## Chapter 357 – Collecting Debts
Achievement.
“Hmm, achievement, huh… Ah. Cloudy.”
“Yes?”
Clearly, until now, I had overcome fierce battles, survived conflicts against powerful enemies, and achieved dazzling accomplishments.
I had manifested mana and learned to use it.
I had become a Heavenly Demon.
“Speaking of achievements, I’m curious. How long did it take you to create Sword Aura?”
Karin said that only about 20% of the new knights joining the Order could freely manipulate mana.
The standard for being able to freely manipulate mana was ‘Sword Aura.’
The state of imbuing mana into a sword to unleash extreme power. Slicing through steel, bisecting monsters in one stroke. In the martial arts novels I enjoyed reading, it was the realm of a supreme master.
Of course, not all Sword Aura was the same.
Some were ridiculously strong, some only manifested for a single second, some were huge, and some were tiny.
Aura varied greatly depending on the user’s skill and ability, but if one could emit aura at all, it was considered ‘free’ manipulation. Because the important thing was manifesting inner mana externally.
I could manipulate mana quite freely.
But that was limited to my body, and projecting it externally was still impossible.
Yes, still.
I had experienced such a state once before.
—Executive Dissection.
When I killed Alaune, I, Kim Gatto, severed space itself. In a space where dreams and reality were mixed, I drew on unreal power and subjugated the flower monster that I could never have overcome otherwise in a single blow.
I didn’t know for sure, but I suspected that was Sword Aura. An extreme Sword Aura unlike any other.
But it was only for that moment, and now not even a trace of it remained. It had scattered like a dream. I had tried various things to elicit the sensation again since that day, but it was impossible.
Karin easily created aura.
Cloudy could also create aura.
But I had not yet reached that level.
The Executive Cut, which I could only use twice at the moment, was simply a technique that concentrated mana to the limit and infused explosive power into my muscles.
Executive Fist Law and Taekwondo. And the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and other martial arts were the same.
Freely manipulating the mana contained in a trained body greatly increased the power of fists and kicks. But even that could not project the materialized mana outside of my fists and feet.
I had certainly achieved dazzling accomplishments.
But the more walls I broke, the more I realized that even bigger walls were blocking me.
There was no end to strength.
Beyond the light, there was even brighter light.
Therefore, I was in no position to proudly tell Cloudy that I had achieved something.
I couldn’t even draw out aura yet.
“Hmph, Sword Aura, you say…”
Cloudy, who was on top of me, stopped trying to insert my thing into her inside. She seemed to think for a moment, then opened her mouth.
No, Mama. Just put it in and do it.
“I first emitted Sword Energy when I was 40…”
“Yes, 40.”
“Around 40…”
“Yes, around 40.”
Yes, Cloudy first drew out aura around the age of 40. My dad is about 50, so elves are indeed elves.
Based on my estimations so far, I judged Cloudy to be over 100 years old. So now, 40 years old doesn’t matter to me at all. It doesn’t matter if Cloudy was born in the Joseon Dynasty.
“Gatto.”
As I continued to mention her age of 40, Cloudy suddenly smiled kindly and grabbed my face.
“Why?”
“Are you interrogating Mama?”
“What interrogation… Ugh! Cloudy!”
“Are you doing this to Mama?”
Cloudy was smiling, but she definitely wasn’t in a good mood. I began to feel a monstrous grip from Cloudy’s hand that was holding my face.
Uh, uh…? What, what is this pain!!!!!
“Keuhak!”
At this rate, our distorted Kim Gatto will become…!!!!!!!!
Filled with a great fear that I would meet my end like Eom Seok-dae, I made excuses like a seizure. My face will be distorted at this rate!
“Cloudy! I know what you’re worried about, but I don’t care if Cloudy is 40 or 400 years old! And I already noticed you were over 100! I feel like my face is going to be crushed!!!”
“N-No! Gatto! Don’t say it!”
Cloudy’s face instantly turned bright red, and she hugged my head tightly. No, damn it! S-Suffocation…! Am I going to drown in her chest!
“M-Mama! I won’t say it anymore, so let me go, jyaaaaaat!!!!!”
“…Really.”
“Keuha!”
Cloudy, who had been pressing me with her chest for a moment, released me, and I gasped for air… I almost died. Is the topic of age still a sore spot?
I tried to naturally ask about her age, but failed again.
“Haa, haa…”
“Anyway, Gatto. You’re talking about Sword Aura, right.”
“Ah, right. That’s what it was.”
Cloudy, having calmed down, lay down next to me. Then she reached out and stroked my chin as she continued.
“I wasn’t exactly… young either. It took quite a long time to create Sword Aura. Hmm, I guess you’re asking because you’re curious about how I manifested it?”
“That’s right. How did you manifest it?”
Cloudy answered my question.
“Hmm… I don’t really know. I don’t really know how I first manifested it. It just happened at some point? Nothing special happened. I think it just happened while I was wandering around the desert and killing something as usual.”
The case itself seems similar to mine.
Then is it a matter of time? No, even if it’s not that, Cloudy is very different from me in many ways.
“Gatto. Are you worried about aura? Hehe, don’t worry. Gatto can do it. There’s no need to be impatient. I asked about achievements not because of that, but just to ask how it was fighting.”
“No… I’m not impatient. Well, killing the bandits was easy. I just shouted. When they rushed at me, I ran faster and killed them. I just overwhelmed the ones who knew how to use swords with swordsmanship. That’s how it felt.”
“Has your skill increased?”
“Yeah. It feels easier to handle a sword than before. I can specifically move the sword as I please. I think my judgment and reflexes have also increased.”
Certainly, there is nothing better than real combat to improve skills than killing people.
Killing the bandits was really easy. No matter what they did, I could kill them faster. I could confirm that for sure.
