Ch 150
The True Ones.
For those fanatics, pain is a part of life.
A ritual performed daily. Sadism and masochism.
They willingly keep pain by their side, and thereby change their perception of pain.
They were prepared to accept any pain.
Fulfilling their duties as the True Ones was a most meaningful and fulfilling task.
Any pain.
Any experience.
Could not change the minds of the True Ones.
It was the unwavering pride of the True Ones.
But now.
A ritual centered around one man was underway, and they were experiencing extreme confusion.
There is no eternal pain, and there are no unhealing wounds.
But that pain was different.
It was as if the blood was boiling, and the inside of the body was melting away.
There, the moment that pain struck, they instinctively felt it.
That this pain was a sign that their bodies were undergoing complete collapse.
Proof that they had crossed a line of no return.
The fear, despair, and loss stemming from that.
All of it was mixed and delivered along with the pain.
“Ah, aaaaa… aaaaa…!!!”
The moans escaping the mouths of the True Ones.
There was not a trace of their usual twisted emotions.
Just pure pain.
Those fanatics felt true pain for the first time since becoming the True Ones.
The time spent with that pain was simply terrible and consuming.
Please.
May this moment pass quickly.
Only that thought dominated their minds.
They did not feel at all like they were fulfilling their duties as the True Ones.
Thus.
It was at that time that the True Ones were struggling helplessly in pain.
“Ah…!”
If it was an intense pain of a level they had never felt before.
It was also an intense fulfillment of a level they had never felt before.
That fulfillment enveloped them like a comforting hand, soothing the pain.
The fulfillment that comes after pain is familiar.
But this is different.
This pain was not something that could be dared to create.
And this fulfillment was not something that could be dared to create either.
‘Ah… Bearer…’
Hella was already praising that name in her heart.
While reflecting on the sensation that was slowly fading away.
While picturing the being that had given her this sensation in her mind.
✦✦✦
People who looked fine on the outside were rolling on the floor,
while a man whose face was covered in blood stood silently, looking at them worriedly.
“Everyone… are you alright…?”
The group seizure finally subsided.
Lisir asked after their well-being.
“Haa… Haa…”
Should he be called the former Sword Master?
Dwen was the first to react and regain consciousness.
Her legs, which she used to push herself up from the ground with her sword, trembled like a newborn goat.
“Ah! Let me help you!”
Lisir approached her to help Dwen up.
And so, the moment their arms intertwined.
“Agh…!”
The touch of another person’s hand on a body made extremely sensitive by intense pain and fulfillment.
A sharp sound, uncharacteristic of her, escaped Dwen’s lips.
Flinch!
Her body flinched.
As if ice had suddenly touched her nape.
While trembling precariously, she managed to maintain her balance, but then her legs suddenly gave way.
And so, the moment the iron sword was about to fall-
“Ah! Be careful━”
Lisir quickly supported her body.
By embracing her from behind.
Platinum blonde hair drenched in cold sweat.
And the skin, still soft despite its training, touched the man’s sturdy body.
“Ah, ah… ah…!”
That defenselessness.
That whirlwind of sensation.
These were things far too unfamiliar to the Sword Master known as the Iron Sword.
Dwen writhed in Lisir’s arms, convulsing.
It was a struggle to escape the situation, but to Lisir, it looked quite different.
‘This, is she losing her mind because of the pain I inflicted? Oh dear… what a mess.’
That stern woman couldn’t even control her own body.
His blood-soaked face contorted with guilt.
“It’s alright. It’s over… probably. So━”
Lisir, wanting to comfort Dwen, who was incapacitated by pain, tightened his grip on her arm.
“…!”
Startled!
Then, Dwen’s body trembled violently.
“Ah, don’t…”
Don’t.
Please let go.
Dwen ultimately couldn’t utter those words.
Because it felt like something else would come out if she opened her mouth.
So Dwen could only clench her mouth shut and helplessly struggle in Lisir’s arms without saying anything.
A stifled sigh escaped her, as if she were agonizing.
In the process, Dwen, who had been embraced from behind, assumed a posture as if clinging to Lisir.
“It’s alright.”
Somehow interpreting that, Lisir gently patted her back.
Startled!
Flinch!
Lisir calmed her down until the seizure caused by the pain was completely over and Dwen had stabilized.
“Ugh…”
“What in the world was that…”
Soon after, Jane and Felix got up.
Startled!
Dwen’s body, which had just stabilized, jumped violently once more.
Dwen, who had been quietly nestled in Lisir’s arms, hastily pulled away from him.
“Ah, are you alright now?”
“…”
Lisir asked calmly.
Dwen only nodded, her head bowed.
Leaving them behind, people began to regain consciousness one by one.
“Tilla! Are you okay!?”
“Just a moment!”
“Oh!?”
“Right now, don’t touch…”
“Ah, oh. I understand what you mean.”
“Ugh, Belota… I’m sorry, but could you help me up…?”
“Camila… alright…”
“Wait, you two! I’ll help-“
“”Don’t come near!!!””
The hero’s party.
“Sister Poien, are you alright!?”
“Ah… and how about all of you…”
The True Ones.
Lisir felt considerable guilt at the sight of them unable to regain consciousness due to the effects of the ritual.
“Everyone! Are you all alright? Are there any injuries? Are there any injured?”
Only pain is shared through the ritual.
After confirming that there were no injuries, Lisir breathed a sigh of relief and said,
“It’s fortunate that nothing happened.”
“…”
The gazes of those present focused on his face, covered in blood.
“Ah!”
At that moment, Lisir remembered something and looked around.
The Core of Suffering that Dwen bore.
He wanted to check how full it was.
“Master Lisir. You’ve worked hard.”
At that moment, Hella approached Lisir and spoke.
