The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 166: Training for Mana Control (5)

The knights-in-training grew more and more haggard by the day as they endured the agony of forcibly breaking through their mana channels.

They came to a grim realization about why the Lord wasn’t worried in the least about the risk of leakage.

‘How could anyone teach this to someone else?’

‘I’ve never even heard of anyone being taught in this way.’

‘Even if you know how, it’d likely kill the other person.’

Since the mana channels had been created by force, they had no way of understanding the method behind it.

In other words, they were learning with their bodies, without a grasp of the theory.

As the knights-in-training grew worn out, Ghislain’s complexion also darkened. He was struggling just as much as they were.

‘As I thought, getting this done all at once isn’t easy.’

Even though he seemed to be pushing through roughly, Ghislain was carefully regulating his mana to ensure the knights-in-training didn’t die in the process.

Compared to his past life, his mana reserves were significantly reduced, so managing such a large number of people required careful attention to avoid any waste.

Since he was depleting his mana to its very limits every single day, there was no way his body could stay unaffected.

‘Should I extend the schedule? At this rate, I’ll be the first one to drop dead.’

It got so bad that Ghislain even considered giving up halfway.

But every time he felt that urge, he would recall his previous life, hardening his resolve.

‘There’s nothing to gain from dragging this out. I need to treat every single day as a borrowed life.’

He couldn’t allow himself to repeat the regrets of his past life. Gritting his teeth, Ghislain focused on breaking through the mana channels of the knights-in-training.

His intense determination was palpable, even without words.

The knights-in-training, sensing the Lord’s serious demeanor, clenched their own teeth and endured alongside him.

After a week of this, their eyes began to gleam like finely honed blades. Little by little, some of them even started to sense mana.

The most basic preparations were finally complete.

With a look of relief, Ghislain informed them that their ordeal was over.

“You’ve done well to endure up to now. The pain that felt like it would kill you is finally over. From here on, I’ll teach you how to gather and manipulate mana using the Mana Concentration Array.”

“Woohoo!”

The knights-in-training let out cheers.

No matter how many times they went through it, they could never get used to the pain that tore through their bodies.

They’d held on through sheer willpower, but truthfully, every day had felt like hell.

Now that the pain was over, they couldn’t help but rejoice.

The knights-in-training began their training in earnest, using the Mana Concentration Array.

“Wow, we’re finally stepping into the Mana Concentration Array.”

“Whoa, I can really feel the mana flowing in.”

Even though they now possessed mana channels, it was still difficult for complete beginners to absorb mana.

However, thanks to the immense power of the Mana Concentration Array, the knights-in-training could absorb mana just by breathing.

“Really, my body is actually absorbing mana!”

“All that hardship is over! Now, happiness begins!”

They all sat in the Mana Concentration Array, grinning ear to ear. Even if they tried, they couldn’t hold back their smiles.

“Ah, I’ve become a knight who can control mana. How could I hold my excitement?”

The knights-in-training continued learning from Ghislain, step by step, about how to control and release mana.

Though efficiently controlling their mana wasn’t easy yet, they tried to move it little by little, following the mana channels Ghislain had engraved into their bodies.

It was a bit monotonous, but compared to the suffering they had endured until the previous day, this felt like heaven.

“I knew I could trust the Lord. He must have had everything planned.”

“Hmph, my faith was lacking.”

As if they’d never cursed their Lord, they all busied themselves silently praising Ghislain.

That’s how memory works. No matter how painful the experience was, as long as the reward after the painful struggle is good, it will all turn into a cherished memory.

Everyone firmly believed this happiness would continue.

After a week, the knights-in-training finally entered the process of actually using mana.

“Alright, now is when it truly begins. Even if you feel and gather mana, it’s meaningless if you don’t know how to use it. Gordon! Step forward and use your mana as you’ve learned so far.”

At Ghislain’s command, Gordon stepped forward confidently.

Then, based on what he had learned and practiced so far, he began drawing up mana.

“Ah! So this is what it feels like!”

As mana spread through his entire body, Gordon fell into a trance.

Though it was only a minuscule amount of mana, he could definitely feel his body hardening as if it were made of steel.

He felt like he could break anything and block anything.

A whole new world he had never known!

“This is mana! Right now, I’m invincible! I bet I could even beat that bastard Kaor!”

Driven by excitement, Gordon drew up every bit of his mana.

He wanted to feel this power even more intensely.

Fwoooosh!

“Whoa! Gordon’s exuding such energy!”

As Gordon’s aura grew, the other knights-in-training couldn’t help but fidget, eager to try it out themselves.

Then, at that moment—

“Bleeeegh! Haaaaack!”

Having exhausted all his small amount of mana, Gordon coughed up an enormous amount of blood and collapsed.

“…?”

Everyone stood there, eyes wide, too shocked to say anything.

But Ghislain clapped his hands in delight.

“Excellent! Well done! That’s exactly how you’re supposed to use it! How does it feel? Do you feel the strength coursing through you?”

