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Chapter 252: The Unity of Teacher, King, and Parent (2)

Barely managing to calm his mind, Cain gave up and asked,

"What is it that you want to say?"

"It\'s nothing much. I\'m here to inform you that you don\'t need to participate in the upcoming fortress assault."

If Ketal mastered the art of mystery, they could break through the fortress without any issues.

However, Cain had no intention of just sitting idly by.

He planned to continue attacking the fortress with the Mercenary King.

Cain was a superhuman-level Swordmaster, and he had his own role to play.

However, since he had to teach Ketal, he couldn\'t participate.

Cain nodded.

"I understand."

Just as the conversation was wrapping up, Ketal interjected,

"I apologize. It seems I\'m causing a loss of strength."

"No, no. You do no need to worry about that, Mr. Ketal."

"No, in that case, I\'ll fill the gap myself."

"What?"

The Archbishop was startled.

"But you need to learn how to handle mysteries, Mr. Ketal."

There was no time to launch a direct assault on the fortress.

Ketal spoke lightly.

"I\'m not going to help directly. Come forth, Piego."

Whoosh!

Flames gathered and took the form of a bull.

Overwhelmed by the tremendous power, the Archbishop and Cain were astonished.

"My God!"

"The highest-ranking spirit of fire!"

[…What is it this time?]

"I need your help,"

Ketal explained the situation.

Upon hearing the explanation, Piego\'s flames flickered.

[Eradicating evil that pollutes the earth? Finally, something that suits me. Alright, I\'ll help. I hope the next task is similar.]

"I\'ll try."

Just as Piego was about to move, he suddenly remembered something and asked,

[A few days ago, I felt something through our link.]

Normally, it would have been impossible to sense anything, as Piego kept their link as thin as a thread.

However, something broke through that barrier, delivering a sensation—a feeling as if the very world itself was warping, as if opposing something colossal.

[…What did you do?]

"Ah."

Ketal realized what Piego was referring to.

It must have been during his fight with Federica.

"That happened. I\'ll explain later."

[Hmm.]

Piego made a dissatisfied noise and moved.

His body turned into flames as he headed toward the fortress.

"With Piego around, he can fill Cain\'s spot."

"More than just filling it,"

Cain stammered.

The highest-ranking spirit was on par with the Mercenary King in power, surpassing the strength of dozens of Cains.

‘I had heard stories, but…’

This barbarian didn\'t just rely on his own strength.

He also wielded the power of spirits.

"The problem is solved. Let\'s move out, teacher,"

Ketal said lightly.

Cain\'s face twisted.

* * *

After that, Ketal continued to follow Cain, learning how to handle mysteries from him and tending to his needs.

Cain desperately tried to tell him to leave, insisting that it wasn\'t necessary.

He begged and even mustered the strength to speak sternly, but Ketal wouldn\'t listen.

"I am your disciple. Even if you reject me, I must fulfill my duty as a disciple."

‘What kind of madness is that?!’

Cain wanted to scream.

And everyone around them witnessed the entire spectacle.

"What… what\'s going on?"

"A hero-class warrior… is serving him?"

Someone with the power to shatter a fortress with a single strike was sincerely showing respect to a superhuman-level Swordmaster, treating him as a master.

It was a truly bizarre sight.

They, too, had thought the relationship was just a supportive one, not a true master-disciple relationship, so they couldn\'t help but be shocked.

Even the Mercenary King watched their relationship with some reluctance.

"Is this really okay?"

"I\'m satisfied,"

Ketal replied with a smile, a deep sense of satisfaction on his face.

"If he\'s happy, then I guess it\'s fine."

The Mercenary King ignored Cain\'s desperate plea for help.

He was also relieved that he wasn\'t the one teaching Ketal.

Cain truly felt like he was going insane.

But he wasn\'t the only one suffering.

While walking through the forward base, a knight spotted Cain and widened his eyes.

"M-Master? What in the world is going on?"

"Ah… my disciple."

"Oh?"

Seeing the knight\'s face, Ketal\'s expression brightened with recognition.

It was a familiar face, a knight he had once fought in the Barkan territory.

Cain\'s disciple had followed him here as well.

The knight recoiled in fear at the sight of Ketal.

"You, you!"

"Ah, come to think of it, I did hear that you had another disciple here. Nice to meet you! I’ve also become Cain\'s disciple."

