Chapter 2
Title and honor don’t matter.
I tasted enough of them in my past life to know they’re all meaningless.
Those sweet things are useless when faced with death.
I still don’t know why I was born again with my memories intact.
“I’ve found you, Young Master Rowen. So, you were here.”
“Ugh, Arahan…”
For now, I’m just running away from the maid of our house.
Rowen is now fifteen years old.
He’s grown taller, and his childish looks have mostly disappeared.
His body, trained for years, had gained some muscle, and he was no longer a little kid.
Of course, his face still held the features of a boy, but that couldn’t be helped.
He wasn’t an adult yet.
There were many events over the past five years, but looking back, none of them were particularly memorable.
If there was one thing worth mentioning—
“You won’t be able to slack off any longer. Come on, pick up your sword.”
“…Can’t I just rest a little today?”
“No, you cannot.”
It’s that he started receiving swordsmanship training.
Arahan, they say, was an adventurer from the Eastern Calia Run.
I only learned this recently, but over the past five years, I found out that she was so powerful that scary rumours circulated among adventurers.
I still don’t know why she ended up serving our family.
“You claimed you were sick yesterday and ran away as well.”
“Hey, running away is a bit much.”
“Do you enjoy training magic that much?”
“It’s not that I dislike swords. I just get excited knowing I can use magic freely now. I never get tired of it.”
“And swordsmanship bores you?”
“To be honest… yes.”
“I’d like it if you practiced swordsmanship as much as you practice magic.”
“I don’t think I’ll lose in swordsmanship even without much practice.”
I’ve held a sword my whole life.
It’s understandable to be tired of it.
I reached the pinnacle of this field and had a lot of pride in it.
But that’s all a story from my past life.
Now, I’ve found a new toy called magic.
The magic that I couldn’t use freely in my past life.
It’s only natural that Rowen is drawn to magic.
“Anyway, please let me rest for today. There’s still plenty of time.”
“No.”
“Arahan, please.”
“No. Today, I will focus on making you interested in swords again, Young Master.”
“Damn it!”
Arahan lightly swung a practice sword.
The long wooden blade instantly brushed past Rowen’s nose.
He barely managed to turn his body to dodge it.
His right arm immediately exuded the chill of frost.
Rowen hadn’t stopped training for the past five years.
Unlike before, it didn’t take him long to summon the Ice Blade.
Wooong!
The core inside his body roared quietly but fiercely.
He’s still at an age where his mana core hasn’t fully developed.
But Rowen’s genius and memories surpassed even that limitation.
Five years ago, he couldn’t deploy frost magic quickly.
He had to focus all his senses on his right arm to use it.
The speed of conjuring the blade depended on his concentration.
But now, as soon as he gave the signal, an ice blade emerged from his wrist.
Arahan easily blocked the Ice Blade.
It took the shape of an Assassination Sword often used by assassins.
Despite its short reach compared to a long sword, she blocked it with ease.
‘Focus.’
Rowen focused while blocking Arahan’s practice sword.
Short and heavy breaths.
The thin layer of ice covering his right arm exuded an intense chill.
A spell meant solely for defense.
That’s what Elemental Infusion was.
But Rowen succeeded in drawing out the ice to create a weapon.
Of course, the Ice Blade he created wasn’t limited to the form of an Assassination Sword.
It was impossible for him to infuse his entire body with attributes since his core hadn’t fully bloomed yet.
‘But I can do it with my left arm.’
In an instant, frost shot out, freezing his left arm.
Frost gathered around each joint of his fingers.
Arahan shifted her stance.
At the same time, Rowen drew out a second Ice Blade.
“A longsword, I see.”
“I can’t keep using daggers all the time.”
“…I’d appreciate it if you used a proper practice sword for a fair duel.”
“How can I do that when you suddenly swing a sword at me?”
Thud!
Arahan twisted her body, bouncing the training sword off the ground, and took a proper stance.
Rowen did the same, taking a step back and settling into his posture.
He put away his Assassination Sword and focused solely on his longsword.
The Assassination Sword, Abel’s weapon, wasn’t a bad one.
But the longsword was Rowen’s specialty.
‘Because I am the Hero, the Great Knight.’
They stared at each other, their focus on the tip of their swords.
They assessed who would make the first move.
Like a snake eyeing its prey.
“Be mindful of where you’re looking. Feints are important.”
“What do you think I’m aiming for?”
“Me, I suppose.”
“That’s correct. But you’re the same, aren’t you? Yet, I’m not aiming directly at you.”
If Rowen had aimed for Arahan’s “self” on a real battlefield, he would’ve targeted her heart.
But this was just a sparring match, a training session.
He didn’t intend to strike a vital spot and knock her out.
Of course, even if he did aim for a vital point, he’d stop before actually hitting it.
“So, are you saying you’re mindful of where you’re looking?”
“Well, who knows?”
“Hehe, this is a bit tricky.”
They softly and sharply analyzed each other.
They gauged the flow of the body, the breath, and even the mana.
Rowen realized that Arahan’s mana was gradually gathering at her feet.
Simultaneously, he also gathered mana in his feet to gain momentum.
He intended to end it in one strike.
It seemed Arahan had the same intention.
Pah!
Arahan’s foot moved, and Rowen kicked off the ground.
Their swords crossed.
He tried his best to avoid exposing any gaps in his body.
For in a real battle, such gaps would lead to death.
