SSS SKILL: DUPLICATE

Chapter 44 Embryonic Form of Concept

When Edgar reached the third level of aura, he came to Marshal Frey at the border accompanied by his personal guards to ask about the concept of martial arts that is needed to reach the fourth level of aura.

According to the Marshal, there is actually a stage before an aura master could reach the 4th level: the King's Field! The embryonic form of concept. The field mixed with the understanding of one's road of power or martial art. The founder of Flameworth Sacred Art did not completely understand it, so he was not able to explain it clearly in his written notes that are passed down to every generation of Baynard kings.

King's Field was just a vague concept a long time ago, but martial arts and aura have developed for many years, and it is becoming more clear to masters that have reached that stage. Marshal Frey has recently understood some of it, and Edgar is lucky to be the first to benefit from the recent enlightenment of Marshal Frey. Although the Marshal is enlightened, reaching the 4th level is difficult. There are many masters who got stuck on the king's field for the rest of their lives.

Edgar has been thinking about how he will form his concept of martial art ever since he talked with the Marshal. He is using his information bank and the internet in his memory to get some ideas. Many martial artists found their way of martial arts by traveling, mingling with mortals to understand their thoughts and experiences, and then reflecting that knowledge to themselves. Edgar decided he would do the same.

He prepared for many months before he could travel. He made sure that the royal court would function without him with the help of Elena, Albert, Roy, and his other trusted ministers. Someone will disguise himself as him and show the face of Van Flamewort a few times in the castle.He wants to gain a lot of strength before the huge battle.

After a few days, Edgar reached a town in a particular part of the kingdom. He is walking on a road. Beside the road is a large area filled with grass and flowers. There are children playing on slides and swings. There are wooden benches placed beside trees. There is some green light on the lush leaves of the trees. The trees absorb life energy in the air and transport some of it to the ground, making the ground a little fertile. The fertility is not enough for food crops, but grass and flowers are good enough.

Further in the distance is a shallow creek with flowing blue water. It was just barren ground before, but Edgar's policy of making water available where it was needed made this place a favorite playground for children in the town.There are many children playing with their parents.

A small magic beast with the head of a rhino and a body the size of a dog is playing with a child. Its smooth skin is purple. The child threw the wood into the air, and then the rhino-like beast ran after it. It looked anxious that it couldn't catch up with the wood, so he activated the lightning in its body. It suddenly increased in speed, then caught the wood. He runs back to the child while its tail is swaying rapidly. The child patted the small rhino's head. The rhino lay down and showed its belly. It seemed to want a belly rub. The child and his parents laugh. The child rubs the rhino's belly while laughing, and the magic beast's face is full of enjoyment.

A white cat two feet in height with a silver moon on its forehead walks near the rhino. She looked at the rhino with disdain. She walks elegantly toward a family. Her tail has a tied pink ribbon. The family has a little girl who looks anxious and keeps looking around her.

Puff! The white cat disappeared and teleported a short distance, then appeared behind the little girl.

"Meow." The little girl looked behind her, and her face suddenly turned surprised and happy. She hugged the cat's neck and asked.

"Queenie, where did you go? I keep looking around for you."

"Meow"

"Mama! Give me Queenies food. She might be hungry." The little girl prepared the food of the cat and brought it in front of her. The cat lay down on the grass on her belly.

"Meow"

The girl brought out a comb and started combing the cat's hair while giggling.

Edgar feels comfortable as he looks at the warm scene. He suddenly hears childish laughter behind him.

"Gwandfa Charge hehehhe." A two-year-old little girl in pigtails is riding on the shoulder of an old man while holding on to his head. The old man has sweat on his face, but he is still laughing. His right hand is supporting the little girl on his shoulder, while his left hand is holding the hand of a four-year-old girl eating candy like candied hawthorne on her left hand. There is a woman behind the old man; she seems to be the mother of the little girl, and her face is full of worry that the little girl might fall. The family went to the playground.

The old man sat on a bench to rest. His breathing is ragged. It was obviously difficult for him to carry the little girl, but he endured it to keep the little girl happy. He is wiping his sweat with his left hand. Edgar was already sitting on the bench when the old man sat beside him.

