Chapter 70: Late-Night Map

Juyeon stood up from her seat as she watched Rohan’s face on the camera screen.

Opening the door for a guest could be easily done by operating the device from inside.

─ I’m here!

Click! As the door opened and a cheerful voice echoed through the living room, Clara instinctively jumped up from her chair.

Juyeon gestured with her chin, urging Clara to go.

“Oppa…!”

Having received permission, Clara dashed towards the entrance like a puppy waiting for its owner.

Soon after, the sound of conversation drifted in.

Juyeon remained at the table, giving the lovesick girl some private time.

Picking up her cooled mug, she channeled her Mana, warming the coffee once more.

Lightly touching her lips to the cup, Juyeon pondered the topic Clara had brought up.

Romance, huh.

The word brought to mind her parents back in the Three Kingdoms Union. They often mentioned it whenever she went back.

While she understood their desire to see grandchildren, Juyeon had no intention of laying down her arms.

She had too many responsibilities now to pursue a normal life. She had come too far to turn back.

I’m neither a qualified Instructor nor a good daughter…

Even if she resigned from her position as an Orion Academy Instructor and returned to the Three Kingdoms Union, Juyeon would still be on the battlefield, protecting her homeland.

As long as she continued such a dangerous life, the fear of inflicting the pain of loss on someone prevented her from forming deep relationships.

She knew from experience how quickly such trauma could consume a person.

─ Did you have a good time with the Instructor?

─ Yes…！ Juyeon-nim was so kind…

Two sets of footsteps approached.

Juyeon cut off her melancholic thoughts.

“Instructor! Excuse me!”

“Come in.”

Rohan, stepping into the living room, greeted her and presented a colorful paper bag he was carrying.

If Juyeon’s memory served her right, it was from an ice cream franchise that had expanded from Tigrova to Academy City.

“I felt bad coming empty-handed, so I bought some dessert for after dinner.”

“A cadet bringing something like this to an Instructor’s house…”

Juyeon trailed off, noticing Clara’s gaze fixated on the ice cream.

As a result, she simply chuckled and nodded when Rohan asked if he could put it in the refrigerator.

Hmm?

Rohan turned his back as he opened the freezer.

Juyeon’s eyes narrowed as she watched him. If she wasn’t mistaken, the aura emanating from Rohan felt different.

A subtle transformation she might have missed amidst the chaos at the Public Security Bureau. A change so minute that most people wouldn’t even notice.

As Juyeon focused on Rohan, she saw something familiar yet foreign.

Light…? No, a flame?

Juyeon was aware that Rohan, like herself, had an aptitude for fire.

Being able to use Blazing Blade indicated as much. But that flicker of fire had been too small to define its nature.

However, she could now sense that it had grown in size.

Did he gain some insight amidst hardship?

If Rohan used his Mana to manipulate the fire, she might be able to see it more clearly.

For now, all she felt was that something had changed, something had grown.

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After the three of them finished their meal and dessert,

Rohan expressed his disappointment about missing the afternoon classes due to the incident and asked Juyeon if she could spare some time to watch him practice his swordsmanship.

Juyeon herself was curious about Rohan’s change.

Handing him one of her swords, she agreed, and the three of them went outside to aid digestion as well.

Rohan gave his outer garment to Clara, who had followed them, and the girl seemed particularly pleased.

The park in front of Juyeon’s house.

It was quiet, accessible only to the residents of the mansion where Juyeon lived.

Under the bright lights, Rohan, who had been warming up with stretches, suddenly spoke as if he had just remembered something.

“Ah! Instructor. My friends asked where I went, so I just told them I had some business and left early.”

“Hmm, good job. I’ll make a formal announcement after the information is organized and we reach an agreement. It won’t take long.”

The information had already been relayed to the three countries that governed Academy City.

While she didn’t know what conclusions each country would draw, it was highly likely that some of the high-ranking children in the Academy had already heard about it.

T-shirt and cotton pants.

Rohan hopped in place, seemingly satisfied with his condition, and drew the sword Juyeon had lent him.

Shwing──!

He respectfully placed the scabbard on the ground and assumed a stance.

Clara kept her distance so as not to disturb them and watched the two.

Juyeon, who was to receive Rohan’s attacks, was barehanded.

She was ready to engage whenever he was.

Before using the monumental sword technique for the first time, Rohan organized his thoughts.

Divine Sun Judgment Sword is currently Level 1.

There were two swords he could use.

First Sword, Flame Sever, and Second Sword, Dawn and Sunset.

His experience and intuition from observing various unique skills told him something.

As the level increased, and he gained the corresponding physical abilities and Mana, new swords would be unlocked.

