Chapter 12: Eyes of the Aura Master

It had only been a day since the Parakho were caught.

There was work to do.

‘If I want to confirm things, I’ll have to move quickly. There are plenty of good excuses.’

It wasn’t best to move alone for that.

It had to be done officially. That way, even if problems arose, they could be resolved.

“Hmmm. It’ll work out.”

For my goal, I visited the Household Head’s Room for the first time in a while.

That’s where Father is.

There was something I needed his permission for.

That’s why I dressed more properly than usual today.

“Is it alright for you to visit like this, Young Master……?”

“It’s fine.”

I was a little nervous too, but Dean, the maid, was even more so.

‘Not that it’s unreasonable.’

Unless Father called for me, it was rare—almost unheard of—for me to visit the Household Head’s Room first.

In such circumstances, I headed there first thing in the morning.

It’s not unreasonable to be nervous.

If something went wrong with my conduct, she, who serves me, might also be punished.

‘It’s a ridiculous way of doing things.’

Even the nobles under him needed permission in advance to visit here.

But only direct family were the exception.

Even without saying it, Father was always like that. Family came first.

And I intend to take care of such family, whether in front or behind the scenes.

“Send a message.”

“Yes, sir! Head of House, the third young master has come to visit!”

The door remained closed.

But for me, a single word from the Knight standing guard was enough.

After a not-so-short wait.

“Let him in.”

The door of Father’s Household Head’s Room, which rarely opened, was unlocked.

“Hmmm…….”

Even after I paid my respects, Father said nothing.

But the gaze he fixed on me was not ordinary.

‘As expected…… I guess he’s starting to notice.’

His look was strange.

It’s not as if I lack awareness.

Though nothing was said, it was obvious why Father was looking at me like that.

‘It must be because of my strength.’

The problem is the internal energy within my body.

Unlike aura, internal energy is completely refined power.

Because of this, aside from the so-called Taeyang Acupoint, it doesn’t easily reveal itself.

Ten years’ worth of internal energy isn’t insignificant, but it’s not enough that its force would just flow out unless I tried.

The problem is Father.

He’s not an Aura Master, but he’s known to have reached just about that level.

Lately, he even attained Rotation Enlightenment.

Even if he hasn’t said so, he’s nearly an Aura Master.

Maybe he’s reached it.

‘A lot of people keep it hidden. Maybe he really has reached it. The pressure I feel from him is different.’

Even if it’s not Rotation Enlightenment, it doesn’t matter.

Watching the training with my brother and Nun, Father must have gained a lot.

Even if he doesn’t say it, he’s definitely gotten stronger.

And someone who’s reached that level getting even stronger means—

‘It would be a huge matter for the entire kingdom.’

The Count of Ophern belongs to the Kingdom of Malexia.

There are four known Aura Masters in the kingdom.

Even counting hidden ones, there probably aren’t even ten.

Father was below that.

Because he was known not to have reached Aura Master, he was always considered a step lower.

But if Father had reached Aura Master? That alone would trigger a shift in power.

Even if he hadn’t reached Aura Master, the House of Ophern was famed as a Knight Family.

They had no less than five loyal knight orders.

Including their retainers and soldiers, the numbers were considerable.

The knights regularly saw real combat in the Monsters’ Territory in the north, so they couldn’t be weak. Even if they were, they would grow stronger—as long as they survived.

They were a strong, elite force.

Being a count’s house, the Count of Ophern faced frequent threats from monsters, which made them strong.

‘Still, that last Goblin raid was certainly odd……’

It was no wonder the Marquess Owen or Duke Gisert kept Ophern in check, even over the Direct Dominion.

They needed Ophern to protect the northern domain, but didn’t want our strength to grow.

They treat us like some kind of chicken rib—something you can’t throw away nor swallow.

They even joke that we should be demoted to Border Count.

For those people, Father’s strength could only be a poison.

‘There’s more than enough reason not to speak of it.’

But there’s no reason not to tell me.

The way Father looks at me is just too intense.

Very much so.

He may have sensed even a little of my internal energy with his powerful strength.

“Healthy… No, you’ve grown robust, haven’t you?”

“It’s all thanks to you, Father.”

See? He’s pointing out my health after all.

‘Doesn’t seem like he’s fully caught on, though?’

Maybe he just sensed the strength within me.

Even if he tried to press further, I’d just play dumb.

Even Father wouldn’t understand if I said his child had gained knowledge from a past life. It would be hard to explain.

It’s my own secret, as expected.

‘I need to hurry and master the Gui-Sik Grand Technique. With ten years of internal energy… I should be able to do it.’

Gui-Sik Grand Technique.

Simply put, in the martial world, it’s known as playing dead.

But that’s only when one has mastered it; usually, it’s used to hide one’s internal energy.

By concealing the energy built up within oneself, it’s often used to lure the opponent into a false sense of security.

There were many other special purposes for it as well.

In this situation, the need to learn the technique urgently pressed upon me.

I responded to all of Father’s questions, pretending nothing was out of the ordinary.

“Hoho. Your words have become slick, haven’t they?”

“Not at all. My magic skills have risen quite a bit lately. Still, I’m just First-Class Magic… or so it seems?”

“Hmmm……”

Father changed his wording and asked several things in various ways.

‘Persistent.’

Silence was synonymous with persistence. Father, called the Silent Knight, was truly persistent.

