“This is also the reason only one out of a hundred Seventh Stage Warriors actually know how to use Sword Aura, the rest just quit.”
“Huh…? The rest just give up…?”
Kael blinked, utterly confused.
After all, only one out of ten thousand tamers out there becomes a Seventh Stage Warrior. Becoming a Seventh Stage Warrior already means that they are the best of the lot. How are the best… giving up so quickly?
Understanding his confusion, Veylara started explaining.
“Most of the Seventh Stage Warriors, especially the nobles, didn’t earn it themselves. They simply got to the Seventh Stage because they grew together with their Bonds.
These people lack even the most basic training. Some of these so-called Seventh Stage Warriors are weaker than even Fifth Stage Warriors because they never trained, and because they lack technique, even a well-trained Fourth Stage Warrior can defeat them.
These people only rely on their Bonds to overpower their opponents, and since Bond is affected by the Tamer’s personality, most of the time, it is noted that these types of people also hold back their Beasts, making it impossible for even the Bonds to reach their fullest potential.”
The woman then glanced at Kael and,
“Sword Aura is an extremely complex technique where a warrior needs to put constant effort in order to train their instincts. Unlike mages, one cannot just learn a few runes and cast spells. Warriors need to train day and night until they instil the technique into their bodies.
One could even say that learning Sword Aura means that one needs to lose himself in his sword, or what some like to call it, become one with it.
It is not a technique lazy nobles or normal warriors can learn. Only the crazy bastards are capable of using Sword Aura.”
“So the reason the warriors didn’t use Sword Aura in yesterday’s battle was…?”
“They probably didn’t know how to use it.”
“Arlan told me that they didn’t use it because they weren’t given the chance to.”
Kael muttered as he stared at Arlan and Elira. The siblings were sitting on the ground, with their backs leaned against each other and their eyes shut.
Yes, they were sleeping.
They came here because they wanted to see blood. They wanted to see their mother torment this arrogant bastard, just like she tormented them.
But…
This man had seduced their mother.
She was being too tame! She didn’t even hit him once! Not even a single punch in the gut!
How was that training!?
The siblings were bored, so they decided to sleep. Arlan was even snoring out loud while Elira was constantly scratching her belly, maybe having a strange dream.
Or she just didn’t bathe.
“Heh.”
Kael couldn’t help but laugh out loud as he stared at the two.
“He probably lied to you because he wanted you to learn the Sword Aura.”
Veylara smiled as well.
“Does he know how to use it?”
Kael questioned, curious.
“Of course. I taught his body myself.”
“…”
Kael turned silent at those words. He finally understood what was wrong with the siblings. Both of them liked to inflict pain. The first day they met, Arlan hit him to the point where he had to rely on Althea to heal him for him to even move, only for Arlan to hit him again once he recovered.
Elira wasn’t any better either. The woman wanted him to learn how to cast a spell when she hadn’t even taught him anything, heck, she even tried to burn him when he actually did what she wanted.
Kael firmly believed that something was wrong with the siblings’ heads and now, he finally realized the source of the problem.
It was their mother.
Now, he was pitying his two friends.
“They are loyal to you.”
Suddenly, Veylara commented as she continued to observe her sleeping children.
“They hid your actual level even from me, that’s rare.
The two never hide something from me. It means they trust you.”
“I trust them as well.”
Kael smiled.
“Also, should we be talking about you knowing my real level? You told me to keep it a secret.”
“They are asleep.”
“What if they are pretending to be asleep? I can imagine them doing that.”
Kael laughed.
“They cannot pretend for more than a few minutes. They have been like this for two hours now. They aren’t capable of keeping a pretence for that long. They aren’t as calculative as they think. They are honest children. Sometimes, it makes me worry.”
Veylara muttered, her eyes reflecting genuine concern.
“I thought children being honest was a trait parents preferred.”
Kael commented, his voice was low as well.
“With the world as it is, honest people will be the first to fall.”
“They are strong.”
Kael countered.
“That only makes them a bigger target.”
“…”
Kael turned silent.
Soon, however, Veylara shook her head and sighed,
“You are right. They are strong. It won’t be easy to take them down, especially when they are together.”
The woman then smiled and,
“And they are always together.”
“That’s what worries me the most.”
Kael chuckled,
“With how they are, I won’t be surprised if they end up killing each other. I once saw Elira chewing on Arlan’s fingers with all her strength while he pulled her hair.”
“Hahaha~”
Veylara laughed at that. Kael smiled as well.
The siblings sure were strange characters, but they were people he loved.
“Kael.”
Suddenly, Veylara called out.
“Hmm?”
“In two weeks of training in the Royal Palace, you reached the level of a Third Stage Warrior.”
“I did.”
Kael nodded.
“Yet in one week, you got from a Third Stage Warrior to being able to fight a Sixth Stage Warrior. The speed doesn’t make sense.”
The woman then stared at Kael and,
“Were you hiding your strength in the Royal Palace? Or is that place holding you down?”
She questioned directly, and Kael’s face turned solemn.
“It isn’t like that.”
He shook his head.
“What is it then?”
“I grow faster when I fight and kill Corrupted Beasts. While training in the Royal Palace does make me stronger, it isn’t comparable to fighting Corrupted Beasts.
Of course, I understand the importance of both, so I won’t b-“
“You will train with me from now on.”
“Huh…?”