“So then… are you telling me that the technique you used on me that day was something you more or less pulled off by intuition?”
“Well, something like that.”
After hearing Lucian’s explanation, Felicia raised her eyebrows. A moment later, a voice so cold it seemed to carry an icy wind escaped her lips.
“My lord, what were you thinking doing something like that? If the trajectory of the sword I was about to swing and my lord’s prediction had deviated even a little, you could have been split in two right there!”
“But you used that method too. Seeing you do it gave me the idea.”
“I can see mana, so it’s not the same! No wonder my lord’s movements at the time were completely unpredictable…!”
Even though time had already passed, Felicia brought a hand to her forehead as she recalled Lucian’s extreme recklessness.
The thought that a single mistake could have cost him his life sent a shiver through her.
“Huff… what’s done can’t be changed. But never do something like that again.”
“Don’t worry. Unless there’s a talent truly worth risking my life for, there’s no reason to do it…”
“Even if such a talent exists, you still must not do it!”
“Alright, alright.”
At Felicia’s firm shout, Lucian took a step back.
In truth, if he hadn’t known Felicia in his past life, he would never have done something so dangerous, but there was no way to explain that.
After getting a clear answer from her lord, Felicia finally nodded, satisfied.
“Very well. I’ll teach you the sword as you wish. However, I’m still learning myself, so it’s best not to have high expectations. Learning is one thing, but teaching isn’t something I’m very confident in.”
“I’m not expecting anything extraordinary, so don’t pressure yourself. I just need someone who sees swordsmanship from a different perspective than others.”
Lucian said this without much conviction and formed a bitter smile inside.
In his past life, she had taught so well—what lack of confidence?
‘To be honest, more than Sir Eisen, Felicia had true talent for teaching.’
Though she possessed talent that surpassed Eisen’s, Felicia could precisely identify where those inferior to her were getting stuck.
Considering that geniuses often fail to understand others’ perspectives, that in itself was a talent.
For an exceptional swordswoman to also have teaching aptitude meant she could cultivate high-level swordsmen.
“Also, the way I see things is different from others, so it’s better to listen to me with some filtering. It might sound arrogant.”
“That’s exactly why I need your help even more.”
“Huh? What do you mean…?”
“If we trade a few blows, you’ll understand.”
Lucian took a wooden training sword and handed it to Felicia.
Caught off guard by the sudden duel, she looked a bit confused, but still exchanged a few light blows with him. Tap. With the sound of several brief clashes, Felicia’s eyes opened wide.
“My lord, could it be…?”
“It’s as you think.”
Lucian smiled broadly and added.
“Now I can see the same things you do.”
***
With her face flushed with excitement, Felicia immediately took Lucian to the training grounds.
She seemed immensely happy just to be able to share that vision no one else had.
“If my lord can see the same things I do, then you’ll know how to use these eyes.”
“Isn’t it to foresee the enemy’s movements and react beforehand?”
“Exactly. But that method only works against knights of similar level or opponents slightly stronger. If the enemy is even stronger, these eyes can become poison.”
“…?”
Seeing Lucian tilt his head in confusion, Felicia took a stance.
“It’ll be faster to show you directly. I’ll attack, so try to block me.”
Lucian assumed the posture as she said. Even against an opponent with the same eyes, there was no way to block everything that could be seen.
Even if it was Felicia, the movement of mana was visible to Lucian. When he tried to react to the mana moving diagonally—
Whoosh!
“…!”
Lucian shuddered as he saw Felicia close in instantly to a distance where he could feel her breath.
Before he realized it, the cold touch of the wooden sword she held was already resting against the back of his neck.
“Did you see it?”
“Yes… I saw it. But I couldn’t react.”
“That’s exactly it.”
Felicia smiled and lowered the wooden sword.
“This eye can easily make you believe you’re omnipotent. But if you rely on it too much, you can lose the moment to retreat. Seeing all of the enemy’s attacks makes you fall into the illusion that you can almost always win.”
“So seeing the entire trajectory of the attack doesn’t mean you can stop it?”
“That’s right. A common knight, the moment they sense the difference in level, would realize how absurd it is to choose a head-on clash and would look for another method.”
He understood.
Being able to swallow a moderate difference in level made it easy to fall into arrogance.
It was advice that truly sank into his bones. Choosing without thought an option he would have avoided before, just because his vision had improved a little, was undoubtedly foolish.
“Of course, you can’t always avoid a direct confrontation. There will be times when you have to fight someone stronger than you. That’s why, from now on, I’ll teach you how to use this eye.”
“How to use this eye?”
“The movement of mana doesn’t just show the trajectory. The small vibrations, the thickness, the distortion of the air around it—all of that reveals the enemy’s speed, the force contained in the attack, and the changes in the sword.”
Felicia concentrated mana in her eyes, signaling him to imitate her. When Lucian did the same, just as she said, the subtle variations became much clearer.
“It’s good. Though it’s a bit hard to distinguish, it’s extremely subtle.”
“If you practice often with me, my lord will improve as well.”
“Practice? In what way?”
“By fighting a lot.”
Felicia smiled faintly as she gripped the wooden sword.
“From now on, I’ll attack you continuously. My lord must observe my attacks and counter at the exact moment.”
“…Don’t tell me that if I fail, I’ll just take the hit as it is? You won’t hold back midway?”
