Chapter 148: Early Education (3)

To be honest, even after teaching him, I never thought it would actually work. Personally, having been born with innate senses, I had no idea what it felt like not to perceive mana at all. After all, mana was always present around me.

So, I tried my best to explain the theory behind it in simple terms, albeit roughly…

He grasped it all in one go?

Louis knew how long it typically took for beings to sense mana for the first time. Even those considered geniuses usually needed a month or more. Still, given Kendrick’s reputation as the strongest in the Human Realm, Louis figured ‘a day should be enough,’ but Kendrick’s talent surpassed his expectations.

In half a day, he sensed mana and awakened his elemental powers?

And this prodigy was merely a six-year-old child.

Most people would be astonished upon hearing such claims.

Indeed, Aaron’s jaw dropped at the sight of his own son achieving what he had just witnessed.

This confirms it once again.

The boy was undoubtedly Sword Saint Kendrick.

Louis’s certainty jumped from 99% to 100%.

His talent truly earns him the title of ‘Strongest Swordsmaster in the Human World’

Louis observed the red aura surrounding Kendrick. It emitted a faint heat that radiated outward.

A fire elemental indeed.

Before being hailed as the Sword Saint, Kendrick held another moniker: Warrior of Hongyeom (Scarlet Flame).

With his mastery over extreme fire weaponry, countless monsters and demonic beasts were reduced to ash by his blade alone.

His fiery crimson hair and affinity for fire elemental powers led to the “Hongyeom” prefix becoming synonymous with his name.

As Louis recalled his observations from the original story, Aaron was utterly astounded.

“To possess such elemental power at this age!”

It wasn’t just that he could sense elemental energy within a day of meeting Kendrick; it was also how potent and swirling around him. This defied all common sense for Aaron.

Louis continued, “I can confidently say that his talent surpasses any prodigy recorded in the continent’s history.”

Gulp.

Aaron could only swallow hard as he listened to Louis’ explanation.

“Even if you searched every corner of the Spring Continent, there wouldn’t be a single master worthy enough to take him on as a disciple, right?”

”…”

“But I’m different. If you entrust him to me, I’ll nurture him into becoming the most powerful warrior humanity has ever known.”

Louis spoke with unwavering conviction. After all, he was essentially a guarantee for Aaron to become the strongest warrior in the Human Realm, so there was no hesitation in his words.

Seeing Louis’s confidence, Ahron snapped back to reality and asked, “So you’re saying…you have what it takes to accept me as your disciple?”

At this question, Louis snorted and stretched out his hand.

Then…

Whoosh.

The sword at Ahron’s waist unsheathed itself and flew towards Louis.

Tink!

Louis caught the blade lightly. Startled by this sudden phenomenon, Ahron flinched.

But what truly astonished him was yet to come.

“I’ll show you just once, so watch carefully.”

Louis slowly raised the sword.

As he did, black flames began to rise along its length.

Aaron’s jaw dropped at the sight before him.

“T-the Holy Sword?!”

The embodiment of absolute power, unmistakably symbolizing a tier-2 powerhouse, left Aaron utterly speechless.

Yet Louis’s Holy Sword didn’t stop there, further astounding Aaron.

Zzzzt.

The sword began to condense. The flames swirling around it intensified, transforming as they grew denser. Finally, when the change was complete, a thin layer of black crystal had formed over the blade.

The resulting edge exuded an astonishingly fierce energy and an immeasurable sense of pressure.

Upon seeing this, Aaron couldn’t help but mutter in disbelief:

“No way… That must be…”

He had heard tales of such occurrences before.

When one transcends tier two by relentlessly pushing themselves, reaching the pinnacle of tier one, their Sungang undergoes a profound transformation. This metamorphosis occurs as extreme concentrations of Ye accumulate and coalesce, giving rise to yet another blade—a phenomenon that has earned this stage its name:

“The Holy Sword…”

Aaron’s mind reeled upon encountering the tangible form of such unparalleled sharpness, capable of cleaving through any obstacle.

Could it be… this is but the tip of the iceberg?

Yesterday, after his first encounter with Louis, Aaron had posed a question to his wife: “Who exactly is this Louis character?”

Lia’s response was nothing short of peculiar. She described him as an enigmatic figure—an older brother and benefactor who, despite sharing no blood ties, felt like family. A youth eternally unaging, he came and went like the wind, leaving behind only whispers of his presence.

At that time, Aaron had merely thought it slightly odd, but now Louis’s true capabilities far surpassed his imagination.

A tier-1 warrior!

How many tier-1 warriors could one find even if they searched the entire Spring Continent?

It finally made sense to him why Louis confidently declared himself as Kendrick’s sole mentor.

Krrrk.

While Aaron stood dumbfounded, the spiritual sword crafted by Louis shattered and dispersed. This sudden event broke Kendrick’s concentration, which was focused on awakening elemental powers.

