Chapter 6: Not Again (2)
Thanks to Ghislaine quickly applying pressure to the heart, Fergus barely regained his breath.
“Where did you learn something like this?”
“That’s not important. Just now, your body and soul almost separated. Do you think it’s easy to come back to life?”
“Ugh… As I get older, my heart weakens… Sometimes this happens when I get startled.”
I wished him well for a long life, and now we almost parted ways the moment we met.
Ghislaine clicked her tongue and started rubbing Fergus’s hands.
“I should probably brew you a Mandragora root later. For today, just go inside and rest.”
“But I should guard you, Young Master…”
“No, please, just go and rest. It’s driving me crazy worrying about you. I should be guarding you now.”
“Then at least let me stay by your side while you train.”
Unable to win against Fergus’s stubbornness, Ghislaine reluctantly nodded.
As for guarding, it was just a title; in reality, she was like a nanny following Fergus around the castle.
Due to his age, there wasn’t much Fergus could do. If he couldn’t even do this, there would be no joy left in life.
Ghislaine looked around the castle, getting a rough idea of the layout, and then headed straight to her personal training ground.
Seeing the neglected, filthy training ground, devoid of guards or cleaners, Ghislaine felt nostalgic.
‘Why did I do that back then?’
Being able to focus entirely on mana cultivation and training in such an environment was something she could only dream of during her mercenary days.
Indeed, when you leave home, you get a taste of hardship.
As she reminisced about her newfound realization, Ghislaine called a servant to clean up the training ground.
“Are you really planning to train?”
“Yeah. I need to give it my all now.”
“Good choice. Absolutely.”
Fergus genuinely felt happy.
Other people might mock Ghislaine for whatever she did, disregarding her words as mere talk, but Fergus always believed that she was simply temporarily lost.
While Fergus stood guard at the entrance of the training ground, Ghislaine went inside and began her mana cultivation.
‘There’s not much time left, but I should do what I can.’
She had the knowledge and experience accumulated from her past life. If she could utilize that, she was confident she could become stronger than anyone else in no time.
However, time was of the essence.
“A week? It’s tight, but not impossible.”
Compared to her past life, her current physical condition was atrocious, to say the least.
Turning this pitiful body into one of steel in just a week was something that would be impossible even if she was reborn multiple times.
But, if she could handle mana, she could significantly enhance her physical capabilities.
“I have to at least raise my ability to handle mana.”
By utilizing the experiences from her past life, even with her weak body, she would be able to hold her own against knights.
Suuuu…
As Ghislaine focused her will, the surrounding mana began to move and flow into her, accumulating in the core just below her belly.
Mana moved and began to gather inside, stacking up below the belly button once again.
He, who couldn’t even feel the mana, had quickly reached the stage of accepting and converting mana within his body.
It would have been shocking for others, but for him, who practiced mana circulation even on the battlefield, it was as easy as breathing.
The mana that couldn’t fully accumulate inside his body scattered around like a red mirage.
“What a waste.”
Ghislaine’s mana circulation method was still incomplete.
It was a method he had casually modified and adapted to his own body, altering the family’s technique.
It was refined through real battles, making it sharp but less stable, yet quick and reliable.
In his previous life, he had used this modified method to rise to the ranks of the strong.
“Luck was also on my side.”
Achieving a position among the seven greats of the continent was due to a magic book he stumbled upon in ancient ruins.
An incomplete magic book, lacking a name, old, and tattered, with only half of it remaining.
But Ghislaine found inspiration there and was able to recreate his mana circulation method.
Whoooom!
Mana gathered in Ghislaine’s right chest, creating a new core.
Unlike others who only used the naturally occurring cores in the human body, he created an artificial core in a completely different location.
Whoooom!
Soon, a core formed in his left chest as well.
Guuuuuummm!
Including the one below the belly button that he had since birth, the cores arranged themselves in an inverted triangle, quickly circulating mana among each other.
This was the advantage of the mana circulation method that only Ghislaine could use.
The explosive power generated by the multiple cores working in unison boasted tremendous strength.
With this very power, Ghislaine earned his name among the continental seven greats and was praised as the King of Mercenaries.
But with advantages come disadvantages.
The problem was that the mana circulation method he used was incredibly unstable.
