13 Chapter 13: no need to play the game when you can control the board

The sound of a knock came in at Markus's door with who else but Zen's voice accompanying it.

"Master Markus, are you awake?"

Even though he slept late last night with Markus being accustomed to polyphasic sleep he still replied to Zen with his natural fully energised voice although it was greatly altered in order for him to continue playing the part of the long lost 9 year old son of Silver.

""I am now, do you need something Zen-san?""

((Ironically the thing that is most tiring thing to me right now isn't my lack of sleep or the fact that I've just changed a main character's backstory last night but it's this stupid voice that I have to keep making))

Markus had a very sore throat from making this voice like that of a normal kid.

((You know it's a miracle my vocal chords hasn't been crippled yet))

Markus thought annoyed at this burning sensation in his throat.

"I have been asked by lord Aidan to get you up to speed with your new life here and in accordance to the requirements needed of the son of the house of Silver, your morning schedule is sword practice with our most elite soldiers"

Zen explained everything in a business voice but that didn't stop Markus from sensing the pride in his voice when he said "most elite".

((Didn't I just beat your guard captain yesterday with little to no effort?))

Markus wanted to say that out loud but couldn't as the level of sarcasm in the room would've been raised too high even for him.

""Sure, I'll be there in a sec""

Markus answered getting out of bed.

"I'll be waiting downstairs"

Zen said as Markus heard his cordial footsteps becoming more distant by the second until it was quiet again.

""...""

The silence had a strange downcast feeling to it which would make any usual 9 year old uncomfortable but then again Markus was anything but normal.

He found solace in the silence of isolation, it was very soothing and normal for Markus, both sides of his soul could agree that they worked best in environment like this when no one was around but them and their inner thoughts.

((Well it's not so bad, now I'll have an opportunity to test out how the [eyes of the puppeteer] works both in and out of combat...))

Markus thought as he began to focus his mana around the area of his eyes activating his newfound skill.

After last night due to the stress and rush of killing 30 men, unknowingly setting in motion a domino effect that will undoubtedly change the world, expending too much mana, worrying about the future and sleeping late Markus didn't have the opportunity to properly test out his new to...skill.

After a moment of silence the air in the room began to visibly act up due to the large amount of mana being outputted by Markus, that was how much mana it cost to use this skill just ONE time.

((Damn, the mana cost for one use is going way beyond my calculations, even taking this young body's limited specs compared to my Markus build in the game into account the amount I'm expending is ridiculous...I might not even be able to use it more than one time a day, if I were to convert the amount of mana I'm using into the value of "fires of Valentia" I am using around 30000 mana points right now, for context the maximum amount of mana the mage main character Sophia can have at max level in the game is 10 mil mp while all other main characters only have a range from of 100000 to 500000 mp at max lv, an intermediate level spell takes an average of around 100-1000 mp to cast while the cost of a beginner level magic is from 10-100 mp, using active skills will usually take 15% less mana points than using magic, this applies to all levels of skill))

Markus began to make calculations, drawing from the memories of his last life as reference.

((If I go through with activating this skill I'll lose exactly 75% of my total mana points...I guess that is to be expected of a cheat skill and bear in mind this is only the first level of this skill, if I was a normal character I'd be suffering heavily from the equivalent exchange mechanic right now...))

Markus thought, feeling extremely relieved that he was a boss character and not just some random npc as due to the equivalent exchange effect in the game when you don't have enough mana points to cast a spell but choose to cast it anyway your hp (health points) will be used up to cast that spell instead and with the average mp and hp of a npc or enemy you would die almost instantly if you even try and think about using the [eyes of the puppeteer].

((I currently have a total of 40000 mp and 20000 hp which is more than almost all non boss character and a lot better than Reinhart and his party which start out at about 100-10000mp as well as hp))

((By the way the maximum amount of mp Markus had at max lv was 20 mil which was one of the reason for his "party killer" title, however this did come with the disadvantage that when you were playing as him in PVP battles you would essentially be forced to play solo against a well trained party as the devs decided it was too unfair to have him accompanied by another main character, although you could make up for the lack of numerical might with things such as summons, companions and the troops that could be called with the [commander] class and all it's variants))

((But then again the second hardest boss had 25 million mp and the final boss of the third game had infinite mp so...it's not really THAT impressive))

Markus finally opened his eyes as the burning purple flame from last night returned, replacing his normal crimson glow.

((There we g...ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!))

The second Markus successfully activated the skill thousands of visions were crammed into his head each and every 0.02 seconds like a thanksgiving turkey being filled.

Markus collapsed on the floor holding his head in pain and rolling around in a fetal position.

The feeling was much like having your skull forcefully opened with a wrench and having molten metal poured into the opening, only that it's happening a lot faster so it's even more painful than that.

""It hurts! It hurts! Make it stop!""

