Chapter 28
A week had passed since I left the infirmary, and if you were to ask me whether anything major had happened, the answer would be no. Life returned to being what it had been before the exam, with me rotting on my bed as usual.
If there was one thing to note, I’d started noticing a few changes in my body a few days ago. While I’m still not exactly muscular, I can clearly see the outline of abs starting to form.
‘Could just be from me swinging my sword during training.’
Speaking of swords, Balmung hadn’t acted up again after that incident. I was half expecting it to start flying on its own again, but it’s been completely quiet. Sometimes I just stare at it, wondering if what happened was even real. It just sits there on the desk beside me, its blade faintly reflecting the afternoon light.
I picked Balmung up, inspecting the weapon. Now that I thought about it, lugging around a massive sword like this all the time was kind of inconvenient—especially when heading to the Academy.
‘Isn’t Ascalon Academy made for and founded by a mage, why do they even teach swordsmanship?’
As I was pondering meaningless questions, a sudden, blinding light began to emanate from Balmung, completely overwhelming the room. I couldn’t see anything, but I could feel a faint burning sensation on my hand.
After what felt like an eternity, my vision started to return, though everything remained hazy and blurred. I looked down at my hand, feeling the lingering heat throbbing across the top of my palm.
“What the fuck…” I uttered out involuntarily,
Balmung had vanished from my grip, replaced by a glowing mark etched onto my skin. You know what? I take back what I said about nothing interesting happening because something just did.
I studied the strange marking on my skin. It was shaped like a sigil while glowing faintly with a few lines branching off. I tried wiping it away with my other hand, but as expected, it was no use.
‘Okay… Where did my sword disappear to, then?’
In that instant, Balmung materialized in my palm again.
“Wow… wouldn’t it have been convenient if you had done that earlier?” I muttered to my sword, but, as always, it remained silent.
For the next five minutes, I kept testing it—and just as I suspected, Balmung appeared or vanished the instant I thought about it.
“Well. I guess that solves that problem,” I said, still blinking in stunned disbelief. Now that I knew I could summon Balmung whenever I wanted, that scabbard was basically useless.
I walked out of my room, running a hand through my hair and letting out a sigh. Elysia was already out for work, so it was just me in the house. It was awfully quiet, save for the steady drip of water from the sink.
I just stood there, looking around, boredom slowly gnawing at me as the silence filled the house.
‘This is boring… but other than this it’s more training.’ After all, that was the only thing I could think of to keep my mind occupied. Elysia had banned me from doing anything else other than preparing for Ascalon academy.
I could’ve tried asking Kaelon if he wanted to hang out, but unfortunately, he wasn’t in Eldreth at the moment. Same with that old man—I was confused when I went to look for him, only to find the cabin completely empty, as if no one had ever been there. All he left behind was a note that read:
“I know you might be wondering where I went, but that shouldn’t be your main concern right now. Congratulations on passing the exams. I knew you could do… probably. Don’t get too comfortable in Ascalon. I’ll be watching, so you better not slack off!”
I thought he said he was a retired mage. Why the hell did this old man suddenly vanish, leaving me with this cryptic message?
It was a shame. I really wanted to brag to him about how the exam went, but judging from the note, he already knew somehow. Not that I could ask him how he found out now. In the end, I grabbed my jacket and headed out the door.
Autumn was here, and the air had turned chilly lately. A cool breeze brushed against my face the moment I stepped outside. The streets weren’t particularly busy, and I found myself wandering aimlessly, with no real destination in mind.
Sometimes, I’d catch glimpses of people chatting, vendors setting up, a couple laughing together, and children running down the streets with their parents chasing behind them. For a moment, it all felt distant.
As I walked, a thought crept in—what exactly did I want to do with my life? Not just during my time at the Academy, but after it too. I definitely had no interest in making a name for myself in the Empire, nor in climbing the ranks like everyone else seemed to want.
