“Receiving instruction from a Swordmaster is an honor for me. Though I am lacking, I will do my utmost, so I humbly ask you to guide me well.”
Lucian bowed his head to Eisen with the deepest reverence possible. At that attitude, the old knight waved his hands uncomfortably.
“There’s no need to be so stiff. Even if they call me Swordmaster, I’m nothing more than an old man whose death is already scheduled. Besides, young master, you’re now a candidate for heir—how can you bow your head so easily?”
Not even at the old knight’s modesty could Lucian relax.
The title of Swordmaster could only be earned by a superhuman who, after reaching the limit of circulation and achieving awakening, had taken their sword technique to the absolute extreme.
Looking through the long history of the Empire, there had only been one time when two Swordmasters existed simultaneously.
And even then, it was just a few years before the previous one died of old age, showing how rare it was for even one to emerge per generation.
For Lucian, who had devoted himself to the sword like a madman in his past life, that weight was impossible to ignore.
“I cannot disgrace the name of House Valdeck, but how could I treat lightly a knight who has reached the level of Swordmaster just because he is a vassal? Regardless of status, Sir Eisen is someone who deserves the reverence of all knights.”
“Heh heh.”
When Lucian spoke again with complete sincerity, a different light passed through Eisen’s eyes.
The other young lords had also shown great reverence toward him.
But that had been, to a degree, the reverence of candidates to the great house’s succession.
The name of a Swordmaster had the power to completely shift the structure of succession.
In contrast, Lucian’s reverence was much closer to pure admiration from one knight to another.
‘How curious… sons of noble families usually see strength only as a tool for their own use.’
It was natural.
Young men who had grown up in a peaceful world, surrounded by mediocre knights and countless armies.
To them, a warrior who could face a hundred men seemed like nothing more than an exaggeration from a story, or at best, someone who could be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
However, the attitude of the third young master seemed like someone who had personally walked the path of the sword.
— I thought he was a lost cause, but upon taking a second look, he turned out to be someone truly remarkable. Was it his incredible talent? More than that, it was his mindset that surprised me. You’ll understand when you see it for yourself.
Eisen recalled the words the duke had spoken before sending him here.
Now he seemed to understand, at least partially, what he had meant.
But he couldn’t treat Lucian specially just for showing a different reaction.
For now, he planned to assess his ability through the same training as the other young lords.
“Very well. If you insist like that, continuing to refuse your respect would also be rude. Do what makes you most comfortable, young master.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“Then let’s begin training immediately. Run around the training field.”
“Yes.”
Lucian responded instantly and began running around the field.
He didn’t ask why, nor did he show the slightest hesitation.
That indifferent attitude left Eisen—the one who gave the order—perplexed instead.
“W-wait a moment, young master.”
“Yes? Is something wrong?”
“Don’t you have any questions? For example, why I’m telling you to run, how long you’re supposed to do it, or what the purpose of this training is?”
“I am curious, yes, but I assume you ordered it because you consider it necessary for me, right? If you don’t explain it in detail, I’m sure you have your reasons. As the one receiving instruction, I only follow my master’s words.”
Before he finished speaking, Lucian started running again.
At that sight, a dry laugh escaped Eisen’s lips.
Saying it was easy, but could anyone really act like that so naturally?
As human beings, we tend to avoid effort that seems pointless.
And if one is a noble, even more so—evaluating gains and losses is as natural as breathing.
Yet this young man was running without hesitation, without questioning a thing.
‘The third young master is definitely different, your excellency.’
In the eyes of the Sword Saint Eisen, a sense of expectation arose.
Perhaps, for the first time, he could teach a true knight—not just a young noble.
***
Lucian continued silently running through the wide grounds of the training field.
In truth, his response to Eisen was mixed with a bit of a lie.
It wasn’t just blind faith that made him obey without question—he also knew the purpose behind this test.
‘To someone who knows nothing, this may look like simple physical exercise, but in reality, it’s a way to assess the disciple from multiple angles.’
Observing how obedient he is even without being told to practice swordsmanship.
Seeing how far his stamina lasts before formal training.
Measuring how long he’ll keep running without stopping if not given the order to stop.
With this simple run, one could assess character, physical condition, and tenacity.
Practically everything needed to judge whether someone deserved to be a disciple—except pure talent.
‘Well, when talent is lacking, they usually eliminate you based on character or tenacity. Though being the duke’s son, they’ll teach you anyway.’
A bitter smile rose on Lucian’s lips.
Power really did grant privileges.
As a master, one would have to teach disciples they didn’t even want.
But from another angle, this was also an opportunity to earn points with a Sword Saint.
No matter how good a noble youth’s character or perseverance, their level before a Sword Saint was predictable.
Lucian, in that regard, could stand far above the rest.
‘My character is already proven—then what’s left is tenacity. No choice. I’ll have to brace myself for a few days of illness.’
Though his body had recovered, it was still lacking in training.
He’d likely be exhausted soon, so if he wanted to leave a deep impression, he’d have to run like his life depended on it.
Fortunately, this wasn’t just any noble family—it was the ducal house of Valdeck.
Even if he collapsed from lack of air, they’d surely have some medicine to revive him.
With that resolve, Lucian dug into the ground and increased his pace.
And one hour passed.
