Note: The Novel Will Be Corrected Until Chapter 105, After That Chapter It Will Be All MTL
C1 - 2 - 3
Prologue
“I’ve never met anyone with patriotism as fervent as yours.”
That was a comment Logan often heard from his comrades while he roamed the world for the independence movement.
But each time, his answer was the same.
“Patriotism, my ass…”
To those bewildered by his response, he had only one thing to say.
“It’s just revenge.”
At those words, most nodded in understanding.
Others interpreted it as a form of patriotism—a revenge for the loss of one’s nation.
The truth, however, was entirely different, but he never bothered to explain.
It wasn’t a story he was proud of.
An unfilial son, expelled from his family for the sins of his foolish youth.
It took him more than a decade of struggling in a cruel world to realize just how pathetic he had been.
But by then, regret and remorse were all too late.
Confronted with the sight of his family’s home in flames as he approached to seek forgiveness, he wept tears of blood and vowed to avenge them.
The revenge for his family.
And…
The revenge that stole even the chance to seek their forgiveness.
Which came first, he had forgotten over the years.
All he did now was live with a single purpose, regretting the past day by day.
A life that was nothing but suffering.
When he felt the end of that burdensome life approaching, a miracle occurred.
He had a long dream.
Memories of happy childhood days.
Times mired in jealousy, committing wicked deeds.
The regret he felt once he came to his senses after being cast out and wandering.
The war that led to his family’s downfall and the despair he felt witnessing it.
Decades spent striving for atonement and revenge.
And until the last moment.
The only thing that satisfied him was his own death.
He had given the worst of the bastards their just deserts, after all.
But the biggest regret that haunted him even in death was one he couldn’t shake off.
“I should have apologized.”
Though the calamity that struck his family may have been beyond his paltry power to avert, the sins he committed himself, he should have sought forgiveness for.
And so, with his last wish, he hoped.
Having died, he hoped to meet his family in the afterlife.
To meet them looking as he did in those days, so they might recognize him and offer him a chance to apologize.
And at that moment.
Zzzt.
“Argh!”
An intense headache spontaneously wracked his skull.
With a groan, he realized something felt off.
Pain? Moaning?
“Am I alive?”
His eyes snapped open, and his body bolts upright.
Throb.
“Agh!”
As he clutched his head, reeling from inexplicable pain, he heard a commotion around him.
“Young Master?!”
“The eldest young master has woken up!”
“Inform the higher-ups!”
The bewildered voices spurred Logan to finally look around, and the faces that met his eyes felt both familiar and strangely foreign.
As he stared at them in dumb silence, a familiar face approached him.
“Young Master, are you alright?”
A brown-haired youth, mischievous in expression but impossible to forget, moved closer.
As Logan stared blankly at the brown eyes matching the youth’s hair, his response came automatically.
“…Rick?”
“Huh? Yes, Young Master. I’m Rick. How do you feel? Your eyes… Can you see this?”
The chatter from the familiar voice was overwhelming.
Rick, his dedicated attendant who had died some thirty years ago, now stood before him, concern etched on his ageless face.
“How is this…”
“My god, someone call the doctor! They said he’d be fine!”
As he grappled with the incomprehensible situation, the commotion around him grew.
‘What the hell is going on…’
As Logan’s eyes absorbed the long-missed, unchanging scenery from the window—
“Ah…?”
The training yard outside the window and the manor, the ancient walls in the distance and the glimpses of knights…
Every corner bore the same emblem engraved everywhere.
Flames.
The symbol of the McLane family.
A humble noble family from the outlying nation of Grandia, it was an emblem he had once held in endless pride.
The sight he had longed for spread before him, unchanged as if time had never passed.
‘Is this a dream…?’
Even as the surrounding noise left him dazed, he stared blankly at each corner of the view from the window, his mind unable to comprehend the reality of the situation.
Then Rick’s voice grew louder in concern.
“Young Master? You can see this, can’t you? Oh lord, our young master! Somebody fetch the doctor!”
From being his dedicated attendant since childhood, Rick had always been rather dramatic.
And now…
“Rick, I must insist on complete rest for now…”
The maids began to join in on the fuss.
It was all too much to take in as he stood in confusion.
