NOVEL WEB Chapter 6
Last time.
After catching the masked intruders who had breached the mansion walls.
My life has definitely become more prosperous.
First of all, the way the servants look at me has changed a bit.
From a savage who threatened the Lady.
To a savage who also threatened intruders?
No, it seems like I’ve become even more useful.
“Eat this!”
“Thank you.”
I think it’s also because I’ve been acting obediently towards the Lady.
“Should I eat a lot?”
Right now, all sorts of snacks are laid out in front of me.
From an expensive-looking cake to perfectly baked cookies, all kinds of treats are spread out on a cloth on the floor.
Ever since I asked for snacks as a reward last time, they’ve been bringing me a bunch of snacks under the pretext of giving them to me.
“Thank you.”
“Uh, um….”
But… it doesn’t seem like they’re bringing them just for me.
I always eat them since they’re given to me, but the Lady’s eyes are unusual.
“…Would you like some?”
“R-really, can I?”
“Of course.”
“Ah, no… this is a reward for the dog….”
…At times like this, she really acts like a child her age.
Well, she’s usually like this anyway… but those red eyes are the problem.
Sometimes, when they shine, it sends a chill down my spine.
“…Since I belong to the Lady, isn’t my reward also the Lady’s?”
“…!”
Well, it’s a matter of me acting obediently and quietly.
Honestly, it’s much better than my days as a gladiator.
A lowborn from the slums like me is eating fancy cakes that only nobles eat.
It’s like a rags-to-riches story, isn’t it?
“Mmm- delicious!”
“Please eat slowly.”
And so.
Sitting in the garden, I spent a sort-of tea party time with the Lady.
“I’ll go to my lessons now…!”
With her cheeks still stuffed with cake, the Lady left for her lessons.
“Phew.”
Well then, shall we go?
I took out the key hidden under the cushion and unlocked the collar.
Immediately, the blocked aura began to circulate, and I felt a pleasant sense of liberation.
It really was suffocating.
The feeling of not being able to use my aura was quite annoying.
I wonder how Alden managed it.
Ah, maybe he couldn’t handle it and ran away?
Come to think of it, I wonder if he’s doing well.
Since there’s been no news from the Coliseum, it seems he hasn’t been caught.
If he had been caught, they would’ve executed him as an example and proudly announced it to the gladiators.
Anyway.
I crossed the now somewhat familiar garden.
Passing by the servants who look at me with suspicion, or rather, something more dangerous.
If I go around to the opposite side of the doghouse, there’s an open training ground.
To be precise, it’s the back part of the mansion.
Since I’m the dog let loose in the yard, I’m near the entrance of the mansion.
“You’ve arrived.”
“Yes, Lowell.”
“Change into your training clothes and come back.”
There’s another reason why life here is good.
It’s because, not long ago, I started training here.
I wondered why they kept calling me.
Whether they wanted to make use of me or if it’s really a reward.
When the Lady goes to her lessons, I receive training here.
There are as many as three knights in this mansion.
The two bodyguards of the Lady who were punished for being momentarily breached by me, and the knight who trains the guards and is in charge of overall security.
However.
I have a separate instructor here.
“Let’s warm up a bit.”
That old man.
He’s been calling me out during the Lady’s lesson times, probably out of boredom, and training me.
“Let’s try using your aura today. It’s about time we see it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Confidence is a virtue, but arrogance often isn’t.”
…He’s so relaxed.
Honestly, I don’t have the confidence to even touch a hair on him.
“Then, here I go.”
Focusing my mind for a moment. I circulated my aura throughout my body.
The aura flowed through my entire body, filling me with vitality and exhilaration.
And.
Bang-!
It gave me overflowing strength.
In the Coliseum, I couldn’t use it freely because I was secretly training.
But here, everyone knows I’m an aura user, so I unleashed my power without hesitation and charged at Lowell.
Whoosh-!
Immediately after, the sword I swung fiercely cut through the air.
…He disappeared again.
Does he have a special movement technique?
He just keeps disappearing, it’s really something.
I immediately swung my sword backward.
Clang-!
The sword was blocked.
“Your instincts are good.”
“If I can’t see you, you’re usually behind me.”
I added more strength to the wooden sword and used the recoil to spin my body.
Then, I saw Lowell holding my wooden sword with his fingers.
“Huh, really.”
That old man is really something.
