Chapter 173
Chapter 173: The Verification is Sufficient. (3)
Sometimes, those consumed by desire disregard their accurate instincts, failing to make rational judgments.
Right now, Zvalter and Randolf were in such a situation.
In the face of discovering a new breakthrough that could elevate them to a higher realm, both experience and instinct became worthless.
The two were so excited they immediately summoned the knights.
“I heard Ghislaine has recently gained a minor realization and improved our family’s Mana Circulation Method. Apparently, it’s more effective than the old way, so let’s all train together.”
At Zvalter’s words, the knights murmured among themselves, expressing their unease.
It’s now common knowledge that the Grand Duke is quite strong.
However, considering his erratic behavior and outrageous actions, whether he could be trusted was another matter entirely.
Mana circulation is a delicate field that can lead to disaster with even slight disturbances in flow.
So it’s no wonder they felt apprehensive upon hearing that the reckless Grand Duke made improvements to it.
Feeling the knights’ anxiety, Randolf confidently stepped forward and said, “Don’t worry! This has been thoroughly reviewed by the Lord and me! We intend to proceed with training safely, so there’s no need to be scared!”
Only then did the knights show signs of relief. If the Lord and the Knight Commander had assessed it, it must be trustworthy. This is the power of credibility.
But there was one knight who did not believe the assurances of the Lord and the Knight Commander.
That was Skoban, the Guard Commander of the Forest of Monsters.
“What? The Grand Duke made improvements? Well, he might be capable of that. But you’re telling me you want to learn it? Is everyone crazy? Don’t they have any learning capability?”
He had come to the Northern Fortress as part of Homern’s orders to supply military provisions and deliver the news that Ghislaine had devoured an entire forest.
It had been quite a while since he arrived at the fortress, but Randolf had insisted that since he was already there, he might as well keep watch.
Due to the severe lack of knights in the territory, everyone was forced to take on various jobs regardless of their positions, so he accepted it then.
But he never imagined he would face Ghislaine’s sinister behavior in the meantime.
“The Grand Duke’s improvements must have made it better than before. But surely, there will be some backlash.”
Skoban was one of the knights among the Perdium troops who had the most interactions with Ghislaine.
Having experienced painful processes every time, he was sure that the Mana Circulation Method Ghislaine had left behind would be anything but ordinary.
“I can learn it after everyone else has mastered it and the problems are resolved. I’m out!”
With that resolve, Skoban raised his hand and said, “My Lord! I need to head back now! We have far too few knights in our territory. And honestly, shouldn’t we verify it a bit more?”
The reply came not from Zvalter but from Randolf.
“Hey, you just sit around watching the Forest of Monsters all day. Where do you think you’re going? You need to learn this so you can teach the remaining knights when you return. And I already verified it, so what more verification do you need? If I say it’s good, then it’s good, you brat.”
Skoban immediately donned a sullen expression and lowered his head.
Randolf was not so different from Ghislaine; while he didn’t cause major accidents, he matched Ghislaine in bad temper and lack of reason.
If there was a mountain in the way, he’d just hand a shovel to the knights and make them clear it out, showing how reckless and uninformed he was.
With such a person speaking insistently, running away was out of the question.
With a glum face, Skoban started to learn Ghislaine’s Mana Circulation Method alongside the other knights.
The knights’ learned Mana Circulation Methods varied widely.
Some had learned the Perdium style, while others had picked up different styles through their families or mentors.
However, Ghislaine provided a guidebook that described an easy way to switch from the previously learned Mana Circulation Method to the improved one.
Following that method, each knight, despite their varying speeds, began to gradually adapt to the new Mana Circulation Method.
“Oh, this isn’t half bad!”
“To switch so easily without clashing with the previous Mana Circulation Method… Is this even real?”
“The speed at which mana is absorbed and released has definitely increased. It’s incomparable to before.”
Since they had just started, the effects were visibly impactful.
Those who thought it was fine gradually increased the intensity of their training.
As it was fun to practice, they found it hard to stop, especially since they could see the significant enhancement in destructive power. They were bound to become addicted to training.
“Oh, I can see I’m getting stronger! I gotta be stronger than that jerk!”