“I’ve heard that Ma Beop Sa tend to become frail as they advance……”

“Haha. Maybe the bloodline of the House of Ophern has finally awakened in me, albeit late?”

“……That might be. Maybe I should have insisted on making you a Knight after all.”

“My brother and Nun are already Knights, aren’t they?”

“This is a Knight Family—having more is always better. But… if you have potential as a Ma Beop Sa, I suppose it’s fine. Just do your best.”

“Of course.”

He clicked his tongue in regret and withdrew.

I didn’t even get a chance to state the reason I’d come to see Father.

‘I need to learn it quickly.’

Just as I was feeling the urgent need for the grand technique again—

“By the way, what brought you here? I hope it’s not for something trivial.”

Only then could I get to the point.

***

The Spiritual Land inspection I hadn’t finished last time.

‘It’s turned into a great excuse.’

I used that as a pretext to make a request to Father.

“If you can’t go far, do you at least want to tour the facilities within the Spiritual Land?”

“Yes. That’s what I want.”

I knew my Firstborn brother would eventually take charge of the Spiritual Land, but it would be laughable if I knew nothing about it.

I said I wanted to help my brother with the Spiritual Land in the future, and that, since I’d missed the previous patrol, I wanted to tour the key facilities.

‘I already know where I’m going, though.’

Maybe my plausible excuse moved him, because Father gazed at me for a long time.

“Hmm.”

As always, Father expressed his feelings with his eyes, instead of words.

Glancing at the piles of documents stacking up, he finally opened his mouth.

“Alright. I’ll assign Administrative Officer Muron to you again.”

“Thank you!”

“Go and come back well. I trust you can do it.”

“Yes!”

And so, the person who came to me again was Muron.

‘Let’s see. The grand technique starts with stimulating the Chungmun Acupoint, right?’

The Gui-Sik Grand Technique wasn’t a difficult art.

It started by stimulating the Chungmun Acupoint, located near the navel, to suppress the force of the dantian.

***

After that, by calmly circulating energy to the appropriate points and maintaining it, the effect was achieved.

I needed a few rounds of practice.

‘Perfect.’

There were many methods for the grand technique. Among them, the Jeogal Family Method was outstanding.

Ssssss—

Soon, the effect of the grand technique appeared as the energy that should be visible in my body sank into the dantian.

‘Good, keep going.’

Wooooong—

I needed to be able to maintain the Gui-Sik Grand Technique’s effect effortlessly.

‘This is good. Very good. The signal is coming.’

I had met Father in the morning.

After a brief family lunch, I spent time mastering the grand technique.

It wasn’t hard, so I made clear progress.

Tap. Knock.

Not long after, I sensed someone outside.

“Come in!”

“Greetings, Third Young Master!”

Perhaps he’d been busy with his own work, as he looked rather haggard.

He was definitely moving around a lot.

‘I’ve heard there aren’t many Administrative Officers.’

Given the size of the Spiritual Land, it’s no wonder there are so few working there.

In such a situation, the third son’s request must be troublesome. Yet, his expression wasn’t dark.

Muron was quite a positive person.

“I assisted you with the Spiritual Land tour last time, didn’t I? Is it the same this time?”

“No. This time, I want to see something different.”

“Shall we go to the Commercial District?”

The Commercial District, huh. Not a bad idea.

The busiest place in the Spiritual Land was the Commercial District.

Even Muron, though not a child, seemed excited by the thought of going there.

His eyes sparkled.

‘I’ll have to go someday. But not this time.’

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the time to grant his wish. I’d already decided on my destination since yesterday.

I shook my head.

“Let’s go to the Guard Corps.”

“The Guard Corps? Why there…?”

“Yes. Let’s go quietly. I’ve always wondered how they work.”

“Ehem. I’ll guide you right away!”

Muron’s hope for the Commercial District was instantly dashed.

Meanwhile, my excitement was rising.

‘Let’s see how they do things.’

It was time to visit the Guard Corps.

***

“Definitely different.”

On that day, Count Ophern found it hard to focus on work.

He had to read the monster movements in the far north.

There were training plans for the knight order.

He had to keep an eye on whether any of the vassals in the Spiritual Land were having second thoughts.

There was a lot to do.

Normally, he’d have his eyes buried in piles of documents, wrestling with them for a long time.

Only by focusing could he carve out a little time to wield his sword.

But today was different.

The problem was the youngest, who’d come first thing in the morning.

Nothing had changed, but at the same time, something had.

“What could it be……”

He wasn’t sure, but he felt something.

‘Was it ability as a Ma Beop Sa? Or a talent that hadn’t been there before? Or something else?’

“Hmmm……”

Just as the First Family Head had belatedly awakened a talent for aura, could it be that the youngest had too? He couldn’t tell.

“There have been cases of people becoming Knights late in life……”

The House of Ophern had produced Knights and strong men generation after generation.

Looking back through the long family history, there had been several who awakened their talent late and became true powerhouses.

Maybe the youngest was one of them.

“What a pity……”

A deep regret weighed on the Count’s heart.

If he’d known, perhaps he should have insisted on making him a Knight rather than a Ma Beop Sa.

It was sometimes late and sometimes early.

The possibility was there.

“Ahem… Still, it seems he has talent for magic too.”

Many thoughts crossed his mind.