The distance between them closed.
They were so close that their foreheads could’ve touched.
If it were real blades, if they were just one step closer.
Their souls would’ve already joined the gods.
With a wry smile, Rowen spoke to Arahan.
“If this were a real sword, you’d be dead. You need to be faster.”
Rowen’s sword stopped right in front of Arahan’s nose.
She smiled, and so did he.
“Would I be the only one dead? You’d be dead too, Young Master.”
Both their swords were aimed at each other’s heads.
They stopped at the point of impact, causing no injuries.
They lowered their weapons and put some distance between each other.
“You’re more focused today than usual. Did something bad happen?”
“What?”
“Whenever you’re in a bad mood, your concentration improves drastically.”
“What kind of logic is that?”
“It’s not logic. I’ve just observed you for several years now and know it.”
“Well, if you say bad things happened, then yes.”
I got caught trying to skip training.
In the end, I lost time and had less time to research magic.
Of course, swordsmanship is important too, but—
What can I do?
Magic is just more fun.
Honestly, it’s exciting because I remember being at the peak for decades.
In my past life, I couldn’t fully utilize magic because of my physical limitations.
But now, the situation is very different.
There’s the thrill of possibly reaching a new height.
And the hunger for new discoveries.
All of these conditions aligned perfectly.
“I want to become a mage who surpasses Mio.”
“The Great Mage who disappeared, Mio Rizfeld?”
“Yeah.”
“You liked The Story of Five Heroes since you were young, didn’t you? Do you admire her?”
Admire?
‘Do I admire Mio?’
For a moment, Rowen’s brow furrowed at the word “admire.”
Admire, huh.
‘That Mio who cried her eyes out and used my clothes as tissues every day while drinking?’
I could admire Mio’s magic, but I couldn’t admire her as a person.
The second daughter of the Rizfeld Family.
That was Mio Rizfeld.
She was a drunkard and a crybaby.
But she was merciless to her enemies.
She never showed emotion.
On battlefields soaked with the blood of demons, she would summon meteors and shake the ground.
A being that had surpassed humanity.
A genius girl, beloved by the source of mana.
I could respect her magic, but I could never respect her as a person.
I could say this because she was the one I had been with the longest.
She had a knack for exhausting people.
She always tried to cling to me and never let go.
I still don’t understand why she did that.
She said my chest felt comfortable and nice.
What’s so great about a hard body with only muscle that she had to make such a fuss over it?
“No.”
“Pardon?”
“I respect Mio’s magic, not the person herself.”
Arahan tilted her head curiously as if she found it strange.
Rowen sighed deeply and raised his Ice Blade.
“Anyway, that’s how it is.”
* * *
Several hours had passed since Arahan caught him and made him hold a sword.
It was now well into the afternoon.
Even though it was summer, the snow-covered North still exuded a pure white atmosphere.
Rowen leaned his tired body against a stone chair.
Arahan had gone to fetch some water, giving him a moment of freedom.
“It’s still too much to move for extended periods.”
He was born with a body that could reach the same level as his prime, or perhaps even surpass it.
That’s why Arahan’s strength amazed him.
She never fought him with her full power.
Their sparring sessions were simply lessons.
They were just part of her job.
That’s why he was curious.
With his current body, it was difficult to gauge Arahan’s true strength.
No matter how important technique was in swordsmanship, he didn’t expect her to nullify techniques that had once reached the peak.
It was natural to lose in a contest of strength.
If Arahan had been born in the old days, she might have become a comrade who stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
That’s how highly Rowen thought of her.
“Agh, my aching body…”
Rowen opened his mouth and began massaging his shoulder.
No matter how much he reinforced his muscles or interfered with the trajectory using frost, Arahan would always end up knocking him down.
There wasn’t much difference in swordsmanship, but the difference in physical prowess and the level he had yet to reach was evident.
In his previous life—
Lian emitted a pitch-black sword aura.
He used a support spell that enabled him to split the limited amount of mana he had into its extreme form and cut down demons.
Though he didn’t believe in gods, he was blessed.
When he swung the black sword, a dark line would slash through the air.
The horizontally extending energy would explode the bodies of demons.
It wasn’t a normal sword aura; it was all his being compressed into the blade.
Even touching it would cause it to melt beyond explosion, such was its vicious energy.
While his mana didn’t resemble his father’s, his swordsmanship could.
Meeting the mage named Mio Rizfeld enabled him to learn magic.
Though he couldn’t summon meteors from the sky and bring forth miracles that temporarily overturned the heavens and earth like her—
His knowledge of magic became a vast library.
Thus, he managed to draw out his small amount of mana to its fullest potential to use magic.
He fused these two techniques together.
Freely at times, with difficulty at others.
And so, he became the strongest swordsman and Hero among humans.
Why else would people call him “Great”?
“Because he was that strong.”
Rowen nodded as he recalled his past glory.
Then, he looked at his Ice Blade.
A sword made of mana through Frost Magic.
Unlike a typical sword, it had the same level of durability as a blade enveloped in sword aura.
Sword aura is the act of coating a blade with mana.
But this blade was made entirely of mana, so it could produce the same level of strength as sword aura.
Even so, compared to back then, it’s merely child’s play.
‘That level back then.’
He looked up to the sky, stretching out his hand as if reaching for that level again, imagining the day he would surpass it while waiting for Arahan’s return.
—
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