19 Chapter 19 swordmaster (7)

Since then, the estate had been in chaos. Lord Halvark made it known extensively that Swordmaster had visited, and the residents of the Halvark territory were turned upside down. They were commoners and didn't dare dream of having another opportunity to see a person like this in their lives.

Young children and teenagers came to the castle each day and were stopped at the gate, shouting and begging for Van Ester to accept them as disciples, making Lord Halvark's ears hurt. Meanwhile, a strange rumor circulated throughout the townspeople.

The Swordmaster was trying to take in the trash of the Halvark estate, Asher, as a disciple.

"So, are you sure you don't want to be my student?"

"I wouldn't have said no if I did."

tsk-

Van Ester clicked his tongue nervously at Asher's indifferent answer. Asher ignored him and just swung the sword. Van Ester was once again impressed and lost all his thoughts by the unwavering movement and discipline in Asher's sword.

"Perfect, as expected. I've only seen such talent about 2 or 3 times in my life."

"Are you not leaving yet?"

Asher frowned with annoyance. It had been hard to concentrate on the training since Van Ester, his close friend had been sticking to his side for days and whining to be his student.

'Is this what he's like these days?'

Asher remembered him being more serious and tight-lipped before Van Ester got older. Did his personality seriously have to change this much after 20 years? Asher groaned inwardly.

"If you're a Swordmaster, you'll have a lot of people begging to become your disciple."

"There's no place for an old man like me who's been gone from the Empire for 20 years. It's been a nuisance to have to keep up with politics and what not."

"You must be joking…"

There was no kingdom or Empire that would refuse the services of a swordmaster. When the news would get to the Empire that he had returned, it'll turn the nobility and political factions upside down. A delegation was bound to visit soon. Van Ester wrinkled his nose in annoyance at such thoughts.

"But it won't last long. I will make you my disciple before the annoying bastards come to find me hahah!"

"Then in the meantime, look at her and not me. It'll be much more fun to teach her than me."

At the end of Asher's gaze, Reika was looking at Van Ester with a cat-like blade. At that remark, Van Ester clicked his tongue again.

"I've already told you I did ask her. But she politely refused. She's said she already has a teacher, so she can't learn from others. In fact it's rare to find such a polite kid these days."

"Is that so…?"

Asher didn't expect that. Van Ester was a swordmaster. If taught by him, Reika would undoubtedly become strong, and if anybody else heard this they would also flip out. But she had refused the High Count Van Ester, the swordmaster, for him.

'You don't have to do this Reika.'

Reika was talented. It would honestly be better to learn from such a skilled person. In fact, Asher planned to find a swordmaster if possible and introduce them to Reika so they could take her in formally.

"More than anything, she'll be strong enough anyways. It doesn't mean much anyways since I wanted you as my disciple in the first place."

"I refuse."

Asher said in a single line, Van Ester bowed his head sullenly. It was embarrassing to see him begging and whining like a child for someone as old as he was. Asher sighed. Thanks to him, Asher had found intense motivation to train incredibly hard for the past few days.

But it wasn't just that. Asher recalled a memory that was incredibly vivid albeit short in his previous life. The sensation he felt from the brilliant flames, Aura. The senses, the power from it, the movement, the quality was all different from what Van Ester's aura was like.

Asher remembered vividly when he had awakened as a swordmaster in his final moments of his previous life, and the sensation of the aura he created.

It would be clear to him just what the exact differences were if he could resummon that aura, but the aura within him that he could feel, was like a blocked pipe with water that couldn't be released.

'Am I really a Swordmaster?'

He couldn't have made an error in his memory. The aura, which had been released from his body and sword at that time, was definitely much different than any other aura he had seen from other swordmasters. In addition… there was a strange power he could feel from his aura.

What was even more important to realize for Asher, was that Van Ester could not even recognize Asher as a fellow swordmaster. All he did was admire Asher's swordsmanship. That in itself, was odd since swordmasters could instinctively sense each other's presences and identify if one was a swordmaster.

All of a sudden, it felt that everything he knew had become awkward. He was suspicious of just what that so-called aura he had drawn out of himself was.

If Swordmaster couldn't even tell, then was it a power greater than aura? Or was it something just fundamentally different?

The pinnacle of swordsmanship

He would find his answers once he reached that point. His purpose had not changed.

If anything his purpose was that much more clear.