Chapter 6 : Chapter 6

Chapter 6. Sword Beginner (1)

Liam’s words had been true.

Since the four intruders had come, pests had gathered without end.

Many were eyeing this domain, especially those who crept toward the mansion.

Most of them were no match for me. From the start, there was no way real strength would be found among the bottom-feeders crawling into this desolate, ominous rural fief.

At some point, dealing with intruders became routine.

In truth, I had no time to waste on them.

The new training I had begun was far too harsh.

***

「What do you think is the difference between mediocre swordsmen and Sword Beginners?」

“The difference, you mean?”

「Let me be clearer. What is the minimum condition to be called a Sword Beginner? What must one achieve to earn that title?」

I hesitated for a moment, then answered.

“Must one complete the Academy’s course acknowledged by the kingdom? Or perhaps obtain recommendation letters from a few knights?”

「Both are wrong.」

Liam shook his head.

I still could not grasp the answer.

After a moment of silence, Liam spoke.

「Do you know what mana is?」

“I do.”

Mana. The mysterious force filling this vast continent, a grace bestowed by the gods. The very source that allowed the world to exist, indispensable to humans and the six other races alike.

Those who wielded swords, those who wielded magic, and all others who performed the mysteries drew their strength from mana. Where there was no mana, no one could live. And elves born and raised in lands overflowing with mana enjoyed lifespans near to eternity.

At my reply, Liam nodded.

「The strength of those called superhumans, or heroes, all derives from mana. Then what of the strength of a Swordmaster?」

“It comes from mana.”

「Exactly. The Aura that makes them invincible and sets them above as godlike beings is ultimately drawn from mana. And all Swordmasters were once Sword Beginners.」

He raised a finger. At its tip, a faint blue glow rose.

「Becoming a Sword Beginner means taking the very first step on the path of the sword. As the name implies. Thus, the condition is simple.」

The blue glow, as thick as the Aura exclusive to Swordmasters, grew fainter as he spoke, until it dimmed almost beyond sight.

「To accumulate even a handful of mana within your body. The moment you accept even the smallest trace of this world’s mystery, you become a Sword Beginner.」

Liam said it so simply. So much so that I thought, ‘Ah, I’ll soon be a Sword Beginner too.’ And precisely seven minutes after training began, curses burst from my lips.

“Damn it…”

The training was hell. Beyond comparison to anything before.

***

Swordmasters forge the mana within their bodies into the shape of swords. Once they craft even a single unique sword, the world calls them a Swordmaster. The more swords they forge, the greater they become.

Swordmaster Carlos had forged no less than ten swords. He was the greatest Swordmaster alive, and among those of the past two centuries, the most brilliant genius. The continent hailed him as the 「Master of Ten Swords」.

Sword Experts forge mana into the form of armor, encasing their bodies. The instant they succeed in even the thinnest layer of protection, they are called Sword Experts. At the Armor stage, they stand as gods of the battlefield—resisting most magic, ignoring stray arrows.

Sword Runners forge mana into wings. With even a single pair, they are called Sword Runners. The wings grant them movement at speeds far beyond reason.

Sword Walkers spread mana through their bodies like veins. People say they “lay the Road.” When the Road is laid, a Sword Walker is finally reborn as a superhuman.

And at the very bottom—Sword Beginner?

“Haa, huff.”

The condition was simple: “to accumulate even a handful of mana.”

That meant creating a second heart. Not the one that pumped blood through the veins, but a new organ—the essential vessel that drew in the mana of nature.

In other words, the Mana Heart.

「Steady your breathing. You must breathe rhythmically to sense mana. Without sensing it, you cannot accept it. And without accepting it, you cannot form a Mana Heart.」

“D-don’t talk to me, Master. Please.”

「Ha! Now your true colors come out when you struggle.」

Liam chuckled.

I bit my lip and spoke earnestly.

“Seriously. If I lose focus, I’ll die.”

That was no exaggeration.

I looked down as I caught my breath. There was nowhere to place my feet.

Because I was clinging barehanded to a sheer cliff.

No rope tied around my waist.

「Don’t worry. If you fall, with luck you might not die. Maybe you’ll snag on a tree somewhere.」

“…And if I’m unlucky?”

「Hm. That would be sad. Your soul is still too feeble to be taken into the land of swords where I dwell.」

“So in other words, you won’t take responsibility. Then just—quiet, please…”

「Hahaha.」

Pebbles rained down from above and struck my brow, then bounced, tumbling far into the abyss below.

Goosebumps rose on my neck. My grip tightened instinctively.

Loosen my hands, and I die.

Miss this jutting rock, and I die.

