Chapter 47: Doom is an Open Door (3)

Serati and Varos began living in Karnak’s mansion. While the other knights of the estate had their own families and homes, these two, both unmarried, stayed on-site. A few days later, Serati was formally knighted under Karnak’s command. The knights of Zestrad welcomed her with open arms. Naturally, there was no hazing.

Hazing only happened when the gap between parties wasn’t so vast, and Serati was an aura user. The disparity in their abilities left no room for petty challenges.

Instead, the knights were brimming with curiosity. How strong could an aura user really be? Could the rumors of their overwhelming strength, even in a woman’s frame, be true? Thanks to this, Serati found herself busy sparring with curious knights.

***

In the expansive training grounds behind Karnak’s mansion, a broad-shouldered man in his mid-thirties prepared for a sparring match with Serati. This was Emil, one of Zestrad’s knights. Emil bowed respectfully while holding a practice sword.

“I look forward to your guidance.”

Likewise, Serati, holding her own practice sword, responded with equal courtesy.

“Guidance? It’s I who should be learning from you.”

With that, Emil charged forward with a fierce shout.

“Hyah!”

His blade, honed through years of real combat, struck at Serati with precision and speed. Yet, Serati didn’t so much as flinch. She parried and deflected every strike with ease.

Clang! Clang-clang!

The clash of steel echoed through the air as their swords met repeatedly. Sweat began to soak Emil’s entire body, and his breathing grew labored.

“Hah... hah... hah...”

Meanwhile, Serati remained entirely unaffected. She wasn’t even sweating, and her breathing was as steady as ever.

Emil’s eyes faltered.

Is the gap this vast between an ordinary knight and an aura user?

He had heard that the red-tier was the entry level of aura mastery. And on top of that, Serati was a woman. He hadn’t expected to win, but he’d thought he could at least put up a decent fight. Yet he couldn’t even come close.

And she hasn’t even used her aura blade yet!

When Serati shifted to the offensive, Emil stumbled back while letting out a grunt. At first glance, her attack seemed like a light feint, a mere probing strike. But when Emil tried to block it, the force felt as if he’d been hit by a runaway carriage. The impact coursed through his entire body.

“Argh!”

He barely managed to stay on his feet, his last shred of pride as a man keeping him upright.

“I’m... I’m not down yet!”

The other knights watching the match exchanged knowing glances. Those who had already sparred with Serati had expected this outcome.

“Emil’s really hanging in there.”

“I know that feeling all too well.”

“It’s hard to accept, being overpowered by such a delicate-looking woman.”

Serati didn’t use any extraordinary techniques or intricate skills. Her movements were basic and straightforward. But she was too strong. Too fast. Even without using her aura blade, her aura-enhanced physical capabilities created an insurmountable gap.

“Ugh!”

In the end, Emil collapsed to the ground. With considerable effort, Emil managed to steady himself and offered a shaky bow.

“Th-thank you for the lesson...”

His expression was a mix of humiliation and admiration. Of course, he was frustrated—he hadn’t been able to do anything before being thoroughly defeated. Yet alongside the bitterness, there was also immense respect for the sheer power of an aura user. Serati sheathed her sword.

“Thank you.”

She still hadn’t broken a sweat. Out of politeness, though, she pretended to wipe her brow. But internally, Serati found herself acknowledging the knights of Zestrad.

Huh, they’re all about the level of first-rate adventurers from a guild, aren’t they?

She had assumed they’d be unimpressive, thanks to Karnak’s relentless disparagement of his own estate’s knights. To her surprise, their skills weren’t bad at all.

They lacked experience in human-versus-human combat, but that was understandable. After all, the primary enemies in Zestrad’s territory were monsters, not other people. For the circumstances they were in, the knights were well-trained. So why did Karnak and Varos belittle them so much?

Ah, right. It’s just their warped standards.

Serati pouted at the thought.

