Chapter – 73
***
“What’s this, were you training?”
“As if that were possible.”
Maranello smiled brightly.
“I was waiting for you, young master.”
“Waiting for me?” Carlisle asked.
“Yes, young master.”
“Why?”
Carlisle made a face that said he simply couldn’t understand.
“It’s not like I’m the type to train hard.”
“Of course not, however,” Maranello chuckled softly. “I anticipated you wouldn’t be able to sleep.”
“You anticipated that?” Carlisle was startled.
This sly old fox… just how far could he see?
“It’s common for soldiers returning from the battlefield to struggle with sleep.”
“Common?”
“Yes, young master.” Maranello gave a bitter smile. “Even though you’ve returned home after passing through death’s door multiple times, the comfortable bed and cozy home feel rather uncomfortable, don’t they?”
“Is that why I tossed and turned?”
“Yes, young master.”
“The reason being?”
“On the battlefield, you constantly feel the threat of death. Your mind and body are always tense, so even if you sleep, you can’t sleep deeply. Except when you’re utterly exhausted to the point of collapse, that is.”
“That does seem about right.”
“But what about the battlefield? Someone is always shouting, the stench of blood, sweat, and excrement fills the air, and people die right before your eyes. But what about home?”
“It’s comfortable. Quiet. No foul odors.”
“Yes, that’s correct. That is the reason you couldn’t sleep well.”
“So… you’re saying it’s because it suddenly became *too* comfortable that I found it uncomfortable? Me?”
“Correct.”
“How ironic. I return to a safe place only to feel discomfort.”
“No wonder they call humans creatures of adaptation. Hehe. You’ll be fine in a few days. Though, if you aren’t, that would be a problem in itself.”
“And if I’m not fine?”
“You would gradually go mad. Unable to sleep, having frequent nightmares, the faces of your dead comrades flashing before your eyes even in your dreams. Eventually, you’d be unable to distinguish between nightmare and reality and go completely insane.”
“It gets that bad?”
“Yes.”
Maranello nodded, his expression seeming somewhat sorrowful for some reason, so Carlisle didn’t ask further.
“But there’s no need to worry. You are a member of the Sigmund family. You were born with a strong mind and body.”
“Never mind that. Since I can’t sleep anyway, I might as well train. If my body gets tired enough, sleep should come.”
“A fine idea.”
Maranello smiled brightly.
“I need to sort out my thoughts for a moment.”
“Yes, young master.”
Carlisle plopped down in the training ground, sat cross-legged, and quietly sank into meditation.
Before training, he felt the need to review his recent battles and examine the new abilities he had acquired.
‘Thrusting, slashing. That’s all the swordsmanship I know. But I never felt my swordsmanship was lacking. It was my strength and mana that were insufficient.’
Thanks to his ability, [Weapon Master], which increased proficiency with any weapon he held, his swordsmanship had improved considerably without him even realizing it.
It seemed that even without specific training, just experiencing real combat on the battlefield had developed his swordsmanship.
‘And…’
Carlisle reflected on the skills he possessed.
‘The abilities gained through the Soul Mourning Sword are… [Weapon Master], [The Silent One’s Diligence], [Genesis], [Loyal Heart], [The Wish of the Sincere], [One Against a Thousand], [Mutual Growth].’
Memories of the deceased suddenly came to mind.
The hero who protected Decaron from the barbarian invasion long ago, the people who made wishes at the fountain, the nameless knight who stood alone against the enemies to cover his allies’ retreat, and even Gwen.
Carlisle recalled their final moments and pondered the meaning of each skill.
It felt like the right thing to do.
The more he understood their will… their resentment left in this world, the more the completion level of each skill seemed to increase.
Once the skills gained through the Soul Mourning Sword were somewhat organized, he finally sorted out the ability contained within the Bloodline Awakening, the Sigmund family’s heritage, in his mind.
‘Berserk Mode. The mana consumption is one thing, but the stamina drain is enormous too. And the Nether King’s ability… what exactly is it?’
