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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: My Dream is to be a Hellion (2)
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3.
After finishing his enjoyable exercise with the knights, Karron returned to his room, flopped onto his bed, and let out a deep sigh.
The Eye-Opening Ceremony.
He was well aware that it was the most important ritual in the life of a direct descendant of the Leston ducal family.
The primary significance of the Eye-Opening Ceremony was the awakening of one's mana.
After awakening the Leston family's
He knew his father had failed his own ceremony.
He'd heard all about the treatment his father had endured from the family afterward, through his drunken ramblings.
It had happened when Karron was very young, so Peil had no idea he even remembered the story.
"Father seems to think that since I inherited his blood, I might not be able to awaken my power…"
It was only natural for a father to worry about his child's future.
Especially a father who held such painful memories of the Eye-Opening Ceremony.
But Karron knew all that worrying was for nothing.
Because…
*Vmmm.*
Karron had already awakened his Azure Mana.
The blue-tinged mana shimmered at his fingertips.
The pure, refined mana he had once admired. Seeing the very power that had felt like Halo's exclusive domain now glowing from his own hand gave him a strange feeling.
"Hmm."
This Azure Mana had seeped into his body one day, out of the blue.
Was it three years ago?
He'd woken up to find it settled in his body like a gift.
Normally, he would need to open the mana pathways throughout his body, but Karron had no intention of doing so just yet.
He could have opened them anytime using the memories from his past life, but that method was one practiced by the Imperial Guard.
If people asked where he'd learned such a cultivation technique, he would be in a difficult position.
Especially since the technique would have been lost to time by now.
'It's not compatible with this body, anyway.'
The mana he possessed in his past life had been bestowed upon him by the Emperor.
To be precise, it was demonic mana that the Emperor had received from a demon and then granted to him.
'At first, I didn't know it was demonic and just gobbled it right up.'
It was the polar opposite of the pure mana he now possessed.
Just as materials required suitable processing methods, so did mana.
He would be able to learn the Leston ducal family's superior cultivation method if he just waited, so there was no need to force things.
Of course, that didn't mean he'd let his mana sit idle.
*Click.*
Karron took a fist-sized stone from the drawer beside his bed.
A small stone that glowed with a faint blue light.
It might have looked like just a pretty rock, but it was a mana stone, traded for a price higher than its weight in gold.
A stone imbued with mana.
In other words, a stone that could contain mana.
He had received it as a gift from a mage who had visited the estate.
While it was a useful item for mages, it was also used by the imperial family to practice mana manipulation.
*Zzzzing.*
As Karron channeled his mana into the stone, it began to vibrate with a resonant hum.
He couldn't open his mana pathways, but he could acclimate his body to manipulating mana.
Simply releasing his mana and focusing it on a single point was enough to activate the finer mana circuits.
'Once I get to the main estate, I won't need to do this anymore.'
This was just a workaround to adapt his body to mana before learning a proper cultivation method.
Once he learned the technique, he could use it to open his pathways.
Such a degree of mana manipulation was impossible for a mere ten-year-old, but this body handled the absurd feat with ease.
The same went for his physical recovery.
Even if he exercised until he collapsed from exhaustion one day, he would be fully recovered the next, as if nothing had happened.
It was a condition beyond comparison to his past life.
At this age in his previous life, he had often gone hungry because of his trashy master.
"Hoo."
Karron let out a long breath and nodded.
With this, he was ready to grow by leaps and bounds.
With this overflowing talent, it wouldn't take long to reach the heights he had achieved in his past life.
He set a goal.
Halo. He wanted to become stronger than that man. Before that man died of old age, he would definitely surpass him and mock him.
For now, he had no intention of revealing he was the reincarnation of Kain.
At least, not until he was stronger than him, or right before the man died.
Only then would he say, 'I was reborn as your grandson.' He would say it in the most infuriating, mocking tone he could muster.
It was a form of revenge. Revenge against a friend who had made people remember a death he hadn't wanted to be remembered for so long.
And after that…
"I have to slaughter those demon bastards."
Demons. The demonic races.
He would find and kill every last one of the demons who had made a deal with the Evil Emperor.
He didn't know the reason for this absurd reincarnation, but thanks to it, he had been given a great opportunity.
With this body, freed from their control.
With this body, which had gained its freedom.
He would hunt down and tear apart every monster that had once toyed with his fate.
"Right. Power comes first."
The starting point for this entire plan was the upcoming Eye-Opening Ceremony.
For now, the family would protect him. It was important to grow as much as possible while he was under their protection.
Internal family politics?
Compared to the threats outside the family, those were child's play.
Being the scorned youngest grandson of a duke was far better than being a slave in an underground fighting pit where his life was threatened every night. At least here, there were rules.
*Vmmm.*
Karron channeled his mana forcefully into the mana stone in his hand.
A moment later…
*Crumble.*
The stone in his hand disintegrated into dust.
He no longer needed this toy.
"This will be fun."
Clutching the stone dust, he walked to the window and opened it. Then, he blew the dust from his palm.
The glittering powder scattered into the air.
The bright full moon seemed to absorb the dust for a moment before it vanished.
The full moon was exceptionally bright tonight.
Karron gazed at it and smiled faintly.
Though he had been bewildered at the beginning of his reincarnation, that was no longer the case.
