Combat Awareness

Pale golden hair tied into a braid at the back, beautiful blue eyes, and that slightly dazed expression.

Who else could it be but his personal maid?

"Welcome back, my dear maid."

Returning the gesture with a gentle smile, Aurelian spoke with great poise.

"Wuya, wuya!"

A white phantom suddenly flashed by, and in the next second, it appeared before that plate of butter, tucking in with gusto.

With Roundball present, the atmosphere began to liven up.

Aurelian clapped his hands, and soon, servants dressed in black filed in from outside the door, each carrying plates of cookies to place on the dining table.

"Roundball, this is your reward. Thank you for your contribution to the development of the territory; I had the chef make these specifically for you."

"Wuya!"

Looking at the cookies radiating a sweet aroma, Roundball was almost moved to tears of greed. With a gulp, it swallowed the mouthful of buttered bread and dove into the pile of cookies, stuffing them into its belly one by one.

Aurelian could only shake his head helplessly.

After finishing dinner and using the washing water provided by the maid, he returned to his room in a good mood.

Having survived the narrow escape in the Spruce Forest and the bitter struggle against Jeanne, Aurelian felt the newly awakened Lower Rank Magic within him beginning to churn once more.

Indeed, combat was the fastest path to magical advancement.

Sitting cross-legged on the large bed, he quickly entered a meditative state and began to circulate the Star-Guiding Meditation passed down by the Archmond family.

The Star-Guiding Meditation was the perfect match for the Star-Forging Bloodline; the two complemented each other, pushing the Archmond family's magical attainments to their peak—though, of course, this was also inseparable from the inherent brilliance of the Archmond kin.

Aurelian emptied his mind. The core of this meditation technique lay in sensing the light of the stars above the void and drawing it down to resonate with the Star-Forging Bloodline within his body, continuously stimulating the potential of his legendary bloodline.

Every star in the void could resonate with the Star-Forging Bloodline, allowing the bearer to engrave them into their own lineage.

Each star was unique, containing distinct power and serving as a precious secret treasure; this was the fundamental reason the Archmond family had always stood at the pinnacle of the world.

They were the shining stars of the heavens themselves!

Once magic advances to the Middle Rank, one can call upon the stars in the sky, summoning the spirit of a star to protect oneself and manifest it as a power held in one's own hands.

Aurelian closed his eyes, recalling the memories of his predecessor.

The Star Magic within him accelerated, appearing more vibrant. To advance his magic, he first had to refine it, guiding it toward a higher level.

This was not just a leap in quantity, but in quality as well.

However, inducing such a transformation was no easy task.

Beyond prolonged combat, one had to constantly temper the magic within to lay the foundation for future advancement.

Magical progression was not achieved overnight, not even for someone possessing a legendary bloodline.

After circulating a cycle of magic nodes, Aurelian wiped the sweat from his face.

He condensed a cluster of Star Magic in his palm, his eyes filled with excitement.

Those life-and-death battles had not been in vain; his magic level had undergone a slight transformation.

Both its intensity and volume had improved, though it was a pity it hadn't fully transformed to reach the Middle Rank.

"Still not enough tempering."

Aurelian sighed. He believed his current shortcoming was not his magic level, but his killing techniques—or rather, his combat intuition.

Combat intuition, honed through a thousand trials, had already become a physical instinct.

During the bitter fight with Jeanne, Aurelian felt this particularly keenly; whether in sword skills, grappling, or footwork, he had been utterly crushed in every aspect.

Before a maid who had experienced a hundred battles, his combat intuition was like that of a pitiful child, knowing only how to crush opponents with raw magical power—a case of brute force overcoming all finesse.

But sword skills, footwork, and combat intuition were all vital; he could not ignore them.

Aurelian aspired to be a well-rounded warrior with no weaknesses; that was the capital required to survive in this other world.

He jumped off the large bed and discovered his robes were already soaked with sweat.

He smiled; there was no help for it, he would have to trouble the maid to help him change and bathe again.

Hm? Why was he feeling expectant? He was a gentleman, after all, and this wasn't intentional.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and the air outside remained biting cold, yet Aurelian took his longsword and headed to the garden behind the main castle.

It was called a garden in name, but in Aurelian's eyes, aside from weeds, there were no bright flowers to be found.

Lamenting his poverty once more, Aurelian raised his sword and began to practice.

But soon, a sense of irritation arose in his heart, for practicing the sword in this manner was truly dull and monotonous.

At this moment, the maid walked into the garden, followed by a bouncing Roundball.

The maid drew Atonement and said indifferently, "I will accompany you in your practice. What you are doing is useless."

"But this will..."

Aurelian's face held a trace of worry; he feared that if he stepped closer, he would lose control of his battle-lust and harm Jeanne.

"Do not worry, use your full strength."

The tone was indifferent, yet brimming with confidence—a sense of composure.

He froze for a moment, then chuckled; it was true, after all. Even if he were to lose control and unleash a triple-burst of magic, Jeanne would remain unscathed.

"So, I can fight without restraint?"

Aurelian raised Innocent Starlight and pointed it toward Jeanne.

"Mm."

The maid nodded, picking up her own cruciform longsword.

"Here I come!"

Aurelian did not hesitate, lunging forward with a Dash Slash. The azure blade rippled with blue light, surging with magical fluctuations.

The maid was not to be outdone, meeting his strike with her own sword.

The two powerful magi-tech weapons collided, erupting in violent ripples before clashing, parting, and clashing once more.

Crisp sounds of impact rang out in rapid succession.

Aurelian shouted, "Watch out!"

His longsword was fully charged, and a blue beam of light streaked forward, sweeping toward the black-and-white maid.

BOOM—

A flash of golden light shattered the Star Magic, then returned it in kind.

Aurelian's expression remained cold as he stood his ground, making no move to dodge, for there was no need.

The magic within his blade shifted, constructing a blue, rippling barrier that halted the advance of the golden magic.

Aurelian channeled the Ethereal Meditation to replenish his spent magic, then charged forward once more to engage Jeanne in battle.