Strength is the knight’s virtue. Once the competition sparked, their pace only sped up.
As everyone passionately devoted themselves to training with the new Mana Circulation Method, it became a state hard to control.
Zvalter and Randolf watched with satisfied smiles.
“Heh, when was the last time everyone got so deep into training? Ghislaine really hit a home run with this one. Who would have thought it would work so well? I’m proud.”
“Heh heh, brother! I already feel the urge to fight some barbarians! Why haven’t they come into the fortress lately?”
The two were already high-ranking knights, so their rate of improvement was a bit slow. But they felt they were slowly breaking down barriers, and that alone was satisfying.
The difference between being blocked entirely and seeing a way forward was as vast as heaven and earth.
A month after they all became obsessed with training like madmen.
Problems began to arise with several knights who had the least skill.
“Uwaaaaah!”
“Urg!”
As they continued to use mana, more knights were suddenly collapsing and spitting up blood.
A short rest would make them feel fine, but if they stopped training, the accumulated mana would forcibly be expelled from their bodies, leading to more blood spitting.
Ordinary mana consumption doesn’t cause such issues. It was as if they were channeling an explosive force their bodies couldn’t withstand.
Even attempts to control mana consumption failed, and soon, the condition of all the knights became severe.
“What in the world is happening?!”
The Northern Fortress was in chaos as all the knights collapsed.
Rushes of panic began to take hold, and Randolf stumbled over to Zvalter, both of their faces pale with dread.
“Brother… I think we were tricked by Ghislaine.”
“Tricked? What do you mean?”
As Randolf shared his suspicions, Zvalter grew puzzled.
“This definitely had some shady modifications in the Mana Circulation Method. He must be trying to kill us all!”
“Kill us? Why would he do that?”
“If we all die, he’ll have full control over Perdium Territory! The only one who has a claim to the right of succession after that is him! That brat!”
Zvalter put his hand on his forehead and staggered. Upon hearing it, the reasoning surfaced in his mind.
The methods were flawless. It wasn’t assassination; having everyone die from their own training was the perfect crime.
He wanted to cry bloody tears.
To think that the son he trusted even a little would commit such a tremendous act.
In despair, Zvalter suddenly realized something odd.
“But we’re still okay, right?”
While they were indeed not completely fine, they weren’t in terrible shape either. A strong release of mana had left them feeling a bit nauseous, with a trickle of blood at their lips.
But other than that, there weren’t any real problems.
‘The internal injuries might just be a reaction to the sudden influx of mana.’
Zvalter couldn’t be sure if the Mana Circulation Method was truly the issue. After all, they were still definitely gaining strength.
But Randolf had a different perspective from Zvalter.
“We’re high-ranking knights! Our mana is more abundant, and we’re stronger than the other knights, which is why we’re still holding on! Eventually, we’ll fall too!”
At Randolf’s desperate shout, Zvalter could not retort and closed his eyes.
No matter how important power is, to think he would consider sacrificing the family knights!
‘I can’t believe he can’t wait to inherit the territory! Ah, I raised my child all wrong. Honey, it looks like I’ll be seeing you soon.’
But he couldn’t just sit back and wait for death. He needed to show that arrogant son some harsh realities.
Gather all the troops and strike down on the Territory of Penris with the hammer of justice…
“Lord! Lord!”
At that moment, one of the retainers came rushing in, out of breath, handing over a letter.
“What is this?”
“It’s from the Grand Duke. He said it’s important and you should check it right away.”
“You mean he’s declaring war now?!”
“No, I didn’t hear anything about that… I don’t know the contents yet, either.”
Zvalter immediately checked the letter sent by Ghislaine. As his gaze lowered, his expression gradually became more bewildered.
There were insights about the current situation, almost as if he had predicted it, detailing the problems and solutions of the Mana Circulation Method.
In summary, the issues would be resolved once they had built up enough mana and surpassed a certain level.
[And everyone in the fortress seems to be neglecting physical training; if you want to last even a little longer, you need to combine physical training as well.]
In other words, if they don’t want to die, the only option left was to train hard both physically and in mana.
“Ugh! Why didn’t you say this sooner!”
