Chapter 172
Chapter 172: The Verification is Sufficient (2)
Changing the family’s Mana Circulation Method? I’ve never heard such nonsense in my life.
Forget about recklessly altering the family’s vision; what kind of dangerous stunt is it to even consider such a thing?
Zvalter leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, deep in thought.
It was absurd, but he didn’t explode in anger right away. It was prudent to listen to the details before making a judgment.
“Say that again.”
Despite Zvalter’s imposing tone, Ghislaine didn’t flinch.
“We need to change the family’s Mana Circulation Method.”
“The Mana Circulation Method is the vision of visions. So what exactly are you planning to change? Did you find a better method somewhere?”
Thud.
Ghislaine pulled out a book from her belongings and placed it on the table.
Zvalter, gazing down at the book, asked, “What’s this?”
“It’s a modified version of the family’s Mana Circulation Method, made in my own way.”
“Huh? You?”
Zvalter smirked as he looked down at the book Ghislaine brought out. He thought she might have found something interesting, but to learn that she had modified it herself was somewhat amusing.
He clicked his tongue and waved his hand dismissively.
“Enough. It seems you’ve had your little epiphany and scribbled something down, but changing the circulation method is practically impossible. Do you think we have the luxury of time to research and modify it?”
Zvalter didn’t even consider that Ghislaine might have actually modified it herself. He misunderstood her as just suggesting a collaborative research idea.
Considering it a waste of time, he was about to refuse, but Ghislaine shook her head.
“I’m not suggesting we explore it together. I’ve already finished the modifications.”
“Hah, so you expect us to practice something that hasn’t even been verified?”
“The verification is sufficient.”
“What? Verification of what?”
“I’ve already practiced it.”
“Huuh!”
Zvalter jumped up in shock.
Not only had she engaged in the dangerous act of changing the Mana Circulation Method, but she also had practiced it!
This was clear evidence that she was utterly out of her mind.
“Are you… are you okay?”
“Yes, there’s absolutely no problem. And the modifications were done a long time ago. You saw me in action during the war, right? I could do that because I changed the Mana Circulation Method.”
“…”
Zvalter was momentarily at a loss for words.
He was certainly surprised that the rumored troublemaker son performed so well in combat.
But to think it was because he had secretly trained with a modified method?
Even though it was his own words, he found it impossible to believe.
Ghislaine looked squarely at Zvalter and said, “We already have many enemies. We need to become stronger than we are now. This Mana Circulation Method will strengthen our family and territory.”
“No, but… how can you just arbitrarily change a method that has been passed down for generations!”
“To become stronger, we cannot be picky about means and methods. No matter how ancient the Mana Circulation Method passed down from our ancestors is, we must revise it if it’s not effective.”
Zvalter’s mouth fell open in shock.
Though he agreed that in the current situation, one should not be picky about means and methods, to completely disregard the family’s long-held traditions and authority was too much.
“But that Mana Circulation Method has sustained our family for a thousand years! What guarantee is there that your modified version is better than the family’s?”
At this, Ghislaine chuckled.
“Honestly, does it even make sense that our family has existed for a thousand years?”
“…It’s true, isn’t it? Ah, the year you were born was the very thousandth anniversary of our family. It was truly a joyous occasion.”
“Is there any evidence?”
“Well… all the records from two hundred years ago were lost… I heard it from your grandfather.”
“So, is it a family that’s two hundred years old then?”
“…”
Zvalter fell silent at Ghislaine’s verbal blow.
To be honest, even he thought that a thousand years was dubious.
They simply had maintained that story for generations, knowing not why they calculated the way they did.
In fact, no one even spoke of such matters outside the family, as the scorn was too predictable.
They had proud lives, learning and teaching within the family.
Sighing, Ghislaine continued, “A thousand years is just like a founding mythology. It can’t possibly be real. Other families have similar tales, right? Duke Delphine is said to be descended from dragons and whatnot.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Don’t place too much significance on those things. Honestly, what does it matter whether it’s a thousand years or two hundred? When war breaks out, everyone dies the same way. Count Desmond is surely biding his time.”
