Chapter 176 - Damn Reincarnation

Ariartel

The sword slid slowly from its sheath. Alchester’s stance had barely changed, yet Eugene sensed an entirely different presence from him. His bearing remained calm, but none of his usual softness was left.

He was pure sharpness. Even in Eugene’s previous life, he had rarely encountered a presence so perfectly at one with a sword.

'... In sheer sharpness, he surpasses Gilead.'

A person’s sword tended to reflect their innate temperament. That made the sharpness Alchester displayed all the more unexpected.

“... Vermouth the Great wielded a variety of weapons and magic, as befits someone called the All-Master. But Lord Oryx Dragonic wielded only a sword.”

Alchester continued, gazing at his drawn blade.

“For three hundred years since then, the Dragonic family has developed the swordsmanship our founder left behind. ... Though I am only a distant descendant, I understand how deeply my predecessors struggled.”

“What did they struggle with?”

“The power Lord Oryx Dragonic possessed as a half-human, half-dragon. His descendants did not inherit it.”

Alchester shook his head with a bitter smile.

“They say Lord Oryx unleashed sword force as tall as a mountain peak and as broad as a fortress wall, but his descendants could not. Neither I nor my predecessors possessed his immense mana or the mana affinity of a half-dragon.”

Naturally. Oryx had not been half-dragon. He had acquired that power by consuming an entire dragon heart. Eugene had shared a dragon heart with his companions in his previous life, so he knew very well how much mana one contained.

“... But my predecessors did not give up.”

Alchester extended his sword.

WHOOSH!

Blue sword force enveloped the blade. There was nothing special about that, but the change that followed surprised Eugene.

The sword force swelled dramatically. Eugene examined it in silence, then nodded with an exclamation of understanding.

“... Aha.”

He understood how they had approached their goal. The sword force Alchester had produced was the pinnacle of efficiency. He formed sword force with a minimum of mana, then combined it with mana from the atmosphere.

That amplified its power at little cost. But it was not without drawbacks. Using raw mana that had not passed through a core meant sacrificing control and cohesion.

In other words, that sword force was not as powerful as it looked. If Eugene pitted sword force formed through the White Flame Formula against it, a few clashes would suffice to destroy it.

“It isn’t as impressive as it looks,” Alchester murmured, moving his sword.

“That is why we call it the Empty Sword. Its greatest problems are its poor stability and endurance. It barely works where mana is sparse, and the longer you maintain it, the weaker it becomes.”

“... Yes.”

“My predecessors tried various methods to reduce those shortcomings, with some success.”

“How?” Eugene asked with interest.

He had been adept at mana manipulation even in his previous life, and had experimented with various ways to extract the greatest possible power from his reserves. The result had been Ignition, which deliberately sent his core out of control.

He could still use Ignition now, with a core formed through the White Flame Formula and mana accumulated within it.

'It’s actually better than it was in my previous life.'

His body, his core’s capabilities, and the White Flame Formula—all his conditions were overwhelmingly superior to those of his previous life, and the White Flame Formula’s stability and output had increased considerably as well.

Eugene thought he could also adapt this Empty Sword to the White Flame Formula.

“Like this.”

Alchester summoned mana again, adding it atop the unstable sword force. The mana did not mix with the sword force. It merely covered its surface in a thin layer, gradually tightening to compress the unstable force. Then more mana adhered to the surface.

The process repeated. Eugene felt genuine admiration. Alchester was coating the physical blade in layer upon layer of mana and sword force.

“... That’s complicated,” Eugene murmured with a nod.

It was difficult. Each additional coating increased and stabilized the power, but the coating process itself demanded extraordinarily advanced mana control.

“It gets harder with each layer.”

Alchester looked at his sword as he spoke. The blue sword force was so dense that the shape of the blade was no longer visible.

“Even I can manage only eight layers. ... I first succeeded in layering it at twenty-one.”

That was the age at which Alchester had entered and won the Imperial Martial Tournament. With a smile, he dispersed the Empty Sword. The bound mana drifted into the air.