Carlisle couldn’t comprehend the [Blade Hell] he had unleashed.
In the moment he used [Blade Hell], it felt like he wasn’t himself, and the memory was hazy.
‘Well, I’ll figure it out in time. What the Nether King’s trait is.’
Carlisle wasn’t the type to dig too deeply into things, so he stopped his thoughts there.
*Ding!*
A notification window popped up.
***
[Carlisle van Sigmund]
Race: Human
Age: 23
Status: Noble
Grade: ★★★☆
Occupation: Soldier (Private)
Rank: Private (Promotion to 2nd Lieutenant scheduled)
Trait: Nether King
***
‘3.5 stars, huh.’
The game [Overlord] used stars, not levels, to denote grade.
The more stars, the higher the grade, and needless to say, the stronger one was.
Of course, grade wasn’t absolute; with compatibility, various variables, and luck, it was entirely possible for a 3-star character to defeat a 5-star one.
Though, if the grade difference was more than 3 levels, winning would be nearly impossible.
‘Well, not bad.’
Carlisle flicked his hand slightly, dismissing the notification window, and stood up.
“Finished your meditation, young master?”
“Yep.”
“Then shall we…?”
“Let’s begin.”
Carlisle drew his wooden sword.
“Come at me.”
Maranello grinned, picking up a duster.
***
* * *
***
The sparring… was closer to a one-sided beating disguised as sparring.
*Thwack, Thwack!*
“Ugh!”
A groan escaped Carlisle’s lips.
Maranello was merely tapping him intermittently with a duster, yet the destructive power was immense.
Not only did it leave bruises, but even a graze from the duster’s feathers tore his clothes and split his skin, causing blood to trickle down.
‘Is this the difference in our levels?’
Looking at Maranello casually swinging the duster, Carlisle felt the gap between them.
But that was only natural.
As Carlisle recalled, Maranello was a formidable 9-star powerhouse.
If not for unavoidable circumstances forcing his retirement, he might have even broken through to 10 stars. Maranello was that much of a monster.
If Maranello put his mind to it, sweeping away the dark mage Crowley and the entire Butcher tribe would be a trivial matter.
In other words, he was far from an opponent that Carlisle, a mere 3-star, could dare to challenge.
“You’ve improved greatly, young master.”
“Who are you teasing?”
“How could I possibly do such a thing?” Maranello feigned seriousness, as if the thought was absurd.
“You’ve exceeded my expectations.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, young master. Frankly, I’m a bit surprised.”
“Hmm.”
“Don’t be too impatient.”
“Impatient, my foot.” Carlisle snorted derisively. “Since I’m training anyway, I might as well do it properly. It’s not about being obsessed with strength.”
“Hehe.”
“But it is annoying just getting beaten up one-sidedly. Ugh.” Carlisle used the wooden sword as a cane to push himself up.
His left thigh, which had just been struck by Maranello, was trembling violently.
“Here I come.”
“Yes, please come.”
The sparring resumed.
*Thwack, Thwack!*
“Ugh!”
Carlisle continued to be pummeled, unable to land a single proper counterattack.
‘I need to hit him at least once. Urgh.’
But Maranello’s swordsmanship was truly impregnable, leaving no opening for Carlisle’s sword to exploit.
After being knocked down, broken, and tumbling around numerous times…
‘Just once, only once…’
Just as Carlisle was desperately looking for an opening in Maranello’s defense.
***
[Notification: <Wish> skill activated!]
[Notification: Luck increased by 150%!]
[Notification: Critical hit rate increased by 15%!]
***
As if responding to Carlisle’s will, [Wish] activated.
‘Huh?’
There was no time to be surprised.
*Swish!*
Maranello’s duster was flying right towards his face.
‘Ah, whatever.’
Carlisle swung his wooden sword with all his might.
*KABOOM!*
With a deafening roar like a bomb exploding, Carlisle’s wooden sword shot straight towards the center of Maranello’s chest.
