James briefly glanced at Amon in surprise, wondering what he was doing.
'Can he really comprehend the Sunset Sword Arts with just my basic explanations?' he thought, slightly doubtful.
Watching Amon, he noticed the rhythm of his breathing faintly changing.
It was slow at first, then fast, and gradually shifted in a few other subtle ways.
James' brows shot up in mild surprise.
Time dragged on slowly.
Finally, after some time, Amon had mastered the movements of Primordial Energy through his veins.
A faint smile of amusement graced his lips.
Standing up, he exhaled lightly.
"You've comprehended it?" Having a faint guess in his heart, James immediately asked.
Amon shook his head.
"I haven't yet comprehended the Sunset Sword Art, but I have mastered how to control the movements of Divine Energy within Divine Veins."
"Impressive," James said quietly, his voice filled with praise.
Amon just smiled as James continued.
"The remaining process will be easier, although it will still take some time to get used to splitting your thoughts."
Amon thought the same.
With that, James once again demonstrated the Sunset Sword Art for Amon to grasp the intent behind it.
Afterward, Amon fell into deep contemplation.
Quietly, the day passed with James displaying the Sword Arts to Amon while he struggled to comprehend them, still encountering difficulties along the way.
The training session for the day finally came to an end.
…
Led by James, they both walked back to the edge of the Courtyard where Vela and Seth were discussing in low voices.
Noticing his downcast expression, Vela glared at Seth, then turned to Amon with a gentle smile.
"What's the problem, sweetie?"
Before Amon could reply, James smoothly interrupted so Vela wouldn't have any contrary thoughts.
"He is just disappointed that he failed to master the Sword Arts I was teaching him."
"Oh…" A look of understanding appeared on Vela's face.
Seth also looked at Amon curiously, having never seen such an expression on his face.
Waving it off, he calmly stated:
"Son, understanding Sword Arts isn't as easy as you think. I've heard of people who took more than five years to master Sword Arts. Nevertheless, don't worry—since I only took roughly two years to master the first volume back then, it shouldn't be difficult for you. Perhaps within a year or two, you should be able to master it."
'A year or two?' Amon appeared skeptical, and also disappointed by how long it might take him.
Since his journey had been smooth sailing so far, he never expected to encounter any difficulties.
Facing one now caused Amon some discomfort.
"Don't mind your father," Vela sweetly interjected. "Not everyone is as untalented as him. I'm telling you, sweetie, I know you can make me proud! Just do your best!"
Finally, Amon felt his mood lighten. His mother always had her way with words.
Raising his eyes to meet hers, he noticed the gentleness in their depths and the pride that came with having a son like him.
Amon clenched his fist.
'I'll definitely make you proud, Mom!'
"Alright," Vela clapped her hands. "You must be starving. Come, let's go eat dinner!"
"Okay, Mom!"
Following that, Seth escorted James out of the Adam Household, while Vela dished out the meal.
Upon Seth's return, the three happily ate their meal in a lighthearted mood, with his mother throwing out jokes from over the years.
Knowing that his mother was only doing this so he wouldn't dwell on his failure today, Amon felt a strange warmth settling in his heart.
…
More than three months passed in the blink of an eye.
At this moment, Amon had grown slightly taller, and his facial features had developed a bit more in handsomeness.
His black hair with silver strands remained the same length because Vela always trimmed it monthly, and aside from that, he had grown a little more striking.
Taking a step back lightly, Amon dodged the spear attack hurling straight toward his head.
The spear struck the air, and Amon took advantage of the moment to deliver an attack of his own.
His Primordial Energy moved from his Primordial Core through his veins, enhancing the flow of energy within his arm and increasing his strength.
Despite the force behind the attack, the girl he was fighting calmly retracted her spear and blocked Amon's sword, the two of them taking a few casual steps back.
"Use your Spear Art on me!" Amon growled, rushing toward her, his sword slicing through the air straight for her face.
Reluctance filled the little girl's eyes as she flipped backward, dodging the attack before disappearing mid-flight.
Amon scanned his surroundings and reached into his pocket.
Knowing he would always fight her every morning, he came prepared.
From his pocket, he took out some black ash and hurled it into the air.
Within seconds, the ash clung to the faint silhouette of the girl.
'There!' Amon exclaimed internally and rushed toward the location.
Impaling her spear into the ground and using it like a pole, the invisible figure climbed onto it, shook off the sand, then removed her spear and left.
Amon frowned deeply and let out an exhausted sigh.
"Alright, that's enough for today."
As soon as he finished speaking, an illusory light materialized in front of him, and a little girl with purple hair appeared, a wooden spear tightly clutched in her hand.
"Peculiar. Why do you keep going easy on me?" Amon asked, his expression filled with anger.
Peculiar shyly wiped the sweat from her hair and replied in a slightly low voice,
"I'm afraid of hurting you…"
It had been more than three months since Amon's first meeting with Peculiar.
Since then, he had met her once more and asked for a friendly sparring session to hone his Sword Techniques.
Of course, Peculiar obliged, and since then the two had trained together every morning before Amon began his official Sword Art practice.
Unfortunately, he had failed to comprehend the Sword Arts even after three months of effort.
Nevertheless, something surprising remained.
Peculiar had comprehended a part of his father's Sword Art, though only a portion.
She had displayed it once, and Amon had admired its beauty, almost injuring himself in the process. Since then, she had refused to use it, no matter how much Amon pushed her.
"Since I'm asking you to do it, then just do it. Okay?" Amon said in a commanding tone, but Peculiar still shook her head.
"Actually," Peculiar finally spoke up, "I know something that might be of help…"
"Hmm? Something that can help me master the Sword Art?"
Peculiar nodded smoothly.
...
A/N: Thank you to Bashiru_Airende and Leaf001 for sponsoring this chapter! I'm currently typing the second one so expect it in an hour or so. Please support the visibility of my novel with your powerstones. Thank you!