Chapter 18 - Secret (1)

Silveryn shed the robe she was wearing.

A maid followed her, picking up the robe strewn on the floor. Another maid stood by Silveryn's side, holding a silver tray.

Silveryn removed her earrings, necklace, bracelets, and rings one by one, placing them on the silver tray. Each piece of jewelry had different colored gems, and there were over ten accessories in total.

Some were enchanted with high-level magic, and selling just one of them could buy a decent house with money to spare.

Due to her sensitivity to mana, even the slightest trace of magic in the artifacts irritated her nerves. She needed to remove everything and leave nothing behind.

After discarding all such ornaments and clothing, Silveryn entered the bathroom. In the center was a large bathtub filled with steaming water.

She entered the tub, her body completely bare.

This moment was when Silveryn could truly relax.

Silveryn stretched out in the bathtub.

However, despite this rare moment of rest, she couldn't completely let go and relax. The tangled knots in her mind continued to irritate her.

When Damian heard about the Masters Class, he seemed surprised at first but soon accepted it calmly.

Damian's quiet words echoed in Silveryn's mind.

I can do it.

Ghoul subjugation, Masters Class evaluation, it was all fine.

Even if Damian didn't pass the evaluation, it wouldn't be a major disappointment for her.

It wouldn't be a big problem in Damian's life either.

In fact, failing the evaluation might make his transition to academy life much smoother. The Masters Class involved a rigorous process.

Failing the evaluation didn't mean cancellation of admission. Under her guidance, there would be no problem with academy admission.

Even if he came in last, as long as he got an Eternia diploma, his future would be bright. An Eternia diploma held immense value, worth more than a noble title.

The problem lied within Damian.

He was diligent in learning and quick to grasp things, and he followed Silveryn's words well. He was the kind of child who would unfurl his sails and go far with just a little encouragement.

He had no rough edges in his personality and didn't rebel.

Though still clumsy, he was good at looking out for his own interests.

While it was less satisfying to teach him one thing at a time, his attempts to do things on his own were quite admirable.

There's no problem at all.

However, that was precisely the problem.

A lack of rough edges and a healthy personality were characteristics of noble children who grew up in affluent environments with unconditional love from their parents, not typical of orphans.

Most orphans inevitably lived with unbearable trauma in their inner selves. They had all been abandoned by their parents.

There was a high probability that Damian's inner self was damaged in various ways, having grown up as an orphan and making a living at a young age.

Damian might be desperately trying to prove his worth and hide his problems to avoid being abandoned.

Or he might be frantically developing his abilities, always mindful of the possibility of being abandoned someday.

Either way, it was equally pitiful.

Did Damian say he had friends...?

He came alone to a distant place but didn't seem to miss his friends. He didn't seem to value friendships much.

He also didn't talk about his past. It seemed like he was hiding something.

When he needed something, he could have relied on others a little, but Damian always tried to do everything alone, even if it meant struggling.

While he seemed to have no problems, one small failure could cause everything he was holding together to collapse.

Silveryn stared into space with weary eyes. And as if by habit, she twirled her long hair with her fingers.

It would be okay for him to act a bit more like a child.

***

The training continued the next day.

The training method hadn't changed dramatically despite the upcoming Masters Class evaluation.

The usual basic physical fitness, strength, and footwork training continued throughout the morning.

Despite the ongoing high-intensity repetitive training that would tire anyone out, Damian followed without complaint. He seemed even more enthusiastic, perhaps having learned something after the ghoul subjugation.

This accumulated basic physical fitness and strength would shine in the Eternia entrance exam.

Although she hadn't told Damian, students with recommendation letters were guaranteed admission just by participating in the entrance exam. Damian was under the impression that he would only receive additional points, and she had no plans of correcting this assumption for motivation.

However, the level of living and learning facilities provided would vary depending on the test scores, so it was better to get high scores.

With time being short, they needed to focus on training that could yield the most results in a short time.

It's not the time to focus on swordsmanship right now.

While he would need to learn how to engage in sword combat someday, it wasn't of much use in the current situation.

It was because of the existence of the magic sword Damian wielded.

Without being heavily enveloped in sword aura, it would be impossible to even exchange blows with the magic sword.

Time passed quickly. After immersing themselves in training, the sun was high in the sky.

After lunch, Silveryn and Damian returned to the training ground.