Gordon looked up at Ghislain with an expression of disbelief.

“Um, my lord? I’m actually hurting right now? I just coughed up blood? I feel completely drained?”

“Oh, that’s normal.”

“…Normal?”

“It’s a type of side effect. By drawing out more power than the mana you have, it puts a lot of strain on the body. It’s a technique that essentially explodes the mana.”

“A… side effect? Wait, so does that mean I’ll keep coughing up blood and collapsing every time I use mana?”

“Yeah, but don’t worry. That only happens when you completely drain your mana. Once you train hard and get stronger, it’ll be fine.”

“Oh, so it gets better over time…”

At Ghislain’s nonchalant reply, Gordon nodded in relief. Yet, something still felt off, so he asked again.

“But… what if I don’t train hard and don’t get stronger?”

Ghislain turned his gaze to the distant mountains and replied, almost poetically.

“The mana accumulated in your body will keep trying to burst out, so if you just sit still, it’ll keep draining on its own. If that keeps happening, it’ll eventually consume all your life force, leading to death.”

“…Death?”

“Yes. Which means you’d better get stronger quickly, strong enough to control it. The stronger you get, the longer you’ll be able to use mana. In other words, your lifespan increases along with your strength.”

“What… what kind of bizarre mana cultivation technique is this?! Isn’t this the Ferdium family’s mana cultivation technique?”

“It’s based on the Ferdium technique, but I’ve modified it. I even reduced the side effects a bit to make it easier for you all to learn. The mana doesn’t explode too violently, you see.”

“Oh… I get it. So, the weaker ones end up dying as a way to reduce the side effects. Haha… ha.”

Gordon laughed, eyes filling with tears. The other knights-in-training, who had been watching, also found their eyes watering.

Finally, Gordon, unable to hold it in any longer, screamed out.

“Hey, you never mentioned any of this at the beginning! Isn’t this a fraudulent contract? I’m backing out right now!”

Ghislain looked at him, wide-eyed.

“Wow, you used to say you got swindled often, but now that you’ve learned how to read, you’ve really changed. Asking to back out of a contract… Look at how much you’ve grown.”

“Aaargh! What are you even saying! Just pretend I never learned it and cancel it for me!”

“Oh, even I cannot undo that. Your only option is to train hard and raise your level as fast as possible. If you want to live, you’ll all need to get stronger than you are now.”

Gordon and the other knights-in-training couldn’t manage a reply, silently cursing him in their minds.

‘Why on earth would he create such an insane mana cultivation technique?’

‘Then again, he was never a normal person. It’s our fault for forgetting that in the first place.’

Up until now, it had only been the lord and his close aides who were frantically busy. Now, the knights-in-training had to move just as frenetically.

The Fenris Knights became, quite literally, a company where only the strongest would survive.

If they wanted to live to a ripe old age, there was no choice, but to train furiously and grow stronger.

A new era of suffering had begun.

* * *

Count Desmond, Harold, sat in his office, deep in thought.

He’d been tirelessly working to reorganize the forces lost during the war with Ghislain, and his exhaustion was evident on his face.

Even in the middle of all this busyness, plagued with insomnia, he found himself troubled by something else.

It was the content of a letter from the Duke’s family that especially irritated him.

“That bastard took the Marquis of Branford as his patron and joined the Royal Faction? Even receiving support in place of Brivant…”

The last report he had received about Ghislain was that he was practically overturning his territory.

After that, every spy he had planted was rooted out, and Fenris Territory went into lockdown, so he’d been unable to get any news from there for some time.

But then, Ghislain had suddenly appeared in the capital, started selling cosmetics, and swiftly became a celebrity.

Even then, Harold had dismissed it, thinking, “What could a wastrel like him possibly accomplish?”—only for him to suddenly join the Royal Faction.

Clicking his tongue, Harold glared at the letter and asked the adjutant beside him.

“The Duke’s family says we should treat Ghislain on par with Raypold’s Knight Commander, Jurgen. What do you make of this information?”

“…I find it hard to believe, but the Duke’s family wouldn’t say such a thing without some basis.”

“I just can’t understand it.”

Harold grabbed his head with both hands.

Jurgen was one of the kingdom’s most formidable warriors. He hadn’t earned the title of Northern Champion and the Knight Commander position of the great Raypold demesne for nothing.

If the Duke’s assessment was correct, it would explain why Viktor had fallen to Ghislain.

“Ghislain, Ghislain! All because of that damned bastard!”

The Duke hadn’t simply issued a warning about Ghislain.

Along with criticism about failing to conduct a proper investigation on someone of this caliber, the Duke had also warned that this would be the final chance.

This was the first time Harold had tasted disgrace in his otherwise unbroken streak of success.

Because of Ghislain, everything had turned into a complete mess.

As much as he wanted to storm into Fenris Territory immediately, more urgent matters were pressing down on Harold.

