Chapter 163
Chapter 163: Entering Body Modification (2)
While the Mana Convergence Circle was being created, most mercenaries changed their contracts to lifetime agreements. Even the newcomers swore loyalty to the Lord.
They were offering to teach the Mana Circulation Method and grant knight titles, so there was no reason to refuse.
“Have you heard? There’s a rumor that the Lord is going to teach the family’s Mana Circulation Method.”
“Come on, don’t be ridiculous. The Mana Circulation Method is the pinnacle of all methods; who would just share it? Would you?”
“Well, we are going to become the territory’s main force, so maybe they’d share something useful.”
“Sure, they’ll probably pick something easy for us to learn; it’ll still take years of training, so let’s not get our hopes up too high.”
The mercenaries were eagerly anticipating the Mana Circulation Method, even as unverified rumors spread.
Of course, they weren’t without worries.
The territory residents might not know, but the experienced mercenaries were certain that another war would break out.
The Grand Lord, Count Desmond, wouldn’t just sit idle after taking a hit from a minor domain like Perdium.
Still, the mercenaries chose to risk their lives and stay in the Penris territory.
The knight titles and Mana Circulation Method were worth that risk.
However, even as others changed to lifetime contracts, Kaor and the Cerberus Mercenary Group were still indecisive.
“Ugh… what should we do? If we accept the proposal, we’ll be stuck here for life.”
Kaor scratched his head as he gathered his members.
Given his skills, he could probably earn a knight title anywhere.
He was uniquely adept with mana as a mercenary and was surpassing many knights in skill.
Yet, he preferred the freedom to live his life without restrictions.
“Hey, what are you guys going to do? They said we have to decide before the Mana Convergence Circle is finished.”
At Kaor’s words, a few members hesitantly opened their mouths.
“We’ll follow the commander, I guess. What’s so good about being a knight anyway? It would be nice, though.”
“Learning the Mana Circulation Method would be great, too…”
“Just because we learn it doesn’t mean we’ll succeed, right? Well… if it’s the Lord, maybe they have a method or two…”
They didn’t believe the rumors about the family teaching their methods. They just figured it would be better than the cheap material circulating.
Handling mana wasn’t easy, and a lot of them barely understood even the basic techniques.
Still, given the audacity of the Lord, who had always pulled off outrageous feats, they held onto a sliver of hope that they might be given something genuinely helpful to understand.
But that hope wasn’t strong enough to drown out their unease.
Kaor decided to test the lackluster reactions of his members once more.
“Anyone who wants to stay can, and Cerberus Mercenary Group will withdraw.”
Even after that, the members didn’t step forward rashly.
To leave the Cerberus Mercenary Group would cost one of their fingers. They all knew that getting caught by those words could end up making things worse.
“Such loyalty, huh? That’s right; if a mercenary loses their loyalty, they’re as good as dead.”
The members subtly lowered their heads, hiding their expressions at Kaor’s words.
It sounded like a threat to make them into corpses if they betrayed him.
‘If we say we’re leaving, he’ll throw a fit.’
‘He’d probably demand a finger for being a traitor.’
‘Ah, but it’s been fun here.’
Kaor could sense the atmosphere of reluctance spreading and licked his lips.
In the past, he would have left immediately upon receiving a lifetime contract offer. But now, he felt a strange sense of loss at the thought of leaving.
‘Ah, why is this happening? Am I getting attached?’
No matter how he thought about it, there was no good reason to become fond of anyone.
From the Lord to Belinda, Gillian, Claude… they were all strange individuals.
Was he becoming weird himself by hanging out with these weirdos?
As Kaor struggled with his unresolved feelings, one member cautiously spoke up.
“Um… to be honest, if we leave, we’ll just be taking on little odd jobs in the North, right?”
“Yeah, just live a free life working like that.”
“But honestly… isn’t it fun here? The Lord is weird, but it’s entertaining.”
That was an undeniable fact.
The Penris territory was unlike any other.
The lord, Ghislaine, had a completely different vibe from other nobles. Sometimes she could act recklessly, but she was definitely someone enjoyable to be around.