“You will probably do better than I can. When I was your age... Haha. I was incomparably weaker than you.”

“... But the Empty Sword is a Dragonic technique, isn’t it? Are you sure you can teach it to me, a Lionheart?”

“The Empty Sword is not the entirety of Dragonic martial arts.”

His sword returned to its sheath.

“As the family head, I would be glad to see Dragonic martial arts added to the abilities of someone who will become a pillar of Lionheart. Provided you wish to learn, of course.”

“Why would I refuse?”

Since his reincarnation and learning the White Flame Formula, Eugene had never keenly felt a shortage of mana.

'Except when I use the Moonlight Sword. That absurd sword.'

The Ring Flame Formula, incorporating Eternal Hole, amplified his cores’ power to its limit. What if he added the Empty Sword? He could unleash sword force for days without exhausting his mana. Layering sword force was intriguing as well.

* * *

Before he knew it, a week had passed since Eugene began staying at the Dragonic mansion.

From morning through the afternoon, he taught Riu. In the evenings, Alchester instructed him in the principles of the Empty Sword at the Dragonic training hall.

'This is insane.'

Alchester could not hide his astonishment. Eugene’s sword was currently enveloped in grayish-white flames. This was not sword force produced solely through the White Flame Formula. He had incorporated the principles of the Empty Sword, feeding atmospheric mana into the sword force as fuel and then covering its surface with another layer of sword force.

The sword force’s murky color was gradually clearing. The White Flame Formula, which burned mana at high output, was burning away the impurities in the unrefined mana.

'... He formed the Empty Sword without compromising the White Flame Formula’s power.'

Even with his existing foundation, he had succeeded in forming it in just a week. Watching it with his own eyes, Alchester felt part of his understanding of the world crumble.

“... If you were a woman, I would use every means at my disposal to betroth you to Riu.”

“Please don’t say such horrifying things.”

Eugene shuddered as he stared at the Empty Sword. Balancing it was difficult. Reducing the White Flame Formula’s output weakened its power; maintaining the output diminished its stability.

No matter how proficient he had become at mana manipulation in his previous life, he could not instantly master a technique this complex. Techniques of this kind required tremendous experience alongside innate aptitude and talent.

'... For now, this is the best balance I can maintain.'

What about layering it? Eugene connected his cores through the Ring Flame Formula. Five stars rotated together, amplifying his mana.

FWOOSH!

The Empty Sword wavered violently.

'It’s collapsing... No, it isn’t. He’s immediately adapting to the increased output and adjusting it.'

The mana adhering to the flames was unpredictable. Yet Eugene analyzed and adjusted it immediately. Another layer of the Empty Sword formed. Two layers. The grayish-white flames burned more intensely, then gradually took on a blue hue.

CRACK!

A sound like space itself being crushed began to ring out. Startled, Alchester looked around. The training hall’s mana was being sucked into those flames.

'With only two layers?'

Lightning began mingling with the increasingly violent flames. Cold sweat trickled down Eugene’s forehead, but his eyes remained steady as he observed the mana. Mer poked her head out of his cloak to watch the flames too.

A black spot appeared in the fire.

WHOOSH!

The Empty Sword dispersed. Eugene let out a long breath and lowered his sword. No, it could no longer be called a sword. Hairline cracks covered the entire blade, and the instant he lowered it, it shattered.

“... Hahaha...!”

Alchester burst out laughing and shook his head. The power he had felt was unbelievable for a mere two layers. Eugene had been unable to add more layers because the power was too great. Pure power, beyond technique. Alchester could not help shuddering. Among the renowned powerhouses of the continent, how many could withstand that sword head-on?

“Whew.”

Eugene sighed deeply and released the hilt.

His fingers trembled faintly. He had used little of the mana in his cores, and the backlash when the Empty Sword dispersed had not been severe. His fingers trembled simply because he was elated.

'I’ve reached it.'

He was not imagining it. The moment that black spot appeared in the Empty Sword, the power in his hand had reached Hamel’s prime. That filled Eugene with immense exhilaration. He expected to reach the White Flame Formula’s sixth star soon, but he was still at five stars.

