Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Breathing
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Damian pulled the secret letter from his bosom.
A document stained with blood and sweat.
"6th Legion?"
The commander furrowed his brows.
A northern soldier amid this chaotic melee?
"It's a highly urgent matter!"
Successive shouts.
A very brief moment of anguish.
The commander made his decision.
"Entire army, retreat!"
A resounding voice infused with the power of mana.
The commander's order shook the entire battlefield.
"Regroup your ranks! Retreat immediately!"
At that command, all the kingdom soldiers moved in perfect unison.
The retreat horn blared, and the hellish melee ground to a temporary halt.
"Follow me."
The commander turned.
Damian silently followed behind.
Eastern Front temporary garrison.
A command tent hastily erected on the western bank of the Red River.
The air inside was thick with heavy tension and the stench of blood.
"......"
The commander read through the secret letter.
His expression shifted with every line—shock, anger, then admiration.
'Eastern Front Commander-in-Chief, Mikhail Sobkov.'
Damian stole a glance at him.
The man known as the kingdom's giant.
He lived up to the rumors.
'A different breed of monster from the 6th Legion Commander.'
A hulking frame nearly two meters tall.
Muscles carved from stone.
Silver armor splattered with blood.
'The very picture of a fierce general.'
He was the epitome of a fierce general.
The polar opposite of the cold, calculating 6th Legion Commander.
A field commander who led with innate martial prowess and charisma.
One of the kingdom's strongest Sword Experts.
"That old fool Christian has finally lost his mind. He's really stirred up a mess!"
Even he considered the 6th Legion Commander's gambit reckless?
"Crossing the empire's border? Aiming straight for each other's hearts? What kind of mad scheme is this?!"
His eyes gleamed sharply.
He spat out one negative remark after another.
But that lasted only a moment.
"......However, that's exactly why I like it. It makes my heart race."
The kind of man whose fighting spirit ignited in the face of impossible odds.
That was Eastern Front Commander-in-Chief Mikhail Sobkov.
"This could turn the tables."
He unrolled a map.
The eastern front, the northern front.
And the territory of the Ironpole Empire.
"The empire's main force is pinned down here right now. If reports come in of the 6th Legion advancing north, even they'll panic."
He traced along the Red River basin.
"Pull back the troops they concentrated with double feints, or commit to this all-or-nothing battle for their national fate? Well, I wonder if that young emperor has the guts to match the 6th Legion Commander."
A chance to reverse the tide.
Mikhail clenched his fist.
The golden opportunity created by the 6th Legion's bold move.
"Soldier, you've done great work."
Mikhail looked at Damian.
His gaze had softened somewhat.
"The entire kingdom owes you a debt for your bravery."
"I merely did my duty."
Damian bowed his head.
Yet a bitterness lingered in his heart.
Thirty messengers had been dispatched to the eastern front.
Many had left a full day before him.
Yet he was the first to arrive.
It could only mean the others had died or gone missing.
"I'll write the reply for you. Rest for now."
"Thank you for your kind consideration. Then."
As Damian turned to leave the tent.
"Wait."
Mikhail called him back.
His eyes held a probing curiosity.
"By the way."
His voice carried intrigue.
"Can you sense mana?"
Damian's heart sank.
How did he know? The question was pointless.
Fooling a Sword Expert's eyes was impossible.
"......Yes."
A clumsy lie would only arouse suspicion.
Damian answered curtly.
"Since when?"
"Recently. It started during battle, at some point."
He wove truth with deception.
Gaining it in battle was true enough.
The method was just... different.
"Hmm, during battle?"
Mikhail stroked his chin with interest.
"A post-natal mana sensitivity awakening. Rare, but a miracle that happens from time to time."
He nodded.
"Congratulations."
The sudden blessing.
It was warranted.
"You might not feel it yet, but this is fortune equal to—nay, greater than—receiving a noble title. A complete life-changer, in the truest sense."
A life-changer.
That was how he described post-natal mana sensitivity.
"Sensing mana alone severs you from an ordinary life. You've taken the first step toward becoming a true warrior."
A true warrior who wielded mana.
From Sword User to Sword Expert like the commander.
Or beyond, to the Sword Master level spoken of in legends, with only a handful in history.
"Hmm."
Mikhail pondered, then reached a decision.
"Very well. Since you risked your life to come here, I'll give you a reward of my own."
"A reward?"
"Yes. The reply can always be delivered by someone more capable anyway."
What kind of reward?
The massive commander rose from his seat.
Just standing sent tremors like a mountain quaking.
"If you've started sensing mana, you need a vessel to hold it. You can't just let it slip away forever."
A vessel to contain mana.
"I'll teach you a very basic breathing technique."
Damian's eyes widened.
Mana breathing technique?
"Mana breathing technique... you say?"
