Chapter 163: Entering Body Improvement (2)
While the Mana Convergence Circle was being created, most of the mercenaries changed their contracts to a lifetime agreement. Even the newcomers swore loyalty to the Lord.
There was no reason to refuse when offered the Mana Circulation Method and even a knighthood.
“Did you hear? There’s a rumor that the Lord is going to teach the family’s Mana Circulation Method.”
“Come on, don’t be ridiculous. The ultimate vision is the Mana Circulation Method. Who would just give that away? Would you?”
“Still, we’re going to become the territory’s elite, so maybe they’ll share something useful?”
“Well, they’ll probably choose something easy for us to learn. Either way, we will have to train for years, so let’s not get our hopes too high.”
The mercenaries were greatly anticipating the Mana Circulation Method, so much so that unverified rumors were circulating.
Of course, they weren’t entirely free from worry.
The territory residents might not know, but the experienced mercenaries were convinced that war would break out again.
The Great Lord, Count Desmond, wouldn’t just sit idly by after getting a hit from a small territory like Perdium.
Still, the mercenaries chose to risk their lives and remain in the Penris Territory.
The knighthood and the Mana Circulation Method were worth it.
However, amid others changing to lifetime contracts, Kaor and the Cerberus Mercenary Group couldn’t make a decision.
“Geez… What should we do? If we accept the proposal, we’ll be stuck here for life.”
Kaor gathered his team, scratching his head in frustration.
With his skills, he could easily gain a knighthood anywhere he went.
Unusually for a mercenary, he was also honing his mana, and his skills were better than your average knight’s.
But he didn’t like a rigid lifestyle and wanted to live freely, which was why he remained a mercenary.
“Hey, what are you all going to do? We have to decide before the Mana Convergence Circle is completed.”
At Kaor’s words, a few members exchanged glances before speaking up.
“We’ll just follow the captain. What’s the big deal with being a knight? It’d be nice, but…”
“Well, the Mana Circulation Method would be useful…”
“Just because we learn it doesn’t mean it’s gonna work out, does it? I mean… if it’s the lord, they might have some methods, but…”
They didn’t believe the rumors about teaching the family’s circulation method either. They just thought it might be better than the cheap ones floating around.
After all, handling mana was no easy task, and most people couldn’t even grasp the basics of the cheaper circulation methods.
Still, since the lord had pulled off miraculous feats before, there was some glimmer of hope that they might teach something understandable, but it wasn’t a big enough hope to completely drown out their anxiety.
It just wasn’t that big.
Kaor smugly tested the reactions of the members who seemed a bit underwhelming.
“Anyone who wants to stay here can stay. We’re officially parting ways from the Cerberus Mercenary Group.”
Even after that declaration, the members hesitated to step forward.
To leave the Cerberus Mercenary Group, you’d have to leave a finger behind. Everyone knew that getting caught up in such words would only lead to more trouble.
“Hey, you guys have some loyalty, huh? Right, without loyalty, a mercenary is just a corpse, a corpse.”
At Kaor’s words, the members slightly bowed their heads to hide their expressions.
It sounded like a threat that they’d end up as corpses if they betrayed him.
‘If someone says they’re leaving, they’ll throw a fit.’
‘They’ll probably demand a finger if they call me a traitor or something.’
‘Ah, but it was surprisingly fun being here.’
Feeling the atmosphere of regret slowly spreading, Kaor licked his lips.
Back in the day, he would have bolted the moment a lifetime contract proposal came up. But now, he oddly felt a pang of disappointment at the thought of leaving.
‘Ah, why am I feeling this way? Am I getting attached?’
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t find a reason to get attached.
Starting with the lord, then Belinda, Gillian, Claude… they were all strange characters.
Could hanging out with weirdos be making him weird too?
As Kaor mulled over his unresolved worries, one member cautiously spoke up.
“Well… to be honest, if we leave here, we’ll just be stuck taking petty jobs in the North, right?”
“That’s true, just working and living freely.”
“But honestly… isn’t it fun here? The lord is weird but fun, right?”
That was an undeniable fact.
The Penris Territory was unlike any other territory.
Lord Ghislaine was completely different from other nobles. Sometimes he acted like a complete lunatic, but he was undeniably an enjoyable person to be around.
