Ghislain was more immersed than ever in the fight between the two.
The mana cultivation technique and swordsmanship he had refined were certainly different in approach. In some ways, the other methods were even superior.
'Could it be... is that man the founder of the Perdium family?'
Or perhaps it was one of his successors who established the Perdium family. Nothing could be confirmed yet.
A past conversation with his father came to mind, back when he had been working on improving the mana cultivation technique.
— Still, it's the mana cultivation technique that has sustained our family for a thousand years! How can you guarantee that what you've improved is better than our family's tradition?
— No, honestly, does it even make sense that our family has lasted a thousand years?
— … It does! Ah, the year you were born marked our family's thousandth anniversary. It was such a joyous occasion.
— Do you have any proof?
— … I heard it from your grandfather.
At the time, he had laughed it off. He couldn't believe the claim that their family had been around for a millennium.
He had thought it was just a fabricated story meant to instill pride in their lineage.
But now, look.
Here was someone using the lost swordsmanship of Perdium in the great war of a thousand years ago.
The thought that this man might indeed be the founder of the Perdium family struck him powerfully.
'Could it really be... has our family been around for a thousand years? And it all started with someone who played such a significant role in that great war?'
Ghislain stared at the man's sword, captivated. It was an opportunity to uncover the long-lost techniques of the Perdium family.
But... it was difficult to stay focused.
The man's fighting style was unbelievably absurd.
"Hyaaaah! Hiyahhh!"
The man wielded his sword incessantly while chattering nonstop. He was fighting not just with his sword but with his mouth as well.
"How about it! My outrageous swordsmanship! It's killing you, isn't it? You feel the difference in power, right? Like you're facing an opponent you just can't handle!"
"…"
The apostle said nothing, simply trying to concentrate.
Yet the man continued his verbal barrage as he attacked.
"Fighting you like this reminds me of when I used to spar with my rival every day. Ah, those were the days."
"Hey, can't you show me your face? I'm curious. If you're pretty, I don't care about gender. We could run away together."
"This sword of mine has a tragic legend tied to it. What? You're curious about the legend? Hmm, sorry, I don't believe in legends. But if you want to know, how about paying me 5 gold?"
"…"
The apostle stayed silent, and so did Ghislain. The man's tongue was as unrestrained as his sword.
His demeanor was completely different from the other three fighters. Ghislain couldn't help but think that if Claude learned swordsmanship, he might turn out like this.
Taking a deep breath, Ghislain thought to himself:
'He's definitely not my ancestor.'
There was no way someone like that could be part of the Perdium family. Even if he were from an ancient time, he was unacceptable as an ancestor. No, he couldn't be.
In contrast, the apostle seemed more impressive, calmly enduring the relentless psychological attacks.
Their skills were evenly matched. The fight between the chatty man and the silent apostle didn't seem likely to end anytime soon.
Ghislain studied the man's face closely. As expected, his eyes were obscured by shadows.
It was even worse than with the knight. The more he tried to make out the man's face and hair, the blurrier they became. It was impossible to discern any details.
The man's scraggly, unkempt beard, however, made it clear that he was someone who didn't care much about appearances, reinforcing his carefree nature.
'Hah…'
The more he tried to uncover, the more frustrated he felt. He decided to stop trying. There had to be a reason it wasn't being revealed, so he chose to think of it that way.
In the end, the only one whose face he had clearly seen was the mage. There was another clue to the mage's identity.
It was something the saintess had said in the dream.
— Did it help you? I heard it definitely would.
— I don't know you well, but I've heard a lot about you from my mage friend.
— Our friend from the future.
'Mage friend.'
The one referred to as a friend and companion by the saintess and the hero. It had to be this mage.
But the saintess's words were still unclear. He was indeed looking at the past from the future, but could that be called "friendship"?
What exactly had the mage meant when speaking to the saintess? How had they known someone from the future would be watching them?
