Volume 3 Chapter 167 Natra Training!
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
On the way back from the ancient temple to Ramsey, Kian had already placed powerful Wing Cains across the marshes and plains. He had set them up in advance, planning for their return. That way, they could leave Ramsey without trouble. Originally, he intended to control ten of them remotely from Ramsey, so he hadn’t planned to travel all the way to the edge of the plains. But plans had changed. Now that he was staying with the rest of the group, the number of Wing Cains increased to twenty.
They moved together as a large party, including three of Owl’s massive Wing Cains.
With one assigned to each person, everyone could fly comfortably, even carrying enough supplies. The giant Owls acted as guards while Kian and the others traveled on through the evening sky.
They stopped to rest a few times, but pressed northeast for six hours straight.
By the time the sky began to lighten, they reached the edge of the marshlands—just as planned. Human activity dropped sharply past this point. Even with twenty-three Wing Cains moving together, they wouldn’t startle any wandering adventurers or nearby villages.
The group took a long rest before entering the marsh.
From here onward, they’d be crossing into dangerous territory near the ancient temple, so there would be little time for breaks. The Wolfmen girls and Guild staff napped until daytime. After that, they would continue flying without stopping much at all.
While the others slept, Kian and Natra stood guard and tended to the Wing Cains. After departing this base, Kian would need to hold the Wing Cains’ charm for another half-day, just to keep it stable. But once they were airborne, the charm no longer needed much attention. Kian’s job would be done after that.
Once he served breakfast to the remaining eight members and finished cleaning, a powerful magic barrier rose from the plains around their temporary base. After that, two more were activated: one to conceal their magic presence, and another to detect intruders. Together, they formed a basic defensive zone.
Holding the used dishes, Kian glanced up at the pale morning sky and let out a small breath.
”Oh…”
From behind a nearby bush, Natra stepped into view, her short adventurer’s cloak fluttering softly. She was about the same height as Kian, holding bundles of mistletoe and a handful of dark stones in both arms.
”You managed to set up the barrier?” Kian asked, shifting to face her.
”Yes,” Natra replied with a calm nod, her voice steady. “I’ve been practicing little by little, but over the past few weeks, I pushed myself hard. Now I can use most of the same magic a standard Witch—like Lady Azrael—could handle.”
”No way…” Kian muttered, staring at her.
Natra tilted her head slightly and gave a small shrug. “Well, I already had some knowledge of Witchcraft. When I first met you, I could handle basic spells.”
”That’s true… but this barrier feels so solid…”
He looked up at the translucent dome of magic, structured and shining in a precise lattice. It wasn’t on the level of Sarah or Linca’s work, but it was still a properly crafted barrier.
Though the effect wasn’t overly complex, it had everything necessary—defense, concealment, and detection. It didn’t stand out visually, but it was clearly a well-made structure.
”Natra… you’re amazing. You always learn things so fast. I really admire that,” Kian said, his voice gentle.
”No, not at all,” she replied, shaking her head. “I still have a long way to go. If it were my elder sister, she could build something far more advanced. Her barriers can turn the surrounding area into another world, or even accelerate wound recovery inside their range. Compared to that, this is my limit.”
”Now that you mention it,” Kian said, nodding slowly, “Sarah did turn the ancient temple into a fortress… and during the ‘Night Crier’ mission, she reshaped the entire forest.”
”Yes. For large-scale barriers, you have to draw magic power from the Spiritual Vein. But creating a stable path to pull power from it—and building a formula strong enough to handle the flow—is really difficult. I’m still not there yet. With a few catalysts, I can only make barriers that borrow life force from the land itself.”
”For camping like this, what you’ve done is already more than enough. Thank you, Natra.”
”Hehe. You’re welcome,” she said with a bright smile.
Her white teeth peeked through her lips as she smiled, and for a moment, Kian found himself frozen.
Her black hair, tied loosely at the nape of her neck with a ribbon, swayed gently in the wind. The ribbon looked like a flower of midnight, tucked just below her ear. A few soft strands framed her face, while her bangs were neatly parted over her forehead. She gave off a delicate balance of youthful charm and quiet maturity.