Zvalter grumbled, shifting his gaze to the next line.
[If I had explained beforehand, no one would have learned the improved method. Given the urgent situation to become stronger, I had no choice but to keep it hidden.]
It felt as if Ghislaine’s words were responding to his grumbling, prompting Zvalter to click his tongue and rise to his feet.
“Damn it! Everyone get up! If you don’t want to die, you better train hard! Or else you’ll really die! Randolf, you too! Get up! Stop crying, you brat!”
Zvalter, who usually acted solemnly, started to speak harshly, panic evident in his tone.
If they just sat around groaning about their pain, they’d truly become weak and die. This was the most troublesome Mana Circulation Method he had ever encountered.
It was a relief to know that Ghislaine wasn’t trying to start a rebellion, but his insides still boiled with irritation.
As the knights at the Northern Fortress struggled to train until they collapsed, they must also face off against barbarians.
They had undeniably fallen into an extreme training environment never seen before in their world.
Skoban lay on the ground, vomiting blood, tears streaming down his face as he thought,
‘No wonder I didn’t want to do this… I said to stay out of it, didn’t I…?’
Sadly, regret always comes too late.
*
At that moment, while chaos erupted in the Northern Fortress, the Territory of Penris was buzzing with checking the results of the betting.
The retainers of the territory began to gather one by one at the demonstration site.
The Chief Officer, Claude, nervously bit his nails, unable to conceal his anxious demeanor.
He asked Wendy, who stood beside him, “Is it really impossible? How long does it usually take to master mana?”
“Unless you’re a genius, it takes at least several years.”
“Right? But there aren’t any geniuses among the mercenaries or the newcomers, are there? It should be impossible, logically speaking?”
“Logically, yes, it’s impossible… but everything the Lord has done has been illogical.”
That’s precisely why Claude felt uneasy.
Ghislaine had always performed the extraordinary, making sensible people look foolish.
Claude tightly shut his eyes and shook his head.
‘No, but this time it really should be impossible.’
From the glimpses of knights he had sneakily checked every now and then, they all looked like sickly specters. There was no doubt their bodies were suffering due to the strenuous training.
Once all the retainers gathered, Ghislaine finally attended the demonstration.
Ghislaine casually looked around, then raised his hand and declared, “As promised with the Chief Officer, I will confirm whether the knights can use mana. From this moment, I will not accept any objections to the departure. Let them in.”
At Ghislaine’s words, the knights who had been training one by one entered the demonstration area.
And the retainers were stunned upon seeing them.
“Unbelievable…”
“How could they be in such a state…?”
They were not shocked by how cool they looked; they were surprised to see a bunch of skeletons walking in.
The knights all appeared haggard, their features gaunt. While they had occasionally seen them looking terrible, the current state seemed even more serious.
Ignoring the reactions of the people, Ghislaine continued speaking.
“Now, as the Chief Officer calls your names, confirm your status.”
The role of selecting the knights and weapons for the demonstration fell to Claude.
He was such a suspicious individual that Ghislaine gladly allowed it.
Claude, carefully weighing his options, called upon the only knight he knew for certain.
To his knowledge, Gordon was healthy but didn’t have the capacity to quickly grasp mana circulation.
“Gordon! Come out and demonstrate!”
When his name was called, a lanky, bald man stumbled forward.
Claude looked Gordon up and down and said, “What? I said Gordon, not you! The muscle-bound Gordon—pee pants!”
“I am Gordon…”
After examining each facial feature, it indeed was Gordon.
After a moment of dumbfounded silence, Claude finally spoke.
“Why… Why do you look like that?”
Gordon replied, choking up, “I’m in so much pain I’ve lost muscle mass…”
“…….”
With pitying eyes, Claude handed Gordon a sword.
“Use this to strike that over there.”
Claude pointed towards a long, thick iron ingot purposely made for this demonstration.
Everyone present in the demonstration area tensed, holding their breath as they watched Gordon.
He took a deep breath before the iron ingot.
“Haah!”
As Gordon focused his mind, a faint blue light shimmered along the sword he held.
Then, the blade struck the iron ingot in one swift motion.
Kaga-gagagak!