"Old man, you seem to be working too hard to make your granddaughter happy," said Edgar with a smiling face. He likes seeing that warm scene.

"Hahaha, of course. I want to use my remaining life to make them happy. That is the only way I can die peacefully," said the old man with a melancholy expression on his face.

"You seem like someone who has a story to tell," said Edgar as he noticed the sadness in the old man's face.

The old man looks at Edgar. Edgar's hair is black because of magic. He is wearing a brown cape, a simple white shirt, brown pants, and brown sandals. They are commonly worn by travelers. The old man has the urge to tell someone what he is hiding within himself. He wants to tell someone about it before he dies. At least tell it to the stranger in front of him, whom he will never meet again.

The old man's eyes suddenly turned red, and tears started falling when he remembered what happened years ago. There was not enough food in the family. The prices of food are too high, but there is a newborn girl in their family. Both she and the mother will not survive if they do not decide. He is the head of the family, so he will take responsibility. He took the newborn girl and walked toward a river in a neighboring town.

When the old man reached the river, he took a look one last time at the newborn girl. The girl smiled at him. He kneeled and cried loudly. He hugged the little girl and continued crying. He decided that he must at least let the little girl see more of the world before letting her depart. He reached a city before sundown.

He saw at the gate that there was something written, but he couldn't read it. He was planning to return to the river, but he had an impulse to ask what was written in the announcement. The guard told him that Prince Van, the regent king, is selling food at an affordable price, and you can ask for porridge if you don't have food. They are even hiring if you don't have a job to earn extra income. The old man suddenly cried loudly and kneeled. He hugged the baby girl and said, I'm sorry, repeatedly.

He hurried home and told everyone the news. They all cried and kowtowed in the direction of the capital to thank Prince Van. Now, nothing is lacking; no one will go hungry in the kingdom as long as you work diligently. He is making up for what he did by doing everything he can to make his granddaughters happy. Edgar's eyes have tears. His decision was right when he first came to this trial. The old man's family was probably not the only one in the same situation. The woman and her daughters notice the old man is crying. The woman dragged her children and approached them with a wary face. The two little girls have a cute, angry expression on their faces.

"Fwad guy, why do you bwully grandpa?" said the four-year-old girl. The two-year-old nodded as if saying she wanted to say the same thing.

"Hahaha, he is not bullying grandpa. A dust went to my eyes. It was so painful that is why I cried a lot." the old man excused. He doesn't want his granddaughters to worry.

"Mwe too, mwe too. I cried a lot when dwirt went to my eyes," said the two-year-old girl while raising her two hands and attesting to what her grandfather had said. Everyone laughs at the little girl. Edgar said goodbye to the old man and his family. He is reflecting on the old man's story while walking.

Edgar traveled through mountains and rivers. He took a bath in a clear, white river below a tall, beautiful waterfall. He ate fruits and hunted for food. He slept in the evening under tall trees that are as high as skyscrapers on Earth. He kept doing the same thing while meeting and talking with other people on the way.

One day, he reached a big waterfall. It is hundreds of meters wide. The tons of water dropping on the ground are so heavy that water vapor even reaches the middle of the tall fall. It is scary, but beautiful. The water is blue. The scene fascinated Edgar. He visited many places in the kingdom. There are also many beautiful places because it is a world where the air is rich with life energy and mana. Edgar thinks that this waterfall can become another hot tourist spot in Baynard Kingdom other than Purple Land. If electricity is developed later, it will probably give enough power to the whole kingdom.

Edgar kept walking from the waterfall to the river. A few days later, he saw a lake with a single house beside it. The place is remote. Even Edgar is not sure where he is. He just followed the river and reached that place. He is quite a distance from the house, but through his eyes as an aura master, he can see what is happening on the open ground. A man is swinging his sword. He is not using an aura, but the swing is powerful. The pressure from his swing brings dust and soil into the air. Edgar approaches the man, and he is astonished. According to his senses, there is no trace of a training aura within him. He is just an ordinary man; he is not even muscular, but his swing can be as strong as an aura user.

