I Regressed to My Ruined Family – 87

 #I returned, and my family was ruined (88)

Nearly 400 knights gathered at the grand training ground. They were horrified by the scene before their eyes.

“What on earth is this…?”

What had happened?

Even though they had witnessed it with their own eyes, their minds refused to accept the truth.

Or, to be more precise,

they were unable to accept it.

The scene before their eyes was that shocking.

Thirty of the most talented knights from the five branches of the family had rushed in, and in less than ten minutes, they were all lying on the floor of the training ground.

Their eyes were rolled back in their heads. The same was true for Raymond, the captain of the first squad, who had rushed in confidently.

The duke stood alone.

His feet were in exactly the same position as before. Without moving a single step, he had completely subdued the knights.

Silence reigned in the training ground.

The knights of the five branches who had recently been recruited were trembling as they looked at the duke.

He was above the sky.

He was truly such an existence.

“Come at me all at once. I’ll let you live.”

When the duke uttered those words.

How much had they mocked him in their hearts, calling him arrogant and conceited?

However, such thoughts had long since disappeared.

“The duke…”

He was not an arrogant person.

He was simply revealing his true nature, which was based on a clear understanding of his own abilities, rather than a petty sense of pride.

At that moment, the knights gathered in the grand arena completely acknowledged the duke.

And they fully understood what he had said.

“You are all very lucky.”

That was true.

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They were indeed very lucky.

Talent and ability.

These two things allowed them to serve a lord who was incomparably superior to anyone else.

Ethan looked at Nerian.

The commander of the Dragon Slayer Corps.

He was a knight who completely understood his own actions.

“Get these guys out of here.”

“Yes!”

Nerian responded vigorously and moved the Dragon Slayer Corps to drag the unconscious knights far away.

“Next.”

With that,

Nerian and the Dragon Slayer Corps began to surround Ethan.

As before, there were thirty of them.

The eyes of the Dragon Slayer Corps were shining brightly.

“This time, we will definitely get the lord!”

Ethan was inside the circle, and they had to prevent him from taking even a single step.

This was one of their familiar training exercises.

Neri and the other knights steeled their resolve.

They had never succeeded, but that didn’t mean they would fail now.

If they went into battle thinking they would fail, the lord would punish them severely.

“Do you know what is most important in battle?”

“It is guts.”

“So always walk with your chest held high.”

His words were spoken casually.

However, the Yongsaldan understood how important these words were.

That was why

the Yongsaldan’s momentum did not waver.

“Begin.”

The moment Ethan finished speaking.

Thirty knights rushed toward him, just as before.

* *

Bang!

Bang!

Raymon and the other knights began to open their eyes one by one due to the loud noise coming from their surroundings.

The knights grimaced in pain as their throats ached.

“What’s going on… Ah!”

Soon, a memory flashed through their minds.

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Duke Ethan.

Everyone had attacked him together.

Before long, the knights of the 1st Division began to fall one after another, and finally, Raymond, who had held out until the very end, closed his eyes, and the battle came to an end.

The knights swallowed hard.

Duke Ethan.

He didn’t move a single step.

“…He didn’t move.”

The difference in skill was overwhelming.

It was a situation that perfectly fit the phrase, “Heaven above heaven.”

Soon, the knights turned their gaze toward the source of the noise.

There, just like before, thirty knights were facing off against the duke.

“…The Dragon Slayers?”

The knights were clad in black armor from head to toe. They were the “real” Dragon Slayers who had been trained by the duke himself.

Despite their recent rise to fame,

all the knights who had attacked Ethan had unconsciously looked down on them.

Starting with the Count of Karagas,

After all, the main members were just people recruited from the viscounts.

Viscounts and viscounts.

And even barons.

Noble titles were not given out lightly.

With each title came a large amount of land, as well as a large number of knights of high quality.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that they were on a completely different level in every aspect. Even though they had received training from the Grand Duke, he did not think that their fundamental level would be any different.

However.

The scene before his eyes was completely different from what he had expected.

“Surely…”

Surely, the Dragon Slayers standing before him were not that different from them in terms of skill.

Some of the knights even had such low mana that they thought they could defeat them.

Nevertheless.

The knights facing the Duke were engaged in a tense battle.

Their swords flowed like water.

The thirty knights worked together as if they were one, and with each consecutive strike, the duke’s limbs moved erratically.

The duke’s expression had changed dramatically.

Unlike before, when he had knocked them out with a single blow, showing no interest or amusement,

Now, the duke was smiling as he swung his sword, looking quite pleased.

Ten rounds.

Twenty rounds.

The fierce battle continued.

The fallen knights looked around frantically.

One by one, the knights of the Dragon Slayer Corps fell to the ground.

However, even as they fell, the venom in their eyes did not fade.

It was as if they were determined to make the duke move, even if it meant swinging their swords one more time.

Watching that scene,

the knights felt ashamed.

What about themselves?

They had been overwhelmed by the duke’s overwhelming skill, and like a herd of sheep attacked by a tiger, they had fallen down in a panic, flailing their arms and legs.

“The real Yongsal Corps…”

They were different.

If they were sheep, then the Yongsal Corps was like a pack of wolves.

They were like wolves, staring at their prey with their fangs bared.

They were like a pack of wolves, growling with their teeth bared, even though they were facing a much larger opponent.

It was a stark contrast to their previous behavior, when they were drunk on their own strength and boasted about how good they were among a herd of sheep.

“…That’s why.”

The knights recalled the duke’s question.