Her graceful hairstyle and the ribbon’s soft silhouette added a refined air to her presence. And yet, the gentle messiness of the strands at her temples and the hint of her natural brows gave her a girlish honesty that softened the impression.
Kian narrowed his eyes slightly, still gazing at her face in silence.
”U-Um… my lord,” she said quietly, her eyes flicking down.
”What is it?” Kian asked.
”If you keep staring at me like that… it’s embarrassing,” she murmured.
”Ah—sorry,” he said, scratching his cheek. “You’re just… really cute.”
”…!”
Natra’s face flushed as she looked away.
But after a brief moment, she raised her face again, glancing up at him.
Seeing Kian’s shy smile, Natra gave one of her own—hesitant and sweet. It felt like an extension of yesterday’s date, but the moment didn’t last.
”Lord Kian, may I speak with you?” a voice called out from behind.
”…Yes, of course,” he replied, turning toward the staff.
It wasn’t ideal. Part of him wanted to complain—couldn’t they see he was in the middle of something? But he suppressed the thought and smiled instead. Natra quickly returned to her serious expression and stepped behind him with a quiet grace.
Three Guild staff members stood before them. The one in the center stepped forward with a troubled expression.
”Are you really not returning to the ancient temple?” the man asked.
”I’m not,” Kian said plainly.
”Is there no chance you’ll change your mind? Lady Eleonora actually told me to try to persuade you…” the man added hesitantly.
The man on the left frowned. “We want you to come with us, even without her orders.”
”We knew this job was dangerous when we signed up, but facing those Beastmen… it’s terrifying,” another said.
”It’s different from the Great Forest. Out there, we could at least move. But here, all we can do is hope Lady Eleonora’s negotiations succeed. If they fail… we’ll be wiped out.”
”It’s like being tied up with soft ropes, only to have your neck slowly choked by silk,” the third man added grimly.
Kian shook his head calmly and said, “I’m sorry. But I don’t have a habit of walking straight into death.”
The man in the center nodded slowly. “Well… you’re not wrong.”
”We don’t want to go back either. That temple feels like a tomb—cold and sealed shut,” the man on the left said with a heavy sigh.
”I understand,” Kian said. “Is that all?”
The man in the center paused, then nodded. “Actually… that Dark Elf isn’t here. I think his name was Demete? He’s that quiet one.”
”Demete?” Kian repeated, blinking. “I didn’t even know his name.”
”Same here. I never heard him say a word. What was he doing in Ramsey anyway?” another asked.
(Demete… your only trait was your loyalty to Umar.)
Kian sighed inwardly, but his face remained thoughtful.
”Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen him either. He didn’t show up at the meeting point,” one of the staff said quietly.
”He’s a handful. We can’t go back now, but it feels like we left him behind,” another added with a worried look.
”I’ll search for him on my end,” Kian said. “Maybe he stayed behind because he had unfinished business.”
”Sorry, Lord Kian. Without you, we might end up buried in taxes. Please do something about it.”
With that, the Guild staffs turned away and returned to the bread oven-shaped shelter they had conjured with magic.
Kian turned toward Natra.
”That place was nice, but now it’s ruined,” he said quietly.
”Yeah,” Natra replied, “but it’d hurt if everyone started feeling weird when we’re together. We can bring back that feeling later, just the two of us.”
”I wanted to practice swordsmanship with you too,” Kian added.
Natra’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, so you weren’t aiming at Lady Linca but at me?”
”Are you upset about that?” Kian asked with a small smile.
Natra’s expression shifted, a more challenging smile replacing the softer one before. “No. It’s been a while since I sparred with you. I want to see if you’ve kept up your training while I was away.”
”Who are you talking to? I’d never forget swordsmanship,” Kian said, shrugging.
”Maybe you’ve been too busy fooling around with Elder Sister and Lady Linca,” she teased.
”Uh… I can’t really deny that,” he admitted.