If the stone holding my weight crumbled, I would die. I could not leap into the air, nor could I land safely from such a height. Not even assassins from the Free Cities could manage that.

I clenched my teeth.

“To become a Sword Beginner… training like this is insane…”

「Indeed. This is a regimen I devised myself, passed down only to my descendants of Karavan blood.」

“Who, in their right mind, would risk death just to become a mere Sword Beginner…”

Sword Beginner was no lofty stage.

Talented swordsmen sometimes reached it within a week. Exceptional prodigies, within a day. Even the talentless, if they followed the Academy’s course faithfully, reached it before finishing their first year.

Even doting noble fathers teaching their daughters swordplay for self-defense could lead them to Sword Beginner. And here I was, risking my life? Anyone else would have scoffed.

「True enough.」

Liam admitted my doubt without hesitation. Then his eyes grew serious.

「Sword Beginner can be achieved by drinking a mana potion crafted by alchemists. Elves, living where mana is abundant, can reach it simply by breathing while holding a stick. It’s no grand thing. It’s trivial, common, unimpressive.」

“…”

「But you are a Karavan.」

In his eyes, I saw my own reflection—a pitiful boy, sweating, lips bitten, clinging desperately to a cliff.

「I’ve always told you. Steel Blood flows through us. And where there is Steel Blood, steel-like mana dwells. To set Karavan’s mana to beating, you need a stronger heart. No mortal heart can reach those heights. To be exact, no human heart can.」

Through Liam’s translucent form, I glimpsed the blue sky.

Clouds drifting, birds spreading wings and soaring freely beneath them.

「Karavan must have a heart of steel. One that not even the hardest impact can scar.」

“…”

「And this much I guarantee, young descendant.」

Liam looked down at me with a grin.

「The Sword Beginner’s stage you achieve will be utterly unlike any other’s. For nothing of Karavan is like the rest.」

***

Forming the Mana Heart was not inherently difficult.

The widely known method required a master’s aid. A mage, sensitive to mana, or a Sword Walker, or a Sword Runner, who had already amassed mana within.

They would press a trace of mana into the disciple’s body, stimulating their senses. The body would respond, sensing mana on its own, and through natural breathing, the Mana Heart would form. This was the standard way.

But Liam said that method was not suited for Karavan.

「Yes, that way is easy. But a Mana Heart made with another’s help is too soft. Born of another, it can just as easily be broken by another. Remember this always, young descendant: what is built easily crumbles easily.」

He taught me another way.

One among countless ways to form the Mana Heart.

The oldest way. The most dangerous. So dangerous, no one dared attempt it.

「You must make your body feel the need for a Mana Heart. Drive yourself into a situation where you must sense mana and must use it. The Heart of Steel is born in crisis. As when I once consumed my sword on the battlefield and awoke.」

Fear close to death. Like a lion casting its cub from a cliff.

「Have I ever been wrong? Trust me again.」

I could not refute him.

His words always proved true. This time would be no different.

My mind understood it.

“Damn…”

But the heart understands differently.

“Fuck.”

「Say only ‘fu—,’ nothing more.」

“Yes.”

Eight hours a day, clinging to the cliff, drenched in sweat.

Curses slipped out unbidden. Even my mother, who had never spoken a harsh word in her life, would have sworn at such training…

「Perhaps this will motivate you.」

“What… Do you mean?”

「For the revenge you seek, you must become a Swordmaster. Which means, in the end, you must forge a sword.」

My breath stopped at his words.

He smiled as he went on.

「Many of my descendants failed this training. They took easier paths—asking their fathers to act as masters, inviting mages or knights to guide their first step. And not one of them became a Swordmaster.」

“…”

「Even among my bloodline, those who endured this trial to become Sword Beginners were rare. One in ten. One in twenty.」

At that, my grip on the cliff rock tightened.

「And even then, not all became Swordmasters. That stage is so very distant.」

“…”

「But all who did become Swordmasters had first become Sword Beginners through this trial. This is the minimum condition to walk that path, young descendant.」

“…”

「So endure. If you desire revenge.」

My heart pounded. More fiercely than when I stared into the abyss below.

Perhaps hearing it, Liam asked:

「Well? A bit more motivated?」

The old master knew the answer before asking.

I gritted my teeth and replied.

“…More than enough.”

I released one of the hands clinging to the cliff, holding on now with only my left.

And so, day after day, without fail.

Five days passed. Then ten.

Scars tore across my palms, calluses grew.

And then, another guest came to my mansion.

「This time, be cautious.」

Quite unlike the pathetic pests before.

「That one is at least a Sword Walker.」