The only thing Ghislain knew for sure was that, as the saintess had said, this dream was proving immensely helpful to him.
The hero and the adversary.
Their comrades and the apostles.
The battles they showed him continued to elevate his own abilities.
'Who are you…?'
Why were they showing him this dream?
From the saintess's words, it seemed the dream was intended only for him.
— It may confuse you, but don't doubt it. You must believe in us. It won't be long now.
— Only you.
— Only you can save us.
Ghislain mulled over the saintess's words. The dream was becoming blurry again.
He naturally opened his eyes and got up. The vivid scenes from the dream lingered in his mind.
"Hmm."
After organizing his thoughts briefly, Ghislain asked Dark:
"Did you see it too?"
— Yeah, I saw it. A thousand years ago was full of monsters. If you or Yulian were there, you'd just be cannon fodder. Not just fodder—complete and utter trash.
"…"
This guy's mouth was getting fouler by the day, whether it was due to Ascon's influence or Alpoi's.
But honestly, they weren't that weak. Members of the Continent's Seven Strongest could hold their own in that era.
'If I had to compare, they'd probably be just one notch below the apostles…'
Sure, it would be tough, but it wasn't impossible to fight them. A fight had to be tried to know the outcome.
Ghislain spoke bluntly.
"It's a different era, after all."
Not only were the strong more common, but even the soldiers' skill levels were higher a thousand years ago.
According to Erenes, they had been fighting the demon realm for a long time.
It was an era where fighting was a way of life. Naturally, the overall level of ability was much higher.
Because of this, Ghislain also understood why Erenes grew stronger over time.
As she had said, she hadn't regained the strength of her prime due to restrictions.
"Hmm, so in my past life, Erenes might have been the strongest on the continent."
Of course, Yulian also grew stronger with every breath, so it was hard to say for sure.
With monsters like them around, Ghislain couldn't afford to rest either. He needed to become even stronger.
Smiling faintly, he began analyzing the battles of the knights from a thousand years ago.
'The swordsmanship of the Ladran royal family focuses on defense. It's truly the unshakable sword of a king and a knight.'
The solid impression it left was still vivid in his memory. Having personally experienced royal family's secret techniques, it wasn't hard to understand.
Observing the knights' swords also provided insight into how to progress further. Ghislain intended to incorporate those aspects into his own swordsmanship.
'The secret techniques of my mother's lineage are the same.'
Belinda had once shown him a book that contained those techniques. While he hadn't trained in them, he had committed them to memory.
And he had just the right skills to apply them to.
Fwoosh.
Magic spears appeared around Ghislain. Until now, he had only used them to shoot at desired targets.
'It might not look different, but it's actually not the same.'
As with Belinda, the masked woman's techniques had made it seem as though each dagger she wielded carried its own will, moving as if alive.
It wasn't just about sending them in a chosen direction.
'Getting to that level will take considerable effort. It'll take quite some time.'
The techniques were different from the swordsmanship Ghislain had mastered so far, making them hard to delve into deeply. But with consistent practice, they could become his trump card.
Following the moves shown by the masked woman, Ghislain recalled the most important swordsmanship of the Perdium family.
'I think I know what's missing.'
He had found the missing piece. With a foundation already in place, it wasn't difficult to deduce.
No, rather than deducing, he instinctively knew how to move.
Whether it was thanks to the saintess's guidance or because the essence of Perdium's swordsmanship remained within him, he couldn't say.
Ghislain picked up his sword and moved. The family's swordsmanship was once again brought to life in his hands.
The blade, which had been slashing through space with brute force, paused for a moment.
'If this were the original…'
The next sequence of techniques had not been passed down. However, having already grasped the principles, Ghislain naturally transitioned into the next movements.
The mana cultivation technique, which had always felt incomplete, began to align seamlessly with the swordsmanship, supporting each move.
Wham!
What had once been the rough, rugged swordsmanship of the north transformed into a single, flowing breeze.
