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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: 3. Legacy of the Ancestors (3)
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Yuri curled up the corner of his mouth.
Getting surprised by just this much? This was merely the beginning.
He was a man who had lived once and returned. With his memories from his previous life, he was confident he could grow much faster.
In the not-too-distant future, the Empire would bare its ambitions and invade Brioll.
Yuri had no intention of sitting idly by.
No matter what it took, he would crush them.
This life would be different.
"Hey."
Yuri rose from his spot.
"I'm still confused."
Even after seeing the flow of mana, mastering the Mana Circulation Method right away was impossible.
So, he needed to experience it with his body more.
Yuri raised his sword.
"Let's do this properly."
The dummy raised its sword in response.
Its body was entirely translucent, so changes in expression couldn't be discerned clearly, but to Yuri, it looked as if the dummy was smiling.
The fight began anew.
The dummy pressed aggressively.
It even unleashed killing blows that shouldn't be used against a mere thirteen-year-old boy.
Startled, Yuri rolled across the ground to dodge the attacks, and the dummy stomped the floor in pursuit.
Yuri kept rolling, barely escaping the attack range.
"This is it, huh..."
Forcing his aching body to stand, Yuri grinned fiercely.
He hadn't expected his second life to be easy.
As he had told Jared, if he wanted to grow stronger, he couldn't linger in safe territory. He had to step into more dangerous, more challenging realms.
No matter how talented one was—no, especially if one was talented—they had to shed more blood.
Humans grew stronger by the amount of blood they shed.
"Is that all you've got? Come at me for real."
Provoked by Yuri's words, the dummy attacked even more fiercely, as if reacting to them.
Even defending was grueling.
But Yuri could tell.
This thing was adjusting the difficulty to what he could handle.
So, fleeing from here would betray the expectations of his ancestor, Erich Brioll.
He opened his eyes wide.
Gripped his sword tightly.
And focused on the flow of mana surging through the dummy's body.
As he mimicked it, memories from his past life surfaced.
'Imitate it.'
When he had just become a mercenary and had nothing but passable swordsmanship, a senior mercenary had told him that.
'To become the best, imitate the best.'
Back then, he had felt resistant. He thought imitating would only make him a second-rate copy.
But with time, he learned.
Imitation was the easiest shortcut to stealing an opponent's realm.
"Erich Brioll, huh..."
The being who had made a name with the sword and founded a dynasty was personally tutoring him right before his eyes. How fortunate.
So, he had to absorb everything.
Fire lit in Yuri's eyes.
He couldn't miss a single moment.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
When Jared opened his eyes, he was standing in the training grounds.
"Huh?"
He looked around.
Was the trip to Sword Mountain with the Third Prince to find the dungeon just a dream?
"No way."
Jared drew his sword and muttered.
The memories were too vivid for it to be a dream.
Just moments ago, he had been underground in Sword Mountain with the Death Knight, swept up in the energy emanating from the massive mana stone.
So, this situation itself must be part of the trial.
"Come out."
Something then walked up onto the training grounds.
"..."
Jared twisted his lips.
It was a being identical to him.
His doppelganger stood there, sword at the ready.
"What's your name? Jared too?"
The fake replied.
"Jared. Do not defy your fate."
Hearing his own voice directly was a bizarre experience.
"Fate?"
"Didn't you join the Royal Guard because you wanted an easy life?"
"Yeah."
"Stay away from the prince. The more you defy fate, the more misfortune you'll bring upon yourself."
"Fate, huh..."
Jared looked at the sword in his hand.
It was exactly like the one he used.
He gripped and swung it a few times; it felt natural.
"Win the fight, and I pass the trial, right?"
As he raised his sword, the fake did the same.
It was a cliché.
Meet the fake, fight and win. Otherwise, you die.
"Your fate does not lie with the prince."
"Being a fake, you know nothing."
Jared advanced.
The fake swung its sword.
Jared dodged lightly and counterattacked. Blood sprayed from the opponent's body.
Too easy.
Jared muttered.
"I've realized something lately."
To be precise, it was a realization after meeting the Third Prince, Yuri.
"A sword swing can't be taken back once unleashed. Dwelling on past strikes just muddles the mind."
The fake resisted, but Jared subdued it effortlessly.
The fake's swordsmanship was simple. It focused on defense and avoided risks.
Jared understood.
This was him before meeting the Third Prince.
In the fake's terms, the version of Jared that hadn't defied fate.
"Pathetic."
Self-assessing as such, Jared suddenly closed the distance.
Their ranges overlapped.
Jared swung without turning from the danger, eyes wide open.
In a brief instant, dozens of strikes clashed.
The fake was shredded into dozens of pieces and collapsed.
Watching one's body get torn apart wasn't pleasant.
"..."
The fake's body melted into black goo, then the remnants reformed into a dark silhouette.
Jared nodded in understanding.
"So the real body is separate?"
The fake swelled larger, transforming into a massive monster twice his size.
The fake had lectured him about fate, and now as a black monster, it blocked his path.
Perhaps implying that defying fate meant fighting such beasts as payment.
But as said before.
A swung sword couldn't be retracted.
Jared bared his teeth in a grin.
"This is fun."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Time passed.
Yuri quickly absorbed the techniques shown by Erich's dummy.
His body was that of a talented boy, his soul that of an experienced mercenary.
