Chapter 49: The Grand Duke Explains Power (2)

"Similar in principle, though aura beasts and humans manifest it differently. Griffins are Noble Class aura beasts, so their field is instinctual and territorial. Human aura wielders refine theirs through training."

"Is that why Sonomi knights are said to be strong, Father?"

I smiled. "Partly. Sonomi’s environment also plays a part. It pressures the body constantly. You see, the Lorillis Desert rejects weak preparation, fragile will, and finicky determination. Our people grow sturdy because they must. It is part of their creed. Our knights train under conditions that would make Capital duelists cry into their embroidered sleeves."

Bernard coughed.

Abi grinned. "I would like to see that."

"So would I."

Spiro’s gaze shone. "What about swordmasters, Father?"

I leaned back.

"Swordsmanship has its own ranks, though they overlap with aura mastery. A trained swordsman uses skill. An aura swordsman uses skill and aura. A sword expert can coat a blade with aura consistently. A sword master can extend aura beyond the blade, form a stable field, and cut things that ordinary steel cannot."

"Like magic?" Spiro asked.

"Yes. Like magic."

His eyes widened further.

"What about powerful spells?"

"If timed correctly, yes."

"Barriers?"

"Some of them. It might get tricky though, depending on the type of barrier."

"And people?"

"Obviously. Those are the easiest things to cut down."

William said, "Your Excellency."

"What? He asked."

"He did not, sire."

"Well, he implied it."

Spiro looked more fascinated rather than frightened. I continued before William decided to further censor my educational materials.

"A swordmaster is not merely someone who swings a sword well. A swordmaster is someone who has refined his body, aura, perception, and intent into one. When a swordmaster moves, they do not simply attack. Their will is carried through the blade."

I lifted the pen and flicked it lightly.

The candle on the far wall went out.

Spiro gasped in amazement.

William’s expression remained calm because he had seen me do far worse during training.

Abi watched with keen interest.

"I did not release killing intent," I said. "Nor did I use a blade. I only moved a trace of aura through a small object. That is enough to extinguish a flame across the room."

Spiro stared at the candle then at me.

"Father is a swordmaster."

"Yes."

"At eighteen?"

"Yes."

His mouth parted slightly.

I smiled.

"Impressive, aren’t it?"

"Very." The child answered with twinkling eyes.

Good child.

Abi snorted. "Tone it down, your ego is purring."

"My ego is well-fed."

"You are being ridiculous."

"Not my fault, I am that accomplished."

"Both can be true."

I only allowed that because it was accurate.

"Swordmasters are rare," I told Spiro. "Not mythical, but rare enough that most noble families will never produce one. They are a country’s strategic assets. A single swordmaster on a battlefield can collapse formations, break morale, and force enemy commanders to change entire campaigns."

Spiro’s gaze turned serious. "Is that why Father went to the chapel with only Uncle Abi?"

"Yes. Because I am a swordmaster."

"That still sounds dangerous."

"For them, it is."

Abi laughed.

I looked at Spiro carefully. "There is a difference between recklessness and confidence based on capacity. Recklessness is walking into danger because you refuse to see it. Confidence is walking into danger after measuring whether you can cut your way out."

He listened to that seriously.

"And could Father cut his way out?"

"Yes."

"Even if there were many enemies?"

"Of course."

"Even if they had magic?"

"Even then."

"What if they had a swordmaster too?"

"Hmm. Then the morning would become more interesting if that’s the case."

Abi leaned forward. "That means yes."

"I don’t need you to translate me."

Spiro looked down at his hands. "Then... Then why do people use the children? If powerful people like Father exist, why don’t they fight directly?"

The question landed heavier than the others.

I set down the pen.

"Because not all power is clean."

His brows furrowed.

"Some people cannot defeat strength directly, so they attack soft and weak places. Children. Families. Servants. Secrets. Hunger. Fear. Poverty. Faith. They willl use whatever people cannot protect properly."

His face paled slightly.

I softened my tone by a fraction. "That is why structure matters. There must be guards, records, education, money, law, loyalty, and information. A strong sword is useful, but it cannot be everywhere at once."

"Then people are only taken when no one is watching?"

"That is often the case."

His fingers curled

.

