I Became the Hero While Paving a Flower Path for My Niece - Chapter 6

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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My Cousin’s Path of Flowers Made Me a Hero — Episode 6
Ignoring Ibaek’s fervent excitement, Alex stepped into the backyard, drew his sword from its sheath, and gripped it with both hands.
“It feels strange, holding it after so long.”
His body had wielded a sword until yesterday, but his soul hadn’t touched one in twelve years—the disconnect was palpable.
Swish! Swish!
Alex began swinging lightly, trying to recover the sensation.
‘Something’s off. This doesn’t feel overpowered at all.’
Watching Alex’s clumsy sword swings, Ibaek tilted his head.
‘Are you… actually weak?’
Ibaek seemed genuinely disappointed, and Alex opened his mouth to respond.
“Of course. I never learned it properly.”
‘But you seem decent enough for never having been trained.’
“My sister and brother-in-law taught me.”
Mm.
When his vanished sister and brother-in-law were mentioned, Ibaek fell silent.
In the meantime.
After loosening up and swinging the blade several more times until his hands grew accustomed to it, Alex shifted his stance again.
Not casual like before—now he was fully concentrated.
Though he’d never received formal training, it didn’t matter.
He’d spent twelve years watching the most perfect, remarkable, wonderful, magnificent, and adorable teacher imaginable.
Alex thought of Leo.
His cousin, who rose from the grief of losing his uncle and began training alone with a foundational swordsmanship manual in the study.
While Alex, taught by his brother-in-law and sister, had struggled, Leo had mastered everything on his own with perfect execution.
‘And later, even his master praised him as having extraordinary talent.’
Alex had walked beside that Leo for twelve years.
He knew well what stance to take, what mindset to hold, how to swing a blade.
Alex calmed his mind, gripped the hilt, and brought the sword down with all his strength.
Whoosh—!
The sharp blade cut through the air with a completely different sound than before.
Whiiiish!
Alex continued without pause, swinging left and right with proper form, eyes fixed on the blade, force precisely controlled.
Tap! Tack!
His footwork too moved with deliberate care.
‘Strong when strength is needed, soft when softness is needed.’
Exactly as the future Leo had been.
‘…Ah.’
Ibaek’s soft murmur of admiration went unheard.
Alex’s attention belonged solely to the blade.
How much time had passed?
Sweat dripping down his face, Alex ceased his concentrated practice and exhaled heavily.
Then he looked at the sword his sister had gifted him with a small smile.
“Not bad—”
‘Aiyoh!!’
The last word was swallowed by Ibaek’s cry of anguish.
‘My back! My shoulders! My arms!’
‘Why does everything hurt so much?!’
“There’s nothing for it. You’re lacking flexibility, and the muscles being used are different.”
It was inevitable that a farmer’s untrained body would struggle when attempting proper swordsmanship.
‘Don’t you hurt?’
‘Your pain is my pain!’
Alex touched his sore joints here and there. Yes, they ached, but not enough to dwell on.
“I think I’m going to have muscle soreness.”
‘Aiyoh!!’
For the first time in decades, Ibaek groaned as the sensation of pain washed over him.
‘So this sensory connection isn’t all good after all… I can’t block it out the way I do with stuffy noses.’
‘Alex, be careful with your body from now on.’
‘I don’t want to hurt.’
Mm.
Knowing that was a promise he couldn’t keep, Alex ignored Ibaek’s continued moans and let his thoughts drift.
‘From the Future, I’ve encountered countless swordsmen, so my eye for blades is sharp—and I could tell.’
‘Brother-in-law was right. I do have a real gift for this.’
Going forward, if she trained methodically based on the swordsmanship techniques she already knew, following the example of Leo, she felt confident she could become a formidable swordmaster.
“Good.”
Alex’s grip on the sword tightened.

* * *
The magic lesson began immediately after.
[All right. Shall we try making a Circle?]
[It usually takes quite a bit of time, but I’m curious how it’ll go for you.]
“If I borrowed your senses, wouldn’t it become easier?”
With Ibaek’s abilities as a Lich, she might become an Arch Mage in just a few days.
[That’s not how it works.]
[Just because I borrow your sight and smell doesn’t mean I can control them, right?]
[It’s like I can’t plug your nostrils myself.]
Ibaek chuckled softly.
[All I can do is let you sense Mana. The rest depends on your own ability.]
Alex felt a twinge of disappointment at Ibaek’s words, but she let out a light sigh and steeled herself.
Right.
Life wouldn’t be that easy.
“What do I need to do?”
Ibaek, now tasked with teaching the first Mage-Swordmaster, explained with evident enthusiasm.
[Remember how I said Mana was like a rock yesterday?]
[Well, among rocks there are tiny ones, like grains of sand. Imagine drawing those in with deep breathing—that’s how you inhale Mana.]
[Visualization is key.]
Following Ibaek’s instructions, Alex breathed deeply, trying to absorb the tiny particles of Mana floating in the air around her.
Inhale, exhale.
Suddenly, the smaller motes of Mana that surrounded her began flowing smoothly into her body like water.
[…Already?]
[I thought you’d need several attempts before succeeding!]
[Alex, your talent is incredible!]
Even as she listened to Ibaek’s words, Alex stayed focused, drawing in more Mana.
[Now imagine a thin stream of water flowing into your body.]
[Your Mana Circuit—the path through which Mana flows—is far too narrow.]
Ibaek explained methodically.
[Originally, Mana Circuits are widest at birth and grow progressively narrower as you mature. That’s why mages train from childhood.]
[By your age, the Mana Circuit is practically sealed shut. No matter how talented you are, it’s nearly impossible to become a mage.]
Alex already knew this.
