Chapter 232
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 232
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Spar
Loan carefully cradled the 'Passage of the Soul' in both hands and thanked the Duchess once more.
Then, he brought up the last important matter.
“Just as Versa suffered immense damage, Grave and the demons are stirring across the continent. If we defend one place, a tragedy unfolds somewhere else beyond the Union's reach.”
“Their level of organization is frightening.”
“Yes. In contrast, we have failed to unite our strength. That's why the Union intends to launch a new organization to establish a close cooperative system between the Union and the Six Duchies. I believe these badges will serve as the links.”
He had already reached a consensus with Berthelot, but he refrained from mentioning it out of respect for the Duchess.
Having personally endured such a devastating experience, the Duchess readily agreed to Loan's proposal.
“If it's an organization with such a purpose, then of course I must lend my support. If this is an opportunity to uproot those fiends, I am willing to pour all of Versa's strength into it.”
She didn't even raise any questions.
It seemed she was willing to help unconditionally, simply because it was Loan's initiative.
Loan felt he had achieved everything he had hoped for.
“Thank you. I will contact you later with updates on our progress.”
Stating he needed nothing more, Loan politely declined the Duchess's further offers and left the office.
“Hoo...”
Standing in the hallway, he gazed down at the 'Passage of the Soul'.
It had been a rather impulsive decision.
*Like the box, it must have a use.*
He thought it was a decent choice.
The black box was only known to store sound and transmit it over long distances like a carrier pigeon, but upon encountering it, he found it could also record images like a mirage.
It didn't stop there; it had refined demonic power and combined Commander Garcia with demon bones to create a mysterious entity called 'Mana Machinery'.
The abilities he had confirmed in that process were 'Refinement, Connection, Storage, Transformation, and Amplification.'
That was looking at it from a purely functional perspective, but the meaning changed when he considered it in connection with the 'other side' of the world, placing it on the same level as the guardians of the Magic Tower.
In other words, the black box did not deal with 'mana' itself, which Loan defined as the true essence of magic.
It resonated with Loan, but it didn't operate in a way that could be explained 'physically'.
In that respect, the 'Passage of the Soul', by its name alone, was a completely unknown realm to Loan.
The 'mana' Loan handled existed in the present world, the material plane.
Everyone believed it existed, but no one could see, touch, or directly manipulate it.
Only Loan could.
The soul was also invisible. It was different from the undead spirits that sorcerers summoned and controlled with mana.
But just because it was invisible didn't mean it didn't exist. Everyone believed it did.
Perhaps mana and the soul were similar in that respect.
And so, Loan was curious.
He had always believed that everything was composed of mana, but then what were the mind, emotions, and soul made of?
Did mana only constitute the human body? When a person died and their mana dispersed, did the invisible soul within scatter along with it?
Could it be that in the world of mana Loan saw, souls also existed within that infinite halo of light?
If circulation was the law of the world, didn't souls also circulate?
Was that why the Duchess had said the soul is everywhere, can go anywhere, and is eternal?
In that case, what was a Passage of the Soul?
If it was a path for the soul, where did the soul go?
Did this magical tool perhaps serve that function?
*This vessel that looks like it was left half-finished...?*
Loan considered tapping the vessel lightly with Convection, just as he had with the black box, but decided against it.
He couldn't predict what might happen, so he would have to examine it with more leisure at a more private moment.
Now was not the time.
*I'm already overwhelmed just trying to advance my own training.*
The thought made him suddenly feel the need for a cool breeze.
Loan headed to the rose garden the Duchess had boasted about.
With the rose badge on his chest, he gazed at the desolate garden.
He felt strange.
He had finally been acknowledged by the leaders of every duchy except Graftan.
Of course, there were still sensitive aspects regarding Rhodos, which was in the midst of a civil war.
*There's still time left in the three months I promised.*
He had fulfilled his promise to Lazareth faster than expected.
Now, upon returning to the Union, he would have to plan the official launch of the organization and a visit to Graftan.
Judging by the current state of the continent, it was an urgent matter, yet Loan felt a sense of impatience from a different quarter.
The thirst for the fifth circle, which had begun with the poison, had not yet been quenched.
No, it was more accurate to say he hadn't even properly started.
While fighting the blind swordsman Grint and sparring with Sienna, he had clearly imprinted the points where mana needed to circulate in his mind.
But he hadn't even begun to open those points and allow even a thin stream of mana to pass through.
Visualizing the concentration of mana to control or assist physical movements, such as moving a muscle, often served as an effective trigger for opening a path of mana circulation.
However, the path of mana flowing along the spine felt far too vague.
Furthermore, this circulatory path had to connect with the path that would form the basis of the future first circle to achieve ultimate circulation, and it also had to faithfully serve its fundamental role of centering the body.
The obsession that the path's establishment and expansion had to be extremely precise constantly tormented Loan.
*If only I could at least draw the initial line by the time I reach the Union...*
And so.
Just as Loan was lamenting his own shortcomings.
“Your thoughts run too deep.”
Suddenly, Vangelis emerged from behind a tree.
His movements were as elusive as when they had first met.
As Loan's eyes widened as if he'd seen a ghost, Vangelis continued.
“It's hard to say this place is completely safe yet. You must never let your guard down. You could end up like me.”
He seemed to be quite bothered by having been dragged around by a demon.
It was a matter of a commander's pride, so Loan pretended not to notice.
“Yes. I'll keep that in mind.”
Loan placed a fist on his chest, conveying his respect.
