Chapter 67
UUsbChS“So then… are you telling me that the technique you used on me that day was something you more or less pulled off by intuition?”xPSO0f
mhT“Well, something like that.”rg4p
mY3p7huAfter hearing Lucian’s explanation, Felicia raised her eyebrows. A moment later, a voice so cold it seemed to carry an icy wind escaped her lips.b7flhXJ
ncu“My lord, what were you thinking doing something like that? If the trajectory of the sword I was about to swing and my lord’s prediction had deviated even a little, you could have been split in two right there!”uI8B
Yrc3IT“But you used that method too. Seeing you do it gave me the idea.”D4MjSH
2GPQ“I can see mana, so it’s not the same! No wonder my lord’s movements at the time were completely unpredictable…!”Yfvca
2cwEven though time had already passed, Felicia brought a hand to her forehead as she recalled Lucian’s extreme recklessness.ulz
96gWJXMThe thought that a single mistake could have cost him his life sent a shiver through her.4QsF5w
wu3“Huff… what’s done can’t be changed. But never do something like that again.”JlUMXLt
GQkfFqI“Don’t worry. Unless there’s a talent truly worth risking my life for, there’s no reason to do it…”tnZ
nDeyq“Even if such a talent exists, you still must not do it!”TuJFqWX
2q4a91y“Alright, alright.”AT4
GcNN5chAt Felicia’s firm shout, Lucian took a step back.tHEMwg
8IOyi9In truth, if he hadn’t known Felicia in his past life, he would never have done something so dangerous, but there was no way to explain that.gGhuu
PJyAfter getting a clear answer from her lord, Felicia finally nodded, satisfied.iiSHAU
0LU“Very well. I’ll teach you the sword as you wish. However, I’m still learning myself, so it’s best not to have high expectations. Learning is one thing, but teaching isn’t something I’m very confident in.”9qJTD
wSRz“I’m not expecting anything extraordinary, so don’t pressure yourself. I just need someone who sees swordsmanship from a different perspective than others.”tmB
v38AlLucian said this without much conviction and formed a bitter smile inside.D1GxbUn
mxxkSIn his past life, she had taught so well—what lack of confidence?EvXDnvE
Jp5IFE‘To be honest, more than Sir Eisen, Felicia had true talent for teaching.’xUq
HoDbTauThough she possessed talent that surpassed Eisen’s, Felicia could precisely identify where those inferior to her were getting stuck.XeU
NHK3yCHConsidering that geniuses often fail to understand others’ perspectives, that in itself was a talent.T7z4X72
cfzFor an exceptional swordswoman to also have teaching aptitude meant she could cultivate high-level swordsmen.o6n
Fa2rs“Also, the way I see things is different from others, so it’s better to listen to me with some filtering. It might sound arrogant.”dWsOqIA
gRkB6lt“That’s exactly why I need your help even more.”Z4HX
h9jjJ“Huh? What do you mean…?”2AsWJK4
3wSa03“If we trade a few blows, you’ll understand.”bNj
BZtuI6yLucian took a wooden training sword and handed it to Felicia.DfP90
JQ5GqwUCaught off guard by the sudden duel, she looked a bit confused, but still exchanged a few light blows with him. Tap. With the sound of several brief clashes, Felicia’s eyes opened wide.8WZxl
HDzzh“My lord, could it be…?”OaMYn
Iij1TFq“It’s as you think.”iKiMAf
OWuRh8eLucian smiled broadly and added.WzCwFD
3hdFYt“Now I can see the same things you do.”mZqDn7l
8tB7iL***nITZc5
1K1IWith her face flushed with excitement, Felicia immediately took Lucian to the training grounds.RWuBU
7IOShe seemed immensely happy just to be able to share that vision no one else had.wnr8D8p
H4R“If my lord can see the same things I do, then you’ll know how to use these eyes.”jcY
9UeO5Ua“Isn’t it to foresee the enemy’s movements and react beforehand?”WKT
9zE2“Exactly. But that method only works against knights of similar level or opponents slightly stronger. If the enemy is even stronger, these eyes can become poison.”6zM
riWZk“…?”9B997ZZ
xgDYTfwSeeing Lucian tilt his head in confusion, Felicia took a stance.CmNv
v5lW8OQ“It’ll be faster to show you directly. I’ll attack, so try to block me.”n3c
HIAHLucian assumed the posture as she said. Even against an opponent with the same eyes, there was no way to block everything that could be seen.jwFjP
wshXkOEven if it was Felicia, the movement of mana was visible to Lucian. When he tried to react to the mana moving diagonally—EN9
LHLUWhoosh!KWba
LoG1B“…!”Iq8
0M3e8Lucian shuddered as he saw Felicia close in instantly to a distance where he could feel her breath.IAO
