Chapter 137: A Successor To Entrust (1)
Ray was deep in thought, holed up in his mansion.
The enemys forces were monstrous.
Having more Sword Masters than one could count on their fingers spoke volumes.
And to think the adversary was a coalition of Towers of Magic?
Was he really to fight such unheard-of foes?
He sighed involuntarily.
He wanted to launch a grand magic attack right then, but he suppressed his surging desire.
After all, even with magic, it was impossible to completely annihilate them.
The scope of this organized network was unclear.
According to the Necromancer, even the Lesian Empire had several spies embedded.
It was a serious matter.
Most of the kingdoms on the continent were under their control.
With Proxias influence extending to commerce, trade, and politics, there were no easy countermeasures.
Of course, he could face the Sword Masters in war.
But the enemy wouldnt be foolish enough to let that happen.
Splitting their high-level forces, sending two to each different area, left Ray without options.
Then, an idea struck him.
They could create their own high-level personnel.
Coincidentally, a messenger arrived.
Saint, Lord Zik is here.
Perfect timing.
Iriel must have done her part well.
Ray smirked.
Let him in.
Zik stood silently, his head bowed.
Given that he had been sent away by Iriel, Ray could guess what had happened.
Ray kept his emotions hidden and sternly spoke,
Youre awake.
Yes, thanks to your grace, my lord.
Ziks response made Ray frown.
Zik, you are one of my three families. How can you call yourself my family when you need saving?
Ziks bowed head seemed to lower even more.
But Ray wasnt done. He pressed on,
You are too weak. Unable to even defeat a fellow master. With such strength, your absence wouldnt really matter, would it?
Im sorry.
Ray knew well.
He knew how much Zik had struggled on the battlefield while he was asleep.
Thats why he wanted to give Zik, and no one else, this opportunity.
With a stern expression, Ray said,
Zik.
As soon as Ray spoke, Zik swiftly knelt on one knee and closed his eyes tightly.
He knew what was coming next.
His strength, deemed unnecessary, would lead to orders for him to leave.
Since hearing from the Saintess, Zik had prepared himself for this moment.
Yet, why did it hurt so much?
While kneeling and awaiting what he thought would be his dismissal, a warm hand landed on his shoulder.
Confused, Zik slowly raised his head.
Ray then looked at Zik and said,
You are the right person to take over my responsibilities. So, your only goal should be to become stronger.
Yes?
Its a command. From tomorrow morning, come find me. Ill teach you what aura really is.
M, my lord
Zik started to speak but then bit his lip hard.
He closed his eyes again, trembling, not wanting to reveal his unsteady gaze.
Remember, from now on, you should not lose to anyone but me. This is an order.
I obey your lordships command.
He clenched his mouth tightly, feeling as though his emotions would explode if he said anything more.
After patting Ziks shoulder once, Ray stepped aside.
Youve worked hard.
The next morning, Zik arrived early.
He seemed determined, his sword shining at his waist, meticulously polished.
Greetings, Saint.
Observing Zik bow, Ray yawned.
Youre early, arent you?
I couldnt make my lord wait.
Ziks eyes shone with profound emotion, perhaps moved by yesterdays event.
It was slightly overwhelming for Ray.
Smiling, Ray led him to the training ground behind the mansion.
The training ground was impressively large, spacious enough to unleash sword energy without restraint.
This was Ziks first visit here.
He looked around and remarked,
Its big.
Ray replied as he pulled out a wooden bastard sword from the corner,
Right? It seems all the past Saints were Sword Masters, judging by the size of this place.
Of course, that wasnt true.
Some Saints couldnt even use holy magic properly, much less become Sword Masters.
The training ground was simply a luxury, constructed with the taxes of the populace.
Typically, the size of a nobles training and banquet halls was determined by their rank.
A dukes grounds were this expansive, a barons this modest.
Any deviation from the prescribed size incurred hefty fines.
It was a truly pointless law.
Ray brandished his wooden sword at Zik, who drew his elegant blade in response.
Ray intended to impart all his knowledge of aura to Zik.
Of course, his own mana road was unique, so he had to adapt the teachings for Zik.
Ray gave Zik an instruction:
First, try to create an Aura Blade.
Whooosh
In a moment, an aura blade erupted from Ziks sword.
His control over mana seemed almost instinctual.
Manifesting an aura in such a brief span of time was no easy feat.
