The Flow Begins

It was sudden news.

An invitation from the House of the Grand Duke, of all things.

"The Bahen Grand Dukedom..."

"Rest first. You look more than a little worn."

At my brother's worried words, I nodded slowly.

He was right — and it wasn't just me. The soldiers were visibly exhausted as well.

We'd put real effort into hauling back the spoils, but more than that, we'd been continuously exposed to the debuffs.

'An invitation that would arrive around this time.'

I combed through my memory of the events that would unfold in the North.

After the Great Invasion, numerous noble houses had fallen, and much of the North had effectively fallen under the influence of demons and monsters.

The only house that had survived it all and stood as a shield was the Bahen Grand Dukedom.

'The last bulwark guarding the North, and one of the most distinguished families in the Empire.'

That was why, even after the Great Invasion, they remained in the North and held one event after another.

The largest among them was, without question, the Subjugation Tournament.

An event where participants hunted monsters and competed through the hunt.

'Practically the only recurring event in the North.'

At least, that was the case from the point where the game began.

It wasn't a particularly grand event, but the Grand Dukedom put up decent rewards nonetheless.

And now the North was in far better shape than it would be then, so I could reasonably expect something even bigger.

'It has something of a festival about it, too.'

When I rested and examined the letter, that was exactly what it said.

The main tournament was a competition for famous figures who had already undergone their coming-of-age ceremonies.

What I'd been invited to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was different — a gathering of promising prospects who had yet to come of age.

"So. Do you intend to participate?"

"I believe it would be worth my while."

It would benefit the family, and I'd even receive a reward the Grand Duke offered personally.

Killing two birds with one stone, really.

There was no reason to refuse.

"I think so as well. There will be much to learn there."

"I imagine so."

"I hear you're finally preparing to handle mana. How about it — do you need an elixir?"

"An elixir? Hardly."

I shook my head, knowing full well the state of the Rashid family's finances.

An elixir was something I could acquire without trouble, given time.

"Don't worry about the family. Do you take me for a man who can't manage this much for you?"

"Brother..."

"More importantly, I'd like you to use this trip to find yourself a decent match."

I let out a sigh at the grin spreading across his face.

Hadn't he already said this last time?

"Shouldn't you be finding yourself a match first, Brother?"

"Ahem. I told you before — the time isn't right."

"Same for me. I haven't even had my coming-of-age ceremony yet."

Considering that the ceremony had to be held all the way in the Imperial capital, I would need more time.

In any case, I wanted to possess strength at least comparable to a knight's before it began.

'That's still a long way off.'

My current skill set had, more or less, settled on a direction of growth.

So what I had to do now was push this concept even harder.

My growth rate was quick, granted, but I couldn't yet present so much as a calling card to a true knight.

'It's only a matter of time.'

That was exactly how I intended to make it.

Steeled by that resolve, I glanced over at my brother.

"Then we'll consider your participation settled."

"By the way, how will this Subjugation Tournament be run?"

"I hear it's unprecedented in scale. The Grand Duke's eldest daughter will be entering the main tournament this time, after all."

So this was that point in time.

The identity of the Grand Duke's eldest daughter came to me at once.

'Larissa Bahen.'

By the time the game began, she had already left the North.

And she was a monstrously powerful character — the second in the Grand Dukedom, after the Grand Duke himself, to reach the rank of **Sword Master**.

With looks that drew men's admiration stacked on top of that performance, she was popular enough to rank among the game's character favorites.

"Is that so."

"Hm? Have you taken an interest?"

"No, I've merely heard rumors that she's skilled with a sword."

"Fair enough. They say she's already claimed victories against knights at her age."

Most knights were of Expert caliber — meaning she had to be at least beyond that.

Considering that barely a year remained until my own coming-of-age ceremony, I could well imagine the scale of her genius.

"What, no interest after all?"

"Stop pushing it that direction and just explain, will you?"

"Haha, so shy. Well, in any case — the Grand Duke's third son will be participating as well."

"A rival, then."

"I'd imagine so."

There was a trace of quiet worry in my brother's eyes as he studied me calmly.

"You won't go stirring up trouble, will you?"

"Brother, do I look like the type?"

"Not originally. Though lately, you do have a bit of a habit of not looking behind you."

I smirked at that.

"It'll be fine. Probably no problems at all."

"'Probably'?"

"I can't promise anything."

"Insolent brat."

Watching my brother's mildly troubled expression, I burst out laughing.

Whatever angle he approached from, I knew his concern for me lay underneath it all.

"I'll go get some training in, then."

"Don't overdo it. No — just don't get hurt, that's all."