((Calm down! I need to stable out my thoughts...if I focus this skill will only show me the futures that I desire to be actualised and the method to make it come true...it also has the limitation of not working on an individual not in my field of view so it's a bit early to be overwhelmed...))

Despite the pain Markus knew that he had to power through it otherwise he may never be able to truly master this skill.

((What lies beyond suffering is power, the power to achieve victory and in order to live in this world I'll need to endlessly flail for freedom no matter what or how long it takes! This is nothing!))

Responding to his strong will the Exforia in Markus's body did it's job and the pain Markus felt decreased little by little, bit by bit.

Since this was only the first level of the [eyes of the puppeteer] it will not show the futures that are undesirable to it's user like in the later levels and unlike it's more powerful counterpart in the game which had the [bird's eye view] sub skill Markus's [eyes of the puppeteer] only has enough range as his vision so right now he is only seeing HIS possible futures rather than everyone else's like how the skill was used in the game basically meaning he's only feeling about 1/10 of the pain he would usually be feeling if he used this in the middle of a crowd.

Using all his focus Markus was slowly filtering through all the possible visions of the future he was seeing only memorising the important parts, what Markus is doing right now is not much different from a university student cramming as much knowledge in his head as possible before the final exam which was an experience both Kazuki and Markus were accustomed to so it wasn't that hard, other than the excruciating pain it gave him of course.

""I see, Zen will introduce me to...then I'll fight...46 duels in one day?...if I do this...""

The speed of which Markus was cycling through the various different visions gradually increased as he slowly started to adapt to the skill's effects.

He limited the skill's effect to only show him what will happen today so as not to overwhelm his currently inadequate mental capacity with the far future that was too hard to process even for Markus's supercomputer-like mind.

If quantum theory is right then what Markus is doing right now is essentially looking into every alternate timeline of today to find out the cause and effect of every action he could and will take.

After a bit Markus deactivated the skill before the time limit for one use was off because if he didn't his brain will cause him to go into a seizure.

Slowly getting up, Markus had to use the bed's frame to steady himself, thanks to what just happened Markus's body was weak and is nearly going limp.

((I've miscalculated how powerful this skill really is, if this is what one use will do to me, there's no telling what would happen if I used it again, forget practicality, as I am now this skill would be completely unusable during real combat))

Markus grimaced as a bitter taste was left in his mouth.

((Not only is the mana consumption ridiculous and the activation time is too long, the aftermath of using it will basically turn me into an easy target on the battlefield))

""In a way I've severely underestimated how much of a cheat this cheat-skill is""

Markus couldn't help but speak in a voice even more dreadful than his usual one as the reality of his oversight settled in.

((But well it's not completely hopeless at least now I know it works and if I can raise my stats to that of the game's Markus this ability would be more than overpowered and I did gain knowledge of the future like I wanted so I'll consider this a success for now))

Markus checked one off of his bucket list as he moved to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Since Markus had predicted how today would go and had a detailed map of everything that can and will happen to him today he was oddly relaxed after that painful future prediction session since he foresaw that no noteworthy event will happen today.

He was probably the most cheerful and carefree as he as ever been ever since Kazuki and Markus merged and even before that making the steps he takes with cheerful skips.

((Hah...sure is peaceful today))

With his mind strangely clear after using the [eyes of the puppeteer] Markus made his way to where Zen was waiting for him after he was done brushing his teeth and taking a morning shower.

"It seems you've arrived master Markus..."

Zen said, politely standing at the side of the mansion's gate.

""yes, so would you kindly please give me my practice sword?""

Markus asked using his 9 year old voice.

"Yes of course, it is right..."

Zen tried to reach behind him and grabbed something but stopped midway.

"Pardon me for asking this milord, but how did you know that we were preparing a sword for you?"

""Well the sword you gave me for the test yesterday was very cumbersome and disproportionate for a child like me so I expected something like this since without a proper sword fit for me I wouldn't be able to fight with my full power which is not what you would want""

Markus explained the reasoning for his "deduction" to Zen.

((That's a lie, I saw this coming through the [eyes of the puppeteer]...))

Markus smiled inwardly after confirming that the visions he was given did indeed come true.

"Hmm...sometimes I wonder if you're really a 9 year old or if you're actually older"

Zen said looking at Markus suspiciously.

""That's strange, my mom usually says the opposite about me all the time""

Markus said trying to sound as innocent as possible but deep down inside he was feeling a bit guilty for using a non existent person in order to fool Zen.

((Well if she existed that is...))

"..."

Zen was silent for a bit looking at Markus with eyes that are pitying him.

"Well at least now I know that you didn't have a youth to begin with I won't feel as bad for stealing it away..."

Zen muttered in a low voice as to make sure Markus doesn't hear it but of course Markus heard it all.

((No you should still definitely feel bad for this, after all you're putting the hope of the entire Silver house on a random kid you've picked up from the airport which is a lot of responsibility and pressure to give to a 9 year old you don't know much about so I wouldn't exactly call you guys saints))

Markus thought correcting the man.