A maid was standing there holding an hourglass.

When Damian expressed his curiosity, Silveryn said, "We're going to measure time from now on."

"What time?"

"The time you can maintain your sword."

If there was a way to achieve the most results in a short period, it was undoubtedly increasing the duration of maintaining the magic sword. The magic sword exerted overwhelming power, but the time it could be summoned was extremely limited.

She gestured for the maid to move away. Then she said to Damian, "Stay still."

After the maid moved to an appropriate distance and position, Silveryn placed her hand on Damian's chest.

Silveryn intended to examine the flow of mana within Damian's body.

"Now, try summoning the sword."

Damian, seeming to understand the situation, looked at Silveryn once before closing his eyes.

Soon after, light emanated from Damian's hand, and a sword of brilliant radiance appeared.

As Silveryn turned her head towards the maid, the maid flipped the hourglass.

She focused her mind on the hand placed on Damian's chest.

After summoning the sword, Damian was being crushed by transcendent, magical pressure.

Even if one knew how to skillfully handle sword aura, this level of magical pressure was not easy to endure.

The magical pressure is much stronger than I thought?

This meant that the magic condensed in the magic sword far exceeded her expectations.

It was strange that he could withstand such magical pressure with such an unknowing face.

One minute, two minutes.

She checked Damian's condition while holding her breath.

The mana within Damian gradually decreased.

And it's even drawing away what little mana he has.

As expected, this magic sword was sucking away Damian's mana.

However, the questionable point was that the amount of mana being drawn wasn't that large.

The total amount of mana Damian could hold was below average for a normal person. In terms of capacity, it would take 6-7 years just to use basic magic.

Considering Damian's total mana, the amount the magic sword was drawing was actually minimal.

Strange.

The sword's magical pressure was getting stronger, but the amount of Damian's mana that had decreased was small in comparison.

Then that means it's drawing magic power from outside.

Even Silveryn couldn't detect the source of the mana.

Damian’s mana gradually decreased and bottomed out.

Damian's heart started to pound as if being squeezed. At the same time, the light of the magic sword wavered.

Damian's body was being strained.

"That's enough now. Release the summoning."

Damian's sword disappeared, and he staggered. If Silveryn hadn't caught him, he would have fallen over.

When she turned her head to check the time, the maid was sitting on the dirt floor. The magical pressure had affected even the maid, who was far away.

Damian removed Silveryn's supporting arm and said, "I'm fine."

"Wait a moment."

Silveryn approached the maid herself and checked the hourglass. Fortunately, the maid had marked the level of remaining sand.

Silveryn went back to Damian, supported him, and sat him down on a rock.

She checked the markings on the hourglass and said, "I've learned a few things about you and the sword. Don't answer, just listen."

"Yes."

"Don't answer. Your mana is depleted now. You'll be out of energy until tomorrow, so we'll end today's training here."

"I can do more."

"The time you can stably operate that sword is about 7 minutes and 30 seconds. Considering intense movement, it's 6 minutes, and if you keep shooting sword waves, it'll be even less."

"That's shorter than I felt."

Silveryn pinched one of Damian's cheeks.

"I told you not to answer. This is why you need to conserve your sword as much as possible. If you don't end the fight within 6 minutes, you'll die. Always draw the sword last."

Damian nodded.

"From now on, we'll train to maintain the magic sword for longer. That's the most important thing right now."

Silveryn released the cheek she had pinched and sighed. In Damian's current state, even walking might be difficult.

It was amazing how he had endured using the sword until now.

"I'll call someone, so wait a moment."

"I'm really fine."

Damian wasn't just saying that.

Contrary to Silveryn's concerns, Damian dusted himself off, stood up, and stretched his body.

For someone whose mana was depleted, his movements were light.

Silveryn looked at Damian with a puzzled expression.

When mana was depleted, it strained the body. For someone who hadn't trained in magic, it would take three to four days to fully recover.

"What's this... How are you like this when your mana is depleted?"

Damian also seemed confused by Silveryn's reaction and trailed off.

"I usually get better quickly..."

"Wait a moment."

Silveryn placed her hand on Damian's chest again.

And for a moment, she measured the mana inside his body.

Silveryn tilted her head in confusion.

The mana that should have been depleted was fully restored.

"...?"

It's all recovered?

While his total capacity for mana was below average, his mana recovery speed was as good as that of a high-level mage.