Chapter 5

The mana slid through his entire body as if it were gliding.

To the point that having braced himself for pain now seemed almost ridiculous—there wasn’t the slightest resistance.

It was something impossible.

Not even a newborn, when the channels are at their widest, would be completely free of resistance.

And yet, in a sixteen-year-old body, there was absolutely none.

‘Could it be that this body has some kind of problem?’

If, even after completing circulation, the body turned out to be useless…

Or if he had followed the wrong path and everything he drank ended up being pointless.

All kinds of confusing thoughts began chaining together one after another.

But, as if mocking Lucian, everything continued flowing perfectly.

The flow was so smooth that, at a certain point, it didn’t even require effort.

Just a slight push was enough to make it turn like a waterwheel.

Since there were no blockages, the medicine’s effect spread easily to every corner.

With that level of fluidity, the medicine’s effect would surely double—or even triple.

“Wow…”

It was absurd.

At this point, no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t not notice it.

Why the mana was flowing through his body without any resistance.

And how his body was accepting circulation so easily.

There was only one answer.

‘It’s a body granted by the heavens.’

Ironically, unlike the pathetic mind of the body’s previous owner, his physique was a bundle of talent.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he had been blessed by a god.

Even a noble knight would sell their soul for a body like this.

And yet, a body of that level had been handed to a spoiled young master.

‘It was like putting a pearl necklace on a pig.’

Lucian barely held back the laughter that was about to burst out.

He never could’ve imagined he’d be dealt such an overwhelming stroke of luck.

Now, that talent would no longer rot in silence in some corner of the duke’s estate.

It had fallen into Lucian’s hands, who could unleash its full potential without hesitation.

***

From that day on, whenever he had the chance, Lucian drank the elixir and continued the circulation.

His heaven-granted body devoured each dose eagerly and spread it throughout his system.

Every time he completed a circulation, his bones and muscles grew stronger—on a level completely beyond the last.

It was as if he were drinking real Nectar, not an inferior version.

Meanwhile, he also made sure not to neglect regular walks and high-calorie meals.

‘If I could focus solely on efficiency, I’d love to spend a whole month just doing circulation, but I can’t ignore the duke’s gaze.’

On the inside, he was getting stronger at breakneck speed, but outwardly he still looked haggard.

If others didn’t see visible changes, the duke would be disappointed again.

He’d say Lucian was just a talker with no results.

Locking himself away in his room again would only raise more suspicions.

‘Besides, getting familiar with every corner of the mansion is important too.’

In his past life, he had worked as a castle gate guard, so he knew the general layout of the estate well.

But that only included places a guard could access.

If he didn’t learn about areas he’d never set foot in before, he could end up in trouble later.

Luckily, after three weeks, his body had recovered enough to walk unassisted.

He still needed a cane, but even that seemed like it would no longer be necessary within a week.

“Young master, what kind of medicine did you take? Did you get a phoenix egg or something, like in the legends?”

“Phoenix egg, my ass. I just boiled some Moonlight Herb with a few others.”

“You’re telling me just boiling a couple herbs and drinking them can get you back on your feet this fast?”

Lucian smiled faintly as Hans clicked his tongue in disbelief.

Maybe one day he could tell him the real secret, but not yet.

For now, he had enough on his plate dealing with his own body.

“That’s enough—let’s keep walking.”

“I think it’s about time to head back.”

“My stamina’s improved, I’m fine. We’ve checked almost everywhere—how about we go to the training yard now?”

“Huh? The training yard…”

Hans hesitated, looking uneasy.

“What’s wrong? Bad memories of the training yard?”

“If anything, it’s not me—it’s you, young master.”

“Me?”

“You once told me yourself that the other young masters beat you up in the training yard. You said you were so sick of the place you never wanted to set foot in it again.”

In short, it was a place full of bad memories.

However, Lucian had no intention of avoiding the yard over things from the past.

He wasn’t the one who went through that, and besides, it was a place he’d need to use soon anyway.

Rather than running from old memories, it was better to face them head-on.

“It’s fine. Let’s go.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Do I look like I’m being forced to go?”

“No… it’s not that, but…”

“I was planning to go there sooner or later to train in swordsmanship. After a year of avoiding it, I at least want to take a look.”

“Swordsmanship? You, young master?”

This little brat.

When Lucian shot him a sidelong glance, Hans quickly turned his head away.

In any case, it was clear he still had a long way to go if he wanted to change the image people had of him.

***

In the training yard, the knights were in the middle of a fencing practice session.

Lucian walked around with eyes shining, observing everything.

In his past life, he hadn’t been allowed in there, being just a guard, so everything fascinated him.

“What great facilities.”

From the heavy weights for training to the floors, which were either hardened or softened artificially for balance practice.

