Chapter 103

“Air Step isn’t just a technique where you explode your power. What’s needed here is an advanced level of concentration and sensation.”

Ihan explained as simply as he could.

A promise made is a promise kept.

It was more of a motto than an actual rule he followed, but once he decided to teach something, he would give it his best effort.

“The key isn’t in pushing off the air. What matters is gathering energy at the tips of your toes and spreading it wide to quickly create a foothold to step on. Since you all have mastered handling aura to a degree, I thought it would be manageable for you…”

However, despite giving his all to teach them…

“…Huh. You all look pitiful.”

Ihan clicked his tongue as he observed the knights sprawled out on the ground.

“…Is this even possible?”

“Uuugh!”

“I’m getting dizzy…”

Despite being the renowned Eagle Knights, whose long-standing tradition and skills were known even in other countries, these knights were now lying about, groaning in agony. This was the result of failing to master Air Step.

They weren’t dead, but they all looked pretty rough.

‘The way they’re failing is a spectacle on its own.’

Each of the hundred knights had found their own unique way to fail.

One attempted Air Step and ended up launching himself 15 meters in the air, only to plummet back down. Another, attempting to walk in the air, flipped upside down. The most ridiculous one, though…

‘The guy who did a somersault and slammed into the cliff was the funniest.’

He’d given everyone something to laugh about for a year, no doubt. The knight who slammed into the cliff was probably hurting, but to anyone watching, it was quite the sight.

The others were no different.

Most failed in similar ways, collapsing in self-destruction, and Ihan, having watched all hundred knights fail, set out to analyze the issue. It didn’t take him more than ten minutes to pinpoint the cause.

“It’s the aura technique…”

As he mentioned the day before, the aura technique involves amplifying one’s internal energy by causing a burst within. It’s like detonating a bomb inside the body, then converting that energy into physical power, with greater mastery leading to even more potent explosions.

…But managing that explosive energy with precision—how difficult could that be?

‘I thought they’d get it quickly, but this might take longer than I expected.’

These knights weren’t amateurs; they were talented and elite. Ihan had assumed they’d pick it up in no time, but he hadn’t expected such a hurdle.

“…Does this mean we’ll never learn to walk in the air?”

One of the knights, seeing Ihan’s expression, asked, and Ihan shook his head.

“It’s not impossible. You just need to learn how to handle your aura delicately. In other words, you need to hone your fine control.”

“I’m confident in my control…”

Vale mumbled, and the other knights nodded. They weren’t novices who had just started learning aura; they were elite knights who had trained control techniques extensively to improve endurance in battle.

They voiced their resistance, and to them, Ihan replied…

“Damn, even my kids could handle that level of control. What I’m asking for is… ah! It’d be easier to show you than to explain.”

What good would words do? As he’d noted earlier, none of them lacked talent or intelligence. And talented, intelligent people often had immense pride, never fully accepting others’ words. Some wouldn’t believe him or would doubt his explanation, even when they were in the position of learners.

Unwaveringly.

Ihan decided to stop explaining, glanced around, and spotted a tree with lush foliage.

“This should do.”

“?”

He picked up a leaf from the ground near the tree, then placed it on the lake’s surface. The knights watched, blinking in confusion, wondering what he was doing.

Then…

“Watch closely.”

With a twist, Ihan flipped in the air, diving towards the lake. They expected a splash, but what they saw was…

Plop…

“...?”

A sight that defied the laws of physics.

“What… what is that?”

“Where does he learn these things?”

“…Am I dreaming?”

The knights, their mouths hanging open, looked on as if they’d become fools.

They had expected water to splash when he jumped, yet the lake remained as still as ever…

And there, on the lake, was Ihan, balancing on one foot on the leaf.

“Do you see it? This is what I mean by controlling your power.”

A single reed crossing—a feat of balancing on a reed leaf and crossing the river.

…Though he had to use a tree leaf since there were no reeds around.

Regardless!

The point wasn’t about the reed leaf.

“What you need is delicacy and concentration. Enough finesse to control even your body weight, and the focus to maintain this state for at least thirty minutes. Only with that level of skill can you truly understand control.”

“…”

“Anyone still unconvinced, step forward. If you can pull this off, I’ll call you my elder brother.”

“…Haha.”

There wasn’t a single one.

Unable even to offer a rebuttal, the knights simply stood in a daze, wondering how such a thing was possible.

And they thought to themselves,

“Looks like we’ll have a lot of people falling into the water soon.”

The knights seemed certain that many of them would soon be taking unintentional dips.

Vale, too, despite his remarks…

‘I’ve got to try it myself!’

…couldn’t resist the temptation.

However, it would be four days later that the marquis would lose his wits when the entire knightly order fell into the water and came down with colds.

Ihan hadn’t specifically instructed them to practice the single reed crossing, yet he chuckled as he saw knights grabbing a leaf and jumping into the river.

It seemed that men were similar no matter the world.

Well, he was no different…

‘I practiced this like crazy too.’

Thinking back to his past life, he remembered how much effort he’d put into mastering various techniques after he attained enlightenment. Among them, he had relentlessly pursued the single reed crossing.

…He’d nearly drowned multiple times.

Don’t ask why he did it. He just felt like it.

But all that practice wasn’t in vain.

In fact, the foundation of his current techniques, like Arrow Leap and Steel, stemmed from the single reed crossing.

While Arrow Leap and Steel seemed like brute strength on the surface, in truth, they demanded instantaneous control and concentration above all else.

So Ihan didn’t bother stopping the knights who kept falling into the water.

After all, he’d experienced firsthand that any effort ultimately helped.

‘Teaching is rewarding.’

