He left the manor at sunrise the next day, setting his sights once more on the Lion Sanctum.
Though the previous day’s exhaustion still lingered, he felt surprisingly refreshed—a relief that only fueled his resolve. He had no intention of resting for something so minor; instead, Ren was more motivated than ever.
Despite the early hour, knights were already gathered at the Lion Sanctum, just as they had been the day before. Because Ren had met with Edgar as soon as they reached the Imperial Capital, they headed straight inside this time.
Upon reaching the training ground at the far end of the open-atrium hall, they found the same large man waiting.
"You're quite early."
"I’m still a student of the craft," Ren replied. "I have to work hard whenever the opportunity arises."
"A fine attitude. I wish some of our younger Regular Knights could hear that." The man paused, adding a caveat. "I don’t mean all of them, of course. But there are more than a few who treat becoming a Regular Knight as the finish line. That pathetic lack of resolve—the failure to question one's own path as a knight—is nothing but mental fat."
He was speaking broadly, referring to swordsmen of every school.
Ren listened with genuine interest to a perspective he rarely heard, then began warming up his body as the man had done.
Edgar, who had also arrived early, stepped forward.
"Today, we will review yesterday’s lessons. If time permits, I will provide technical guidance through practical sparring with a partner."
"Lord Edgar, if that’s the case, allow me to accompany him again," the large man offered.
"Oh? Are you sure?"
"Yes. I’m off duty today, so I can stay as long as needed without worrying about the clock."
"That is most generous. By all means, then."
The man had hinted the previous day that he belonged to the Expert Swordsman Class. Ren knew he was a more than worthy opponent. He welcomed the chance to face someone of such caliber; with Edgar’s theoretical guidance added to the mix, it was the perfect training environment.
Ten minutes later, Ren finished his preparations and began the review with Edgar.
The dark winter sky slowly brightened. Because Edgar believed there was no value in combat without a firm grasp of theory, the review was conducted with meticulous care, consuming a significant portion of the morning.
Those days continued for two, then three days.
The year finally turned, yet Ren remained immersed in his training of the Strong Sword Arts. He had originally planned to conduct anti-monster training with Licia, but since she and Lezard were preoccupied with their noble duties in the capital, the arrangement suited everyone’s schedule.
As Edgar was Ulysses’s butler, he couldn't be by Ren's side constantly, but Ren continued to hone his skills against the Strong Sword Users at the Sanctum regardless.
One morning, Edgar came to check on his progress and stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Did you notice, Lord Edgar?" a knight asked, walking up to his side.
"How long has Master Ren been like that?" Edgar replied.
"Since yesterday. He has been working himself to the point of collapse every single day. It looks as though he is on the verge of an epiphany."
"It stands to reason. He does seem different."
To the knights of the Lion Sanctum, Ren was not an enemy. However, even in training, they fought with their Strong Swords, utilizing the Power of Enshroud. Ren’s body, having absorbed those heavy blows for days, should have been utterly spent.
Yet he never faltered.
"I’m starting to think he might actually master Enshroud," the knight muttered.
"It wouldn’t be surprising. Given the aptitude Master Ren displayed and his tireless work ethic, it’s only natural. After all, he has been stacking one day of training upon another since the very first time he stepped foot in this hall."
"True. By constantly bracing against our Strong Swords, his body is finally beginning to memorize the sensation."
Upon hearing this, Edgar immediately turned on his heel. He began to walk away without offering Ren a single word of advice.
"Lord Edgar? Are you not going to speak with him?"
"No. It is best that I don’t disturb him right now."
Edgar glanced back once more at Ren, who was in the center of the grounds, swinging his sword and absorbing the weight of the greatswords. His expression softened. Drenched in sweat, Ren remained fierce even as he was forced to his knees, and Edgar felt a thrill of anticipation.
Ren was desperate to grasp something right now. Edgar couldn't bring himself to interrupt that focus.
It was exactly the tenth day, counting from the end of the previous year.
As the clock approached eight in the morning, Edgar checked his watch. "It should be about time."
On this day, Edgar planned to oversee Ren’s training for the entire session. He called out to the large knight, who was training with his peers, and asked him to engage Ren in a spar based on their recent reviews.
The bout was similar to their previous encounters, yet fundamentally different.
Ren still struggled against his opponent's raw power and the force of the Strong Sword Arts, but his movements were transformed. Though fatigue weighed on him, his body had lost its stiffness. A newfound composure in his blade's arc parried the heavy impact of the greatsword.
"Ho...!"
The man couldn't hide his surprise and broke into a smirk. Unlike before, Ren was finding a margin of error in how he received the strikes, and his center of gravity remained unshakable. The man was delighted to see Ren grow this much in a mere ten days.