“It’s still overwhelming.”
The mana piled in the three cores began to struggle, trying to burst out of his body.
Ghislaine focused his mind to suppress the backlash and make the mana obey his control.
“I’ll have to fix this slowly too.”
While it could deliver explosive power, it consumed an immense amount of mana in a short time.
In his previous life, he had reserves of mana like an ocean, so it wasn’t a big problem unless facing an opponent on the same level, but now things were different.
To use mana efficiently, he needed to explode it only in crucial moments.
Suuuuu….
“Three is probably the limit for now.”
With three cores, he should be able to handle a decent knight.
Rather than increasing the number of cores, Ghislaine concentrated on stabilizing the mana.
Even during his days as the King of Mercenaries, managing five cores had been the limit. The burden increased exponentially with each additional core.
“Anyway, my body can’t handle more than this.”
The amount of mana stacked in the three cores wasn’t particularly satisfying, but for now, it was his limit.
However, Ghislaine had no intention of remaining satisfied in this state forever.
In this life, he would undoubtedly perfect this incomplete circulation method and become even stronger.
The source of Ghislaine’s power was his thirst for revenge and rage.
In his previous life, he could only reach the ranks of absolute strength by enduring excruciating hardships for the sake of revenge.
To keep that mindset alive, he constantly reflected on the last moments of his previous life.
“Aiden, this time I’ll make sure to sever your neck.”
He frowned at the thought of Aiden, the “Noble Knight,” with whom he clashed sword at the end of his last life.
“The more I think about it, the angrier I get.”
Aiden had come with his knightly order to face him when he was already exhausted.
Ghislaine had no chance of victory one-on-one, and with a coordinated attack, he couldn’t hold on at all.
“That coward… I would have won if it was a fair fight.”
“I won!”
Among the top seven on the continent, Ghislaine ranked seventh while Aiden was ranked fifth.
But rankings didn’t mean much. They were just arbitrary numbers slapped on by people based on jealousy and achievements.
In reality, they were all neck and neck, and on any given day, who would win could depend on their physical condition or the circumstances around them.
“Even though we all know this…”
With a ranking like that among the continental top seven, it was no surprise they were filled with pride. So, when ignorant people made comments, it inexplicably managed to rile them up.
His friend from a past life, known as the ‘One-Man Army’ and also a great wizard, would occasionally tease him like this.
– “I’m ranked third, and you’re ranked seventh. Yeah, you totally suck at fighting.”
– “Shut up… Are you bored or something? Want to throw down one of these days?”
Every time they did, the surroundings would go up in flames and the terrain would shift, leading his followers to repeatedly beg him to control himself.
“Ugh, this is infuriating.”
Just thinking about it made him mad again.
Even though they both knew it wasn’t true, it still annoyed him when the other acted childish.
Maybe it was due to his natural fighting spirit. Perhaps the desire to rank others was ingrained in his instincts.
“Alright, this time I’ll not just be among the continent’s top seven but aim for the top overall.”
He had never thought he would lose when facing the other top-ranked folks in his previous life.
Always believing he needed to fight to truly understand, he assumed they felt the same.
Well, except for one…
“The strongest on the continent… that guy was definitely strong.”
Everyone acknowledged him as the number one among the continental top seven.
Even Ghislaine, who was confident in his skill, thought to himself, “Oh boy, this might be tough…”
Just remembering that overwhelming power chilled his heart.
Even though he had returned to the past, it felt like an enormous wall he couldn’t overcome.
“No way. Ghislaine Perdium, you fool! Why are you thinking such pathetic thoughts?! There’s no reason to be intimidated already!”
While the ‘strongest on the continent’ was truly formidable back then, there was no need to fear ahead of time.
“I’m young now, after all.”
Ghislaine had experience and knowledge from his past life, and now he was granted youth to utilize it.
It seemed worthwhile to give it a shot.
Of course, the most important thing was to prevent the downfall of his territory and family.
But without the ambition to be the best, and without that competitive spirit as a warrior, he wouldn’t be able to grow his skills.
“I’ll break everything apart.”
In this life, he would crush the Duke Faction and everyone hiding behind it, ensuring he would be the absolute best.
Gritting his teeth, Ghislaine’s eyes shone a fierce red.