"What?"

"We now share the same master. Technically, that makes us senior and junior disciples."

Ketal laughed heartily and clapped the knight on the shoulder.

"Senior disciples are practically like brothers! That makes us brothers! If you ever need help, just let me know, brother!"

Overnight, the knight found himself in a brotherly relationship with a hero-class warrior.

His face turned deathly pale.

* * *

‘Why?’

Why was this happening to him…

Cain felt like he was going to die.

His stomach twisted painfully.

For the first time since becoming superhuman, he felt physical pain in his abdomen.

Seeing this, Ketal scratched his cheek.

"You look troubled."

Cain felt a surge of anger.

The one causing him this misery was now saying he looked troubled, and it made him genuinely resentful.

His emotions showed in his gaze.

‘I do feel a little bad about this.’

Of course, Ketal had no intention of stopping, as he was enjoying himself.

But he didn\'t enjoy tormenting others endlessly.

Ketal grinned.

"You\'ll benefit from this too. Just bear with it a little longer."

‘What nonsense is that…’

Cain dismissed Ketal’s words as nonsense.

But that night, the Archbishop summoned him.

"What is it?"

"I called you for a progress check. Is the training going well?"

"No issues, aside from my stomach being in knots,"

Cain replied bluntly.

Despite everything, Ketal was quickly learning how to handle mysteries.

At this pace, concrete results would emerge in a few days.

"I see…"

The Archbishop looked at Cain with a peculiar expression.

Then, as if making up his mind, he spoke.

"Mr. Cain, you\'re affiliated with the Kingdom of Gehentra, correct?"

"That\'s right."

Cain was indeed affiliated with the Kingdom of Gehentra.

And unusually for someone of superhuman level, he had a strong sense of patriotism.

This fact was well-known, and the Archbishop was aware of it.

"How are things in the kingdom?"

"Well… not good,"

Cain grimaced as he spoke.

The Kingdom of Gehentra was a small kingdom.

As a vassal state of the Empire, it had to pay substantial tributes, but in return, the Empire offered no assistance.

The kingdom was struggling, greatly shaken by the current chaotic situation.

Cain was doing everything in his power to save the kingdom, but his efforts alone were insufficient.

He spoke curtly.

"Why are you asking such obvious questions?"

"No, Sir Cain, you have been doing a great deal for us. You have voluntarily come here to assist us,"

Said the Archbishop with a gentle smile as he got to the main point.

"Therefore, in my name, I will send aid to the Kingdom of Gehentra."

"...What?"

Cain\'s eyes widened.

"Is it... really true?"

"It is true. I sent a letter to the Church just yesterday. Aid will arrive in the Kingdom of Gehentra within a few days."

"Oh, no."

From Cain\'s perspective, this was incredibly good news.

The largest church on the continent was going to support his kingdom.

There was nothing more reassuring than that.

However, it was all so sudden.

To be honest, he didn\'t have much influence here.

Although he wasn’t treated poorly due to his superhuman abilities, he wasn’t particularly well-regarded either.

This was partly because there were already plenty of superhuman beings, but the biggest reason was that his backing was the weakest.

Other superhuman beings were followers of the Earth Mother Goddess or magicians from the Magic Tower.

In contrast, he was merely a knight from a small kingdom.

His background was clearly weaker than others, and as a result, he wasn’t given much special treatment.

And yet, suddenly, they were offering support.

Cain, who was momentarily flustered, soon realized what was going on.

The confusion in his expression subsided.

"...Thank you."

"You\'re welcome,"

The Archbishop replied with a kind expression, though a political mask was veiled over his face.

"I hope we can maintain a good relationship in the future as well."

* * *

The next day.

Cain spoke to Ketal.

"Yesterday, the Archbishop said he would support my kingdom."

"That\'s good news," Ketal smiled.

"Didn\'t I tell you? It would be beneficial to you as well."

"...Indeed."

The reason for the Archbishop\'s sudden change in attitude was clear.

It was because of Ketal.

A hero-class warrior, a person powerful enough to alter the continent\'s balance.

Such a person seriously treated Cain as his master, showing him all due respect.

Whether it was a façade or not, if it was sincere, Cain’s backing had suddenly become formidable.

A hero-class warrior was treating him as a master.

