Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: The Foundation of Ability
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"No additional traces were found."
A short while later.
The knights' follow-up report.
Prince Bastian's expression hardened.
"We searched the entire area thoroughly, but there were no signs of a black mage or any other suspicious traces."
In the end, nothing to show for it.
It was expected, but that didn't make the bitterness any easier to swallow.
'To cause this much chaos and leave not a single trace behind.'
This was no ordinary foe.
That made it all the more serious.
The possibility of it being some madman's whim had dwindled.
"......No helping it, then."
The prince spoke heavily.
"We'll withdraw. And burn the corrupted bodies as well......"
Leaving them could lead to who knows what other mishaps.
Better to dispose of them cleanly with fire.
"Understood, Your Highness."
The knights moved with crisp efficiency.
Preparations were needed to burn everything.
'Now, all that's left is......'
The prince glanced at the captured dryad.
Damian had bound her tightly with ogre sinew rope and a gag.
"We'll take this dryad back to the capital."
"To the capital, Your Highness?"
"The royal mages, alchemists, or temple priests might uncover some clues. Maybe even a way to lift the curse."
If they could find a countermeasure to the curse through her?
It could lead to great things ahead.
Perhaps even salvation for the other twisted non-humans.
"And the staff—that thing needs examining too."
"It was the medium for the curse. Isn't it too dangerous?"
"It seems to have exhausted its power. And above all, it's the most direct clue we have."
A valid point.
Gerd nodded.
At the same time, he pulled out the staff that had been embedded in the ground.
No energy emanated from it anymore.
"......Hm?"
Right then.
Gerd spotted something on the staff.
More precisely, on the part that had been buried in the earth.
"Letters......?"
They were unmistakably letters.
Engraved on the tip of the staff.
The problem was, they couldn't be read.
"Can you make them out?"
At the prince's question.
"I've never seen characters like these before."
Gerd shook his head.
"Sir Damian?"
"Same for me."
"Hmm."
Neither the prince, Damian, nor the knights could read them.
Meaning they weren't common script.
Possibly something unique to them.
"Good thing we checked. We'll take the staff too."
It could be a vital clue.
The source of the curse that struck these mountains.
"Your Highness, preparations to burn the bodies are complete."
One knight reported.
Time to go for real.
Whoosh!
The prince tossed a torch onto the pile of corpses.
May they find peace in a better place.
Flames gradually enveloped the deceased.
"Alright, let's move out."
Thankfully, no further incidents arose after that day.
A journey that was urgent yet peacefully uneventful.
But one thing had changed amid it all.
'Sir Gerd's attitude.'
Gerd Kahn, the kingdom's greatest knight.
His demeanor toward Damian had shifted.
Still taciturn as ever, but there was a subtle difference.
'He seems more favorable now, more interested.'
It had started right after the battle with the ent.
He appeared intrigued by Damian's abilities and talents.
'He watches my training more often, or calls me aside.'
Whenever they stopped to rest somewhere.
And whenever Damian trained during those breaks.
Gerd Kahn would seek him out.
"Diligent, aren't you."
Today was no different.
The day they stayed at the lord's castle in the small territory of Maninger.
No night watch needed, so he was about to train when Gerd appeared again.
"Not sleeping, sir?"
Damian greeted him as usual.
They'd grown somewhat close by now.
"Never needed much sleep."
Gerd replied curtly.
His eyes, however, fixed on Damian's hands.
Specifically, the hand gripping the sword.
"Training?"
"Yes, sir."
"Carry on. Pretend I'm not here."
Pretend you're not here?
That just made it harder to ignore.
'I get nervous with anyone watching, let alone the kingdom's top knight......?'
But what could he do?
If told to ignore, he had to try.
Or at least act like it.
Either way, it meant interest in him.
'Better than total indifference.'
They'd followed as escorts hoping to learn something.
Other motives existed too, but this was significant.
Better to have it than not.
"Hoo."
Damian steeled himself.
He readjusted his grip on the sword.
And unleashed all he'd built up so far.
From attempts to mimic Gerd's movements to sword techniques blending his various abilities.
Shing!
He continued without pause for a good while.
His movements now carried a proper edge.
The form of a true 'powerhouse'.
"......"
Then.
Gerd, who had been watching silently.
Suddenly spoke up.
"You're not using your power properly."
A remark that hit the nail on the head.
"......Pardon?"
Damian reflexively asked back.
It was too precise.
"I can see your frustration."
Damian was inwardly startled.
It was his biggest current worry.
'Not fully utilizing the devoured power.'
In the end, it was a human body.