When Kaor gestured for him to continue, the member mustered his courage to keep talking.
“At least here, it seems like we can have endless fights. Isn’t that better than just wasting time?”
That was a good point. The second war with Desmond was practically imminent, and knowing Ghislaine, there would definitely be more skirmishes to come after that.
Plus, the second expedition of the Forest of Monsters was scheduled in the near future.
There was no other place with such continuous big events as Penris.
Seeing Kaor’s intrigued expression, the member pressed on.
“And if we take on jobs in the North, who’s to say we won’t end up fighting the lord? At that point, we’d have to pick a side… can you handle that?”
“Ah, maybe not.”
Kaor blurted it out without realizing it.
‘Fight that lunatic lord?’
Others didn’t scare him, but Ghislaine was oddly unsettling.
Maybe it was the experience of getting beaten to a pulp that instinctively made him resist the thought of fighting again.
But could he just live without any exciting war jobs? It would be ridiculous to switch sides back to Penris during a fight.
Kaor folded his arms and fell deep into thought.
When he glanced at the members, they were all looking at him with eager eyes filled with expectation.
‘Hah, these guys aren’t being honest.’
After a slight chuckle, Kaor nodded several times.
In truth, his heart was already set. He was just pretending to struggle because of his pride.
If he left this territory, which was bound to bring more fun experiences, he would regret it for life.
“Alright, let’s be knights then!”
“Ohhhh!”
At Kaor’s declaration, everyone cheered.
Wandering around could only last for so long; you couldn’t live your whole life like that!
Wandering around can only last for a day or two; you can’t live like that forever, can you?
Staying here is way better than being stuck in a stuffy territory.
Besides, if they’re teaching me the Mana Circulation Method and granting me a knight title, it would be foolish to refuse.
A small and weak territory isn’t a flaw. After all, places will never accept me under such conditions anyway.
Kaor arrogantly declared.
“I will be the Knight Commander. Everyone should know that by now.”
“What about Instructor Gillian? That guy won’t just sit back and relax, you know.”
“Hah! I can take it from him with my skills. If I set my mind to it, I could finish off an old man like him in the blink of an eye. So Knight Commander is definitely me.”
“Woooaah! Kaor, Knight Commander of the Penris!”
Everyone cheered again.
It wasn’t that they thought Kaor looked cool or that they actually believed he could defeat Gillian. They just thought it would be a fun fight to watch.
Self-proclaimed Knight Commander Kaor flashed a cocky grin and raised his fist high.
*
“I am the Knight Commander.”
At Ghislaine’s words, Kaor blinked in surprise and asked,
“Not me?”
“No, not you.”
“What kind of lord personally becomes the Knight Commander?”
“I do everything myself.”
“No, please don’t do it yourself. I’m asking you to let me.”
“It’s easier for me this way. I’ll decide later when I have more troops and need to reorganize, so just understand that for now.”
As Ghislaine clicked his tongue, Kaor reluctantly stepped back.
“So does that mean you’ll give it to me then?”
“Depends on the situation. There are too many competitors; I’m not sure if you can handle it. But didn’t you say you’re not good at fighting?”
Provoked by those words, Kaor sulked with a pout.
“I’m great at fighting!”
“Then we’ll see when that time comes. After everyone has learned their mana and demonstrated their skills.”
“It won’t be any different then.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll look forward to it. Anyway, you made a good decision. Let’s work well together from now on.”
Once Kaor pledged his loyalty to Ghislaine and completed a life contract, the Cerberus Mercenary Group faded into history.
Ghislaine patted Kaor on the shoulder and handed him two books.
“We’re partners now, so I have to give you a gift. Here, take this.”
“What is this?”
“This is the Mana Circulation Method and Swordsmanship manual from our family. Of course, I did a bit of customization to suit you. It should be more useful than what you’re currently learning.”
“No way.”
Kaor’s eyes widened as he stared at Ghislaine.
He came to demand the Knight Commander position, and yet he received such a gift.
Though Kaor had learned a cheap Mana Circulation Method, his exceptional talent, ferocity, and life-risking experiences in battle had brought him to a certain realm.
He felt pride in surpassing ordinary knights with just a cheap method.