“You must be very tired, so we will withdraw for now, and we will visit tomorrow to tell you the results of the ritual.”
Before Lisir could reply, Hella, having finished speaking, led the True Ones and left the mansion.
In a somewhat urgent manner.
“Hoo…”
Lisir let out a small sigh after confirming that they had disappeared.
Judging from the situation, it seemed that he no longer needed to worry about the Core of Suffering that Dwen bore.
“It seems like we can rest easy, right?”
He asked Dwen with a smile.
To share this relief, this joy.
“It… seems so…”
“?”
But Dwen avoided eye contact and awkwardly turned her head.
Lisir tilted his head at Dwen’s unusual behavior.
Is she tired from the ritual?
At that moment, Lisir felt gazes directed at him.
The hero’s party.
They were looking at Lisir with strange eyes.
“Lisir… are you okay…?”
Jane asked cautiously.
“Yes? Okay? What do you mean?”
Lisir tilted his head.
With his face covered in blood.
“Wow.”
That was the reaction of several people, including Felix.
That single word implied a great deal.
“…It’s nothing!”
Soon, Jane smiled brightly.
The other members of the hero’s party also smiled brightly.
In the subtly formed atmosphere, they dispersed.
✦✦✦
That evening.
‘Training is a major event.’
Lisir left his room to follow his routine and headed towards the mansion’s backyard.
“Oh, Ms. Dwen?”
“Ah.”
And there, he encountered Dwen, who was already there.
She stood silently, looking at her left hand.
“How about it, are you feeling a little better now?”
Dwen’s platinum blonde hair absorbed the setting sun that fell on the yard.
Was it because of that?
Dwen’s stern expression, like an iron wall, seemed to have a strange emotional hue.
Soon, Dwen looked at Lisir.
And as she was about to answer his question-
“…”
Her expression twitched. Her lips moved.
“…Ms. Dwen? Uh-“
Lisir unconsciously reached out his hand.
Dwen. She suddenly turned around and left.
As if running away.
“…Why is she like that?”
Lisir smiled wryly at her uncharacteristic behavior.
“Too bad. It would have been perfect if I could have sparred.”
Well. It’ll be alright.
He shrugged and took a stance.
In his hand was a blue lotus.
It was a monumental moment.
As he drew upon his magical power, he spoke to the inhabitants of his inner world.
“Klana, Dangaleon. What do I look like right now?”
-Ooooooh!!!!!
The first sound was the characteristically dramatic exclamation of the non-demon!
Followed by the murderer’s chuckle.
-Crazy bastard…
“Why are you cursing suddenly…”
-I’m exasperated.
The murderer transforms into a composed young spirit.
She looked up at Lisir from in front of him and said,
“How old are you this year?”
“Nineteen.”
“Crazy bastard.”
“Why are you cursing again…”
-Master!!!!!
The grayish-white fire spirit, which had suddenly appeared, surged violently.
-This is the ultimate wonder!!! You have finally reached it!!! At such a young age!!!
Lisir looked down at his hand and nodded.
His vague guess became a certainty from their reactions.
7th Rank.
He had reached the realm known as the Master’s realm.
Now he was qualified to be a practitioner of swordsmanship-
and at the same time, qualified to be the leader of a school.
The power of intention naturally permeating his magical power, even without conscious effort, was proof of this.
“It doesn’t feel real.”
“That’s understandable. You were able to wield the power of intention even before surpassing that wall. But. You will feel the power itself.”
“Power…”
“Let’s see your full power. Go ahead. Draw upon all the magical power you possess.”
The murderer’s eyes gleamed strangely.
“Perhaps, I can teach you something new.”
-Don’t be absurd, you inanimate woman!!! Do you intend to deny the Master’s essence!? The Master is a wizard! If there is enlightenment gained first upon reaching the 7th Rank, wouldn’t it naturally be enlightenment related to magic!
“Can’t you see the sword in that fellow’s hand? If you intend to cultivate magic as you say, you wouldn’t have come out with that sword.”
-You fool!!! To the Master, that barbaric lump of iron is nothing more than an iron staff! No!? Everything the Master holds in their hand will possess magical mystery and wonder!!!
“What nonsense.”
The murderer and the non-demon.
They began a nerve war over Lisir’s first experience.
For him, who had become an adult in the world of power, the first opportunity to dedicate himself!
They had absolutely no intention of yielding that opportunity to anyone else.
While the two were engaged in a fierce debate with no compromise.
“…”
Lisir closed his eyes and entered a state of concentration.
He was intrigued by Klana’s words just now.
‘My full power at 7th Rank…’
First, Lisir checked his physical condition.
Whether he was in a suitable state to unleash his full power.
He was concerned about using the Power of Advancement at full power during the True Ones’ ritual, but-
thanks to the subsequent inexplicable feeling of elation, his body was in perfect condition, as if reborn.
“Good.”
Now that the check is complete.
Lisir began to draw out his mana in earnest.
‘Come to think of it, is this the first time?’
He had often pushed himself to the point of exhaustion or focused all his attention on performing precise techniques-
but this was the first time he had drawn out mana endlessly, as if emptying his pockets.
Lisir continued the process, feeling the unfamiliarity.
At that moment.
Thump.
“Huh?”
Lisir suddenly checked his pocket.
It was as if a knot had come undone.
He felt the action of an unknown mana among his belongings.
And it was at the same time that it happened.
“What?”
Lisir.
He was now in a pure white space.
A space created by magic and mana.
Inside, someone greeted Lisir.
Silver hair flowing down to his waist.
A purple robe made of silk, seemingly transparent yet not revealing its contents.
Above all, that characteristically lively smile.
Lisir’s eyes widened as he confirmed the identity of that someone.
“Master?”
✦✦✦
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