Maybe I’d just find a decent job after the Academy and live a quiet life somewhere. That sounded like a good enough plan for now.
After wandering for a while longer, I eventually made my way toward the old man’s now-abandoned cabin on the outskirts of the city. At this point, it had basically become my training ground.
Nearby, several trees had been cut down, and deep sword marks scarred the ground. Well, if the old man ever comes back someday, I hope he won’t mind the new “look” outside his cabin.
These were just the results of me trying to copy the moves I’d seen in my dreams—but even then, something still felt lacking. Balmung materialized in my hand as I fixed my gaze on the target in front of me, then rushed towards it, as I swung my sword.
A rapid flurry of slashes rained forth, the air slicing violently as the surrounding trees splintered and came crashing to the ground. I stomp my foot, twisting my body in the other direction, then thrust my sword downward.
Balmung came down with a solid thud, sending a small tremor through the ground and leaving a noticeable dent where it struck.
“AUAGHH…!” I groaned in frustration, ruffling my hair.
I was doing everything exactly as I had seen. The same stance, the same footwork, the same motions. To a bystander, it might be impressive, but compared to the man in my dreams, I only seemed clumsy. I couldn’t tell if it was a difference in power, knowledge, or something else entirely.
I crouched down, rubbing my chin as I tried to figure out exactly what I did wrong. Another thing had been bothering me lately—while I could perform those sword techniques I’d seen in my dreams, not knowing the names felt wrong. After all, every cool move needs a cool name, right?
With renewed vigor, I began sketching the techniques in the dirt with Balmung, letting my mind wander as I tried to come up names for each move.
Half an hour later, I stood up, gripping Balmung in my hand. I looked ahead and let out a deep sigh of satisfaction.
I think I got it. I’ll call that first attack Crimson Rain, while the second one will be Iron Descent.
The names weren’t anything special—pretty sure I stole them from things I’ve read before—but there’s no real harm in that. They sounded cool enough for my standard.
I looked around, taking in the damage, my shoulders slumping forward.
“Shit… at this rate, I might actually get charged with property damage.”
That is, if they knew the perpetrator was me, and I’m obviously not turning myself in.
I stretched my arms. There was one last attack I wanted to try, but no matter how much I practiced during the past few days, I just couldn’t get it to work.
Even now, just remembering that technique sends chills down my spine. It looked almost ethereal, beautiful even, yet when I picture that white-haired man performing it, the feeling turns hollow. There were no emotions behind his movements, no rage or sorrow, just emptiness.
I raised my sword above my head, running my hand along the blade, eyes closed as I tried to recall the motion. The way his stance shifted, the subtle rotation of his wrist, and the faint glimmer of light that followed his attack.
I could feel something forming along Balmung’s edge. I kept my breath steady, focusing with everything I had, before opening my eyes and muttering the words,
Sanctified Severance
As expected, nothing happened when I swung Balmung down—just the sharp whistle of air as the blade sliced through it. I let out a disappointed sigh. What was I expecting? There was no way I could use that technique at my current level. I’d clearly overestimated myself.
That name, though, where did it come from? I just muttered the words as if I already knew them, though I had no real clue what I was doing.
‘I have to admit, that’s a badass name—I’m stealing it.”
I kept training, lost in the motions. Before I knew it, the sun had set and darkness had settled around me. My entire body ached as I collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. My stomach growled again, reminding me I hadn’t eaten all day.
“Man, I’m hungry. I guess I’ll call it a day—it’s getting pretty late now,” I mumbled to myself.
Dragging myself back home, I opened the door and stepped inside—and immediately felt that something was off.
“Hey, sis! I’m back!” I called out, but all that answered me was silence.
Strange—Elysia should’ve been home by now. I glanced at the clock; in fact, she should’ve been back an hour ago.
I checked around the house, half-expecting to find her napping from overworking, but everything was exactly as it had been that morning when I left. A sense of unease began to creep into my chest.