Seeing Kaor encourage the member to keep talking, he gathered the courage to continue.
“At least here, we can fight as much as we want. Isn’t that better than just wasting time doing nothing?”
That was true. The second war with Desmond was almost a certainty, and given Ghislaine’s personality, it was clear that trouble would arise constantly.
And in the near future, there were plans for the second expedition into the Forest of Monsters.
No other place had so many big events happening continuously like Penris.
Noticing Kaor’s interested expression, the member pressed on.
“And if we’re out doing jobs in the North, fighting the Lord could happen, too. Then we’d have to side with someone else for the fight… Can we handle that?”
“Ah, that’s a bit much.”
Kaor blurted out without meaning to.
‘Fight that crazy lord?’
Others didn’t scare him, but strangely, Ghislaine did.
Maybe it was because of all the beatings he’d received, his instincts kicked in, refusing the thought of fighting again.
But he couldn’t just live without taking on fun battle requests, right? It would be ridiculous to join back with Penris then.
Kaor crossed his arms and fell deep in thought.
Glimpsing at his members, he found them all looking at him with expectant eyes.
‘Hah, these guys are so dishonest.’
After a small laugh, Kaor nodded a few times.
In reality, his mind had already decided to stay. He was just pretending to ponder for the sake of his pride.
If he were to leave this territory, where even more exciting adventures awaited, he’d regret it for life.
“Alright, let’s become knights!”
“Woohoo!”
At Kaor’s declaration, everyone cheered.
Wandering around could only last so long; they couldn’t live like that forever.
Staying here was far better than being trapped in a stiff territory.
And since they were offering to teach the Mana Circulation Method and give knight titles, refusing would be foolish.
The size and weakness of the territory were not drawbacks. No one else would accept such conditions anywhere else.
Kaor spoke arrogantly.
“I’ll be the Knight Commander. Just so you all know.”
“What about Instructor Gillian? He won’t just sit still.”
“Hah! I can take him out by skill alone. If I put my mind to it, I could finish him off in no time. So the Knight Commander will be me.”
“Wow! Kaor, Knight Commander of Penris!”
Everyone cheered once more.
It wasn’t because they thought Kaor looked cool or truly believed he could defeat Gillian. They just felt they’d witness an entertaining battle.
The self-proclaimed Knight Commander of Penris, Kaor, raised his fist with a haughty grin.
*
“I’m the Commander.”
At Ghislaine’s words, Kaor blinked in surprise and asked,
“Not me?”
“Nope.”
“Which lord directly takes on the role of Knight Commander?”
“I do everything directly.”
“No, don’t do it yourself; I’m telling you it should be me.”
“It’s easier for me to do it now. I’ll decide when we’ve increased our troops and reorganized later, so just understand that.”
As Ghislaine clicked her tongue, Kaor took a step back.
“Then you’ll be passing it to me at that point?”
“Depends on the situation. There are a lot of competitors; I’m not sure you can handle it. But aren’t you bad at fighting?”
At the provocative words, Kaor pouted in defiance.
“I’m great at fighting!”
“We’ll see when the time comes. Besides, others will have learned mana and showcased their skills by then.”
“It won’t be any different.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll be looking forward to it. Anyway, you made a good decision. Let’s do our best moving forward.”
Once Kaor pledged loyalty to Ghislaine and completed the lifetime contract, the Cerberus Mercenary Group faded into history.
Ghislaine patted Kaor on the shoulder and handed him two books.
“We made a pact, so I have to give you a present. Here.”
“What is this?”
“Our family’s Mana Circulation Method and a swordsmanship book. Of course, I’ve modified it somewhat to suit you. It should be more useful than what you’re currently learning.”
“Whoa.”
Kaor’s eyes widened as he looked at Ghislaine.
He came asking for the Knight Commander position, and now she was giving him gifts like this.
Kaor had learned the cheap Mana Circulation Method, but thanks to his remarkable talent, vigilance, and life-or-death training, he had reached a decent level.
