"An Astral Vessel?"
"You saw it too, so you should know, right? Julian possesses an Astral Vessel."
"But Julian is the number one in the Silver Province... no, the number one lazy bum in the Empire, right? I heard his title is the Slothful Heir?"
"That's right. That kid is a lazy bum. But he's a lazy bum born with an Astral Vessel."
"Hahahaha! What is this... it's not even a joke from the heavens..."
Despite Garrick's playful muttering, Kaelen couldn't laugh. No, his face grew even darker.
"But why is your face like that? Isn't it a good thing if your apprentice has an Astral Vessel?"
"Well... the problem is that the kid learns too fast."
"He learns fast? How fast?"
"You saw it too. Julian's Aetheric Blade Arts!"
"Certainly..."
The telekinetic sword control of Julian that he had witnessed while climbing the mountain was truly amazing.
So much so that Garrick, who had known Kaelen for a long time, was convinced that the wooden blade that crossed the sky was naturally his.
"The kid completed the first stance of the Aetheric Ten Blades, Gale Strike, in just ten months. Now he's pestering me to teach him Thunderbolt."
For the past month, Kaelen had been on the verge of going crazy because of Julian, who would come to him every now and then and try to persuade him to move on to the next aura stance.
—Master! Let's move on to Thunderbolt now.
—You brat, you have to complete Gale Strike before moving on to the next, don't you?
—Then tell me how I can complete Gale Strike.
—That's... um... f-first... re-review! Review first! You can't perform advanced aura without a solid foundation!
—Hmm...
Julian looked at Kaelen with a suspicious gaze and then turned away.
That gaze had become more blatant recently, to the point where Kaelen was afraid to face his apprentice.
"What's the problem with that? You can just teach him the next stance, can't you?"
"I can't do that! It took that kid only ten months to learn Gale Strike. If he completes Thunderbolt in less than a year as well... that kid will be making a fuss to descend the mountain in less than five years!"
Garrick, who learned of the deal made between Kaelen and Cedric, laughed at him to his heart's content.
"It's because your Aetheric Ten Blades is pathetic! How shoddy must it be that it doesn't even take ten years to completely master the sword art!?"
"Do you think your footwork technique is any different?"
"Of course... wait, now that I think about it..."
Garrick recalled Julian's gait.
Surprisingly, the gait of Julian, who had become a master of telekinetic aura blades, was no different from that of the thoughtless squires commonly seen in the training yards.
That means...
"You, you didn't even teach your apprentice aura footwork?"
"I couldn't teach him!"
"Is it because your footwork is pathetic?"
"The foundation of the Aetheric Blade Arts is fast footwork. A grandmaster of my level doesn't need to move while launching swords, but until then, you have to create distance from the opponent!"
As if to show that his footwork was excellent, Kaelen moved his body.
Garrick shut his mouth as he watched Kaelen move away, leaving several aura afterimages in an instant.
'I hate to admit it, but his Aetheric Stride is a pretty useful technique.'
Kaelen's footwork, the Aetheric Stride, was an excellent movement technique without any unnecessary motions.
"But why didn't you teach him?"
"Because if that kid learns a movement technique, he'll obviously run away!"
"Ah..."
This time, even Garrick had nothing to say in response.
That's right.
The reason Kaelen didn't teach Julian an aura footwork was because he was worried he would run away.
If Julian, who was born with an Astral Vessel, learned a footwork technique and decided to run away, he wouldn't be able to be caught with ordinary speed.
"Hmm."
After pondering for a moment, Garrick made a suggestion.
"Then how about teaching that kid this master's Phantom Stride?"
"What? Why would I teach my apprentice your footwork!?"
"Your Aetheric Arts and my Phantom Stride have different uses, and their aura breathing methods are not the same. So, even if he learns it, he can't learn it easily, and even if he masters it, he can't master it easily."
"So why would you teach my apprentice your movement technique, which doesn't even match his aura flow!"
"You said your apprentice would be making a fuss to descend the mountain at this rate, didn't you?"
"Hmm...!"
"So this master will specially help you."
Normally, Kaelen would have thrown an aetheric blade at him, telling him to shut up and get lost, but now he was in a state of wanting to grasp at straws.
"How long would it take to master yours?"
"At least ten years... no, that kid is special, so it will probably take about five years."
"Are you sure?"
"Do you think this master's Phantom Stride is easy!"
"Well... you almost died after stealing House Valerius's treasure with that Phantom Stride."
"Ugh...!"
"Alright, I'll believe you this one time. But there's one problem."
"A problem? What now?"
"You'll find out soon."
At the sight of Kaelen's meaningful smile, Garrick had to feel a certain sense of anxiety.
But it didn't matter.
"If the Sterling kid sees my Phantom Stride, he'll surely pester me to teach him."