Vangelis's gaze naturally fell upon Loan's chest.
“You've gained another badge.”
“Ah, yes. The Duchess pinned it on me as a token of her gratitude.”
“A fine collection.”
“I wasn't intentionally collecting them.”
“No. I mean the significance is fine. It's not easy for the Union to earn that much respect from the leaders of the duchies. That's something even the Captain couldn't do. Ah, but then again, the Captain is a nuisance to some.”
“Is that so...”
The face of the magnanimous Captain in his pure white suit vividly came to mind.
The fate of a popular man, was it? He felt he could understand it a little.
A man as great as the Captain would surely have people who were envious or wary of him.
Loan felt strangely grateful, as if the Captain had pointed that out to him in advance.
“So... what's troubling you so much?”
“Pardon?”
“The Duchess wasn't the only one you helped. I was too. I want to repay you somehow. Ahem.”
After clearing his throat while briefly watching a bird fly by, Vangelis brought up the awkward topic.
“Well, it might be a problem I can help with.”
“Ah...”
It was a grateful offer.
Wondering where to begin, Loan naturally found himself observing Vangelis's body.
Wondering what path his brilliantly burning mana was flowing through.
Had he achieved the ultimate circulation?
The moment Loan focused.
A light flashed within Vangelis's sleepy eyes.
Loan flinched inwardly.
“It seems you're looking inside me.”
“My apologies.”
It had been too obvious.
It was uncharacteristically careless of him. A cold wind was blowing, but he felt sweat trickling down his spine.
In contrast, Vangelis showed no particular emotion.
He was just looking at him with his usual indifference.
He asked.
“What do you see?”
“Rather than seeing... I'd say I can feel it. The way you operate your mana.”
“Hmm... I see. Yorgos did say you have an extraordinary talent for reading presences.”
“I think it came naturally from growing up having to read people's moods.”
“I heard you used to beg. A talent destined to bloom will always find a way. So, the fact that you were observing me must mean it's related to your problem.”
Loan decided to confess honestly.
“I was contemplating mana operation.”
“Mana operation?”
“Yes.”
Vangelis's eyes widened unusually.
“A mage, concerned with mana operation? I heard you can already cast 4th-class magic, so what kind of operation are you talking about? Besides, the amount of mana you poured into that moat was unbelievable. It was like an inexhaustible spring. It was so mysterious I thought I'd have to ask you about it once we got closer. And yet... mana operation is your problem?”
He was so surprised that his question was uncharacteristically long.
It couldn't be helped.
That was common sense, and that was the difference between a swordsman and a mage.
Mages use their accumulated mana, borrowing the power of formulas and chants, to manifest magic.
They only need to smoothly absorb and release it.
That was why the mages of Schwerin had found the constant circulation Loan taught them to be so foreign.
On the other hand, for those who move their bodies and wield swords with mana, the mana itself must be manifested as power, so their methods of operating and releasing mana within their bodies are far more diverse.
Their source was the same, but their methods of using it were different.
Therefore.
To Vangelis, it sounded as if Loan, an excellent mage, was suddenly declaring he wanted to become a swordsman.
“Did you feel you were lacking? Perhaps you were impressed by how I fought with an Aura Blade surrounding my body in the last battle...”
“That's not it. No, I mean, it's certainly a cool technique with much to learn from, but what I need is a method of mana operation like yours or Senior Sienna's—one that creates a firm pillar, straightening the body's core.”
For a moment, Vangelis was silent.
Loan's answer was still missing the 'why' that Vangelis was actually curious about.
However, he felt it wouldn't be right for him, the one who had interrupted Loan's thoughts to offer repayment, to pry any further.
“I heard you were quite skilled with the sword as well. It seems your aims were different than I thought. Then again... perhaps that's why the Governor-General placed you in the Faith Division instead of the Stability Division.”
Vangelis convinced himself with that reasoning.
Then he asked Loan about the mana operation techniques he had learned and mastered so far, showing particular interest in the order he had learned them.
Loan omitted the elements that would make the story too long—in short, things like seeing mana or his circulation becoming circles.
He started from when he first heard about mana breathing from Blake and taught himself while begging, to learning the concepts from books and basic mana operation at school.
He then talked about what he had learned and mastered from his seniors while carrying out missions for the Faith Division.
“So, I mastered the basic operation of drawing in mana, then the operation of making it flow horizontally from my dantian to strengthen my lower body. I also learned and mastered the mana operation method to enhance my ocular power in Schwerin, and I've mastered its symmetrical counterpart as well.”
“So you've been learning purely out of necessity. It's not systematic, but it's remarkable. And now you want to awaken an operation that erects a pillar in the body, inspired by something you saw somewhere.”
“Yes.”
Vangelis nodded as if he now understood and began to prod various parts of Loan's body.
The unexpected touch was awkward, but not unpleasant.
Vangelis removed his hands and spoke.
“Interesting.”
“Pardon?”
“I'm saying your body is interesting.”
“Is it?”
He had never heard that in his life.
Although it was often overshadowed by his face, he had a well-proportioned physique and was tall for his age.
Above all, he prided himself on having what he considered perfect proportions, even when looking in the mirror.
But to be called interesting instead of handsome.
As Loan wore a puzzled expression, Vangelis glanced around, picked up two suitably sized wooden planks, and handed one to Loan.
“Let's have a sword fight. But neither of us will use mana. I won't use swordsmanship either.”
Like a clumsy thug, Vangelis tapped his own neck with the plank and put some distance between himself and Loan.