Turning Chapter 1009

Chapter 1009

'I never knew that child could make such an expression,' General Gino thought, gazing at his disciple's face with a newfound sense of realization. Meanwhile, Kishiar, who had been standing beside him with his arms crossed, leisurely observing the situation, opened his mouth and asked, "Did you say that Adjutant Kurlieva became the general's disciple when she was 14 years old?"

"Ah, yes. That's right. That's how I remember it," Gino replied.

"Although I couldn't witness it directly, I heard a lot about it. There were many rumors about how the person who had declared he would never take on a disciple ended up accepting his first one."

"Haha, indeed, that happened."

As Kishiar mentioned, General Gino originally had no plans to take on a disciple. He had even refused the position of the sword arts instructor for the princes, which the previous emperor had earnestly requested, for several years. He had grown tired of those who greedily tried to push their own children to become a swordmaster's disciple. What changed his mind was none other than the young Meghna.

"A child who lied about her age and applied for an adult-only sword fighting tournament due to her fallen family's need for money, only to get caught and arrested... It was the first time I had seen such a reckless kid."

Meghna had originally planned to get third in the tournament, receive the prize money, and disappear. However, thanks to her exceptionally outstanding skills, she won the tournament, and her identity was exposed, leading to her arrest by the imperial army.

The general, who had taken an interest in the news of a child appearing and defeating adults at the age of fourteen, engaged in a conversation with Meghna during the investigation and saw his younger self in her.

Both Meghna and General Gino were descendants of fallen, humble knight-ranked noble families. They had no opportunity to learn swordsmanship systematically from someone, and they had only achieved higher accomplishments than others in an instant due to their innate talent and a few coincidental teachings from those around them.

While General Gino was fortunate enough to gain enlightenment during his wanderings and become a swordmaster, it was uncertain whether Meghna would have such an opportunity. Not everyone with exceptional talent in swordsmanship could find a place to make that talent bloom.

Therefore, the general decided to give the fourteen-year-old girl, to whom practicing the sword felt as natural as breathing, the opportunity he had never received.

If he had not accepted Meghna as his disciple, he would not have had the chance to teach the princes and talented boys and girls from some noble families later on, accepting the emperor's request. He also would not have had the resolve to take on Galexentre as his second disciple.

Not all of those events led to positive results, but the general believed that at least being able to teach Kishiar, who was standing in front of him, was a great fortune for him.

"It's natural, but I get the impression that Adjutant Kurlieva's swordsmanship resembles the general's the most," Kishiar remarked.

"Haha, is that so?"

"It's not excessively bound by the forms of the Imperial Swordsmanship, yet it has a well-established foundation and doesn't fear the opponent's changes. During the sparring, she doesn't discard failed attacks but continues to transform and transform them, immediately making those new attempts her own."

It was just as Kishiar said. Although Meghna was being pushed back by Yuder, as time passed, she showed signs of quickly adapting to all the attributes he used. Once she grasped her opponent, all that remained was an unrelenting advance.

Without fear of failure or injury, she clashed fully and endlessly attempted countless variations. She never fell for the same type of attack twice, even when Yuder increased the difficulty by mixing two or more attributes into his swordsmanship.

In the face of ever-changing, unfamiliar attacks, her unwavering determination to stand up and charge forward did not seem like an ugly obsession that couldn't accept failure. Instead, it appeared refreshing, like someone who had been thirsty all along without realizing it and had finally encountered water for the first time.

It was as if someone who had never had a worthy opponent to clash with all their might had finally been liberated. Meghna's unquenchable fighting spirit and vigor seemed to provoke Yuder, who was facing her, to give her even more excitement.

"No matter how much Yuder is controlling his power, her speed in understanding the changes is really fast. Even the fragments of aura have been continuously burning since earlier."

"Ah... come to think of it...!"

The general finally realized the change brought about by the bluish fragments of aura on his disciple's sword. Until now, he had been so surprised by her unprecedented expression that he had been lost in thought and failed to notice. The fragments of aura indeed appeared much deeper and clearer than before.

'How can this be? Meghna...'

What distinguishes a master from one who fails to become a master is how clearly and for how long they can maintain their aura. Those who couldn't cross the threshold were unable to envelop the entire blade with aura, and the duration was extremely short, lasting only a few seconds.

However, Meghna's sword now maintained the aura for a considerable time, although it was endlessly faint and couldn't fully envelop the entire blade. She seemed unaware of the change herself, but Yuder was not.

The general stared straight at Meghna's sword and let out a sigh-like breath the moment he saw Yuder relentlessly unleashing a fierce attack instead of stopping.

'Even though he knows Meghna's aura and attacks are getting stronger, he's becoming even more fearless...!'

As a teacher, it was a joyous occasion for his disciple to grow during sparring, but in reality, a sudden change in aura during a fight could be extremely dangerous for those around. Aura was an infinitely sharp and difficult-to-control intangible force, and even a slight lack of proper control could cause accidents and harm to the surroundings.

Although it might appear as a very small fragment to the eye, the condensed energy within that power was sufficient to kill a person even with a grain of sand-sized piece.

Therefore, only when one's skills were sufficient to properly control it could they wield an aura befitting their level...

'At this rate, it's dangerous.'

The general bit his lip and spoke to Kishiar, "I think we should stop them soon. If Meghna's uncontrolled aura fragments fly off and harm Baron Aile or those around, it will become troublesome."

"No, don't do that."

An unexpected answer came from Kishiar, whom he had assumed would naturally agree.

"If you forcibly interrupt the sparring in this situation, Adjutant Kurlieva may lose the clue to the growth she has just gained. Yuder also wishes for that not to happen."

How could one know whether the person sparring desired it or not without even having a conversation? However, Kishiar's voice carried a strange conviction that made it impossible to refute.

"But then..."

"It's alright. If Adjutant Kurlieva seems to be in danger, Yuder will calm her down, and Nathan and I are here as well. No matter what happens, this place is safe. So, why don't we observe a little longer?"

The general faintly sensed an inexplicable energy from Kishiar, whom he had thought was only enjoying the situation with his arms crossed.

'I don't know what it is, but... does it mean he's using his ability to protect the surroundings?'

If Yuder hadn't been sparring, he would have recognized the wide and thin power spread out by Kishiar and honestly admired it. At this moment, the best defensive barrier was discreetly deployed, capable of repelling any incoming attack without reaching the spectators.

Nathan Zuckerman, who was guarding Kishiar's side, also had his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at any moment.

"Don't worry. It seems like it will end soon. I'm sure the general doesn't want his beloved disciple's hard-earned opportunity for growth to end here after so many years, right?"

"..."

It was truly so.

Two conflicting emotions clashed within the old general, igniting a fierce flame: the concern that if Meghna couldn't properly control herself beyond this point, a dangerous situation could arise, and the desire as a swordsman and teacher to witness the achievement his disciple would gain at the end of this sparring.

"Haaah!"

General Gino turned his head upon hearing the shout of his disciple, who was freely wielding her sword with a disheveled body, as if she hadn't heard the conversation taking place here. And he reached a conclusion.

"...I understand. Let's observe a little longer."

"That's a wise decision."

At that moment, Yuder struck Meghna's weak point with the power of water and earth, swinging his sword. It was similar to the attack he had used initially, but the energy targeting Meghna's entire body was much more sophisticated and powerful.

And Meghna, instead of running away from that attack, leaped into the air like a bird with all her might, raising her sword high without even looking at the earth trying to grab her ankles, relying solely on her senses.

The faint aura that had been condensed at the tip of her sword, which she had focused her entire mind on, exploded with tremendous strength in an instant.