Liam was right.
Ever since those four uninvited guests showed up, the pests had been swarming incessantly.
There were many who coveted this estate, and even more who came crawling toward the mansion itself.
Most of them were no match for me. To begin with, there was no way any truly powerful individual would be among the bottom-feeders crawling into this deserted, ominous countryside estate.
At some point, dealing with these intruders simply became part of my daily routine.
In truth, I didn’t even have the luxury of paying them much attention.
The new training I had begun was simply too grueling.
*
「What do you think is the difference between a mediocre swordsman and a Sword Beginner?」
“The difference?”
「Let me be more specific. What is the minimum standard to be called a Sword Beginner? What conditions must be met to reach that rank?」
I wondered.
After thinking for a moment, I offered an answer.
“Must one complete a course at an academy recognized by the kingdom? Or perhaps receive letters of recommendation from a certain number of knights?”
「Both wrong.」
Liam shook his head.
I still couldn’t grasp the right answer.
After a brief silence, Liam spoke again.
「Do you know what mana is?」
“I do.”
Mana.
The mysterious power that fills this vast continent, and the grace bestowed by the gods. It is the source that allows the world to exist, and a necessity for the seven races, humans included.
The power of those who wield the sword, those who command magic, and those who use other mysteries all stems from mana. No one can survive in a place without it, and elves, born and raised in mana-rich environments, enjoy lifespans nearing eternity.
At my answer, Liam nodded and continued.
「The power of the strong—those called superhumans or heroes—all stems from mana. Then, what about the power of a Swordmaster?」
“It stems from mana.”
「Correct. The Aura that makes them invincible and allows them to reign as divine beings ultimately comes from mana as well. And every Swordmaster was once a Sword Beginner.」
Liam raised a finger.
A blue energy flickered at the tip.
「To become a Sword Beginner means to take your first step onto the Path of the Sword. It is exactly as the name implies. Therefore, the condition to become a Sword Beginner is simple.」
The blue energy, which had been as dense as the Aura exclusive to Swordmasters, gradually faded as Liam spoke. Soon, the light became so faint it was barely visible.
「To accumulate even a handful of mana within your body. The moment you accept even a fraction of the mystery that fills this world, you shall become a Sword Beginner.」
Liam made it sound so easy.
So easy that, hearing him, I thought, ‘Ah, I’ll be a Sword Beginner in no time.’
And exactly seven minutes after starting the training, a curse escaped my lips.
“Son of a… shit…”
The training was fucking awful.
Incomparable to anything I had done until now.
*
A Swordmaster shapes the mana accumulated within their body into the form of a sword. If they can forge even a single unique sword, the world calls them a Swordmaster from that moment on. The more swords they forge, the greater the Swordmaster becomes.
Swordmaster Carlos was a great Swordmaster who had forged no fewer than ten swords. He was the most powerful among existing Swordmasters and a superhuman with the most brilliant talent to appear in the last two hundred years. The continent praised him, calling him the 「Master of Ten Swords」.
A Sword Expert shapes the mana accumulated within their body into the form of armor and drapes it over themselves. If they succeed in manifesting even a thin layer of armor, they become a Sword Expert. Those who reach the realm called Armor reign as gods of the battlefield, remaining unscathed even when struck by magic and able to ignore stray arrows.
A Sword Runner shapes their accumulated mana into the form of wings. If they forge even a single pair of wings, they are called a Sword Runner. Once their 「Wings」 sprout, Sword Runners become capable of moving at speeds that far exceed common sense.
A Sword Walker extends their accepted mana throughout their entire body like veins. People describe this as laying 「The Path」, and Sword Walkers who have laid their path finally transcend into superhumans.
Then, what about the lowest rank, the Sword Beginner?
“Haa… Huff.”
The condition to become a Sword Beginner—’accumulating a handful of mana in the body’—is simple in theory.
The heart circulates blood throughout the body. Aside from the heart that pumps blood, one must create a second heart. An essential organ to accept the mana existing in nature into the body.
In other words, a 「Mana Heart」.
「Steady your breathing more. You must breathe regularly and be able to feel the mana. If you cannot feel it, you cannot accept it, and if you cannot accept it, you cannot create a Mana Heart.」
“Don’t… don’t talk to me, Master. Please.”
「Now that things are getting tough, your true colors are showing, haha.」
Liam let out a boisterous laugh.
I bit my lip and spoke with total sincerity.
“Please. If I lose my focus, I’m actually going to die.”
That wasn’t a metaphor for being tired to death.
I caught my breath and looked down. There was no place to set my feet.
Because right now, I was dangling from a dizzying cliff.
With my bare hands, without even a rope tied around my waist.
「Don’t worry. Even if you fall, if you’re lucky, you won’t die. You might catch a tree and live.」
“…And if I’m unlucky?”
「Hmm. Then it would be sad. Your soul is still so insignificant that I wouldn’t be able to take you to the Land of Swords where I reside.」
“So you’re saying you can’t take responsibility for me in the end. Then, please, just… be quiet…”
「Hahaha.」
Pebbles fell from above and hit the bridge of my nose.
I watched as the pebble bounced off my face and plummeted into the abyss below. Goosebumps broke out on the back of my neck. My hands tightened instinctively.
The moment the strength in my hands failed, I was dead.
I couldn’t let go of the protruding rock.
Even if this rock supporting my weight were to crumble, I would die. I couldn’t kick off the air and fly, nor was I a master of breakfalls who could survive a drop from this height. To begin with, landing safely from a cliff like this would be impossible even for the assassins of the Free City.
I gritted my teeth and spoke.