They had passion and talent.

There was nothing more satisfying as a teacher than having bright students. Furthermore…

‘I’m gaining something too.’

He wasn’t using the phrase in the clichéd sense of “learning by teaching.”

‘I like that they don’t shy away from fights.’

Maybe out of frustration from losing to him the day before, but the knights actively approached him, requesting duels.

Sometimes it was one-on-one, other times one against many, but whatever the case, Ihan was delighted.

No matter how much he trained alone in strength and technique, it couldn’t substitute for live combat experience.

Having a constant stream of opponents to spar with was a huge advantage, especially since, in both his past and present life, he’d had to pay to find suitable sparring partners. Here, they approached him of their own accord.

He couldn’t be more grateful.

Perhaps because of this…

Ihan, who had spent nearly a week frequenting the marquis’s estate, was in peak condition.

While others might have been covered in bruises from such relentless sparring, in this world, no one would be worn out after a few bouts with the availability of potions.

And for Ihan, even less so.

‘They’ve got some fascinating techniques. Especially the Sword Threads—that one’s a gem.’

A technique that spreads sword energy like threads…

In terms of versatility, it seemed even more adaptable than the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

‘I can’t manipulate Plum Blossom freely.’

In contrast, with Sword Threads, one could control them at will. Unfortunately, mastering such a skill required extreme talent and intelligence, which he didn’t yet possess.

‘It’ll be hard to learn right away.’

Ihan swallowed his regret.

“Why the long face, Sir Ihan?”

“Rather than worrying about my face, maybe worry about your soaked state. You look like a drowned cat.”

It was Vale, who had climbed out of the water looking like a wet rat after failing the single reed crossing six times. He brushed off the water and gave a wry smile.

“It’s quite challenging. How on earth do you float on a leaf?”

“This is nothing. There’s someone who crossed a river on a single reed leaf.”

“River, you say…”

“For reference, it wasn’t just any river. It was the Great Ninneve Canal.”

“…Might as well say they crossed the sea.”

The Great Ninneve Canal.

A massive waterway under the jurisdiction of Galahad, where the first sight of its waters often led people to wonder if it was a sea.

It was, quite literally, a river so vast it could be mistaken for the sea.

And someone crossed such a river on a single reed leaf?

“Was that person some kind of spirit or aura user?”

“Whether a spirit or aura user, I’m not sure. Just a monk.”

“A monk? …A saint-level monk? I guess with such a person, it might be possible to use such mysteries…”

Vale’s exaggerated assumption of a saint-level monk made Ihan pause, but he didn’t correct him.

In a kingdom where any religion other than Light of Radiance was treated as heresy, bringing up Buddhism would only label him as a heretic.

Not wanting to invite the inquisitors, Ihan let Vale misunderstand and changed the subject.

“By the way, there’s something I’m curious about—about the Sword Threads, could…”

“-Sir Ihan! Sir Ihan Turtle!”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“…?”

Just as he was about to ask about the Sword Threads, a servant from the marquis’s estate called out to him, and Ihan looked over, puzzled.

But before he could respond, Vale stepped forward.

“Why the commotion? Do you not know this is the training ground?”

“Ah, Sir Vale, apologies. It’s an urgent matter…”

“Urgent matter?”

“Yes, um…”

“...Hmm?”

“Hehe, hello there.”

“…?”

A royal maid.

With a bright smile, the royal maid greeted him, and Vale momentarily forgot his irritation.

Seeing Layla Winter, a royal maid, strangely seemed to melt away his anger.

While Vale stood there, bewildered, Ihan gave her a questioning look.

“Ma’am?”

“Knight~.”

Layla’s appearance made Ihan blink. This was normally the time she would be napping in a hammock by the cottage. Knowing that she’d recently developed a habit of sleeping in the cool shade, Ihan wondered why she was here instead.

“It’s nothing much. I was asked to give this to you!”

“…?”

The maid handed him an ornate letter sealed with a wax lion insignia. The symbol of the Silver Lion Order on the letter made Ihan’s face tense.

He had a bad feeling.

‘I’d like to burn it…’

Since it was a message from the knight order, his former workplace, he felt uneasy. However, with everyone watching, he couldn’t just burn it, so Ihan figured he’d take the letter, keep it on him, and deal with it later.

But then—

“Oh, you’re supposed to read it right away. They thought you might secretly burn it.”

“This woman…”

It was as if she could read his mind.

Only one person could do that, and a frown creased Ihan’s brow.

“…Tsk.”

Displaying clear distaste, Ihan finally opened the letter and began reading it.

The letter was filled with elaborate phrases that made his head spin, but as he carefully deciphered it…

“What in the world?!”

Ihan crumpled the letter in his hand.

[Sir Ihan Turtle is hereby ordered to return to active duty.]

That was the gist of the letter, and Ihan was outraged.

Was she playing a dog-training trick on him?! Kicking him out only to call him back now?

It was absurd.

What did she take him for?!

‘I’m not letting this slide this time!’

Ihan resolved himself.

Sister or not, today he would have his reckoning.

Just as he decided to polish his trusty hand axe…

“Oh, right. The princess wanted me to give this to you too!”

“…”

“She said you’d love it, and I guess it’s true.”

“…Maid.”

“Yes?”

“If you had this, shouldn’t you have given it to me first?”

“Sorry about that.”

“Oh, it’s alright! Haha!”

Ihan burst into laughter, his frustration melting away as he looked at the gift the maid had pulled from her pouch.

Ambrosia.

The ambrosia was even more radiant than he’d seen the day before, shimmering in a golden hue.

And with it, his anger evaporated into thin air.