Even so, he had grasped power that matched his prime. So what if he could not control it perfectly? Power he could not wield now would become manageable later. If proficiency was founded on effort, he simply had to train until he could unleash it freely and perfectly.

'I can add more layers if I lower the baseline for the balance. But then I can’t amplify the power as explosively as I just did. This is optimal for now. I’ll have to fine-tune the details as I train... '

Eugene gathered his thoughts and raised his head. Alchester’s face was still full of admiration. He had yet to find a clue about the dragon, but acquiring the Empty Sword alone had made his visit to the Dragonic family more than worthwhile.

“Thank you.”

That black spot from earlier.

Its intense color would not leave Alchester’s mind. Rather than envying the young genius before him, he considered whether he could adapt what Eugene had demonstrated for his own use.

'... Incredible. I’ve practiced the Empty Sword for decades... I never expected this to open my eyes.'

That made it all the more peculiar. Even accounting for his genius, the skill Eugene had just demonstrated was far too advanced for a twenty-year-old. Alchester sensed in him the seasoned experience of a warrior who had trained for decades.

“... I should be thanking you instead.”

Alchester finally smiled and nodded.

“Thanks to you, I think I may learn something new even at my age.”

He had thought he was close to the limits of what he could achieve. That had been an absurd misconception, born of arrogance. Still smiling, Alchester continued.

“There is no longer any need for me to oversee your swordsmanship.”

“You’re too kind.”

“No. I mean it. Your swordsmanship was already... so complete that there was nothing I could advise you on. All I could offer were pointers on the Empty Sword.”

Initially, he had expected to spend at least a month teaching Eugene its finer points. But within just two days, Eugene had become proficient enough to need no further advice. Now, a week later, he had achieved two layers on his own.

“... Riu has told me about you as well. He seems very pleased with your instruction.”

“That’s because he listens well.”

Eugene had established discipline at their first meeting, and the boy had already been training his mana before then. He was also exceptionally talented, so he readily understood Eugene’s advice. He could not manage it yet, but Eugene thought he might be able to manifest sword aura in roughly a year.

“... Since I have nothing more to teach you, I would feel guilty keeping you here any longer. You may return to Lionheart whenever you wish.”

Alchester believed that was the right thing to do. His son had learned the fundamentals of mana handling from Eugene, and four days ago had also begun going outside for unarmed combat lessons. The household knights had initially resented their only young master being taught by a Lionheart, but after seeing Eugene teach Riu firsthand, they had ceased to complain.

Though he was teaching a child, they acknowledged the skill evident in Eugene’s movements. However abundant the rumors about him were, seeing for themselves was more convincing than hearing it from others.

Being young, Riu had much to learn, but Alchester had nothing more to teach Eugene. He could not pass on secret techniques beyond the Empty Sword, nor could he lecture a young man so accomplished on the basics.

“In that case, I’ll leave tomorrow,” Eugene said, bowing his head.

He left the training hall. Night had deepened, and the cool air was ideal for a walk. Without looking back at the hall, Eugene headed straight across the garden toward the mansion.

[“But you haven’t pinpointed it yet, have you?”]

'I have a few ideas.'

Eugene smiled as he answered Mer’s puzzled question.

During his week at the Dragonic mansion, Eugene had cut back on sleep to investigate in the early hours. He avoided the eyes of the many servants and knights, and never went near the floor where Alchester stayed.

That did not mean he neglected to search it. In daylight, when he could move relatively freely, he focused on searching the top floor while pretending to admire its artwork.

He had found no trace of a dragon. Nor did the mansion contain a special place like Lionheart’s spirit vein.

With his search stalled, he had reconsidered everything from the beginning.

'Dragon Fear.'

If a ten-year-old child unconsciously emitted Dragon Fear, there was no way the people around him would not know.

When Eugene used his detection spell, he had been unable to see inside Riu’s body. But it was not Riu’s magic resistance rejecting the spell. Had the boy possessed that much resistance, Eugene could never have forced the water Riu shot at him back into his mouth and nose.