Creak.
The door to the recovery room gently opened.
“Bi-big brother, are you okay?”
A voice he couldn’t ignore made Logan turn his head swiftly.
Just beyond the slightly ajar door, a round-cheeked boy peered in tentatively.
The boy’s red hair and eyes were strikingly similar to Logan’s.
“…Lonian?”
His younger brother, with talent monstrous enough to defeat him—a 19-year-old who undertook knightly training for a decade—within just 3 years of holding a wooden sword.
The same brother he once envied and despised, and whose tragic end he deeply regretted, longing for forgiveness in his final years.
‘This is…’
Zzzt.
“Argh!”
“Master! You need rest.”
“Eldest young master, please lay down.”
A sudden headache struck again and Logan clutched his head as Rick barred the doorway.
Rick looked panicked as he tried to usher Lonian out, still keeping an eye on Logan.
Watching this scene unfold, Logan was struck by déjà vu.
The bandages wrapped around his head, the pain…
And the youthful face of Lonian.
An all-too-familiar sensation of déjà vu finally dredged up long-buried memories.
If this was indeed reality, it would mean—
‘The first time I officially dueled…’
The day when jealousy and inadequacy reached its peak amidst the gasps of knights and vassals.
He had lashed out at his brother, who came to visit him in his sickroom after the duel.
– Get out! You bastard of a concubine, how dare you…
It was an extension of the abuse he had heaped on his brother for three long years.
But those words also drove his brother away for good, a brother who had tolerated all manner of mistreatment up to then.
And in his final days, Logan regretted that moment until his last breath.
That added to his confusion.
‘Is this another dream? Or, do I dream even in death? Besides, this pain…’
“Ugh…”
However, he couldn’t stay idle any longer.
‘Even if it is a dream, or especially if it’s a dream.’
Just like he had wished for decades.
Even though it might be in vain, he wanted to alleviate any guilty conscience.
“It’s alright. Lonian, come in.”
“Young Master?”
“Forget it. Come here, Lonian McLane.”
At those words, the boy’s expression brightened.
“Brother, I’m really sorry. I should have been more careful…”
Lonian, moving swiftly as the wind, stood before Logan’s bedside, constantly bowing his head in apology.
Shorter than his peers.
An innocent face and an even kinder heart.
Despite it being a common incident during training, the boy was genuinely saddened.
The foolishness of his past self, who had resented and envied such a person, was laughable to him now.
“It’s fine. I’m okay. Stop apologizing like that.”
The confused boy’s face, the warmth of his touch on Logan’s hand—it all felt too real.
And that made him want to say the things he had failed to say in his previous life.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. Not at all.”
“But I…”
“Rather, I…”
He wished to keep talking with a smile if possible, but memories of what followed that day made that impossible.
His past self viciously lashing out, getting worse and worse day by day, leading to the incident ‘that day’ when he was stripped of his heir status and eventually expelled from the family.
The ensuing memories were filled with nothing but regret.
“I—I’m s-sorry…”
And while dreaming or not, past memories—no, future memories surged forth.
‘This kid, he died like that…’
His brother led the family after their father’s death early in the imperial war, always fighting on the front lines by the kingdom’s decree.
Due to that, the already weakened family’s power steadily drained away.
As the McLane forces held off the imperial army, the royal family took the opportunity to flee to another country.
In the end, Lonian was captured by the empire, tortured, and then executed publicly.
He was brutally used and died a miserable death.
That shouldn’t happen.
Absolutely not.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Logan’s hands that embraced his brother tightened naturally.
“I’m sorry, Lonian. Your brother is sorry.”
Words of atonement unsaid in his previous life.
Heartfelt regret spilled as tears.
“B-big brother? Why are you crying…”
“I’m so sorry. I really am sorry.”
Though he had much to say, only one phrase kept coming out.
The big young man wept endlessly.
And the kid—a little boy compared to him—patted his back with small hands.
As time, short yet long, passed.
– Brother, I’ll come back again.
Lonian left with a smile.
And as everyone around watched in surprise, Logan prayed with a fervent wish.
If this is not a dream, if I have truly returned to the past.
I will change everything.
And he closed his eyes again.
