I Regressed to My Ruined Family – 29

 #I returned, and my family was ruined (30)

Ethan looked at Fulton.

Six-star knights were called elite knights.

They were beginning to vaguely understand the essence of swordsmanship and were skilled enough to be treated with respect wherever they went.

“There are also several knights who are leaders of collateral branches.”

The Ferneus Barony ruled by Cheyman and the Amelton Barony ruled by Irdan.

To bring down the two baronies, they needed the strength to capture the elite knights.

“It’s difficult right now.”

No matter how powerful Eitan was in his previous life, he had only been training for a little over a month. It was difficult to defeat a 6-star knight right away.

“At best, I can buy some time.”

It was not for nothing that knights were ranked from 1-star to 10-star.

Each level had a significant difference, which is why they were given separate names.

Flame Snake, First Form.

Even with the sword technique he currently possessed, it was impossible to defeat a 6-star knight.

The speed at which the knight dodged the heat spreading out around him was much faster than the speed at which the heat spread.

It was a battle with very low odds of victory.

Nevertheless, he immediately requested a duel in order to objectively assess his own abilities.

A duel was one of the best ways to understand one’s true abilities.

“It will be a good experience.”

It was rare to have the opportunity to face a 6th rank knight. This was especially true in a small barony like this.

It was a good opportunity.

And Ethan wasn’t stupid enough to pass up such a great opportunity just because he was afraid of losing.

Fulton’s eyes lit up at the suggestion of a match.

He hesitated for a moment.

Then he nodded.

“All right.”

“Then come out.”

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“Yes.”

The two headed toward the training ground inside the inner castle. When they arrived, Ethan drew his swords and took his stance. Seeing this, Fulton nodded.

There were no openings to be seen.

“His stance is perfect.”

He had heard rumors about the Grand Duke.

He was known to have defeated the knights of the viscount’s domain shortly after regaining consciousness from a coma.

His ability to freely manipulate mana meant that he had successfully completed the process of resonance.

“He did that even with his mana hole broken.”

He was gifted with a talent from heaven.

His curiosity about that talent was what led him to search the Grand Duke’s body.

The results of his search were astonishing.

Not only did the Grand Duke notice the search, but he immediately scattered his mana.

This meant that the Grand Duke’s control over his mana was far superior to his own.

That’s why he was so surprised.

He had glimpsed a talent that could not be described as genius, an inexplicable talent.

That was why he readily accepted the Grand Duke’s challenge to a duel.

Falton drew his longsword.

Though shorter than a greatsword, it was a weapon that could reach close range much more easily and launch an attack.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

They circled each other silently. Ethan was the first to attack. His broadsword slashed toward Foltin’s face.

He widened his eyes at the speed of the blow.

“That’s fast!”

Much faster than he had expected.

The mana spinning inside his body spread naturally throughout his entire body.

The long sword filled with blue mana blocked the broadsword.

That was when it happened.

Suddenly, the broadsword twisted like a snake, passing by the long sword and stabbing deeply into his side.

“What!”

A sword technique like a snake?

It was a sword technique he had never seen before.

He was momentarily taken aback.

Poltan spun the mana around his body.

His figure became blurry.

The broadsword grazed the air.

“…I think I understand why the Knights were defeated.”

Poltan spoke quietly.

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The Grand Duke’s mana itself was not that much.

At best, he was probably only a second-class knight. However, his mana contained explosive power.

A mediocre knight would be swept away without even being able to resist that mana.

From Polton’s perspective, the knights of the viscount’s family were exactly that: mediocre knights.

“Then I’ll go first.”

Polton’s figure disappeared.

In an instant, he was behind Ethan and thrust his longsword forward. It was a speed that a normal knight would not even be able to react to.

Bang!

But the Grand Duke was different.

He easily blocked the longsword with his broadsword.

After that, Ethan counterattacked Fulton as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Amazing.”

It was truly amazing.

Was this really the swordplay of someone who had only been awake for a little over a month?

It was excessively precise, fast, and sharp.

Its efficiency was beyond words.

Even Fulton was watching his swordplay with enlightenment.

How to use a sword.

How to distribute mana.

How to maintain posture. The Grand Prince was nothing short of a perfect textbook.

It was in the middle of thrusting his sword.

Ethan smiled slightly and said casually.

“It’s a little difficult, as expected.”

“It’s amazing that you’re able to fight me at this level with the amount of mana you have.”

Fulton said seriously.

This was his true feelings, without a hint of falsehood.

The level of a knight was usually determined by the amount of mana they had.

The more mana a person had, the higher the limit of their physical development.

“…The Grand Duke.”

Despite not having a large amount of mana, he was effortlessly executing movements similar to those of a higher realm. If time continued to pass and he acquired 4-star mana or higher, what would happen?

Even he himself would not be able to easily defeat him.

At that moment.

“Let’s get this done properly.”

“…Huh?”

When Fulton tilted his head in confusion at the unexpected words, the Crown Prince’s speed suddenly exploded.

It was even faster than when he first encountered the great sword.

Fulton was terrified.

Bang!

Bang!

Every second, his sword strikes were split into multiple blows. Cold sweat dripped down the faces of the elite knights. The situation just now was truly dangerous.

