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People who are lost in desire sometimes ignore accurate intuitions and are unable to make cool judgments.

That's what Zwalter and Randolph did now.

Neither experience nor instinctive intuition were of any use in the face of a new breakthrough that could lead to a higher level.

The two men were so excited that they immediately summoned the knights.

"I heard that Jiselle recently gained a small awakening and improved the family's Mana cultivation method. It is said to be more effective than the method used before, so let's all practice it together."

At Zwalter's words, the knights murmured and looked uneasy.

It is now a well-known fact that the Archduke is quite strong.

However, because he was such an eccentric and unconventional person, whether he could be trusted was another question.

Mana training is a delicate field that can cause great trouble even if the flow is slightly disturbed.

It was inevitable that I would feel anxious when I heard that the Grand Duke who was just leaving had improved something like that.

Randolph, sensing the knights' anxiety, stepped forward confidently and said.

"Don't worry! The Lord and I have already thoroughly reviewed this matter! We plan to proceed with the training safely, so there is no need to be afraid at all!"

Only then did the knights show a slightly relieved expression. If the lord and the knight commander reviewed it, it was trustworthy. This was the power of trust.

But not a single knight believed the assurances of the lord and the knight commander.

It was none other than Skoban, the captain of the forest guard of the Demonic Forest.

'What? The Grand Duke improved it? No, that human could do that. But you want to learn it? Are you all crazy? Are you incapable of learning?'

He had come to the northern fortress under Homer's orders to supply military supplies and to deliver news that Giselle had eaten up a forest.

It had been quite some time since I had arrived at the fortress, but since Randolph had already come here, he had stopped me and told me to do some guard duty, so I had been staying here.

Since it was a territory with a severe shortage of knights, everyone was forced to do various tasks regardless of their position, so at the time, I accepted it obediently.

But who would have thought that in the meantime, we would encounter Giselle's sinister behavior?

'The Archduke said it was improved, so it must have gotten better than before. But there must have been some kind of backlash.'

Skoban was the knight of Perdium who was most closely associated with Giselle.

Having experienced the painful process every time, he was certain that the mana training method that Jiselle had thrown away would not be ordinary.

'It's not too late to learn it after everyone else has learned it and the problems have been solved. I'm addicted!'

Skoban raised his hand and said, having made up his mind.

"My Lord! I must go back now! There are too few knights in the estate. And honestly, shouldn't we check a little more?"

The answer came not from Zwalter, but from Randolph.

"Hey, you're supposed to be guarding the Demon Forest, but you're always just lounging around. Where are you going? You have to learn this and go back so you can teach it to the knights left in the territory. No, and I verified it, so what more verification do you need? If you want to criticize me, you punk."

Skoban immediately lowered his head with a sullen expression.

Randolph doesn't have as big of an accident as Giselle, but he is just as ill-tempered and difficult to communicate with.

If they feel that a mountain is blocking their way, they are so reckless and ignorant that they give their drivers a single shovel and have them cut down the mountain.

When someone like that talks like that, it's impossible to run away.

Skoban, with a sad expression on his face, began to learn the Jiselpyo Mana training method together with the other knights.

The mana cultivation methods that the knights learned were all different.

Some learned Ferdium's Mana training method, while others learned other methods through their families or teachers.

However, Jiselle even explained in her booklet how to easily change the existing Mana training method into an improved Mana training method.

By following that method, everyone began to gradually become accustomed to the new mana cultivation method, although the speed may vary from person to person.

'Oh, this is pretty good, isn't it?'

'It's so easy to switch without conflicting with the existing mana training method. Does that make sense?'

'The speed at which mana is absorbed and released has definitely increased. It is incomparable to before.'

Perhaps because it had only been a short time since I started, the results were clearly visible.

Those who thought there were no problems gradually increased the intensity of their practice.

It was hard to let go because it was fun to learn. In particular, since the destructive power was noticeably stronger than before, I couldn't help but become addicted to training.

'Oh, I can see you're getting stronger, how can I stand it? I have to get stronger than that kid.'