“What’s the situation on Count Raypold’s side?”

“…It’s clear they’re preparing for war.”

“So, they’re targeting us after all. Any idea what pretext they plan to use?”

“It looks like they’re going to use the justification of punishing us as Ferdium’s ally for the attack on Ferdium. They’ll probably argue that we secretly attacked them without following proper procedure, even though we don’t have any lawful grounds for it.”

“Crazy bastard.”

It disgusted me to see them suddenly invoking an alliance with Ferdium after pretending not to know them when the war actually broke out.

From the start, Harold never thought he could hide the fact that he had aided Digald forever.

Even though he divided the forces to infiltrate discreetly, a massive army had still been on the move. With a thorough investigation, it was bound to be exposed eventually.

He didn’t care at that time. Justice belonged to the victor, after all. If Viktor had won, the suspicions would have ended as mere suspicions.

But they’d lost the war, and Count Raypold revealed his fangs, as if he’d been waiting for this moment.

Harold clicked his tongue in frustration.

“Of all times, he starts to make his move now.”

The lieutenant spoke cautiously.

“We must hurry up Amelia’s rebellion before war breaks out.”

“Grr…”

A groan escaped Harold unconsciously.

There was no flaw in the lieutenant’s reasoning. Harold had already poured significant funds and sent dozens of knights to support Amelia in initiating the rebellion.

If Count Raypold were to declare war on Desmond before the rebellion began, all of those vast resources would be lost in vain.

But Harold couldn’t bring himself to make a decisive move.

“There’s no one to face Yurgen. If only Viktor were here…”

Yurgen, the Knight Commander of Raypold known as the best sword of the North. Viktor, whom Harold had groomed to face him, had died in the recent war.

Without someone capable of directly confronting Yurgen, Harold couldn’t feel assured of the rebellion’s success.

If Amelia’s rebellion failed this time, it wouldn’t be Raypold, but the Duchy that would take Harold’s head.

Already cautious by nature, he couldn’t easily make a move, especially when his own life was at stake.

Knowing the reason for his hesitation, the lieutenant continued the report in as objective a tone as possible.

“It’s predicted that Raypold will be ready for war in two or three months.”

“I know we’re short on time. But if we fail, the risk is even greater. Tell Amelia to be thorough in her preparations.”

“She says everything is already set. She’s gathered all the subordinate factions scattered in the North, so once she gets the green light, she’s ready to move.”

At those words, Harold raised an eyebrow.

He knew Amelia was sharp, but he hadn’t expected her to move as though she’d read and anticipated every shift on the board.

“Hmph, still as quick-witted as ever, that woman.”

“Amelia has also sent a message.”

“What is it?”

“If it’s Yurgen that’s troubling you, she says not to worry, that her side will handle it. All she wants is for you to set the date quickly.”

Harold’s face twisted in irritation at the lieutenant’s words. How could she suggest ignoring the most critical matter?

The fact that Amelia dared presume to understand his dilemma also rubbed him the wrong way.

“Tch… She’s gotten too bold. She thinks she can act up just because she’s gained a bit of power? Arrogant woman.”

“It seems that things are urgent on Amelia’s side as well. If Count Raypold goes to war, he’ll be commanding a massive force.”

Once war broke out, even if Amelia managed to seize an empty fortress, it would be futile.

The moment Count Raypold returned with his army, she’d be swept away like fallen leaves.

Though Harold understood why Amelia was anxious, he couldn’t recklessly gamble on this alone.

He didn’t care if Amelia lived or died, but if she failed, his own neck would be on the line.

“Tell her to stay put and wait. I won’t tolerate any action without my approval.”

“…Understood.”

“And send spies among the next wave of migrants entering the Fenris Estate. We can’t just leave them unchecked. Tell them to seize any opportunity to interfere with the estate’s activities.”

“Yes, sir.”

The Fenris Estate had been so tightly locked down that it wasn’t easy for outsiders to get in.

Still, it would be impossible for them to weed out every spy hidden among thousands of migrants.

As the lieutenant bowed and withdrew, Harold pressed his fingers against his temples, his frown deepening.

His headaches had been growing more intense lately.

“Ghislain… Ghislain Ferdium.”

Because of that bastard, every plan had gone up in smoke.

He wanted nothing more than to storm in and crush him, but he couldn’t do that.

He and Amelia were shackled by Raypold, and even if he wanted to rally other lords, the Royal Faction made it difficult to make a hasty move.

In short, that wretch was born under a lucky star.

“Lucky fool. Enjoy your freedom while it lasts. Once Raypold is taken care of, you’re next.”

That man had merely bought himself a short reprieve. No matter how much he struggled, his fate of death wouldn’t change.

Even though Harold understood this rationally, his insides churned with rage that refused to subside.

“Just wait. I’ll make sure you regret every last one of your arrogant actions.”

As Harold lowered his gaze, his eyes glinted with a lethal intent, a burning resolve to see Ghislain dead.