Strike while the iron is hot, as some would say. Hector’s first class began on the very same day that the curse and promise were exchanged.

- What? You want to learn Imperial Swordsmanship by day and my swordsmanship by night?

“There is no other choice.”

- This is going to be tough. The more you learn a specific style of swordsmanship, the more you become accustomed to it.

“Sounds like it won’t be a problem if I learn both at the same time.”

- Hahaha, it’ll be much better for you to experience it yourself than for me to advise you against it for the next hundred days. Well then, follow my lead.

Hector began the lesson with a demonstration. He positioned himself in a fighting stance.

“Like this?”

- Your form is… acceptable. But since you’re already accustomed to the Circle Step, this won’t be easy.

“All I need to do is try. Oh, right! What’s the name of this footwork?”

- Footwork is just footwork, does it need a name?

“I’ll call it ‘Hector Step’ then, after you.”

- As you wish.

Even though his own name was attached to the style, Hector did not seem to care much.

The lesson continued. And indeed, the Hector Step was difficult to learn. One of the reasons was that Henry’s body had already become accustomed to the Circle Step. Another reason was that, unlike the Circle Step, which was structured and focused on defense, the Hector Step was highly irregular.

Its movements were reminiscent of a dance. It was a very sharp and precise dance, but it lacked grace and seemed unrefined.

- Some say that footwork should be strict. That its actions should be concise, without any unnecessary movements. They’re right. But in the end, footwork is just the basic foundation for swordsmanship. Why does it matter how pretty it looks?

Whoosh!

As Hector slashed with his fist like with a blade, the chill of the dead whipped across Henry’s face.

- My style of swordsmanship was created solely to subdue my opponents. That’s how I was able to break down Golden’s defensive style of swordsmanship.

Hector fully understood that difference and taught it to Henry. It was clear that as long as Henry was able to master the Hector Step, there would be no swordsman in the Empire that would be able to defeat him.

* * *

The lesson continued deep into the night, until dawn. Henry only fell deeper into Hector’s teachings, without thinking of how difficult the lesson was. He was convinced that if he learned the Hector Step, he would be able to take down Bern.

- From the beginning!

Seeing Henry attempt the Hector Step dozens of times, the Sword King could not help but break into a smile. After all, he had finally been given something to do besides wallowing in the darkness of the Underworld. Still, he never regarded his lesson with Henry as mere entertainment, and he gave everything he had in his teachings. Hector knew that as Henry’s skills increased, he drew closer to his own resurrection.

A long time passed.

- Let’s take a short break.

“Phew.”

Thud.

Henry’s thighs felt tight and his feet were sore.

Unlike the Circle Step, which kept movements limited to a circle, the Hector Step based its movements on the opponent’s, and was not restricted in any way.

“Clean.”

As soon as a break was given, Henry used Clean on his whole body, which was drenched in sweat.

- You really want to kill the emperor, huh?

Hector smiled as he looked at Henry, who was still catching his breath.

“You think?”

- Hard work will never betray you. I don’t know about magic, but when it comes to swordsmanship, the more you practice it, the stronger it gets.

“It’s the same with magic.”

- I see… anyway, what are you going to do after you defeat that kid you call Bern?

Henry responded lightly.

“I’m going to learn Aura, of course.”

In addition to swordsmanship, Henry knew that it was also necessary to compensate for his only remaining weakness: his physical body. Aura was his answer.

Hector laughed once more.

- Wanting to fly before you can even walk. You sure have a talent for making people laugh.

“Nonsense.”

Hector continued to laugh loudly as he teased Henry. He could not help but feel that his young disciple’s ambitions were rather cute, albeit naive.

“By the time I learn about aura, I will become a magic swordsman.”

Henry imagined a future where he could master both magic and aura at the same time.

- Oh, now that you mention it, that makes sense. Damn, look at you! So, that means I’m going to become the teacher of the continent’s first magic swordsman?

Magic swordsman. A legendary title that appeared only occasionally in bards’ tales and storybooks, but never in the true history of the continent. The path of a wizard and a swordsman diverged greatly, and it was not viable for one to master both within the same lifetime.

But thanks to a foolish wizard using black magic, it was now possible.

- Just the thought of it gives me the shivers. A sword master that can use mage-level magic. No opponent would be able to stand in your way.

“At least use my proper title. I am ‘Archmage’ to you,” Henry teased him.

- Look at you, running your mouth. Since you’ve got the energy to talk, get up and continue your training!

Just the thought of what the future might hold lit a fire underneath Henry. That night, he continued his training through to the morning without sleep, before heading straight to breakfast

* * *

“Whoa, how could this be… I’ve lost.”

Bern’s sword had been flung across the training grounds. He looked at the sword with an astonished look on his face, as though he could not believe what had just happened.

“Did I win?” Henry asked.

“That’s right. It was a perfect victory, Young Master.”

When Bern graciously admitted defeat, Henry finally broke into a smile.

Three months.

It had taken only three months to completely overwhelm Bern. Lowering his wooden sword, Henry held out his hand.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

A handshake from the winner to the loser. For Henry, it was a handshake that signified his respect and gratitude. Bern understood, and happily shook Henry’s hand.

