He asked the people gathered there.
Why did they start learning swords?
For what reason were they training? For what purpose were they trying to walk down this path?
None of those who were questioned gave an answer to Airn.
Of course, it wasn't an easy atmosphere for anyone to open their mouths. Because that’s usually the case with questions asked to a crowd.
What about the content of the question then?
It was honestly a question that was too abstract to answer.
Some swordsmen even titled their heads.
It was asked right after the most intriguing and helpful class that they’ve had their entire lives, so they couldn’t understand the meaning of the question either. It was as if he was trying to end the class with the ‘Theory of spirit’.
However.
‘… it was something I always wanted to say at least once in front of someone.’
Airn thought to himself and recalled the words Ian had told him 7 years ago.
‘Without your own will, just chasing after someone else’s path… I am not going to ask you how you got to this point by doing that.’
‘But in the future if you are planning to walk down the path of the sword, you will have to seriously think about it from now on.’
The reason a person had to pick up the sword.
Why did he want to become a swordsman?
Was it because you want your own ‘sword’? 1 And did you achieve it with your own belief, will and meaning?
Because of his constant journey to find it, Airn had continued to grow stronger and stronger.
And finally, he was able to achieve and follow his own path for power.
Wheik!
Contemplating, he raised his weapon.
It was as strong as the will of his previous life.
It was as hot as the beliefs of the present.
It was a great sword crafted from Airn’s heart.
… after a while, Airn showed them his ‘sword’.
Woong!
Woong!
It was a heavy and powerful swordsmanship. It was strong and yet soft enough to calm the people watching his display.
The elaborate and smooth movements presented the beauty of an artistic performance.
But that wasn’t what left everyone surprised.
The golden aura which flowed slowly had filled the training hall.
Like the light of dawn which clears away the darkness, a warm, cozy, and hopeful energy spread out wide throughout the hall.
It was filled with goodwill towards the world.
The brilliant will to protect against the darkness captured the hearts of the crowd at once.
Wong!
Wooong!
Airn’s swordsmanship didn’t invoke various realizations like Ian’s sword dance.
He couldn’t do that. Compared to Ian who had been through countless experiences, Airn was still only 23 years old.
But his swordsmanship was by no means shallow.
It wasn’t light, and no one just dusted it off without a concern.
Rather, it was heavy.
And even more serious.
The swordsmanship, which was heated with the will of steel, flowed proudly like a river.
With the heart of a swordsman. Airn moved
… 20 minutes passed like that.
“Phew.”
Rab!
After finishing the sword dance, Airn put the sword on the floor.
He could have reverse summoned it, but he didn’t. Raising his head with a refreshed feeling, he looked at the crowd.
The swordsmen who were in the hall all looked bewildered.
And Airn smiled brightly and opened his mouth.
“There will be people who have been pushed by someone to start using the sword, and there might be those who lifted their sword a long time ago to find a solution to their situation. Maybe there are people who are going through a much harder and fiercer time than I did.”
“…”
“To all of you swordsmen… I didn’t do this sword dance with the intention of teaching you anything. I remembered what was taught to me, and I thought that the resulting realization was the root of my swordsmanship… and that was what I wanted to show to you.”
He could feel the eyes of countless people on him.
Some of them looked in admiration.
Some of them in realization.
And to some people, it was hope.
There were some who didn’t like it, but even they seemed to try hard to not forget what they had seen. So that they could always remember it.
‘This is enough… wouldn’t this be a good level for a class?’
He didn’t dare call himself someone’s teacher, but considering that this was a one-time thing, he thought he did it pretty well.
Airn, who was quite pleased, bowed his head.
“The special class ends here. Thank you.”
Clap! Clap!
Cla!p clap! Clap!
The applause which started again, was stronger and longer than before.
Although the class hadn’t covered a lot, no one was dissatisfied.
Even if he wasn’t a full-fledged sorcerer, he knew it.
Baron Harun Pareira wept.
“Darling, wipe your tears.”
“Ahem, tears…when did I cry?”
“Then you don’t need a handkerchief?”
“… I am sorry.”
The Baron took the handkerchief his wife handed to him, and smiled.
Kirill Pareira, looking at her father who was wiping his tears, went to Lulu and Marcus.
“Sigh, I am relieved now. W-was it fine? Ah, I am shaking so much.”
“…”
“Uh… did I do something wrong?”
Airn looked at his family who were silent.
Harun Pareira smiled as he looked at his son who had grown tremendously, but still had his former self too.
“No. You did well. Very, very well!”
“You worked hard, my son.”
“Brother is best! I didn’t know you could do that well!”
“Right! Airn is the best! Hehehe!”
“The Young lord was so cool!”
Airn was a bit dazed at the praises which came in from his family.
But that was only for a while, and after that, he smiled brighter than anyone.
“It is all thanks to my parents… and of course, Kirill, Lulu and Marcus too!”
After a long time, it was the older brother Airn, who comforted his younger sister.
This made a brighter smile flash across their faces.
“I was really impressed… really impressed. I learned swords from knights till now, but this is the first time I learned so much! I saw so much!’
“Me too! I-it could be considered as nonsense… but I will do my best to become a great knight like Airn Pareira and do my best in the future!”
