Chapter - 15 The Beginning of Real Growth
"So you found her on the way home," Aren continued. "And she has no parents."
Lucien made up this story because he couldn't tell them that he went to the Ashveil Borderlands.
"And your name?" said Lira, but she wasn't in a good mood.
After that, Seris replied, "My name is Seris Fadehart."
Then Aren introduced himself. "My name is Aren Valebright, and she is my sister, Lira Valebright."
A Few Minutes Later
"Well, if Lucien wants her to live here, then I'm okay with this. What about you, Lira?" said Aren.
Then Lira replied, "I am also okay with this." But she was still in a bad mood.
Days Passed
Lucien, Aren, Lira, and Seris were now living together.
Their life began just like before—work, training, and other things.
Seris was now comfortable with Aren and Lira.
Lira also started talking a lot with Seris, and she was living a good life now.
After that, Aren went near Lucien.
"Hey, Lucien, how about one match?" said Aren confidently.
Lucien thought inwardly, "I haven't checked the 21% loading power." Then Lucien wondered how much it affected his body.
He wasn't able to check before because of his injuries.
Lucien replied, "Okay."
Aren thought inwardly, "I will give it my all." He smiled.
Then Aren stepped forward.
Seris and Lira were watching from a safe distance under a tree, and Lira was using Seris' lap as a pillow. Seris was patting her head.
"They are fighting each other. Should we stop them?" said Seris.
Lira replied, "They are just training. Don't worry about them."
"Training?" said Seris.
Seris thought inwardly, "That Aren guy should be strong."
Aren stepped forward. His movements had changed.
Lucien noticed that his speed had increased.
Aren stopped, then rotated his body around Lucien.
After that, he swung his sword.
Lucien was shocked for a brief moment—then he smiled and blocked the strike.
Clang!
The force behind Aren's sword was far heavier than before. Lucien slid back a step.
Then Aren didn't give him time to breathe.
He activated his aura fully.
A faint glow wrapped around his body as he rushed forward, his movements sharp and explosive. His sword danced through the air, strikes coming from every direction.
Left.
Right.
Downward slash.
Lucien blocked each one—barely.
Their blades collided again and again, the sound echoing across the field. Aren's aura enhanced his strength and speed, forcing Lucien on the defensive.
"You're holding back," Aren said as he pressed forward. "Why aren't you using aura?"
Lucien didn't answer.
He twisted his wrist at the last moment, redirecting Aren's blade and countering with a clean slash. Aren jumped back just in time, his eyes widening.
He's matching my aura… without aura?
Aren growled and increased the pressure. His aura flared brighter as he spun and unleashed a powerful horizontal strike.
Lucien ducked under it.
He stepped inside Aren's guard and struck—once, twice—forcing Aren to retreat. Every move was precise, calm, and terrifyingly efficient.
Sweat dripped down Aren's face. His breathing grew heavy, while Lucien's remained steady.
"This is insane…" Aren muttered. "No aura… and still—"
Aren gathered his remaining strength and charged one final time, pouring everything into a single decisive strike.
Lucien's expression changed.
Not fear.
Focus.
At the very last moment, Lucien sidestepped, grabbed Aren's wrist, and twisted. Aren's sword flew from his hand. Lucien's blade stopped just inches from Aren's neck.
"I lost," said Aren.
Lucien replied, "That was really a good match."
Seris saw the whole fight, and as she expected, Aren was strong.
"He was able to fight that long against Lucien," said Seris.
Lira replied, "Well, Lucien is too strong for Aren, and he has never won a single match against Lucien." She continued, "Well, I don't really understand swordsmanship that much, but Lucien and Aren train themselves every day."
After that, Seris looked at Lucien's smiling face.
"He really likes them," Seris thought inwardly.
"Now, I think it's about time for Lira's training too," Lucien thought inwardly while resting.
Days Passed
"Magic training?" said the three of them—Aren, Lira, and Seris.
"Isn't this too early for her?" said Aren.
"Originally, Lira started learning magic later in the main story," Lucien thought inwardly.
"What do you think about this, Lira?" asked Lucien.
At first, Lira didn't say anything, but she remembered how Lucien and her brother trained hard every day, and she also wanted to become powerful.
"Okay, Seris-nee, please teach me magic," said Lira.
Then Seris looked at Lucien.
Lucien nodded.
Seris replied, "Fine, I will teach you magic."
"Thanks, nee-san," said Lira.
Days Passed
Lira started her magic training.
Aren and Lucien woke up early.
"Let's start a new training," said Lucien.
Aren blinked.
"New training? What are we going to do now?"
Lucien was quiet for a moment.
"…Something I'm not sure about yet."
Aren blinked.
"You don't know?"
Lucien nodded.
"I know the idea, not the result."
He raised his hand.
"Aura can change shape," he said slowly.
"I've felt it before. But I've never trained it properly."
A faint aura gathered around his palm.
"It's unstable," Lucien admitted.
"It breaks if I rush."
He focused.
The aura stretched into a thin line—then scattered.
Lucien exhaled.
"So we start simple."
He looked at Aren.
"First, gather aura. Don't release it."
Both of them closed their eyes.
Aura appeared.
"Second, don't imagine a sword," Lucien continued.
"Just imagine a straight line."
Aren tried.
His aura shook and vanished.
Lucien's did the same.
They looked at each other.
"…This is harder than it sounds," Aren said.
Lucien gave a small smile.
"That's why we train."
They tried again.
This time, Lucien's aura held its shape for a breath.
Aren managed half of that.
Lucien nodded.
"That's progress."
He lowered his hand.
After the new training began, Lucien increased his training intensity because he had almost lost his life in the Ashveil Borderlands. If he died, then his goal wouldn't be completed.
Lucien was now training with sword, aura, and magic.
After Lucien took a long breath, he said, "Let's start the training."
This training wasn't easy at all.
Sometimes Aren and Lucien formed weak aura, and both felt pain and exhaustion during this training.
Also, this training had limits. When they lacked aura or overloaded the aura in their hands, it affected their whole body—like nosebleeds, headaches, and danger to other parts as well.
"It's harder than I expected," said Aren.
Lucien replied, "But we are progressing."
Slowly, they were learning aura control.
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End of Chapter 15
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