He soaked up how to operate the Mana Circulation Method and how to wield the sword accordingly, like a sponge.
The fights with the dummy were like private lessons.
There were occasional dangerous moments, but the dummy ignored them, intent on passing everything to Yuri.
Around the time he felt accustomed to the Mana Circulation Method.
Yuri suddenly realized a vast amount of time had passed.
"How long has it been..."
Too focused on clashing swords to notice, he hadn't eaten or slept, yet felt no fatigue.
Realizing it now—did that mean the time had come?
Yuri lowered his sword and looked at the dummy.
The dummy mirrored him, relaxing its stance and gazing back.
"..."
The wasteland began to fade.
The sky crumbled.
Against the collapsing world, the dummy waved its hand.
A farewell.
Yuri waved back.
"Thanks."
You're welcome.
He thought he heard such a voice.
Yuri closed and opened his eyes.
...
Suddenly, he was back in the dungeon.
Blink.
Yuri realized.
Everything he had just experienced was an illusory dream in the blink of an eye.
Looking around, Jared and Hernando had strange expressions too.
Their appearances unchanged, yet an odd vitality flowed from them.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Looks like you had a good dream.]
"What was that just now?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Erich's arrangement. He believed a descendant of Brioll would come someday.]
That was half right.
In his previous life, no one came here, and Sword Mountain fell to the Empire.
"Did the founder use this Mana Circulation Method?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [No. He couldn't use it himself. It's the final legacy he created in his later years, combining insights gained wandering the East. You're the first inheritor.]
"Why leave it like this? Why not pass it to the royal family?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [He waited for the right time.]
"The right time?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [This dungeon doesn't open until the time is right.]
The Death Knight's eyes blazed red.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [If this dungeon has opened, it means the time has come when that power is needed.]
"What time is that?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Not for me to answer.]
"Then?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Find out yourself.]
Yuri pressed further, but the Death Knight gave no reply.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Remember this. That Mana Circulation Method holds Erich's will. It holds more meaning than you can imagine.]
Yuri nodded.
As it said, Erich's Mana Circulation Method was utterly unique. Completely different from the Brioll Mana Method passed down in the royal family.
"What's the Mana Circulation Method called?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [A name...]
The Death Knight paused briefly before answering.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [He called it 'Heart-Soul Severing.']
It didn't sound like a Mana Circulation Method's name, but Yuri accepted it.
This was both a Mana Circulation Method and a sword art. The two were intertwined inseparably.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Yuri Brioll.]
The Death Knight approached Yuri.
Its presence was menacing.
Sudden killing intent made Jared and Hernando move to block it, but they were flung against the wall in an instant.
Yuri stood firm before the Death Knight without dodging.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Kneel on one knee.]
"Why?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [To the heir of Brioll, I shall pass the legacy of our forebears.]
Yuri knelt on one knee and showed proper respect.
The Death Knight placed a hand on Yuri's head.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Yuri Brioll.]
Backlit by the mana stone's glow, deep shadows draped the Death Knight's face.
The silhouette of a fallen knight, and the blazing backlight filled his vision.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Never fear your enemies.]
In that shattered, wretched voice, Yuri felt as if he heard someone else's overlaid.
He answered unwittingly.
"Yes."
The mana stone's light flickered.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Act upon your convictions.]
"Yes."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [To the end, fulfill Brioll's duty.]
"Yes."
No platitudes about protecting the weak or upholding justice.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Remember this.]
The Death Knight suddenly grabbed Yuri by the hair, yanking his head back and shoving its face close.
Yuri had to face the Death Knight's visage directly.
A ragged skull.
Red eyes gleaming within.
The image of death etched into Yuri's eyes.
Its voice coursed down his spine.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Brioll does not forsake honor. Even unto death.]
Beyond its skull, the mana stone's light surged.
The Death Knight's body began to scatter.
It neither released Yuri's hair nor averted its gaze.
Staring into Yuri's eyes with blazing eyes, it faded away like that.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [That is Brioll's oath.]
Its voice engraved itself into Yuri's soul.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Their early morning escapade ended only as the sun set.
Yuri's group returned to the palace as stealthily as when they left.
The palace servants merely thought the prince had been loafing somewhere.
"Your Highness."
Hernando said to Yuri.
"I'll report today's events to His Majesty."
"Do you have to?"
"Don't you think it's necessary?"
"Yeah. Got it."
He had no intention of insisting on secrecy. The matter was too significant.
"Jared, go rest. You worked hard today."
"Yes."
Jared had been out of sorts since returning from Sword Mountain. Curious about his experience, but he'd ask tomorrow.
Parting from the two, Yuri didn't go to his room but detoured to the palace library.
There, he found records of the founder.
Erich Brioll.
He had siblings.
But they had forsaken honor, and thus vanished into history without a name.
No specifics on their crimes were recorded.
At least his portrait remained.
A melancholic man with a sword at his side.
"..."
Yuri drew the sword from Sword Mountain and held it.
'Brioll does not forsake honor. Even unto death.'
A knight who even in death found no rest.
A sword imbued with his regrets.
A fitting weapon for a sinner like him.
"In the end, you received no forgiveness for your sins."
It had passed Erich Brioll's legacy to him and returned to the afterlife.
Then, when could he, who destroyed the kingdom yet shamelessly lived a second life, atone for his sins?
Yuri gripped the sword hilt tightly.
'That is Brioll's oath.'