*
Ghislaine focused on building his basic strength until the festival began.
While concentrating on his training, he made an effort to have meals and conversations with Elena whenever he had the chance.
“It’s still a bit awkward, though.”
But it seemed like Elena was gradually accepting the changed version of him, as their relationship improved compared to before.
“Are you training again?”
“Yeah, I can’t take a break. I am the heir to a knight family, after all.”
“You hated that stuff! You said studying or training was something only dumb people do, that they could manage just following orders, so why would you? You even frowned about it.”
“Did I say that?”
Elena mimicked his frowning expression, and Ghislaine just shrugged.
He knew he had always complained, but honestly, he didn’t remember those silly conversations in detail.
“Right! Dad even said it’s annoying. He wants to pass the lordship quickly and just live in some rural place.”
“…Well, I am the fire attribute devoted son.”
That line hit home, firmly emphasizing how trashy he had lived in his past life.
“If you work hard, maybe Dad will be happy when he comes back?”
“Do you think you’ll like it?”
“Well, I don’t know.”
Ghislaine’s father, Count Perdium, was currently away on a campaign to the north.
Only the troops for public order remained in the territory.
With the main force gone and a chaotic festival in full swing, wasn’t it just perfect for external forces to stir up trouble and make a run for it?
This was a fact that I hadn’t considered in my past life.
Realizing this only confirmed my suspicion that Elena’s death was no coincidence.
“I’m going to train then.”
“When did you start working so hard? How many days will you be gone this time?”
Ghislaine left Elena murmuring behind and headed back to the training ground.
*
Time passed, and finally, it was the day of the festival.
‘Today is the day.’
Ghislaine finished strapping his sword to his waist and headed for Elena’s room.
As he was about to go out to watch the festivities, he ran into Elena, who had a puzzled expression.
“Aren’t you training today? Are you going to the festival too?”
“Yeah, let’s go watch together.”
“Wow, what’s gotten into you? Going to the festival with me?”
“Well, I should at least enjoy the festival a little.”
“Hmm, you’re acting really strange.”
Elena instructed her maids to take a break, as they still seemed to fear or feel uncomfortable around Ghislaine.
Ghislaine escorted her and sank into thought.
‘Things are different now.’
In his past life, Elena had asked him to go out together because he always looked so sensitive.
It was her way of trying to lighten his mood through the festival.
But in this life, Ghislaine’s behavior had changed, so Elena didn’t feel the need to suggest going to the festival first.
How one acts slightly alters the responses of those around them and even the future.
‘Even if the big flow remains the same, I can’t calculate all the subtle changes. I need to react according to the situation.’
It’s clear that there are those aiming for Perdium, but the more he interferes with them, the more the enemies will change their approach.
Even if one knows the future’s information, using it according to the situation is one’s own responsibility.
‘No mistakes are allowed.’
Reiterating that in his mind, Ghislaine wandered around with Elena.
Elena was quite enjoying the bustling crowd, but Ghislaine’s head remained complicated, making it hard to purely enjoy the festival.
‘How strange. How did we end up in the poor district?’
Elena was only watching the festival in the crowded central area.
It didn’t seem like she intended to go to the poor district, and no one had called for them yet.
Perhaps the future had slightly changed simply because he followed her.
After a bit more sightseeing, Elena stretched and grumbled.
“Ah, it’s fun, but it gets a bit boring since it’s the same every year.”
Festivals tend to be similar year after year, and given the limits of what a poor territory could prepare, it was understandable to feel bored.
“Isn’t there anything more interesting?”
As she looked around a bit disappointedly, one of the guard knights approached her and whispered.
“Young lady, how about we go somewhere else?”
“Huh? Where?”
That guard knight, Jamal, had a warm smile. He had been Elena’s guard for a long time and was quite well-regarded in the castle.
“They say they’re offering something special a little further out in the outskirts.”
“Really? What is it?”
“I only heard that much from a friend, so I don’t know the details. I just heard they prepared something quite stimulating.”
“Is that so? Let’s go! Let’s check it out!”
Elena exclaimed with sparkling eyes, seeming eager to go and see it.
Ghislaine stared blankly at Jamal’s face.
‘So it was you.’
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