“Hmm, that’s right.”
Zvalter understood what Ghislaine meant.
What he feared most right now was the war with Count Desmond.
Things had been a bit better since they found a temporary reprieve, but Marquis Branford was just pretending to ignore it as the guardian of his son.
He had no idea why the other side was so quiet, but he couldn’t afford to relax.
In fact, being quiet only made him more anxious.
Ghislaine firmly told her pondering father, “So we need to quickly practice this and become stronger. The sooner, the better.”
“Okay, but…”
Zvalter hesitated. The threat of Count Desmond and practicing the Mana Circulation Method were two separate matters.
“Almost slipped my mind! But absolutely not! Even if you feel fine now, there’s no telling when side effects might occur! You should stop the training and stick to the basics! Rushing anything leads to problems!”
“There’s no time for that. We need to practice this to become stronger.”
“The family’s Mana Circulation Method does not fall behind any others! Honestly, we’ve been mocked for being poor, but we’ve never been criticized for the knights’ skills!”
Randolf chimed in, who had quietly listened to their conversation.
“Your Grace, the Lord and I are also considered high-ranking knights. The Mana Circulation Method of the House of Perdium is absolutely sufficient.”
That wasn’t incorrect. The Mana Circulation Method of Perdium did not lag behind other families.
However, it only meant that it was at a similar level to those families, which felt utterly lacking by Ghislaine’s standards.
“The family’s Mana Circulation Method has its limits.”
“What?”
“You both have already hit a wall, haven’t you?”
“…”
Zvalter and Randolf couldn’t protest and hung their heads in silence.
They didn’t know how Ghislaine knew, but it was true that they had faced a wall. No matter how much they trained, there was no progress.
The more they trained, the more they felt a hollow emptiness, as if something was missing.
Yet no matter how much they researched circulation methods, they couldn’t identify what was wrong.
This had been a feeling shared by Zvalter and all past heads of the House of Perdium.
“The family’s Mana Circulation Method appears flawless at first glance. However, the more you train, the more you sense something is lacking.”
Zvalter nodded at Ghislaine’s words.
To realize something at their age was remarkable, but to think his young son had already grasped it!
‘Could it be… my son is truly a genius?’
It was indeed plausible, considering his remarkable performance during the war.
Seeing Zvalter scrutinizing himself, Ghislaine continued, “I’ve identified the source of the issue and merely filled in the gaps. If you learn the revised version, you’ll be able to surpass the wall.”
“How did you… even come to know this?”
“I had an accidental realization.”
Ghislaine used the ultimate excuse!
It wasn’t a lie; she had indeed gained insight thanks to an ancient magic book she happened upon in her previous life.
In that half-completed book, it explained how ancient wizards gathered magic power.
With that, Ghislaine successfully filled in the gaps of the Mana Circulation Method she had learned.
It fit so perfectly that at times, she suspected that the family’s Mana Circulation Method had originally derived from it.
‘How regrettable that it was only half a book…’
With that small epiphany, Ghislaine had enhanced the Mana Circulation Method and ranked within the top seven of the continent.
Though it was due to grueling effort and innate talent, without the magic book, it would have taken much longer.
‘I’ll have to find it again when I have the time.’
Clearing her thoughts, Ghislaine stood up.
She had no more intention of persuading them further. She had identified the problem and proposed a solution.
She didn’t want to suppress with brute force or demonstrate her skills and trample on their opinions.
‘They’ll end up practicing it anyway.’
Knowing the habits of knights well, Ghislaine spoke in an easy-going tone.
“Well, the choice is up to you, Father. I won’t push any further. The details are explained in the book, so give it a look. If you find any issues, then you don’t have to practice it.”
“Hmm…”
“Then I’ll take my leave. If you decide to practice, please pass it on to the knights of Perdium as well. Now is not the time to be stingy about honor or traditions.”
