My Celestial Ascension

After spending a couple of hours exploring the festival throughout the city, Yuan and the others eventually returned to the palace.

The palace had also begun to fill with guests, as noble families from across the empire had traveled to the capital to attend the victory banquet and enjoy the festivities.

This was the largest festival on the entire continent, as all the nations had come together to celebrate the occasion.

Not only nobles but also commoners had flocked to the capital city for the festival, filling its streets with people from all walks of life.

While the citizens continued to enjoy the unique atmosphere of the festival, Yuan and the others returned to the palace after sightseeing and sampling nearly every dish offered by the street vendors.

Upon arriving, they noticed a large number of carriages parked outside the palace, while the palace gardens were already filled with guests, including commoners.

Among them were the family members of the guards and soldiers, as well as numerous merchants.

"Unbelievable... We were only gone for a few hours, and so many people have already gathered here..." Leah said in surprise as she looked at the massive crowd outside the palace.

Even Nerith appeared somewhat surprised by the sheer number of guests who had arrived.

"I knew we would receive many guests for the banquet, but I didn’t expect this many of them... This is definitely going to give me a headache," she sighed softly.

"Well, I’d rather not attend the banquet. Considering my luck, trouble always seems to come looking for me wherever I go," Yuan said with a stiff smile.

"You have to face the consequences of having so many beautiful women around you. You can’t run away from that responsibility, darling," Anna Grace whispered into his ear with a playful smirk.

Kitsura approached him with a seductive grin and nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. After all, it was you who seduced us and made all of us fall in love with you."

"Absolutely. He seduced us all with his good looks... and then stole our hearts," Julie added with a smile.

Listening to their complaints, Yuan could only shake his head helplessly.

’They were the ones who seduced me, and now they’re blaming everything on me... My wives are so cruel to me... This is so unfair...’ Yuan complained inwardly as he sighed.

A few moments later, Nerith spoke up. "There are still a couple of hours left before the banquet begins. How about we get some rest before we start getting ready?"

"A nice and relaxing bath sounds perfect. What do you all think?"

"Sounds lovely to me. Let’s do it," Angela replied with a smile while briefly glancing at Yuan.

"You guys go ahead. I need to focus on something else," Yuan suddenly said.

"Then stay here and don’t wander around. I want you in this room when we come back," Anna Grace said with a stern expression before leaving with the others.

"Stay here. You heard what Mom said," Lily added with an equally stern warning before following the others out and closing the door behind her.

"Huh... What’s with them all of a sudden? Their entire demeanor seems to have changed..."

At this point, Yuan was completely clueless about what mistake he had made to make them act so strangely.

"Well, whatever... I’ll just focus on comprehending Sword Aura for a while. I have a feeling I might gain something unexpected..." Yuan muttered to himself before sitting down on the bed in a lotus position.

Ever since that moment on the battlefield when he unleashed the maximum output of his Sword Aura, he had felt that his understanding of it had reached a critical point where he needed to deepen his comprehension even further.

Even though this wasn’t the best time to focus on improving his Sword Aura, he simply couldn’t ignore the feeling stirring within his heart.

Thus, he closed his eyes and began meditating, focusing entirely on elevating his comprehension of Sword Aura to a new level.

[Ding]

«Your understanding of Sword Aura has increased slightly!»

A sharp notification suddenly echoed inside his mind, but he was so deeply immersed in his comprehension that he completely ignored it.

«Your understanding of Sword Aura has increased slightly!»

«Your understanding of Sword Aura has increased slightly!»

«Your understanding of Sword Aura has increased slightly!»

—

«Your understanding of Sword Aura has increased significantly!»

[Ding]

«Congratulations! You have achieved ’Advanced Sword’ mastery!»

«You have unlocked the title ’Advanced Sword Master.’»

«Title: Advanced Sword Master»

«Description: The user can wield Sword Aura as though it were a weapon even without holding a sword. Increases the power of Sword Aura by 200% and the power of Sword Techniques by 100%.»

Yuan slowly opened his eyes and exhaled softly. He then gathered a small amount of Sword Aura around the tip of his finger.

"Hmm... The Sword Aura feels much stronger and several times denser than before, and it’s far easier to manipulate now."

