
Tiny bristled, but the duke just snorted.
"Your actions scream it. Future intel scribbled in plain common tongue—no encryption—stuffed in your pocket like loose change."
Tiny flinched at the sharp jab.
"And the contents are worthless anyway. What the hell do you even remember...... Whatever. Can't fix a rock head. Point is—"
As the barbs kept flying, making Tiny twitch, the duke continued.
"You've got the talent for it, so no issue learning our house's secret arts."
The words Tiny had longed for spilled from the duke's lips.
Three centuries ago, the 'commoner' Valentia rose to fame with swordsmanship and abilities unlike any ordinary knight. He became an Aura Master, etched legendary feats into history, and ascended to dukedom.
His achievements aside, his prowess had caused a massive stir. Overwhelming defense that repelled everything, overwhelming power that cleaved anything in one stroke—his greatsword style earned him the moniker 'Invincible'.
Among recorded Aura Masters, his martial might was unparalleled.
And his secret arts? They proved their worth by producing Aura Users every few generations in House Valentia—one of the world's pinnacle techniques.
So Tiny had secretly hoped that's what the duke meant.
"R-really!? Don't tell me—nah, no way? If it's Blue Wing Knights' arts, I wouldn't mind......"
"It's the exclusive art of the Valentia house head. Anything less, and I'd never bother with you."
"Woooah!"
Tiny leaped in near-ecstatic frenzy, prompting a faint smile from the duke. The Sword Emperor's magnanimity was staggering.
Entrusting a core house secret to an outsider, no matter how trusted? Tiny's excitement was justified.
"You use blunt weapons, so no interest in swordsmanship, right?"
"Of course not!"
He had no intention of swapping his beloved warhammer's hefty heft for anything else—especially not some flimsy, whippy sword. Tiny nodded vigorously.
Besides, in raw attack power, he'd once overpowered even the Sword Emperor.
But one technique had always tantalized him above all: that absurd defense!
Especially the one that countered area attacks like a magical rebound. Even in his superhuman days with expanded mana sense, he'd never grasped its principle—a near-divine art.
It had even nullified the Beast King Glutterni's final desperate strike.
Though the user died right after.
Learning that alone made this trip to the duke's house a hundredfold profit.
Seeing Tiny's beaming face, the duke spoke with house pride.
"Our house arts divide into four: Mana Circulation Method, swordsmanship, 3rd-stage attribute acquisition, and 7th-stage Aura trait acquisition."
"Whoa!"
An exclamation was inevitable. It meant separate paths to breach the two highest walls of the mana user stages—3rd and 7th.
No wonder House Valentia endures.
Tiny nodded in admiration as the duke explained further.
"Other houses prize circulation methods or sword arts highest. Not us. Attribute and Aura trait acquisition—these are Valentia's true secrets."
Wait.
......No way?
"And right now, I'm teaching you one: attribute acquisition. That's why I said you barely made it in time."
Tiny's emotions tangled at the revelation.
"......Attribute acquisition—you mean deliberately gaining a specific one?"
"Exactly."
"......Haa. Damn it."
A sigh escaped involuntarily. In his past life, one reason Tiny boasted superhuman-tier attack power was acquiring the rare 'Explosion' attribute at 3rd stage. His 7th-stage Aura trait had amplified it further—not exactly thrilling news.
"......Nothing else?"
Rubbing his face in exhaustion, Tiny looked chronically fatigued. Expectations dashed meant deeper disappointment.
The duke smirked.
"Why? That past-life attribute so crucial?"
"......You call that a question? Why veer off a proven path?"
"Then why would past-me tell you to seek me out, ignorant of it?"
"To prep countermeasures with foreknowledge, I guess. Sigh...... damn."
Even as the boy insolently scratched his head, rejecting the prized Valentia arts, the duke kept smiling.
"No. When you collapsed against Drexler and I caught you, I was certain. And I understood past-me's intent."
"Huh?"
"Kid-sized, yet heavier than most knights. Your secret art's handiwork?"
"Y-yeah......?"
Thanks to post-regression refinements—past life wasn't like this. As he started to explain—
"You fought with past-me, so you know. I never used gear too heavy for my station, right?"
Tiny tilted his head, rummaging through memories.
"Come to think—your weapons were fine, but that armor was insanely heavy...... black steel, was it?"
"Yes. Why do you think?"
"How should I know...... Wait, related to the teaching?"
"Yes. Know why more energy in the body—making it heavier—slows and dulls movement?"
"......?"
Mana didn't always dull with more capacity...... As he geared up to argue—
"One of the world's principles. Few mages call it 'gravity'."
"Ah!"
"Our direct-line attribute acquisition targets mastery of that gravity. If classified, it's above special attributes—a primal one."
Primal attribute?
"Master it, and the heavier your body—the more energy—the faster and stronger you become."
Then—could it be......!?
"Intrigued now?"
Tiny nodded frantically.