“Hmm…”
Zvalter didn’t respond properly and merely grunted in thought.
Having said they would solve the issue, he was dying to know its contents. However, his pride held him back from opening it immediately.
Noticing Zvalter’s troubled expression, Ghislaine smirked and simply bowed her head slightly before turning away.
After seeing his son off half-heartedly, Zvalter glanced at the book left behind and muttered, “Well, it is my son’s work, so I wonder how well he did…”
Randolf chimed in beside him.
“While there’s no urgency to practice, it wouldn’t hurt to at least see what’s written, right?”
“Ahem, yes. Since he brought it with him.”
Zvalter sat down and began slowly flipping through the pages.
Ghislaine had provided annotations in detail, making it easy to understand the content.
With every page turned, Zvalter’s expression shifted dramatically.
“Hu…”
Admiration slipped out unbidden. Just looking at it made the pent-up frustration inside him feel relieved.
Randolf, who had been waiting beside him, leaned in to take a peek.
“How is it? Let me see too, brother.”
“Ah, back off! Let me see it first!”
After a brief tussle, Zvalter finally finished reading it, falling deep into thought as he passed the book to Randolf.
Minutes later, Randolf wore a similar expression to Zvalter’s.
“Hu…”
“Hmm…”
Both men found themselves speechless, sighing heavily.
While they would need to practice it to know its effects, the Mana Circulation Method Ghislaine had brought forth appeared sound theoretically.
In fact, they even felt reassured that practicing it would help break through the walls that had been obstructing them.
Zvalter collected his thoughts and cautiously asked Randolf, “What do you think? Do you believe there’ll be no issues?”
“It’s astonishing. Astoundingly so. If we learn this, we will surely grow stronger.”
“Right? But how on earth did Ghislaine come up with something like this?”
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t comprehend it.
A troublemaker suddenly transformed, accomplishing remarkable feats. Even though he was his son, he hardly seemed like one.
But Randolf answered as if it didn’t matter at all, raising his brows playfully.
“Perhaps she truly gained enlightenment, or maybe there was some providence at play. The important question isn’t that but how we handle this.”
“Hmm, but wouldn’t it truly be dangerous?”
“The way of explosively unleashing mana seems like it could be risky. Still, as long as the body is healthy, it seems manageable. We’ll have to see a bit longer, but theoretically, there’s no problem.”
“Yeah, it’s only theoretical. Theoretically… is where my worry lies.”
Even as he spoke, Zvalter couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling.
Every time he was involved with Ghislaine, the outcome was favorable, but the process was often filled with pain.
As Zvalter hesitated to reach a decision, Randolf urged him from the side.
“Brother, what are you so concerned about? Isn’t the strongest in Perdium both you and me? If we see no issues, then that’s good enough.”
“Hah, but knowing that she made it does give me some… doubts.”
“No matter how strong the Grand Duke is, could he surpass us? Our experience and insight surpass his. After all, the feats during the war were likely due to the explosive force of this Mana Circulation Method.”
At those words, Zvalter closed his eyes and sank back into thought.
Randolf attempted to hide his anxiousness, waiting for Zvalter’s decision. Truthfully, he wanted to start learning the modified method immediately and break through the wall.
After a long period of contemplation, Zvalter finally decided to compromise.
“Let’s practice it gradually in stages. If anything seems off, we can stop.”
Randolf clenched his fist and beamed brightly.
“Exactly. If something seems off, we can always stop.”
There was, however, a part Ghislaine intentionally left unspoken; once started, this Mana Circulation Method couldn’t simply be halted.
That unfortunate ignorance was the bad luck of both men.
Zvalter nodded a few times before standing up.
“Alright, let’s give it a try. Call all the knights here. There’s no harm in all of us getting stronger quickly.”
At that moment, an inexplicable chill ran down his spine, but both men dismissed it as merely a feeling.
