No to Being the Suffering Heroine! – Chapter 153

Is it because this world is inside a novel or a game? Unlike Earth, all living beings here possessed an intangible power that couldn’t be seen with the eyes.

No, seeing that even undead had such power, perhaps it should be said that it’s a power dwelling in all beings that move with will, not just living creatures.

Some clergy claimed that this power was the very soul dwelling in all things in the world.

They argued that the fact that the same power dwells in undead, which are corpses that have risen again, and ghost-type monsters that don’t have physical bodies, was proof of this.

Of course, there were quite a few who disbelieved or refuted this, so the soul theory wasn’t accepted as an established theory but was just one of many theories.

Well, debating whether the nature of that power is a soul or whatnot is only important to mages and clergy. For warriors, the nature of that power doesn’t matter at all.

What’s important to them isn’t the essence of the power, but what can be done with that power.

And the answer was simple.

Warriors could directly steal a part of that power possessed by enemies by killing them. Through this, they could further increase their own power.

Power built up by being covered in blood and death. A karma and blessing that leads its owner to become a transcendent being beyond the limits of mortals.

“That’s why knights called this ‘karma’. Meaning the power obtained by cutting off the cause and effect of the enemy. Those who aren’t knights…”

Demon folk called that power the origin of life. Usually, they just shortened it to ‘origin’.

The beastmen of Baltgard called it fighting spirit, and the elves of Elfenland called it spiritual power?

The lizardmen of the southern swamps called it prana, and in the east, they called it internal power, meaning the formless power dwelling within… honestly, it seemed like just setting up the original work.

I don’t understand why they call the same power by so many different names.

…Is that something I, who has four names, should be saying?

Karma, origin, fighting spirit, spiritual power, prana, internal power.

Those six names alone seemed excessive, but according to Lady Verloren’s explanation, there was even one more.

Apparently, mages who like to attach theoretical explanations and names to all phenomena proposed calling that power ‘od’, meaning mana accumulated and altered in the body for various reasons?

“In reality, even mages don’t really call it that. They were mocked by people from all walks of life except mages, asking if they were bringing up the all-things-are-mana theory again without getting tired of it.”

“The all-things-are-mana theory?”

“It’s a theory claiming that everything in the world is made of mana. They argued that not only living things, but also natural objects, souls, and even gods are just beings made up of gathered mana.”

“…It’s amazing they’re still alive after making such claims. It seems like it could be considered almost blasphemy.”

To claim that gods are mere aggregates of mana, I thought they must be fools who don’t fear the church, even for mages.

It seemed like a theory that wouldn’t be strange if they were designated as heretics and massacred by paladins as soon as it was announced.

“It was blasphemy. That’s why most of them were burned at the stake. The few survivors became Abyss Priests and went into hiding.”

Ah, so they did die.

That makes sense. Although the church has a mutual non-interference treaty with the magic tower, that treaty is only respected when neither side crosses the line.

The Goddess Church wasn’t an organization full of flexibility and mercy enough to leave alone those who uttered such radical and blasphemous claims.

“Ahem, we’ve strayed a bit from the point. Let’s return to the main topic.”

Master Verloren continued her explanation with a short cough.

* * *

While the explanation so far had been about theoretical concepts like the origin and names of karma, the story that followed was composed of more practical content.

“Karma built up through repeated life-and-death battles dwells in the warrior’s body, helping them exert martial prowess beyond their capacity. Most warriors use it unconsciously without realizing it.”

Unconscious enhancement of physical abilities. That was the most representative effect of karma.

The limit that a person can reach with pure physical ability alone is the level of apprentice knight… that is, the level of a copper token adventurer.

To exert power beyond that, a correction by karma had to be added on top of a sufficiently trained body.

Surpassing the limits of the human body through accumulated karma. That was how warriors in this world became strong enough to slaughter monsters.

“Around the elite knight level, the influence becomes starkly apparent. They can break black steel, move several meters with a light leap, and even race and win against warhorses.”

Lady Verloren explained with examples. She listed one by one the things possible for me and Friede now. Things we couldn’t even dream of in the previous world.

“Reaching the level of breaking steel with unconsciously utilized karma power. That’s the standard for an elite knight. Like you two now.”

Yes. I could easily do all those things now. Even without activating Iron Arm or Ice Heart, quite naturally.

“And those who have surpassed that level…”

Lady Verloren drew her practice longsword and gave me a look. As if telling me to draw my sword in response.

Shing.

I drew my practice longsword as Lady Verloren wanted, and looked at her while taking a middle stance aiming for the neck and solar plexus.

Lady Verloren smiled lightly as she twisted her waist and bent her knees.

And then.

Bang!

The next moment, she was already in front of my eyes. So instantaneously that even I, who was at the elite level, couldn’t react at all, though I was relaxed.

A lightning-like charge that exploded the ground as she rushed in.

The swung sword was so fast that its beginning and end were indiscernible, and her wide-open eyes flashed eerily, emitting a blue inner light that seemed to burn.

A sensation as if death itself had licked my nape and passed by. I trembled slightly at my fingertips while breaking out in a cold sweat.