There were also drinks to prevent dehydration and ointments for treating minor injuries.

Everything necessary for combat training was meticulously arranged.

“If our guys had trained in a place like this, their combat strength would’ve doubled.”

Lucian clicked his tongue as he watched the knights train.

Most were so focused on their practice that they didn’t pay attention to anything else, though a few noticed him and flinched.

However, it was only a brief reaction before pretending not to see him and resuming their training.

“Good attitude.”

Being aware of the mood of the lord they served was understandable, but if they also had to worry about the lord’s children, they could no longer be called knights.

In fact, in his past life, the best fighters were exactly those kinds of knights.

Not the fools who groveled, flattering the lord or his sons to gain favor.

At that moment, Hans whispered beside him with a nervous expression.

“Young master, are you sure it’s okay for me to be here?”

“Why ask now?”

“I heard this is a place where knights train, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

“Oh, that.”

A bitter smile formed on Lucian’s lips.

Sword techniques—or more precisely, ancient sword styles—were secret knowledge of knights.

An essence of ancestral wisdom that, just by imitating the movements, could grant understanding and evolve the body.

It was said that, in ancient times, swordsmen who mastered these techniques ascended to superhuman levels.

Some even claimed they could split mountains and divide the sea with a single sword.

“Though honestly, that sounds a bit exaggerated.”

Still, not all of it might be lies.

There were still marks of a swordsman who, just a hundred years ago, had split a fortress in two.

In an era when sword techniques were plentiful and elixirs flowed freely, perhaps it had been possible.

However, no matter how common they were in ancient times, today it’s not even possible to replicate those techniques.

That’s why, except for a very small number of authorized individuals, even watching someone else’s training is forbidden.

Someone who isn’t even a disciple and tries to observe another’s techniques with the intention of stealing them is practically considered an irreconcilable enemy.

“Maybe for you it’s fine, young master, but for me, it’s not. I could get my throat slit just for daring to watch sword techniques as a mere servant.”

“Nothing will happen, don’t worry.”

“How can I not worry? What if they stab me in the back when you’re not around?”

“You can’t copy sword techniques just by looking. If that were possible, anyone could use fencing in combat. All they’d have to do is follow someone around and copy them bit by bit.”

“Huh?”

In truth, sword techniques aren’t just about movements; they also require mana to flow with them.

It’s impossible to see, with the eyes alone, the mana flowing inside a body and copy it.

If it’s an enemy knight, they might deduce the technique from the movements, so you have to be careful in that case.

But for a civilian who knows absolutely nothing about fencing, it doesn’t matter if they watch or not.

“In that case, why do knights get so sensitive? Every time someone gets even a little close while they’re training, they get furious.”

“From their perspective, it’s better to let commoners scare themselves with the misunderstanding. If people knew the truth, they’d stop fearing them. Do you think they want that?”

Knights already liked seeing commoners cower before them.

Maybe they’d feel differently if they could make them bow even lower, but they had no reason to ease their fears by telling the truth.

Realizing this hidden truth, Hans looked up at the sky with a hollow, disheartened expression.

He had been yelled at and insulted by knights for such a petty reason, so of course he felt wronged.

But in reality, there was an even darker reason behind it.

“If spying on training is considered a great offense, it’s the perfect excuse to find a pretext and abuse others.”

Among knights, the truly despicable ones used that misunderstanding very cleverly.

They’d show off their techniques in places where people commonly passed by and, when someone came near, they’d accuse them of spying on their training.

At that point, the accused had no way to defend themselves and would end up handing over all kinds of things to appease the knight’s anger.

Then the knight would throw a tantrum until satisfied and eventually pretend to forgive them.

Of course, at that level, even among other knights, they were seen as trash—but only if the matter became public.

It was quite common for knights assigned to remote villages to use this kind of show to vent frustration or make some extra coin.

“I guess I’ll have to tell you more about this when a little more time has passed.”

It’s not good to have an overly idealized image of knights, but it’s also not healthy to form prejudices.

Better to talk about it once emotions settle and things can be viewed more objectively.

Lucian turned his gaze away from Hans and looked once more at the sword techniques of the knights.

“What brings you here, third young master? You left barely a year ago like you’d never return.”

Suddenly, a mocking voice sounded behind him.

Turning around, he saw a young knight without a drop of sweat on him.

His eyes were narrowed to slits, and he wore a sneer-like smile.

At first glance, it was clear he hadn’t approached with good intentions.

“It’s been a while. Do you remember me?”

The knight gave a half-hearted bow and locked eyes with Lucian.

Despite standing before the son of his lord, his attitude was shamelessly insolent.

Lucian narrowed his eyes coldly before replying.

“And who were you again?”

“…”