Callius went straight to the room allocated to him by Count Valentine and rested, while mentally reviewing his battle with the Golden Lion.

“Even the tail end of the Five Stars is at that level.”

Then how strong were the other four?

And how strong were the Masters who stood above them?

He couldn’t even guess.

“Still, it was a good fight.”

It was a great harvest just to see the Golden Lion’s Golden Cloak Qi[1].

A unique technique that covered the whole body with sword aura and used that as the basis of swordsmanship.

Callius knew the theory, but seeing it in person was a whole different beast.

“It went like this…”

As he raised his hand to operate his divine power, a silver-coloured divine light bloomed from his arm.

However, because he mixed the power of the Silver Flower Wave Sword with it, the light was shaped like petals.

Even so, the petals quickly disintegrated, like silver ashes in the wind.

“It’s difficult.”

For a technique that was only ever passed down to the eldest son of Ruydren of each generation, It seemed too difficult to follow.

Just igniting it over one hand was so difficult, how much practice would it take to reliably express it with your whole body?

‘Still, I think I can roughly understand the outline.’

Putting your divine power into the sword increased the strength and cutting power of the sword.

However, if you instead expressed it from your whole body, your divine power would be consumed way faster, and it’d be impossible to concentrate on the sword itself.

In a word, it was counterintuitive.

Instead of being able to focus your power into your sword, you covered your whole body with it, not only consuming all your energy but even decreasing the power behind your sword.

This was then the question.

What was the point in being the Golden Lion?

Why would the Ruydren family suffer through this unnecessary consumption of stamina and cover their whole body with divine power?

To further strengthen their physical abilities?

To increase their physical defence by covering themselves with divine power? No.

Although the Golden Cloak Qi looked like armour at first glance, it didn’t bestow any defensive abilities to the user.

Rather than defending, it was a technique created for the purpose of attacking.

Golden Cloak Qi could be said to be a preparatory technique for condensing sword qi within the body and releasing it outside to powerful effect.

“It’s similar to Other Shore Flower.”

If Other Shore Flower combined two external techniques into one and used the repulsion between them to propel the sword forward, then Golden Cloak Qi was a singular technique to strengthen your sword by unfurling the power outside the body.

They shared certain similarities, but they were still different techniques in the end.

“If this is Other Shore Flower –”

Callius clapped his hands together.

Bang!

There was a loud noise.

“Then this is Golden Cloak Qi.”

Callius clapped his hands again, but this time they joined and interlocked.

Fingers interlaced and tightly intertwined.

Callius nodded at the metaphor.

Hands-on made comprehension a little quicker, it seemed.

However, both techniques were preparations for becoming a Master, and the final aim was probably to form to ‘sword boundary’.

In any case, with a little more research into Golden Cloak Qi it seemed he might become able to freely use Other Shore Flower.

The wall blocking him from forming the fourth peak might finally shatter once that happened, so the match with the Golden Lion was a stroke of fortune that couldn’t be paid for with mere gold.

“I got the feeling of it.”

A Raging Flower Wave lit on Callius’ right arm.

The mists of the White Haze covered his left arm.

And put both of them into his sword. Fine control of the spiritual force and properly combining them were key.

Whooooosh–

Callius slowly gathered his hands together, and a powerful emanation of energy in the shape of a flower bloomed between them.

Then the number of flowers began uncontrollably increasing and multiplying in a dizzying fashion.

A beautiful and ephemeral scene because one never knew when it might disappear.

Other Shore Flower.

“Kuh…”

Creak. Click– As soon as he lost his concentration, the flowers immediately scattered into the wind.

Callius’ hands began trembling.

“One wrong move and my hands will explode.”

But he’d gotten hold of the feeling.

It wasn’t perfect by any means, but he’d indeed gotten the gist of it.

“Whoo–”

Taking a deep breath, Callius once again put a Raging Flower Wave in his left hand and a White Haze in his right.

The powers of the different techniques surged in his hands, and when they were joined together, a strong and violent repelling force began overflowing from the connection.

As he slowly spread out his hands, a silver flower bloomed inside.

And as he released it slowly –

Craaaaaaaaaack!!