“As you can see, like this, you become able to consciously manifest the power of karma.”

Lady Verloren smiled as she withdrew her inner light.

Pointing at the longsword that had been vertically cut from tip to base, becoming two blades.

“Becoming aware of the flow of karma dwelling within yourself, handling it with your own will rather than unconsciously. Reaching the level of cutting steel rather than breaking it. That’s what a high-ranking knight is.”

A technique no different from cutting through a 90cm thick steel plate with a single longsword.

Lady Verloren, who had demonstrated this, sheathed her sword without a single crack while smiling brightly, and began explaining the theory again to me, who was frozen stiff.

The manifestation of karma.

An explanation of the phenomenon that could be called the mark of a high-ranking knight.

* * *

High-ranking knight.

Powerful individuals who have captured and become aware of the flow of karma dwelling within themselves after countless fierce battles and deep cultivation.

By handling the power of karma, which they had only been using unconsciously until then, with their own will, they could become incomparably stronger than before.

“In the kingdom’s knight order, this is called ‘manifestation of karma’.”

Those who reached the stage of manifestation could freely utilize the power of karma.

Mainly by concentrating the power of karma on specific parts of the body and triggering it, thus explosively increasing momentary capacity.

It’s a principle of exerting efficient and overwhelming power by concentrating the power of karma, which is usually dispersed throughout the body, in one place.

The high-speed charge close to lightning that Lady Verloren had shown, or the technique of cutting a sword with a sword, were prime examples of this.

“That inner light earlier…”

“It’s the power of karma that’s usually dormant in the body overflowing and leaking from the pupils the moment it’s awakened. You could call it a kind of warning that a high-ranking knight is exerting full power.”

Ah, so that’s why the strong characters in the original work kept emitting inner light at every opportunity. I thought it was just a description added for coolness.

“For me, it’s just inner light, but for the very few strong individuals who have built up karma power beyond the limits of the physical body, light haze leaks from their entire body. This is called ‘ignition of karma’.”

Lady Verloren explained about the realm above her, saying there are differences in rank even among high-ranking knights.

Ignition of karma.

Strong individuals whose overflowing karma leaks from their entire body, and at this level, they can even infuse part of their karma into weapons to explosively increase cutting power.

“There’s only one swordsman in the kingdom who has reached such a level.”

The current kingdom’s strongest swordsman is said to be a swordsman who has reached this stage of ignition. In terms of level, it would be around 70 to 80?

There are even higher realms, but since only past heroes and their party members have actually reached them, they’re said to be realms considered half-legendary.

* * *

After finishing her explanation, Lady Verloren gave us a five-minute break, so I tossed the broken longsword in the corner and had a brief chat with Friede.

“Manifestation of karma… experiencing it firsthand is incredible. To the point where I couldn’t even react.”

“It’s certainly amazing…”

The true power of a high-ranking knight, which we had only heard about, was overwhelming enough to make even Friede, not to mention me, stick out her tongue in awe.

To the point where I wondered if it wasn’t dereliction of duty for someone possessing such power to retire and live leisurely.

Well, I suppose she’s able to live like that because she only reached that level after retiring. If she had become a high-ranking knight during her time as a kingdom knight, they probably wouldn’t have allowed her to retire at all.

Maybe she would have had to spend about half the year buried in deep dungeons, engaged in fierce battles with strong enemies that only high-ranking knights could face?

Thinking about it that way, it was truly fortunate that Lady Verloren was able to retire.

The world is wide and there are many strong individuals, so even for high-ranking knights, it was common to die in vain at the bottom of deep dungeons.

“The break time is over. Let’s resume training.”

As we were chatting like that for a while, Lady Verloren, who had been watching us from a distance with a smile, approached and said.

“Within the kingdom’s knight order, they teach that you need to reach the level of a high-ranking knight to achieve manifestation of karma. But experiencing it firsthand, I found that’s not necessarily the case.”

She briefly explained the topic of the training that would follow after the break, and its content.

“Even knights who haven’t accumulated karma to the level of a high-ranking knight can become aware of karma itself. As long as a high-ranking knight helps them.”

An explanation that even elite-level knights can become aware of the power of karma if a high-ranking knight helps them. It was something I was hearing for the first time.

“Although the output itself would be somewhat weak, if awareness is possible, then manifestation is also possible. As long as you practice until you succeed.”

In other words, Lady Verloren was saying she would teach us how to manifest the power of karma.

“Um… isn’t that like a secret technique or something?”

I asked back with a skeptical face while suppressing my chest swelling with anticipation.

If high-ranking knights could help others become aware of karma, all kingdom knights from the elite level up should be using karma manifestation, but in reality, that wasn’t the case.

“Yes, it probably is a secret technique. Even the high-ranking knights of the kingdom’s knight order, perhaps because they didn’t want to increase their competitors, didn’t say a word about this. They probably secretly passed it on only to their direct family members… something like that.”

Lady Verloren smiled and affirmed this.

“So, I also intend to secretly pass it on only to family.”

She revealed the reason for teaching this to us.