Chapter 124
“What?!”
“If you mean Lord Hainel Fremunt... isn’t he the Aura Master?”
After Damian left, Dianal and Kyle couldn’t hide their shock.
Next to them, Jerka was startled by Dianal’s words.
“An Aura Master? Are you saying the captain has gone to meet an Aura Master?”
He looked at Dianal.
Dianal then turned to Leonhark and asked, “Is it true?”
“It’s true. An invitation came from Hainel.”
Given how much of a legend he was, Hainel was known for rarely meeting people unless they were recognized by him.
The name “Hainel” alone had a tremendous impact.
“...Do you know why the captain went to meet him?”
“I don’t know that part either. But...”
Leonhark recalled the look in Damian’s eyes when he mentioned Hainel.
There had been something desperate in his gaze.
What exactly was Damian seeking by meeting Hainel?
“...We’ll find out when he returns.”
The other soldiers nodded in agreement.
Damian always had a clear reason for his actions. No matter how much free time he had, he wasn’t the type to leave the unit without a solid reason.
“Until the captain returns, we’ll focus on our training. We can’t afford to show any signs of slacking.”
“Understood.”
“Don’t worry. We’re training like our lives depend on it.”
At Jerka and Kyle’s determined responses, Dianal nodded. And then...
“Haha.”
Leonhark, observing Dianal, was already planning something else.
With less than a month left in their preparation period.
‘It seems like many things are about to change.’
Leonhark smiled softly, thinking about the upcoming events.
* * *
“Tell me, why did you want to meet me?”
Hainel’s question brought a sudden weight pressing down on Damian’s chest.
‘Just how deep is this man’s power...?’
He had thought he had grown stronger than his past self, in both strength and depth.
But sitting across from Hainel, Damian realized he couldn’t even begin to measure the man’s level.
It was hard to believe that this man was over fifty years old.
Gulp.
Damian swallowed hard, trying to calm himself before answering Hainel.
“I want to learn how to control my magic.”
“How to control your magic?”
“Yes, and further, how to establish aura.”
“...”
The word “aura” wasn’t something easily spoken.
Even reaching the level necessary to qualify for aura was difficult, and even then, it required tremendous talent and luck.
“Haha, you’re quite a bold, young man.”
Was he even twenty yet?
To hear such words coming from someone who didn’t look old enough to be twenty was remarkable.
However...
‘If he’s the captain of the unit that defeated the Rose Knight Order, that changes things.’
In other words, this young man had already reached an extraordinary level at a young age.
‘The ability to fight against ten Rose Knights.’
If a teenager possessed such skill, it would surely shake the entire continent.
Hainel let out a small sigh.
“Hmm...”
He looked Damian up and down, then stood up and said, “You’ve come all this way. I can’t just let you leave without showing you something. Come outside for a moment.”
Hainel stepped outside, and Damian followed him.
Hainel grabbed two wooden swords that had been leaning against the wall and tossed one to Damian.
Thwack.
As Damian caught the sword, his eyebrow twitched slightly.
It wasn’t an ordinary wooden sword.
Noticing this, Hainel’s lips curled into a smirk.
“Did you recognize it?”
“I’m not sure what kind of wood it’s made from, but I can tell it’s special.”
“It’s a wooden sword crafted from the branches of ironwood, over a thousand years old,” Hainel explained, raising his own sword.
“Sorry, but this is the only spear we have. Will it suffice?”
“Yes.”
Though Villipt’s tone suggested it was a simple weapon, Damian thought to himself:
‘...This is quite the spear.’
It was a finely crafted weapon, clearly made by a master blacksmith.
Damian tested the spear’s balance and weight before looking back at Hainel.
“I’m ready.”
“Come at me anytime,” Hainel said with a raised smile.
This man—or rather, this boy—was already intriguing Hainel, and he was eager to see what Damian could do.
Thud
With a powerful step forward...
Whoosh!
Damian’s body shot toward Hainel like an arrow.
Hainel, watching Damian charge, swung his sword lightly in response.
This should be a fair match for his level, Hainel thought.
But then...
Swish!
“...!”
It had been a casual swing.
Yet, Hainel hadn’t expected his sword to miss entirely.
Hainel couldn’t hide his surprise as his sword sliced through nothing but empty air.
‘What...’
What was that?
There was no time to dwell on it.
Damian had already sidestepped and was thrusting his spear toward Hainel.
‘He’s coming at me full force from the start.’
Hainel realized this wasn’t an opponent he could afford to take lightly.
‘The only opportunity is now—while he’s still underestimating me.’
Just a moment ago, Hainel’s attack had been swift and sharp, but Damian had realized something.
Hainel had matched his swing to Damian’s perceived level.
But that was Hainel’s mistake.
While the sword strike had been fast and fierce, it was also too predictable.
“Hiyah!”
Damian let out a rare battle cry as he thrust his spear toward Hainel’s chest.
Unlike Hainel’s wooden sword, Damian’s spear had a real, sharpened blade.
But Damian didn’t hesitate in his attack.
After all, Hainel wasn’t someone who would fall to such an attack. And besides...
Swish!
“...!”
Villipt, watching from a distance, was startled as Damian’s spear suddenly shifted downward in its trajectory.
Even from where he stood, Damian’s attack seemed incredibly sharp.
It would be even harder for Hainel, who was the direct target of the strike, to deal with it.
Ssshhht!
Damian’s spear, now aiming for Hainel’s thigh, surged forward.
Even highly skilled swordsmen had struggled to block this particular attack.
However...
Clang!
“...!”
The spear, imbued with magic, was effortlessly deflected and sent flying into the air.
Before Damian knew it, Hainel had closed the distance between them, his presence looming as he lowered his stance.
“That was an interesting move.”
‘He’s... too close!’
Without time to react, Damian quickly maneuvered his spear to counter Hainel’s proximity.
His priority was to create space between them, but...
“As impressive as you are, I’m afraid this is where we end for today.”
With those words, Hainel’s sword shot toward Damian’s abdomen.
A precise strike.
The positioning of Hainel’s wrist, the angle of his shoulder, his focused gaze, and even his controlled breathing...
Every aspect of the strike registered in Damian’s senses.
He quickly twisted his body to avoid Hainel’s sword.
Or so he thought.
Thud!
A dull sound echoed as Damian’s vision went black, and he lost consciousness instantly.