0RCBefore he realized it, the cold touch of the wooden sword she held was already resting against the back of his neck.oOxZ
pww“Did you see it?”oIRX
YKn“Yes… I saw it. But I couldn’t react.”B0x6tuo
vYeB“That’s exactly it.”MHzn6
zVMXOOTFelicia smiled and lowered the wooden sword.Jflrm
pd60T3“This eye can easily make you believe you’re omnipotent. But if you rely on it too much, you can lose the moment to retreat. Seeing all of the enemy’s attacks makes you fall into the illusion that you can almost always win.”va36
IhHSgK“So seeing the entire trajectory of the attack doesn’t mean you can stop it?”TB3vJY
Lpsd“That’s right. A common knight, the moment they sense the difference in level, would realize how absurd it is to choose a head-on clash and would look for another method.”h2xqfd
QVQIX9He understood.9n2xa
Q1rBeing able to swallow a moderate difference in level made it easy to fall into arrogance.N4yoyF
myUaLAIt was advice that truly sank into his bones. Choosing without thought an option he would have avoided before, just because his vision had improved a little, was undoubtedly foolish.5fWwZtJ
twq9Uj“Of course, you can’t always avoid a direct confrontation. There will be times when you have to fight someone stronger than you. That’s why, from now on, I’ll teach you how to use this eye.”ZAsF
Ii7H“How to use this eye?”bGNwya
AMIx“The movement of mana doesn’t just show the trajectory. The small vibrations, the thickness, the distortion of the air around it—all of that reveals the enemy’s speed, the force contained in the attack, and the changes in the sword.”LYMT
vQ89L2Felicia concentrated mana in her eyes, signaling him to imitate her. When Lucian did the same, just as she said, the subtle variations became much clearer.XLlHtz
1tOr1TD“It’s good. Though it’s a bit hard to distinguish, it’s extremely subtle.”sW7QPlV
p93j“If you practice often with me, my lord will improve as well.”7iSWD
CSff“Practice? In what way?”Xo8
dmuz2yg“By fighting a lot.”G68G3zF
blgOFelicia smiled faintly as she gripped the wooden sword.W9a
8kiUW“From now on, I’ll attack you continuously. My lord must observe my attacks and counter at the exact moment.”sFRvxIq
iYUFY“…Don’t tell me that if I fail, I’ll just take the hit as it is? You won’t hold back midway?”jrqfok
6rI“My lord, when my father trained me, he always said this.”J9DN
cC4VWith a completely serious expression, Felicia spoke clearly.PnTURG
2EESVx“Without the pain of failure, there is no progress.”FCbAc
zDJQU“…”R27EBS
OYH6aDu“Alright, then let’s begin.”XDZ
kajSeeing Felicia’s mana ripple and flare like a flame, Lucian’s body shuddered.rJw
47y8It was the first moment, since his past life, that he regretted his own choice just a little.PTS
42pbteE***0LazK
qDRuCLg“Good work. We’ll stop here for today.”SRYP63m
FXCcU“Ugh…!”9p8CQ
aG1As soon as Felicia ended the training session, a groan escaped Lucian’s lips before he could stop it.g5d
HLtHGIt had already been a week since the special training began.5O8Dt
F2VDuring that time, he’d taken so many hits that he couldn’t even clearly tell what part of his body hurt anymore.bSEC7
BWV‘No… more like, since there’s not a single part that hasn’t been hit, everything just hurts.’le6R9R
TjrWBWVFelicia’s training had been so brutal that the peace he felt at the beginning now seemed like a distant dream.M31WX
H2RMgEven Lucian himself, who had proposed the training, had nearly swallowed his pride and asked to end it.d2UPqp9
NQmuThe problem was that the results of that hellish training were far too obvious.b9w8y
MB1tE‘If there weren’t any results, I would’ve already asked to stop, but I’m improving day by day—so clearly that I can’t.’Y0z
Z1JFuXThough he complained, deep down Lucian was satisfied.8NyU
Ai517After a week of intensive training, he could now use that “eye” completely. He no longer only saw the opponent’s movements, but also how much force they would use and how to respond.RxqX
9S95The same applied to swordsmanship.1qTx
ucQTHis understanding of techniques remained the same as before, but his coordination between eyes and hands, as well as his reaction speed, had increased explosively.QZ46g
qLPZ‘At this level, there’s no need to obsess over a one-shot duel anymore. Rather than relying on a moment of burst, it wouldn’t be bad to exchange blows directly either.’hMc
xANRI“I’ll say it again—don’t fall into the trap of arrogance.”ZbN
7QF9FMuAs if she had read his thoughts, Felicia spoke with a serious expression.RM7D
TAs“It’s true you’ve grown stronger. It’s natural to want to test that strength. But like I’ve told you again and again…”luA