Strength is the virtue of a knight. Once competition began, the speed became even faster.

Everyone was practicing the new mana cultivation method like crazy, and it got to the point where no one could stop them.

Zwalter and Randolph smiled happily at the sight.

"Haha, how long has it been since you've been so engrossed in your cultivation? Jiselle has done something great. I can't believe it's really effective. I'm proud of you."

"Kuuuuu, bro! I'm already itching to fight those savages. Why don't they come in these days?"

The two were already advanced knights, so their progress was a bit slow. However, I felt that they were slowly breaking down the wall, so I was satisfied with that.

Because there's a world of difference between something completely blocked and something that shows the way.

It was the first month since everyone had devoted themselves to training like crazy.

Problems began to arise with some of the knights who were the least skilled.

"Whoa!"

"Coolook!"

The more mana you use, the more knights will suddenly vomit blood and collapse.

If I rested a little, I would feel better, but if I stopped training, the accumulated mana would be forcibly ejected from my body. That would lead to me vomiting blood again.

Normally, this wouldn't happen even if you consumed mana. It was because the body couldn't handle it because it was accompanied by such a powerful force that it felt like an explosion.

Even if you try to stop the consumption of mana, it cannot be properly controlled, so in the end, the condition of all the knights becomes serious.

"Hey, what is this!"

When all the knights fell, the northern fortress was in chaos.

Randolph spoke to the fidgeting Zwalter, his face as pale as Zwalter's.

"Brother… … . I think we got tricked by that guy, Jiselle."

"You've been fooled? What do you mean you've been fooled?"

Randolph told Zwalter, who was puzzled, his guess.

"This guy is clearly messing with the Mana training method. He's trying to kill us all!"

"You're going to kill us? Why on earth?"

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"The only successor to the Ferdium is the only one!

Zwalter stumbled, his hand on his forehead. Now that he heard it, it really was a plausible reason.

The method was perfect, too. It wasn't poisoning, and if someone were to die while practicing on their own, it would be the perfect crime.

I felt like crying tears of blood.

I never thought that my son, whom I trusted a little bit, would do something so outrageous.

Zwalter, who was in despair, suddenly realized something strange.

"But we're still okay, right?"

Even though it's okay, it's not completely fine. If you release mana strongly, your insides will shake and a line of blood will flow from the corner of your mouth.

But other than that, there really weren't any problems.

'The internal problem could just be a reaction to the sudden increase in mana.'

Zwalter wasn't really sure if the Mana skill was the problem, since he was definitely getting stronger even now.

But Randolph had different thoughts from Zwalter.

"Aren't we high-level knights? We're stronger and have more mana than other knights, so we're still holding on! As time goes by, we'll eventually fall too!"

Zwalter closed his eyes, unable to refute Randolph's scream.

No matter how important power is, how can you even think of killing all of your family's knights!

'You're saying that you can't wait for the inheritance anyway? Oh, I raised my child wrong. Honey, I think I'll go see you soon.'

But I can't just wait for death like this. I have to show my cheeky son a hard time.

Gather all your forces and strike the Fenris Territory with the hammer of justice… … .

"My lord! My lord!"

At that moment, a man came running out of breath and handed me a letter.

"What is this?"

"The Archduke sent this. It is important information, so he asked you to check it immediately."

"Are you saying that guy even declared war?"

"No, I haven't heard anything like that… … . I still don't know what it's about."

Zwalter immediately checked the letter that Giselle had sent. As his gaze lowered, his expression became increasingly strange.

As if it had predicted the current situation, the problems and solutions of the Mana Training Method were written there.

In short, the problem was that you had to work hard to accumulate mana and reach a certain level to solve it.

[And these days, everyone is slacking off on physical training, so if you want to last even a little longer, you need to do physical training as well.]

In short, it meant that if you don't want to die, you have no choice but to train hard to become stronger, even if both your body and mind die.

"Ugh! Then you should have said something sooner!"

Zwalter grumbled and turned his gaze to the next sentence.

