A heavy yet heartfelt voice echoed in my ears.
[Let us commence the contract.]
Following that, crimson smoke enveloped my entire body. With a swoosh, an endless scroll unfurled in all directions.
[I, Siegfried, hereby transfer all my knowledge and skills to Verdin as per the contract.]
Brilliant light cascaded down upon me.
Flash!
[I vow to do my utmost to guide the contractor in surpassing the divine chart and reaching the realm of selflessness.]
In my previous life, I never understood what Siegfried meant by “the chart.” He always claimed to be leading me to divine heights, but I thought it was just empty flattery meant to motivate awakeners.
Who could have known?
That he genuinely intended to make me the strongest Swordmaster in the world.
I stretched out both hands, savoring the contract’s radiance.
Thanks to the contract with Siegfried, the aura dormant deep within me began to awaken. Its intensity was so overwhelming that anyone untrained would struggle to remain conscious.
Could it be?
This aura was far more refined than when I had contracted with him in my past life. It was incomparable—much stronger.
The crimson energy spread out, filling the room, writhing like the tentacles of an octopus.
It resembled the aura I possessed when I was hailed as the Sword King.
Perfect.
I respectfully bowed my head toward Siegfried.
Having completed the contract, Siegfried, with a benevolent expression, patted my head.
We exchanged gestures of respect. I offered deference to the legendary spiritual guardian, and Siegfried showed gratitude to me, his contractor who had freed him from his confines.
Of course, this sentiment was fleeting—lasting mere seconds.
Siegfried’s expression suddenly shifted, and he swung his hand forcefully at the back of my head.
Whoosh.
Instinctively, I ducked, evading his strike. My body reacted on its own, preempting his movements.
This damn master!
“You insolent descendant!”
I raised an eyebrow.
How could we still react to each other like this?
Nothing had changed between us. We were already on the verge of fighting.
Calm down.
I took a deep breath, steadying my mind. Starting a fight now could ruin everything.
“‘Insolent,’ you say? That’s harsh, elder.”
“Harsh? You damn wretch! How long did you make me wait?!”
It had only been a day.
“If this Sword God personally chose you, you should have hurried to finalize the contract!”
“……”
“I’ve turned away scores of others like you each year, yet you, a mere child, dared keep me waiting?!”
I wanted to curse him out, but I couldn’t make the same mistakes I did before.
I held my tongue and let him continue.
“And what is this nonsense about reaching a new realm? Opening both mana and aura? Ridiculous!”
“……”
“With the time you wasted, I could’ve taught you one of my sword techniques by now!”
Siegfried raged, gesturing wildly in the air.
It made sense. He had never encountered a dual-awakened before, so his reaction was understandable.
Watching him, I smiled warmly and raised my hands.
In my right hand, I manifested the crimson aura gained from the contract. In my left, I summoned the blue mana I had unlocked on my own, showing them both to Siegfried.
Whoosh.
This time, I bowed politely, my posture dignified and expression soft.
“Please, calm yourself and observe, Sword God Siegfried. I’ll now demonstrate the new realm I spoke of.”
Boom.
The two energies swirled and roared like boiling water in a kettle. As the crimson and blue began to merge, they stilled momentarily, forming a rapidly spinning purple orb.
Buzz.
“Behold the fusion of aura and mana—a technique I call ‘Vern.’”
Whoosh.
Mysterious energy began spreading through the castle.
Alarmed by the sudden surge of power, the knights tasked with guarding the estate sprang into action.
There were no signs of an intruder, yet this overwhelming presence had appeared out of nowhere.
Beth, the captain of the guard for the Strange family’s main estate, immediately issued an evacuation order.
“Escort the young masters outside!”
Beth was a warrior estimated to be at least a 7-star level—a rarity even in the Empire’s military. Few across the continent could surpass him in skill.
Yet even he felt overshadowed by the presence he now sensed.
Whoever it was, he couldn’t win.
Thus, he resolved to lay down his life to ensure the young masters’ safety.
With determined eyes, Beth entered the estate, nodding as the knights scattered to fulfill his orders.
Their mission was twofold: protect the Strange family and identify the intruder.
“…The training hall.”
He drew his sword from his back, prepared to strike.
Against an opponent stronger than himself, defense was futile. His only option was to aim for a decisive blow.
They must not pursue the young masters.
With that resolve, Beth headed toward the training hall, moving cautiously like a predator in the wild.
Mana? No… aura?
As he approached the training hall, he felt something strange—something blazing like aura but flowing cold like mana.
Does this mean there are two enemies?
He swallowed dryly. Who would send assassins to the Strange family?
This is war.
If the mastermind were uncovered, it would inevitably lead to conflict—perhaps even full-scale war.
