Chapter 82
Fent had come to Jade’s villa for the first time in a while.
He wanted Jade’s advice on a problem he couldn’t solve on his own.
“Heave-ho! Hrah!”
As he passed through the main gate and entered the area used both as a courtyard and a training ground, he heard a familiar battle cry.
Moikan was training, his distinctive voice booming across the grounds.
But his movements were better than expected.
Moikan was still at an age that could be called adolescence, but his beastified body was no different from that of an adult monkeykin.
‘The atmosphere around him has changed.’
His height had not changed much from before.
Yet his entire bearing had changed.
His body also seemed considerably sturdier than before.
‘I heard he was researching and improving a mana cultivation technique to suit the monkeykin. Did he succeed?’
Fent’s gaze grew serious.
The force radiating from Moikan’s entire body was that intense.
He could hardly be compared to an ordinary member of the monkeykin.
Whoosh!
After passing Moikan, who was training his body a little excessively, Fent spotted the twenty spirit mages engaged in group training as usual.
They were gradually coming to be known as the spirit corps. Their ages varied, but their abilities did not correspond to their age.
And in one corner, Della—Jade’s disciple and now the young lady of the marquisate—was communing with a spirit.
At a glance, it looked as though she were playing, but the reality was different.
It was training to increase her affinity with spirits.
At the same time, she repeatedly used her accumulated mana up to its limit, then built it back up again.
“……Still the same.”
Although their atmospheres differed slightly, there was no doubt that everyone was working hard.
Unlike usual, Whid had also moved away from Jade and was training with a spirit he had never seen before.
“Chief Fent.”
“Alfredo.”
“It’s been a while. How have you been?”
While Fent could not tear his gaze away from the training ground filled with scorching heat, Alfredo quietly approached him.
He had come to greet the guest in his capacity as butler.
“Me? Same as always. More importantly, where is Master?”
“He’s inside. I’ll show you in.”
“Thank you.”
“Not at all.”
Alfredo turned with a faint smile.
Welcoming guests was the most basic of a butler’s duties, so Alfredo guided Fent to the study with measured decorum.
Knock, knock, knock.
“My lord, Chief Fent has arrived.”
“Come in.”
In response to Alfredo’s courteous report, Jade’s voice came from beyond the door.
At the sound of his voice, Alfredo opened the door silently, extended an arm toward the room, and stepped aside.
He had moved out of the way so Fent could enter.
Before long, Fent passed Alfredo and entered the room.
“It’s been a while, Master.”
“I heard you’ve been training on your own. Have you made any progress?”
Having received Fent’s greeting, Jade gestured for him to sit.
But Fent’s expression darkened at Jade’s question.
“That’s precisely what I came to ask your advice about, Master.”
“Advice?”
Jade poured tea into a teacup himself and murmured.
He could tell from Fent’s expression alone that something was troubling him.
“I’ve focused more on research than training during this time. I’ve been trying to find a way to become stronger as an elephantkin.”
“Every race has potential. It isn’t entirely unheard of for something born a lowly creature to become a divine beast.”
Even on Earth, where there was no mana at all, there had been cases of people cultivating the Way for hundreds of years and becoming spiritual beings.
He had not seen such a being here yet, but Jade was certain they existed.
There had to be people striving to become something better.
“A divine beast.”
“Humans are a close example, aren’t they? There are countless ways to grow stronger. It’s just that finding one isn’t easy.”
“……That’s right.”
Fent nodded.
He had realized this time that escaping one’s limits—or even reaching them—was far from easy.
But if they could cast off those limits, the elephantkin should be able to become stronger still.
Just as the Wolf King had.
“But it seems you haven’t achieved any tangible results.”
“That’s right. Did Moikan succeed in improving the mana cultivation technique?”
“It’s still in the verification stage. His mana circuits have settled in stably, but we need to keep watching him. Even a completed mana cultivation technique can cause mana runaways for any number of reasons. We need to keep a close eye on him for a while.”
“His aura is completely different from last time.”
Fent’s expression showed both interest and surprise.
Moikan had undergone such a clearly different transformation in such a short time.
“That’s because he worked that hard. He wagered his life and future, so he deserves at least that much in return. Don’t you think?”
“When you put it that way, I suppose you’re right.”
“So what kind of advice did you want?”
“Would you spar with me and guide me?”
Fent asked cautiously, uncharacteristically.
Unexpectedly, Jade readily agreed.
“Let’s go now.”
“Thank you, Master.”
Fent bowed his head deeply.
He had now become fairly accustomed to human ways.
A short while later, the two left Baden Village and headed into the Great Forest.
They needed a spacious area for a proper spar.
“This should be far enough.”
“You can consider everything up to here part of Baden Village’s territory. Perhaps because the lionkin and tigerkin often roam around here, neither monsters nor beasts ever come near.”
“I suppose that makes sense.”
The beastkin also placed great importance on territory.
Therefore, no ordinary monster would dare approach.
“I’m ready.”
“Let’s begin.”
Shing.
Jade slowly drew his sword.
At that sight, Fent raised his mana and transformed into beast form.
Pwooooh!
With a roar, Fent’s height shot up to nearly seven meters.
Seeing that Fent looked slightly larger than when he had seen him before, a faint glint flashed in Jade’s eyes.