Yuan was surprised by how effortlessly he could control the Sword Aura. It felt as though it had become an extension of his own body. Furthermore, he could even shape it into the form of a sword and wield it as if it were a real weapon.

Just then, the door suddenly swung open, and one by one, all of his wives entered the room looking refreshed and beautiful after their bath.

"..."

The moment they stepped into the room, they froze in place, completely dumbfounded by the unexpected sight before them.

"What were you even doing in here, darling?! You’ve made such a huge mess of the room!" Anna Grace immediately shouted in disbelief.

The entire room was covered in scratches. The bedsheets and pillows had been torn apart, while feathers and stuffing were scattered everywhere, turning the room into a complete disaster.

"Huh?" Yuan looked around the room with a puzzled expression, and the moment he noticed its condition, he became speechless.

"What the hell?!" he exclaimed as he instantly jumped off the bed, unable to believe what he was seeing.

He then looked toward his wives and swallowed nervously when he saw the expressions on their faces. They were definitely not happy with him.

"D-Did I do this??" he asked, pointing at himself with a bewildered expression.

"Who else would have done it if not you?!" Anna Grace replied with a stern look before letting out a sigh.

"It’s hard to believe that I did all this when I was only comprehending Sword Aura..." he mumbled under his breath, clearly confused by the unexpected situation.

Then, all of a sudden, a realization struck him, making him finally understand how all of this could have happened while he was completely absorbed in his concentration.

Sword Aura was unlike any other power. It possessed an innate sharpness, much like an actual sword, and even the slightest amount of it could cause tremendous damage. While Yuan had been comprehending it, he must have unconsciously released a massive amount of Sword Aura.

As a result, the room had been turned into a complete mess. Everything had been caused by the Sword Aura that leaked from his body without him even realizing it.

’It seems I overdid it... I should have created a barrier around myself before attempting to deepen my understanding of Sword Aura...’ he sighed inwardly.

Before Yuan could continue dwelling on his thoughts, Anna Grace and Emma grabbed him and immediately began removing his clothes.

"The banquet is about to begin. Let us dress you properly. And don’t even think about resisting," Anna Grace said in a cold voice as she proceeded to strip away his outer garments.

The others could only watch Yuan’s helpless expression before his mother and wife, and they couldn’t help but giggle at his predicament.

’I’m a grown man now... This is so embarrassing!!’ he cried inwardly, feeling completely helpless.

He didn’t even dare to resist after seeing the cold glare from his mother, knowing full well that the consequences would not be pleasant.

His wives found Yuan’s current situation incredibly amusing and memorable.

Some time later, they finally exited the room.

Yuan was now dressed impeccably, looking both noble and elegant. His arms were linked with Anna Grace and Lily’s as they walked toward the banquet hall together.

The beautiful melodies of music had already reached their ears as they drew closer to the banquet hall, accompanied by the quiet chatter of the nobles.

The moment they entered the banquet hall, all the guests turned their heads toward them. The murmurs vanished for a brief moment, leaving only the soft music echoing through the hall.

"Does anyone know who those people are? I’ve never seen them before."

"They’re the individuals who made enormous contributions during the war against the Undead Legion, or so I’ve heard. There’s also a rumor that Princess Nerith is very close to them."

"Look, Princess Nerith is with them... and she seems especially close to that young man."

"Not to be disrespectful, but... that young man seems to be quite the lady killer. I’m jealous."

"Not just you... I’m jealous too. Look at how many beautiful women are surrounding him."

Soon, soft murmurs filled the hall as the nobles became increasingly curious about Yuan and his beautiful companions, whose appearance immediately attracted everyone’s attention.

The male guests found it difficult to look away from Anna Grace and the others, while many of the female guests found Yuan remarkably handsome despite him being a human.

Shortly afterward, the Royal Family arrived at the banquet hall before any of the guests could approach Yuan and his group.

Not only the Royal Family, but the leaders of the other nations also arrived at the same time, drawing the attention of the guests away from Yuan and his companions.

Yuan and the others quietly moved toward a corner of the hall, away from the center of attention, as they wished to remain somewhat low-profile.

Unfortunately, because of their unique appearances and natural charm, it was impossible for them to avoid attracting attention from the guests who were eager to approach them.