Then, just before lunch.
During one of many clashes, the knight swung his greatsword down with immense force, and Ren blocked it head-on for the first time without giving an inch.
(—That just now...)
Ren didn't fully understand it. He didn't know why he had been able to withstand the blow so perfectly. While his logic hadn't caught up, he felt that he was close to an answer; the impact hadn't vibrated through his core, but had been concentrated entirely in his hands—specifically, in his fingertips.
Edgar let out a breath of admiration, a smile playing on his lips.
The knight facing Ren muttered, "Finally."
Ren’s body swayed slightly. Having trained without a moment’s pause, his body was finally demanding a reprieve.
"That is enough. Master Ren, let us continue after lunch."
"Y-Yes... I understand."
Ren thanked his partner and followed Edgar out of the training ground. Since there was no cafeteria within the Sanctum, they left the building to find a nearby shop.
"Hey," another knight said, approaching the large man who had been sparring with Ren. "That last exchange... was it?"
"Yeah." The man showed his hands to his comrade. They were trembling slightly.
It was the strange, lingering vibration he had felt when his greatsword was blocked.
Unaware of their conversation, Ren walked in silence, lost in thought. He listened to the sound of his own footsteps echoing through the Sanctum, his eyes fixed on some distant point. Edgar didn't try to break the silence. He knew that every second of this quiet contemplation was a vital step toward Ren’s growth.
The silence lasted through lunch and continued even after they returned. They exchanged only the bare minimum of words—ordering food or noting the time to head back.
The first real conversation they had occurred three hours into the afternoon session.
After several rounds of review, Ren faced the large knight again. He had been chasing the feeling he’d had that morning when, in a sudden flash, he felt a surge of heat.
A power similar to the impact of the Strong Sword Arts erupted from deep within him, but this time, it surged toward his hands. His fingertips—the very grip of his sword—were filled with a strange, heavy density.
"Has he... opened the door?" Edgar whispered.
The other knights, sensing the change, watched with bated breath.
In the center of the training ground, Ren suddenly came to a halt. His opponent also stopped, waiting in silence.
Ren’s body, which had been taking blow after blow, became perfectly still. His overworked muscles stopped their violent throbbing, and the accumulated heat seemed to settle into a cool, sharp focus.
Gripping his training sword, Ren thought back to the day he had shattered the crystal ball inside the small bottle. The exhaustion vanished from his body, beginning at his fingertips. In reality, the fatigue was still there, but for the first time, Ren felt a sense of absolute potential.
"Could you... try one more time?" Ren asked.
The moment he spoke, everyone saw the shift. His eyes were different now. Within his calm gaze, they saw a glimpse of the fierce focus Edgar had once compared to a lion.
"Fine! Let's go then!"
Unconsciously, the man poured more strength into his greatsword. Unconsciously, he let his own spirit catch fire. He swung a strike from above Ren’s head, faster and sharper than anything he had thrown before.
Ren waited, moving with a leisurely grace that somehow readyed his sword in a split second, and blocked the greatsword exactly where he stood.
"Wha—!?"
The swords collided with a piercing, metallic roar. Ren’s hands didn't budge. If anything, it was the knight who was forced back by the collision.
Ren shifted his grip and swung his own blade back.
"Haaaaaaaaah!"
"Nu... ghu... ooooooh...!"
The moment the man blocked Ren’s strike, a shockwave rippled through the air, shaking the atrium.
With a heavy clang, the knight’s greatsword fell to the floor.
As sweat dripped from the man's forehead, he adjusted his breathing and broke into a wide, toothy grin.
"Lord Edgar...!"
"Yes," Edgar replied. "It seems limited to his hands for now, but it is truly fearsome."
It was an incredible display. Edgar began walking toward them, clapping his hands as Ren stood staring blankly at his own palms.
"Congratulations."
This wasn't a fluke. It was the moment the days Ren had spent immersed in the Strong Sword Arts finally bore fruit. His innate talent had certainly played a part, but it was his persistence through Edgar's guidance and the relentless sparring that had brought him here.
He had finally grasped the sensation. He had achieved it.
"While it may be limited to your hands for now, in a few more months, you will surely be able to enshroud your entire body."
"Then, this is..."
"Yes. That sensation is precisely it."
To Ren, who was still staring at his hands, Edgar spoke the words he had been waiting to deliver.
"Master Ren, from this day forward, you are a Strong Sword User."
Strong Sword User Ren Ashton.
Though the power was currently confined to his hands, he was truly enshrouded in his refined mana. On this day, he had finally taken his first step into a new realm of strength.