When he reopened his eyes,
Logan was still alive in the past, and he silently cheered.
* * *
Beyond the window, warm sunlight bathed the room.
The chirping of birds rode the refreshing breeze as it swept inside.
Upon awakening and rising from his bed, Logan looked at his body with disbelief in his eyes.
The numerous scars from ten years as a mercenary and twenty years in the independence movement were gone, and even his knees, which ached every morning, were completely fine.
“…So it wasn’t a dream.”
Decades of memories.
Up to the very last moment.
– Where is the holy relic?!
– How dare you steal the empire’s treasure!
– Let’s die together!
Kwaaang!
A total disintegration, the pain vivid as ever.
Yet, he was very much alive.
A visceral clenching tightened within him as excitement shot through his limbs.
The past he longed to rewind.
The chance to alter all that had come.
Of course, the questions remained.
‘How did this happen?’
Logically speaking, it was impossible.
The realms of time and space were considered, even in theology, to be domains untouched by creating gods, not meddling in the world any longer.
If he went about claiming he had returned from the future…
‘At best, labeled a madman. At worst, arrested for blasphemy by the church.’
Yet, what explained his present situation?
“Really now…”
Only one guess came to mind.
‘That explosion. Much stronger than expected. But still…’
Returning to the past after being blown to bits, it was ridiculous.
He had seen hundreds face similar violent ends on the battlefield.
Could they have all returned to the past? It was absurd to even consider.
‘Ugh.’
Wracking his brain for a while, no answer came.
Eventually…
“Let’s drop it.”
He spoke out loud, casting aside pointless thoughts.
If too much pondering failed to yield an answer, he knew better not to dwell on the issue any longer.
After decades of life’s harsh lessons, it was time to focus on what needed to be done.
First and foremost…
Creak.
“Hm?”
“Gasp! My lord!”
At that moment, a maid cautiously opened the door, and her eyes met his.
As if frozen, the maid trembled violently and bowed deeply.
“I beg your pardon, my lord.”
“Huh? What for?”
The maid’s extraordinary reaction puzzled him, turning her face paler at his inquiry.
“I apologize! I shall take more care next time!”
What was she sorry about?
He was baffled but before he could articulate a thought, Rick appeared, almost running into the room.
“Dear me. Our Mary woke you from your sleep. I should have reminded her. My apologies, my lord.”
Rick’s stance, protective in front of the maid, waving her away, brought to Logan a sense of familiar guilt.
– I said to keep it down in my room! Even the maids don’t respect me?! You wretches!
Crash!
– Aaaah!
– My lord, please!
“Ugh.”
A throbbing headache brought forth visions hazy as mirages.
Tiny acts of cruelty, overshadowed by great sins, paraded before him in succession.
Thump.
The headache felt as if it had seeped right into his chest.
Shame burned on his face.
“Sigh.”
“Let’s calm down, our lord. This child, I will deal with. Don’t get agitated…”
“It’s not that. Mary… was it?”
“Oh, heavens. You there, come and apologize quickly!”
As he watched Rick making a fuss, the heat in his face intensified.
“Enough!”
“No, my lord. I can handle it…”
“Stop. The maid did nothing wrong, let her be!”
“Ah… what? You asked for…?”
A sigh erupted naturally.
“Nevermind, Rick. Bring me paper and pen. A lot of paper.”
“…Huh?”
“Didn’t you hear me?”
“No, it’s not that. What are you going to do with paper and pen to Mary…”
“Nothing! Just let her go! Just bring it to me!”
By now, his face felt ready to combust.
And so, a new life began, not without its challenges.
-----------------------------
Episode 2
“Young Master, here…”
“Yes, thank you. You may leave now. Make sure no one enters this room today.”
“What?”
“…Why do you keep making me repeat myself?”
“Oh, no. It just felt strange to be thanked…”
A sigh came out involuntarily.
“Haah… It’s all my fault, indeed.”
The opinions of the servants would change if he changed his behavior, but every time he became aware of a mistake, his conscience pricked him painfully.
And moreover.
“Young Master, are you really alright? You’re not still suffering from a headache, are you?”
Crack.
He nearly broke the pen he had unwittingly gripped too hard.
“Ah! I’m fine! Leave, right now!”