[If I had explained it in advance, no one would have wanted to learn the improved training method. Since I had to get stronger quickly, I had no choice but to hide it.]

Zwalter clicked his tongue and sat up at the sentence that seemed to answer his own grumbling.

"Damn it! Everyone, get up! If you don't want to die, you really have to train until you die! Otherwise, you'll really die! Randolph, you get up too! Don't cry, you punk!"

Even Zwalter, who always acted solemnly, became impatient and spoke harshly.

If you just lie down because you're sick, you'll become really weak and die. It's annoying, but this is the first time in my life I've seen such an annoying mana training method.

It was fortunate that Giselle had not attempted to rebel, but the heat still boiled inside her.

Now, the knights of the northern fortress, exhausted from training to death, must face the barbarians.

I was immersed in an extreme training environment that I would never experience again in my life.

Skoban lay on the floor, vomiting blood and shedding tears, thinking.

'I really didn't want to do it… … That's why I told you not to get involved… … .'

Unfortunately, regret is always too late.

* * *

While the Northern Fortress was in chaos, the Fenris Estate was in an uproar as they checked the results of the bet.

The vassals of the spirit kingdom began to gather at the demonstration site one by one.

Claude, the general, couldn't hide his nervousness, biting his fingernails for no reason.

He asked Wendy, who was standing next to him.

"Impossible, right? How long does it usually take to learn mana?"

"Unless you're a genius, it will take at least a few years."

"Right? But there weren't any geniuses among the mercenaries or the newcomers. Isn't that logically impossible?"

"It's impossible in common sense… … Everything the Lord has done so far has been out of the ordinary."

That's exactly why Claude was anxious.

Giselle always does the unconventional and makes sensible people look like fools.

Claude squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.

'No, but this time it really will be impossible.'

From what I've seen from time to time, I've seen that they all look like sick people. It's clear that their bodies have been damaged by excessive training.

All the attendees gathered, and finally, even Jiselle attended the demonstration.

Jiselle looked around at everyone with a relaxed attitude, then raised her hand and declared.

"As promised to the General, I will check if the knights can use mana. After this time, I will not accept any objections to the expedition, so please understand. Bring in the knights."

At Jiselle's words, the knights who had been training entered the demonstration area one by one.

And the vassals who saw them were astonished.

"Oh, this can't be… … ."

"How could you be in such a state… … ."

I'm not surprised because it's cool. I'm surprised because a bunch of skeletons are coming in.

The knights all looked haggard and skinny. I knew they weren't in good shape because I saw them every now and then, but now their condition seemed even worse.

Jiselle continued speaking, ignoring the people's reactions.

"Okay, let the general call the names and confirm."

Claude was given the role of selecting the articles and weapons himself and demonstrating them.

Since he was such a suspicious guy, Jiselle readily allowed it.

Claude thought carefully and then called the person he knew for sure.

As far as he knew, Gordon was physically fit but lacked the ability to quickly learn the Mana Training Method.

"Gordon! Gordon come out and demonstrate!"

When his name was called, a skinny, bald man staggered forward.

Claude looked up and down his bald head a few times and then said.

"What? I said Gordon, not you? I mean Gordon, the muscular, pee-peeing bastard!"

"I'm Gordon… … ."

After examining each and every feature, it was definitely Gordon.

Claude, who was embarrassed and trying to find his words for a moment, finally opened his mouth.

"You… … . What's wrong with your body?"

Gordon said, sobbing.

"I was so sore that I lost muscle mass… … ."

"… … ."

Claude, with a look of sympathy in his eyes, handed Gordon a sword.

"Try to cut that thing over there with this."

In the place Claude had pointed, there was a long, thick iron ingot that had been specially made for this bet.

Everyone in the demonstration room was tense, holding their breath and watching Gordon.

He took a deep breath in front of the iron ingot while holding his sword.

"Ugh!"

As Gordon concentrated, a faint blue glow appeared on the blade he was holding.

And the blade struck the iron ingot in one stroke.

Kagagagagak!