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49: Awakening (1)
Dawn was bright.
Most people were wandering around their dreamland.
Of course, not our lazy prince. He got up early, as always, and finished washing and eating.
As always, he went to the training grounds to practice.
But he was a little different.
All his life, he had lived the same, but now he was going to change.
‘Sorcery.’
The most mysterious, tricky, and unpredictable ability in the world.
And today was the day Irene would try to learn it.
“Then, I’m leaving.”
“Yes. I won’t let anyone enter.”
The vision, something sorcery was called, couldn’t be learned in public places.
Therefore, Irene asked his father to control access to the grounds, and Harun accepted.
It was because he thought that it would be much safer than going out of the mansion and learning.
When he looked at the back of his son who was leaving the room.
Marcus opened his mouth.
“Will this be fine?”
The meaning was conveyed despite the short question.
It was about the rumors surrounding the cat. At which Baron spoke.
“Have you ever witnessed it?”
“Sorry?”
“I’m asking if you ever saw my son say he wanted to do something, wished for something this strongly, ever seen that?”
“… this is the first.”
Marcus didn’t ask anymore. And just like the lord, he too stared at the place where the young boy walked out.
A new wind was blowing for the Pareira family.
It was the end of April, full of the smell of spring, but the early morning air was chilly.
However, Irene didn’t feel that.
He walked faster than usual.
Entering the ground, he grabbed the sword on the rack. He felt a different sense of impatience compared to the day before.
Yes, it was undoubtedly impatience.
The desire to get what he wants quickly.
The desire to get what he wants right away.
The boy nodded.
This was what it meant to have the heart involved.
He finally understood what Lulu had told him and looked into the sky.
Shhh!
“Here already? You look the same as yesterday! I can feel the fire.”
“…”
“I hope the flame lasts a long time. Oh, no need to worry much! I will work hard in helping you.”
“Where did you get those glasses?”
Irene asked, looking at the cat, which suddenly landed on the ground.
As he asked, Lulu was currently wearing glasses with a red bow tie around her neck and a small book by her side.
“Clothes matter.”
“Huh?”
“Every little thing makes a difference. I think of this as doing my best.”
“Is that so?”
“It is. So praise me, come on.”
“Uh… thank you?”
“Haha, nice!”
Excited, Lulu tumbled in the air.
One, two, not three. After seven times, she looked at the book in her hand.
The black cat, who was done expressing her excitement, spoke.
“As I said before, sorcery is about the heart.”
“Yes.”
“Strengthening the mind should be a priority. In your case, you want to protect your family, and you want to sharpen your sword to do that.”
“Yes.”
“Then, what should you do to make that aspiration stronger?”
“…”
Irene looked at Lulu.
It was natural. He stood there waiting for Lulu’s instructions. He had no idea how sorcery worked.
Fortunately, the cat didn’t force him to answer. And, like ordinary teachers, she began to explain slowly.
The boy sighed in relief.
Since the cat was unusual, he thought the classes would be a mess, but it wasn’t like that.
“Are you concentrating?”
“Ah, sorry. Could you repeat that again?”
“If you keep doing that, I’ll scold you! Come to your senses already!”
The cat took out a wooden stick and pointed it at the human.
After sighing, Lulu’s explanation continued.
“This is the most common superstition.”
“Superstition?”
“Yes. Belief with any rational basis. But it’s also believed in the world of sorcery that nothing is more important than beliefs and faith. It isn’t about how absurd it is, but about how seriously it can be believed.”
A popular superstition was that a stone tower was a place that never collapsed. After a while, the superstition eventually became true.
Another popular superstition is when tying your shoelaces, you have to start from the left to make your day go smoothly.
Others, no matter how small or large, are all just crude superstitions that have no basis, and when they pile up, they turn into faith.
Sorcerer Lulu continued.
“If you are a person who follows superstitions for a year or ten years, will your faith change? Your feelings will only strengthen.”
“Hm…”
It wasn’t unreasonable.
In fact, some even considered such superstitions as the truth of the world.
Lulu also thought of many other ways to strengthen the mind.
“It is said that an ancient king once slept on a thorn bush until the end of his revenge to never forget the defeat he suffered at the hands of the enemy country’s king.”
Stimulation and pain.
“It is said that primitive people worshipped huge rocks or the sun as the gods and tried to fulfill their wishes through offerings. I actually think that’s a good way. There is no faith as strong as that kind of faith.”
So how is faith the strongest kind of belief used?
“The method of self-sacrifice seems to work quite well.”