However, that didn’t mean he wasn’t thirsty for a better Mana Circulation Method.
The more his skills grew, the more he felt the walls around him tighten. It was the limit of learning through intuition without a systematic understanding.
That’s why he enjoyed fighting even more and sought out dangerous places. There was nothing else he could do.
For someone like Kaor, Ghislaine’s book was like a lifeline thrown down from the darkness.
“I-I didn’t think you’d give me one too.”
He thought only veterans like Gillian or himself, who had reached a level close to knights, would be taught the method while the other mercenaries would be left in the dark.
But he never expected something like this would be prepared!
While watching the surprised Kaor, Ghislaine continued his speech.
“From what I’ve seen, you have many bad habits and your body’s balance is off. To use mana properly, you need to utilize your whole body, but you haven’t been able to do that, so your balance has been disrupted. Your swordsmanship is sharp because you’ve learned in real battles, but you’re lacking in the basics. If you diligently practice what I gave you, you’ll be able to surpass that wall soon.”
“I should make use of it, but the balance has collapsed because I couldn’t. My swordsmanship has sharp wit from real battles, but my fundamentals are noticeably lacking. If you really put in the effort to master what I’ve given you, you’ll soon surpass that wall.”
“…Why are you doing this for me?”
Kaor genuinely wondered.
What Ghislaine handed over was something hard to obtain even for a fortune.
No matter how foolish Count Perdium’s territory seemed, that was due to external circumstances.
“Just looking at the Mana Circulation Method and swordsmanship of Count Perdium’s family, they’re definitely not inferior to anywhere else. After all, Count Perdium himself is evaluated as a top-tier knight.”
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the strength to defend the North came from this Mana Circulation Method and swordsmanship.
It wasn’t something to just be given away after fighting together a few times.
Especially since the fact that they fought together was due to a mercenary contract made it even less so. They just did their job for the money.
With Kaor puzzled, Ghislaine chuckled and said, “You can’t fight, can you? I gave it to you so you won’t get beaten up somewhere.”
Kaor almost flared up but lowered his head and sneaked the books into his arms.
He didn’t want to show that he was happy because of his pride, but it was hard to hide his joy.
He shouldn’t be smiling, yet laughter kept escaping him.
Kaor bit his lip tightly, expressing his thanks with a strange expression. “I’m good at fighting… But anyway, I gratefully accept it. Hehehe.”
“Right, if you don’t understand something while practicing, just ask. You’ll probably have to work hard. You wouldn’t want to be left behind by others. There are plenty of talented friends.”
“Heh, those guys are nothing. I’ll crush anyone who dares come at me.”
Eager to go back and practice, Kaor half-heartedly nodded, turning away quickly.
He wasn’t one for manners anyway, so Ghislaine didn’t mind much. He knew better than anyone how Kaor felt right now.
As Kaor grabbed the doorknob to the office, he paused for a moment.
For some reason… his nose felt tingly.
He lost his family when he was young and had scraped by to survive.
“Has there ever been someone… who treated me this well?”
There hadn’t. He had lived in a world where it was kill or be killed.
That’s why he acted more brutally, more like a madman. Otherwise, Kaor, living on the low end, wouldn’t have been able to survive.
In some ways, it was a struggle to live, and in others, it was probably a complaint against the world.
Trying to suppress the unfamiliar emotion that rushed in, Kaor gritted his teeth.
“It’s just… for the sake of the war, he’s telling me. I have to fight up front.”
He tried to downplay Ghislaine’s intentions, but deep down, Kaor knew that wasn’t it.
No one gives treasures to a disposable pawn.
A few coins could easily shove someone onto the battlefield.
Kaor and Ghislaine had always been in such a relationship.
“Damn it…”
In the Forest of Monsters, on the battlefield, Ghislaine never treated mercenaries as mere disposable tools.
He tried to save even one person, always standing in the most dangerous places.
Though he wouldn’t hesitate to use any means necessary for the goal, he wasn’t a petty person.
“…Fine, let’s go all the way together.”
Kaor, who had hesitated, released the doorknob and turned back to Ghislaine.
As he quietly observed Ghislaine’s puzzled face, Kaor slowly bent deeply at the waist.
For the first time in his life… it was a truly heartfelt expression of gratitude to someone.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