“Are you satisfied with your abilities?”

“Not enough. You are still lacking.”

That was why the duke had answered that way.

And that was why he was showing them another duel now.

They had no choice but to realize it clearly.

“Foolish arrogance.”

In order to completely destroy it and reexamine themselves.

The duke had given them an opportunity.

Raymon gripped his sword tightly.

“…I was truly inadequate and foolish.”

Soon, he was filled with a desire for strength.

“…It was called the Dragon Slayer Sword.”

If they could continue training under the duke, having learned the technique,

Then, they would gain a deeper understanding of strength and technique.

They might be able to advance to a higher level.

No, they would advance.

If they trained under such a lord, it would be strange if they did not rise to the top.

After the sparring ended,

Ethan, who had not moved a single step, approached the thirty knights.

The duke, who met the eyes of the knights, including Raymon, smiled slightly.

“They look more useful than before.”

“…”

They bowed their heads in embarrassment for a moment. Then the knights raised their heads and looked at the duke.

“…We understand what you meant, Duke. We apologize for earlier.”

“That’s enough. Come to the training ground tomorrow. We will conduct joint training.”

“…Yes!”

The knights’ eyes sparkled.

Duke Ethan.

Their new lord.

He had accepted them.

* *

Bang!

Bang!

The sound of swords clashing echoed throughout the grand training ground.

Myers.

He held his sword and shield and looked at Ethan.

He smiled wryly.

“…I thought I had grown quite a bit.”

He definitely had.

Nerian, a six-star knight and captain of the Dragon Slayer Corps.

Even under his offensive, he was able to defend himself and occasionally deliver sharp blows with his shield.

This was the result of reaching the second stage of the cycle, the Iron Man.

But why?

There was not a single opening to be found in his older brother’s defense.

Even though he had been praised for his natural talent with a shield.

Ethan’s attacks were always difficult to block or dodge.

Whoosh!

The moment the broadsword passed by.

It not only grazed his hair, but also left a line on his forehead.

“My brother is truly…”

A monster.

No praise he could think of could express his brother’s talent.

Then the broadsword was thrust forward once more. Myers hurriedly raised his shield.

A huge shield enveloped in intense flames.

Bang!

The moment the crimson flames covering the shield collided with the pure white flames.

Myers broke out in a cold sweat.

It felt as if his soul was being sucked out of his body.

It was a sensation he felt every time the white and black flames collided.

“Keep your wits about you and maintain the flames.”

Myers nodded urgently at his brother’s cold words. He frantically raised his black flames.

“Purification.”

This was a sparring match, but it was also a task. A task to transform the crimson black flames into pure flames.

It wasn’t just the two of them clashing swords.

The 400 Dragon Slayers.

They were all engaged in one-on-one sparring, part of their joint training.

Meyers looked at his black flames.

Over the past week.

The crimson flames were gradually fading.

Now, even when he recited the incantation and lit the flames, the crimson color was barely visible.

The power of the white flames had purified even Teron’s black flames. A week of joint training had allowed it to be fully unleashed.

“It’s done.”

Ethan nodded.

If he had purified his negative emotions to this extent,

he should now be able to create pure flames on his own.

“Ugh… Ugh.”

He handed a book to the boy who was sitting down, drenched in sweat.

“This is how you should train from now on.”

“This is…”

“This book describes how to produce white flames. Continue your training by imagining pure fire as described in the book.”

Establishing his own understanding of the essence of fire.

This was the training method that Myers, who was just entering the second stage of the cycle, needed most.

“Brother. Are you going somewhere?”

Handing him the book meant that Ethan might be leaving.

“Probably. I plan to restore the divine sword. To do that, I need to find the necessary materials.”

“……The divine sword?”

“Yes. Swords that can withstand white flames are rare. When you are able to produce white flames, I will give you the sword and shield as a gift.”

“……Okay. I will train hard until then.”

Ethan nodded.

When the day came for him to unleash the white flames, he would be someone he could truly trust to watch his back.

Meyers had grown so much. His skills, his attitude, and even his height.

“He must be over two meters tall now.”

Seeing him grow so quickly, it seemed likely.

“The reorganization of the knight order is almost complete.”

He had already compiled the techniques to be passed on to the Yongsaldan into a book. The only thing they needed was time.

“The same goes for the development of the city.”

Starting with normalizing the duke’s domain, then developing the city.

None of this could be accomplished overnight.

“Still, at least the foundation has been laid.”

He sent administrators to the territories of the ten branches of the family to lay the groundwork for the city’s development.

Bureaucrats flocked to the duke’s domain.

With Prexian, Elena, and Silvia, who were masters of internal affairs, he was confident that they would do well.

“They’ll know what to do.”

He could now afford to relax a little.

Ethan returned to his office and immediately summoned Ilia and Melaisis.

The two magicians entered the office, and their eyes immediately fell on Ethan’s waist.

This was because there was a piece of wood hanging there that they had never seen before.

But that was only for a moment.

“…!”

The two magicians’ eyes widened.

It was an item that emitted only a faint scent of mana.

However, even that was enough to give off a surprising sense of coolness.

It was clearly an extraordinary object.

“What is that?”

“It is a branch of the World Tree and the hilt of a sword.”

“……The hilt of a sword?”

Ilya, who had been tilting her head in confusion, asked with wide eyes.

“Are you talking about the hilt of the divine sword Dranion?”

“Yes.”

The divine sword Dranion.

What they had to do now was find a way to restore this divine sword.