By their standards, she herself was considered third-rate. In fact, almost everyone in the world was third-rate to Karnak. Once, she had been so flabbergasted that she directly asked him, “Then who exactly do you consider first-rate, Lord Karnak?”

His answer had been simple.

“The Four Martial Kings and the Three Archmages.”

“.....”

If the Four Martial Kings—those who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts—and the Archmages, said to have attained godlike mastery of magic, were considered first-rate, then who was above first-rate?

“Someone like the Dragon Emperor, Grateria.”

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

“And second-rate?”

“Commanders of the imperial knights, the protectors of the federation, or maybe the captain of Altail Kingdom’s knights in the Seven Kingdoms Alliance.”

For reference, all of these individuals were at the silver-tier. They were silver knights, just one step below the ultimate mastery of martial arts.

“And everyone else is third-rate?”

“Exactly.”

“How does that even make sense? There’s such a huge gap between people in that

third-rate

category!”

A purple knight could handle ten red knights at once. Serati herself, being at red-tier, could easily take on dozens of ordinary warriors.

“How can you lump them all together as third-rate?”

According to Karnak’s logic, it was entirely reasonable.

“What’s so strange about it? A guy with ten coins and a guy with a thousand coins are both still poor.”

“Oh, that’s how you see it?”

“...

That’s

how I see it?”

Later, Karnak found himself musing. Why was it that each time he took on a vassal, they ended up being so cheeky? But that wasn’t important. Regardless of Karnak’s skewed standards, the knights of Zestrad were objectively quite strong by conventional measures.

That said, their strength was meaningless against Serati. The difference between those who had awakened aura and those who hadn’t was truly monumental—superior strength, speed, reflexes, and overall physical capability. Having experienced life before her own awakening, Serati fully understood the disparity.

Still...

How is Sir Varos so strong without using Aura?

***

“Why? Isn’t it obvious?”

Serati was sent flying backward, her grip still firm on her practice sword.

“Ugh!”

It wasn’t because of Varos’s strength. Rather, she had overextended in her strike, and Varos had deflected it, causing her to lose her balance and propel herself backward.

“You’re not controlling your aura properly, Sir Serati,” Varos said calmly.

It was late in the afternoon, and as usual, Serati was training under Varos—not just in name but genuinely learning from him.

“Of course, I know my mastery of aura is still lacking, but...”

Adjusting her stance quickly, Serati wore a look of disbelief. She was certain she had been faster. She could even see Varos’s movements, which appeared slower than hers. And yet, despite being able to see his attacks, she couldn’t block them!

“The reason is simple.”

Varos spun his sword casually in one hand and shrugged.

“You’re wasting too much energy.”

No matter how fast or strong her strikes were, every swing carried inherent delays when returning to a neutral stance. Varos exploited those openings.

“Minimizing those delays isn’t just about moving faster.”

It required precise posture, controlled pacing, countless repetitions to eliminate unnecessary movements, the skill to strike effectively in any given moment, and the experience to recognize the right moment instantly.

"Experience is something you can't change overnight," Varos said, moving again. "But at the very least, you should eliminate unnecessary movements."

Once more, his sword began its elegant dance. It still looked slow, yet his strikes pierced through Serati’s defenses with uncanny precision, targeting her entire body.

But how? I’m clearly faster than him...

Serati groaned inwardly while dodging and parrying with difficulty. Why was it that openings she didn’t even realize existed only became apparent when fighting Varos? After about a minute, Varos’s attacks began to lose intensity. Serati frowned.

“Why are you going easy on me all of a sudden?”

Varos gave an awkward laugh.

“I’m not going easy. I’m just getting tired.”

“But you

look

like you’re holding back.”

“Oh, that? It’s just a habit.”

Feigning composure even when exhausted was a habit he’d developed to survive.

“In any case, this is my limit for now.”

“Already?”

“You really think someone without aura can keep this up indefinitely? It’s only thanks to controlling my breath and pacing myself that I managed this long.”

