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Chapter 47: Chapter 46: Open Door of the Doom (3)

The knights of Jestarad warmly welcomed her.

Naturally, there was no sign of distrust.

After all, how could there be any when Serati was an Aura User? The difference in ability was so vast that no one dared to challenge her.

Instead, they showed intense curiosity.

Just how strong was an Aura User they had only heard about? Was it true that an Aura User, even in a woman\'s body, could display such ruthless strength?

Because of this, Serati spent busy days sparring with the other knights.

***

In the large training ground behind the mansion.

A sturdy man in his mid-30s was preparing for a sparring match with Serati. He was Emile, a knight of Jestarad.

Holding his practice sword, Emile respectfully spoke.

"Please, teach me."

Serati, also holding a practice sword, responded just as respectfully.

"Teach you? I\'m the one who should be learning from you."

Emile then charged forward with force.

"Hiyaah!"

His fierce sword strikes, honed through real combat, targeted her.

However, Serati didn\'t budge.

She simply parried and deflected all his attacks with ease.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A series of loud clashes echoed as their swords met repeatedly.

Emile\'s entire body began to be drenched in sweat. His breathing became increasingly labored.

"Huff, huff, huff..."

In contrast, Serati remained completely unchanged.

Not a drop of sweat, not even her breath, was out of rhythm.

Emile\'s eyes wavered.

\'Is the gap this vast between an Aura User and others?\'

He had heard that the red-level Aura Users were just at the entry-level among Aura Users. And the opponent was a woman, no less.

Of course, he didn\'t expect to win. But he thought he could at least hold his own to some extent, even without awakening his fighting spirit.

But there was no contest at all.

\'She hasn\'t even used her Aura Blade yet!\'

With a sigh, Emile retreated under Serati\'s counterattack.

It seemed like a light, casual strike. But when he tried to block it, the impact felt like being hit by a carriage, sending shockwaves through his entire body.

"Ugh!"

He barely managed to stay standing out of sheer stubbornness as a man.

"I... I haven\'t fallen yet!"

The other knights watching the sparring match had looks of understanding on their faces. They had already experienced sparring with Serati.

"Emile\'s putting up a good fight," one knight remarked knowingly.

"I know exactly how he feels."

"It\'s hard to wrap your head around being overpowered by such a delicate woman."

Serati wasn\'t using any exceptional swordsmanship or intricate techniques. She was simply employing basic, fundamental sword skills.

But she was just too strong and too fast.

Even without using an Aura Blade, her enhanced physical abilities, amplified by aura, created an insurmountable gap.

"Ugh!"

In the end, Emile was knocked to the ground.

Struggling to pull himself together, he managed to offer his thanks.

"Th-thank you for the lesson..."

His expression was a mix of humiliation and admiration.

It was naturally frustrating to be defeated so easily. But along with that frustration came a deep sense of reverence for an Aura User.

Serati also lowered her sword.

"You did well."

She still hadn\'t broken a sweat. But out of courtesy, she pretended to wipe some off.

Inwardly, she acknowledged their skills.

\'Wow, they\'re all at the level of first-class adventurers from the guild?\'

She had expected little from them since Karnak often disparaged them, but their abilities weren\'t bad at all.

Although they lacked experience in fighting against humans, that was understandable given that the primary enemies in Jestarad\'s territory were monsters, not a significant flaw.

They were well-trained for the circumstances they faced.

So why did Karnak and Baros look down on their own knights so much?

\'From their perspective, I guess that\'s just how it is, huh? Tch.\'

Serati pouted.

In truth, by their standards, she was third-class too. No, to Karnak, practically everyone in the world was third-class.

It was so absurd that she once asked him outright.

"Then who exactly do you consider first-class, Lord Karnak?"

The answer was simple.

"The Four Martial Kings and the Three Archmages."

"..."

If the Four Martial Kings, who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, and the Archmages, who had attained the level of gods, were considered first-class, then who were the top-class?

"The Dragon Emperor Grateria would be top-class."

"And who is second-class?"

"The Imperial Knight Commanders of the Empire, or the Guardians of the Federation. Among the Seven Kingdoms Alliance, maybe the Knight Commander of the Altale Kingdom could be included."

For reference, these people were all at the silver level, Silver Knights, just one step away from reaching the pinnacle of martial arts.

"And everyone below that is third-class?"

"Yes."

"Does that make any sense? The differences even below that are so vast!"

Even a Purple Knight could handle about ten Red Knights on their own. Serati, who was a Red Knight, could easily take on dozens of ordinary warriors.

"How can you lump them all together as third-class?"

According to Karnak\'s logic, it seemed possible.

"What\'s strange about it? Whether someone has ten coins or a thousand coins, they\'re still poor, aren\'t they?"

"Oh, that\'s how you see it?"

"...\'That\'?"

Afterward, Karnak wondered aloud, "Why do all my subordinates become so insolent once I take them in?"

But that\'s not really important here.

In any case, from a common-sense perspective, rather than Karnak\'s skewed standards, the knights of Jestarad\'s territory were quite strong.

But even so, it was meaningless in front of Serati.

Those who had awakened their battle aura were several times stronger, faster, and had better reflexes than those who hadn\'t.

Serati understood this well, having experienced it herself before she awakened her own aura.

But still...

\'How is it that Sir Baros is so strong without even using aura?\'

***

"Why? Why do you think so?"

Serati was flung backward, still holding her sword.

"Ugh!"

It wasn\'t because of Baros\'s strength overpowering her. It was because when Baros deflected her strike, she was thrown back by her own force.

"It\'s because you\'re handling your battle aura clumsily, Dame Serati."

Late in the afternoon.