“….”
“….”
Tap, tap.
The sound of Lucian’s footsteps continued to echo throughout the training field.
His breathing didn’t grow heavy, nor did his legs slow down.
Swordmaster Eisen opened his eyes in astonishment at a result he never could have imagined.
But the most surprised of all was Lucian himself.
‘What…? Why am I not getting tired?’
According to his calculations, he should’ve collapsed long ago.
And even if he hadn’t fainted, at the very least his speed should have slowed or his breathing should have become labored.
That would have been normal for any human being who wasn’t a superhuman.
Yet, for some reason, Lucian’s body didn’t show a single sign of fatigue.
“Young master, are you all right?”
“Well… for some reason, I think I am.”
Faced with Eisen’s bewildered question, Lucian replied with an equally stunned expression.
Then he ran for another thirty minutes, yet his body remained full of energy.
Realizing Lucian’s physical condition, Eisen let out a bitter smile.
“I’m afraid there’s no point in continuing. Stop and come here for a moment, please.”
“Yes.”
Just as he said, when Lucian approached, Eisen took his wrist.
Then he placed his hand over the bluish veins.
“I’ll check the condition of the third young master’s body. Even if you feel something strange, do not move.”
As soon as Lucian nodded, a cool energy infiltrated his body through his wrist.
At the unfamiliar sensation, Lucian involuntarily shivered.
‘He’s using his own magical energy as a sense to explore the inside of another’s body?’
He couldn’t help but be amazed.
Projecting magical energy outside the body was already extremely difficult, yet he handled it with incredible finesse.
Moreover, as it coursed through his body, aside from a faintly strange feeling, there were no serious anomalies.
Undoubtedly, Eisen had harmonized the nature of his energy with Lucian’s to the utmost, minimizing any side effects.
Once again, Lucian realized how truly high the level of a Swordmaster was.
“This is…!”
Eisen’s eyes, which had been exploring his body for a while, trembled visibly.
Moments later, he withdrew his energy and looked Lucian directly in the eyes as he asked.
“Young master, may I ask a few questions? Have you practiced circulation on your own recently?”
“Yes, I have.”
Lucian responded without hesitation.
The previous owner of this body had already learned circulation, so it wasn’t strange that he could perform it.
Unlike sword techniques, it didn’t require extreme physical training and could be easily learned if someone helped externally.
Eisen knew that too, so he dismissed the first answer without much thought.
The real question came next.
“Then, during circulation, have you ever felt anything blocked—pressure or pain?”
“No.”
“Not even a sensation of something getting stuck?”
“Not at all. It flowed smoothly, like a waterwheel.”
“Ha… Ha ha. Hahaha!”
Countless emotions flickered across Eisen’s face.
Disbelief, joy, regret, relief, doubt.
And beyond those, complex, indescribable emotions.
Lucian couldn’t fully understand his state of mind either, but he had a rough idea of the reason.
‘He realized that the energy pathways are already completely open.’
Come to think of it, maybe the reason he hadn’t gotten tired earlier was also related to this body.
Since Lucian had never achieved greatness as a swordsman in his past life, he could only make a rough guess.
But Eisen was a Swordmaster—a level countable on one hand in the history of the continent.
Perhaps he had discovered something far deeper about Lucian’s body.
‘I’d like to ask, but…’
It would be strange for the third young master—who couldn’t even properly master one sword technique—to point out such complex details precisely.
Rather than raise unnecessary suspicion, it was better to stay quiet until it was explained to him directly.
After a long silence, Eisen let out a sigh.
“I see, I understand.”
“Is there something strange about my body?”
“No, quite the opposite. The third young master’s body is more suited than anyone’s to learn the Lion Heart Sword.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that…?”
“Third young master.”
Eisen erased all trace of a smile from his face and spoke in a serious tone.
“Rather than aiming for the position of heir to House Valdeck, have you considered aiming to become the next Swordmaster?”
“…!?”
***
Lucian was so shocked he couldn’t respond for a moment.
Give up the position of heir to become the next Swordmaster?
Seeing Lucian’s confusion, Eisen continued explaining in a calm voice.
“The third young master may have brushed off the fact that his circulation has no blockages, but in truth, that is an immense blessing.”
Circulation is the process by which the human body—full of impurities—is slowly purified.
Even if repeated daily without fail, the process of opening and widening blocked energy pathways is endlessly long.
So long, in fact, that even starting in adolescence, it’s said one doesn’t reach the end until after middle age.
And that’s only if paired with strengthening magical energy through sword techniques.
If you neglect your training even slightly or lose focus, the pathways remain blocked until the day you die.
“But in your case, third young master, all the pathways are open from the start. Do you understand what that means?”
“Does it mean that I’m several decades ahead of other swordsmen from birth?”
“It’s more than that.”
“Huh? Then what else does it imply?”
Lucian asked with complete sincerity.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine a greater effect than that.
Even if it were something extraordinary, at most it would mean the pills he took would have several times the usual effect.
Faced with Lucian’s confused expression, Eisen spoke in a trembling voice.
“From the moment all the pathways are open, the body is already fully purified. There’s no higher level than that. However, in your case, the effects of circulation are still progressing, even if only slightly. That means there’s still room to go beyond.”
“…!”
____
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