Chapter 70:
Thwack!
“Sir, you need to use aura precisely where the wooden sword makes contact.”
“Ugh!”
“Agh!”
The two wooden swords in Evelyn’s hands moved with dazzling speed. Even though five people attacked at once, she didn’t take a single step back as she fought them all simultaneously.
At the same time, she pinpointed exactly where aura should be utilized.
“Aaargh!”
If someone failed to notice the oncoming sword and didn’t block it with aura, they screamed and went flying.
“Gasp, huff…”
“It hasn’t even been twenty minutes yet.”
Evelyn, checking the large wall clock, walked over to the fallen knights.
They could go a little longer.
“Can you keep going?”
“Cough.”
Damian let out a dry cough. He had underestimated it—his aura was completely drained in less than ten minutes.
The others were barely holding on through sheer willpower. Damian didn’t expect his skills to be this lacking.
“An hour seems… impossible.”
Looking at the worn-out knights, Evelyn gave a pitiful look, prompting Damian to speak with difficulty.
“Lady Evelyn, you want us to defend using a smaller amount of aura, correct?”
She nodded.
“To channel that small amount of aura quickly… we’re not skilled enough yet.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll get better with practice.”
After all, wasn’t that how she improved?
Evelyn admired Damian for recognizing the issue so quickly—he truly was different as the knight captain.
“Have those who just sparred go rest beside the mages and recover their aura.”
Watching the Grand Duchess’s radiant smile, the knights dragged their heavy legs to move.
“Next.”
The next group of knights had to pray for survival, their faces going pale.
*
“Why is no one at the training ground?”
Having retired early to bed the night before, Elliott had stayed up working late, and now looked around the empty training field with confusion.
Only the trainees, who couldn’t yet release aura, were huddled together practicing.
“You’re here?”
Evelyn greeted the confused Elliott.
“All the other knights are in the Mana Room.”
“All of them?”
“Yes. I was testing out a new training method.”
Elliott glanced at the remaining trainees as Evelyn smiled with pride.
The boys avoided his gaze out of embarrassment.
“These ones didn’t participate?”
“That’s right. They’re the ones who haven’t learned to use aura yet.”
Elliott, realizing the training involved aura, stroked his chin thoughtfully. If Evelyn—trained by the previous Hero—was behind this, it had to be effective.
“Aura discharge, huh…”
His eyes narrowed as he looked at the remaining trainees.
“When people are pushed to the brink, they can often draw out strength they didn’t know they had.”
“I agree. There isn’t time to wait for enlightenment.”
For once, the couple’s thoughts aligned. The trainees shivered under the piercing gazes.
It felt like they’d been thrown in front of a ferocious beast with no weapons.
“Ten minutes each,” Elliott said after checking the time.
The trainees gulped, remembering the screams and their seniors’ pitiful state just moments ago.
Now it was their turn to suffer.
“You’re allowed to run away,” said the benevolent Grand Duke.
The trainees clenched their wooden swords tightly.
They were on the verge of begging for mercy.
Running away would be more disgraceful than dying, but surely no one would blame them if they did at this point.
“Aaargh!”
The young trainees screamed and scattered around the training ground as Elliott struck them relentlessly.
“They can’t even run far.”
Evelyn watched with visible disappointment.
She thought she’d trained them well enough in stamina, yet Elliott caught them within a few steps.
How could she help them grow even more?
As she watched the gasping trainees with concern, several of them were forced to release aura under Elliott’s pressure.
“Wow!”
The pain lasted only a moment.
Watching their fellow trainees emit aura, the others’ eyes sparkled with hope.
So we just need to get hit!
Their spirits rose, remembering how the senior knights had transformed during the beating.
“I’ll go again!”
The boys regrouped with determination and charged toward Elliott once more.
“I need to go somewhere,” Elliott said after all the trainees had collapsed. He had just tossed the knights into the Mana Room and returned.
Evelyn grabbed his arm with a smile.
“How about one more sparring session?”
Elliott stood firm—training with the trainees wasn’t enough to break a sweat.
“You’ll want to go. I got permission for you to enter my training area.”
The holy sword had said something, but Evelyn ignored it with a cheery “I can’t hear you!” and stepped onto the teleportation circle.
“Are you sure I can enter?”
“You’re my strongest ally. You always said you’d protect me. Let’s grow stronger together.”
Is this what it means to be a Hero? Elliott momentarily held his breath.
No matter what color her eyes were, they would have sparkled like stars looking at him so earnestly.
“Yes. Because I am your ally.”
With her trust-filled gaze on him, Elliott answered without hesitation. He was her closest comrade, after all.
“That’s enough for me. Let’s go.”
Evelyn pressed down on the sword-shaped button.
[You better know how much of an honor this is!!!]
The moment they teleported, a deafening voice rang in Elliott’s ears.
“There are other people around. I can’t just talk to myself,” Evelyn replied casually, as if used to the high-pitched voice.
“Elliott, you think it’s an honor too, right?”
“To be trained by the previous Hero—yes, I consider it a great honor.”
At her cue, Elliott calmly delivered his line.
[Hmph. Well, at least Elliott knows how to be polite.]
The holy sword replied coyly, seemingly pleased.
[Not bad, not bad.]
Once the sword quieted, the previous Hero spoke.
“Elliott was always stronger than me.”
[He certainly inherited my blood well.]
The former Hero hummed repeatedly, as if inspecting him.
“I look forward to learning from you,” Elliott said with a polite bow.
[Let’s start by seeing your skills. Evelyn, are you going to stay?]
“Can’t I watch?”
[Come later, later.]
“Don’t be so mean!!”
With that last shout, Evelyn vanished.
“……”
[Alright then, let’s see what you’ve got.]
Elliott, gazing at the space where Evelyn had disappeared, smiled slightly at the Hero’s voice.
“Before that, I’d like an apology.”
[Apology? For what?]
The former Hero paused. He had left a part of his soul to help train them—why should he apologize?
[Shouldn’t you be thanking me instead?]
“No, I don’t think so.”
Elliott shook his head firmly.
“Were you scolded a lot by your wife when you were alive?”
The former Hero fell silent.
“Just as I thought.”
Elliott’s amused tone made the spirit Hero clench his ethereal jaw. He had constantly been scolded by his wife.
[Don’t try to distract me with nonsense—I won’t forgive you.]
“Distract? You spent half a year with another man’s wife without his consent.”
[It was for training!]
“Even so.”
This descendant was quite cheeky. The previous Hero, Neran, let out a hollow laugh.
[I swear, I had no such intentions. I loved my wife. Besides, she wasn’t even that pretty.]
“That’s rude. Evelyn is beautiful.”
[Ah, well. I suppose to you, her husband, she would be. Do you have any idea how beautiful my wife was?]
The Hero’s voice softened like someone lost in a dream.
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never met her.”
Though he had seen her portrait hanging in the family gallery, Elliott answered without a hint of hesitation.
“If there was no ill intent, fine. Let’s get on with the training.”
[Hmph. You’ll die a lonely man, brat.]
He’s my descendant, Neran thought bitterly, but he acts like a common street thug.
For the first time in ages, his blood was boiling. If you love her so much, then just cling to her all day!
Hmph.
With a petty, vengeful glint in his eye, Neran smirked wickedly.
Creak. Creak.
“Your Grace?”
Tinya exchanged a glance with Anna before cautiously calling out to Evelyn.
She had been pacing in circles inside the office for thirty minutes straight.
Evelyn knew the maids were watching her with concern, but she couldn’t stop walking.
