Hard Carried by My Sword-Chapter 49

“Aura attributes are important. Not just important—absolutely crucial. Aura is a power that passes through and is filtered by the user’s body. So, its attribute is almost like a reflection of who you really are,” Karen explained.

“Basically, it’s one’s essence...” Leon muttered.

“There are even people who say it’s your life itself. What you were born with, what you’ve aimed for, what you’ve experienced—your mindset about the past, the present, and the future. The attribute of your Aura is never just a matter of luck.”

Karen’s eyes grew somber.

“Even when faced with the same situation, some people fight, some hide, and some run away, you know? But that doesn’t mean you can judge good and evil by Aura attribute alone. You get that much, right?”

“Yeah.”

It was something Leon had heard from El-Cid once before. Every phenomenon had two sides, and many things couldn’t be cleanly divided into good and evil. If light disappeared, you couldn’t see ahead—but if darkness disappeared, you couldn’t close your eyes.

Leon knew it well. Even his Aura attribute, the Sun, had its moments of corruption throughout the course of history. Even if one pursued justice, it could easily rot into self-righteousness if the path strayed. That was why El-Cid always scolded him harshly whenever he let Aura lead him astray.

Karen continued, “To train your Aura means to make that essence purer and more powerful. Depending on the attribute, that training can be either easier or harder.”

The clearest example was the Fire attribute. Perhaps because human lives burned shorter than other races, many of them were naturally attuned to fire.

And just because it was common didn’t mean it was weak. Fire symbolized destruction and rebirth, which left plenty of room for interpretation.

“Training fire-type Aura is simple. Destroy something. Fight someone. Push yourself to your limit. Most actions naturally refine Fire Aura.”

Fire destroyed, fire wounded, and fire burned itself. It was an attribute that aligned closely with martial combat.

Leon nodded and asked, “How did you train, Karen?”

At that, she closed her eyes as if recalling something.

“Me? Hmm... In my case, my quests and jobs themselves were my training. I didn’t like it, but Shadow Aura and assassins are a really good match. That’s also why I was able to rise to the top.”

She was right. Since ancient times, assassins have been likened to shadows. The way they appeared soundlessly behind your back, never standing in the light—it was a natural parallel. If Karen had been born into a normal family, it would’ve taken her far longer to reach her current level.

Not that I could call that birth a blessing...

Leon felt a pang of bitterness. It was a sad truth that her harsh, miserable upbringing was what allowed her talent to shine.

Even so, he tried not to pity her. Pitying someone who had clawed her way out of that misery on her own would’ve been nothing short of an insult.

Unaware of his thoughts, Karen looked pensive.

“Still... Sun Aura, huh...”

Shadow was already one of the rarest attributes, but the Sun attribute was in another league.

It was one of the goddess’s symbolic attributes and had appeared in every generation of heroes. Its power, versatility, and techniques were all legendary.

“It’s probably a bit different from fire, huh?” Leon asked. “Or maybe it’s closer to light.”

“They do share a lot of similarities, though,” Karen replied.

Leon regretted not asking El-Cid about it sooner. If he had, he might’ve learned a training method or two. El-Cid had been a hero of a past age and the most powerful wielder of the Sun attribute.

A few traits came to mind when thinking of the sun: it illuminated the world, drove away darkness, and never stopped burning.

“Illuminate the world... oh?” murmuring, Leon stopped on that thought.

“Oh? Did something come to you?” Karen asked.

“Hold on.”

Leon sat down on the spot and focused. The duel earlier had fired him up enough that his Aura was still boiling inside him like magma beneath the earth. He gathered that flow with his will, focusing it toward his fingertips.

Alright, gathering it isn’t the issue.

The real challenge was manifesting it outside of his body. Leon could feel the searing heat in his fingers and wondered how to control it.

The sun...

He visualized it as he tried to manifest it outside his body.

“Oh? Ooh?” Karen gasped beside him.

From the tip of Leon’s index finger, a tiny orb of light appeared. It looked like a miniature sun. It wasn’t radiating power yet, so it wasn’t a true Aura Weapon—just light.

“Guh...”

Beads of sweat poured from Leon’s forehead. It was a far more difficult task than he expected.