”Then let’s refresh what we’ve both forgotten. After a few matches, you’ll remember everything fast,” Natra said, lightly poking Kian’s stomach with her fist.
A comrade in battle and a rival—sometimes a goal to surpass, other times just Kian’s teasing follower. She showed many faces, a true shapeshifter, though whether that was literal or just her nature was still a mystery.
* * *
While the others rested, Kian and Natra hunted for Wing Cain’s food to restore their strength. Once gathered, they prepared lunch and packed portable meals for all eight of them.
With everything done, Kian left Natra in charge of the watch and stepped into the dream world created by Priscilla. Since it was daytime, Maribel and Priscilla were absent. Kian decided to leave a simple letter on the table, summarizing everything that had happened.
He wrote to Maribel that the Owl’s inspection was complete, included an overview of the results, and mentioned the formal report would come soon. He briefly explained Ramsey’s desperate situation and the possibility of peace, urging early cooperation from the Owls. He also reminded Eleonora to properly apologize later.
To Priscilla, he noted her quest at Nordende was finished and she no longer needed to cross the Great Forest. He apologized for not being able to capture the sample and said that future plans were still undecided. He promised to contact her immediately once there was news and added he hoped to meet her directly someday to offer his thanks or reward.
When Kian returned from the dream world, the group that had been napping was waking up. He prepared lunch, handed out light snacks, and sent the eight of them off on the cold, dangerous journey to Nordende.
”Finally, we can rest a little,” Natra said, watching thirteen large shadows fade into the afternoon sky with a soft sigh.
”Yeah. Now all we can do is wait until they arrive safely.” Kian said.
”Well then, shall we start training?” she asked.
”Let’s do it,” he agreed.
Though they stood in the middle of a field, Natra had set up a protective barrier, so even if they made noise, no monsters would come close.
They each drew a wooden sword and faced each other, sparring with sword techniques for a while. Then they fought a friendly match as warrior monks named Azrael, testing both basic and advanced moves. They swung their swords for an hour and a half before Natra called for a break.
”How was it?” Kian asked eagerly, stepping closer to Natra. He hoped she’d notice his progress.
”What do you mean by ‘how was it’?” she replied.
”Did my warrior monk skills improve?”
”I don’t know. We only checked your movements.”
”If you watched closely, you’d see my qi control has gotten better.”
”Not really.”
Kian’s face stiffened at her blunt reply.
”Huh? You can’t tell I’ve improved?”
”Sorry, I can’t see it myself. But it looks like you’ve grasped something inside, and that’s good.”
”It’s not just me. Sarah helped me see what I lacked, and Linca taught me the basics of training a warrior monk army. She said my qi channeling speed and release power are still weak. Improving those will make me stronger in battle. Lately, I’ve been doing a ‘Shot’ training Linca showed me—it’s like tossing pebbles like juggling.”
Kian picked up a small stone and tossed it rhythmically with energy flowing from his wooden sword. Natra tilted her head.
”Since you have Windsong Blade, that might not matter much. In real fights, you’ll mostly use ‘Thread,’ ‘Blast,’ and ‘Shadow.’ ‘Shadow’ surprises enemies, ‘Thread’ restricts movement with your spatial awareness, and ‘Blast’ is mainly for deterrence. You should focus ‘Shot’ training on improving ‘Thread’ first, then ‘Blast’ to speed up activation. That should be enough.”
”Yeah, I get it.”
This was the third time they’d had this kind of talk. Kian felt a bit lost amid the practical advice from the three warrior monk women who kept him grounded.
Natra continued, “It’s better to build your strengths than try things you can’t do. If I were you, I’d focus on balanced skills as a warrior monk rather than relying on brute strength or flashy moves like Vampire’s Mist Form. Those are annoying to face.”
”That’s not what I mean,” Kian said. “I’m a dropout who once failed to master warrior monk techniques. Now I have a chance to try again, so I want to improve properly.”
”Hmm, then training should be split,” Natra said.
”Split?”
