Chapter 97 : The Blacksmith (1)
Chapter 97: The Blacksmith (1)
Leon received extraordinary treatment in the Holy Kingdom.
Wherever he went, attendants were waiting to serve him.
Some of them even offered to help him bathe.
To be honest, it was burdensome.
Not even cardinals or the Pope had attendants who helped them bathe.
Yet these people willingly volunteered to bathe nothing more than a mere warrior.
It was beyond bewildering.
It left him genuinely puzzled.
One day, Leon finally asked Baylen about it.
Why was everyone treating him with such respect?
Baylen looked at him as though the answer were obvious.
“What, are we supposed to neglect the son of the Conqueror who saved our kingdom? Does that even make sense?”
“……”
Those words made Leon realize his own status.
Unlike Elphrel, where everything revolved around strength, other nations placed great importance on social standing.
The Holy Kingdom followed that tendency less than most countries, but every citizen still knew one thing.
The Conqueror had saved the Holy Kingdom.
Of course, true to their dislike of warriors, most of the citizens still didn't like the Conqueror.
Being saved was one thing.
Disliking him was another.
It was an incredibly contradictory attitude.
But the Conqueror wasn't a god.
How could he possibly change the feelings of every person?
After hearing that explanation, Leon voiced another question.
“Then why are they so respectful toward me? They don't seem like people who hate warriors.”
“Do you think anyone wants to get cut down by you? If they openly insulted warriors to your face, do you think you'd just stand there and take it?”
“……”
It was an annoyingly convincing argument.
Certainly, if someone insulted warriors right in front of him, Leon had no intention of letting it slide.
Wasn't there an old saying?
A fist is closer than the law.
Furthermore, Leon had done what little he could to help when the Holy Kingdom was in danger.
Even if the Holy Kingdom disliked warriors as a whole, they couldn't belittle Leon himself.
“They'll still gossip behind your back, though.”
“For example?”
“Well... they'll say you smell.”
“Or that you eat like a beast.”
“I'll admit I eat a lot.”
“But I don't smell.”
“Hm?”
Baylen leaned closer and sniffed Leon several times.
Then he narrowed his eyes.
“Huh.”
“You're right.”
“Why don't you smell?”
“More importantly, why did you think I would?”
“I bathe immediately after sweating.”
“Hmm…”
“Well…”
“Because you're a warrior from the North?”
“……”
Leon's expression darkened.
Seeing the murderous look on his face, Baylen smiled awkwardly.
“My apologies.”
“I suppose I was looking at you with prejudice.”
“Hm…”
Leon slowly looked Baylen up and down.
'Would it be alright if I hit him just once?'
'He should still be able to walk tomorrow, right?'
Of course, he only thought about it.
He didn't actually act.
Baylen's physique might have rivaled that of a seasoned mercenary.
But he had never trained a day in his life.
Even a light punch might leave him bedridden for three days.
Leon shook his head and sighed.
“Leon!”
“I'm here!”
At that moment, Sibelte waved from afar.
Leon waved back before asking,
“Have you finished your work?”
“More or less.”
“Priest Frey said he'd handle the rest.”
“So it's fine.”
“I see.”
“Then shall we begin?”
“Of course.”
At that moment—
A violet haze began rising from both Leon and Sibelte.
It had already been half a month since Leon began staying in the Holy Kingdom.
Together with Sibelte, he devoted himself to researching Divine Power.
“What if we tried using it like Mana?”
“People who train Mana Arts coat their swords with Mana, don't they?”
“We could try coating a sword with Divine Power instead.”
“I'm a warrior.”
“I've never learned Mana Arts.”
“Ah…”
“That's true.”
“Then perhaps another meth—”
“But I can use something similar.”
“So let's give it a try.”
“??”
Perhaps because Divine Power itself was something newly discovered within the Holy Kingdom—
Their research never progressed smoothly.
They repeated the same cycle hundreds, even thousands of times.
Forming theories.
Testing them personally.
Again.
And again.
Even after all that effort, progress remained painfully slow.
Hundreds of attempts yielded a single discovery.
Thousands more revealed another.
Most people would have abandoned such research long ago.
