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The schoolmaster Ian’s Hahahaa laughter could be heard.
It really was. He really had no intention of using the Aura Sword.
It wasn’t because he looked down on Irene Pareira’s skills but because he was sure of himself.
In fact, there was a huge gap between the two which couldn’t be expressed in words.
However, the moment his student’s sword approached him, he knew.
Maybe his sword could be damaged.
That was the reason Ian used the Aura Sword.
He couldn’t help but be shocked.
‘No matter how cheap an iron sword is, it’s still strong enough to not be damaged by the opponent when I’m holding…’
It was hard to hold back the smile.
However, Ian managed his expression.
It was because of the Krono’s guests.
He’s a person who really doesn’t care about other people‘s opinions or his own fame.
What he cared about was his students.
And he said,
“I was surprised. You have found your own sword.”
“Yes. But…”
“I know. You’re shaken. And you’re here to talk about it.”
Ian looked at Irene.
He looked more mysterious than before.
However, some parts were easier to understand than before. It was probably because Irene managed to find himself over the past 5 years.
Irene, in the past, was an empty being that Ian wasn’t able to study.
‘I couldn’t look through him. Well…’
He looked better now.
Thinking so, Ian said,
“Follow me. Now that we’ve talked with our swords, we should have a real conversation.”
“Understood.”
“Can I follow too?”
“Well… I would like it if you could. Should I be formal with you, or can I speak…”
“You can talk comfortably! I’m also Irene’s teacher!”
Lulu, who approached Ian, stretched out her paw and said,
“Ah! I’m his sorcery teacher! Let us teachers get along!”
“… ha, haha. Sure. Let’s do that!”
Ian burst out laughing.
He thought Lulu was unusual, but it wasn’t like Ian was normal either.
He continued wiping the tears which were falling from the corners of his eyes.
“We will continue the conversation inside… Lance?”
“Yes, Sir!”
“It must have been difficult to entertain the guests. So go in and rest.”
“Understood.”
Lance Peterson bowed and left the room feeling lucky.
He had enough stamina, but his head was confused. It was because of Irene. With a heavy face, he left the hall.
Ian didn’t stay long either.
Looking back at the crowd, he said,
“And the guests… I apologize, but today’s meeting will end here. I believe that you can understand why.”
Polite words. However, the meaning was stern.
With those words, Ian also left the hall. With the young blonde and the black cat.
Thus, the hall of the Krono faded into the background as the small group left.
No schoolmaster, only guests.
One might be upset that their once every two weeks opportunity flew by, but not a single person was annoyed.
Why would they complain… what they saw was mind blowing.
Directly facing a trainee who belonged to the Golden generation, they witnessed a mysterious kid who belonged to the 27th batch. They didn’t have the eyes to understand all of his skills, but knowing some of it was enough to know how great of an asset he would be in the future.
And that wasn’t it.
One of the swordsmen mumbled.
“The schoolmaster’s Aura Sword… to see it…in my lifetime…”
The best of what happened.
To actually see the brilliant sword that manifests by accumulating Aura to the limit, the mysterious power built up by concentrating on the inside of the body called the inner universe!
Just that one thing was reason enough to call their day productive.
Everyone felt heavy-hearted.
And there was one among them.
“No. I need to go and practice.”
His body felt weird. Amidst the excitement, exaltation, and strange unknown emotions, he could feel his body boiling.
Like something unknown would burst out of his throat.
In order to relieve that feeling, he felt he had to swing his sword right away.
As if possessed by something, the man left the hall.
“M-Me too!”
“I’m going to practice too!”
“I can’t just do nothing after watching that!”
And there were others too.
Not all of them had gathered for the same purpose.
Some came to develop, while some were here to see the unexpected, and the remaining wanted to make a name for themselves.
But in the end, they were all swordsmen.
Those who walk the path of the sword, whose hearts pound when seeing a great battle unfold.
“… let’s go.”
“Yes, brother. Should we practice?”
“No, let’s go to the vacant lot behind the agency.”
“Huh?”
The brother seemed confused, but Gilbert didn’t answer and kept moving.
That wasn’t enough. So he ran after a while. It was because he was worried that there wouldn’t be enough space there.
‘Take it seriously. Really…’
Gilbert, an unknown swordsman who sought Krono without knowing the truth.
His heart was now burning.
At that time, swordsmen were looking around the place.
As it was his first visit, Ian suggested that Irene should come inside and take a look.
He was exhausted from the battle, and he recovered his stamina by leisurely touring the school.
“How’s the school?”
“It feels clean and fine. And, it’s smaller… than that branch.”
“That? The place where preliminary trainees were kept. Calling it a branch wouldn’t be nice. It’s a place we hire once every few years to train kids.”
“I see.”
“Well, there are only a few people here, less than 100 people, but this is big enough.”
That was true. The past place was too big, and this was enough for 100 people.
After looking around for a while, the group headed to the waiting room.
Irene Pareira, who saw Ian and Lulu enter, tried to close the door.
