CHAPTER 6: I won’t fall for it a second time (2)

Thanks to Ghislain's quick chest compressions, Fergus barely managed to catch his breath and come back around.

"Where did you learn this kind of thing?"

"That's not what matters. You nearly had your body and soul separated. Do you know how hard it is to come back to life?"

"Ugh, it's this weak old heart of mine... It sometimes acts up when I get too startled."

He'd wished the old man a long life, only for them to almost say goodbye as soon as they met today.

Clicking his tongue, Ghislain started massaging Fergus's hand.

"I'll brew you some mandrake root tea later. For now, just head back and rest."

"But I should be guarding you, young master…."

"No, please, go rest. It's stressing me out like crazy. Right now, I'm the one who should be guarding you."

"Then let me at least stay by your side while you train."

Unable to win against Fergus's stubbornness, Ghislain reluctantly nodded.

Fergus's "guarding" was mostly in name only, and he was more like a babysitter who trailed him around within the castle.

Given his age, there wasn't much Fergus could do. Taking even this task away from him would leave him with little purpose.

After wandering the castle to get a rough sense of the layout, Ghislain headed straight to a private training ground.

Seeing the dirty, abandoned training area with no one guarding or cleaning it brought back memories for Ghislain.

'Why was I like that back then?'

A space like this, where he could fully concentrate on mana cultivation and training, was something he could only dream of during his mercenary days.

Being away from home is never easy.

Reflecting on his newfound appreciation, he called for a servant to clean the training area.

"Are you really planning to train?"

"Yes, I need to put in the effort now."

"That's the right decision. Absolutely."

Fergus looked genuinely pleased.

Others would have dismissed Ghislain's intentions as mere words, another empty boast.

But Fergus had always believed that the young lord was just going through a rough patch.

While Fergus guarded the entrance, Ghislain went inside and began his mana cultivation.

'There's not much time, but I need to push myself as far as I can.'

He had the knowledge and experience accumulated from his past life. Using those, he was confident he could become strong faster than anyone else.

But time was scarce.

"One week… It's tight, but not impossible."

Compared to his past life, his current body was in terrible shape—bad enough to make him sigh.

Transforming a frail body into one of steel in just a week would be impossible, no matter how many lifetimes he lived.

But if he could at least control mana, he could dramatically enhance his body's performance.

"I have to, at the very least, reach a level where I can handle mana."

Using his past experiences, he believed that even with this weak body, he could take on most knights.

Sssss….

In line with Ghislain's will, the surrounding mana started moving into his body, gathering at the core just below his navel.

He'd gone from being unable to sense mana to reaching a stage where he could absorb and convert it within moments.

To others, this would be an astonishing sight, but to Ghislain, who'd practiced mana cultivation even on the battlefield, it was as natural as breathing.

Some mana that couldn't settle in his body dissipated as a red mist around him.

'A bit wasteful.'

Ghislain's mana cultivation technique was still incomplete.

He had modified the family's technique to suit himself, adjusting it to fit his body.

His technique, refined through real combat, was intense and fast but lacked stability.

It was also what had allowed him to become a powerhouse in his past life.

'And there was some luck too.'

Reaching the rank of the continent's top seven was partly thanks to a magic tome he'd found in an ancient ruin.

It was an old, tattered, and incomplete book with no name.

But it had inspired him to recreate his mana cultivation technique.

Hummm!

Mana began gathering in Ghislain's right chest, forming a new core.

Unlike others, who only used the core naturally present in their bodies, he had created an additional core in a different location.

Hummm!

Another core formed in his left chest.

Rumble!

Together with the core below his navel, the three cores formed an inverted triangle, circulating mana rapidly.

This was the unique feature of Ghislain's mana cultivation technique.

With multiple cores interlinked and generating mana, he could unleash explosive power.

With this strength, Ghislain had earned his place among the continent's top seven and the title of Mercenary King.

But every advantage has its drawbacks.

The problem with Ghislain's cultivation technique was its intense instability.

"It's still a struggle."

The mana stored in the three cores fought to burst out of his body.

Ghislain concentrated, suppressing the resistance, and willed the mana to remain under his control.

'I'll have to work on this gradually.'

While the technique allowed for explosive power, it consumed mana at an astounding rate.

In his previous life, with mana reserves as vast as the sea, he had little trouble against those of equal rank. But now, his situation was different.

To use his limited mana efficiently, he'd need to unleash his power only at crucial moments.

Ssshh….

'Three cores is the limit for now.'

Even with three, he could take on most knights.

Rather than increasing the number of cores, he focused on stabilizing the mana.

In his Mercenary King days, he had managed to control a maximum of five cores. The burden increased several times with each additional core.

'Beyond that, my body wouldn't handle it anyway.'

The amount of mana stored in the three cores wasn't ideal, but it was the best he could manage for now.

Still, Ghislain had no intention of being satisfied with this state forever.

This time around, he would perfect his incomplete technique and become even stronger.

His strength was fueled by vengeance and anger.

In his previous life, he had become one of the strongest only because he endured grueling training for the sake of revenge.

To keep that fire alive, he constantly reminded himself of his final moments in his past life.

'Idun, this time, I'll be the one to take your head.'

The "noble knight" Idun, whom he had clashed with in his last battle, came to mind, and Ghislain's brow furrowed.

'The more I think about it, the angrier I get.'

Idun had come after him, bringing his entire knight order when he was already exhausted.

A one-on-one fight with Idun was uncertain, but with his knights assisting, Ghislain had no chance.

