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‘So I had to painstakingly select words through rote education, instructing them on how to respond if spoken to in this way or that,’ he thought.

Watching the orcs interact awkwardly yet formally with the nobles and knights, Repenhardt felt a sense of pride.

It seemed the education had been worth it. While it couldn’t be said that they truly understood each other, at least they were conversing naturally on the surface.

That was enough to start with. Over time, humans might not understand other races, but they could come to acknowledge them. And as time passed, they would gradually become aware of the cultures of other races.

‘Although there’s a high possibility that they could get contaminated by human culture, there’s nothing I can do about that.’

Repenhardt couldn’t take care of every aspect of a race’s culture, tradition, and spirit. He could only trust that they would manage that themselves. All he could do was set the stage; it was up to them to roll the dice.

‘In the past, I failed because I rolled the dice and placed the bets myself. This time, I must trust them more.’

With warm eyes, Repenhardt looked at the different races in the banquet hall. As previously informed, Sillan was busily moving around the hall, diligently introducing the various races to each other.

“This is Sir Kadamyte, one of the most renowned warriors in the Grand Forge. Sir Kadamyte, this is Sir Dran, a highly esteemed knight from the Kingdom of Crovence.”

While the leaders of the different races were diligently memorizing their lines, Sillan was also not idle. He had to memorize the personal details of numerous nobles from Prince Yubel’s faction in advance, which paid off as he was now effortlessly introducing many nobles and knights.

“Oh, you are the warrior who beheaded Sir Tetsvalt!”

“Haha, it was merely luck. Come, let’s have a drink!”

“It is an honor to receive a toast from an Aura User.”

Sir Kadamyte and Sir Dran exchanged drinks amicably. After guiding the conversation to a suitable point, Sillan left with a satisfied expression, having successfully facilitated another interaction. As he walked away, the two men whispered to each other.

“They say he has a certain relationship with Duke Repenhardt…”

“Indeed, there seemed to be such an atmosphere, hmm.”

“Oh? What kind of atmosphere was that?”

“Whenever they had some free time, they’d disappear somewhere together and come back covered in sweat. What on earth could they be doing to get so sweaty…?”

“Indeed! There’s no smoke without fire!”

Completely oblivious to the wild rumors being spread about his dedication to muscle training, Sillan happily headed towards another table. From a distance, Repenhardt found the sight quite depressing.

‘Ugh, it’s good that Sillan is doing well, but still…’

In any case, it was true that he was making a significant contribution to fostering camaraderie. Repenhardt turned his eyes away from reality.

‘The elves are doing fine on their own.’

Relhard and his elf lieutenant seemed to be getting along quite well without Sillan’s intervention. Elves, with their innate pursuit of harmony and rational mindset, quickly adapted to human culture. They knew how to nod along appropriately, elegantly correct unpleasant remarks, and naturally interact.

On the other hand, Russ…

“I witnessed your battle with Sir Spirius. How did you achieve such martial prowess at such a young age?”

“I trained hard.”

“I see. What kind of training did you undergo to achieve that…”

“I swung my sword.”

“Oh, I apologize. It’s inappropriate to ask a knight about his swordsmanship so freely.”

“…”

Having awakened his aura at a young age and defeated Sir Spirius, Russ was practically the star of this banquet. Everyone wanted to talk to him and form connections.

However, this cold-faced swordsman exuded an unapproachable aura. With his stiff demeanor and curt replies, no one dared to approach him lightly.

“Sir Russ doesn’t seem to be in a good mood.”

“Hmm, does he not like the atmosphere of this banquet?”

“Probably. It’s understandable that a true warrior would be displeased to hold a cup instead of a sword.”

“Indeed, many aura users are known to be eccentric.”

Repenhardt clicked his tongue in frustration.

‘Damn it, that guy.’

He had thought Russ had brightened up considerably, but today he was back to his old, cold self. While people admired him for being as sharp as a finely forged blade, Repenhardt knew the truth.

‘Why is he so shy?’

In truth, Russ wasn’t so much cold-hearted as he was awkward around people due to being an outcast in the Count Tenes family. This made interacting with other races easier for him. Since they were different species, any potentially offensive behavior or remarks could be dismissed as cultural differences. Unlike when dealing with humans, he didn’t need to be overly concerned about his demeanor.

Thus, Russ quietly dominated one side of the banquet hall, drinking alone. Yet, no one seemed particularly bothered by this. If an ordinary knight behaved that way, he would be ostracized, but since it was an aura user, even his aloofness seemed to add to his mystique.

Overall, things were proceeding according to plan, and Repenhardt was secretly pleased.

‘It’s going well enough.’

He had never thought they would lose the war. With the dwarves’ and orcs’ forces involved, and it not being a full-scale national conflict, it was no exaggeration to say that Yubel’s side had no chance of losing.

‘The real battle begins after the victory.’

Currently, even if the nobles showed such attitudes, no one could predict how they would react once Yubel ascended the throne and rewards were distributed. If he wanted to secure a territory and achieve his goals, there was still much to be done.

‘Well, let’s deal with that when the time comes.’

Shrugging his shoulders, Repenhardt took a drink. The banquet was in full swing, and everyone was performing their roles well. There was nothing more for him to do here.