But there was one more.
A middle-aged woman with white hair.
Irene was startled at the sudden sight and stepped back.
“Huh!”
“Ugh, another person got pranked by Keira.”
“It wasn’t a prank.”
“Then why didn’t you just talk to him so he wouldn’t be surprised? Didn’t you just follow?”
“I had nothing to say.”
‘Were they together since the start?’
Irene's expression turned stiff.
Ever since the awakening, his sense had sharpened.
But he couldn’t even hear her footsteps or even her breathing.
Who on earth was the white-haired woman?
And at that time, Lulu spoke while looking at the woman.
“This person is very strong too. Are you a teacher?”
This time, the woman was shocked.
It wasn’t much of a reaction, but the fact that her expressionless face furrowed was great.
“You do pretty well for a cat.”
“Cat! Cats and humans are the same! No, cats are better than humans! Cats are faster than humans, and can climb higher places, and are cuter!”
“Lulu… was it? I apologize in her stead. Deputy-head, beware of the way you speak. What is with the rudeness on their first visit?”
“… I admit it. I’m sorry.”
“I apologize too. I withdraw my claim that cats are better than humans.”
Be rude quickly, be angry quickly and apologize quickly, along with reconciling.
Such a crazy situation that Irene couldn’t understand.
Rather than that, he was focused on the words teacher and deputy head.
It was then that he understood.
‘Krono’s deputy, Keira Finn.’
The second talented person of Krono, that was why he wasn’t able to feel her presence.
But she looked younger than he expected.
‘I heard that she was the same age as the schoolmaster…’
She looked 30 years younger than him. Maybe even less than that.
Of course, he didn’t say that.
Ian was surprisingly sensitive and older.
“This is messy. Everyone take a seat, deputy. Are you here because you have something to say?”
“No.”
“Then did you come to listen. Irene?”
“Yes, schoolmaster?”
“The instruction is late, but let’s get it done. This is the deputy of Krono, Keira Finn. And this is Irene, the 27th batch’s trainee… but, for some reason, he came here today, four years past the promised deadline.”
“… I apologize.”
“No, no. I didn’t mean for you to apologize, but to ask for you to explain it now. Four years ago, I got a letter from your parents saying it would take time, but I didn’t know it would take this long. So what happened in the last five years?”
Ian ended the instruction right away.
He tried to sound reasonable, but he was curious about what happened 5 years ago.
Even more so when he checked the sword of Irene.
What the hell happened that allowed him to use Judith, Bratt, and even Ilya’s swords?
What else happened that made him grow so much, yet he could see anxiety on Irene’s face.
Even Ian was full of questions when it came to Irene.
“… to explain that, there is something I need to tell you first.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s about my dreams.”
Irene revealed what he had been hiding for a long time.
A secret that even his family didn’t know of.
A dream that only Lulu knew, something which couldn’t be explained.
He carefully unraveled it.
And that wasn’t it.
Leaving the school and meeting Lulu.
Realizing his true self through family conflicts.
Training in sorcery to raise his sword and in the process how he entered the world of sorcery.
There, he met with a fictional Ilya, Judith, and Bratt…
The encounter with the demon, the dream changing again, and even that his heart was shaken by it.
It took a while to explain it. It was even more troubling as Irene wasn’t the talkative kind.
“…”
“…”
However, no one felt bored.
Even Keira Finn wasn’t bored.
The story was so intriguing that she couldn’t divert her attention from it.
Now that Irene’s mouth stopped, she was back to herself again.
She looked at the man sitting next to her.
What advice would her close friend give to his pupil, who seemed to be wise, savage, and also strange?
Before long, Ian opened his mouth.
“There’s a lot I want to say, but I’ll give you some advice first. Oh, I’m not talking about the dream. As a swordsman, I don’t have the ability to solve problems that even sorcerers can’t solve.”
“That’s unfortunate. I thought it would be possible for you since you’re someone amazing.”
Lulu said.
Lulu climbed onto the table and swung the sword while adding.
“Like this, shak! I thought you would cut the dream or something.”
“Huhu, I can say that there is nothing in the world I can’t cut down, but it’s difficult to cut down dreams. This is hurting my pride. Anyway, let’s talk.”
Ian stretched out his hand.
And folded three fingers in front of Irene.
He left two fingers straight, the index and the middle finger.
“There are two ways to quell your shaky sword. The first is to study here at Krono.”
Ian’s explanation continued, and Irene nodded his head.
That was correct.
Krono has an outstanding number of swordsmen in it.
And they are all sharpening their swords. Not their swords in reality, but the sword of their minds.
There were all seniors who raised swords far ahead of Irene.
If he joined them and followed their teachings and wisdom, he would probably be able to swing his sword more freely.
“However, what I recommend is the second one.”
Irene was shocked.
Ian, the schoolmaster of the school, didn't want Irene to choose the first one.
So what was the second one?
The doubt was resolved right away.
“Look for a teacher better than me.”
And another question rose.