Even if it was the Glazer family, known for their mastery of magic.
Beth took a deep breath and kicked the door to the training hall open.
Bang!
He was ready to strike—
“Master Verdin?”
Standing in the center of the hall with a composed expression was none other than Verdin.
“Beth?”
“M-Master. Is there… anyone else here?”
Beth expanded his aura, wrapping it around the training hall.
As he pinpointed the source of the mysterious energy, his knees gave out involuntarily.
Thud.
Is this truly Master Verdin’s aura? No… then what about the mana?
Beth couldn’t comprehend the scene before him. A mere five-year-old child wielded an aura far surpassing his own 7-star strength.
The only explanation lay in the bloodline of the Strange family.
But how could this child also exude mana?
“What’s the matter, Beth?”
Even that question shattered and disappeared from her mind with just one sentence from Verdin.
Whether or not mana could be sensed didn’t matter. It could simply have been a misperception caused by the immense aura.
“…It’s nothing. My apologies for causing a disturbance!”
“Are you alright? You suddenly burst in, and it startled me.”
“I’m sorry!”
“There’s no need to apologize. If there’s nothing urgent, could you leave? I was in the middle of training.”
“…Understood!”
Beth, the captain of the Guardian Knights, left the training hall.
It was a huge relief. The ‘Burn’ hadn’t been discovered. Just before he entered, I separated the mana and left only the aura. If I’d been even a little slower, he might have noticed.
Beth is a veteran knight, after all.
Once I confirmed that his presence had completely vanished, I minimized the size of my aura and mana as much as possible, fusing them into something nearly imperceptible from outside.
Buzz.
This technique would later be known as ‘Burn.’ It was a new power created by igniting and merging two types of energy.
Of course, in this life, I would continue to call it ‘Burn.’ While it didn’t matter what others called it since I was the only one who could use it, the name was my own creation.
Burn. That name is better left unchanged.
Siegfried, with a look of disbelief, extended his hand toward the violet energy swirling before him.
As his soul approached the Burn, it seemed distorted, only to return to normal when he drew back. Judging by his expression, it was as if I could hear Siegfried’s thoughts: This is incredible!
“Other than you, has anyone else unlocked two types of energy?”
Without hesitation, I shook my head.
“No.”
“Then, are you saying you’re the only one who can use both aura and mana simultaneously?”
“That’s correct. I’m the only one who knows the method for dual awakening.”
“And how did you learn it?”
“I was taught by the keeper of the archive.”
“The archive keeper?”
“Yes, the one managing the collection of secret tomes gathered from across the continent—my family’s keeper of the Strezeg Library.”
“Who’s that?”
“A man named Johann. He wasn’t a member of our family, so you likely wouldn’t know him. I heard he was called Joseph in his hometown.”
“Joseph, huh… The name sounds vaguely familiar.”
I shrugged.
“Well, Joseph or Johann—it’s a common name.”
“Did that man also unlock two types of energy?”
“No. He failed and died. Thanks to that, I’m the only one alive who knows this technique.”
Siegfried didn’t ask further questions about how I gained this ability. Whenever the word “death” came up, he tended to grow thoughtful, and our conversations would abruptly shorten.
Knowing this, I deliberately mentioned Johann. It was true that he had taught me the method to fuse aura and mana in my past life. It was also true that he died from failing to do so. There wasn’t a single lie in my explanation.
Still, I’m relieved.
It was comforting that Siegfried was the same as in my past life.
Even so…
He sometimes had a sharp edge in his words. It would be best to avoid unnecessary conversations with him.
“Anyway, you’re saying that this technique can only be used by you, my contractor, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“…Good. Then your father doesn’t know about dual awakening either?”
“No, I haven’t told anyone.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s uncertain.”
“Uncertain?”
“Yes. Until today, when I met you, there hadn’t been a single other dual awakener. How could I speak of something I hadn’t confirmed?”
I continued with a resolute expression.
“And in the future, I won’t tell my father about dual awakening. In fact, I won’t tell anyone.”
“Why not?”
“Because this power isn’t for the family—it’s for me.”
A smile spread across Siegfried’s face. He seemed satisfied with my answer. With his fists clenched tightly, he gazed at the swirling Burn in my hands. He was astonished by this unprecedented ability and kept expressing admiration for his descendant and disciple, born with extraordinary talent.
“Kid, since we’ve sealed the contract, don’t you want to try using me?”
“Right now?”
“Yes, that knight who was here earlier. He seems like a decent practice opponent.”
Siegfried looked through the window toward the castle gate, where Beth was heading.
“I also want to feel your Burn directly.”
After a brief moment of hesitation, I extended my right arm and spoke to Siegfried.
“Come in.”