He shouted loudly, yet Rick’s expression brightened a bit.
“Yes, yes, understood. Please rest.”
Bang.
– Judging by the shouting, he seems normal. Go on and see to the tasks.
– Yes!
“Ugh…”
The voices outside the door once again made his head throb.
However, he couldn’t afford the luxury to worry about such trivialities right now.
What was immediately important was…
“Hoo…”
He had to write down everything he could remember before he forgot.
In order to change the future.
‘I must save them! I must, at all costs!’
And to save his family.
While the memory was still vivid, he had to organize the key events of the future.
Among those, the most crucial was clear.
‘The imperial war.’
A war that would break out ten years later.
The disaster that not only brought ruin to his family and younger brother but also the entire nation, triggered by the emergence of Ronian McLain, the youngest Aura user from the wavering McLain household.
He had to plan with the goal of preventing that.
‘At the very least, I need to grow the power to influence this country until then.’
And so, he needed to turn each trial that would come upon the family into a chance for growth.
Especially.
‘The Territory War that will happen in a year.’
A Territory War that erupted suddenly at an unexpected time.
The first trial that needed to be addressed was precisely that.
Originally, as a result of it, the family was halved, and it wasn’t until Ronian became an Aura user that they’d go through dark times.
It was an imminent crisis that would strike in one year’s time.
‘But I can do it.’
Having knowledge of the future was an unparalleled advantage.
Ablaze with hope, Logan passionately scribbled down his thoughts.
Thump.
“Hoo… That should do it.”
Logan rose from his seat with a sigh of relief.
He had recorded all the information in a code known only to him at the current time.
In the code used by the Grandia Liberation Front thirty years in the future.
Even if someone else saw it, they would be clueless.
‘Just in case…’
The information Logan had written was, in a literal sense, the affairs of the future.
Even if this document were to spread now, it wouldn’t be possible to figure out what happened to him overnight, but suspicions about the source of the information would start to grow over time.
And if it ever spread that he had regressed to the past,
the Order of the Nine Great Gods, the continent’s most powerful force with a different significance from the Empire, would turn against him.
He had seen more than once how the dogmatic Order dealt with heretics or those who committed blasphemy.
The moment he got entangled, not only he but also his family would not escape disaster.
Therefore, it was a secret he couldn’t reveal even to his closest allies.
He checked the content on the paper carefully once more to make sure there was no error or chance of leakage.
“Good.”
Only then did he start his second task.
In some respects, this was as important as the information about the future.
‘The Manual of the God’s Sword.’
A tome embroidered with a golden hawk, which Logan had burned before returning to the past.
The grand manual named ‘God’s Swordsmanship’ was indeed a treasure of worth.
A hero who had conquered the evil dragons ruling the ancient world and ushered in the ‘Age of Men.’
A manual from the ancient hero who was later worshiped even as a Sword God was, in the current continent where an individual’s power could determine social status and authority, an invaluable treasure.
The imperial high command celebrated upon hearing about the retrieval of such a manual from the ruins, and the Grandia Liberation Front was ready to sacrifice most of its elite to secure it.
He was its last owner.
He was entrusted with the treasure simply because he was fluent in ancient languages, and he ended up chased to his death as a result.
‘I must write it down before I forget.’
The manual he memorized to train talents of the resistance.
If its content proves true, mastering it would bring forth the ultimate technique that even the Empire’s Aura Masters and Grand Magicians wouldn’t need to fear.
‘It’s possible. Absolutely.’
In his previous life, his age was far past the point of starting something anew, and he also lacked talent. But now, things were different.
He was young, not yet of age.
And…
Woom.
The golden energy that rose in response to Logan’s will flowed along his body.
The force of life, ‘Force.’
A power he couldn’t even dream of at this stage in his previous life now amplified his expectations.
Squeeze.
Physical youth and experience with the Force. If these merged harmoniously, even with his deficient talent, he might be able to master this ancient manual.
No, he would certainly master it.
‘Ronian, this time you won’t have to struggle alone. Absolutely.’
An overwhelming expectation for a changed future made his heart beat faster.
After organizing all the critical matters he must never forget, his goal became clear.
‘What I need to focus on now is obvious.’