”Yeah. One part is training that won’t interfere with your shadow skills as a warrior monk. The other is training to gain power to beat even stronger enemies.”
”Wait, are you saying proper warrior monk training isn’t necessary?” Kian asked.
”It’s not unnecessary. Just not very effective right now. How did you do against Elder Sister and Lady Linca? They’re the strongest apostles at Azrael. Did you lose?”
”Not sure. If I have my magic sword, sometimes I win, depending on distance, my mood, and condition.” Kian said, then he added, “Sarah attacks aggressively, so at first, you have to endure her mid-range strikes, wait for an opening, then close in for close combat. Use throws like vampires or Western Knights—those are hard to counter. Or keep your distance and end the fight with a single strike from Windsong’s magic sword. Since she can’t use the Secret Technique ‘Mirror Moon,’ she’s like Almeisa—an easy target for the magic sword.”
If Linca could close the distance and land a strike with the Misty Magic Sword, she was nearly unbeatable. One hit from that sword could take down an enemy, but beyond that, her offense and defense lacked depth. Her pure sword skills were weaker, and she could never match the power of the Misty Magic Sword with just her bare hands.
Since both of them understood how the magic sword worked, a real fight now would mean keeping the perfect distance. It would likely become a one-sided battle—with Kian at a serious disadvantage.
Sarah would control the fight by suppressing reckless moves, using speed to wear down and finish her opponent. Linca, however, had no reliable attack other than the Misty Magic Sword. Once she lost her range, victory was impossible. With techniques like insect arts or Shikigami in play, she simply couldn’t win.
Their versatility and many options showed their talents—and their hard work. They were like powerful queens in a chess game, always able to handle whatever came their way.
Natra nodded once.
”If we’re talking real combat, that’s a solid strategy,” she said softly. “You handled Azrael’s strongest warrior monks well. That was exactly the goal of my training. But if you want to improve as a warrior monk, I can customize your training for that.”
She smiled gently and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe sweat from Kian’s face.
”I see your dedication, Lord Kian. Being from the Vahid family, you can’t afford to have weak warrior monk skills.”
”I’ve left the family name behind,” Kian replied quietly. “Sometimes I use it because of circumstances, but it no longer defines me.”
”I understand.”
Natra pulled out a canteen and offered it.
”Drink this, then we’ll continue combat training. From now on, we’ll focus on fighting multiple enemies at once—like skirmishes with Wolfmen or Black Panther assassins. You’ve been targeted by them before, right?”
”Yeah, but since you’re alone, it might be hard to recreate a many-against-one fight.”
Kian pointed out, and Natra smirked with confidence. She pulled a thorn from a mistletoe pouch at her waist and tossed it to the ground.
After chanting softly, the earth trembled and the grassland rose.
”Oh…”
The lifted earth formed a massive humanoid figure made of soil, roots, and grass weaving like veins, creating muscles.
Natra summoned four golems like this, each holding a stone spear.
”Also, I’ll add long-range attacks with a magic sword.”
She drew a sword wrapped in thorns. The green and dark purple blade pulsed with toxic energy, glowing as if alive with magic.
”This sword absorbs enemy magic and reflects it back. But it can do more.”
She stabbed the blade into the ground, and instantly a whip-like shadow of black thorns lashed out, striking Kian’s feet from both sides. The grass broke open, and black soil splattered on his hands.
”I’ll keep attacking in waves like this.”
Kian frowned, recalling the brutal battle at the Wolfmen stronghold.
”What… am I supposed to do against this?”
”Just hold on,” Natra said seriously.
* * *
After two months of fighting Natra, Kian could predict her sword skills and evasion timing perfectly. She attacked relentlessly, controlling golems and throwing shadow thorns from a distance.
Like Sarah, she showed no mercy. Well, compared to Sarah, Natra was slightly more forgiving—but it still hurt. ‘Silver Ice’ was tarnished, his pride bruised. He missed Linca’s gentle training, with her praise and kindness.
But thinking back, Linca’s praise was just flattery—she’d broken him just as hard in the end. Nothing really changed.