Controlling Aura outside his body was the essence of manifestation. Succeeding even once on his first attempt was impressive, but Leon, not knowing that, could only grit his teeth.

This is all I’ve got...?! No way.

Through sheer force of will, he steadied the unstable globe. As it stabilized and brightened, a faint physical force began to gather inside. He was patching up his lack of skill with raw determination.

However, it wasn’t a sustainable solution. The orb of light burst like a bubble.

Pop!

At the same time, Leon’s concentration snapped, and he slumped forward.

“Huff... Huff...”

He’d never realized it before, but this one attempt showed him just how high the bar for Aura manifestation truly was. The only reason he had produced anything at all was because he’d borrowed El-Cid’s power before. Without that experience, he’d likely be lying there recovering from having completely drained his Aura.

Unlike the dissatisfied Leon, Karen looked genuinely impressed.

“Wow, that’s amazing... I didn’t think you’d succeed on your first try.”

“I thought I failed... This counts as success?” 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“Of course, it does.”

The essence of Aura manifestation was controlling externally emitted Aura as if it were still inside the body. In that sense, Leon’s orb of light was a clear success.

If it had just been a light with no power, maybe not—but Karen’s sharp senses had felt the force within it. And he had even managed to sustain it for several dozens of seconds.

“Aura Weapons aren’t much different. As long as you can expand it and stabilize it, that’s all there is to it,” Karen explained.

“Expand it and stabilize it...”

Leon furrowed his brow in thought, and Karen, seeing the opportunity, offered more advice.

“In my case, I visualize Aura flowing like blood vessels and draw it outward. Since Aura Weapons consume so much energy, keeping that flow stable is key. If you base it on a form that requires a single burst, it becomes too risky.”

“Too risky?”

“Well—”

She was about to explain when a third voice interjected.

“It means the power output is high, but you can’t maintain it for long. For Fire Aura wielders, things like explosions or eruptions fall into that category of Aura Weapon.”

“Bishop Caesare,” Leon greeted the owner of the voice.

It looked like he had just returned from his patrol. Removing his coat and hanging it on the tall rack, Caesare continued explaining.

“In cases like that, there are certainly some advantages. But when it comes to dealing with a variety of situations, the lack of versatility becomes an issue.”

“So then, a sustained-type Aura Weapon is the best?” Leon asked.

“No,” Caesare denied it with a firm tone.

In battle, the best and worst options often coexisted. What was best in one moment became the worst when the situation flipped. Sustained Aura Weapons offered stable performance, but when a decisive strike was needed, they lacked the destructive force.

Conversely, burst-type Aura Weapons were powerful for sudden ambushes or finishing blows—but left their wielder empty-handed afterward.

“If possible, it’s best to master both. Use sustained form as a baseline and only tap into burst power when absolutely necessary. That’s how we were taught in the Holy Iron Inquisitors.”

Leon promptly asked, “Your attribute was Moon, right?”

“Yes.”

“If it’s not rude to ask, could you share the image you used to complete your Aura Weapon?”

Karen immediately flailed her arms in protest, gesturing wildly where only Leon could see. Clearly, she didn’t have the courage to speak out loud in front of Caesare. Unfortunately, none of her signals got through.

“Of course, Hero Leon. I don’t mind,” Caesare answered with a smile, though the question was actually a major breach of etiquette.

For an Aura user, the image of their Aura Weapon was the very core of their technique and fighting style. While it might not matter in some cases, for those using specialized forms, revealing that information meant giving up a crucial edge. It was the sort of secret one would only share with someone they trusted with their life.

“My Aura Weapon is based on the phases of the moon.”

“The moon’s phases?”

“Correct. When I use minimal power, it’s a crescent moon. Moderate power, a half-moon. At full strength, it’s a full moon. There are variations like new moons and eclipses as well.”

“Five variations...!”

Leon looked at him with fresh awe. This was the man who was part of the Holy Iron Inquisitors, the very force considered the continent’s strongest military order.

Even Karen was taken aback. She quietly stepped back a few paces, instinctively sensing the gulf between their abilities as if looking for an angle to flee.