“Same goes for you, Young Master.”

For three months, Henry had spent every day and night training, sleeping no more than four hours each day. By day, he had trained in the Imperial Swordsmanship, and by night, he had trained in Hector’s style of swordsmanship. Whenever he had spare time, he worked on his strength training and recovered his torn muscles. This process had gone on like clockwork.

As the saying went; hard work would never betray you. As time passed, Henry’s efforts eventually showed results. Just three months after summoning Hector, Henry had succeeded in mastering both the Imperial style and Hector’s style.

‘It’s finally time for me to leave this estate.’

Henry had defeated his target, Bern. Not only was Bern a sword expert, but he was also a veteran swordsman and a war hero. Since Henry had subdued him with swordsmanship skill alone, he saw no reason to remain at the estate any longer.

As the two men shook hands, Bern suddenly laughed.

“This may sound like a loser’s excuse, but…”

“Sorry?”

“I noticed it from your footwork a few months ago, but now, it seems like I have no choice but to fully admit it. You are clearly a genius, Young Master.”

“You speak too highly of me. A genius? No way.”

“No. I am proud to say that you, Young Master, are indeed a genius. I am certain that I only taught you Imperial Swordsmanship, but somehow, you managed to change it to create a new style of swordsmanship that is entirely your own, didn’t you?”

Whenever Henry sparred with Bern during the Imperial Swordsmanship lessons, he would mix in some of Hector’s techniques. It seemed that Bern had noticed the change.

At first, Henry had solely used the Hector Step to try and defeat Bern. However, as time passed, the two swordsmanship styles had naturally merged to become a new style of swordsmanship.

In a way, Henry had indeed created his own unique technique.

“I appreciate your kind words.”

“I’m just telling the truth. By the way, what are you going to do now?”

Henry knew very well what that question meant. Bern wanted to understand what Henry’s next move would be.

“In my mind, I would want to stay here and make up for my shortcomings, but my greed is greater than my humility.”

Bern laughed. “If you're going to be a swordsman, then that’s an obvious choice. But as you know, Aura is not something you can learn with simple training alone.”

The next step in swordsmanship was to master Aura, and Henry already knew how to learn them.

“I have actually been meaning to ask a favor of you, Master.”

“A favor? Just ask away. I’ll listen to any request from you.”

“Thank you, Master. The thing is, I plan on leaving this estate and applying for the army.”

“The army?”

“Yes. Do you know of the ‘Noblesse Oblige’ system by any chance, Master?”

“By Noblesse Oblige, you mean the duties of the nobles?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Noblesse Oblige was the institutional duty of the nobles to serve society by using their power for the benefit of the many and setting a moral example. If one had power, one had to share that power, and if one had money, one had to share that money.

“But this estate does not fall under that system, does it? As I understand it, you must be at least a count to bear that responsibility.”

“I understand that. But that is why I want to make use of this system even more.”

Noblesse Oblige was a system created for the powerful upper class among the nobles. As Bern said, it was a system that only applied to nobles that were at least the rank of count, and those families had to pay a certain amount of taxes to the state.

However, after the death of the previous emperor, many changes took place in the system. First of all, obligors under Noblesse Oblige could deliberately adopt a child to pass on the duty of military service to that adopted child instead of their direct lineage. When the service was completed, the state exempted that family from the tax.

Contrary to the intentions of the law, those excluded from the obligations of military service used this system to succeed in their careers. If one volunteered for military service, one would be able to shoulder the duty of Noblesse Oblige despite being below the rank of count.

And by raising one’s honor on the battlefield, one’s self-worth and value would also increase. Being recognized by the empire was the highest honor one could achieve, thus many people wanted to make use of this system for their own benefit.

‘If it was known that I, the son of a war veteran baronet, volunteered to serve in the military as well, it would only raise my honor even further. Eventually, I will be respected everywhere I go.’

When Henry expressed his opinion in a confident voice, Bern smiled strangely, as if he understood Henry’s intent.

“Then, do you have a specific outpost or division in mind?”

“Of course. I have already decided on a location.”

“And that is?”

“The Demonic Beast Forest.”

“T-the Demonic Beast Forest?”

Bern’s eyes widened upon hearing Henry’s answer. The Demonic Beast Forest was located at the edge of the continent, where Demonic Beasts roamed in large numbers.

“No! The Demonic Beast Forest is too dangerous. I’m sure the Lord will object as well.”

“I’ve already gotten his permission. His only condition was that I defeat you, Master, with swordsmanship, and I’ve just fulfilled that condition.”

“T-the Lord said that?”

“Yes.”

“Impossible!”

There were places within the empire that brought death to those who ventured there. Among them, the three deadliest areas were called the Death Regions, and among the three Death Regions, the deadliest was the Demonic Beast Forest.

“I will have to discuss this again with the Lord. I am against it.”

“There’s no use. I have already made my mind up.”

Henry did not intend to head to the Demonic Beast Forest just to raise his own self-worth. He needed to retrieve an item that he needed the most, out of all the countless artifacts he had hidden there.