The fight ended in an instant.

 

Frank couldn’t withstand Ghislain’s power after he detonated all three of his cores.

 

Thunk!

 

Ghislain’s sword pierced through the core located just below Frank’s navel.

 

“Urgh, urgh…”

 

Frank suddenly felt his mana begin to dissipate.

 

“You… don’t tell me…”

 

While the core was said to be located beneath the navel, it wasn’t a physical object. It was simply a term used to describe mana collection in a space that made accumulating it easier. So, piercing the abdomen wouldn’t necessarily destroy the core. However, there were other ways to destroy it.

 

“That’s right. I’m going to destroy your core first.”

 

Ghislain manipulated his mana and collided it with Frank’s core.

 

“Ugh! Argh!”

 

Frank screamed in terror.

 

“You… Are you insane?”

 

Destroying someone’s core meant erasing all the energy they had spent their entire life accumulating. If done incorrectly, the mana could explode, putting both the attacker and the target at risk. It was a dangerous method that wasn’t used unless it was absolutely necessary to keep the opponent alive. The stronger the mana, the bigger the explosion, so it wasn’t even attempted against those with a particular skill level.

 

But Ghislain didn’t care in the slightest, focused entirely on channeling his mana.

 

Rumble!

 

Frank’s mana began to dissipate rapidly.

 

“Urgh! How… how is this…”

 

Crack!

 

The furious vibrations of Ghislain’s mana within Frank’s body finally shattered his core completely.

 

Thud.

 

As Ghislain withdrew his mana and pulled his sword out, Frank collapsed helplessly to the ground.

 

“You… who… are you…”

 

Frank couldn’t believe it. Ghislain’s swordsmanship had been impressive, but if the information about him had been wrong, that would have been understandable. But breaking the core of a swordsman of Frank’s level was impossible for someone of Ghislain’s age.

 

Frank had never seen anyone handle mana with such precision.

 

Ghislain left Frank’s convulsing body on the ground and turned away.

 

“O-Oppa…”

 

Elena swallowed hard as she watched Ghislain approach her.

 

Covered in blood, his form cloaked in a reddish haze, he evoked a terrifying image as if she were seeing a demon.

 

“How… how could Oppa have such skill…”

 

Though Elena didn’t practice swordsmanship, she grew up surrounded by knights in the harsh North. Frank was a knight of considerable skill, even from her perspective. If he could kill Jamal and Philip alone, it meant he was strong enough to overpower most ordinary knights easily.

 

Yet, Ghislain had just defeated him.

 

“So… it was really true that Oppa killed those orcs…”

 

In fact, a few days earlier, a debate had arisen in the Ferdium castle over Ghislain’s abilities. Skovan and the soldiers from the subjugation squad had spread rumors that Ghislain had killed the orcs. Of course, others laughed at Skovan and called him a liar.

 

Ghislain didn’t answer Elena’s question, only offering a smile.

 

“Rest for a bit.”

 

“What?”

 

At that moment, Ghislain gently touched the nape of her neck.

 

Thunk.

 

Elena’s body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. With no mana of her own, she couldn’t resist or even realize what Ghislain had done.

 

He carefully laid Elena down in an abandoned house nearby before walking back towards Frank.

 

“The most thrilling moment has come.”

 

Frank frowned and asked, “Why did you let me live? Torture me all you want, but you won’t find out anything.”

 

“How amusing. I already know who’s behind this. There’s nothing I need from someone like you.”

 

“Then why keep me alive?”

 

Ghislain slowly knelt down and stared into Frank’s eyes.

 

“From your actions, it’s clear you’ve killed quite a few people. Normal people can’t just slaughter others like they’re chopping up meat without feeling anything.”

 

“…”

 

“You seem like a professional, so you probably know. Sometimes, even if there’s no need, torture is necessary. Yes, like when you need to vent the anger that’s been building up in your chest.”

 

As soon as Frank heard those words, he tried to bite down on his tongue.

 

But Ghislain was faster. He grabbed Frank’s jaw and, with his other hand, tore a piece of his clothing, rolling it up and stuffing it into his mouth.