Ah.

Then, a realization struck Leon. Unlike the moon, whose shape changed day by day, the sun was always the same. That meant he couldn’t adopt the same style of shifting forms.

An eclipse, however, just might work.

If I use a solar eclipse as a metaphor for power buildup...

Leon’s issue was finding a way to incorporate burst-type power into the constant blaze of the sun. Caesare’s suggestion gave him the answer.

“You’ve had a revelation, haven’t you?” Caesare asked, noticing a shift in Leon’s eyes.

“Yes...!”

Leon’s face brightened as he nodded. The glowing orb from earlier had felt lacking, but now the missing piece had snapped into place. With this insight, he could resume training with renewed purpose and would surely gain new advances doing so.

“Congratulations,” Caesare said.

“Congrats, rookie,” Karen added.

“Thank you, Bishop Caesare, Karen.”

He expressed his gratitude again to the two who had helped him and leaned back in his chair, visibly more relaxed. Maybe he had been more anxious than he realized. The feeling of having taken a step forward brought him comfort.

“Heehee, I still can’t believe it. Just a month ago, I was an assassin from the slums—and now I’m the Hero’s comrade and teacher?”

Leon chuckled at Karen’s musing and replied, “Sorry, but I can’t let you be my teacher.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“That role’s already taken,” he said with a grin, tapping the sword lying next to him.

He hadn’t told anyone yet that El-Cid housed the spirit of Holy King Rodrick. He had a feeling that if he ever did, Caesare would show up at his door daily to pray over the sword and the whole situation would spiral out of control.

Karen, unaware of the hidden meaning, tilted her head in confusion, then gave up with a pout.

“Tsk, fine. I’ll settle for being your first party member. Even if I just write a memoir later, it’ll sell well.”

“Haha...”

It was a shameless remark, but Leon didn’t frown upon it. He knew what she truly wanted—an honor that could bury her wretched past.

She hadn’t joined him for money or salvation. She was drawn to the idea that she could become a Hero’s companion, not a hitman.

That’s probably why she insisted on having a dual identity as an adventurer, he thought. So she could elevate her life as Karen, not the Keeper.

She hated her past. An unloved childhood, a youth stained with blood and death, and a young adult life steeped in infamy and darkness. That was why she craved honor instead of wealth.

She wanted to reshape her story—to prove that her life hadn’t been miserable. That she had lived something worthy of praise and admiration.

Which is exactly why I can trust her.

What could be more honorable than adventuring alongside a Hero? To Karen, Leon was someone even more precious than her own life.

Maybe it was because it was just the three of them, but Caesare used the title “Hero” to refer to Leon without hesitation.

“Ah. Hero Leon, I’ve brought a message from the Saintess.”

“The Saintess...?”

Leon blinked in surprise. He’d heard that his deeds had been reported to her, but he didn’t expect her to respond directly. They hadn’t even met yet.

“Yes. I hear she was so excited when she heard about your achievements, she nearly ran out to see you on the spot. It took quite a bit of effort from the brothers at the Grand Church to hold her back. Luckily, they didn’t get too suspicious since it’s typical behavior for her.”

“She sounds... lively.”

“She certainly is.” Caesare smiled awkwardly before continuing, “She’s probably in the middle of her Succession Ceremony right now, but she still insisted on coming here.”

“Succession Ceremony...?”

“Yes. It’s the final trial one must pass to be formally recognized as a Saintess. Though based on her talents, it’s practically a formality at this point.”

Leon was a little surprised. Caesare had always struck him as the calmest and most level-headed person he knew—but now he was speaking with absolute certainty.

Was it just his deep faith? Or maybe something else?

Maybe she’s truly exceptional—despite her alleged wild side.

Leon didn’t know the details of the ceremony, but the Holy Church was notorious for being hardest on their own. So surely, the trials for the Saintess couldn’t be easy.

Still, it was good news. If the Saintess and his future comrade were that competent, it could only mean good things. As if reading his thoughts, Caesare passed along her message.

“She said, ‘I’ll come see you as soon as I can.’”

And for some reason, a chill ran down Leon’s spine.

What was that...?

It was a sudden premonition of chaos.