[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
Chapter 39
Myorn’s Laboratory
“Now then… Shall we start with the first test?”
Myorn’s fur clumped together like threads, wriggling.
Whoosh!
Amid the pile of junk, Myorn pulled sothing out. It was a piece of full plate armor, glimring silver.
“What was its na again?”
“Alkas, Master.”
“Alkas, put it on.”
“Wait… ?”
Alkas, who had been dragged into the lab without explanation, looked startled but didn’t seem entirely displeased.
After all, wearing a mana suit had been a longstanding dream of his as a knight.
“I’m not a ister, though…”
“I already told you. I heard you’re a knight without color or scent.”
“Yes… that’s correct.”
“This is perfect for soone like you. Probably.”
With that, Alkas received the mana suit.
“Inject your mana into the mana stone embedded in the helt.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t resist the pressure. Just relax.”
“Understood.”
“Let know if it gets too much.”
Bzzzzzzzz!
The steel armor, shimring with mana, began to shift, molding itself to fit Alkas’s body perfectly.
“It’s heavier than I expected.”
“What about the fit?”
“It’s manageable.”
“Now, try using your aura.”
Whoosh!
Myorn tossed him a sword, and Alkas imdiately infused it with his aura.
Vrrrrrrr!
A sharp blue light radiated from the sword, far stronger than the aura he was used to summoning.
Overwheld with emotion, Alkas couldn’t hide his excitent.
‘So this… is the power of a mana suit!’
However, the reactions from the two observing were less enthusiastic.
“Huh. It doesn’t co out the sa for him, does it?”
“Hmm. Could it be the difference between a Sword Master and an Expert?”
Step, step.
Kaylen approached Alkas, his footsteps asured, and firmly gripped the mana suit.
“Alkas, try summoning your aura again.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Vrrrrrrr!
Once more, Alkas’s sword glead brightly with aura.
Kaylen closely inspected the mana flowing through the suit, carefully asuring its output.
“The aura still isn’t fully stable yet.”
“What did I say? To beco a Sword Master, you can’t rely solely on your mana heart. Is the mana in your toes and head just for decoration?”
Kaylen’s sharp tone cut through the air as he offered advice to Alkas.
“Alkas! You’re being hasty. Aura must be built up steadily from the ground up. Are you so excited just because you’re wearing a mana suit? Rember, this mana isn’t yours. You need to approach this more carefully and establish a solid foundation.”
“Yes, I understand!” Alkas replied, startled but earnest.
“Good.”
“Yes, I’ll focus on steadily refining my aura!”
With those words, Alkas began adjusting his aura…
Crackle!
The aura etched along the blade suddenly ignited, spreading like a blaze.
“Oh? His aura changed! This is… about five tis stronger than before!”
Myorn exclaid as she hurriedly jotted down notes in her experint log.
“Just a few pieces of advice, and he improved this much? Is this what it ans to be a Sword Master?”
“Impressive, Kaylen,” Myorn remarked in awe.
“It’s still far from perfect,” Kaylen replied, his tone as cold as ever.
While Myorn marveled, Kaylen remained unimpressed.
“When compared to the experints we’ve conducted over the past week, these results are underwhelming.”
“That’s only because you’re a Sword Master.”
“Even so, the output has diminished. At this rate, it’s not viable for practical use.”
At Kaylen’s words, Myorn reflected on the past week’s experints.
It began on the day Kaylen unleashed his sword energy. He revealed that he had acquired the relic of the Archmagus, leading to experints conducted specifically with a Sword Master.
From these trials, Myorn reached a startling conclusion:
“The efficiency of his aura… is off the charts!”
When it ca to magic, the mana suit prototype Normal was practically useless. However, the aura Kaylen emitted was an entirely different story.
When used with the newly developed mana suit, his aura displayed terrifying power. It was so overwhelming that the mana stone embedded in the suit was completely drained in no ti.
“This… is definitely worth researching further. If even an ordinary knight could achieve this level of efficiency… the results would be world-changing.”
Over the course of the week, countless experints left both Myorn and Kaylen amazed at the mana suit’s potential.
Kaylen also discovered another notable benefit:
“When casting spells while manifesting aura… the power is significantly amplified.”
“Really?”
“Yes. However, this seems to be a unique case for . It’s unlikely that ordinary knights could replicate it.”
“Well, using magic and aura simultaneously is rare to begin with.”
Kaylen’s unusual skill set—a Sword Master and a 4th-circle mage—set him apart. His unique synergy allowed him to unlock such effects, particularly when paired with the six-elental swords of the Ernstine family, which represented the attributes of earth, water, fire, wind, light, and shadow.
For instance, the devastating Fire Wave that felled the Wind ister Robin in a single strike ca from one such synergy.
However, this level of versatility applied only to soone like Kaylen.
For ordinary individuals, the Normal prototype focused primarily on maximizing aura amplification efficiency. That was why Alkas had been chosen as the test subject.
But the results were disappointing.
“It’s lacking,” Kaylen muttered.
“Do you think this performance falls short compared to a ister’s sword aura?” Myorn asked.
“Well… there’s not much difference, but…” Kaylen trailed off, clearly dissatisfied.
Compared to mana suits designed for mages, the knight-focused mana suits were often criticized for their lack of power. While mage mana suits typically doubled or even tripled output, knight mana suits started at half that level.