A vessel with limits.
Even ogre strength wasn't 100% ogre power.
'Overcoming that human limit is what mana does.'
Still, things had improved since before.
Thanks to Primitive Mana Breathing and Earth's Resonance.
But it wasn't enough to digest all the devoured results.
'I need higher resonance, a better breathing technique.'
Or something beyond.
Only then could he output his true power and freely wield even stronger physical abilities or skills he'd gain later.
'That's my conclusion.'
In that sense.
This remark perfectly read his state.
"Truth be told, watching you has left me with one persistent question."
As expected of the kingdom's top knight—Gerd's insight was sharp.
He continued.
"Your foundation is lacking."
Foundation.
The bedrock that underpins it all.
"You have tremendous talent, no doubt. Physical prowess aside, you've mastered various sword styles and martial techniques to a high level. Impressive for your age."
His assessment was astonishingly accurate.
"Kingdom swordsmanship as base, mixed with imperial styles, shield work, and mercenary ways."
"......!"
"Even elven grace and beastly ferocity show up at times."
Ancient Elf Swordsmanship and One Flash.
And Frenzied Charge.
"That's when I understood. Why the Grand Duke gave those instructions."
"The Grand Duke said something......?"
"Might sound odd, but he said you're no spy or suspicious character."
Damian thought he hadn't known.
But the Grand Duke had seen through it all.
From their first meeting to now.
"Back to the point—you excel in every way already."
He'd absorbed countless abilities.
Naturally, he excelled across the board.
"Except for the foundation of that excellence: mana. And the ability to wield it."
Yet one glaring lack.
Something hard to gain even through devouring.
Mana—that damned mana was the issue.
"Normally, you expand the body's vessel with mana first. Then fill it steadily through training."
"......"
"But you? The order's reversed, no matter how I look."
Expand first, then fill.
That's common sense.
But Damian was opposite.
He'd filled it to overflowing.
Completely backward.
"No idea where you learned that breathing technique, but it's almost beastly."
Not wrong.
Primitive Mana Breathing—primitive from the name.
Beast, savage, feral, wild—words that fit perfectly.
"Not a bad mana breathing method, but it looks insufficient to hold all of you."
Truthfully, simple logic.
From an upper-tier troll berserker, wasn't it?
How could such a method handle even higher powers?
'Mana probably doesn't work on simple principles.'
Even so, it wouldn't bend backward.
"......Is there no way around it?"
So what to do?
Damian pressed on.
"Like learning another breathing technique......"
A question laced with desperation.
"That could work."
The issue was where to learn a new one?
Mana-related skills were a knight's lifeline.
Even the Grand Duke said he'd teach upon joining the knight order.
'Fair enough.'
If unaffiliated anywhere.
Devouring was the only way.
"Want to learn one?"
"......Pardon?"
As he thought that.
Gerd made an offer.
One Damian hadn't even hoped for.
"What do you mean?"
"A breathing technique, obviously."
Why that? To him?
"Is that......allowed?"
"What's not allowed?"
"But from what I know, mana breathing is taught only within......"
"Families or knight orders. Strictly."
"Then why......"
"I have no family."
"......?"
No family?
What did that mean?
"No blood kin to pass it to."
Of course, he didn't explain further.
Just stated his situation flatly.
"The Royal Knights have their official breathing method too. Mine's strictly personal."
Gerd Kahn's unique breathing technique.
That made it even less comprehensible.
Why teach his self-created method to him? Not even a knight or disciple.
"Still don't get it?"
"Honestly......yes."
He'd gratefully accept if taught.
But the reason nagged him.
"Simple."
Shing!
Gerd drew his sword as he spoke.
"I want someone to learn it."
His voice carried a hint of weight.
Like an aging knight yearning for an heir.
"You mean you've tried teaching, but failed?"
"From talented royal knights to clueless kids. Everyone."
And all failed.
Meaning it was exceptionally unique.
"So teaching's no issue."
He could try anytime.
Mastering it was the problem.
That was Gerd Kahn's point.
"One more time. Want to learn?"
An offer from the kingdom's greatest knight.
Damian's heart pounded fiercely.
'A chance.'
No reason to hesitate.
The one thing he needed most right now.
Perhaps the perfect opportunity to seize it.
"I'd be honored."
"Good."
Gerd nodded.
Assumed a stance and murmured.
"Watch first."
A slow, repeating unique breathing.
A startling change soon followed.
"The mana breathing you'll learn from now is......"
The air around froze in an instant.
A chilling energy pierced the skin, filling the training ground.
"Razorwind Mana Breathing."