Chapter 201
Chapter 201
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 201
Chapter Title: Convection
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The sight of snow falling on the sea was quite beautiful.
Through Loan's other eyes, tiny clusters of light were circulating with the world.
A short while ago.
The image he had described while explaining the theory of circulation to the Tower Masters in Schwerin was now unfolding before him.
“The sight of white snowflakes falling on the black sea looks so surreal.”
“…”
“It’s truly fascinating.”
“Hm?”
“Each snowflake, each raindrop, may seem insignificant on its own, but when they gather, they become streams, then rivers, and then the sea. And then they rise back into the sky to become clouds. And fall upon the world again.”
“It goes round and round?”
“Yes. Just like how you and I are training now.”
Sienna understood half of what Loan said and didn't understand the other half.
Perhaps because he was still young, or because it was a sight he'd never seen before, Loan seemed incredibly sentimental.
In contrast, Sienna couldn't quite understand him.
The clouds were quite thick today, making the moonlight dim.
On top of that, they were in the middle of the sea.
The expression 'pitch-black' was made for moments like this.
Yet Loan was constantly exclaiming in admiration, as if he found something wonderful in it.
Of course, the snowflakes fluttering before her eyes on the deck were a sight to behold.
Still, she couldn't quite picture the grand scene Loan was describing.
Besides, it was cold.
“I think we’ve had enough of the wind…”
She trailed off suggestively, but Loan didn't seem to hear her, not even turning his head.
*Isn't he cold…?*
As she thought this, she gazed at Loan's profile.
Only then did she notice something strange.
*What is that…*
Sienna took two or three steps back from Loan to get a full view of him.
The deck lantern cast a faint light on Loan's back, and with every passing moment…
…the falling snowflakes were pushed, swayed, and scattered by something invisible around his head and shoulders.
And it happened in a very regular and consistent flow.
It wasn't the commonly known mana shield.
That wouldn't create such a natural flow.
As she watched, a faintly painful memory surfaced.
Sienna reflected in a stream, her own image. Droplets of blood falling onto the flowing water. Their original red color lost in an instant, unable to overcome the current.
“…”
She soon shook her head, erasing the distant past.
And focused on Loan again.
As if a transparent wind enveloped Loan, the snowflakes couldn't touch him, getting swept around him before quickly disappearing.
This state was being constantly maintained. That invisible barrier, or flow, was protecting Loan.
It didn't seem to be simple wind-generating magic, either.
*I didn't feel it when I touched him, either.*
Even when she forced herself to recall the moments she had touched Loan's body, even the ones she couldn't remember, she had never felt such resistance.
The energy that had subtly deflected her feet and body during their spars certainly came to mind, however.
Then perhaps he was controlling it with his will.
Right now, it might be operating just enough to block the snowflakes, which had almost no physical impact, in a very natural way.
Having reached her own conclusion, Sienna recalled what Loan had said.
The benefit one could gain from practicing the circulation training.
The words that one could become unaffected by the flow of dark mana.
*Could it be because of that?*
For a while, Sienna admired Loan, who stood still like a painting.
If Loan had found beauty in looking at the sea where nothing was visible, Sienna felt a similar sentiment looking at Loan.
It was helpful, too.
Although she had only indirectly confirmed it by watching the falling snow, just looking at it felt like she was training by proxy.
Could it be that the reason Loan felt endlessly stable and flawless even when standing still in a natural stance was because of that invisible flow?
If so, what if she approached it with the mindset of materializing that image through the breathing technique she was currently practicing?
For her, who felt she understood yet struggled to overcome the final hurdle, it was an enlightenment like rain in a drought.
“Loan. Your training method. To summarize, it's about accepting circulation and letting it assimilate with your body. Does that assimilation manifest as a consistent effect? For example, like the formless flow currently enveloping your body.”
Unable to hold back, Sienna blurted out the question, and Loan looked startled.
“Huh? You can see it?”
“I said it was formless. I can see the snowflakes not reaching you, though.”
“Ah…”
His seemingly pleased expression faltered.
*What's there to be disappointed about…*
Sienna felt a pang of disappointment inwardly.
Unaware of Sienna's feelings, Loan soon regained his cheerful demeanor.
“You saw correctly. I call it ‘Convection.’ It's a flow of mana enveloping my entire body.”
“Convection… Is it necessary for creating a Circle?”
Loan thought for a moment.
“I don't think it's a necessary condition, but building up internal power externally seems to help in condensing it into a Circle. Conversely, if you can create a Circle, I don't think materializing Convection would be that difficult.”
“I see.”
It couldn't be as easy as it sounded.
Whether it was Convection first or the Circle first.
Just because she had an epiphany didn't mean she could immediately make it her own or manifest it.
Unless you were Loan.
However, Sienna felt a sense of fun, a desire to try something. A strange anticipation that she could move on to the next stage also arose.
“We've been training all day. How are you doing?”
“I think I've widened the path of circulation enough. Having you here helped me concentrate better.”
Paradoxically, it was true.
It was because he had made a conscious effort to prevent distracting thoughts from surfacing.
“What a strange thing to say. So, did you form a new Circle?”
“I'm still stuck at the stage before that. If making the path of circulation completely my own is the basic preparation, then it seems I need some kind of trigger to condense it into a Circle.”