The man stopped practicing his sword as soon as he noticed Edgar.

"May I help you?" asked the man. He has long yellow hair and a beard. He is wearing a white coursecloth. There is melancholy in the man's face and tone. It was completely different when he was swinging his sword.

"Sorry for disturbing you. I'm a traveler, and I was just curious why your swings are powerful. Did you practice aura before?" asked Edgar.

"No. I don't know why you think it is powerful, but I just swing my sword because that is the only way I can bear to live," said the man with a sad tone.

"Have you not sparred with anyone before? I will use the same strength as yours so you can test your strength." Edgar is curious about the source of the man's strength.

The man hesitated but still agreed.

They took a sword stance. The man's eyes look different. He charges at Edgar. He is fast. He reaches Edgar in a few steps, then slashes his sword. Edgar also slashed an ordinary sword to meet the man's slash.

CLANG! Edgar was shocked. His arm and sword failed to block the man's sword. His arm and sword forcefully move up. The man gave Edgar another slash. Edgar hurriedly blocked the swing. All blocks of Edgar are being blown away. Using the same strength, he is not the man's opponent. If Edgar uses his footwork and sword techniques, he will win, but winning is not his purpose. Edgar stares into the eyes of the man. The man seems to be not slashing at Edgar. He seems to be slashing at all the pain he is suffering with his whole being. His sword seems to be fused with his whole being's will to cut that pain. Edgar's eyes widen and his mind enlightens. It's will!

Edgar smiles. He now knows what to do to reach that stage.

Edgar put aura to his arm and sword. He stopped the swing of the man. The man is surprised that his opponent is actually an aura master.

"Let's stop it here. Thank you. You help me a lot. If you need help in the future, you can go to any garrison of the army. If they cannot help, you can directly go to the capital. Show this badge if you need help." Edgar gave the man a badge with a crest being used by the king. The man looks at the badge and thinks that Edgar is a high-ranking noble household.

"What is your name?" Edgar wants to remember the name of the man.

"Elias, what about you, sir?" Elias asked with a respectful tone.

"Van Flameworth."

Edgar instantly disappeared in front of the man, whose eyes were wide open.

Edgar still continued to travel around the kingdom while deepening his study of what he learned. He wants to see what the kingdom that was lacking in money and food looked like during his reign.

Flap! Flap! Flap!

Edgar's cape and long red hair are swaying while sitting on the head of the giant stone sculpture of the human king in the valley.

Strong winds are blowing, birds are flying in the air, and big cloud formations are blocking the two suns.

Edgar can see the beautiful, wide blue sky and sea.

It's been two years since he started his travels. He is looking at the last stop of his travels, the Purple Land.

For Edgar, the scene looks beautiful. Elves, humans, dwarves, and demihumans are sitting around a table while eating, laughing, and drinking together. A little girl is pulling her mother's hand toward a sweet snack stand. A mother is chasing a boy with a broom and an angry face, which makes the people around her laugh. A girl with a backpack and floral dress is blocking her mouth with her hand, giggling and secretly laughing at the boy. A boy is crying on the ground in front of a toy stall. The mother is apologizing to everyone because the boy is causing a scene. A little girl is gently caring for her baby sister while her parents are working.

Edgar closes his eyes for a while and remembers all his travel experiences. Various images appear in Edgar's mind. The old man's face doting his granddaughters, Elias swinging his sword, people who shared their stories, people living in prosperity in the kingdom, his sister's face, uncle, and cousin. He opened his eyes and smiled.

"I will cut whatever is going to harm the people that I want to protect. It is my way of sword."

Edgar stands up and jumps down from the sculpture. His body rapidly moves down. When he was thirty meters above the ground, he applied earth magic to his body. His weight turned light, then his descent suddenly slowed down a lot.

Flop! Edgar landed on the ground. A man suddenly approached Edgar. The man is Roy. Roy gave Edgar a red coat with the crest of the king on its back.

Edgar wears the coat. He is back to his role as king.

"It's time to move."

Roy is excited while looking at the back of his king. After making many arrangements for many years, it is finally time for the whole world to witness the kingdom's might and true king.