Soul Mourning Sword, Loyal Heart.
Combined with [Wish], it was a thrust enhanced further.
*Thud.* Carlisle’s wooden sword narrowly grazed past Maranello’s side.
Although not a fatal blow, it was a counterattack that could have been expected to deal significant damage if it were a real sword.
“……!”
Startled, Maranello leaped back swiftly and asked, “Young master? What was that just now? Hehehe.”
“Not sure.” Carlisle replied, sounding like he couldn’t believe it himself.
This was absolutely not intentional.
[Loyal Heart] and [Wish] had simply combined on their own, resulting in a completely different technique.
*Ding!*
A notification window appeared before Carlisle’s eyes.
***
[Sonic Loyal Heart]
A thrust that has evolved to be even more threatening, with <Loyal Heart> combined with <Wish>’s critical hit rate. The sword momentarily breaks the sound barrier, characterized by a loud roar.
Skill Level: 1
Formula: Loyal Heart + Wish
***
‘You can combine them like this?’
Carlisle was quite surprised that the abilities gained through the Soul Mourning Sword could combine into a completely different skill.
Then that means…
‘Can I do Sonic Genesis too?’
Carlille was curious if the effect of [Wish] could be added to [Genesis], a slashing technique, instead of the thrusting [Loyal Heart].
‘Shall I try?’
Carlisle swung his wooden sword horizontally from left to right.
*KABOOM!*
The wooden sword cut through the air, and the roar of it breaking the sound barrier echoed.
“It works.”
“Don’t tell me… you just created that?”
“Yep.”
Carlisle nodded in response to Maranello’s question.
“I just tried it on a whim.”
“Hehe.” Maranello let out a hollow laugh.
To think he could develop a supersonic sword technique on the spot, especially while being completely on the defensive and taking a one-sided beating…
‘Is the second young master a genius as well?’
Maranello thought that Carlisle might also possess the same immense talent as the firstborn, Selena, and the youngest, Frey.
There was no other way to explain creating a necessary sword technique on the spot like that.
***
* * *
***
Thanks to the sparring with Maranello, Carlisle was able to get a good night’s sleep.
Though ‘good night’s sleep’ was a stretch; it was closer to collapsing from exhaustion.
Having been almost unilaterally beaten by Maranello from early evening until dawn, it was only natural that Carlisle passed out.
“Young master, young master.”
“Don’t wake me. I’m tired.”
At Evangelin’s call, Carlisle reluctantly opened his eyes.
Seeing the sun high in the sky, it was clear he hadn’t been asleep for more than a few hours.
“I think you need to get up.”
“Why.”
“They say His Grace the Grand Duke has returned.”
“What’s that got to do with me?”
“……”
Evangelin was at a loss for words at Carlisle’s blatantly unfilial response.
How could it not have anything to do with him…?
“Shouldn’t you pay your respects?”
“Can’t be bothered.”
Carlisle pulled the covers over his head as if everything was a nuisance.
“If he’s so curious, he can summon me or come find me himself…”
Right at that moment.
*Click.* The door opened, revealing Maranello.
“Young master, His Grace the Grand Duke is asking for you.”
“Hey, Maranello, don’t you need sleep?” Carlisle irritably threw off the covers, his face scrunching up. “We were up all night together, weren’t we? How are you so fine?”
“Well, you were the one getting beaten up, young master, while I’m just a bit short on sleep, so isn’t that natural? Besides, the elderly naturally sleep less. Kekekeke.”
“Ugh.”
Carlisle let out a deep sigh and said, “Fine, tell him I’ll be there shortly. I need to wash up.”
“Yes, young master.”
Right after Maranello scurried away.
“Is the butler gone?”
“Yes.”
Hearing Evangelin’s reply, Carlisle hastily threw on his clothes and headed towards the window.
And then, he leaped out of the window.
“Kyaaah!”
A scream erupted from the startled Evangelin.
