A Wizard’s Secret

The praying time lasted only half an hour. The believers gradually dispersed when the church bells rang, indicating the time.

Merlin, on the other hand, was held back and directed to the small door of the church by the anxious Macy. Soon, both of them arrived in the backyard of the church. There, Merlin noticed about twenty people of different ages practicing swordsmanship under the guidance of a middle-aged man.

Macy walked toward this middle-aged man uneasily and said in a low voice, “Lord Pero…”

The man in front was Swordsman Pero. He, who appeared about thirty years old, was dressed in a silver light armor; in his hand held a greatsword with the width of four fingers. His eyes which brimmed of a radiating vigor imposed on him a dignified manner.

Swordsman Pero glanced at Merlin and Macy before saying softly, “Get into formation…”

Macy was glad that Swordsman Pero did not punish them. Immediately, she and Merlin wormed their way into the crowd.

Merlin was feeling rather confused when he joined the crowd. Just as he was at a loss of what to do, a red-haired young man waved at him from the back.

“Merlin, hurry up.”

The red-haired young lad shouted at Merlin with an exaggerated expression.

Merlin hesitated for a second. Soon, his memory reminded him of that red-haired young man, and hence he walked swiftly toward the young man.

“Hey, Merlin, you’re late again. Look at Swordsman Pero’s annoyed face, you’re going to be in trouble.”

The red-haired young man mocked.

Merlin frowned. It was not that he cared much about the punishment from Swordsman Pero, instead, he was trying all his might to recollect the memory of the red-haired young man. Although his memory was partially lost, he had a strong memory of that red-haired man. Therefore, he tried really hard to recollect his memory, and gradually they came back to him in bits and pieces.

The red-haired young man called Anson was Merlin’s best friend, who was also a son of a baron. However, he was different from Merlin. He was not to inherit the baron title as there were two elder brothers before him.

Anson kept on talking, but Merlin who was lost in his own thoughts could not care much about what Anson was babbling on about.

Just then, Swordsman Pero’s eyes met theirs. Anson, who could not seem to stop chattering just seconds before, immediately shut his mouth and pulled on a serious face.

Swordsman Pero then shifted his gaze and pointed to the racks of weapons near him. There were all sorts of weapons, including greatswords, shields, daggers, sabers, great axes, and others.

“Merlin, Anson, carry this iron shield to the center.”

Anson’s face fell the moment Swordsman Pero spoke. He forced out a smile and turned to Merlin. “We’re dead. You’re the one who’s late to practice but I have to suffer your misfortune…”

Despite the grumble, Anson stood up quickly together with Merlin and went forward to the rack, ready to move that black iron shield.

Even though its size was not too big, the shield was unusually heavy. Merlin and Anson strained every muscle on their body, but only managed to lift it up slightly. Merlin was puzzled. Who in the world could lift such a heavy shield? And what was the point if no one could lift it?

Merlin and Anson were breathless when they finally moved the shield to the center and rested it against a boulder. They retreated to a side respectfully and waited for instructions from Swordsman Pero.

However, Swordsman Pero ignored Merlin and Anson. He announced to the people below. “All of you have been practicing for a while now, and I shall test your strength today. Whoever thinks they can break this shield by hand are welcome to try.”

Merlin’s facial expression changed slightly. Anson and he had exhausted themselves by moving the shield. It should be evident to the others on how hard and solid this iron shield was. Anyone who wanted to break this shield with their bare hands would definitely be asking for trouble.

He thought Swordsman Pero only wanted to examine the courage of these people.

“Teacher, I would like to try.”

Soon, a burly man stood up and said to Swordsman Pero.

Swordsman Pero nodded and replied, “Well, go ahead, Cawthon.”

Anson whispered at the sight of the burly man, “It’s Cawthon again. Just because he’s a disciple of Swordsman Pero, he always puts on an air of grandeur as if he’s above everyone else…”

Cawthon strode to the shield. He took a deep breath, clenched his fists and began to gather his strength.

“Bang.”

Suddenly, Cawthon punched his fist forcefully onto the iron shield. The punch was extremely fast. It was shown that Cawthon had indeed exhausted all his might, but what was strange was that hint of white light that appeared around Cawthon’s fist.

The deafening sound lasted for a long time. Not only was the iron shield not broken, that powerful punch did not even leave any trace on its surface. Swordsman Pero shook his head and said faintly, “Cawthon, do not use brute force. Remember, Elemental force is the most powerful. Use your heart to guide the Elemental force, it’s the mightiest force of an Elemental Swordsman!”

It was obvious that Cawthon was also dissatisfied with himself. He bowed to Swordsman Pero before returning to his seat.

“Hehe, Cawthon has the talent, but it takes more to become an Elemental Swordsman.”

Anson laughed mockingly at Cawthon’s failed attempt. Although Merlin appeared calm on the surface, intense surges of feelings and emotions washed through his heart.

Even Merlin who stood in a distance away felt a gush of strong wind coming from the punch that Cawthon had just performed. The strength of that punch was so forceful it was terrifying. As far as Merlin knew, it was not a force that could be possessed by ordinary people.

This was not the most surprising part. What surprised Merlin the most was that Cawthon was not injured at all after landing such a powerful blow on the sturdy iron shield. This was beyond the understanding of Merlin.

“Who else would like to try?”

Swordsman Pero once again looked at the crowd at his foot.

“Lord Pero, let me try.”

The voice sounded familiar. Merlin’s eyes narrowed as he realized it was his sister, Macy, who had just volunteered.

Swordsman Pero nodded, “Well, Macy, go on.”

Macy hurried to the shield and winked mischievously at Merlin. As she took a deep breath, her rounded peaks moved up and down. Anson’s eyes stared straight ahead at the spectacular sight.

“Bang.”

There came another loud noise. Macy had landed a punch not any weaker than Cawthon’s. This time, Merlin studied very carefully. He noticed that an extremely faint glow of fire actually flashed around Macy’s fist.

The faint flame shrouded intermittently around Macy’s fist. Just like Cawthon, the petite Macy also did not injure her hand after the punch. It was as though she did not strike her fist against a hard iron shield.

However, Merlin who just moved the shield knew clearly that an iron shield of such a heavy weight was definitely made out of real iron.

‘I don’t have any recollection in my memory that Macy actually has such great strength? Is this even possible?’

Merlin felt that pieces of really important memories were lost from his mind.

“Is there anyone else that would like to try it out?”

Swordsman Pero asked once again, but this time no one step forward. Therefore, Swordsman Pero stood up slowly and walked toward the shield. He suddenly raised his voice. “Look closely, the real secret of an Elemental Swordsman is in the Elements. The force of the Elements is unparalleled, only by carefully guiding the Element that the exceptional power can erupt!”

As soon as his voice faded away, Swordsman Pero clenched his right fist. In the blink of an eye, a flame flared up directly out of his hand. His entire arm seemed to be wrapped in flames.

“Crack.”

Swordsman Pedro punched his fist into the shield. Almost immediately, that hard iron shield, like a wooden board, scattered on the ground into several pieces of iron scraps. Even the boulder behind the shield was affected under the powerful force, forming numerous dense cracks on the surface.

‘This… is this? Supernatural force?’

Merlin stared with his mouth open. His mind was in a state of complete blankness. Everything in front of him was beyond his cognition. The human body could actually emit flames, and the power of Swordsman Pero was comparable to a small-sized bomb.

Initially, Merlin thought that the world he had crossed into was a very backward civilization. However, now, it seemed that this was not the case at all. The punch performed by Swordsman Pero earlier clearly proved that this world was a supernatural civilization.