'That coward… If we'd fought one-on-one, I would have won.'

Among the continent's top seven, Ghislain ranked seventh, while Idun was ranked fifth.

But rankings meant nothing. They were just arbitrary numbers assigned based on timing and achievements.

In truth, their skills were almost indistinguishable; who won depended on the day's conditions and surroundings.

'Everyone knows this….'

Yet, for those among the top seven, pride was inevitable, and even random remarks from those who didn't understand would annoy them.

One of his last friends, known as the "One-Man Army" and a Archmage, would tease him now and then:

—"I'm ranked third, and you're seventh. So yeah, you suck at fighting."

—"Shut up… Are you bored? How about a spar?"

They had left destruction in their wake so often that their subordinates begged them to stop.

'Ugh, so irritating.'

The memories brought back a surge of anger.

Both knew it wasn't true, but childish jabs still stung.

Maybe it was his natural fighting spirit—a primal urge for dominance.

'Fine. This time, I won't be among the top seven—I'll be the strongest on the continent.'

Even in his past life, he'd never thought he'd lose to any of the other top seven.

He always believed the outcome was uncertain until they fought, and the others likely felt the same.

Except… for one.

'The Continent's Finest Sword… He was truly strong.'

Widely accepted as the top rank among the seven.

Even Ghislain, confident in his skills, had instinctively thought, 'This is too much….'

Recalling that colossal strength sent a chill through him.

Even having returned to the past, he wasn't confident he could overcome that massive wall.

'No, Ghislain Perdium, you fool! What pathetic thinking! Why should you be intimidated?'

The "Finest Sword" of that era had indeed been formidable, but there was no need to be intimidated.

'I have a young body now.'

Ghislain now had his past life's knowledge and experience, plus the vitality of youth.

He could do this.

Of course, his priority was still to prevent the downfall of his estate and family.

But he would also need the ambition to be the best if he wanted to hone his skills.

'I'll crush them all.'

This time, he would annihilate the Delphine duchy and all those lurking behind it and become the strongest.

Gritting his teeth, Ghislain's eyes glowed red.

***

Ghislain focused on building his strength until the festival began.

While training, he also tried to spend time with Elena, sharing meals and conversation whenever possible.

'It's still a bit awkward.'

But Elena was slowly accepting the change in him, and their relationship was improving.

"Are you training again lately?"

"Yeah, I can't slack off as the heir to a knight's family."

"You used to say that stuff was for idiots. You'd sneer, saying, 'Why should I do that when I can just give orders and everyone will handle it?'"

"Did I say that?"

Elena mimicked his annoyed face, and Ghislain shrugged.

He remembered he'd always been grumbling, but not the specific complaints.

"Yeah! Even Father complained. He said he'd love to dump the estate on you and go live in some countryside."

"Well, I was quite the burden."

The words hit hard, a painful reminder of his past behavior.

"If you put in the effort, maybe Father will be happy when he returns?"

"Who knows."

Their father, Count Perdium, was currently on an expedition to the north.

The estate only had a small garrison for security.

A festival amid such a vulnerable state was an ideal opportunity for outside forces to strike and escape.

In his past life, he hadn't considered this.

Realizing it now only reinforced his belief that Elena's death hadn't been a coincidence.

"I'm off to train."

"How long will that last this time?" Elena muttered, watching him head back to the training ground.

***

The day of the festival finally arrived.

'Today's the day.'

Ghislain fastened his sword at his waist and made his way to Elena's room.

When he met Elena, who was just about to leave, she looked at him curiously.

"Not training today? Are you joining the festival too?"

"Yeah, let's go together."

"Wow, what's gotten into you? Coming to a festival with me?"

"Well, we should enjoy a festival now and then."

"Hm, you're really acting strange."

Elena instructed her maids to take a break.

Since they still felt uneasy around Ghislain, she had decided to leave them behind.

As he escorted her, Ghislain found himself deep in thought.

'This is different from before.'

In his past life, Elena had invited him to the festival, trying to lift his spirits.

But since his behavior had changed, she hadn't felt the need to ask him this time.

How he acted influenced the reactions of those around him, subtly changing the future.

'Though the big events might remain the same, I'll have to respond to these minor changes as they come.'

While he knew there were enemies targeting Perdium family, the way they attacked could shift the more he interfered.

Even with knowledge of the future, he'd have to adapt it to the present.

'I can't afford any mistakes.'

With that in mind, Ghislain walked around the festival with Elena.

She enjoyed the crowd, but Ghislain's thoughts were too tangled to fully appreciate the festival.

'Strange. How did she end up in the slums?'

Elena stayed in the bustling central area, showing no interest in the slums, and no one had called her there yet.

Perhaps his presence had already changed the course of events.

After a while, Elena stretched and complained.

"It's fun, but it's the same every year. A bit boring."

The festival was a routine event with limited preparation resources, making it feel repetitive.

"Isn't there something more exciting?"

Just as she was looking around with slight disappointment, one of her knights approached her and whispered.

"Young Lady, should we go somewhere else?"

"Hm? Where?"

The escort knight, with a friendly smile, was named Jamal.

He had been Elena's personal guard for years and was well-regarded in the castle.

"I heard they're putting on a special show a bit outside the main area."

"Really? What's it about?"

"I only heard it's supposed to be quite stimulating. I'm not sure of the details."

"Really? Let's go! Let's go see it!"

With eyes sparkling with excitement, Elena eagerly replied.

Ghislain glanced at Jamal's face.

'So it was you.'

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