The upcoming Territory War in a year’s time.
He had to overcome this crisis first.
‘I can do it. So, the first thing to do is…’
Logan began fervently brainstorming ideas, as if the Territory War was about to start at any moment.
However…
* * * 10 hours later.
Thunk.
The final conclusion reached after much deliberation and headache was clear.
“There’s nothing I can do…”
Logan, having spent the night to the point of pallor, slumped over his desk, his face cupped in his hands.
To win the Territory War, what needed to be done was simple.
Strengthening the territory’s military power.
And what was needed to achieve that was also clear.
“Strengthening the knights or soldiers, or enhancing and developing weapons.”
There were a few ideas he came up with immediately, but they all…
“Money, I need money.”
It was not just a mere problem like his current poor reputation.
Even if his reputation had been good and he had been a solid heir, nothing would have changed.
“…We were a famously penniless noble house. Damn it.”
He needed a way to earn money. And he needed a great deal of it, quickly, in the near future.
Such a convenient method…
“It couldn’t be possible…”
Thump. Thump.
No matter how much he banged his head against the desk, nothing came to mind.
Just yesterday night, he was happy to have hope.
He felt like punching his yester-self.
‘If only I had regressed like 5 years, no, even just 3 years earlier…’
He was so desperate that he even had the audacious wish for a greater miracle to happen.
But he couldn’t continue to escape reality forever.
‘It can’t be helped. I have to prepare, even if I have to wring out what I have.’
Focusing on surviving the Territory War and preserving forces rather than winning seemed feasible.
‘Yes, it can’t be helped. First, I’ll recover my previous abilities, then change my reputation. Personal issues can wait until that incident 3 months from now… Hm? Wait a minute?’
A thought flickered through his mind.
‘Oh? That’s right, at that time…’
A way to potentially make a fortune came to his mind.
‘In 3 months…’
To execute this newfound idea, he had things to do before that.
* * *
“You seek an audience with the Patriarch? You’re going intentionally?”
“Yes.”
“Why?!”
“I need to get his permission for something.”
He had somewhat anticipated it, but seeing Rick’s surprised expression made Logan remember even more clearly the relationship between his father and himself at this time.
But now it was something unavoidable.
‘Father…’
Logan steadied his breath as he stepped out of the room and focused on his memories from his previous life.
His father was caring when he was young, strict as he grew up, and,
when he himself was wasted, his father was nothing but cold.
– From now on, you are not my child.
His father had already given up hope on him even before those words came out.
When Logan was found unconscious with a head injury from the recent official duel, his father didn’t show up at all.
An extravagant son and a cold father.
The vicious cycle of emotions produced by their relationship lasted until the moment he was expelled.
Of course, in his past life, he was too busy blaming his father for years after being thrown out.
It wasn’t until he realized his own faults and heard of his father’s demise that he regretted not asking for forgiveness sooner.
Those years of regret spanned over two decades.
Furthermore…
– How troubled must the parents be who cast out their child?
A question that lingered in his heart, compounding the guilt as he hesitated to return and beg forgiveness from the family.
Such a word from an old mercenary left a lasting impression.
Meeting that father again, it was impossible not to feel nervous, and his hands trembled ever so slightly.
From guilt?
Or perhaps fear?
Or anticipation?
Even Logan himself could not precisely express his emotions at that moment.
Taking a deep breath, Logan tried to smile with effort,
And resolutely moved forward.
But then.
“Oh my, excuse me, Your Highness.”
“……”
He had to keep smiling.
“Oh, please spare me, Your Highness!”
To keep… smiling.
“I’m sorry, I made a mistake. Please, calm your anger!”
…For a slightly different reason, his hands trembled again.
Sigh.
“Damn it…”
He felt even more tense because of the servants’ hypersensitive reactions.
But this was the result of his own misdeeds.
The rudeness and violence he committed at this time had built up to today’s situation.
His conscience pricked at him, but he knew he could change this gradually over time.
Hopefully, his smile wasn’t too awkward.
…It mustn’t be.
As he calmly took a breath and continued walking, he eventually saw his father’s office.
Knock, knock.
“Father, it’s Logan.”
“……Logan? Hmm, come in.”
Creak.
