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chapter 75
Chirp, chirp.
Industrious morning birds gathered on the windowsill, peeking through the glass. Then, pecking lightly at the window with their beaks.
“Uuuh…”
Clare stirred, twisting her body as if reluctantly waking from sleep.
Her blanket had already been pushed down to the foot of the bed due to restless sleep-talking, and the knife-rabbit she had been hugging while asleep lay alone on the floor, forlorn.
“Haahhh…!”
Clare yawned widely as she finally woke and sat up.
“Oh my, you woke up on your own without anyone waking you?”
Just then, As entered the room and, feeling proud, hugged Clare tightly.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Mm…”
“Then, shall we stretch a bit?”
As gently manipulated Clare’s limbs while she lay back on the bed, stretching them up and down.
“Uuuuh…”
“Goodness, such a young one already making grandma sounds.”
“But it feels so good…!”
Completely awake now, Clare washed up on her own, combing her hair that had become messy from sleep.
“Good morning!”
Down in the dining room, Clare greeted her grandmother and grandfather, who were already eating breakfast.
“Did our little rascal sleep well?”
“Clare woke up early today, huh?”
Gloria and Vis greeted her warmly.
“So, she got scolded by Noah yesterday, right?”
“I’m reflecting on it. I deserved it.”
“Oh? Look at her—so calmly saying she did well?”
Teasing her mischievously, Gloria caused Clare to puff her cheeks and frown.
“Dwelling on the past is uncool! We must always be forward-looking.”
“You’ve got a sharp tongue, as usual.”
“Be careful from now on. The sea is dangerous.”
“Yes, understood, Grandpa.”
Clare, knowing how to reflect, picked up her fork.
The breakfast As had prepared took her growth into account: freshly baked pancakes, eggs with slightly runny yolks, her favorite lingonberry jam, fresh salad, and milk delivered in the morning.
“By the way, where are my sister and brother-in-law?”
Mouth full of pancakes, Clare asked. Two empty seats remained at the table.
“They haven’t woken up yet…”
As peeked out the dining room door, murmuring worriedly.
“Shall we go wake them?”
“Leave them be.”
Gloria chuckled slyly.
“They’re newlyweds. Let them enjoy. If we go up, we might see something unpleasant.”
At that, As quietly sat down to eat breakfast.
Meanwhile, Vis’s eyes drooped. Grandpa was a little, no, actually very distressed by his granddaughter’s newlywed life.
“Everyone’s awake now.”
Just then, Reto entered the dining room, looking disheveled.
“Good morning, everyone.”
“Good morning, brother-in-law!”
“And good morning, sister-in-law.”
Still half-asleep, he downed a strong cup of black tea.
“Did you wake up alone?”
Gloria handed him the newspaper she had finished reading.
“No, Noah also woke up.”
Taking the newspaper, Reto frowned. The tea was too bitter.
“They woke up early, but couldn’t fully wake.”
“Well, it’s understandable—so many incidents happening in succession could tire anyone.”
Gloria answered disinterestedly.
“It’s nothing serious, so don’t worry too much.”
Reto got up and went into the kitchen, returning with a tray. He stacked the food neatly on it.
“Sister-in-law, I’ll take this upstairs for breakfast today.”
Leaving the dining room, Reto went upstairs to Noah’s room.
“…Is my sister sick?”
Clare worried alone.
“Sick? Not at all.”
Gloria snorted and resumed eating her interrupted breakfast.
“Newlyweds have lively blood, huh.”
“As?”
Clare asked, jam smeared on her mouth.
“What does ‘lively blood’ mean?”
“It means the current me.”
“Hmmm…”
Clare squinted and stared at As intently.
“…It’s the same expression as when you accidentally eat a rotten apple and spit it out. As, your face looks so rotten right now.”
“Exactly that…”
“Lively blood is serious business.”
Determined not to end up that way, Clare diligently ate her food.
“Hmm.”
Gloria showed a troubled expression while patting Vis, who had finally set down his spoon.
“I was planning to train Noah today…”
Captain Adbello had temporarily opened a training ground that had long been closed.
However, ‘temporarily open’ was misleading—Noah Velo was the only one permitted to use it.
In fact, this was classified information.
“This used to be the sword-training ground of the nobles who governed the Sharp territory.”