When he first felt Dragon Fear, he had used the detection spell while holding Riu’s wrist. He had therefore assumed that Riu had unconsciously resisted the magic and emitted Dragon Fear.

No. The Dragon Fear had merely been a warning. Against what?

Eugene organized what he had learned over the past week and stopped walking.

Riu’s room. The door was closed, and he sensed no one nearby. He had cast an invisibility spell as soon as he entered the mansion and concealed his presence as thoroughly as possible. Placing his hand on the doorknob, he immediately used magic.

The door opened soundlessly. Eugene slipped inside. Riu lay fast asleep on the large bed. Eugene dispelled his invisibility and approached him.

His detection spell still did not work on Riu. Maintaining it, Eugene surveyed the room. There was nothing unusual. Once he confirmed that, he reached into his cloak.

A small dagger.

He brought it close to Riu’s throat. He released no killing intent, but neither did he hesitate. The instant the sharp blade touched Riu’s neck, a chill ran through him.

The same Dragon Fear as before struck Eugene.

[“Eugene...!”]

Do not freeze. Eugene immediately twisted around. Where? Last time it had been shallow and fleeting, but now it lasted long enough for him to trace it. His eyes swept rapidly across the room.

The closed window.

CRACKLE!

Lightning flashed, and Eugene accelerated explosively.

“... Huh?”

Riu sat up, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

'I’m sure I heard something...?'

There was no one in the room.

* * *

A floating sensation, his feet no longer touching the ground. It felt as though his body were being stretched out and sucked somewhere.

'Warp?'

The weightlessness ended in an instant. The ground appeared abruptly, but Eugene landed on both feet without tumbling. Then he calmly raised his head.

An oppressive presence bore down on his entire body. Violent Dragon Fear poured over him from the front, as though it would tear his very existence apart. Every hair on his body seemed to stand on end, but Eugene did not shrink back.

“... What exactly are you?”

Before the fireplace, a woman with hair redder and fiercer than its flames glared at Eugene. A thick book lay on her lap as she sat in an armchair; perhaps she had been reading until a moment ago.

“Eugene Lionheart,” he answered without averting his gaze.

“... Have dragons become voyeurs these days?”

He slowly turned to look behind him. One entire wall was glass, divided into dozens of sections like stained glass, each displaying a different scene.

Among them were Riu’s room, the mansion’s corridors, the garden, and the training hall.

“... How did you know?” the dragon asked again.

“Your magic could not have found the door. I altered the Dragon Speech itself so your irritating detection spell could not peer through it.”

“But it wasn’t like that on the first day, was it?”

“... I never expected Akasha’s master to come here and use a detection spell.”

The dragon clicked her tongue as she muttered. Just as he thought. The Dragon Speech he had first sensed from Riu had not been Riu himself resisting the detection spell. The dragon watching through the glass had sent a warning, fearing that the spell would reveal her gaze. She had not issued another warning afterward because she had altered the Dragon Speech to account for Eugene’s detection spell.

“... I know there is no dragon blood in the Dragonic family’s veins,” Eugene said, perfectly composed.

“And I’ve felt Dragon Fear firsthand before. When you first warned me with it, I became certain there was a dragon here.”

“... You’ve felt Dragon Fear...”

The Dragon Fear crushing his body vanished. Tilting her head slightly, the dragon stared at Eugene’s face.

“... Eugene Lionheart. A descendant of that Lionheart. Did Carmen Lionheart tell you about me?”

“No.”

“Of course not. Our meeting was accidental, and she made a promise through Dragon Speech.”

Apparently, even the dragon had not anticipated that Carmen would be desperate to give herself away whenever dragons were mentioned.

“... To know Dragon Fear, you must have met a dragon. I cannot understand that claim. Eugene Lionheart, there is no way you could know a dragon.”

“I have no reason to lie. I’ve met dragons—”

“No. You have never met a dragon.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“My name is Ariartel. I am of the red dragons, and the only dragon currently awake. I have never met you, so your claim to have met a dragon is a lie—”

“I am Hamel.”

Ariartel froze with her mouth open.