That’s why mages never accepted disciples unless they were young, no matter how gifted.
How many potential talents had simply vanished this way.
If only such people had existed, perhaps the age of ruin never would have come.
‘And to think it was me all along.’
As a child, she’d wandered with her sister; later, she’d been too consumed with farming to notice her own gifts. Now Alex found herself laughing bitterly at the irony.
Even now, returned to the past, that talent would have been worthless.
[But I’m here now!]
If her teacher hadn’t been a Lich, that is.
[A Mana Circuit this narrow is nothing!]
[Let’s slowly carve a path all the way to your heart.]
Ibaek guided her through a circuit around her body, opening a passage to her heart.
[No, slightly lower. Good. Now move just 2 millimeters from there.]
Since Ibaek and Alex shared the same body, teaching was proving far easier.
[This is working.]
When asked to move 2 millimeters, Alex actually moved the Mana exactly that distance—a precision that drew an involuntary gasp of admiration from Ibaek.
[If you’d trained from childhood, you’d definitely have become an Arch Mage.]
To manipulate Mana—a substance with a nature inclined toward disorder—with such exquisite control. And this from someone who’d felt Mana for the first time today.
Even Ibaek, who had witnessed countless prodigies, could not help but marvel.
‘Exhale.’
Alex moved the Mana while focusing intently on Ibaek’s guidance.
Though Ibaek made it sound simple, Alex was concentrating so hard that beads of sweat formed on her brow.
Without the mental fortitude she’d gained from “The Future” experienced with the Hero’s Party (though the party knew nothing of it), she would have collapsed in exhaustion long ago.
As the Mana flowed through her Circuit, she sensed subtleties she ordinarily never would have felt—sensations blooming like second sight.
[Picture the Mana inside your heart taking the shape of a ring. Pack it down like flour dough so it doesn’t scatter.]
The analogy was crude, but Alex moved the Mana gathered in his heart just as Ibaek had instructed, attempting to shape it into a perfect circle.
Yet the small currents of Mana wouldn’t cohere—they scattered like water droplets slipping between his fingers.
Alex furrowed his brow in concentration, molding the Mana into the shape of a ring.
And finally.
The Mana ring was complete.
[Made on the first try!]
[And look at the thickness on it. When I first formed one, it was far thinner than this.]
[At this rate, reaching 2nd Circle shouldn’t take long at all?]
Ibaek offered his praise with genuine delight.
Had he possessed hands, he would have applauded.
[This is your 1st Circle Ring. The Mana contained within it will now obey only your commands.]
[Unlike the wild Mana still scattered outside, which won’t listen to a thing.]
Exhale.
Alex opened his eyes with a long, deep breath, then reached down hesitantly to touch the area around his heart.
He felt his heart beating steadily, and within it, the 1st Circle Ring slowly rotating.
A mage. Actually a mage.
Disbelief warred with the overwhelming swell in his chest.
‘Now….’
Making Leo happy would be so much easier.
That alone left Alex satisfied, and he felt a flood of gratitude toward Ibaek.
[While we’re at it, why not try casting a spell?]
[Learning Elemental Magic would be the natural choice, right?]
[I’m not sure how it is here, but where I come from, Black Magic was strictly forbidden.]
Ibaek spoke—a Lich in a world where it was absolutely taboo.
“It’s the same here. Get caught and the Holy Nation will send soldiers to drag you away.”
[Then I’ll just teach you Non-elemental Magic or Elemental Magic.]
Ibaek’s words hung in the air as Alex fell silent for a moment, then opened his mouth.
“No. Once I’m skilled enough to hide Black Magic properly, teach me that too.”
[Black Magic?]
Surprise colored Ibaek’s voice, and Alex spoke with resolve in his own.
“The future is uncertain.”
If The Worst came calling again, Alex would offer up his very soul to save Leo.
[All right.]
[I understand.]
[Then let’s start with Fire-attribute Magic.]
Ibaek taught with patience, mindful that this was Alex’s first encounter with spellcraft.
[Magic is Will.]
“Will?”
[Yes. You draw a complete image in your mind while wishing for it from the depths of your heart. With absolute strength, desperation, and sincerity.]
[That you truly want to use this magic.]
[Then your Mana will make that Will a reality.]
Listening closely to Ibaek’s explanation, Alex posed a question.
“Do I need an Incantation?”
[You need one when you’re crafting Magic Circles or enchanting items. And when casting spells beyond your current level.]
[But fundamentally, all you need is Mana you can control and perfect Intent.]
It was a form of Magic far removed from that of Sollenium’s mages, who relied on formal Incantations.
[Do you understand?]
“Yes.”
[Then let’s try it.]
Alex and Ibaek prepared to cast.
[The Incantation is “Fire”.]
[Since this is your first time, raise your hand to designate the target location. Later, once you’ve trained, you’ll be able to cast with thought alone.]
“Understood.”
Alex extended his hand forward.
[Picture fire forming in front of your palm.]
[How large it should be, how hot, what color it burns, how brightly it shines.]
[The more specific, the higher your success rate.]
Alex conjured a flame in his mind’s eye, exactly as Ibaek had instructed.
The size of a closed fist, the warmth he’d felt while cooking, a shade of red like a campfire’s glow.
[And you rotate the 1st Circle Ring. Push the Mana coming from the ring through your Mana Circuit, out through your hand.]
[Keep the amount of Mana at about this level.]
Following Ibaek’s instruction, Mana gathered before his palm.
His own Mana and absolute Will.
And the Incantation.
“「Fire」”
In the same instant, flame ignited before Alex’s hand.
A blaze the size of a human head.
It burned with fierce, roaring heat.
[Oh! Success on the first try!]
[I told you — you’ve got real talent!]
[But why is it so big?]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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