“That’s exactly the answer Mama wanted. So let’s not worry too much? Gatto is already an excellent warrior. If you spend more time, you can manifest aura as much as you want.”
No, Cloudy, if you say things like that…
“M-Mama… my thing is strange…”
“Really. Gatto.”
Cloudy naturally grabbed my thing and shook her hand as if squeezing out my semen. Ah, as expected, it’s Mom’s Touch. I began to feel a happy feeling as if all the fatigue in my body was draining away.
Anyway, Sword Aura.
I had to break through the current limitations to manifest it. It’s not enough to just train the body anymore. I don’t know how, but I will definitely manifest aura.
I spent a pleasant time with Cloudy like that.
***
“Elize!!!!!! Elizeㅡ!!!!!!!!!!!! Elizeㅡ!!!!!!!!!”
The next day, I visited Elize’s lodging to see her face. I didn’t know which room she was staying in, so I decided to just shout loudly outside.
“S-Saintess!!!! Please be quiet!!!”
Then Elize, who had suddenly poked her head out of the window, scolded me. She was staying on the 3rd floor. I waved at Elize and expressed my intense delight.
“Elize!!!!!! Divineㅡ Friend!!! Is here!!!!!”
“Saintess, please!!!!!!”
ㅡThump thump!
Elize disappeared from the window, and there was a crashing sound. Not long after, Elize, wearing only a nun’s habit with her armor removed, rushed out.
“Mouth! Mouth! I will cover the Saintess’s mouth! Please be still! Where did you get such a shouting bag!! I feel the need to retrieve it!!!”
Elize, who had half-charged at me, blocked my mouth again as I took another breath. Her strength is strong as always. This Kim Gatto can’t even resist.
“Ugh, p-pouch is in my heart… More than that, I’ve calmed down now, so let go, Elize!! It’s too painful!!!”
“Why do you speak as if I’m forcibly making you suffer!!”
“It’s a joke. Anyway, have you eaten?”
The time is morning.
I spent the whole day yesterday having a good time with Cloudy, and in the middle, I had a good time with Winia as well. I roughly ate the dinner I had prepared and came out as soon as I woke up after sleeping again, so I felt a deep hunger.
“…I haven’t eaten yet. Seeing how energetic you are, it seems like you’ve already eaten.”
“Ah, don’t get angry. Let’s go eat. Quickly.”
“I’m not angry. I just want to cut out the Saintess’s shouting bag.”
Saying such scary things.
“Elize… in that case, cut it outㅡ”
“Dejaaaaat. If you say that, I have no choice but to suppress you with force.”
Elize said, maintaining an extremely rational attitude. One of the joys of my life is making Elize embarrassed, but it seems like it’s not working anymore.
“Damn it. Elize… you’ve changed.”
“I haven’t changed. It’s just that the Saintess made me this way.”
“T-That can’t be…! I can’t believe it! I made you this way!!!!”
“Hehe, it’s a clear reality.”
Elize said definitively with a smile.
“Keuh… Anyway, let’s eat.”
“I understand… But Saintess, do you have any other plans today?”
“Plans? Not really.”
“Then I would like to ask for your help again today.”
“Help? With what?”
What kind of help.
I walked towards the restaurant with Elize.
“Actually, the church has recognized my contributions and has been giving me ridiculously long breaks more often. Of course, I was going to give up the break, but the brothers and sisters vehemently refused.”
Rarely, Elize spoke in a passionate tone as if she was venting her frustration.
I couldn’t specifically understand the bizarre part of giving up the given break.
“They’re even about to confiscate my nun’s habit. And they keep telling me to leave the church and go out for a while… I understand the intention, but it feels like a kind of harassment.”
“Taking away your clothes… and telling you to leave, are they crazy!!! Is this reality!!!”
No, what the hell are they making Elize do!!!!
“Ah, it’s not like that. I have the casual clothes I bought with the Saintess for the investigation of the Eternal Life incident, so that part is okay.”
I thought she was really being harassed.
“I don’t know the methods of spending time outside the church, that is, generally spending time off. I don’t know much about things because I’ve only lived inside the church since I was very young.”
Listening to the story, unlike that gloomy misunderstanding, it seems that the church is just taking care of Elize, who is always struggling.
Well, Elize is too much of a nun, so she doesn’t seem to know much about the outside. In the first place, our first meeting was a mission that was no different from her first going out into the world.
Even if they tell her to go play, she probably doesn’t know what to do.
“Therefore, I would like to ask the Saintess to teach me such methods.”
That’s not a difficult request.
It’s hard to find someone who plays better than Kim Gatto in this Isvant. No, it’s safe to say there isn’t one. No matter what anyone says, I’m from Earth, which is full of entertainment.
“Well, good! Elize! Then from now on, Operation Kim Gatto and Spending Vacation Time begins!!!”
“Operation!!! I understand!!! But vacation time is not now, so you just need to teach me the methods!!”
“That’s the same thing!!! Let’s eat first!!! You need strength to play!”
“Okay!!!”
When I induced her to show her fanatical enthusiasm, Elize, who was caught as is, raised her arm and cast Divine Friend.
I made a cross, half-moved.
“But Elize. How long is the ridiculously long vacation time?”
Are they giving her a month-long vacation? Certainly, Elize would want to focus on smashing the heads of heretics instead of resting, as she said. It would be boring.
Elize answered my words in a gloomy tone.
“It’s three days. It’s really… a ridiculously long time to rest. It would be more helpful to eliminate evil villains than to rest.”
This doesn’t seem ridiculously long at all.
Rather, it’s not enough.
Considering Elize’s contributions, it wouldn’t be strange if she had already hit Manbak three or four times with a reward vacation.
The church is still out of its mind.