-He doesn’t seem to be merely playing around.
-His energy has become considerably more stable. And he’s grown a bit larger, too. He must really have been training.
Silestin and Elestra also looked mildly surprised.
They could tell that Fent, though he had not progressed as much as Moikan under direct instruction, had also improved considerably in a short time.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Meanwhile, Fent completed his transformation and charged.
He had formed aura blades in both hands and was rushing toward Jade.
Swish!
Despite his great height, Fent’s movements were nimble.
He moved surprisingly quickly for someone with such a bulky build.
But Jade was no ordinary human, either.
He had undergone Body Change, and the Gold Drake’s Heart had slightly altered his body, so Jade was much faster when it came to pure speed.
Pwooooh!
Unable to follow Jade’s speed with his eyes, Fent bellowed.
Rather than panic, he used sound waves to locate Jade.
Since the elephantkin had hearing as keen as their sense of smell, Fent hurriedly turned and swung his left hand.
Boom!
As Fent turned, a deafening roar erupted.
Jade had instantly gotten behind Fent and launched a stealthy slash.
But although both had formed aura blades, neither had sharpened the edge, so they were pushed back slightly amid a dull explosion.
Whoosh!
Although the impact had sent them both back a similar distance, Fent had the advantage.
Besides his height, he had a trunk that could be called a third hand.
His trunk, longer than an arm, gathered an aura blade that lashed toward Jade like a whip.
The blade shifted repeatedly in an instant as it targeted Jade’s entire body.
‘Oh?’
Jade looked surprised as Fent’s two arms also continued to pressure him without pause.
The movements had changed considerably from before.
Jade was slightly surprised by how concise the movements had become, with much of the excess eliminated, and swung his sword.
Despite the considerable difference in their size, he did not merely defend.
Clang!
The aura blade suddenly expanded into a giant weapon and slammed into Fent.
The aura blade, shaped like a massive club, struck Fent with tremendous force.
Even though he blocked with his arms crossed, Fent was forced backward by the impact and gritted his teeth as he shifted his trunk.
He targeted Jade’s legs with a nimble movement.
Thunk!
But the attack was far too obvious.
Being a swordsman did not mean Jade used only his sword.
Like Fent, Jade formed an aura blade in his left hand, lightly knocked away the probing trunk, and swung his sword again.
Boom! Bang!
A five-meter-long aura blade mercilessly bombarded Fent.
It beat down on him without pause.
What was astonishing was that, even while being driven back, Fent reliably blocked every blow that might have been fatal.
Moreover, Fent astonishingly managed to deflect some of Jade’s attacks, slight though the amount was.
Jade was surprised once again to see Fent, who had previously fought by relying on overwhelming strength and weight, now fighting in a completely different manner.
Boom!
Fent also used his mana and stamina efficiently.
He minimized unnecessary movements and did not waste mana or stamina needlessly.
Ssshhh!
On top of that, Fent had prepared a trump card.
Fent, who had done nothing but defend, transformed the aura blades in both hands.
Exploding all the mana he had saved until then at once, Fent swung both arms wide.
In response to his movements, the aura split into eight strands that overlapped again and again like a net as they descended upon Jade.
Boom!
But even in the face of that exquisitely executed masterstroke, Jade did not panic.
When it came to experience, Jade was no longer someone who fell behind.
Besides, Jade possessed far more mana than Fent.
“Urk!”
When the netlike aura blades shattered, the impact rebounded fully upon Fent’s mind and body.
Nevertheless, Fent did not give up.
Using his two tusks, he charged at Jade through the cloud of dust kicked up by the explosion.
He refused to concede the match until the very last moment.
Whoosh!
But what greeted his reckless charge was empty air.
His keen senses had clearly pinpointed Jade’s location, but Jade was nowhere to be found when Fent arrived.
Instead, a chill crawled up his spine.
His instincts were warning him.
Shhaaak!
Fent did not ignore the warning his instincts gave him.
The instant he felt the chill, he kicked off the ground.
Then, although it was invisible, a sharp force sliced through the air where he had been standing.
Gulp!
Though invisible to the naked eye, Fent could feel it clearly.
He could tell that an utterly chilling force had just swept sharply through the spot where he had been standing.
“……What was that attack just now?”
“You could call it Phantom Aura.”
Jade grinned as he spoke, having interpreted and unleashed the intangible aura force in his own way.
It still wasn’t at a satisfactory level, but he had tried it because it was usable in actual combat, and it hadn’t been bad.
There were still things to refine, but anyone without an exceptional ability to sense energy would not even notice it before their entire body was shredded.
“Phantom Aura. Could I do it too?”
“If you delve deeply into mana control as you are now, you should be able to. It won’t be easy, though.”
“I feel as if I’ve witnessed a new world. I never knew aura could be used like that.”
“I was more surprised by your movements, Chief. They’re concise and systematic. Are you trying to create techniques like human swordsmanship?”
“That’s right.”
Fent, back in human form, wore an embarrassed expression.
As Fent had expected, Jade had seen through his intention at a glance.
“I think you’re headed in the right direction. Most beastfolk do have a tendency to fight too haphazardly. Against monsters, you can easily end things with overwhelming strength, but technique and mind games are essential when fighting an intelligent being.”