He was simply happy for this new life, this new chance he'd been given.
4.
Two weeks later, the day came to travel to the main estate to prepare for the Eye-Opening Ceremony.
Landscapes blurred past the train window at incredible speed.
Karron watched the scenery, letting out a small sound of admiration.
"Wow."
His mother, Sara, who was watching him from the side, spoke with a gentle smile.
"Are you fascinated by the train?"
"This is my first time actually riding one. It's incredible."
The existence of a train running on tracks was bound to be unfamiliar to Karron.
An iron horse that ran on rails powered by a mana engine.
In his past life, he seemed to recall hearing that the Imperial Academy was developing something like it, but he never imagined the invention would become so commercialized.
"This is the first railway ever opened on the continent. It was the project your father poured his heart and soul into."
"Father did?"
"Of course. Your father is the biggest patron of the Imperial Academy, isn't he? Many technologies were commercialized thanks to him, and the Leston ducal family is the greatest benefi…"
"Ahem, my dear. You're embarrassing me."
"Our Karron will understand just how important this railway is. Right, Karron?"
They were truly a loving couple.
Karron watched his parents with a warm smile.
As Sara said, Karron understood perfectly what this railway signified.
The train not only transported people but also played a role in revolutionizing the flow of goods throughout the ducal territory.
Sara hadn't been exaggerating.
In that respect, Karron held Peil's foresight in high regard.
"Father, you're amazing."
"You're making me blush."
Peil laughed heartily and stroked his son's head. He continued in a gentle voice.
"A lot will happen once we get to the main estate. It'll be your first time meeting your relatives, so you must be nervous. But don't worry too much. Your father will be right by your side."
It didn't matter if his son failed to achieve any significant results at the ceremony.
It would all be due to the blood he inherited from a father who couldn't awaken his own talent.
But anyone disrespecting his son was a different matter entirely.
Peil didn't want his son to feel the same sense of defeat and helplessness that he had.
'Again? The difficulty of being a son is too high.'
Karron sighed and took Peil's hand, whose expression had darkened. He smiled brightly and replied.
"I'm not nervous. I'm your son, after all."
Nervous? Far from it. He was more excited than ever.
Just thinking about the countless incidents awaiting him at the main estate was enough to make his heart race.
Karron had been quite disappointed that no relatives had visited them until now.
'I wanted to get a little taste beforehand.'
He could have gotten to know his relatives and gotten a feel for the atmosphere of the Leston ducal family.
It would have been beneficial in many ways.
'Well… it's pretty obvious even without seeing it.'
He could roughly guess the position of the third son, who had been excluded from the line of succession.
His past life had been spent in the imperial court, a hotbed of political intrigue. Drawing from that experience, it wasn't difficult to predict the current power dynamics of the Leston ducal family.
Factions divided between the first and second sons.
It had been a long time since his father was removed from the succession, so the two factions were undoubtedly at each other's throats like dogs.
It would be quite amusing to shatter that dynamic.
'That's a story for later, though.'
For now, the Eye-Opening Ceremony came first.
*Screeeech.*
As Karron was organizing his thoughts, the train came to a halt, and his parents stood up from their seats.
"We've arrived."
A train station was now visible outside the window, along with people waiting there.
There were people who looked like servants of the ducal family and knights clad in armor that shimmered with a faint blue light.
Karron disembarked from the train with his parents.
A kind-faced old butler bowed respectfully and greeted them.
"Welcome, Lord Peil. It has been a long time."
At the polite greeting, Peil smiled faintly and nodded.
"Has it been a year? Have you been well, Heinrich?"
"Thanks to the grace bestowed by the ducal family, I am always well."
The butler, called Heinrich, also exchanged a brief greeting with Sara.
Then, his eyes met Karron's.
"This is my son."
"Young Master. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Heinrich."
Another connection from his past life.
The young butler who had been busy cleaning up Halo's messes. Even in his old age, that butler remained with the ducal family.
Karron returned the old butler's greeting with a bright smile and a nod.
"I am Karron Leston. It's nice to meet you, Heinrich."
He had almost spoken informally out of habit but managed to show at least a minimum of courtesy.
A butler who had worked for a family for so long, especially one who had spent his life by the patriarch's side, deserved respect.
There was no need to make a bad impression on their first meeting.
"Now, we shall escort you from here."
"I'll be in your care."
Karron glanced up at Peil's face.
His expression was somewhat tense.
It was a face filled with resolve.
He didn't dislike that part of him. It was proof of how much his father loved him.
"Don't be nervous, Karron. Nothing will happen."
"I told you, I'm not nervous."
"You can be honest with us. Isn't that right, my dear?"
"Just as Karron said, you should…"
Perhaps he was saying that to himself.
Karron gently took his father's and mother's hands, and together, they boarded the waiting carriage.
Unfortunately for Karron, the possibility of 'nothing happening' was nonexistent.
And if nothing did happen…
'I'll just have to start something myself. It's my first visit to the main estate. It can't be uneventful, can it?'
He couldn't miss the first moment he came face-to-face with his family members.
Karron Leston, age ten.
The dream of the youngest grandson of the ducal family was to become the worst hellion in its history.
And the opportunity to fasten the first button of that dream arrived sooner than he thought.