Without extraordinary determination, it would have been impossible to endure.
Yet Leon and Sibelte never stopped.
Because they had already recognized Divine Power's limitless potential.
Even after learning only a tiny fraction of it—
Both of them had become captivated.
Divine Power held endless possibilities.
It was enough to make one wonder how such a power could even exist.
Perhaps that was only natural for a power bestowed by a god.
The deeper they explored it—
The harder it became to walk away.
At the same time—
Both Leon and Sibelte instinctively realized something.
Their understanding of Divine Power was progressing unusually quickly.
It wasn't a power that someone with ordinary talent could comprehend.
As a result, unlike Sibelte, Leon constantly struggled to understand it.
Fortunately, thanks to the knowledge from his previous life, keeping pace with Sibelte wasn't impossible.
For now.
But sooner or later, the gap would inevitably widen.
Unlike Leon—
Sibelte possessed truly heaven-defying talent.
While Leon barely pieced together flashes of inspiration from countless experiences accumulated across two lifetimes—
Sibelte advanced through Divine Power using pure talent alone.
It was talent that inspired awe.
He finally understood why Indra had praised her so highly.
Including his previous life, Leon was now nearly seventy years old.
Yet Sibelte's flashes of insight shone far brighter than his own.
It was proof that age meant absolutely nothing before true talent.
Even so—
Leon never became impatient.
He had long accepted the limits of his own talent.
Instead—
He considered this moment a blessing.
How many people could study alongside a genius who appeared perhaps once every generation?
Not only that—
They shared every single discovery they made.
That alone was no different from a heaven-sent opportunity.
Leon felt nothing but gratitude toward everything that helped him grow.
And so—
An entire year passed.
Eighteen years old.
An age where one could unquestionably be called an adult.
No longer a boy but a young man—
Leon, as always, was training inside his room.
Sitting cross-legged, he carefully refined Divine Power within his Mental World.
One year had been more than enough to deepen his understanding of it.
Of course, had he been alone, he probably wouldn't have achieved much.
But Sibelte had been beside him.
As a result—
Leon finally succeeded in controlling his Blessing through theory put into practice.
WOOOOONG—!!
The Divine Power he had cultivated within his Mental World resonated.
At the same time—
Leon felt the Blessing dwelling within him begin to weaken.
CRACK—!
CRACK—!!
Suddenly—
His body began twisting in a bizarre manner.
The instant the Blessing's effect weakened—
His body started growing.
The growth that had been suppressed by the Blessing was utterly monstrous.
Simply suppressing the Blessing with Divine Power caused changes so dramatic that they could only be described as another Rebirth Through Bone and Flesh Transformation.
The most noticeable change—
Was his muscles.
Unlike his gradually changing bones, his muscles visibly expanded before his eyes.
They swelled as though filled with air—
Then compressed once more.
Again.
And again.
His muscles weren't merely growing.
They were simultaneously becoming denser.
Ordinary humans built muscle slowly.
Naturally, compression occurred just as gradually.
But Leon's body was different.
His muscles grew rapidly.
Their compression proceeded just as quickly.
Anyone devoted to physical training would have fainted at such a sight.
Yet even this wasn't without limits.
CRACK—!!
'Is this my limit?'
The sound of his bones cracking was noticeably louder than before.
His body was finally struggling to keep pace with its own growth.
Even now—
Leon's body couldn't endure being without his Blessing for long.
Years of training allowed him to last somewhat longer.
Even so—
He couldn't surpass half a gak.
Still—
The results were undeniable.
The stronger his body became—
The longer he could survive without the Blessing.
Compared to the beginning, it was incredible progress.
Originally—
He couldn't survive even a single minute without it.
Now—
He could endure nearly half a gak.
That alone was an astonishing improvement.
Moreover—
He could now restore the Blessing using Divine Power.
Given enough time—
He would eventually obtain the greatest body under heaven.
“Huu…”
Restoring the Blessing through Divine Power, Leon slowly exhaled.
White mist drifted from his lips.
Opening his eyes, he looked down at himself and muttered,
“My Essence, Energy, and Spirit have become one.”
“I can now manipulate my Internal Energy as though it were my own hands and feet.”