”…Dad? Teacher?” Young Kendrick looked puzzled at seeing his dazed father and relaxed teacher.

At his son’s call, Ahron finally came back to reality.

“Oh…” Although he had regained consciousness, no words would come out of his mouth.

Louis smiled at him and asked, “So what do you think? Am I qualified now?”

Ahron couldn’t help but admit that there was indeed merit in Louis’s offer. Who could refuse having a tier-1 warrior as their mentor? Even royalty didn’t often get such opportunities.

After hesitating briefly, Ahron bowed deeply toward Louis. “I entrust my son…to you.”

His respectful gesture made Louis beam brightly, assuring him not to worry about anything else.

Louis had easily gained both Lia and Aaron’s consent to help him with his plan. The first thing he did was build a schoolhouse.

After all, how could one teach without a proper place for learning?

The very next day after Louis made this decision…

A small wooden building appeared beside Lia’s house.

“You built this overnight?” asked Aaron incredulously.

Despite its modest size, it was quite well-equipped as far as schools went—and it materialized seemingly out of nowhere while they slept! It was no wonder that both Lia and Aaron were left gaping at the sight.

“What’s there to be surprised about?”

“Oh, uh…”

Seeing Louis wave off their astonishment nonchalantly, Aaron couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

Can a tier-1 mage build this kind of house overnight?

Aaron had never been tier-1 before, so he decided to just accept it as fact.

At that moment, Louis spoke towards Lia and Aaron:

“There’s something you need to know before we begin your training.”

“What is it?”

“So…what do you mean?”

“Do not question what I teach or ask Kendrick about it.”

“Huh?” Caught off guard by this unexpected condition, Lia stared at Louis.

She hadn’t anticipated him setting such strange rules.

Surprisingly though, Aaron agreed to Louis’s terms without hesitation.

“Understood. We’ll follow those guidelines.”

After all, safety was paramount for everyone involved.

As a fellow mystic, he was well aware of how crucial demonic scriptures were for their kind. These forbidden arts typically passed down only within families or from master to chosen disciple. Considering Louis had already ascended to tier one, his knowledge must be incredibly valuable.

This made it easy for Kendrick to accept Louis’s request not to inquire about his lessons—even though that wasn’t Louis’s intention at all.

No need to get caught teaching something bizarre.

Louis smiled and clapped his hands together.

Snap!

“All righty then, class begins now. Everyone except Kendrick, please step out.”

“I’ll leave it in your capable hands.”

“As you wish.”

With that, Louis waved them away with flourish.

After Aaron and Lia left, Louis was alone with Kendrick.

“Alright then, let’s begin your lesson…” He paused mid-sentence as something caught his attention.

A small figure peered around the doorframe, eyes wide with curiosity.

”…”

Despite Louis’ stare, the little intruder showed no signs of leaving. It was none other than Tania, who had been caught red-handed by her mother just in time.

Soon enough, a pair of gentle hands scooped up the child.

“I-I’m sorry,” the mother apologized, struggling to hold onto squirming Tania.

“Waaahhh!”

“Isn’t our daughter sweet? Why don’t you play with Mommy while Daddy studies?”

“Waaaah!”

“What’s gotten into this kid?” Lia fretted, unused to seeing usually docile Tania throw such a tantrum.

Louis sighed at this.

“Put her down and leave.”

“Pardon?”

“It doesn’t matter if I teach one or two of you. Well, she might not understand that though.”

At Louis’s words, Lia apologetically set Tania back on her feet.

Tania immediately ran to Louis as if she had never been upset, clinging to his leg.

He patted her head gently.

“Now go sit next to your brother over there.”

“Yes!”

“I said ‘yes,’ not just ‘ye’.”

“Yessir!”

With a small nod, Tania quietly took a seat beside Kendrick.

The sight of these six- and four-year-old siblings sitting together so obediently brought smiles to everyone present.

Lia couldn’t help but chuckle along with them.

“Then I’ll be counting on you.”

Lia’s face lit up at this unintended free time.

With that, Lia left.

Louis stood in front of the blackboard and spoke.

“Kendrick, Tania.”

The two young students replied like little chicks: “Yes!”

“You must never tell your mom or dad what you see and hear during class with me from now on.”

“Why not?” Kendrick asked.

It was a natural question since they still trusted their parents more than their teacher.

In response, Louis snapped his fingers.

Snap!

A fairy named Fin appeared out of thin air, sprinkling sparkles everywhere.

Kendrick and Tania’s eyes widened at the sudden appearance of the fairy.

“W-wow!”

“Ohhh!”

To children, fairies were mysterious beings that appeared in stories. It was only natural for them to be amazed by the sight of such a fairy before their very eyes.

Seeing their reactions, Louis smiled and said:

“You must keep this secret so our fairy teacher can stay safe here. If bad people find out about her, they might try to capture her. So you have to protect her secret, okay?”

“Yes!” Kendrick exclaimed.