With that, even the Archbishop of the Earth Mother Goddess had no choice but to change his treatment of Cain.

The result was support for the kingdom.

"...Thank you."

Cain sincerely thanked Ketal.

Though it was difficult for him personally, he could endure it if it helped his kingdom.

"There\'s no need to thank me. It benefits both you and me,"

Ketal replied lightly.

"Feel free to use my name whenever you need."

"No, that\'s too frightening, so I’ll pass."

"Well, as you wish,"

Ketal laughed.

Cain looked at him with a new sense of appreciation.

From the beginning, Ketal had known that by treating Cain in this manner, perceptions of him would change.

He was fully aware of how much value he held.

\'...This barbarian...\'

Cain swallowed.

He wasn’t just powerful; he was also smart.

He could accurately assess the situation and weigh the value of things.

‘I don’t know why someone like him calls me his master...’

But as long as it was mutually beneficial, that was enough.

Cain decided that he would earnestly teach Ketal the mysteries.

Cain spoke up.

"So, how far have you progressed?"

"I\'ve reached the level you mentioned. It takes me 1 second to circulate the path of mysteries once."

"Good. You\'ve mastered the basics."

The fundamental step to properly handling mysteries was to circulate the path of mysteries within 1 second.

That was now achieved.

"With this, you\'ve completed the basics. From now on, you’ll be able to handle mysteries properly."

"Ooooooh,"

Ketal was filled with anticipation as he asked,

"So, what’s the next step?"

"It\'s simple,"

Cain answered.

"Body enhancement."

"Ooooooh!"

Body enhancement.

Finally, he could wield mysteries to bring about transformation.

His heart raced.

"Are you ready?"

"Of course!"

Ketal nodded vigorously.

The joy on his face was evident, even to Cain.

Cain looked on with a sense of unease.

What he was about to teach was the control of mystery.

At best, it was a secondary skill level.

It was hard to get used to the idea that someone of Ketal’s caliber would be so genuinely excited about something of this level.

Cain shook his head and spoke.

"Then let’s begin right away. The method is simple. If you’ve successfully circulated the mystery, it means you can move it. Now, you need to gather it in your whole body or a specific part to enhance it. For now… let\'s start with your leg."

Cain looked at Ketal’s left leg.

"Focus the mystery into your left leg and enhance it."

"Do I just need to gather it?"

"It’ll be easier if you focus on the sensation of filling your leg from the inside."

"Got it."

Ketal closed his eyes and focused his mind.

He tried to gather the mystery within him into his left leg.

A minute passed.

Cain murmured to himself in surprise,

"This is taking longer than I expected."

Successfully circulating the mystery meant that one could control it.

Moving the mystery wasn’t that difficult.

According to Cain’s teaching standards, one could grasp the concept within 10 seconds.

But Ketal had been focusing for over a minute.

Ketal responded,

"No, it’s just that this thing isn\'t easy to handle."

The beast inside Ketal\'s mystery—suppressing it to circulate was one thing, but when he tried to gather it in his leg, it started growling and resisting again.

Trying to suppress and control it was far from easy.

"I see…"

Cain had a puzzled expression.

For someone like him, it was hard to comprehend what it meant for the mystery to be like a beast.

After several more minutes, Ketal finally opened his eyes.

"It’s done."

He had succeeded in gathering the mystery into his left leg.

"So, how do I handle this now?"

"If you\'ve successfully gathered it, it\'s not difficult. Just swing it as is."

The mystery would protect the leg from attacks and amplify its strength.

It could be swung with more power and speed.

"Hmm."

Cain looked at Ketal for a moment before speaking.

"Then try using that power once. Press down on the ground with your left foot with all your strength. You’ll clearly feel the difference between using the mystery and not using it."

"Hmm? Is that really okay?"

"It’s fine. We’re in an open field, so it doesn’t matter if the ground gets damaged."

Cain was teaching Ketal from a considerable distance away, not wanting anyone to see.

Even if something happened, there wouldn’t be an issue.

"If you say so."

Ketal responded as he lifted his leg.

A serious intent began to gather in that leg.

Chills.

At that moment, Cain felt a shiver down his spine.

His instincts warned him that the power in that leg was beyond his comprehension.

He tried to stop him, but it was too late.

"Wa-..."

Crunch.

But it was too late.

Ketal\'s foot came crashing down onto the ground.