As usual, she was receiving instruction from Baros. And it wasn\'t just a polite expression; it was genuine "instruction."

"Of course, I know my level is still low..."

Serati quickly readjusted her stance, wearing an expression of confusion.

She was definitely faster. Baros\'s movements were clearly slower to her.

And yet, even though she could see his attacks coming, she couldn\'t block them!

"The reason is simple."

Baros shrugged, twirling his sword.

"You\'re wasting too much energy."

No matter how fast or strong you can swing your sword, there\'s always a delay in returning to your original stance after the swing. Baros was exploiting this delay.

"Reducing this delay isn\'t just about moving quickly."

It requires precise posture, proper control of speed, movements refined through countless repetitions to eliminate unnecessary motion, skill in striking effectively in a single blow, and the experience to instantly recognize the perfect timing and place to strike.

"Experience isn\'t something you can acquire overnight, but..."

Baros moved again.

"At the very least, you need to eliminate the unnecessary movements, don\'t you think?"

Once again, his sword began to dance elegantly.

It was still slow, yet it strangely managed to infiltrate Serati\'s entire body with its attacks.

\'Even so, I\'m definitely faster...\'

Serati sighed, barely able to keep up with blocking and dodging.

Why did all the flaws that she never felt in her usual fights suddenly become so apparent when sparring with Baros?

After about a minute passed, something strange happened—Baros\'s attacks started to slow down. Serati frowned.

"Why are you suddenly going easy on me?"

Baros chuckled awkwardly.

"I\'m not going easy on you; I\'m just getting tired."

"But you look like you\'re going easy on me."

"Oh, this? That\'s just a habit."

He had to make it a habit to fake calmness when he was exhausted to survive.

"In any case, this is my limit with my current abilities."

"Already?"

"It\'s impossible to keep up these moves for long without using battle aura. I\'m barely managing with controlled breathing and pacing."

"Oh..."

"Today\'s match ends with my loss."

"But if this were real combat, I\'d be dead by now, wouldn\'t I?"

Baros simply smiled quietly. It was as good as a confirmation, and Serati shot him a glare.

\'Hmph, he\'s basically saying he could\'ve killed me already if he wanted to.\'

Baros found some shade and sat down casually.

"Let\'s take a break."

"Sure."

They drank the water they had prepared beforehand and caught their breath.

Serati suddenly stared intently at Baros.

\'Come to think of it, becoming his subordinate doesn\'t seem so bad after all, does it?\'

When she first became a necromancer\'s subject, Serati had steeled herself for the worst. But now, looking back, it wasn\'t as bad as she had feared.

Karnak didn\'t give her any wicked commands, nor had her nature turned evil. On the contrary, she gained a tremendous amount from receiving instruction from Baros.

Serati had always trained in swordsmanship without a proper mentor, learning bits and pieces wherever she could.

Thanks to her innate talent and hard work, she became an Aura User at a young age, but she had always hungered for a higher level.

In that sense, Baros was an excellent teacher.

He retained the memories of being the world\'s strongest warrior, had collected almost all of the most famous sword techniques, and with his rich combat experience, he could clearly distinguish between theory and practice.

Perhaps because of his experience fighting while possessing various people, he also had an exceptionally deep understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of others.

\'Right, possession. That was honestly amazing.\'

Suddenly, Serati\'s expression turned dreamy.

When her body was taken over, she had been terrified, but now, looking back, it was an incredible experience.

She had not just indirectly but directly experienced how her body moved, how her aura flowed, and what it felt like to reach a higher level.

Her growing curiosity led her to ask cautiously.

"Um, Sir Baros, could you possess my body again like last time?"

"Possession?"

"Yes. If I could experience it a few more times, I might be able to grasp it..."

Baros\'s expression turned serious.

"It\'s not something you should do often."

"Why not?"

"Actually, that idea was originally the young master\'s."

The idea was for Baros to possess the body of an Aura User struggling with a wall in his training, allowing him to directly experience a higher level. The theory was that this might help him break through the barrier more easily.

To test this hypothesis, they had experimented on a few Aura Users.

The results were not satisfactory.

"After about three possessions, they went insane."

"..."

"Possession involves layering another\'s soul over the original, right? The original soul becomes so muddled that they eventually lose their sense of self and turn into something like a wraith."

Stunned, Serati shouted.

"You did something that dangerous to me?"

"At the time, it was a matter of life and death, so we had no choice..."

Serati quickly gathered her thoughts.

\'I can\'t let my guard down around these people.\'

If she wasn\'t careful, who knows what might happen to her. Even if she gains something, she must remain vigilant.

"So, if they went mad after the third time, does that mean it\'s safe to do it twice?"

"How does that even make sense?"

Baros looked at Serati, taken aback.

\'This young lady thinks quite similarly to the young master,\' he thought.

No matter how dangerous, it seemed she still wanted to gain whatever she could.

"Now, now! It\'s dangerous, so just forget about it. Besides, Dame Serati, you\'ll become stronger without resorting to that. You\'re still young, after all."

"Pfft."

She let out a small laugh.

It was amusing how he sounded like a grandfather scolding his granddaughter, even though he looked like a young man in his twenties.

\'Well, Sir Baros is actually quite old, isn\'t he?\'

His body might be around her age, but inside, he\'s like a 100-year-old monster.

And the same goes for Karnak. You can\'t judge either of them just by their appearances.

"By the way, it\'s been hard to see Lord Karnak lately."

Serati glanced toward the mansion, as if the thought had just occurred to her.

"Is it because he\'s a lord? I suppose he has a lot of work piled up."

Baros shrugged.

"He must be busy, though probably not just because of catching up on work."

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