 

“Mmph! Mmmph!”

 

“You killed others without hesitation, yet you’re scared of suffering yourself? That’s a little disappointing.”

 

Slice!

 

Ghislain severed Frank’s tendons as he thrashed around. Then, he gathered all the swords lying around.

 

Snap! Crack!

 

Ghislain used mana to break the swords, shaping the fragments exactly how he wanted. He made dozens of sharp, jagged pieces, each of varying thickness.

 

Ghislain laid the shards out next to Frank.

 

“Hard to believe, but I’ve killed quite a few people myself. I’ve also gotten pretty good at torture. I practiced diligently to use it on my enemies one day.”

 

Ghislain picked up one of the sharp fragments. Frank, his eyes filled with fear, watched it.

 

“You know how they say revenge is meaningless? But I’ve realized that’s something people say when they’re not angry enough. When your head is full of rage, nothing feels quite as thrilling as successful revenge.”

 

Frank couldn’t understand what Ghislain was saying at all. They hadn’t even tried anything yet, so what revenge was he talking about?

 

And beyond that, it seemed like Ghislain had known about their existence from the start.

 

Unable to respond, Frank just stared as Ghislain continued to mumble.

 

“Coming back to the past feels really nice. But the despairing memories and the fury inside me are still here. It’ll probably only end when I’ve wiped all of you out. We can never coexist.”

 

Frank’s eyes began to fill with terror.

 

Although Frank still couldn’t understand what Ghislain was saying, just looking into his madness-filled eyes sent shivers down his spine.

 

Frank had killed enough people to recognize those eyes. They weren’t something one was born with. Only someone who had killed others as routinely as eating meals could have that kind of look.

 

‘How could someone his age have such experiences?’

 

Something almost came to mind, but the following voice interrupted his thoughts.

 

“Well, let’s get started. It’s going to be thrilling. I’ve already tested everything on myself. Don’t feel too bitter about being the only one going through this. All your comrades will meet the same fate.”

 

“Mmmph!”

 

A sharp fragment slowly pierced Frank’s neck.

 

“You won’t die easily. You messed with the wrong person.”

 

* * *

 

“Huff…”

 

By the time Frank had gone half-insane from enduring the pain, the torture had finally ended. In other words, he was dead.

 

Ghislain, staring down at the mangled corpse, let out a short laugh.

 

“So, this is what it feels like.”

 

It was as if a heavy weight that had been lodged in his heart had lifted. One of the dark, burning flames that had scorched him for so long had finally been extinguished.

 

“Feels good. I can breathe a little easier now.”

 

However, several more flames were still burning within him, ones that had yet to be put out. Only once they were all extinguished would he feel true freedom.

 

“Uurgh!”

 

Suddenly, Ghislain bent over, coughing up a large mouthful of blood. He had been holding back during Frank’s torture, but his internal injuries were too severe. His body screamed in pain, the aftermath of enduring the recoil from the mana explosion.

 

Detonating all three cores simultaneously with his still immature body had been too much of a strain.

 

“Hah… Now, to deal with the rest.”

 

Ghislain made his way back into the abandoned house where Frank had initially appeared.

 

In his previous life, another body had been discovered here. He needed to find it.

 

As soon as Ghislain entered the decrepit building, he spotted several thick sacks lying around. After prodding them a few times with his sword sheath, he carefully opened one of them.

 

Inside was the corpse of a young man.

 

“The Digald heir.”

 

Gilmore Digald.

 

In his previous life, Gilmore had been identified as Elena’s murderer, the heir to the Digald Count’s estate.

 

He was infamous for his womanizing, his indulgence in alcohol and drugs, and his constant misbehavior. When his body was found back then, everyone assumed he was the one who had killed Elena.

 

Because of that, the territories of Digald and Ferdium had wasted their strength in a land war.

 

“As expected.”

 

The enemy’s goal had been to pit the two territories against each other.

 

He had fallen right into their trap in his previous life, but not this time.