As he opened the door and entered, a burly redhead, his father, examining documents at the desk by the window, looked up at him.
Red hair, red eyes. The fierce eyes and firmly closed lips made the resemblance to Logan unmistakable in the stalwart figure.
As Logan’s gaze met with that of the stubborn-eyed middle-aged man,
His heart felt as if it were storming.
‘Father…’
How much had he resented that face?
How much regret had that person caused him?
And how much…
Had he missed him?
‘The fault was all mine. Really…’
There were so many things he wanted to ask that were heavy in his heart.
Whether he was loved as a son, even if worthless.
If it hurt his father too when casting him out.
And… had he missed him?
All the things he’d never said and the complex emotions of his past life surged inside him.
But he forcefully suppressed the welling in his chest.
Unlike when he spilled his heart out to his younger brother as if it were all a dream, now was the time to show he had changed.
Steadying his wavering gaze, Logan strode into the room.
“……You seem fine. Well then, what brings you here?”
Contrasting the complex feelings of longing and regret inside Logan, his father’s response was cold from the first word.
He had expected as much. What mattered was from this point forward.
“……I wish to undergo secluded training in the ancestral lands. I’ve come to seek your permission.”
Logan responded firmly with a steady voice, having made up his mind.
Before the incident three months from now, the first thing he needed to do was to return to his former level of skill.
In an era where one’s personal might could decide status and power,
It was a basic condition he deemed necessary to reverse his current reputation and to have weight in his words during the upcoming events.
Of course, the response he received was not encouraging.
“Secluded training? You?”
“Yes.”
An expression of disbelief and astonished eyes.
“Hmm. Are you trying to escape because you lost to your brother?”
“I’ve realized my efforts have been severely lacking. Although late, I intend to awaken my spirit.”
“Just the efforts were lacking?”
“You still don’t seem to have awakened.”
Despite Logans’s prepared, resolute speech, the tone and expression his father returned lacked any belief or warmth.
“……I also realize my behavior has been problematic.”
“I’ve heard that many times before.”
“Until now, I’ve failed to recognize my faults and projected my anger onto others. I was foolish and immature. I intend to come to terms with my immaturity during this time of training.”
“……Hmm.”
Whether the sincere words had reached him, his father’s expression finally changed slightly.
“……This time, it doesn’t seem like your usual excuses.”
“I won’t let you down again.”
“So you’ve been disappointing me so far.”
“……”
“And you just talked of repentance while looking aggrieved.”
He could hardly say anything.
Logan simply bowed his head without a word.
“……How long do you plan to stay?”
“About three months.”
“Is that so? Do you think just that will be enough for you to catch up to Ronian?”
“It’s not about beating Ronian. I’ll do my best, even if it’s just for a short time. If it doesn’t work out, I will humbly accept it.”
Surprised by the prompt answer, his father gazed at him for a while, then slowly nodded.
“……Indeed, you seem a bit changed. Yes, it’s good to change. I grant my permission.”
“Thank you.”
After bowing politely, Logan turned to leave when a hesitant voice reached out.
“……it is still Spring. The grave tomb is cold to sleep in. Make sure you take care to keep warm.”
Taken aback by the unexpected warm words, Logan just nodded his head.
Exiting the room, however, his footsteps felt unconsciously lighter.
-------------------------------
Not long after I left my father’s study, a face I did not particularly wish to encounter appeared from the opposite end of the hallway. It seemed the feeling was mutual; as soon as our eyes met, she grimaced and made no effort to conceal her displeasure.
With a soft sigh, I bowed my head as respectfully as I could manage.
“It has been a while, Mother.”
At my words, the approaching lady’s footsteps halted abruptly.
“Mother, you say. It sounds quite awkward coming from you, your grace.”
The cold gaze of the lady, with her long black hair accentuating her cynical demeanor, fixed upon me. This was Merian Kairos—my stepmother, the biological mother of Lonián, and the current lady of the Maclaine household. She was no mere step parent. Thanks to her efforts, more than half of the Maclaine family’s finances were sustained by the Kairos family. Thus, she wielded enormous influence within the entire Maclaine lineage.
Moreover, she was the individual who, in my previous life, would play a major role in opposing me, advocating most fiercely for my exile in the event that would unfold shortly thereafter.
