Inside the hut, Aster began devouring the food Valorant had given him with greedy haste. Having eaten nothing all day yesterday and run nonstop through the night, the meal tasted indescribably good.
Then—suddenly—he stopped.
He slowly set the bowl down and fell into deep thought.
'Which demon was he planning to take me to?'
Truly, what kind of demon would want to see a child who lived in a remote imperial village and had never known the world beyond it?
'Who could possibly want to see me?'
The moment he asked himself that question, a sharp but fleeting pain struck his head. Along with it, memories from the village replayed once more.
"The Demon King!"
The words escaped his mouth before he realized it.
He clutched his head with both hands.
'That's impossible… maybe it was someone else…'
His thoughts trailed off.
Whether it was the Demon King or someone else, one thing was certain—it meant nothing good for him.
In the Demon Realm, there was an unwritten law:
Those who were strong possessed everything.
From that alone, it could be said that even a demon belonging to one of the three great families would obey only their family head—and a handful of exceptionally powerful demons.
As Aster thought about this, he found himself drowning in even more questions.
'If it wasn't the demon he mentioned… then who was it? Why do they want me?'
The more he thought, the more unanswered questions piled up. No matter the path his thoughts took, they always returned to the same place—his past life.
'Who was I in my previous life?'
The question he had failed to answer for years surfaced once again.
Still seated, Aster placed a hand over his chest, trying to calm the unease within him.
'Something inside me is telling me the demons won't leave me alone so easily.'
Images from last night flashed before his eyes.
'I can't spend my entire life running from them. That's not a solution. I need to become strong enough to fight back. But… how?'
His gaze shifted around the hut.
That was when he remembered how Valorant had killed the demon.
'Maybe… he can help me.'
Aster replayed Valorant's movements in his mind—the sword strike, the green magical flames.
'He used magic. And swordsmanship. There's no doubt about it.'
***
"Please teach me swordsmanship—and that fire magic you used," Aster said hurriedly.
Hearing this, Valorant looked at him in silence, his gaze resembling that of someone who hadn't understood what was just said.
After a moment, the old man spoke.
"Why?" he asked, his face filled with surprise.
"What benefit is there in teaching you?"
Those words felt like confirmation to Aster.
"You're an Elestar, aren't you? Sword combat and that magic—that was clearly the Elestar fighting style."
There were several forms of magic in the world. The most common were sorcery, dark magic, and Elestar.
These three paths differed greatly.
Sorcerers used mana to cast spells tied to specific elements or abilities. Because of that, they required vast amounts of mana. However, they had a fatal weakness—without elemental affinity, no matter how large one's mana reserves were, one could never become a sorcerer.
Dark magicians practiced forbidden magic. But such power came at a tremendous cost. For that reason, dark magic was outlawed across the empire and many other lands. Those who practiced it were sentenced to death.
And finally—Elestar.
It was fundamentally different from the other paths.
Rather than focusing on magic itself, it relied on the foundation of all magic—mana.
Elestars strengthened their bodies using mana, enhancing their physical capabilities. This made them exceptionally effective in combat against demons and similar creatures. Moreover, it did not require enormous mana reserves.
Aster waited anxiously for the old man's response.
"If you want, I'll give you all the money I have. I just want to learn Elestar."
"..."
Valorant remained silent, as if he had heard nothing at all.
At that moment, Aster realized he wouldn't be able to convince him so easily.
'What do I have to do to make him teach me?'
He began watching the old man closely.
To find a way to persuade him, Aster observed Valorant from the side. He watched what he did—and even helped with some of his tasks.
Yet the only response he ever received was—
"..."
The old man said nothing.
However, during this time, Aster noticed something.
The injuries he had suffered just yesterday were already healing.
The bite marks from the dogs had faded into scratches, and the bruises from the stones had dulled into faint redness.
As Aster removed the cloth wrapped around his body, a thought crossed his mind.
'He definitely did this.'
But how?