Thooooooooom!!

Not only the room the count had given him, but the entire hallway exploded.

It was truly an immense amount of power.

Although it was not unfolded with a sword, it was a true Other Shore Flower.

“Kukkkuk, kahaha ha ha ha ha!”

Callius clenched his fists with a euphoric look on his face.

It was done. And now –

“I should give the Golden Lion a present. I owe him a lot, after all.”

Now, it was only a matter of time before he could use the complete form of the Other Shore Flower at will.

Like a wall had been broken.

It felt like the limits of his own ideas had been broken down, as if he’d newly opened his eyes.

His whole body trembled at the thrill.

Before he’d realized it properly, Callius had wondered how such a difficult technique could’ve been created, but now he saw that it must’ve been easy.

Of course, that wasn’t to say it was really easy to achieve.

Callius wouldn’t have attained this realization for some years, if he hadn’t witnessed the technique of the Golden Lion.

‘The greatest virtue of a knight is to meet his opponent face-to-face with their swords.’

So it was just right.

Pit-a-pat-pit-a-pat!

As he was revelling in his enlightenment, soldiers arrived.

“Count Jervain? What’s going on!”

“An ambush?!”

“Boss! What happened!?”

The soldiers gathered and made a loud commotion.

There were knights among them, and people from the sixth squad, too. They looked like they didn’t have a clue as to what was happening.

Callius saw the crowd, gathered his strength and said,

“I achieved consummation, that’s all.”

Achieving consummation as a knight.

If that were the case, even if it caused such a commotion, it would easily pass muster.

“Consummation?”

“Consummation… my commendations to thee, sir!”

“Congrats, Boss!”

Congratulations came pouring in, as expected.

“You guys clean this up. You… were called Joseph, right?”

Callius looked at Joseph, one of the ones from the sixth squad who’d gathered.

“Yes, sir.”

“You’d do better as the lieutenant.”

“No.”

Unlike that cheeky Diego, Joseph was a serious guy.

He fit Callius’ preferences.

Moreover, everybody else got defeated by the Golden Lion Knights, but not him.

“If you fought Dingo, who’d win?”

“My name is Diego…”

“I always lost. But now, I don’t know.”

“What!?”

Ignoring Diego’s glare, Callius slowly looked Joseph over. He had good muscular texture, and above all, his thighs looked firm.

It meant that he’d faithfully carried out his training.

“Did your skills suddenly improve?”

“Yes. Your training method seems to really suit me, Captain. Lately, even running on the mountain feels light.”

Sometimes there were guys of this type.

Callius nodded, feeling the need to add more training intensity and youthful variations in the future.

“Is that so.”

Finishing his train of thought, Callius handed Joseph a book.

“What is this?”

“A book for senior knights.”

“!!”

“No, Boss! Even I haven’t got it yet…”

“You arguing with me? That you’re capable enough to handle it?”

The lieutenant didn’t have much ability, but he sure was greedy.

“Can I really take it?”

“Take it. You deserve it.”

He was the only heretic inquisitor who’d won the battle with the Golden Lion Knights.

There was no reason not to reward him.

“It’s based on a senior vocational book from a fallen nobleman. I filled in what it lacked and rewrote it. It’s a reward for your victory.”

“Seven Stars Formation[2]?”

“You’ll learn why as you go.”

Seven Stars Formation, meant seven stars surging in a violent flow.

It wasn’t some made-up technique.

Rather, this was its original name.

Callius had just infused a little bit of his own comprehension in it and re-established it.

But even that alone made it ten times more efficient than the basic training method of the Church. Of course, the one given to Joseph was a lower volume that could reach the third peak.

Callius still had another upper volume containing the secrets of the seven peaks.

If possible, he planned to give only the lower volume to the people of the sixth squad, and give the upper volume to those who really wanted to become his own people.

‘I don’t think I’ll be a member of the Inquisition forever, after all.’

If the kingdom got a bit more of a solid footing, he’d have to leave his post as a heretic inquisitor and become a pilgrim again to find his own sword.

“Thank you.”

“Practice harder.”

“Yes!”

Everybody’s eyes were on Joseph.