ad1T3SH“If you avoided strong enemies before, even after getting stronger, you must still be cautious. I know. Never let your guard down.”xRRY
BCuirNYLucian sincerely accepted Felicia’s advice.XkjrJjG
ghR4OUnlike a knight who devotes their life solely to the sword, he was someone who aspired to become a ruler.WYDkVnw
2rsMNLosing his life due to competitive pride would be the height of stupidity.R4g3
Ozy“I only thought of it as a possibility. No matter how much explosive strength I gain, if the opponent masters counter techniques, I could end up the one losing. For now, I should be glad to have more options.”tKx7fw
cDh“Yes, that’s right. Limiting your tactics to only one approach is dangerous too.”06mbbV
vmBzfFHearing Lucian’s calm response, Felicia finally showed a gentle smile.AtqetO
dcrKnights desperate to test their strength were often the first to die.MWlwLuf
Q7ZWithout cool judgment, even those who trained hard could fall before ever leaving their name in history.jZwl4
fCvjvBrIn that sense, Lucian was a relatively reassuring lord.R6VPlkh
a44oNH4At times he threw himself into dangerous, even shocking gambles—but never without a plan.29Fb
J1SbZ“Young master.”bvXZ
H2F“Hm?”BV3u
EI5While Lucian massaged his sore shoulder, Hans appeared with a tense expression.uMXLzMs
VA2“His Excellency the Grand Duke is calling for you.”fExr
oBiu***0BdMA
ND3After washing the sweat off his body and changing clothes, Lucian headed to the Grand Duke’s office.rKEVpV
fng7ZHowever, a question kept circling in his mind the entire way.EpG
TtkbZm‘This is strange. Normally, Father wouldn’t call me alone in a situation like this.’rQXnC0V
QEpNLucian was already clearly standing out in the competition for succession, and yet he was being summoned separately.AyAj
VSQYIt was obvious this could cause misunderstandings among his siblings.6PkMnnG
QpKIt didn’t seem like the Grand Duke, who always tried to give fair opportunities to his children and avoid unnecessary suspicion.x0dV
6gIV‘Could this be about the suppression of the Krephelt rebellion?’x3H
UCa5qlGThe breaking of the Grand Pact and the empire’s withdrawal had caused some unrest on the continent, but not to the extent of his previous life.FV7V0
D9TThe empire had maintained its strength, and the first prince had also come out unharmed.8b4X7j
ZsS62However, since Krephelt had declared independence, the empire couldn’t just pull back.CtA
0MDTo preserve its authority, it was necessary to reorganize the coalition and crush them completely.3oWesWb
pGN‘It was about time to try a new punitive expedition. Looks like the emperor stepped in and spoke to my father.’yAFXQ
jOO0zThe emperor had shown great sympathy toward Lucian during the previous suppression campaign.yLw9dz
oxxD5AqIt wouldn’t be strange if he had specifically requested Lucian to be sent before the new coalition was formed.3r51mLn
R5bWith that conclusion in mind, Lucian found himself in front of the Grand Duke.8iEb6
0K9“There’s a problem in the north.”hL5Y
jgU“…Huh?”eHE5Lt
qelFor a moment, Lucian thought he’d misheard. Not from the emperor—but from the Grand Duke himself—the north?Xzy3gxp
YWXqED9“F-Father, excuse me, but when you say the north… do you mean something related to my maternal family?”jOT2LZ
ouvSbU“That’s right. That’s why I called you.”Zt2
xPoEGeo“I’m already a Valdeck. It’s unfortunate that the lineage of my maternal family died out, but bringing that up now…”PfQFh2
cHQ“I know. It must feel sudden to you. I understand how you feel. The problem is that someone unworthy has taken the inheritance that was rightfully yours.”j5BnsN
6m1“Inheritance…?”aDr
AAa0wN“The County of Calix is trying to unite the other northern houses. They claim they want to end the generations-long disputes and restore the glory of the old kingdom.”iUv8K01
qBgj6VuLucian had heard of House Calix.GzpglUW
lj5zvVFIt wasn’t anywhere near the level of the Grimaldi Duchy, but it was still a family with some recognition in the north.19iVpw6
uRZvrzHowever, they completely lacked the legitimacy needed to bring other houses under their rule.vOcR
6Us“That’s an overreaching ambition.”xSxNsHM
eHP“Yes, an excessive one. They know it themselves. Maybe that’s why, instead of using the name House Calix, they’re flying the banner of House Grimaldi.”8mkLTlu
U5o0w4“…!?”cXs6hHB
qR4Hearing the name of his maternal family so suddenly, Lucian blinked in shock.WtjY1
uHGeWThe last descendant of House Grimaldi was standing right there—yet someone else dared to use that name?4bq
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