Chapter 48 - Once You Have Faced the Mysterious, You Can Never Return to the Way You Were (2)

"No."

It was unfortunate for my maternal uncle, but my answer was negative.

"Isn't that too much greed?"

To try and write a Poem of Martial Deeds while accumulating mana more easily, quickly, and stably.

"If such a thing were possible in the first place, the Poem of Martial Deeds would never have been forgotten."

If that had been possible, even if the Mana Heart had been phased out, the poem at least should have remained. However, the Poem of Martial Deeds was forgotten along with the Mana Heart.

It probably wasn't forgotten all at once. They must have tried to write the Poem of Martial Deeds somehow.

It would have been stranger if, among the efforts made by the Knights of the Ring over the past 400 years, there hadn't been an attempt to restore even a part of the Poem of Martial Deeds and make it their own.

Because even a Poem of Martial Deeds that had not reached the level of a Myth or a Heroic Poem still possessed no small amount of power.

Nevertheless, the Poem of Martial Deeds in this era was treated like a cheap song. That meant that countless geniuses had already attempted to use both the circuit and the Poem of Martial Deeds together, only to ultimately fail.

"Reaching Transcendence through the Poem of Martial Deeds is the privilege of only those who have accumulated mana in their hearts. It is not permitted for the Knights of the Ring."

Even at my firm answer, my maternal uncle did not show the slightest sign of disappointment. He simply looked at me with an unwavering gaze. As if thinking I would have the answer he wanted.

"Goodness."

Looking at that steadfast face, I smiled as if I were deliberately troubled.

He ignored me so much at first, but now he sends me a burdensome level of trust.

In reality, it had barely been a year since I awakened. I was not an omnipotent being capable of instantly surpassing the efforts of countless geniuses over 400 years. I simply lived longer than others, saw many things, and experienced and learned a lot.

What would he do if I didn't have the answer for him to hold such high expectations?

Of course, I did have the answer.

"Elves also go crazy for the Poem of Martial Deeds."

At my sudden remark, my maternal uncle frowned. He seemed bewildered that I abruptly brought up a story about elves.

However, I had my reasons for bringing up elves.

Elves were beings who closely resembled the knights of this era.

Just as current knights accumulated mana in their circuits instead of their hearts, elves also accumulated mana throughout their entire bodies instead of their hearts. Naturally, they could not build up karma and carve it into their hearts. They were exactly the same as the Knights of the Ring.

If there was a difference, it was only that they could take and use the Poem of Martial Deeds of others.

"They simply imitate the poems of others since they cannot compose their own, but that doesn't mean the power of the poems they use is entirely terrible."

Karma built by others, a Poem of Martial Deeds created by others—normally, its power should have been terrible. However, reality was different. Although they couldn't use a poem that transcended their grade, nor could they reach Transcendence through a poem, it was still possible for them to draw out a certain degree of the poem's power.

"Because they have 「Sword Dance」."

To the elves, the Poem of Martial Deeds was like a melody meant for dancing the Sword Dance.

「Dancing Magic Swordsman, Sigrun」

That was also the reason why Sigrun was called the Dancing Magic Swordsman.

"Mm."

My maternal uncle was chewing over my words with his brow furrowed as much as possible.

"Even if composing and reciting a poem is impossible."

Looking at that face that seemed to know yet not know, I spoke.

"I think it might be possible to the extent of playing it like an instrument."

Circuits resonating and echoing with each other—where else in the world could there be a finer instrument than this?

"Mm."

My maternal uncle let out a groan and closed his eyes. It seemed as if he had gained some sort of enlightenment.

As I was now, I could not gauge what kind of enlightenment my maternal uncle would attain.

Whether it was truly possible to play a performance through the circuit, and if so, how much power that performance would hold, I knew none of it.

I only knew the fact that it was not the path to reaching Transcendence.

Just as the elves do, the enlightenment would likely stop at the level of utilizing one's given grade to the fullest.