”Whoa…! Gah…!”
The shadow thorns pierced him repeatedly, missing vital organs by mere inches. Finally, a golem slammed into his cheek, sending him tumbling painfully to the ground—as if Natra was punishing him with a playful scolding: “You philanderer!”
”──I see. I thought you hadn’t improved, but your reflexes are sharper than before. As expected from my main.”
”Ugh…”
”Don’t move. I’ll heal your wounds now.”
Natra rushed over, gently healing his injuries.
’Silver Ice’ also self-repaired by drawing Kian’s blood.
”This training is getting tougher, isn’t it? Did you mind me being with Sarah and Linca?”
”I raised the difficulty because you’ve gotten stronger. You saw how easily you defeated that golem, right? That feeling of accomplishment is real. I adjust the attacks carefully—neither to kill you nor to go easy. So don’t worry.”
”Yeah…”
Kian nodded, mixed feelings swirling.
Noticing this, Natra suggested naturally, “Let’s finish with a spar using wooden swords.” Training evenly with wooden swords was more fun. Despite the simplicity, Kian found himself smiling and nodding without thinking.
”Thanks for being considerate. Sorry for acting childish when I’m almost thirty.”
”No, it’s mutual. I learn a lot from watching your swordsmanship.”
She smiled modestly up close. Her hair was tied in small twin tails, sweat making her a little flushed. Then suddenly, she untied her hair and restyled it—heart still pounding.
Her scent was a mix of fresh mint on her clothes and a sweet vanilla-like sweat. The closer she was, the stronger the scent became. Suddenly, Kian felt an urge to tease the girl standing before him.
”Lord Kian?”
”──”
”Is something wrong? Ah!”
Without warning, he embraced her gently, inhaling the scent from her neck deeply.
”Y-You shouldn’t. I’m sweating; it’s dirty. I want take a bath first.”
”Then can you go level the ground by the small stream over there?”
”Yes! On it!”
Natra quickly stood and ran toward the stream by the campsite. Kian followed slowly, dropping his ‘Silver Ice’ equipment here and there.
By the time Natra finished summoning the bath with earth magic, Kian was already standing boldly behind her, his bare chest exposed up to his navel.
He said nothing, his bloodshot eyes quietly watching her back as she moved water from the stream, heating it and cleansing it with precise control. Her chest was small, but her hips curved gently—there was a faint scent, like a girl lost somewhere between Sarah and Linca, drifting from Natra’s whole being.
”Preparation is complete,” she said.
”Thank you. Here, soap,” Kian added, pulling out a bar scented with roses—the gift Linca had given him. “And a hand towel. This is for you, Natra.”
Natra frowned slightly. “Why the strange way of speaking?”
”It’s refreshing to be naked outside,” he replied with a soft smile.
Kian placed his hands on his hips and looked out at the endless green landscape. Steam rose around Natra in gentle swirls.
”That’s nice. Should I undress too?”
”I’ll do it for you.”
Without hesitation, Kian stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent deeply as he carefully unfastened the buttons of her light armor.
When the buttons at her chest came undone, he crossed his hands, sliding his fingers gently into the small opening.
”Thank you for joining my training today,” Kian said quietly.
”…No. It’s my duty to help you grow stronger, Lord Kian,” Natra answered.
”Thank you. That makes me happy. Today, let me wash your body.”
Natra hesitated. “It’s a little embarrassing.”
”It’s okay. Do you mind if I wash you?”
She shook her head softly. “I like your hands, Lord Kian. They’re big and feel good.”
”I’ll take good care of you. But you have to keep this a secret, alright?”
Natra repeated, “A secret from everyone…” then nodded happily, her lips moving silently.
”Good. Then, please take care of me,” she said.
Notes:
• Linca – Jibril’s favorite girl. High-ranking warrior monk woman from Shin, with strong abilities like ignoring attacks and poisons.
• Demete – A male dark elf shaman and a servant in the Umar household.
• Mag – The wolfwoman under Yelmar—the one who was caught by Kian’s group earlier.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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