Chapter 44: Proof of Power

The Third Young Master, who had gone out for inspection, returned to the castle.

It was the first year since he had appeared in the agricultural office.

The yield of the Pirn fields was different now.

It was an achievement he had created.

In the wheat fields where the harvest was finished, furrows were already being made in the same way he had instructed.

The remaining labor force was all dispatched to the waterway construction.

Since it was a waterway project planned by the great Third Young Master, rumors spread that the effect would be tremendous.

Thanks to that, the progress of the work was quite fast.

However.

“……Ha. Haha……”

The Third Young Master, who had gone on an excursion, had returned even bigger.

He had grown faster than the large, thriving Pirn.

In less than a month, he had returned with a body that looked as if it had grown for at least three more years.

The image of the weak Third Young Master was gone.

The youngest, who had caused the Count so much worry, had vanished without a trace.

He had become taller and more dashing.

The body that had been smaller than his peers was gone, and he was now taller than his second elder sister.

His frame had also grown larger.

He was sturdy and robust.

If one hadn’t felt the passage of time, the change was enough to make them wonder if he had gone out to train for several years before returning.

Despite the change in appearance, the presence he exuded was clearly that of his son.

“Just…… what happened?”

The change required an explanation.

The Count did not know how to react to his youngest son’s explanation.

“It is as I told you.”

“Haha……”

Just like when he first reunited with his youngest, only a hollow laugh escaped him.

‘A Dragon…… That’s unbelievable……’

Dragons did exist.

There were more than ten confirmed locations where Dragons resided, known as Lairs.

There was even one in the far North of this Royal Palace’s territory.

A Dragon, existing in solitary nobility, would place Guardians at its Lair.

On top of that, they would layer countless magic traps.

Finally, at the end, there was the Dragon itself.

A Dragon was the progenitor of magic and the most powerful living creature.

An iron fortress that even an Aura Master and a Great Mage could not attack together—that was how a Dragon’s Lair was made.

He said he had discovered an artifact created by such a Dragon.

The artifact was reportedly filled with the knowledge of Aura studied by the Dragon.

The bead, which collected the essence of that knowledge, was absorbed by his son, and through that knowledge, he had obtained various Aura Cultivation Techniques.

Finding a Dragon’s artifact.

The fact that a supreme Dragon had researched Aura.

That there were cultivation techniques created in that process.

The entire story was full of unbelievable things.

When he first heard the story, even the Count, who trusted Rayrn, couldn’t help but narrow his eyes.

“That Dragon studied Aura? And transmitted it through magic?”

“Yes. At the same time, I even obtained Aura. What I have achieved is the proof.”

But there was living proof.

Whoosh!

What flowed gracefully from his son’s hand was definitely Aura.

The Count had devoted his entire life to Aura training.

He was well beyond the level of not being able to feel the Aura right in front of him.

“Heh…….”

The Aura formed in his son’s hand was powerful.

It was equivalent to a mid-level Aura Expert or higher.

Moreover, what about the body he felt?

It had grown and become robust.

Although a youthful appearance remained, his physical frame was equal to that of an adult.

It was a body that could not be obtained unless one underwent the physical reconstruction that is said to be achieved upon reaching the level of an Aura Master.

In fact, not even all Aura Masters gained the honor of reconstructing their bodies.

However, his youngest son in front of him had clearly gone through that process.

His body itself was the evidence.

“……Haha.”

They say a hollow laugh comes out when one is too surprised, and that was exactly the case for the Count right now.

It was a nonsensical situation.

But at the same time, it made sense.

Without the power of a Dragon, who could possibly reconstruct the youngest’s weak body?

There were stories that it was possible if one reached the level of a Grand Sword Master, but that was an unverifiable truth.

There was no Grand Sword Master who would step forward for an experiment.

Unless he had obtained a Dragon’s artifact, it would be impossible to gain such a body and Aura.

So it was nonsensical, yet it made sense at the same time.

Furthermore, there were even witnesses.

“These three here also received knowledge together thanks to it.”

“They received knowledge?”

“Yes. All three received a simple level of it.”

“What kind of knowledge was it?”

“The way to move, the way to endure, and the way to swing. Show him.”

“Yes!”

Crunch!

The largest one, the man named Gajei, slammed his body into an iron training dummy.

Even a well-trained Knight should have suffered injuries from such a collision, but it was the iron dummy that crumpled instead.

It would be possible if he had manifested Aura, but Gajei showed no signs of manifesting Aura.

“This is the way to endure. And the way to move is……”

“Haaap!”

Sian’s body was agile.

Only a small amount of Aura moved, but her movements were intense.

Her gestures, moving within a mysterious logic, seemed capable of dodging any attack.

The area where she moved became her own domain.

“Haaap!”

Matching her movements, the last remaining one, Hoden, moved and swung his sword.

Swish!

Hoden swung his sword frantically toward Sian’s body, which seemed as if it would be hit but wasn’t.

It was peculiar that he swung using only one side.

However, even though it was peculiar, it had depth.

It had a profound depth that was too advanced to be something obtained by a mercenary who hadn’t even properly learned swordsmanship.

“I received almost all of it, and they received a portion. And I was able to take them in through this connection.”

“Haha…….”

Those three were the witnesses.

He had even taken in those who learned mysterious methods as his subordinates.

At this point, it was impossible not to believe.

Here, Rayrn drove the point home.

“Furthermore, there are several other entrances. The place I went to was just one of many.”