I had no intention of arguing over its value.

I was one who accumulated mana in the heart, not the circuit; creating that melody and completing its power was something the Knights of the Ring had to do, not me.

I looked at Arwen.

She too was lost in deep thought. She hadn't fallen into complete contemplation like my maternal uncle, but she seemed to be thinking deeply about the topics of resonance and performance.

Thinking that it probably hadn't truly hit home for her since she only had two circuits as of yet, I just smiled.

Because the time and potential given to her, who still had a bright future ahead, were by no means lacking compared to those of my maternal uncle.

Only Adelia had a face entirely detached from this whole situation.

What we were talking about, and what was happening, she did not pay the slightest bit of attention.

She merely looked at me with extreme worry, wondering if my body, which had only just regained consciousness, might be harmed.

While I was smiling warmly at that loyal, puppy-like appearance, I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.

My maternal uncle, frozen completely still while standing blankly, and Arwen, lost in deep thought.

"No, why in my room again..."

Why did they keep doing this in my room?

* * *

Arwen, perhaps having sorted out her thoughts, gave a slight bow and left the room not long after. But even after she left, my maternal uncle remained exactly as he was.

Thanks to that, I was the one dying of discomfort.

I had to eat while holding my breath as if I were stealing food, and even if I wanted to chat to relieve my boredom, I couldn't raise my voice.

Even that became impossible when Adelia, unable to endure the silent atmosphere, began to doze off.

I stared blankly at my maternal uncle before looking out the window.

Winter Castle, visible outside the window, was a completely different world from my room.

Watching the soldiers busily moving back and forth between the walls and the barracks, and the commanders shouting something, seeing that lively sight made me feel as if my boredom was fading a little.

But I quickly grew tired of that as well.

I ultimately ended up falling asleep.

"Mm..."

I opened my eyes in a daze. The thick dusk had already fallen outside the window, and a campfire was crackling in my room.

The figure of my maternal uncle, who had been standing blankly in the middle of the room, was nowhere to be seen.

"Adelia."

Adelia, who had been sleeping face down by my bedside, raised her head with a groggy face. Wiping away a white, dried drool mark, she poured water into a glass with her eyes half-closed.

I drank the water she handed me in my bewildered state and asked about my maternal uncle.

"He left a little while ago."

I asked if she had seen any noticeable changes or anything special. Adelia, still with a blank face, said she hadn't seen anything like that.

TSK.

I clicked my tongue. But my disappointment wasn't great.

Not every moment of enlightenment in the world necessarily led to a meaningful result.

If one could attain enlightenment and forge a new path with just a few simple words, this world would be overflowing with superhumans.

"Well, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

I, who perform the miracle of the Poem of Martial Deeds, and the Warlord, whose very existence is an enigma—if my maternal uncle did not deny this, a moment of enlightenment would surely come again someday.

I simply had to wait, just as I had done until now.

At that moment, my maternal uncle, who had disappeared, returned.

"You've woken up."

Upon seeing my maternal uncle's appearance, I ended up glaring at Adelia without realizing it.

I thought you said nothing changed.

Contrary to her words, my maternal uncle had changed surprisingly.

His eyes, which used to shoot out streams of sharp light, had sunken deeply, and his expression, which was always stiffly hardened, had softened gently.

Even with just that, his impression had changed to the point of feeling like a completely different person, but even the aura he exuded was entirely different from before.

More generous, and more relaxed.

"Ha."

I let out a scoffing laugh.

Because I was glad.

The mighty being who had nothing to fear when he slung a single sword across his back, who never shrank back even in the face of countless adversaries, was right in front of my eyes.

Sword Master.

It seemed my maternal uncle had finally gained a soul befitting his flesh.

Even if it was merely a grade like a blank sheet of paper that had yet to build up any karma, it was undeniably a splendid grade suited for the realm of a Sword Master.

"Congratulations."

At my words, my maternal uncle bowed his waist out of nowhere.

