Chapter 101 : Disciple

Chapter 101: Disciple

A room in Ilunael Castle.

In a cozy room where a candle flickered faintly, a 13-year-old boy, Winston Gulak, was writing a letter.

The boy, who had lived his whole life as the son of Kashimir Gulak, the Lord of Gellan City, now found himself living a new life as the disciple of Ransen, the Conqueror. Yet everything still felt awkward and frightening.

Even so, Winston Gulak was mature for his age.

—

To my dearest parents,

The season when the body shivers from the chill is approaching. I hope you are both well. I am healthy.

I have not yet met Master. I heard he has been away on important business, but news has come from Herepol. Surely you both have heard it too?

They say Master singlehandedly subdued twelve lords. All of them, who had gathered to declare war, lost their will to resist, trembling in fear, and accepted all of Master’s demands.

Can you believe it? That one man alone could split a fortress. Ever since I heard those words, my heart has trembled so much that I could not sleep easily.

To think that I was able to serve such a great man as my Master. I wish for nothing more than to see him as soon as possible.

Everyone here treats me well.

Senior Sister Seah is....

—

Up until this point, Winston had been writing smoothly without pause, but then he gave a sudden shiver.

The first moment he met Seah replayed in his mind.

A woman with indigo hair and eyes like the sea, staring silently at him.

Her frame was small, yet Winston felt as if he were standing before the cold, frigid winter sea.

‘From now on, you are not just the future Patriarch of the Gulak family, but the disciple of His Highness Ransen Banroa. Remember that well. Don’t get arrogant just because they call you the greatest genius of Norberju. You must set your eyes upon the vast world and strive. Do well, without shame. I will be watching you.’

She was a frightening person. That expressionless face. Those deep eyes that seemed as though they could drown him in the sea.

But Winston’s hand wrote something entirely different onto the paper.

—

Senior Sister Seah was wise and kind. There is much I can learn from her.

And Senior Sister Daisy is....

—

Once more, Winston stopped his pen.

A red-haired woman with sharp features passed through his thoughts.

‘You. They say you’re a genius? Thirteen years old and already a Low-grade Expert? Two years faster than me.... Hey! Don’t get conceited. Always train with everything you have! Because no matter what, I will always be ahead of you!’

In her eyes that looked at him, crimson flames blazed. It was no metaphor—actual flames were burning there. Could human eyes truly be like that?

Terrified, he shouted, “Yes! Senior Sister!”—and the flames blazed twice as fiercely.

“Senior Sister? Call me Noona!”

Her eyes surged with those words, flickering like waves.

She was ferocious. Terrifying.

Even so, Winston wrote down:

—

Daisy Sago was strong. I want to become someone like her.

As for Senior Brother Seklan....

—

When speaking of Seklan, a smile spread across Winston’s lips for the first time.

His pen flowed freely across the paper.

—

Senior Brother Seklan was incredibly kind, gentle, handsome, cool, strong, and considerate.

—

Winston recalled how, after Daisy had shaken things up, Seklan had quietly come over to him.

“Don’t be too startled. She’s kind once you get to know her. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask me.”

Saying that, he had handed Winston a handful of what he called an ancient snack, something Winston had never tasted before.

Remembering this, Winston tucked a few of those precious snacks he had been saving into the envelope along with the letter.

They were so delicious it felt like food from the gods themselves.

—

Though Master has not yet returned, there is already so much to learn. I even sparred with Sir Catch Soroa and Sir Gepetto Soroa, and I have never seen swords so fast. Teacher Burson was strict yet caring.

The training is hard... but the joy of learning is even greater. I will study diligently and make sure to bring honor to our family!

By the time I see you again, I will have become a proper warrior.

* Your proud son, Winston Gulak

—

*         *         *

After persuading the lords peacefully at Herepol, I did not return immediately but traveled across all of Norberju.

It was to uncover and activate the Sacred Relics scattered across the land.

The total number I discovered was 61.

Of those, 25 still functioned. The rest were completely broken and useless.

In the process, I also learned something important.

‘Not a single Sacred Relic remained intact in the border regions.’

Every functioning relic without exception was located in the Azure Lands—the areas where people could live.

Because they remained only in inhabited areas, I was able to cover nearly all 20 cities of Norberju with them.

That was good, but... it also gave me much to think about.

‘There’s no way this is a coincidence.’

I had already seen it with my own eyes. A creature called an “Apostle” turning intact land into Ashen Lands.

The Ashen Lands that defined Roberland were created by beings like that Apostle.

In that situation, the Sacred Relics within the Ashen Lands had been completely destroyed? That could not be a coincidence.

‘It means there was a great battle. Most likely against that unknown being which created the Ashen Lands.’

Why had the Mythic Era vanished, and why had the Age of Magic collapsed?

Now I thought I knew the answer. It was because of the cult.

There had been an immense battle involving the cult. A battle so fierce that the miraculous Mythic Era crumbled, and even the mighty Sacred Relics were shattered to pieces.

The problem was that the cult was not a relic of the past.

Just as Delkash, Kxias, and even Imperial Emperor Rokshutalen did, there were still those who worshipped the cult.

That was what set my nerves on edge.

Would our era meet the same end? When? And could we prevent that destruction?

No. As we were now, we could not.

If that being called “Finger” appeared before us now, how could we endure it? In such a frail age, without even a Mana Cannon of the 10-Refim class.

We needed to become far stronger than we were.

That was why I had been so impatient all the way back to Ilunael.

And when I gathered the disciples, I was finally able to smile again after a long time.