Within the Martial Alliance—
This realm was known as Three Flowers Gather at the Crown.
A characteristic possessed only by absolute masters.
A state reached only when Essence, Energy, and Spirit achieved perfect harmony.
An involuntary smile appeared on Leon's face.
Until now—
He had believed he stood only one step away from the Absolute Peak Realm.
But that had been arrogance.
Now that his Essence, Energy, and Spirit had united—
He understood with complete certainty.
Only now—
Had he truly entered the Absolute Peak Realm.
“To think the true essence of the Four Seasons Star Cloud Technique lay in perfecting the body.”
Perhaps because it was a cultivation method aimed at infinite circulation—
The Four Seasons Star Cloud Technique placed tremendous importance on the vessel containing its Internal Energy.
Simply put—
The sturdier the body wielding that Internal Energy became—
The better.
Thinking about it now—
It was obvious.
Hadn't he already experienced it two years ago when he fought Reculrus of the Great Blood of Night?
Back then—
His body had been incapable of enduring the endlessly circulating Internal Energy of the Four Seasons Star Cloud Technique.
At the time, he hadn't considered it important.
After all—
How could a human body possibly contain truly infinite energy?
'My thinking was too narrow.'
A body incapable of containing infinite energy?
Fine.
That much was true.
But the core of the Four Seasons Star Cloud Technique was infinity and circulation.
Then naturally—
Shouldn't he strengthen the vessel that contained such power?
'Why couldn't I understand something so obvious before?'
Because his comprehension simply wasn't good enough.
Once again—
Leon was reminded that he possessed only ordinary talent.
Someone like Sibelte—
Or any true genius—
Would have understood such a principle immediately.
'At least I realized it now.'
As his body improved—
His swordsmanship advanced by leaps and bounds as well.
Movements he had once only imagined might be possible—
Became reality after his body evolved.
There was a saying:
When the body is strong, the mind doesn't have to suffer.
As Leon's body continued growing—
Every aspect of him advanced alongside it.
Now he genuinely believed—
Once his body reached completion—
Nothing would be impossible.
“Leon.”
At that moment, someone called to him from outside.
“Who is it?”
“It's me.”
“Sibelte.”
“I came because I wanted to speak with you.”
“Come in.”
Sibelte entered the room.
The moment their eyes met—
She suddenly stiffened.
“U-Um…”
“Wouldn't it be better if you put some clothes on?”
“Ah.”
Only then did Leon realize his trousers had been completely ruined.
He nodded.
“My apologies.”
“I was training for a bit.”
“It seems my trousers tore again.”
“You suppressed your Blessing and forced your body to grow again?”
“My Blessing continues to hinder my growth.”
“But that Blessing is also the reason you've survived until now.”
“Even if Divine Power can restore it, you should avoid doing something like that too often.”
“We still don't fully understand this power.”
“If some unforeseen variable appears…”
“It won't end well.”
“Thank you for the advice.”
“By the way…”
“What brought you here, Your Holiness?”
“To say goodbye.”
Sibelte smiled.
Though she looked just a little disappointed.
“You're leaving now, aren't you?”
“Yes.”
“Our research into Divine Power is nearly complete.”
“There's no reason for me to remain here anymore.”
“Couldn't you stay until the research is completely finished?”
“You don't need my help anymore.”
“Besides…”
“For the last three months, you've been leading nearly all of the research yourself.”
“I've only been assisting.”
“……”
Sibelte fell silent.
A hint of resentment appeared in her half-lidded gaze.
As though she were pouting.
Leon shook his head inwardly.
Surely the Pope wouldn't sulk over something like this.
Someone like him wasn't important enough for that.
She was probably only pretending to be disappointed because they had grown close.
Leon spoke.
“Thank you for everything.”
“Because of you, I've finally found the direction I should pursue.”
“If there's ever an opportunity to repay this debt…”
“Please call upon me.”
“…I wish you had belonged to the Holy Kingdom.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing.”
“I was only speaking out of regret.”
“Forget I said anything.”
“If that's what you wish…”
“Then I will.”
After a brief exchange—
Leon departed from the Holy Kingdom that very afternoon.