He had jumped over ordinary knights, so he felt a sense of pride.
But he wasn’t indifferent to the thirst for the higher-tier Mana Circulation Method.
As his skills improved, the boundaries became clearer. It was the limit of someone who had learned intuitively without structured knowledge.
That was why he enjoyed fighting so much and sought out dangerous places. That was all he could do.
For someone like Kaor, the books Ghislaine handed him felt like a lifeline coming down from the dark.
“I… I didn’t expect you’d give me something.”
He thought only instructors like Gillian or himself, who had reached knight-like levels, would receive the teachings, not the other mercenaries.
But to think she had prepared something like this!
While looking at Kaor, who was surprised, Ghislaine continued with her own points.
“I’ve noticed you’ve picked up a lot of bad habits, and your body’s balance is off. In order to use mana properly, you need to utilize your entire body, but you’re unbalanced. Your swordsmanship has quick wit learned from battles, but your fundamentals are severely lacking. If you diligently practice what I give you, you’ll surpass your limits quickly.”
“… Why are you doing this for me?”
Kaor genuinely wondered.
What she passed over was something extremely hard to obtain, even with a mountain of gold.
No matter how unimpressive Perdium might seem, that was an exterior issue.
‘The Mana Circulation Method and swordsmanship of the Perdium family aren’t inferior to anywhere else. After all, Count Perdium is also recognized as a top-tier knight.’
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the strength of Perdium’s defense came from this Mana Circulation Method and swordsmanship.
Receiving such a gift after only fighting alongside her a few times would be strange.
Especially since the battles they fought together were merely due to the mercenary contract. They had worked together only for money.
Seeing Kaor’s confusion, Ghislaine chuckled.
“Because you can’t fight well. I’m giving this to keep you from getting beaten up elsewhere.”
Kaor wanted to retort but instead lowered his head and discreetly slipped the books into his arms.
He didn’t want to show how happy he was due to his pride, but it was difficult to hide his joyous heart.
He shouldn’t smile, but somehow the laughter kept sneaking out.
Kaor bit his lip tightly and expressed his gratitude with a strange expression.
“I’m good at fighting, but… I’ll accept this graciously. Hehehe.”
“Yeah, if you have questions while you’re practicing, just ask. You’ll likely have to work hard. You don’t want to be overtaken by the talented ones.”
“Pssh, it doesn’t matter if they catch up. Any challenger will be smashed!”
Eager to go back and learn quickly, Kaor hastily turned away, avoiding eye contact.
He was inherently rude, so Ghislaine didn’t mind much. She understood better than anyone what feelings were swirling inside him.
As Kaor grabbed the doorknob to the office, he paused for a moment.
For some reason… his nose felt tingly.
He had lost his family at a young age and had fought tooth and nail to survive.
‘Has there ever been someone who treated me like this?’
No. He had lived in a world where you had to kill or be killed.
So he acted cruelly, like a madman. Otherwise, a lowlife like Kaor wouldn’t have been able to survive.
In some ways, it was a desperate fight for survival; in others, perhaps it was his dissatisfaction with the world.
Kaor clenched his teeth, trying to suppress the unfamiliar emotions crashing in on him.
‘She’s just telling me this because I’ll need it in battle. She’s making sure I can fight in front.’
He tried to undermine Ghislaine’s intentions, but in reality, he knew better.
No one shares such treasures with a mere bullet sponge.
They only throw a handful of coins and push you onto the battlefield.
That had always been the relationship between Kaor and Ghislaine.
‘Damn it…’
Whether it was in the Forest of Monsters, war, or anywhere else, Ghislaine had never treated the mercenaries as expendables.
She always tried to save even one person and stood in the most dangerous spots.
Even if she would go to any lengths for her goals, she was never petty in her actions.
‘… What the heck, let’s stick together to the end.’
After some hesitation, Kaor let go of the doorknob and turned back to Ghislaine.
Gazing steadily at the puzzled expression on her face, Kaor slowly bowed deeply.
For the first time in his life… it was a heartfelt expression of gratitude towards someone.