If they had let their guard down even for a moment, they would have been unable to overcome the difference in speed and been struck down.

After rampaging for a while, the Grand Duke gradually calmed down after about five minutes.

Soon, a longsword was pointed at his neck.

“Ugh. Ugh. Huh… I lost.”

“…”

Even though he had won this battle, Polton’s expression remained stiff.

“…He’s a monster.”

He really was a monster.

From the sudden increase in speed to the explosive energy he had just unleashed, he couldn’t understand what had just happened.

“Grand Prince.”

“Why?”

“Did you hide your true strength when you first fought me?”

“No, that’s not it. It’s just one of my family’s secret techniques.”

“I see…”

The Ardan family.

If it was a secret technique of a family known as the best swordsmen in the Western Continent,

it was understandable that he was able to unleash an attack that seemed to explode his latent power in an instant.

Such a high-level technique would allow the user to unleash explosive power without much effort.

Of course, Eitan had mentioned it in this way because it was difficult to explain what the item “Palhwan” was.

“The sparring was enjoyable.”

“I also enjoyed it very much, Grand Duke.”

No matter how talented he was, he believed that he was currently inferior to him.

However, that was not the case.

The Grand Prince was already a complete knight.

There was only one thing he lacked.

That was time.

“If only half a year more had passed.”

He couldn’t say for sure if he would be able to defeat the Grand Prince.

Fulton smiled bitterly.

The Ardan family.

The family that was once the continent’s foremost swordsmanship clan.

It was a family that was the spiritual idol of all knights and had shown what chivalry truly meant in the war against the dragon clan.

Until now, he had thought that the family was a fallen giant.

But what was this?

A seed was sprouting under the fallen tree. It was a seed with explosive potential to grow much larger than the giant tree itself.

“Grand Prince.”

“Yes?”

“Will you continue to spar with me?”

Ethan’s face lit up.

The elite knights were all arrogant.

Most of them would probably ignore him, thinking that he didn’t even have enough mana to spar with them.

In that situation, a 6-star knight was asking him to continue sparring.

There was no reason to refuse.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, I am. I also gained a lot of insight from this sparring session. I beg you, please.”

Fulton bowed his head.

After achieving 6-star knight status.

Five years had passed without any significant achievements. Then, today, through his sparring match with the Grand Duke, he had gained a glimpse of enlightenment.

Although what he had gained was only a small fragment of enlightenment,

if it continued to accumulate…

He might be able to reach the 7th rank, known as the Grand Knight.

This was truly a great opportunity.

Pride?

Where does pride have a place in advancing one’s skill?

If he could continue sparring with the Grand Duke, Polton was willing to bow his head or even kowtow.

“Then let’s spar whenever we have time.”

“Thank you.”

The atmosphere was truly heartwarming.

*

After the sparring match ended.

Fulton entered his room. He took a crystal ball from his pocket and placed it on the mana stone.

Soon, light filled the crystal ball.

“Viscount Bloten. How have you been?”

“Is that you, Sir Fulton? I’ve been fine. By the way, what’s the matter? Why did you contact me first?”

“I have something to report about the Grand Duke.”

At those words, Bloten’s eyes reflected in the crystal ball flashed.

The Grand Duke.

He was the person Bloten had been watching most closely recently.

It was right after he met him that his son, Jayron, began to stand out.

According to Jayron, he was a very cautious and serious young man, yet full of ambition.

It was the first time his son had ever praised someone like that.

It was even more so considering that he was of the same age as his son.

That was why he had readily agreed to deliver the letter to the king.

He believed that the potential that the Grand Prince would show in the future should not be overlooked.

“That’s still true.”

Less than a month after he woke up, he destroyed a viscount’s domain.

The king completely misjudged the Grand Prince’s actions, which created a stage for him to run wild.

Upon hearing the news that the Grand Duke had awakened, the officials who had been expelled from the Duke’s household rushed toward the barony, and the residents of the Duke’s territory began to pay close attention to the Grand Duke’s movements.

This was the beginning of a great change in the Kingdom of Haidern.

In the eyes of Viscount Bloten, the starting point of that change was the Grand Duke.

Since he had begun to form a very friendly relationship with such a person, he had no choice but to focus on his every move.

Depending on how he moves.

“It is highly likely that the rise and fall of the Vessos family will also be decided.”

“Go on, tell me.”

At Bloten’s words, Fulton began to explain the details of today’s duel.

The more he explained, the wider Bloten’s eyes grew.

“He has skills that even a six-star knight would be nervous about…”

It was truly astonishing growth.

“Very interesting. Keep me informed about the Grand Duke, no matter what.”

“Yes, sir.”

The communication ended.

Bleton fell into deep thought.

The 10 branches of the royal family and the Grand Duke.

Until now, he had estimated their chances of victory to be about 50-50.

However, after hearing Fulton’s report, his judgment began to lean heavily toward one side.

“If nothing unexpected happens.”

The victor of this war will likely be the Grand Duke.

As the saying goes, in war, one must bet on the winning side to gain the most.

“I should probably give him a gift.”

Something very substantial, he thought.

The marquis’s eyes sparkled.