Leaving his voice behind me, I stepped out of the room.

After exchanging brief greetings with the soldiers, I sorted through the items I'd acquired.

'This sword will do.'

Just thinking about forging a covenant with the new swords made the corners of my mouth curl upward.

After that came the familiar rhythm of training.

"You've arrived. Shall we begin at once?"

"Let's."

Training with Tarian had changed from before.

For one, he no longer restricted his movements or held back his left hand the way he used to.

Instead, he committed his full strength to breaking me.

*CRACK—!*

With a sharp crack, I barely managed to deflect Tarian's blade.

It was only possible because he deliberately wreathed his sword in mana, letting me read his movements.

Hardly any time had passed since training began, and already my whole body was a wreck.

"Hoo... hah..."

My entire body burned.

It felt as though a single touch would raise blisters.

I glanced down and saw the marks of the wooden sword scorching red across my skin.

"Young Master, are you certain you can continue?"

"Yeah. Keep going."

"But..."

"I think I'm about to grasp something."

If anything, I welcomed Tarian's full commitment.

It made things harder, sure — but it also gave me the chance to truly absorb the skills I'd gained.

"Then, once more."

Skills like **Cold Heart** were difficult to grow unless you were exposed to debuffs for long stretches or threw yourself into real combat.

Which meant my focus naturally settled on **Frigid Hide** and the **Blessing of Frost**.

"Kgh!"

Just when I thought I'd blocked the sword clean, it shifted in an instant, whipping unpredictably into my side.

I'd felt it before, but it hurt like hell.

The voices drifted up as I trained with the swords I'd brought back from the dungeon.

'Shut up.'

Ignoring the voices ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ringing in my skull, I tightened my grip on the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blade.

I watched Tarian's movements, tracing the flow of mana more and more precisely.

'Move.'

I strove ceaselessly to move the mana within my body.

Without awakening my mana, it would have been virtually impossible.

But ever since gaining the Blessing of Frost, the sensation had unmistakably changed.

Just a little more.

If I could push just a tiny bit further, I felt I could make it move.

*Thud—*

Even in the depths of that focus, Tarian's sword kept hammering into me.

"Hnn..."

"Young Master, you're sure you're all right?"

"Keep going."

A blow like that would have knocked the sword from my hands before — but not now.

The effects of the skills I'd gained were unmistakable.

"I see — I worried over nothing. I'll come at you in earnest, then."

I could see the mana rippling around Tarian's body.

'See it. Feel it.'

Something I'd already done countless times in the previous dungeon.

*CRACK—!*

The impact was beyond belief for a wooden sword — my grip tore open.

It was a sensation I'd almost never felt since acquiring my skills, but a knight was simply on another level.

"Not enough."

"Shall we continue?"

"More."

And so — one day, two days, three.

Time raced by toward the Subjugation Tournament.

With the covenant complete, the proficiency of my various skills rose once more.

But that wasn't what mattered to me.

'More. More!'

I kept feeling for the mana, over and over.

As the sensations piled up and repeated, the amount of mana I could detect steadily grew.

Along the way, I studied how Tarian moved — how he used his mana.

*THOOM—!*

I bit down on my lip as the blade stabbed toward my shoulder.

Blood welled up between my teeth, but I paid it no mind.

'Just a little. Just a little more.'

A blade came down as if to split my skull — I blocked it.

With **Frost Step**, I could dodge a strike or two, but there was no need for that now.

"Ssuh... haa..."

Steadying my breath, I focused on mastering the mana within my body.

And the deeper my focus sank, the more vividly something inside me began to burn.

'Cold.'

The first thing I felt was a chill.

As I traced the cold flowing along my veins, reason returned to my overheated mind.

'It keeps flowing.'

The place where the mana flowed without pause — my heart.

Mana born there spread through my entire body, then circled back to the heart once more.

"Ah."

Realization.

The mana that had radiated from the skeleton's core, when I first witnessed it.

The battle against the draugr.

And now, sparring with Tarian.

The mana I had seen and felt in all those moments had been flowing properly inside my own body all along.

And I could move it.

"Hah!"

As Tarian's blade came at me once more, I drove all the mana in my body toward a single point.

My hand — and beyond it, the sword.

*SWISH—!*

In that same instant, the wooden sword that had battered me again and again was cut through.

"I never imagined you'd actually succeed."

"Haa... hoo..."

The sound of my ragged breathing rang out, louder than anything.

"I did it."

I had.

That single fact alone drove my heartbeat like a spur.

"I DID IT!"

It was the moment when days of getting battered and beaten had finally bloomed into their full reward.