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Aura.
It was a mysterious power that warriors including swordsmen could obtain through constant training. It was also a mysterious ability compared to the mana that magicians used.
A swordsman can use it to forcefully uproot a tree or slash large boulders.
Of course, it wasn't energy which could be seen with the naked eye.
It was because it was extremely difficult to just bring out the Aura in the body, and even more difficult to concentrate and use it.
However,
“…”
Now, Irene’s eyes could see Aura which shouldn’t be seen.
It wasn’t like the case with Charlotte and Victor with the Aura Sword.
Aura was usually wasted when it wasn’t used by a Sword Master.
Besides, the two gladiators didn’t have the skills to do that.
If so, then what?
Was it the Aura in the body which had caught the eye of a sorcerer?
Surprisingly, it was just that.
The Aura in both the gladiators was filling their body like water in a bucket.
Even the density of the Aura could be felt.
It was subtle, but the Aura of the man holding the great sword was a little darker.
While Irene thought that, the two gladiators looked at each other.
The one with the great sword stood firmly and the one with a lighter sword moved around.
Normal people couldn’t see, but Irene noticed it.
The fact that the man with the lighter sword was gradually narrowing the distance between them.
Pahh!
After a while, the man who was walking around suddenly shot out, but it wasn’t an outright dash.
Irene confirmed that he had already used a trick with the movement of his feet and shoulders.
The man with the great sword, whose timing was taken away, took a slight hasty stance. Soon, the opponent’s attack from above came in.
Whoo!
It wasn’t an attack from above.
Just before the blow, the sword changed its path like an eagle snatching its prey and aimed for the ankles.
Flustered, the man with the great sword swung his sword and in an instant, five strikes were exchanged.
Overall, the entire match was being led by the man with the lighter sword.
Looking at the amount of Aura alone, the opposite results should have been obtained, but Irene understood why this happened.
It was because the movement of Aura flowing through and inside both people could be clearly grasped.
“…!”
The Aura in their bodies wasn’t like water in a bucket, but it changed with each movement.
Wheik!
The light from arms, shoulder and then waist grew stronger with movement.
Tat!
Just as the strength of the legs was applied when distance was widened, the Aura in the lower body shone.
It felt as if numerous muscles were dynamically, dexterously and complexly functioning to perform one movement, and Irene had felt something similar before.
It was when he used to observe the movements of his classmates in Krono.
There was a difference in what Irene could see now and then. Then it was the body, and now it was the Aura which supported the body.
Irene watched the fight between the two with so much concentration that he didn’t know how much time had passed.
“The match is over! The winner is Donovan!”
“Ah! Donovan!”
“Hahaha! Look there! Told you Donovan would win!”
“No, that jerk, how could he lose to a little sword user…”
“Battle isn’t based on size! If you think that, then do you think any female swordsmen would be down there?”
“Shut up! You got your money, just stay quiet!”
“No! Nope! I am going to eat beef tonight. Hahaha!”
“You bastard! You are really pulling my strings!”
After 5 minutes, the result was out.
As the flow of the battle when it started foreshadowed, the victory was for the man with the lighter sword.
Irene, who sat down and organized his thoughts, nodded his head.
Aura was stronger in the man with the great sword, but considering the smooth and appropriate way the Aura was handled, the one called Donovan was better.
Swordsmanship was one thing, but Irene saw that the victory and defeat depended on the usage of Aura.
And this was great news for Irene.
It was because he found a way to close the huge gap between him and Ilya.
“Hmph.”
Irene watched the body of Donovan who was being interviewed.
And then saw the Aura inside him.
This was different from the time he was in the match, but every time he spoke, the Aura moved.
‘If I can use this as a reference when fighting…’
Psychological warfare, then he could have an edge in fights!
The swordsman called Donovan had used two tricks when he was circling around the opponent, and the movements were clearly figured out by Irene who learned it from John Drew.
There was almost no difference in the motion of non-charging and real charging.
However, the flow of the Aura was completely different from that, and compared to when he went for a real strike, the Aura changed.
‘If this can be understood and utilized well, it will be of great help!’
Irene, who understood it, nodded once more and stood up.
There were a few people who were huge fans, and asked Irene for autographs.
He smiled and apologized as he quickly left the arena to organize his thoughts.
Eyes which for once saw through the Aura.
He wasn’t sure if it was because he was a sorcerer or if this happened because his concentration had sharpened recently.
He didn’t think that the reason was important.
What felt important was to master this newly awakened ability and use it without hindrance while using a sword.
‘I need to go and practice.’
As he left with that thought, he saw a familiar figure.
The blue hair of Lloyd.
It was Bratt Lloyd.
Judith was moving alone.
And Bratt, who looked at Irene, approached him.
“You came to the game too.”
“… yes. I was curious to see if there was anything I could learn from watching other fights. And you?”
“Similar reason. Obviously, the King level is higher.”
“I know.”
Irene agreed.
The victorious Donovan, who won, was someone with a high level of skill and couldn’t be compared to those below King level.
As it was, he was nodding, Irene looked at the sketchbook in Bratt’s left hand.