To ‘sacrifice’ something valuable in return for something.
The black cat was extremely careful when referring to that part.
“But it’s best to avoid sacrifices whenever possible. When drawing on the power of the mystical… it’s much easier to get swayed by the devil.”
Irene nodded his head.
The stories about making a contract with beings from the depths of hell in exchange for one’s life or soul and how the corrupted demons often cause disasters. He heard them too.
Of course, the boy had no intention of doing so.
What the demons want is the part that the human values the most.
For Irene, it would be like sacrificing his family, so there was no way he would do that.
Then what could be done?
Lulu, who held a sword, swung it and said.
“Swordsmanship training.”
Woong!
Woooong!
Irene Pareira, who wields a sword, which was difficult for a boy his age, wasn’t shaking.
Surely, it wasn’t that great of a task. Maybe it would be special if he did it in the past, but after coming from Krono, this was regular for him.
However, the servants had no choice but to be concerned.
Because it had been less than two hours since their young master began to learn sorcery.
‘Has anything changed?’
‘No. This is just a sword.’
‘What does this have to do with sorcery?’
They couldn’t understand.
In fact, when Irene heard it from Lulu, he was the same.
‘You want me to practice the sword the same as before?’
‘It wasn’t the same? Promise… no, I should use a heavier word? Right, let’s call this a contract.’
‘Contract?’
‘Yes, contract.’
He has to swing the sword with sincerity a thousand times a day.
It built up his mind’s concentration when using the sword and with each swing.
‘It’s similar to having a beginner’s superstition. But just because you practice swordsmanship every day doesn’t necessarily mean that you will reach the desired level.’
‘By repeating actions related to aspirations, desire, faith, your mind will become stronger.’
‘The more days spent fulfilling the contract, the larger the change.’
‘The important thing is to put your heart into it.’
‘It’s nothing different from before if you just swing that sword. Do you get it?’
“Huu, it’s difficult.”
Wiping off his sweat, Irene whispered.
The act wasn’t difficult.
A thousand times?
To be honest, even ten thousand times wasn’t a problem. Even on his laziest days in Krono, he swung the sword more times than that.
However, the condition of putting his heart into it was difficult.
‘You want me to create my own sword and swing it with the intention of developing it? How am I supposed to do that?’
Wheeik!
‘Can you wield the sword with all your might?’
Wheeik!
‘With love for your family? Think back and reflect on your past self!’
Wheeik!
‘If that doesn’t work, maybe pray that you acquire swordsmanship that no one from any other family will ignore?’
A problem where he had to find the answer himself, rather than learning from someone.
The first difficult challenge for Irene.
Because he acted and constantly thought under the directions of others, never his own.
Therefore, the boy wandered for a long time without finding an answer. He even struggled each time he swung his sword.
A Thousand?
It could have been done a long time ago. While considering whether or not he really put his heart into it, it was becoming difficult.
Irene’s whole body was drenched in sweat as if he was drowning in water.
The black cat looked happy.
‘It’s nice that he’s worried.’
Until now, Irene Pareira hadn’t made any ‘effort’ into thinking alone or worrying alone.
Despite his actions, his mind was still ‘lazy’.
But not anymore.
Crouching on the tree, Lulu thought.
‘If you work hard, you will surely awaken.’
Awaken sorcery with effort.
They were inappropriate words.
It was because, in most cases, not just ordinary people, but even sorcerers would treat the ability as a rare gold ball falling from the sky.
And that wasn’t wrong.
But.
‘I think this kind of awakening would suit Irene.’
It wasn’t something special that people were unaware of, this was something everyone knew but it was hard to follow.
And it was what made miracles possible.
Lulu believed so and watched the boy swing the sword.
One day, two days, three days, and ten days.
Appearing in front of Irene, she said.
“Irene.”
“Gasp… yes?”
“Do you know what cools a raging heart and crushes a stone heart into sand?”
“…”
“Doubts. Stop doubting yourself.”
Perhaps Lulu never expected Irene to answer, so it responded right away.
Irene, who heard her nodded his head.
That was right. Even a slight doubt could crack a stone heart. No one would deny it.
Of course, knowing that wasn’t so important.
What really matters is how to resolve that ‘doubt’.
This is something that everyone who wants to run to their goal will want to know.
Unsurprisingly, the black cat spoke.
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“It can’t be solved.”
“… huh?”
“Ah, sorry! I mean that you can’t solve it alone, instead…”
Lulu paused for a moment and added wagging her tail.
“With others, it can be overcome.”