"But now Father is watching, right?"

"... Yes."

He lifted his head. Something in his eyes changed. Hope, perhaps. Either way it was a dangerous thing. But it was much better than fear.

"Then Mil and the others can be safe?"

"They can be safer."

"Not safe?"

"Absolute safety is a lie sold by people who want you to lower your guard. But safer is real. Being stronger is real. Being better prepared is real."

Spiro nodded slowly.

"Safer," he repeated.

"Yes."

"Stronger."

"Eventually."

"Better prepared."

"Good. You understood."

He looked down at the paper, at the three words I had written.

Body. Mana. Aura.

"What about me, Father?" he asked softly.

The study became very quiet. I looked at him. He did not look away.

"What about you?"

"I have both, don’t I? Mana and aura."

Ah. So he remembered that much from Abi’s careless explanation during his rescue.

"Yes," I said.

His fingers tightened. "Is that bad?"

"No, it’s not."

"But they clashed, didn’t they?"

"That is because they awakened at the same time before your body was ready."

"Can they clash again?"

"Not if we train you properly."

His breath eased, but only slightly.

"Is having both rare?"

"Very rare."

"Like unique?"

"Close enough."

Abi spoke from the side, more serious than usual. "Most vessels cannot hold both without one devouring the other. Mana changes the world by resonance. Aura asserts the self against the world. Their principles oppose each other in many cases."

Spiro listened closely.

I glanced at Abi.

"That was helpful."

"See? I can be helpful."

"Occasionally."

He smiled.

I turned back to Spiro. "In most people, only one path dominates. A strong mana constitution may reject aura refinement. A strong aura constitution may make mana circulation unstable. Some can use both in small ways, but true dual use is difficult."

"Can Father use mana?"

"No."

Spiro blinked. "Not at all?"

"I can sense it. I can use magical devices just fine. But I am not a magician. My power is aura."

"Then Uncle Abi?"

"Abi is a ridiculous exception. Jinns are beings that have transcended the world."

Abi bowed from the sofa. "Thank you."

"That is not praise."

"I accept it as such anyway."

Spiro giggled again.

I continued, "Your case is unusual because your body has both channels. The seal Abi placed used my blood as a medium to stabilize the clash. That means your current foundation is tied to House Konstantin’s aura lineage while preserving your mana potential."

"Is that why my eyes changed?"

"Yes. I’d like to think so."

He touched the corner of his eye unconsciously. "Amber."

"Correct. That is a distinct trait of Konstantin blood."

"Then I really am..."

"My son," I finished.

His hand dropped.

"Will I become a swordmaster too, Father?" Spiro asked after a while.

"If you work hard and have the talent."

"Do I have talent?"

"That’s a foolish question. You have absurd amounts of it."

His eyes widened, clearly pleased.

"But hat is not always a blessing," I added.

"Talent attracts attention. Attention attracts hands. And hands can become chains if you let the wrong people near."

He nodded.

"That is why Father is watching."

"Yes. That is correct."

"And that is also why I need my own people."

I looked at him.

This child.

He had returned to that thought quite quickly.

"Eventually," I said.

"Then Mil and the others..."

"Will not be given to you like toys."

"I know." His answer was immediate. "They have to choose."

"Good. You understand well."

"But if they have choose, I want to be worthy."

I leaned back, studying the child before me.

He has a small body, too pale still. He had hands that had known hunger and yes that were mine by blood now, but carried a history that was not.

He wanted to be worthy. Not to be powerful and not to be obeyed.

Worthy.

Honestly, he can be all that. A villain’s son doesn’t have to choose. Even more because he was now a Konstantin.

A Konstantin has never lacked anything, be it power, obedience, or worth.

"You will have to start with discipline then," I said.

He straightened, all his attention drawn to my next words.

"Body strengthening every morning. Light only, until the physician clears you for more. Reading and writing, of course. Then geography. We also can’t forget basic noble etiquette and emotional expression."

Spiro blinked. "Emotional expression?"

"Yes. Lest your grandmother take up arms against me."

Abi covered his mouth while William said nothing.

The traitors.

"You will learn to say when you are afraid, hungry, tired, confused, or unhappy without treating it like a crime."