“I will!” Tania chimed in eagerly.

Kendrick and Tania nodded vigorously as if willing themselves to burst from sheer excitement.

Pleased with their response, Louis gave Fin a meaningful look.

Fin understood immediately and nodded back subtly.

With that, she fluttered over to Kendrick and Tania, puffing up her chest importantly as she spoke:

“Ahem. Allow me to introduce myself as Fin, a loyal servant of Louis and your instructor for this foundational training.”

“Woooo!”

Kendrick and Tania enthusiastically applauded at Fin’s introduction.

“Now then, let us begin our basic education with an exploration of the greatness of dragons.”

“Yes!”

“Yup!”

As Kendrick and Tania nodded eagerly, Fin commenced their dragon education.

Though it strayed far from conventional teaching methods, the children were captivated by the sight of a fairy fluttering before them, hanging on every word.

Observing this scene, Louis conjured up a chair from his pocket dimension and took a seat.

“Hmm… This is quite comfortable.”

Louis casually crossed his legs, the corners of his mouth curling into a slight smile.

The first lesson for this Heroic Union was clear: Kendrick needed to understand just how majestic dragons were and why they must never be trifled with.

I wondered how I’d teach him about the greatness of dragons…

He had been agonizing over how to avoid embarrassing self-promotion, but the answer lay close at hand. There existed someone who knew more about dragons than anyone else, revered them beyond measure, and could tirelessly extol their virtues day after day.

They say you should always hire experts for such things.

Louis looked on contentedly as Fin delivered an impassioned speech about the majesty of dragons to the gathered children.

Everything is going according to plan!

Time passed like water through cupped hands.

“That concludes our first lesson,” Fin announced.

“Woooo!” Kendrick and Tania’s eyes lit up at the prospect of a break.

Seeing this, Louis rose from his seat.

Clap.

He drew everyone’s attention with a light snap of his fingers.

“Now then, it’s time for second period. Kendrick, as I instructed yesterday, begin practicing your breathing technique to gather elemental energy.”

“Yes!”

Despite having no break between classes, Kendrick sat cross-legged without complaint, closed his eyes, and focused.

His concentration was nothing short of astonishing for such a young child.

Whether they’re children or adults, people tend to focus intensely when doing what they truly want.

Louis smiled as he watched mana weakly gathering around Kendrick.

Yes, grow strong.

Since Louis intended to absorb him eventually, it made sense to nurture Kendrick into a proper person first. Of course, once fully grown, Kendrick would be used for Louis’s own purposes…

A sly grin crept across Louis’s face at the sight of young Kendrick.

I should probably rest too, Louis thought just as he was about to sit down again when…

Tug-tug.

Tania tugged on his pants leg. He looked down at her.

“What is it?”

“I’m boooored…” she whined without elaborating further. Her eyes clearly conveyed her boredom.

Tania pointed at Kendrick with her finger, cheeks puffed out adorably as she spoke.

“What is it?”

“Woo…”

“You want me to tell you too?” Louis asked.

Tania nodded eagerly.

It seemed she wanted to join in after seeing what her brother was doing.

Louis looked slightly annoyed and questioned, ”…Aren’t you going to your mom?”

Tania shook her head firmly.

With a sigh at her resolute refusal, Louis pondered how to deal with this small bundle of energy before waving his hand dismissively.

“Go sit over there.”

”…?” Tania tilted her head, confused.

Seeing her puzzled expression, Louis began explaining the method for awakening elemental powers just as he had taught Kendrick yesterday.

Shortly after…

”…That’s how you do it. Understood?”

“Yes!”

“What kind of ‘yes’ is that? You should say ‘I understand’.”

“I unteeeand!”

Louis wondered if his four-year-old daughter could comprehend this, but he didn’t really care whether she did or not. As long as she stayed quiet while doing whatever she wanted, everything was fine with him.

Tania obediently nodded and found a spot in one corner. Then, just like Kendrick had done earlier, she closed her eyes.

It was either a six-year-old practicing a simple breathing technique to build elemental power or a four-year-old mimicking her brother by squeezing her eyes shut tightly.

Seeing the serene atmosphere conducive to study brought a contented smile to Louis’s face.

How peaceful.

As Tania appeared deeply focused even with her eyes closed, Louis crossed his legs and immersed himself in reading, entering a state of flow.

Louis, Kendrick, and Tania had been engrossed in their respective tasks for several hours now.

Louis was so absorbed in his book that he wouldn’t have noticed even if someone picked him up from beside him.

“Huh?”

Despite not taking his eyes off the page for a second, Louis looked up.

What’s this?

He raised his head because of an odd disturbance in the room’s mana flow.

When Louis saw where the strange reaction was coming from, his eyes widened.

”…Huh?!”

At the center of swirling mana…

“What?”

It was none other than Tania.

Seeing her with her eyes tightly shut, Louis muttered as if entranced:

”…She can do it too?”