"Moving on, here is the sword you will be using for today's practice"

Zen said handing Markus a short broadsword much like the one yesterday only a bit smaller as well as lighter to fit his size and muscle strength.

((Well you didn't really need to do this...part of my training during my time with Executor involves being able to turn anything into an effective lethal weapon so even if I was using Gail's wooden greatblade for practice I could still easily kill people with it))

Markus thought as he gratefully accepted the gift.

""Thank you Zen-san I'll cherish this...""

Markus hugged the sword as if it was his baby in an attempt to look like a kid.

"...you're definitely a child..."

Zen once again muttered only this time Markus could feel the guilt in his voice.

"Let us depart for the training ground"

Zen said opening the door and leading Markus to the practice field.

There were a group of soldiers (the guards) currently using the training ground.

Seeing the two of them approach some of the group stopped what they were doing to send curious gazes their way.

Seeing this Markus once again utilised his acting skills to portray a typical child.

He held Zen's butler outfit and hid behind him while giving the guards apprehensive looks.

"Erm..."

Seeing this Zen was troubled on how to act.

"Please be at ease Markus-sama they are only..."

Before Zen could finish a familiar loud voice rang out.

"Stop that ye twats! Yer scaring bocchan!"

Gail shouted trying to mend the situation.

"Get back to work!"

Screaming at his men to continue their training Gail made his way to where Markus and Zen was.

"Sorry for that bochama, they're usually not this rude"

Gail apologised to Markus about the discourtesy of these guards.

""you don't have to apologise, it's just that i'm not used to being in front of so many people is all""

Markus said still acting shy and cautious.

"bocchan is afraid of attention? that's strange, ya see me here kinda thought that you'd love the extra eyes on ya"

Gail seemed genuinely surprised.

((Huh? what gave him that impression? I'm not some attention seeker...))

Markus was caught off guard by Gail's impression of him and stared blankly as he was confused.

"Well how else would yer describe someone who can effortlessly defeat ol' me despite being so young? Not many of the whippersnappers here can do what ya did ye know? If someone with as much power as ye aren't looking fo attention then what are ya lookin' fo?"

Gail explained, seeing Markus's reaction.

((So he thinks just because I'm a bit capable I'm automatically a self centred bastard? Wow, that's kinda rude I'm not gonna lie))

Markus almost did a face palm upon hearing Gail's high school drama kid reasoning.

Zen who was watching the whole conversation silently gave Gail a burning glare in order to tell him to shut up.

""Erm...no, I don't like too much recognition it makes me very anxious when people just start to look at me for no reason""

This statement here was probably the only objective truth Markus had told everyone around him so far.

"Ho...I'm sorry bocchama, it's just that little ol'me has been around many youngins and nearly all of them seem to enjoy bein flattered"

Gail scratched his head in embarrassment.

((So he's been around a lot of nobles before working under the Silver house huh?...Both him and Zen seem to have many things from their past that they need to hide or at least are not willing to share it unless explicitly asked))

Markus's interest were piqued.

"Mister Gail! It is highly uncouth to generalise"

This time Zen couldn't contain his irritation and reprimanded Zen.

"I'm Sorry, please forgive me bocchama! Spare me from lese majeste"

Putting his hand together Gail begged Markus.

""Whoa whoa whoa! Calm down, I'm not going to kill anyone!""

Markus tried to act flustered but from an outsider's perspective he just sounded very sarcastic.

((I forgot that despite having a meritocratic system feudalism is still highly respected in the empire))

"Please remember to mind your words next time..."

Zen reminded Gail, despite being so angry just a second ago, his voice sounded concerned.

""...""

Seeing this Markus was even more convinced of that suspicious feeling he's been having towards Zen and Gail as it turned into conviction.

((He was covering for Gail? Interesting they also seem to share an unknown history together too, this is making me more curious by the second, I need to investigate))

After that he was introduced to the guards and was asked to be their sparring partner as all of them were interested in the boy who beat their superior.

There were no noteworthy individuals among them only muscle heads with only the exception of the vice captain of the guards who took a particularly hostile stance towards Markus saying something along the lines of:"so you beat our captain? Yeah right as if I'd believe that, you probably cheated, fave me so that I can rip off that fake mask of yours", he was probably jealous that Markus beat Gail before he did as he was set to inherit Gail's position after he could beat him, He was annoying so Markus didn't even bother to remember his name or what he said like he did with the other guards.

But since Markus knew all the moves every guard was going to make as he saw it through the [eyes of the puppeteer] he ended all 46 spars in 1-3 moves, knocking out most of the guards (by the way the vice captain got beat with only one move).

((Welp that's a cheat skill for ya))

And with that Markus's morning sword training session ended much sooner than expected with the result being his complete landslide of a victory with not even a single scratch or sweat on Markus's body.

Meanwhile both Zen and Gail couldn't do anything but watch the massacre unfold with awe in their eyes.