‘Burson has done well.’

The disciples lined up before me radiated sharp, stinging momentum.

Their bodies were tense like predators before the hunt, their eyes gleaming like blades.

Their bodies were well-heated, their potential drawn to the surface.

It was the perfect state to consume an elixir.

And then....

“You there.”

At the far end of the lineup of disciples stood a boy I had never seen before.

A boy who looked about thirteen years old.

“I greet my Master!”

As soon as his eyes met mine, he set his sword upright on the ground and knelt on both knees.

Ah.

So it’s you?

“Winston Gulak? Son of Kashimir Gulak?”

“Yes, Master! Your unworthy disciple greets you for the first time.”

The small boy, brimming with discipline, answered smartly and earnestly—it was endearing.

I examined him closely. Though still young and not yet fully grown, I could tell at a glance that his physique was well-balanced. Even his posture carried precision.... The brat looked born to fight.

“Rise.”

“Yes, Master!”

“Draw your sword.”

“Yes, Master!”

Winston drew his sword cleanly. I observed him intently.

‘Excellent.’

There wasn’t a trace of waste in the way he drew and gripped his sword. That kind of familiarity, the kind only someone who had handled a blade as if it were part of their own body could show, dripped from Winston’s fingertips.

Chaaeng—!

I, too, drew my sword like him. Tension welled in Winston’s eyes.

“Block this.”

I swung lightly toward him. My target was the crown of his head.

Anyone who had never experienced it wouldn’t know—the crushing pressure when a much larger opponent swung a blade down from above.

Beginners often couldn’t even react in time, and even seasoned fighters usually managed to block but with their stance broken.

Of course, I had swung softly enough that it could be blocked, but still—it was my sword. For most swordsmen, the strength and speed would have been too much.

Yet—

Kagagang!

He blocked it. Cleanly.

Winston’s stance was so perfect it could have been taken straight from a swordsmanship manual.

The corner of my lips twitched upward involuntarily.

“You blocked it?”

“Aah! F-forgive me!”

Winston hastily withdrew his sword.

“No, no. You did well. Why are you being so cautious?”

“S-sorry! I will not hesitate again!”

Was it because he was still young? Unlike his father, Kashimir, who brimmed with boldness, this kid was soft and pliable.

Without giving the flustered Winston time to recover, I swung my sword again.

“This time, block this.”

This time, I used a feint. Twisting my blade and shoulder as if aiming for his thigh, then using the recoil to strike at his shoulder instead.

Kkaang!

But he blocked it again.

And just as cleanly.

There wasn’t even a flicker of surprise—no flinch. It was as if he had known from the beginning that I would target his shoulder.

“You blocked it again?”

“Uwah! Forgive me! I-I did it reflexively!”

“No. You did well. Don’t apologize.”

“Yes, Master! I won’t apologize! S-sorry!”

…Well, his personality would probably smooth out with time.

Looking down at the scrambling Winston, I asked,

“How did you know? That I was aiming for your shoulder, not your thigh?”

His answer was priceless.

“I… I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t?”

“Yes.”

“Then how did you block it?”

“There were two possible targets from Master’s stance. One was the thigh, one was the shoulder. But I could pull my leg back and evade the thigh strike. The shoulder, however, I had no confidence in. So I stepped back and guarded the shoulder.”

Already able to read stances? At thirteen years old?

How amusing.

It was truly amusing.

At this level, his swordsmanship was clearly innate….

“You’re a Low-grade Expert?”

“Yes, Master!”

“Then, can you try this?”

I held my sword out before Winston and gave my Aura Sword a faint shake.

It might not have looked like much, but in truth, it was a feat that required exceptional sensitivity to aura to even attempt.

It wasn’t just a matter of pushing aura into the blade—it was about altering its density to create ripples.

This was the foundational training that connected to Aura Shooting at the High-grade Expert level and to Aura Threads at the Peak Expert level. Even among Low-grade Experts, only those with supreme talent could manage it.

‘He probably won’t notice….’

That wasn’t an idle thought. Since childhood, I had trained alongside my siblings and watched over their swordsmanship.

And my siblings—this wasn’t just favoritism—objectively possessed enough talent to be called geniuses.

But even they had been unable to recognize this when they were young.

The subtle tremor of aura.

To me, it had felt natural, something I could perform instinctively. But my siblings had neither seen it nor been able to reproduce it.

That was the hardest part of teaching them.

‘This and this are different, right?’

‘No, they look the same.’

What could I do then?

Or,

‘How do you do that?’

‘You just do it….’

It was always like that.

But then—

“Ah! The aura wavered! So it can do that!”

He noticed it? This boy?

“Like this… is this correct?”

And then, not only did he sense it, he actually projected his Aura Sword—

Wooong! Woooong!

Though clumsy, he managed to imitate it.

“Ahh… it doesn’t work well. Forgive me, Master.”

What was this child?

A smile spread wider across my lips.

Suddenly, I was certain.

I had worried quietly, but with a disciple like this, I could raise him well.

I reached out and ruffled his hair.

“Well done, my disciple. Let’s continue to do well together.”

“Ha! Th-thank you, Master!”

His wine-colored eyes sparkled—it was endearing.

This was exhilarating.

Feeling cheerful, I looked again at my siblings. And now, at my disciple as well.

At last, this moment had come.

“Well then. Since everyone seems ready… let’s go.”

I stepped forward, and my siblings followed, asking,

“Where are we going?”

Where else?

“To become stronger.”

At last, the harvest of ten thousand years would bear fruit.

Yes. It was time to consume the Dracium.