However.
“It’s merely a greeting, Mother.”
If I show a changed demeanor from now on, perhaps this relationship could gradually improve. With that hope, I bowed once more.
Of course, it wouldn’t be resolved overnight.
“What’s this sudden change of heart? Are you preparing for yet another pitiful debacle?”
Her response remained frosty as ever.
Even as my lack of reaction to her sharp provocation caused her to snort dismissively and walk past, Steward Vector, her loyal subordinate, passed by without even acknowledging my presence, only offering the most perfunctory of bows due to the demands of courtesy towards the family’s heir.
‘It’s all my own doing.’
All of this was the natural consequence of my own past incompetence.
As I watched my stepmother’s figure recede, I let out another small sigh and turned away.
* * *
Word quickly spread within Maclaine Castle that the Grand Duke had lost a duel to the young lord. Such news would have been a matter of great discussion in any noble or martial house, but it was even more significant within the Maclaine household. The Maclaine family had nearly lost their lands and title due to the atrocities committed by an ancestor four generations ago and the incompetence of former lords.
It was only thanks to the current head, Patrick Maclaine, becoming a senior knight that the family barely managed to maintain its lineage. Thus, the martial prowess of the heirs attracted considerable attention.
Moreover, the fact that the second son, who had bested the Grand Duke, was only fourteen years old added fuel to the rumors — from Lonián’s prodigious talent to accusations of Logan’s incompetence. Logan’s scandal spread quickly, disproportionately to his actual failures.
However, the man himself was too busy packing up his quarters to care about the gossip. Instead, what concerned him more was the person who was fretting much more than Logan himself.
“Oh dear! Your grace, whatever are we to do for you!”
“Stop the fuss. It’s true that Lonián is a genius.”
“It’s not the young lord who’s the problem — it’s that rumors are flying around painting you as the world’s biggest fool… Ah! I mean, I didn’t mean to say… my tongue slipped…”
I couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
“Don’t worry about it. If we pay attention to every little thing, we won’t get anything done.”
“Is secluded training really what we should do?”
“Yes.”
“…It looks like you’re running away.”
Rick spoke up until the very end. ‘Ah, this was the kind of kid he was.’
Rick, my most faithful servant who’d been with me since childhood, was excessively talkative and meddling – though most of what he said stemmed from concern for me.
In my previous life, the broken Logan dismissed all those worries. But now, the meaning was different… though I still had no intention of heeding Rick’s words.
‘Huh, I owe this kid a lot too.’
With a sigh, Logan stopped his packing and patted Rick’s shoulder.
“I’m not running away. Just trust me. From now on, it’ll be a path of roses.”
In my previous life, during the next official duel, I had Rick lace Lonián’s meal with hallucinogens and then with paralytic poison.
As a result, I was stripped of my right to succession and received a punishment akin to house arrest for an extended period.
Despite being the mastermind behind the incident, unlike Rick who was executed for poisoning a direct family member, my punishment was relatively lenient. Even the completely shattered Logan of that time had many sleepless nights due to his conscience.
It was fortunate that I had returned to a time before committing these worst of sins.
‘Now, I just have to avoid making such foolish mistakes again. However…’
Rick was someone who had always loyally helped me out, no matter what.
He was someone I definitely wanted to look after.
Not just my brother or my father, but I owed debts to many others.
Just then.
“…Did you eat something bad?”
“Cough.”
Yes, Rick certainly had a talent for deserving a beating.
“I won’t make you do anything unreasonable anymore. And I’ll take better care of you.”
“…Not sure what you mean, but as long as it’s something good for me.”
“…Yeah.”
He was someone I couldn’t take seriously.
“It’s a relief you seem to have changed.”
Despite his words, the smirking Rick in front of me was definitely one of the few people I could truly rely on.
“Just pack up the stuff!”
“I’ve been doing it this whole time—”
Watching Rick grumble and move about, Logan chuckled, wiped his sweat, and looked outside.
Despite the bright sunshine, the future of this land was still dark.
No matter what rumors spread or who plotted in the shadows, they were all meaningless for the moment.
‘Just show your skills again, and the rumors will change. And in a year, focus everything on the Regional Judgment.’