“Huhu, the young lord seems to be imagining stuff. You look more excited than when you came in.”
“Well… isn’t it natural? I want to head home and wield the sword all day after I get home. I don’t think this passion will die even after 50 years…”
“Amazing. It is by no means easy to give such a lesson to swordsmen who are of different levels.”
“And it definitely won’t be like that.”
After the special class, the Pareira family treated all the nobles from the nation with a larger banquet than expected.
During the music that was played by talented musicians, the young lords and senior knights all praised Airn Pareira.
Not only was the class customized for all the levels of swordsmen who had come, but Airn had also made it easy to understand.
And the first impression which shook the class, and the final sword dance which had pierced their hearts… it was all absolutely amazing.
‘Just looking at that swordsmanship reminds me of the path he took and the steps he’ll take in the future.’
‘That power which can feel what is abstract, intuitively… Are all Sword Masters such monsters?’
‘He is greater than I thought.’
Was it because it was a special class of Airn?
All the swordsmen of Hale Kingdom respected him.
However, there were those who didn’t.
‘… No. what Airn Pareira showed today… it was far better than a superior Sword Master that I know of. There was something more special about Airn and his swordsmanship when compared to the Sword Master I know which cannot be described!’
On the whole continent, the Hale Kingdom was a small nation.
So, compared to swordsmen of great power like the western kingdoms… those gathered here had to say that they didn’t have an eye for a sword.
However, one, middle-aged man with bright eyes looked at Airn.
He was the best swordsman of the Hale Kingdom.
He was the commander of the Twilight Knights, the highest knights of the kingdom, and was known to be a level above Hill Burnett.
In the eyes of the twilight commander, Oswaldo Odone… Airn’s true value was much deeper and more intense than others.
‘No.’
Commander Oswaldo Odone shook his head. Even he couldn’t fully understand the depth of Airn.
It was sad, but he couldn’t help it.
It was hard to figure out a Master, who was expected to have more skills than a normal man… and Oswaldo’s level was too low.
Even though he was called the best in the Hale Kingdom, looking at the whole continent, there could absolutely be many swordsmen who were better than him.
Still, he managed to roughly understand Airn Pareira.
‘I don’t feel a pinch of arrogance from that young genius. I feel really fortunate.’
When he first arrived here, he had numerous worries.
A Sword Master.
Also, the influence of being a Sword Master, who was also known to be related to the Lindsay Family of the Adan Kingdom and was also friends with the Lloyd family of the Gerbera kingdom was… a lot greater to handle in his own small nation.
It was a hard truth, but he had come here to see the character of the Sword Master.
‘If such a great person was even a little proud, he wouldn’t even accept the King’s call.’
Fortunately, he didn’t feel any arrogance from this man.
Airn was always polite.
He thought that the special class was to show off his skills, but it was a real class where many things were taught.
‘That young man is from our Hale Kingdom…’
Oswaldo Odone recalled the last sword dance, and his eyes reddened a little.
There was no need to be vigilant. No matter how strong this young man was, he would never be rude to another person.
And if he saw the young man a little more, what more he was made of… and figure out more things…
When he was thinking that.
Airn Pareira, who was smiling, came closer to him.
“Excuse me for this, but what are you doing here?”
“… you know me?”
For a moment, for a brief moment, he looked at Airn who had appeared in front of him which made the commander of Twilight Knights startled.
He almost shrieked. But Airn was calm.
And he said,
“No. but…”
Your skills are too high to be here.
Airn thought he wanted to say something, so he asked out of curiosity.
Looking at Airn who spoke softly, Oswaldo gulped.
‘Even if he is a Master, being aware of his surroundings like this…’
Right, this man wasn’t a normal Sword Master.
It wasn’t because he had some insight like Ian, Julius Hul or Quincy Myers that Airn thought this man was strange. It was because of his Aura Seeing Eyes that he realized that someone was observing him.
Taking a short sigh, he spoke frankly but he was cautious so that no one could hear it.
“I didn’t expect to be figured out….”
“I didn’t expect to be figured out, and there is no reason to deceive the young lord, so I will tell you… I am the commander of the Twilight Knights, Oswaldo Odone.”
“…”
“I’m currently wearing this young face, but I am an old man with his face disguised so as to not cause trouble to the Young lord Pareira. To be honest… I was curious about your character, so I wanted to watch you from a distance.”
“I understand that. Then why hide and watch me? If you are the leader of the kingdom's highest knights, you could proudly come…”
“I apologize, but can we talk later? There are too many eyes on us right now…”
At those words, Airn looked around. Some people were indeed looking at them.
Airn nodded and answered.
“I understand. I’ll see you after the banquet. More than that…”
“Yes?”
“I think you are going to say something important, so I think it would be best to hear it in the presence of my parents. I’ll see you later.”
Airn Pareira, slightly bowed his head and walked away.
Oswaldo, who watched him, thought.
‘… he is a young man with deep filial piety, which is also very rare.’
At the same time.
The second-in-command of ‘Slick’, one of the three major families of the Magic Kingdom Runetel, and a strong person who was given the title of ‘Great Magician’ which only 8 people on the continent were given.
A person came to Yprene Slick’s place.
‘Sword’ doesn’t mean literal sword here, but rather the technique and method.↩