Adbello said as they entered. After the Mage Tower explosion, many nobles were annihilated, including the one who had governed the Sharp territory.
“The Sharp family were retainers of the Adbello family. They handed over their land to us and received a large compensation, so they escaped safely.”
Now, they were conducting a large project in the eastern regions with Adbello.
“Historically, the last recorded Aura Master in the kingdom was from the Sharp family.”
“Asur Pieta.”
Noah, standing atop the large sparring platform in the center of the training ground, answered while fidgeting with the sword at his waist.
“My great-great-grandmother married into the Sharp territory.”
“And her son, inheriting that blood, was recorded as an Aura Master.”
And now, Noah stood on the sword-training ground built to accommodate that son’s aura.
“Fate is indeed strange.”
Adbello climbed the platform, looking at Noah with a twisted expression.
“To think the last heir of the Pieta family would stand in this training ground, built by someone who inherited Pieta blood.”
“Where’s my sister?”
“That’s for the Mage Tower.”
Ignoring Noah’s question lightly, Adbello exulted as if witnessing a tragedy.
“Such foolishness.”
Noah, too, felt a twinge of emotion.
‘I never thought I’d rely on bloodlines like this.’
The honorable Pieta family of the Sistus Empire had fallen. Only he and Clare remained.
“Let’s end the sentimentality here.”
“You were the one making noise, Captain.”
“Call me grandma here.”
Speaking casually, Adbello eyed the red sword sheath at Noah’s waist.
“Draw it.”
Noah unsheathed Mas.
An old, fragile-looking sword that seemed ready to break.
“Can you use it?”
Gloria asked.
Noah didn’t reply. He channeled his power into the sword.
Like activating his personal ship, a massive, pure flow of mana enveloped the sword. Yet, the decrepit blade rejected it, as if picky.
Then, Noah changed the nature of his mana.
The gentle flow became rough and violent.
Mana, now uncontrolled like a wild colt, shot everywhere, cracking the ground and leaving deep grooves.
“Ugh…!”
Even his own power was difficult to control. Sweat rolled down his forehead.
Gradually, the violent energy settled.
No, it was no longer mere mana.
Too wild and aggressive to be called mana, with a sharpness that could destroy its surroundings if unattended.
The sword absorbed this wild energy perfectly.
“Wow.”
Gloria exclaimed in pure awe.
‘Magnificent.’
She was entranced by the great moment unfolding before her eyes.
‘But this is a bit intense…’
Her breaths grew short; she raised a protective mana shield. Even so, she could not fully escape the overwhelming presence emanating from Noah.
‘Indeed, incredible power.’
She began to feel a bit overwhelmed.
The mere proximity sent shivers through her skin, a chilling sensation threatening to strangle and knock her out.
‘Once, it rivaled even the reputation of mages…’
In the past, mages, intoxicated with omnipotence, rebelled against the world.
Three Aura Masters subdued hundreds of mages, and the strongest was from the Pieta family.
One of the twin swords he had used was here.
“Grandma.”
Snapped from her thoughts, Gloria looked at Noah.
“Done.”
Noah calmly swung the sword in the air, leaving a long groove exactly where he had swung it.
“Uh…”
Noah lowered the sword more carefully this time.
“It’s been a while, so I can’t control the force perfectly.”
“That’s fine.”
Gloria dismissed it casually.
“This place was made for swords to break anyway.”
“But thanks to that, it’s over safely.”
The sword gleamed as if never used, with a sharp blue blade and distinct engravings.
Noah’s sword was no longer worn-out.
It was one of the legendary twin swords of the Pieta family.
“This is Mas’s true form.”
When named, a blue aura shimmered along the blade—the aura Noah had channeled.
“Can I come closer?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
“The aura earlier was terrifying.”
Gloria teased, claiming she almost died, and Noah laughed awkwardly.
“It’s been seven years since I converted mana into aura.”
“You did well without any mistakes.”
Gloria praised him, mentioning a hypothesis.
“The theory that mana and aura share the same source always resurfaced but was never proven.”
Because no one had ever used both simultaneously.
Though the origins were the same, the two forces were entirely opposite.
Experiments always failed, and no one could harness both mana and aura.
“That’s because converting mana into aura is a talent inherited only by the Pieta bloodline.”
