Chapter 197: Triumphant Return (3)

A few days later, the Reclamation Army departed from the Zestrad Barony. With their injuries healed, Erantel and Theoderic returned to the capital, Drunta, while Alius and the priests made their way to Derath City.

Alius, in particular, had to hurry. A major incident had unfolded while he was away, and cleaning up the aftermath was proving to be quite a headache.

Karnak remained behind. As lord, it was his duty to restore order to his domain. There were villages to rebuild, citizens to care for, and countless tasks that needed his attention.

It wasn't particularly difficult, but not necessarily because of his experience running an empire. In truth, the Empire of the Dead had more or less run itself. As the Monarch of Death, Karnak hadn't had to concern himself with trivial matters.

After all, his philosophy at the time had been simple: Most of the world's problems disappear when people die. The real reason it was easy was far more straightforward.

"Money. As long as you have money, all the problems magically disappear."

He was generous with financial support, so much so that Tafel nearly had a heart attack.

"My lord, isn't this a bit excessive? At this rate, the domain's finances..."

"We're fine. We still have plenty left."

"Ho-How?! Where did all this money even come from?!"

It was only then that Tafel learned that Altas merchant guild was under Karnak's control. Through Altas, he ordered the necessary supplies, and he reinstated the management of the copper mine to the Tecas merchant guild.

Altas's company head, Edia, had voiced her disappointment, asking why Karnak didn't just entrust it to them instead. But Karnak had his reasons. Tecas was too suspicious, and if he wanted to investigate them thoroughly, it was best to keep them close. With Altas handling large-scale resource distribution, the territory's reconstruction progressed swiftly.

As various goods began pouring in, Serati found herself engaging in some peculiar activities. "Sir Varos, here. Drink this."

"What is it, Sir Serati?"

"It's an herbal tonic, good for the bones and muscles."

"Oh, um... thank you."

Since it was meant to be beneficial, Varos accepted it without question. But why was she giving this to him all of a sudden?

While Varos was confused, Lapicel's eyes sparkled.

Oh my, is Sister Serati interested in Brother Varos?!

Now that she thought about it, Serati had been acting strangely toward Varos lately.

I think it started after the Maleficus Dungeon. Did something happen then?

Lapicel's imagination began running wild.

Well, Brother Varos is dependable and a good man. He suits Sister Serati well. But he also suits Lord Karnak...

Of course, the actual reason was very different from what Lapicel was imagining.

I don’t know if this is going to be any help, but I should try to take care of him whenever I have the chance.

Serati and Leven had learned the truth, thanks to Demphis's slip of the tongue.

As Karnak's vassals, they could regenerate lost limbs. But Varos? He couldn’t. And because of them, Karnak was unable to make Varos his vassal, meaning that if Varos lost a limb, he wouldn't be able to recover.

Leven reacted like a reasonable person.

I feel sorry for Sir Varos... I need to work harder to make sure I'm not a burden.

On the other hand, Serati knew Karnak’s personality all too well. If Varos ever lost a limb, Karnak would undoubtedly react in a certain way.

He’ll break Sir Leven's vassal contract to make Sir Varos his vassal instead!

But a vassal would die if their contract was broken. Moreover, there was no guarantee he would break the contract with Leven. After all, Leven was guaranteed to become a martial king in the future.

What about Serati? She was a nobody—an unremarkable aura user with no historical legacy. It wouldn't be surprising if she were discarded first.

I have to take care of him! Sir Varos's limbs are tied to our survival!

Of course, a part of her wondered if Karnak would really go that far. After all, they had spent quite some time together until now and grew closer. But every time she started to doubt it, she'd glance at him and remind herself.

Yeah. He absolutely would.

And so, she took every opportunity to make sure Varos stayed in top condition. Unfortunately for Varos, that meant his tongue was suffering greatly.

Ugh, this tonic is way too bitter... Do I really have to drink this?

***

While Karnak busied himself with lordly duties, and the intellectuals worked tirelessly on reconstruction paperwork, those who relied on their swords found themselves without much to do.

"We really have nothing to do, young master," Varos mused.

Karnak, of course, couldn't stand the sight of them lounging around. "Then why don't you help with the paperwork?"

However, the sheer lack of intelligence displayed by the swordsmen left him completely dumbfounded.

"Huh? I don't understand a single word of this," said Varos.

Of course, that didn't mean they were illiterate. Varos, despite his youthful appearance, was well past the age of maturity, and Serati's hobby was reading adventure tales. They were more than capable of reading simple novels or letters. But administrative documents filled with complex calculations were an entirely different matter.

"I can read the words, but..."

"Why are there so many numbers? And what's with all these symbols?"

Naturally, they were immediately kicked out.

"If you can't do basic math, get out! Get out!" shouted Karnak.

Technically, Sir Leven was fully capable of handling paperwork. He had been educated in such matters as part of his noble upbringing. But he played dumb.

Now's not the time for me to be helping with the paperwork.