He didn't dwell on it for long.
There was something far more important right now.
After a full day of watching and asking, the sun set.
That evening, the old man and Aster sat inside the hut, eating dinner together.
Even then, Aster couldn't resist asking again.
"Please teach me."
The answer didn't change.
"..."
"Why won't you teach me?"
"Why should I teach you?" Valorant asked, staring directly at him.
Feeling uncomfortable under that gaze, Aster fell silent.
But he didn't stop.
"...You're right. You're not obligated to."
Indeed, Valorant had no obligation to teach him. He owed Aster nothing. If anything, Aster was the one indebted to him.
"If you're done eating, go to sleep. The sooner you recover, the sooner you can leave."
The moment those words reached his ears, Aster froze.
'He doesn't want me here. I need to convince him as soon as possible.'
If Valorant didn't agree soon, it was clear he would drive Aster away the moment he recovered.
Thinking this, Aster made a troubled expression and stood up—
Then suddenly stopped.
"May I ask a question?" he said in a subdued voice.
"If you're going to ask me to teach you, I won't teach you anything," Valorant replied irritably.
"It's a different question," Aster said seriously.
"Why did that demon chase me?"
Valorant raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"Do you have powerful mages or Elestars among your ancestors?" he asked in return.
"No…" Aster answered after a moment's thought.
In truth, Aurora had never spoken about their relatives or ancestors. Whenever he asked, she always changed the subject.
The old man studied the boy before him.
"Interesting…" he murmured.
He had expected a different answer.
After thinking for a moment, he continued.
"The reason the demon chased you… is the mana coming from you."
Aster froze.
"Just as humans cannot live without food and water, demons cannot live without human mana. The mana you emit is extremely strong. Such density is usually seen among aristocratic families…"
Valorant continued speaking.
But his words no longer reached Aster's ears.
Even if he heard them, he couldn't understand them.
He was silent.
Like the calm before a storm.
'Did this happen… because of me?'
The thought pierced his heart like a blade.
Cold spread through his body. Each breath felt foreign, as if it didn't belong to him.
Aster grabbed his chest tightly, trying desperately to force air into his lungs—but his body seemed to reject it.
The crushing guilt threatening to tear his heart apart felt like punishment for his mother's death.
'Because of me… everything happened because of me!'
Suddenly, Valorant's voice broke through.
"You're not at fault for your mother's death," he said, trying to comfort him.
But words meant to console only deepened the pain.
Valorant watched calmly. Having lived long, he had seen such moments many times before.
Aster could no longer contain the weight inside him.
He didn't even realize when he began to cry.
"If I hadn't gone outside that day, my mother might still be alive! She died because of my stupidity! Everything happened because of me! I couldn't save her. I wasn't strong enough—I couldn't do anything!"
"You shouldn't blame yourself. Even if you do, nothing will change," Valorant replied calmly.
"I swore to myself that my mother's sacrifice wouldn't be in vain! That I would survive no matter what! But then I realized something else—surviving in this world isn't just about running away. You have to be strong. Please… teach me Elestar!"
Hearing this, Valorant's expression turned complicated, as if old memories had resurfaced.
But it didn't last long.
He quickly returned to his usual expression.
"Are you finished?" he asked coldly.
"If you're done, go rest."
Aster was stunned by his indifference.
'I thought my words would change his mind. Looks like I'll have to leave soon…'
***
Morning came.
Aster was sleeping peacefully inside the hut when—
Splash!
A bucket of water was poured directly onto his face.
Startled as if an entire river had been dumped on him, he jolted upright and shouted.
"What happened?!"
Valorant stood there, holding the empty bucket.
"What are you doing?!" Aster yelled.
The old man remained silent.
Aster couldn't even process what was happening.
"Morning training begins now. Magic doesn't start with the body—it starts with the mind. And the mind needs a cold head. Get outside. Now."
With that, Valorant walked out of the hut.
That could only mean one thing.
The Elestar training had begun.