The first, second, and third Circles were all formed when he faced an opponent that forced him to push himself to his limits, or when he drove his body with an equivalent mindset.
Drawing out that much willpower was not easy.
The human heart rarely does as one wishes.
“A trigger?”
“I need a powerful will, an intention, something like that…”
“Right. You discussed that with Commander Garcia.”
“Yes. When the Commander got into the device to save Vice-Commander Richard, she fused with it and exerted immense power. The state of mind she had during that process, I think it's similar to that.”
“That must require considerable resolve.”
“Yes. And it's not something you can achieve just by thinking about it. That's the state I'm in now. I hope I get a chance to create a Circle this time in Versa.”
“Doesn't that sound a bit ominous…?”
If a situation unfolded that made Loan feel a sense of crisis or a desperate resolve, wouldn't that mean something quite dangerous had happened?
“Ah, I guess it does. But it doesn't always have to be a crisis. A small inspiration can ignite into a great will.”
*I hope so,* Sienna thought.
Danger was a constant companion to the Union, but the desire for her comrades' safety was also a very natural and everyday feeling.
She looked at Loan with that pure sentiment.
Loan suddenly tilted his head toward the sky.
“It's snowing more.”
“Yes. The snowflakes are quite large.”
“Since you're already looking, would you like to watch a little longer?”
“Hmm…”
Sienna brushed the cold snow accumulating on her head and shoulders and once again admired the snowflakes that couldn't reach Loan.
“Thanks to Convection, the cold seems to be fading, too.”
“That's quite convenient.”
Sienna was able to observe the Convection Loan spoke of more calmly and in greater detail, seeing it directly through the flow of the snowflakes.
This visual teaching aid left a powerful image in Sienna's mind.
Afterward, she continuously recalled that sight as she practiced with her mana.
Two days passed like that, and the ship reached the eastern port town of Langton in Versa.
It was a rather modest place for large ships to frequent.
This was because it was surrounded by low mountains on all sides, and the land routes were underdeveloped.
It felt like a temporary anchorage for long-voyage ships, and considering Loan and Sienna's destination, crossing the mountains from here would be a shortcut.
After buying horses at a reasonable price from a town merchant who looked at the Union members with curiosity, the two immediately rode north.
They rode for another day along a winding road and over the mountains.
A monochrome plain, its harvest finished, stretched out before them, and beyond it, a city with uniform red roofs came into view.
The city of Pobel.
The place where Sophie's father, Marquis Maurice de Pobel, had been the lord.
A thought suddenly struck Loan.
“Sophie was the daughter of a great family.”
“Versa in the north, Pobel in the south. It was certainly a family renowned even in other countries.”
That such a family had fallen to the Albrets was a surprise to everyone.
Although it had been a while, Loan was proud of his contribution to that event.
Soon, that pride turned into a pleasant surprise.
“Master!”
The third son of the Albret family and the one Loan acknowledged as the Albrets' finest swordsman.
The young man, who respectfully addressed Loan—four years his junior—as his master, crossed the mansion's garden in a single dash to greet him.
“Have you been well, Melville?”
The last time he left the Albret family, Loan had been gifted the identity of ‘Loan Albret’ by the head of the family, Adelaide.
She had even called him her fourth son, making nineteen-year-old Melville an older brother to Loan.
Having always longed for a family, Loan didn't treat that identity as a one-time event and spoke to Melville familiarly.
Melville's face went pale.
“No, Master. How can you…”
“What do you mean, Master? To me, you're my brother, so please speak comfortably.”
“That is improper. I could never do that.”
Even after Melville expressed his discomfort several more times and Loan encouraged him to speak casually…
…Melville remained thoroughly respectful.
Loan couldn't do much about it.
The two continued to address each other as they pleased, maintaining their respective attitudes.
Watching them with a pleased expression, Sienna excused herself, saying she needed to report to the Union branch.
“As expected of you, Master. It hasn't been that long, yet the number of medals on your chest has grown.”
“Ah, they're not medals, just gifts…”
“They aren't ordinary gifts, I'm sure. They must be similar in nature to the Albret badge, proof of your remarkable deeds.”
Embarrassed, Loan tried to change the subject with a question.
“Is the family head well? And my other brothers? Has this place become Albret territory? Does that make you the lord, Melville?”
Melville smiled at the barrage of questions.
“The family head is still as vigorous as ever. However, the Albrets have become quite busy. My brothers as well.”
“Did something happen?”
“Our position has solidified since the incident with the Pobel family, and we're now acting as the hegemon of western Versa. We also have to deal with the Greves.”
“So with greater power comes greater responsibility.”
Melville nodded and continued answering the next question.
“This place has officially become Albret territory with the Duke of Versa's approval. Though the region still uses the name Pobel.”
The three brothers had gone to the capital to request that the Duke of Versa place the Pobel lands and assets under Albret control.
It seemed that had gone well.
But despite all the good news, Melville's expression was somewhat strange.
“Melville, is something worrying you? It's all good news, but you look troubled.”
Melville hesitated for a moment.
The desire not to trouble his master conflicted with the desire to vent his frustrations.
In the end.
“Ah… well. We're having some friction with the Le Dong family.”
At Melville's confession, Loan tilted his head and asked.
“What kind of friction?”
“They're demanding we give up the bordering land…”
Melville looked genuinely distressed as he spoke to his young master.