Like a harsh wind turning into a gentle stream, Ghislain's sword danced gracefully through the air.
Ghislain closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. Within him, mana swirled, enveloping his entire body. It felt as if every muscle, from the hand gripping the sword to the tips of his toes, was connected in perfect harmony.
"So this is it."
With each swing of his sword, Ghislain felt an unparalleled sense of freedom.
His movements became increasingly liberated. The sword no longer adhered to rigid forms but moved as if holding infinite possibilities.
At times, it surged like a raging torrent; at others, it flowed softly, like the fall of a leaf.
It was as fierce as a wild wind sweeping down a mountain peak or as primal as a predator sprinting across the wilderness.
Whish!
Eventually, Ghislain's sword came to a stop. It wasn't perfect yet, but he understood what his ancestors had been striving for.
"Finally... I've truly reclaimed the sword of my family."
Ghislain grinned. He had gained an unexpected treasure.
The swordsmanship he had refined compensated for its flaws through countless real battles. His mana cultivation technique had been inspired by a fragmentary ancient magic tome and modified accordingly.
When compared to the complete swordsmanship of his family, neither could be deemed superior. Their essence was similar, and their foundations were the same.
However, if his swordsmanship focused on explosive destruction, the family's swordsmanship sought more adaptable freedom.
"Good. I can become stronger."
A new goal emerged.
He intended to combine what he had learned into a more advanced swordsmanship and mana cultivation technique.
Of course, further research was needed. Even if he had seen the answer, he hadn't yet fully grasped the process.
In any case, he now had a sense of the level of strength possessed by the ancient masters. He would surpass them.
By combining the power to control will with techniques that transcended their time, he could undoubtedly elevate his mastery.
"Is this what they intended?"
Though he had felt this way before, today he was certain. These recurring dreams were helping him raise his abilities.
It was clear they were showing him a path to becoming as strong as, if not stronger than, the mighty figures from a thousand years ago.
As a bonus, he was gradually uncovering answers to his lingering questions.
"It seems the hero's companions each left something behind after the war..."
The mage had likely established the magic tower where Jerome now resided and developed new spells. That story didn't resonate much with Ghislain, aside from Jerome being the mage's successor.
He was far more interested in the knight and the masked woman.
"If the knight was the founding king of Lutania… then the masked woman must have been the captain of the Shadow Knights. It makes sense to assume they founded the new kingdom together."
As comrades, it was entirely plausible. Perhaps, as Berhem suggested, they joined forces to guard the saintess's holy relic, or maybe there was another reason.
"And… though he may not be an ancestor of Perdium family, let's assume he is for now. Either way, that man was part of their group, wasn't he?"
He, too, was one of the hero's companions. And the Perdium territory had long protected the northern frontier of Lutania.
Thus, it seemed more credible to say that the three of them had founded Lutania together.
"Hmm, but it doesn't quite fit."
One became a king, another ruled the kingdom from the shadows.
Yet the third… left behind nothing but a shabby family.
At that thought, Ghislain's expression turned sour.
"Ah, this doesn't look good at all. They were all comrades of the hero, so why is my family the only one in this state?"
Even if they didn't fit perfectly with the other two, it felt as though they were lagging far behind.
There was no way a figure of that caliber could have left behind such a pitiful legacy...
'Although, considering his behavior, it's plausible.'
Still, the kingdom wouldn't have treated him poorly. What could have happened in the intervening time?
"For generations, we've just fought northern barbarians… lived miserably because of a lack of funds… It doesn't make sense for someone who co-founded the kingdom to be treated like this..."
Muttering to himself, something suddenly clicked in Ghislain's mind.
It was something Erenes had said.
— The Demon Realm… is the Forest of Demonic Beasts.
"Ah."
Finally, Ghislain realized.
The true mission of the Perdium family wasn't merely to fend off northern barbarians.
It was...
To monitor the Demon Realm. That was their real duty.
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