“I’ve never… heard… of anyone doing… this kind of training… just to become… a Sword Beginner…”
「I suppose not. This is a training I developed independently, and one I only shared with my descendants who inherited the blood of Caravan.」
“In the first place… who else… would risk their life… just to become a mere Sword Beginner?”
Sword Beginner was not some grand realm.
A talented swordsman could achieve it in a week, and the most exceptional geniuses reached it in less than a day. Even the talentless could mostly reach it before finishing their first year if they faithfully followed the curriculum of a swordsmanship academy.
Sword Beginner was a realm even noble ladies reached when their doting fathers taught them swordsmanship for self-defense. And yet, risking one’s life to become a Sword Beginner?
Anyone else would have scoffed at the idea.
「That is certainly true.」
Liam readily acknowledged my doubt.
He wiped the playfulness from his face and looked at me with serious eyes.
「One can become a Sword Beginner just by drinking a mana potion made by alchemists, and elves living in mana-rich lands can become Sword Beginners just by breathing and holding a stick. It is indeed a petty realm, far from grand. It is not great; it is common and unspecial.」
“…”
「However.」
My face was reflected in Liam’s eyes.
A pathetic boy, drenched in sweat, biting his lip as he clung to a cliff.
「You are a Caravan, are you not?」
“…”
「As I have always said, the blood of steel flows in our bodies. And in the blood of steel, mana like steel takes root. To make the mana of a Caravan, which resembles steel, pulse, one needs a powerful heart. One can never reach the heights with the heart of a mortal. To be precise, it is impossible with a human heart.」
Through Liam’s translucent body, I could see the blue sky on the other side.
Clouds hung in the air, and beneath them, birds spread their wings and soared. Freely.
「A Caravan must possess a Heart of Steel. One that will not suffer even a scratch, no matter what it strikes.」
“…”
「I shall guarantee this one thing, young descendant.」
Liam looked down at me and smirked.
「The realm of Sword Beginner that you achieve will be distinctly different from others. Nothing about us Caravans is the same as anyone else.」
*
The method to create the second heart, the Mana Heart, is not difficult.
The most widely known method involves the help of a master. One receives assistance from a wizard with an exceptional sense for mana, or a Sword Walker or Sword Runner who has already accumulated sufficient mana in their body.
They awaken the disciple’s sense for mana by pushing a small amount of their own energy into the disciple’s body to stimulate it. Then, the body reacts automatically, allowing them to feel mana, and a Mana Heart naturally forms through breathing. This is the standard method.
However, Liam said that method did not suit a Caravan.
「A Mana Heart would form easily that way. But a Mana Heart created with the help of another is far too soft. Because it was born thanks to someone else, it is also easily broken by someone else. Always remember, young descendant: That which is built easily crumbles easily.」
Liam taught me a method other than the standard one.
One of the many ways a Mana Heart can be born.
Among them, it was considered an ancient method, one so dangerous that no one practiced it anymore.
「You must make your body feel that it needs a Mana Heart. You must be forced into a situation where you have no choice but to feel mana and use it. A Heart of Steel is born in the midst of crisis. Just as I devoured a sword and awakened on the battlefield long ago.」
A fear close to death.
Like a lion pushing its cub off a cliff, it was about being thrust into an extreme situation.
「Have I ever been wrong? Trust me this time as well.」
I couldn’t argue with Liam’s words.
What he said was always proven true. It would be the same this time.
My head certainly understood.
“Huff, shit…”
Well, understanding it with your heart is a different matter entirely.
“Fuck.”
「Stop at ‘Fu—’.」
“Yes.”
Training for over eight hours a day, drenched in sweat while hanging from a cliff.
I couldn’t help the curses that slipped out unconsciously during that time. Honestly, if she had to do this training, even my mother, who had used only refined language her entire life, would have been swearing like a sailor…
「Hmm, I wonder if telling you this will provide some motivation.」
“What… is it?”
「To achieve the revenge you desire, you must absolutely become a Swordmaster. Which means, in the end, you must forge a sword.」
My voice stopped abruptly at Liam’s words.
He said with a smile,
「Among my many descendants, there were those who could not endure this training, just like you. They chose the easy path. They asked their fathers to act as their masters, or invited wizards and knights to help them take their first steps and become Sword Beginners. And not a single one of them ever became a Swordmaster.」
“…”
「Even among my past descendants who shared my blood, those who endured this training and became Sword Beginners were rare. It was one in ten, or perhaps one in twenty.」
At Liam’s words, my grip on the rock tightened.
「Regrettably, not everyone who barely endured this training became a Swordmaster. The realm of Swordmaster is just that distant.」
“…”
「However.」
Liam’s eyes flashed.
「Every single person who eventually became a Swordmaster was someone who became a Sword Beginner at the end of this training. This is the minimum requirement to become a Swordmaster, young descendant.」
“…”
「So endure. If you want your revenge.」
My heart pounded.
More violently than when I looked down into the abyss.
Did he hear the sound of my heart?
Liam spoke.
「Well? Did that provide some motivation?」
My old master asked, already knowing the answer.
I gritted my teeth and replied.
“…More than enough.”
I let go with one of the two hands supporting my body at the edge of the cliff.
Then, I began to endure on the cliff using only my left hand.
Every single day, without missing a single one.
Five days passed like that, then ten.
Just as ugly wounds were forming on my palms and calluses were hardening over them.
Another guest arrived at my mansion.
「You’d better be careful this time.」
A guest quite different from the insignificant pests that had visited until now.
「That fellow is at least a Sword Walker.」