Irene’s eyes filled with curiosity.
Feeling the gaze on the book, Bratt opened it and said,
“I wrote what I felt while watching the match.”
“… this?”
A paper full of blue lines like his hair.
Irene wasn’t sure what it was, but it was clear that this wasn’t the final result.
‘When I see Bratt like this, he too has a quirky side.’
There was no way Bratt would do something meaningless.
There was something Lulu and Kuvar had in common with Bratt.
All three of them including him, yet Bratt was the most mentally composed one.
He wasn’t sure now, but Irene knew that in the future Bratt was going to show something great.
And now, Irene realized it.
He couldn’t explain it clearly, but it felt like Bratt’s mind was stable as he looked into his eyes.
But the reason wasn’t known.
Just like before, his senses still couldn't figure out the mood he felt when he saw Judith and Bratt.
‘But, where did Judith go?’
“Weren't you with Judith?”
“Hm?”
“I saw you two in the arena earlier.”
Irene, who was curious, ended up asking the question, making Bratt go silent.
But the silence didn’t last for long.
Bratt folded his sketchbook and said with the usual expression.
“She went to practice. We only met by chance.”
“Ah, really?”
“Right. Just like you and me now.”
“I see…”
Irene nodded.
Strange, something, something felt strange.
But he couldn’t put his finger on it so he let Bratt move away and smiled.
“Let’s meet another time. I need to go and practice soon.”
“I get it. Sooner or later, we’ll meet again.”
Irene disappeared after waving his hand.
Bratt Lloyd stared at his back.
And after a while, Judith who had been hiding, reappeared in front of Bratt.
“Why did you hide?”
“Uh, uh?”
“Did you hide because of Irene?”
“No? Uh? Irene was here? I didn’t know, I was in the bathroom.”
“Hmm.”
“… what, what! Nothing… Leave this. I am going to practice.”
“Are you going to lock yourself in the training centre again? Do you want to grab something to eat?”
“No thanks. That jerk Irene is working hard, I can’t stand still like this. I am going!”
Judith shouted in a higher voice and strode forward.
Bratt looked at her as she left.
Did she feel his gaze?
Judith, who was walking away, turned her head back and said.
“… next time too, if there are good ones playing, tell me. I want to see it.”
“Sure. Let’s see it together.”
“…”
She looked into Bratt’s eyes and turned around.
And this time, she didn’t look back and disappeared into the crowd.
The eldest son of the Lloyd family was alone.
Holding his book in one hand, touching his chin like a noble.
“I still have a long way to go.”
Three days passed.
In the meantime, Irene didn’t discuss anything with John Drew and continued training so that he could use the ‘Aura seeing Eye’ in practice.
Fortunately it wasn’t difficult.
It was different from seeing it in a battle and wielding it alone, but it wasn’t a problem considering that he had two months of time.
Of course, that didn’t mean he was taking it easy.
Irene, who closed his eyes, remembered the match he saw three days ago.
The usage of Aura demonstrated by the two people was grasped.
‘It is similar to the way I use it, but there are differences too.’
The basic parts were the same.
Aura strength, muscles, joint movements and firmness.
It was something Irene was doing too.
However, when digging deeper into how the Aura was being handled for one movement, there were differences but not by much.
In some aspects he was better and in others, the two of them were better.
And if he could correct that one by one, he was bound to get stronger.
‘Rather than that… and it isn’t just those two that I will watch and learn from.’
Irene, who closed his eyes, then opened his eyes and looked at the calendar hanging in the corner of the room.
February 13th.
It was the day that Grayson, the 4th ranking gladiator with great skills in the King level, will come on stage.
At the same time, it was also the day when champion Ilya Lindsay, the best in Land of Proof, would be on stage.
“I shouldn’t miss that.”
Irene, who mumbled it, quickly moved to wash himself and head to the Land of Proof.
‘I am useless now, I am useless now… I...’
He could hear John Drew muttering that, but he couldn’t afford to listen to it now.
Thanks to the work of Hinz, he sat in the grandstand and quietly waited for the match.
He looked at Ilya Lindsay’s sword.
Movements of Ilya, and then observed her Aura.
There could be countless things which could be gained through that, but what Irene was looking forward to the most was,
Aura Sword.
If he could see the Aura when the Aura Sword…
‘Maybe…’
Creepy.
Just the thought made a chill run down his spine.
Irene stroked his arms, calming himself.
Of course, he couldn’t calm down. It was the same no matter how many times he took a deep breath of closed and opened his eyes.
In the end, he could escape the excitement which was rising and for ten minutes or so he looked at the stage.
“Woahhh!”
“Champion!!”
“Ilya Lindsay! Ilya Lindsay!”
“The best talent in the West!”
“The King of the Next generation!”
“Sword Master! Youngest Sword Master!”
“Champion! Champion! Champion!”
Just like the first time he saw in Krono Swordsmanship school.
No, Ilya Lindsay, who had a much colder expression than back then, appeared with the sword.
And…
Woong!
The silvery brilliant Aura Sword appeared in the Land of Proof.