With his mind free, he thought of Siris. Knowing the public’s views on elven women, Repenhardt had deliberately not invited her to the banquet to spare her from unpleasant experiences.

‘There’s nothing more for me to handle here, so I might as well go see Siris.’

☆ ☆ ☆

Making an appropriate excuse, Repenhardt left the banquet hall. Outside, soldiers were also celebrating in various places. Thinking about various future matters, he walked towards the lodgings on the opposite side of the mansion.

The mansion was quiet, with everyone engrossed in the festivities except for the basic guards. As he walked through the shadowy corridors, with the moonlight casting long shadows from the pillars, Repenhardt suddenly frowned.

“Huh?”

There was a person standing in the darkness on the other side of the corridor. At first, he thought it was just a soldier, but there was an unusual lack of presence. Despite being right in front of him, there was no sense of movement or life. This was no ordinary person; it had to be either a ghost or…

‘Aura user who has perfectly concealed their presence!’

Repenhardt’s expression hardened. When an aura user intentionally concealed their presence, it was difficult even for another aura user to detect them. Although it was possible to sense them with magic, Repenhardt hadn’t activated any detection spells.

From the darkness, the figure slowly emerged. It was a familiar face. Although he wore light clothing instead of his usual ornate armor, the sword in his hand and the serious expression were unmistakable.

“Spirius?”

Spirius pointed his sword at Repenhardt, glaring at him. He spoke coldly.

“Forgive me, mage! Everything is for the future of the kingdom!”

With that, Spirius lunged at Repenhardt, slashing through the air. The steel blade aimed directly at Repenhardt’s head. Instinctively, Repenhardt raised his right arm to block it.

Clang!

Bare flesh met steel with a metallic sound. Spirius clicked his tongue and remarked.

“Iron Skin magic! Your reflexes are impressive, mage!”

Of course, Repenhardt, with his current abilities, couldn’t cast a high-level fifth-circle spell like Iron Skin without incantations. He had simply blocked it with his bare arm.

Spirius swung his sword again, this time with more force. Even without manifesting his aura, his strike, combining mind, body, and spirit, could cut through steel.

“Haap!”

With a low shout, Spirius aimed for Repenhardt’s shoulder. Repenhardt was momentarily confused. He could dodge the attack, but…

‘What should I do?’

He was currently posing as a mage. He was unsure if he should reveal his true abilities by evading the strike.

Thoughts were long, but the attack was swift. As Repenhardt hesitated, Spirius’s sword struck his shoulder, only to bounce off again.

Clang!

Spirius finally showed a perplexed expression.

“Iron Skin magic shouldn’t be this strong.”

Iron Skin was a powerful protective spell that made the skin as tough as steel, but it had its limits. Its duration was short, and while it could block arrows, it wasn’t strong enough to deflect a fully-powered sword strike. If it were, every mage would be casting Iron Skin and charging into battle.

At that moment, Repenhardt quickly recited an incantation.

“Flame of destruction! Flame Bullet!”

Small fireballs continuously floated up from his fingertips and shot towards Spirius. While casting the spell, Repenhardt clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘Ah, this won’t work on an Aura User.’

As expected, Spirius extinguished all the flaming bullets with a simple wave of his hand. He then glared at Repenhardt with a grim expression.

“Indeed, for a magician to enable such things with his slaves, he can’t be an ordinary one. I, too, will use my full strength now!”

After all, his target was Repenhardt. Up until now, he had suppressed his aura to deceive the senses of other Aura Users, but given the circumstances, it was better to go all out, assassinate him, and escape.

Woooom!

Spirius lowered his sword. The red blade aura cut through the blue moonlight, revealing its menacing fangs. Repenhardt’s expression hardened.

‘Damn, I should have expected this!’

With Carsus in a desperate situation, their options were either to assassinate Yubel or kill the one commanding the other races. It was a fact that even a slightly perceptive person could guess. How had he failed to think of such a basic thing until now?

‘Ah, this cursed Teslon head!’

Cursing so often that it had practically become a proper noun, Repenhardt lamented his body’s IQ. Although he had regained a considerable amount of his magical power, it was still not enough to confront an Aura User. As a magician, he was no match for him. But he also did not want to reveal his identity and attract public attention.

‘Should I flee?’

However, Spirius’ skills were by no means low. He was certainly not someone who would leave his back exposed during an escape.

At that moment, Spirius stepped forward, brandishing his blade aura. The intense thrust turned into a red flash, aiming for Repenhardt’s heart.

‘Ugh! There’s no choice!’

In an instant, Repenhardt twisted his body to evade the attack and extended his right fist. While dodging, he aimed a direct smash at his opponent’s vital spot.

Thwack!

A heavy impact sound echoed as Repenhardt’s punch struck Spirius’ rib area. The timing was perfect, allowing him to land a proper counterattack. Spirius widened his eyes in shock and exclaimed.

“This martial art? Are you a battle mage!”

Although his aura protected his entire body, reducing the damage significantly, allowing the enemy’s strike to land was still shocking. After hitting the startled Spirius, Repenhardt immediately regained his stance.

‘This much is fine! As long as I don’t directly manifest aura, I can still claim to be a battle mage!’