Ray shook his head as he observed the aura.
Although well-formed, the aura appeared exceedingly crude in Rays eyes.
The density of the mana was pitifully low, and the quantity of mana infused into the sword was incorrect.
With this, even if the blade could cut, its durability would be laughable.
Youve allocated too much mana. Segment the sword into three parts and evenly distribute the mana across these zones. Like this.
Ray channeled mana into his wooden sword, and a sharp aura blade materialized.
The force was impressive. It seemed as though the air itself was circulating around the aura.
Zik watched intently and nodded.
I understand.
He executed Rays instructions without any skepticism.
Flicker
The aura blade trembled like a flickering candle flame.
It did not hold.
Mixing mana involved more than just control.
To forge an aura blade, one needed to inject the proper proportion of mana into the sword. Trying to tweak the mixture naturally caused the aura to vanish.
Eventually, Ziks aura blade dissipated.
He seemed to have exhausted quite a bit of his mental strength, as he was already sweating profusely.
Its quite difficult
It has to be difficult. If you do this properly, the aura wont break.
Zik was astonished by Rays words.
If the aura didnt break, it meant that it would remain intact, no matter what it collided with.
In a battle between masters, having such a solid aura was a tremendous weapon in itself.
Unlike his, his opponents aura would gradually shatter.
Zik once again raised an aura.
However, it faded away after a while.
Ray looked at Zik and said,
Master it perfectly within a week. Then come find me.
There was no need to stick around to teach a master.
Just an explanation was enough for those whose realms supported them to advance.
Only a few among geniuses could open the wall of masters.
If he couldnt even grasp this much, he should have given up on the sword long ago.
Ray instructed Zik on a few things and then left the training ground.
Just before his first lecture at the Medical Academy, war broke out with miraculous timing, so naturally, the course was suspended.
Moreover, the war hadnt even ended yet.
With no information and not even knowing where the enemy was, the Holy Kingdom began gathering the nobles for a major meeting.
Ray watched this and kept his mouth shut.
He had no intention of sharing the information he had gotten from the Necromancer.
Thats because, when he spilled information about Proxia to the Pope, the latter had gone berserk, wanting to crush the heretics immediately.
With so many people crazed by faith, it was dangerous to speak carelessly.
If he even mentioned that Proxias base might be in the Grensia Mountains, these people would immediately lead their forces there.
Their blind faith seemed almost foolish.
Ray, who had been reading in the library for a while, was enjoying a leisurely tea time for the first time in a long while.
He savored the tea a servant had made, basking in the sunlight that poured through the window.
He could afford such leisure because his only task was to wait for Zik to grow.
Most of the subsequent plans were already set.
He had sent the Seven Messengers to neighboring countries to intermittently report on Proxias movements and was nurturing Zik to protect the Holy Kingdom during his absence.
It was best for Iriel and Euclid to continue guarding Gehel City as they had been.
If Gehel fell to a surprise attack, Selonia would be right on its doorstep.
Once Zik and the others were ready to defend the Holy Kingdom, Ray planned to head to the Gronsia Mountains.
It wasnt a place for reckless movements, but collaborating with Iriel would mitigate the risks.
When situations become troublesome, Iriel was almost omnipotent.
He had relegated her, hailed as the greatest genius of her generation, to handling the more vexing tasks.
As he sat quietly drinking his tea, he began to sense the flow of mana before him.
A teleport gate?
To his knowledge, there was only one person capable of wielding such magic.
Through the gate, he caught a glimpse of her, her white hair fluttering.
Lady Aira, looking sullen as she stepped through the gate, froze when she laid eyes on Ray.
Ra, Ray
Eventually, her face, previously mask-like, blossomed into a smile.
She hurried toward Ray.
Aira! Its been so long!
Though they hadnt planned this meeting, they shared a hug filled with joy.
Youre awake! You finally woke up! I was so afraid you might never rise again!
Tears glistened in her eyes.
Her guilt was evident.
She had been the one to uncover the magic circle.
She blamed herself, thinking that if she had not revealed the magic circle, Ray would not have been put to sleep.
As a high elf in charge of a village, she could not take much time away, but she visited whenever possible to perform magical cleansing on Rays body.
Ray was aware of her feelings.
Today, she had come to keep Ray company, thinking he would still be bedridden, but upon seeing him awake and drinking tea, her joy overflowed.
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