“My lord, when my father trained me, he always said this.”
With a completely serious expression, Felicia spoke clearly.
“Without the pain of failure, there is no progress.”
“…”
“Alright, then let’s begin.”
Seeing Felicia’s mana ripple and flare like a flame, Lucian’s body shuddered.
It was the first moment, since his past life, that he regretted his own choice just a little.
***
“Good work. We’ll stop here for today.”
“Ugh…!”
As soon as Felicia ended the training session, a groan escaped Lucian’s lips before he could stop it.
It had already been a week since the special training began.
During that time, he’d taken so many hits that he couldn’t even clearly tell what part of his body hurt anymore.
‘No… more like, since there’s not a single part that hasn’t been hit, everything just hurts.’
Felicia’s training had been so brutal that the peace he felt at the beginning now seemed like a distant dream.
Even Lucian himself, who had proposed the training, had nearly swallowed his pride and asked to end it.
The problem was that the results of that hellish training were far too obvious.
‘If there weren’t any results, I would’ve already asked to stop, but I’m improving day by day—so clearly that I can’t.’
Though he complained, deep down Lucian was satisfied.
After a week of intensive training, he could now use that “eye” completely. He no longer only saw the opponent’s movements, but also how much force they would use and how to respond.
The same applied to swordsmanship.
His understanding of techniques remained the same as before, but his coordination between eyes and hands, as well as his reaction speed, had increased explosively.
‘At this level, there’s no need to obsess over a one-shot duel anymore. Rather than relying on a moment of burst, it wouldn’t be bad to exchange blows directly either.’
“I’ll say it again—don’t fall into the trap of arrogance.”
As if she had read his thoughts, Felicia spoke with a serious expression.
“It’s true you’ve grown stronger. It’s natural to want to test that strength. But like I’ve told you again and again…”
“If you avoided strong enemies before, even after getting stronger, you must still be cautious. I know. Never let your guard down.”
Lucian sincerely accepted Felicia’s advice.
Unlike a knight who devotes their life solely to the sword, he was someone who aspired to become a ruler.
Losing his life due to competitive pride would be the height of stupidity.
“I only thought of it as a possibility. No matter how much explosive strength I gain, if the opponent masters counter techniques, I could end up the one losing. For now, I should be glad to have more options.”
“Yes, that’s right. Limiting your tactics to only one approach is dangerous too.”
Hearing Lucian’s calm response, Felicia finally showed a gentle smile.
Knights desperate to test their strength were often the first to die.
Without cool judgment, even those who trained hard could fall before ever leaving their name in history.
In that sense, Lucian was a relatively reassuring lord.
At times he threw himself into dangerous, even shocking gambles—but never without a plan.
“Young master.”
“Hm?”
While Lucian massaged his sore shoulder, Hans appeared with a tense expression.
“His Excellency the Grand Duke is calling for you.”
***
After washing the sweat off his body and changing clothes, Lucian headed to the Grand Duke’s office.
However, a question kept circling in his mind the entire way.
‘This is strange. Normally, Father wouldn’t call me alone in a situation like this.’
Lucian was already clearly standing out in the competition for succession, and yet he was being summoned separately.
It was obvious this could cause misunderstandings among his siblings.
It didn’t seem like the Grand Duke, who always tried to give fair opportunities to his children and avoid unnecessary suspicion.
‘Could this be about the suppression of the Krephelt rebellion?’
The breaking of the Grand Pact and the empire’s withdrawal had caused some unrest on the continent, but not to the extent of his previous life.
The empire had maintained its strength, and the first prince had also come out unharmed.
However, since Krephelt had declared independence, the empire couldn’t just pull back.
To preserve its authority, it was necessary to reorganize the coalition and crush them completely.
‘It was about time to try a new punitive expedition. Looks like the emperor stepped in and spoke to my father.’
The emperor had shown great sympathy toward Lucian during the previous suppression campaign.
It wouldn’t be strange if he had specifically requested Lucian to be sent before the new coalition was formed.
With that conclusion in mind, Lucian found himself in front of the Grand Duke.
“There’s a problem in the north.”
“…Huh?”
For a moment, Lucian thought he’d misheard. Not from the emperor—but from the Grand Duke himself—the north?
“F-Father, excuse me, but when you say the north… do you mean something related to my maternal family?”
“That’s right. That’s why I called you.”
“I’m already a Valdeck. It’s unfortunate that the lineage of my maternal family died out, but bringing that up now…”
“I know. It must feel sudden to you. I understand how you feel. The problem is that someone unworthy has taken the inheritance that was rightfully yours.”
“Inheritance…?”
“The County of Calix is trying to unite the other northern houses. They claim they want to end the generations-long disputes and restore the glory of the old kingdom.”
Lucian had heard of House Calix.
It wasn’t anywhere near the level of the Grimaldi Duchy, but it was still a family with some recognition in the north.
However, they completely lacked the legitimacy needed to bring other houses under their rule.
“That’s an overreaching ambition.”
“Yes, an excessive one. They know it themselves. Maybe that’s why, instead of using the name House Calix, they’re flying the banner of House Grimaldi.”
“…!?”
Hearing the name of his maternal family so suddenly, Lucian blinked in shock.
The last descendant of House Grimaldi was standing right there—yet someone else dared to use that name?
____
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