Mana-related secrets were passed down only within families or knight orders.
Even basic ones were no exception.
Yet he would teach it to a mere soldier?
"How could I possibly..."
"There's nothing more foolish than ignoring talent."
"......"
"Especially talent that risks its life for the kingdom."
The conviction of a pillar upholding the realm.
"And above all, look what he says about you?"
"......Pardon?"
"In this letter. The 6th Legion Commander left a separate message."
Come to think of it, yes.
The 6th Legion Commander was also a Sword Expert.
He couldn't have missed that Damian, whom he'd sent on the mission, had returned with mana sensitivity.
"I owe that guy a favor anyway."
Mikhail, lost in thought for a moment.
He straightened his posture and intoned.
"Anyway, watch closely. And feel it. I won't explain twice."
In that instant.
The air around them rippled.
Simply by breathing, he commanded the surrounding mana.
"The essence of mana breathing isn't grand. It's circulation."
Mikhail gripped Damian's shoulder.
The pressure of a rock-like hand.
"Draw the mana abundant in the world into your body. Not by force, but by opening the path for it to naturally seep in."
The explanation was crude, but it hit the core.
"When you inhale, imagine drawing in mana with your breath. Condense it in your heart, then exhale it throughout your body. That's all."
The words were simple.
But trying it felt utterly daunting.
'Open the path?'
How?
"Don't try to understand with your head."
As if reading Damian's thoughts.
Mikhail's voice cut sharply.
"This isn't something your puny will can achieve. Just let instinct guide you. Who taught you how to breathe?"
Instinct.
As natural as breathing through your nose.
Something flashed through Damian's mind.
'The experiences I've absorbed.'
The empire's knight, Gilling Dundaff.
The senses honed over that Sword User's lifetime.
Memories etched into his flesh alongside his 'post-natal mana sensitivity'.
'Trust those senses.'
Damian emptied his mind.
He surrendered his body to instinct alone.
Breathing exactly as the experience's original owner had.
'It wasn't an ability I awakened myself anyway.'
Better to be shameless about it.
It was stolen power, after all.
The moment he steeled his resolve.
'......!'
Something astonishing happened.
Shooooaaaah...
Mana from the surroundings began pouring into his body.
A sensation like cool streams soaking parched earth.
Clear energy flowed through his lungs, gathering deep within.
'This is mana breathing?'
It felt utterly natural.
As if he'd known it from birth.
'It's moving.'
The condensed mana spread outward.
A euphoric rush as blocked channels burst open.
Built-up fatigue melted away like snow.
His senses sharpened, his mind cleared.
"Fuuuuu..."
Damian slowly exhaled.
In the wake of the turbid energy, only purified mana remained.
The vessel to hold mana was complete.
"Ho."
Even Mikhail could clearly see it.
The mana vortex swirling around Damian.
And it was quite substantial.
'Well, look at this guy.'
Rarely did it succeed this quickly.
Even for a basic technique.
'No wonder that old man sent him here.'
A feral smile crept across his lips.
"You've got more talent than you look, boy."
Beyond expectations.
With this level of aptitude, Sword User realm.
No, perhaps even higher was within reach.
"Practice steadily every day, and you'll see results. Don't lose the feel."
"I am deeply grateful for this undeserved guidance."
Damian bowed his head.
A sincere gesture.
This was truly unforeseen.
The greatest harvest of his life.
"Commander! Urgent report!"
Right then.
A scout burst into the tent.
His face flushed with excitement.
"What is it?"
"The imperial army... the imperial army is withdrawing their forces!"
"What? Withdrawing? Retreating?"
Mikhail's eyes widened.
"Yes! A massive force, including the Emperor's Guard, is retreating en masse!"
"Any chance it's a trap?"
"Doesn't look like one!"
Mikhail's expression changed instantly.
The gleam of a predator spotting plump prey.
"......The bite came faster than expected."
A feral smile spread across his lips.
"Kuhahaha! Christian, you've done it properly this time!"
Proof that the 6th Legion's northern advance had worked.
"We can't miss this chance!"
Mikhail snatched up his greatsword.
Then charged out of the tent.
"All eyes on me!"
Mikhail stood tall in the center of the garrison.
His voice brimmed with mana.
A thunderous roar shook the camp.
"The Emperor and his imperial army are scrambling back north after hearing of the 6th Legion's advance! Those damned cowards are turning tail!"
The soldiers stirred at his words.
The shadow of defeat lifted, replaced by the aura of victory.
"Now's our chance! Slam your spears and swords into the backs of those fleeing imperial bastards!"
Mikhail raised his sword high.
Blue sword aura pierced the sky.
"Entire army! Prepare to march! Cross the Red River and annihilate the enemy!"
With that command.
"Waaaaaaaah!"
The entire eastern front erupted in cheers.
The tide of war had turned.