Envy. Jealousy. Regret. It was a sight worth seeing, seeing those various emotions in the faces of the people standing all around.

“You guys go ahead. Losing every single fight except one, what a shame!”

“… Yes.”

I’ll have to double my training once I get back, no, triple it! Such were the thoughts in their heads.

‘Ruen said he was going to the royal castle by the queen’s order.’

If even the Golden Lion had been summoned, then the civil war had to be imminent.

He didn’t have much time.

‘About three months, at the outside.’

He had to finish everything he needed to, by then.

First –

“What should I do about him?”

Count Valentine.

Callius had done some research, but there was no evidence that he’d ever committed a crime.

Whether it was because he’d known that Callius was coming, or because he was just meticulous by nature, even when Callius pointed his sword at the count’s subordinates, nothing shook out.

Callius really wanted to entangle him into the assassination plot, but there was no way that such a thorough man would’ve left any trail.

Even with Peter helping, it won’t be easy to find evidence.

‘There is a way, but…’

In this situation –

What if he could turn the Golden Lion to his side?

“Even if I use a decapitation strategy…”

That was then.

The nobles, including Count Valentine, rushed in, loudly asking what was going on.

Among them, there were many who looked at Callius and frowned.

“You’re making a fuss again.”

“What a brute!”

Unfamiliar people kept spitting out such words from behind Count Valentine’s back, one at a time.

‘These bugs that won’t even dare look me in the eye…’

How ridiculous.

“What happened here?”

“I achieved a consummation in my swordsmanship. My apologies for all the fuss.”

“… Are you saying we should just move on after doing something like this?”

Again, unlike knights, nobles didn’t just let such things pass. Although, if you said you’d pay for it, that was a different story.

Just as Callius was about to speak –

“He was a knight before he became a count. Isn’t this our Carpe, that values the achievements of its knights above all else?”

“Tala.”

Someone appeared from behind Count Valentine.

“I think that asking for compensation from the count here is only going to hurt our reputation. Isn’t that right?”

“…”

Count Valentine closed his mouth, looking uncomfortable. Then he introduced the newcomer as if the man couldn’t do it himself.

“This is my son. Tala de Valentine. He’s a smart kid with a gentle heart, like his old man.”

“This is Tala de Valentine. I’ve heard of you, Count.”

Valentine’s son, defending him?

Callius narrowed his eyes at Tala’s hand that had reached out as if for a shake.

“… Callius von Jervain.”

Tala greeted Callius politely and shook hands.

“Then, I hope to see you again in the near future.”

“Well, yes, indeed.”

Soon the nobles all left.

Callius looked at the small note that remained in his hand.

‘What are you up to?’

The first time they met, he left Callius a note.

Secretly pressed into his palm while they were shaking hands.

Tala de Valentine.

Callius pondered for a moment before thinking of a man in his vague memory.

“Tala. Tala… No way, Tal the Nurturer?”

‘Sword nurturers’ were the blacksmiths of the Church.

Not now, but Tal the Nurturer would one day be among them, and would be called the Father of Carcasses.

He had made the setting that Tal was originally a nobleman.

‘What is this, a history correction?’

As a mere human, Callius naturally hadn’t set the lives of all his characters in such detail. Especially for characters without important backstories like Tal.

However, this was reality, and things that he had not decided on were now intertwined into the worldview.

But this wasn’t the most important point.

“If it’s Tal the Nurturer, it’s worth my time.”

Let’s open the note and see.

[Please secretly come to the smithy in the county that has a half-moon shape hanging outside. You won’t regret it.]

That was all the note said.

It was brief enough to be called cheeky, but Callius didn’t care. Although it hadn’t happened yet, but if raised Tal properly, he wouldn’t have to worry about his swords any more in the future.

There was no need to worry if it was indeed the man he expected.

“But I can’t figure out what his business is.”

Considering that he’d hidden himself even in front of Count Valentine, at least this was proof that he needed a favour.

Callius thought about it and waited for the night to come.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 금장기 (金裝氣), lit. gold cage/dress qi.

[2] 칠성곤 (七星滾), translating as Seven Stars Formation.