“Hoooo…”

He exhaled deeply. He widened his stance and lowered his center of gravity.

The blade, imbued with Blazing Blade, turned crimson.

It’s difficult even before I swing.

Sword skill wasn’t something his body would automatically follow just because he used it.

Basic movements and the direction of Mana circulation were simply drawn in his mind.

In Abyss City, all it took was a click to unleash dazzling sword techniques, but now it was in a state neither truly active nor passive.

The contraction and relaxation of muscles, breathing, the moment of impact as he gripped the sword, the trajectory the empowered blade should follow, the complex and geometric movement of Mana.

Various conditions poured into his consciousness like an avalanche.

Achieving these requirements is the first step.

How much practice would he need to transcend this and wield the ideal swordsmanship?

Rohan began to anticipate the training that would continue until his mind went numb.

For now, I’ll try, even if it’s clumsy.

He gripped the sword tightly.

──Whoosh! Rohan’s foot pushed off the ground, closing the distance to Juyeon.

“Unleash it to your heart’s content.”

“Thank you.”

Juyeon waited without reaching out to Rohan first.

That was the best condition for him.

“Ha!”

Within striking distance. Rohan moved like lightning, circulating his Mana.

Juyeon evaded with a single step from Rohan’s sword path.

She continued to observe during that interval.

Unique.

There were no dazzling flames. However, Juyeon could see it clearly.

Heat shimmered and condensed with explosive potential along the trajectory of the blade.

It was a Mana manipulation Juyeon had never seen before.

And this sword…

It wasn’t the sharp, experienced strikes Rohan had shown during class.

She could sense a system behind it. Intriguing.

She could feel the potential for growth.

Following that, a downward strike.

Juyeon caught the blade in her hand.

A response that rendered Blazing Blade useless, but as if it wasn’t over, blazing flames surged from the ground, threatening to erupt.

Reading the heat, Juyeon suppressed the flames with her foot, preventing them from bursting forth.

Even if it was just the three of them, this park was a shared space.

After handling the situation, curiosity arose within Juyeon.

What kind of swordsmanship is that?

It seemed Rohan had learned some kind of sword technique.

Did he have it originally? If so, was it perhaps a Southern Region sword technique? What kind of spectacle would it display if this flame grew and its characteristics became more pronounced?

Just the unique manipulation alone made her curious about its potential when mastered.

But that aside, his posture…

There was much to critique. It was incredibly clumsy.

Rohan himself also seemed dissatisfied with the swing.

He appeared to be acutely aware of his lack of practice.

While Juyeon couldn’t guide him towards the ideal swordsmanship without knowing what kind of sword it was,

She could at least refine the basics and point out areas for improvement.

“Start again with the first sword you showed me.”

Juyeon spoke, extending her hand and manipulating her Mana.

Swish! The scabbard Rohan had placed on the ground flew into Juyeon’s grasp.

“Understood!”

Once again, Flame Sever.

Clang!

Before the sword could even swing, Juyeon’s scabbard intercepted the trajectory.

The blade was blocked, unable to move.

“The starting point of the heat convergence is obvious. The problem is that the condensation time is too long.”

If the start was obvious, it was literally a telegraphed punch.

“Think about when an ordinary person throws a punch. You can read the signal from their shoulder before their fist extends.”

“Yes.”

“Based on that, evasion becomes much easier.”

“You’re right, Instructor.”

“It’s the same with that sword just now. Because the process of gathering heat before swinging isn’t concise, it’s similar to the signal of a shoulder twitching before a punch is thrown.”

Rohan nodded at Juyeon’s words, establishing a direction.

“Of course, against a quick-witted opponent, it could serve as a feint to deceive them once or twice.”

“Thank you.”

With gratitude, Rohan reassumed his stance with a serious expression.

Juyeon commanded.

“Then next. Try that downward swing again.”

The time they had intended for simple digestion began to stretch considerably.

The late-night lesson ended when Rohan’s Mana was nearly depleted.

Clara had spent the entire time staring blankly at Rohan’s face.

When Juyeon asked if she was bored, she replied that she wasn’t bored at all.

A day later.

Rohan bought a longsword on an installment plan. And thanks to Juyeon’s intervention, Clara was able to obtain an Academy City ID.

She was asked to vacate the small room she had been provided within three months.

Rohan promised to find Clara a place of her own as soon as he received the reward money from the Public Security Bureau.

As time passed, Rohan’s swordsmanship began to take shape.

One day in April, with midterms fast approaching,

Just as Rohan was becoming anxious about Shion’s well-being,

The prelude to the Main Story finally appeared before his eyes.