If I’m in a situation where I can’t win a strength contest and my sword is caught, I should let go.
I let go of the wooden sword and kicked the ground.
Swish-
The sand sprayed up, blocking Lowell’s vision.
Taking advantage of that, I spun my body and tried to kick him in the head….
But then.
Thud-!
A strong impact hit my chest, and my body was sent flying.
Crash-!
“Ouch….”
How many times did I roll?
Just because I threw some sand, he had to hit me.
“Your quick judgment is excellent.”
“Thanks for that.”
Blocking my vision and then attacking head-on.
As expected, he’s experienced.
“By the way, what’s that?”
“What are you talking about?”
“That disappearing thing. Are you teleporting or something?”
Since the sparring ended quickly, I asked.
He’s too fast, isn’t he?
I’m also an aura user, and my reflexes aren’t bad.
But if he disappears like that, how am I supposed to find him?
“…You don’t know about Fleet?”
“Huh? What’s that?”
“You really don’t know….”
For a moment, Lowell looked at me as if he couldn’t believe I didn’t know.
But I really have no idea.
What’s that?
Alden didn’t teach me that technique?
“It’s one of the basic techniques for aura users. Who taught you aura?”
“Uh… the former champion of the Coliseum. I only learned Qi Manipulation Technique briefly.”
“Briefly?”
“Yeah, I didn’t learn much before the champion escaped, so I self-taught.”
At the mention of self-teaching, Lowell looked at me with disbelief.
And then.
“…Then I’ll teach you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it’s basic skills, so you’ll learn quickly.”
For some reason, he’s offering to teach me directly.
“First, before Fleet, you need to learn Track.”
“…What’s that?”
“You really don’t know. We’ll have to start from the basics.”
What’s Track?
…I thought I was a decent aura user.
Turns out I’m a savage among civilized people.
I wonder how I managed to get past the bodyguards back then.
If it weren’t for desperation, I might’ve been subdued immediately.
“First, it’s good to know what’s out there, but can you read?”
“Yes, I can read and write.”
“You can write too?”
“Is there a problem?”
During my gladiator days, I learned to read and write.
…Actually, Alden helped a lot with that.
He was quite knowledgeable for a knight.
Come to think of it, I owe Alden a lot.
If I see him alive later, I should repay him.
Well, if he sees me as a noble family’s dog, he’ll probably laugh his head off.
“That’s good. Then I’ll give you paper and a pen to take notes.”
“Alright.”
And so.
I learned about the basic techniques of aura users from Lowell.
According to him, there are four common basic techniques among aura users on the continent.
Track, which enhances the eyes to catch instantaneous movements.
Fleet, which concentrates aura in the body for a momentary burst of speed.
Rush, which explodes aura outward to overwhelm the opponent.
And finally, Guard, which wraps a thin layer of aura around the body for defense.
“These are the basics.”
“…There’s a lot to learn.”
It’s clear that I can’t learn all of this at once.
But it’s really basic stuff.
When I tried to escape the Coliseum, I gathered aura in my legs to leap, which is somewhat similar to a rudimentary Fleet.
“Since you awakened your aura through self-taught Qi Manipulation Technique, you’ll learn quickly.”
“Other things aside, if I learn Fleet, will I really become as fast as you?”
“My level is different, but the Void Family’s Fleet is a bit special.”
I get that his level is different.
But the Void Family’s Fleet?
“Do different families have their own secret techniques?”
“Usually, yes.”
Oh…
So these are the basics, and noble families have their own modified versions.
“I can’t learn that, right?”
I shamelessly asked, just in case.
“Of course not.”
As expected, I can’t.
“Well, it’s not entirely impossible.”
“What do I need to do?”
There’s a way?
Honestly, I’m quite interested in that fast movement technique, so I perked up and asked.
“Build more merit.”
“Ordinary merit won’t do, right?”
“No, only those recognized by the family head as retainers of the Lady can learn the family’s secret techniques.”
“…I see.”
So I’ll never learn it in my lifetime?
How am I supposed to build merit while lying around with a collar in the yard?
“It’ll be hard to learn.”
“You never know, if the opportunity arises, give it a try.”
The situation with the masked intruders was special, and opportunities to build merit are rare.
I really feel like I have a long way to go, but for now, I learned the basics that day.
However.
Unexpectedly, the opportunity to build merit came quickly.