Only by safely overcoming that disaster and moving forward could we afford to contemplate the real future.
‘Three months… I can do it. No, I must do it.’
Logan’s red eyes blazed as he gazed towards the inner sanctuary of the mountains.
* * *
“Why exactly do you insist on training in the ancestral mountains?”
“I need a place where no one will find me—a vast space.”
Ahead of leaving, Logan had answered Rick’s question; the ancestral mountains met all the requirements he had described.
‘If things go as planned, it’s something I definitely can’t show anyone yet.’
After paying respects to the ancestral tablets and unpacking his things, Logan, with a mix of anxiety and anticipation, climbed the mountain, gripping his heart that throbbed with excitement.
‘I can do it. I have to.’
Logan reassured himself, recalling the contents of the secret manual he had reviewed just before starting his climb.
The manual of the Divine Blade.
More than a swordsmanship manual, it began with the creation of a core of force in the heart with specific directional properties.
This core of force would seep into the blood and flesh, transforming the body itself—a concept far beyond the grasp of ordinary talent.
In his previous life, Logan would have despaired even at this initial stage.
‘But now, it’s entirely possible.’
Because…
The energy that surged within him was stickier, stronger, more concentrated than the force he remembered from his previous life.
‘With this, it’s possible.’
The higher quality force imbued Logan with confidence.
True to his belief, the evolved force quickly assumed a certain pattern and gathered towards his heart, as described in the manual.
The force coalesced into a core more easily and rapidly than imagined—as if it were predestined.
The simultaneous formation of the core and the denser energy that emanated seemed to spur a transformation throughout his body.
It was an ecstatic moment for Logan, saturated with transformational energy, and he was completely unaware that his body was shining a golden hue, radiating light in all directions.
* * *
When Logan came to, it was evening, though he had started his training in the morning sunlight. The sudden disconnect from the passing hours vanished his euphoria, and he felt a draining sensation that made him collapse unwittingly.
However, that feeling was fleeting.
A tremendous strength could be felt in his clenched fist, and a spry vitality coursed throughout his body, signaling a profound transformation.
‘It’s much more than I expected…’
Yet, it was a positive change, and there was no reason to dislike having become stronger.
Especially if the manual’s contents were true.
With a forceful swing of his sword, a smile spread across Logan’s face.
The sensation and power from a seemingly light stroke were entirely different than before.
‘Yes!’
His fist clenit involuntarily.
It was not merely a matter of strength; his physique and senses had fundamentally changed to better suit the art of swordsmanship.
‘The training that changes a man, Hwanin Gong… it was all true.’
He was confident.
The inferiority and self-loathing that had haunted the untalented fell away.
Logan’s laughter echoed with the disappearance of all the roots of his inferiority and self-condemnation from his past life.
From that day on, Logan practiced his swordsmanship with fervor, nearly forgetting to eat or sleep.
* * *
Three months later.
‘This time, without fail…’
As prescribed by the manual, Logan squeezed the core in his heart, amplifying the energy.
Creating a core and changing one’s constitution was already remarkable, but those were only the basics of the Divine Blade’s manual.
The crux of the manual resided in the ten forms of the ‘Sword that Cuts through Time and Space,’ grandiosely dubbed the Time-Space Slash.
And now, Logan was attempting the sole technique, the 1-star core form, that could be executed as part of the 1st form—a slicing wave, Pa-rang-cham.
‘…It will be successful!’
The feeling of building successes from months of failures seemed to be coalescing.
‘Now!’
In a moment, amplified power surged through his body and a gold light burst from his crimson eyes.
“Taah!”
Light surged from Logan’s sword like a wave, and as it struck, thick trees were shattered into fragments with a thunderous crash.
Thump.
“Hah… Hah… Heh, heh heh…”
Pale and exhausted, Logan sat down, unable to hide his astonishment at the success.
The power was beyond imagination.
Purely a strike extending only a meter from the blade and consisting of mere two waves of force.
It was a technique not meant for novice force users but one that even the most senior knights, on the cusp of becoming aura users, could barely achieve.
Even if it left him drained from a single use, it was an overkill as a trump card.
“Hahaha!”
Logan had exceeded his targets for the three-month training.