"Thank you. My eyes were opened thanks to you."

Saying he realized just how much of a frog in a well he had been, and that he was just like a child holding a sword, my maternal uncle looked dignified even while bowing deeply.

"Thank you truly. Ian."

I thought it was probably the first time. My maternal uncle calling my name, and calling me affectionately too. It felt like the first time I had heard it.

"Ugh."

Feeling so embarrassed and cringey at that, I made a show of violently scratching my forearm, and my maternal uncle saw that and let out a generous laugh.

"They say if a person changes suddenly, they'll die."

"You're acting grumpy."

"Me? I'm not."

I strongly denied my maternal uncle's words.

Although I, who had been a sword of a grade no one could look down on 400 years ago, had now become a mere Sword Expert rather than a Sword Master, I was not the least bit jealous of my maternal uncle, and I was not grumpy at all.

It was the truth.

"Right. Is that so. I must have seen wrong."

"Ah, how annoying."

At the words my maternal uncle spoke with a soft smile, I ultimately couldn't hold back and casually spat out a complaint.

"Alright. Let's hear what exactly it is you've gained."

"I haven't quite gotten the hang of that performance thing you mentioned yet."

Contrary to his words, my maternal uncle's expression was overflowing with confidence. It seemed he really had realized something.

"I've only barely managed to set up a single milestone in my heart."

Ah, I'm so jealous.

Getting needlessly twisted inside at those calm words, I acted grumpy and pressed him to tell me exactly where that milestone was pointing.

"For now..."

My maternal uncle looked out the window with a calm gaze.

"I'm thinking of walking toward that place."

What my maternal uncle's gaze was looking at was nothing but a snow-covered mountain range, but I thought I knew where that gaze was truly looking.

Beyond there, there would surely be the Warlord.

"Ha ha. Goodness, talk about saving a drowning man only for him to demand his belongings back."

At my words, my maternal uncle widened his eyes in surprise. I spoke firmly to such a maternal uncle.

"That guy is mine. Don't go drooling over him for no reason."

My maternal uncle stared at me blankly before suddenly bursting into hearty laughter.

"Right. You do that."

For some reason, he seemed to treat my words as just a childish pledge from a young boy.

Even though I was completely serious.

* * *

"I have many things I want to ask, but I won't. I won't ask how you are so knowledgeable about Orcs, or where you obtained your knowledge of elves."

Since I was someone so absorbed in old tales that I even stole the Founding King's Dragon Slayer, he would just assume I had dug through some ancient texts somewhere. My maternal uncle said he would turn a blind eye to my knowledge.

"I trust you will tell me when the time comes."

Looking at those trust-filled eyes made me feel like I was going to break out in hives.

Even if a person changed, he had changed far too much. With him constantly sending me such affectionate gazes, it was to the point my stomach felt queasy.

But nevertheless, I wonder why laughter kept coming out of me.

While I was chuckling, the castle suddenly became noisy.

BWOOOOOOM.

The sound of a horn I had heard sometime before rang out. And the air of the castle began to fluctuate once again.

"Keep resting."

"You'll need my knowledge of the Orcs."

Clutching my broken arm tightly, I ran after my maternal uncle toward the castle walls. Upon climbing the wall, the Rangers, already standing with bows in hand, were glaring at the snowfield beyond.

"Hah."

Looking beyond them, my maternal uncle let out a sigh.

There was a massive army of Orcs stretching endlessly over there. A true army, properly equipped with siege weapons, however crude they might be.

And amidst them stood a giant Orc.

An Orc looking twice as massive and ferocious as the Noble Orc I had faced previously was glaring in our direction while holding a bright red flag.

"Could that be a Warlord?"

My maternal uncle asked me. I shook my head.

"That guy is the vanguard of the Warlord."

One of the most ferocious Orcs serving the king.

"A Combat Legion Commander."

They were the most valiant generals.

"A Knight Slayer."