So far, he had barely contributed in battle. He had always ended up as support alongside Lapicel. Karnak kept claiming that he and Lapicel were destined to become future martial kings, but honestly, that felt completely unreal.

I don't even need to become a martial king. I just need to be useful.

He couldn't keep living like this. He needed to become stronger. And there was only one way to do that.

I have to learn aura.

Now, for the first time, he had the time to focus, and there were two experienced aura users who could teach him. This was the perfect opportunity to begin serious training.

The situation was also favorable. The other knights of Zestrad were still recovering. They had survived, but after being locked away in a damp underground prison, their bodies were in terrible shape.

The soldiers were too busy helping rebuild the villages to have time for training. With neither the knights nor the soldiers using it, the Zestrad family's outdoor training grounds had become wholly available.

***

Under a clear sky, two men exchanged sword strikes. As the duel continued, Leven found an opening.

Now!

He slipped to Varos's right flank. He began with a low sweeping strike followed by an upward slash, and as Varos retreated, Leven switched his grip and swung upward again!

"

Haaah

!"

Serati frowned slightly while watching from the side.

Overkill? That won't work like that.

Originally, Leven should've developed this technique on his own. But instead, he had learned the dual rising slash from Lapicel.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Which was why it met nothing but air. Varos recognized the technique immediately and dodged with ease. Then, unexpectedly. Leven's sword suddenly reversed mid-air. He closed the distance in a single step, altered his grip once more, and lowered his center of gravity to increase power.

"

Ha

!" The blade trembled like a mirage before plunging downward, but Varos read his timing perfectly and countered after digging in close.

Clang!

Leven's sword bounced away from the impact.

Leven stepped back, looking frustrated. "I can't believe that got blocked so easily."

In the first place, Over Kill was a feint. His real goal was to use the gap created from Varos dodging to create a timing-based counterattack.

Varos lowered his sword and offered an apologetic smile. "The technique itself isn't bad."

Then, he scratched his cheek. "It's just... I already knew it."

"Wait, what?" Leven blinked in confusion. "But I came up with that myself as an extension of Over Kill."

He had just invented this move earlier that morning. There was no way Varos should have known about it.

Varos simply nodded. "You did indeed come up with it. The technique is called Down Hill, right?"

"How do you even know the name?!"

No one had seen him use it, let alone heard the name. How? As realization dawned, Leven let out a dry chuckle. He finally understood. Right, Over Kill was originally something his future self had created.

"So, Down Hill is also something I'll invent in the future?"

"Yep."

Which was why Varos had been able to block it so easily. He had faced this exact pattern countless times.

Serati, still observing, tilted her head curiously. "Wait, but history’s already changed, right? Sir Leven no longer created Over Kill."

Varos deliberately refrained from telling Leven about the techniques he would invent in the future, since it was difficult to determine whether knowing them in advance would aid his growth or hinder it. And yet, in the end, Leven still came up with the exact same technique as his future self, Down Hill.

"So history follows its course to some extent, even if it's altered?"

"I wouldn't know." Varos shrugged. "I think the young master mentioned something about the hypothesis of spacetime restoration or whatever..."

"Spacetime restoration?"

"It's a theory proposed by mages who study spacetime magic. It's not a mainstream idea, though, so he apparently dismissed it."

Leven asked with curiosity, "Are there really that many mages researching this

spacetime

magic? If there's a division between mainstream and non-mainstream, it must be a fairly large field."

"Not really, actually. There are only a handful of them."

In other words, even just the difference of one or two people could define what was mainstream and what wasn’t. Or, a particular school of thought could become mainstream simply because a more accomplished mage endorsed it.

"So, they say being

non-mainstream

doesn't necessarily mean it has less potential..." Varos chuckled wryly and shook his head. "But if you want to know more, you should ask the young master directly. I've only picked up bits and pieces."

"That makes sense."

After taking a short break, Leven and Serati engaged in a sparring match.

"I hope to learn a lot from you, Sir Serati!"

"The same to you, Sir Leven."

This match was purely to help Leven grasp the sensation of aura awakening, so they weren't using aura. It was a straightforward bout relying solely on swordsmanship...

Wow, Sir Leven is amazing!

As their swords clashed, Serati was genuinely impressed.

Leven's technique and combat sense were remarkable, forcing Serati to expose openings several times. Even though she was a blue-tier aura user and several levels above Leven in terms of rank, this was the result. Of course, that didn't mean she was being overpowered.

Leven gasped for breath as he relentlessly launched slashes. But Serati's defense was as solid as an iron wall. He could recognize her weak points, but his strikes weren't powerful enough to exploit them. Simply put, Serati had overwhelming advantages in strength, speed, and reflexes. Even without manifesting aura externally, the physical disparity was too vast.

"As expected, my limits are clear without awakening aura." Clicking his tongue, Leven withdrew his sword. "What am I lacking?"

"Well... I'm not sure either..." Serati scratched his head. She was uncertain.

Meanwhile, Varos was starting to piece things together.

I get it now. This is why Sir Leven hasn't been able to awaken his aura.