“Ah...”

“Well, I lost today’s sparring match.”

“If this were a real battle, I’d already be dead.”

Varos offered no verbal response, just a small smile. His silence was answer enough, prompting Serati to glare at him.

Hmph. He’s saying, ‘If I wanted to kill you, I’d have done it already,’ isn’t he?

Varos slumped into the shade, sitting down casually.

“Let’s take a break.”

“All right.”

They each drank from the water they’d prepared beforehand, catching their breath. Serati found herself staring at Varos.

Come to think of it, being turned into a vassal wasn’t all that bad, huh?

When she first became a vassal to a necromancer, she had braced herself for the worst. But now that she thought about it, there hadn’t been any real downsides.

Karnak didn’t issue any sinister commands, and she hadn’t experienced any moral corruption or shift in her personality. On the contrary, she had gained so much. In particular, the opportunity to learn from Varos.

Serati had always been self-taught, honing her swordsmanship by observing others and practicing on her own. Thanks to her natural talent and hard work, she had become an aura user at a young age. Still, she had long yearned to reach an even higher level.

In that sense, Varos was the perfect teacher.

He retained the knowledge of a martial artist who had once been the strongest in the world. He had collected and mastered nearly every famous sword technique and was experienced enough to explain the nuanced differences between theory and practical application.

Moreover, his experiences fighting through possession gave him incredible insight into the strengths and weaknesses of different warriors.

Right, the possession... that was actually amazing.

Suddenly, Serati’s face lit up with excitement. Back when Varos had taken control of her body, she’d been terrified. But now, reflecting on it, it had been an extraordinary experience.

She had felt firsthand how her body moved, how her aura flowed, and what it was like to reach a higher realm. She had experienced it all in her own body.

Feeling greedy, she asked casually, “Sir Varos, is it possible for you to possess me like before?”

“Possess you?”

“Yes. If I could experience that a few more times, I think I’d really get the hang of it...”

Varos’s expression turned serious.

“That’s not something you should do often.”

“Why not?”

“Actually, the idea came from the young master, Karnak, in the first place.”

The idea was simple: Varos would possess aura users struggling with a bottleneck, letting them directly experience a higher level. The theory was that this would help them break through their limits. They tested it on several aura users, but the results weren’t satisfactory.

“After about three possessions, they went insane.”

“...What?”

“Possession overlays someone else’s soul on top of your own. It muddles the original soul, eventually erasing their sense of self and turning them into a evil spirit.”

Serati was dumbfounded.

“And you did something that dangerous to me?”

“At the time, your life was on the line. There wasn’t much choice.”

Serati snapped back to her senses.

These people... I can’t let my guard down around them.

Even if there were benefits, she’d need to stay vigilant at all times. Who knew what might happen if she wasn’t careful?

“So, if people lose their minds after three possessions, does that mean two is fine?”

“Why would you interpret it that way?”

Varos stared at her, horrified.

She’s oddly similar to the young master in how she thinks.

No matter how dangerous it was, she seemed determined to seize any potential gains.

“Now, now! Let’s just drop the idea! It’s too risky. Besides, you’ll grow stronger without doing anything crazy. You’re still young, after all.”

“Pfft.”

Serati let out a small laugh.

Something about the way Varos lectured her felt like a grandfather scolding his granddaughter. It was funny, since he appeared to be in his twenties.

Then again, Sir Varos is actually old, isn’t he?

Though his body was similar to her in age, his soul was that of a hundred-year-old monster. Karnak was the same. Judging them by appearances alone was a mistake.

“By the way, it’s been hard to see Lord Karnak lately,” Serati said, glancing toward the mansion as if the thought had just occurred to her.

“Well, he is the lord of the estate,” she continued. “I suppose he has a lot of backlogged work to handle.”

Varos shrugged.

“He probably is busy. Though I doubt it’s the paperwork keeping him busy.”