However, Myorn’s new prototype, Normal, stood apart from traditional knight-ister mana suits. It offered a distinct advantage: any Sword Expert, not just isters, could achieve up to double their usual output.
“This should be fine as a prototype.”
Myorn felt it was a success, even if it couldn’t et the original goal of being suitable for magic users. Producing this much power for knights was already impressive for a prototype.
But Kaylen thought differently.
“We cannot stop here.”
“Hm…”
“When compared to magic, aura starts at a much lower baseline for destructive power.”
“...You’re right. In terms of raw destructive force, it doesn’t match magic.”
“Exactly. Which is why we need greater efficiency. To compete with mage mana suits, we must push further.”
“Th-That’s… impossible. Magic and aura are fundantally different.”
“There is no such thing as impossible.”
Kaylen’s eyes burned with determination as he looked back and forth between Myorn and Alkas.
Seeing his unwavering gaze, Myorn instinctively bristled.
What is this?
Although they were supposed to be partners in this endeavor, Kaylen exuded a terrifying aura of authority.
“With the Dwarf Queen here, and a promising knight with Sword Master potential, we can achieve greatness if we coordinate well.”
“Wait a mont! Mana suits aren’t sothing you can just whip up overnight. Do you have any idea how many mana stones, how much trial and error this will take—”
“It’s possible. I know it is. Dwarf Queen, I’ve seen your boundless potential. You’re not just any blacksmith—you’re the Dwarf Queen.”
Kaylen’s gaze, filled with unwavering faith, made Myorn’s fur stand on end again.
'What exactly did he see in Ernstine’s mories?'
“I will provide the mana stones. Once I begin working with the Demon Subjugation Corps in earnest, I can supply as many as needed.”
“Wait, hold on—”
“Myorn. To grow stronger, you must forge mana suits and temper your hamr until you reach your limits. All of this was in the mories I saw.”
“That’s ridiculous! Mana suits didn’t even exist in the past! What does this have to do with high-ranking spirits?”
“It’s the process of hamring. That’s what matters.”
“Ugh…”
Kaylen’s presence was almost suffocating, radiating an overwhelming sense of authority. He stood as an unshakable force, his voice calm yet laden with absolute command:
Work!
Forge and hamr until you produce results!
“Alkas, you must assist Lady Myorn as much as possible. The more advanced the mana suit becos, the quicker I can guide you to beco a Sword Master.”
“Yes, my lord! I will devote every ounce of my strength to fulfill your command!”
Hearing that his efforts might lead to becoming a Sword Master, Alkas seed ready to leap into fire without hesitation.
Watching this, Myorn sighed deeply, her exhaustion evident.
“Hah… Fine. I’ll adjust the design further. But more importantly—”
Myorn rummaged through her pile of odds and ends, pulling out an object with visible effort, utilizing every ounce of strength.
What she produced was a full plate of armor, pitch-black and ominous in appearance.
“Kaylen, here’s yours. The item for the finals.”
“It’s finished already.”
“It’s just a modification of the original design. Like you asked, I completely ignored stability. It’s absurdly heavy, the pressure is intense, and it won’t last long. There’s no longevity to it.”
The suit was sothing no ordinary mage could hope to wear—its weight and imnse pressure would make it unbearable. It also had no extended duration or transformation capabilities.
Every aspect had been sacrificed in favor of one single trait: pure output.
“All it’s got is power. That’s all I focused on.”
“That’s precisely what I wanted.”
“But even with this, I doubt you’ll manage against Glacia. Are you seriously not going to use aura?”
“I never intended to win in the first place.”
“Yeah, I figured. I just want to see if you can survive one hit without using aura.”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
Kaylen smirked.
“I’ll show you the power of a mage, not a ister.”
Finals Day.
For Princess Violet, the day began like any other.
She rose at six in the morning.
“Glacia, wash .”
Her mana suit cleaned her body within minutes.
“Jane, are there any docunts that need signing?”
“No, Princess. It seems there aren’t many coming through today because of the big event.”
“Ridiculous. A tournant match shouldn’t disrupt governnt business.”
She reviewed and approved a few remaining docunts.
“Robin showed promise yesterday.”
“Shall I add him to the recruitnt list?”
“Look into it. He’s been raised by the Tower of the Sky, so his loyalty to them will run deep.”
“Understood.”
“Princess, it’s ti.”
“I’m on my way.”
Tap. Tap.
As Violet walked, Kaylen wasn’t on her mind at all.
He wasn’t anywhere near her level.
His Fire Wave was impressive. She acknowledged that his spell, used to defeat the Wind ister Robin, had displayed considerable power.
But it’s far weaker than Lionus.
For a non-ister to pull off such magic was surprising, but the raw power was incomparable to Lionus.
Thus, the finals didn’t stir any sense of tension in her.
Still, Kaylen is the top recruit on my list. I should let him save face and not crush him too quickly.
Planning to go easy on him for appearances’ sake, Violet entered the arena.
She never anticipated what awaited her.
Crackle.
Bzzzzzzt.
“Princess.”
Glacia’s half-mask began to spark with electricity.
“You don’t need to hold back.”
A portion of Kaylen’s mask burned, blackened by the intense currents coursing through it.
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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