 

Ghislain untied the remaining sack.

 

Just like the first one, the corpses of men came out. Judging by the crest engraved on their breastplates, they were clearly Gilmore’s escort knights.

 

If word of their deaths spread like this, the same issue as in the previous life would occur.

 

When Elena died in the past, the Ferdium territory attacked the Digald territory. This time, it would be the opposite—Digald would attack Ferdium.

 

Even though he had prevented Elena’s death, this did not mean he could stop the territorial war itself.

 

However, Ghislain had no intention of moving according to his enemies’ plans.

 

“It won’t go the way you think.”

 

Ghislain gathered burnable items and piled them up next to the corpses.

 

‘I need to take care of this cleanly.’

 

He used mana to crush any items that could identify them, such as Gilmore’s ring and the escort knights’ breastplates.

 

He then dragged Frank and his men’s bodies over and burned them all together.

 

Soon, the flames began to consume everything, emitting a foul smell.

 

Even if someone discovered the remaining bones, they would just assume it was some vagrant from the slums who had burned to death.

 

Finding a corpse with no ties to anyone was a common occurrence in these times.

 

“They’re burning well.”

 

The flames spread to the surrounding scrap and trash, growing larger.

 

‘I’m lucky I could handle this on my own.’

 

Just in case, he had Fergus prepare the soldiers and bring signal flares.

 

However, if he had called the soldiers, word would have gotten out that Gilmore Digald had died here.

 

‘I’ve stopped the immediate territorial war, so I’ve bought us some time.’

 

He had prevented the death of Elena, which had been the starting point of everything in his previous life, as well as the ensuing territorial war.

 

But the enemies wouldn’t stop here. They would continue to target this place.

 

He had to prevent the deaths of those around him and minimize the damage as much as possible.

 

‘I’ll never let things go the way you want.’

 

With Elena on his back, Ghislain steeled his resolve once more and headed towards the castle.

 

* * *

 

After the two returned, the Ferdium Castle was in an uproar.

 

It was a grave matter—an escort knight had tried to kill the lord’s daughter.

 

Homerne, the baron who served as the steward of Ferdium, raged furiously, his anger palpable.

 

“Conduct a full investigation and mental re-education for all the knights and soldiers and ban them from participating in the festival. Also, send word of this to the lord immediately!”

 

The atmosphere within the castle quickly became tense. People gathered in small groups, whispering in secret.

 

“Did you hear? It sounds like Jamal and Philip went completely mad. They say Lord Ghislain took them down himself.”

 

“No way, the young lady must be lying to make the young lord look good.”

 

“That must be it, right? I bet Jamal and Philip killed each other fighting. They probably wanted to have the young lady to themselves.”

 

“Exactly. The young lord just got lucky and survived. Now he’s pretending like he did something.”

 

“First, Skovan was spreading lies, and now the young lady is too. I bet the Young lord is behind it, threatening them.”

 

Elena, who had already been through a harrowing ordeal, grew even more disheartened by these rumors.

 

No one believed her words. Instead, Elena was crowned as one of the two great liars of the territory alongside Skovan.

 

Regarding Frank, Ghislain had strictly forbidden her from speaking a word so she couldn’t say anything.

 

While Elena was feeling dejected, Ghislain heard the rumors and merely laughed.

 

‘If I say I’ve even taken care of Frank, they’ll believe me even less. Not that I plan to reveal it, especially with Gilmore still around.’

 

Still, after a few days, Elena regained her composure thanks to the concern and comfort from those around her.

 

Ghislain felt relieved to see her return to her bright self, but he also pondered how to prepare for the future.

 

‘I stopped the first move. But when they realize their plan failed, they’ll act again.’

 

In his previous life, the Ferdium territory continued to be embroiled in various conflicts until it was ultimately destroyed. The Delfine Duchy weakened the other territories like that and then overthrew and seized control of the kingdom.

 

Although he still didn’t know why they were targeting Ferdium, he had to be ready.

 

‘I have so much to prepare. Training time, money, troops, my people… and a luxury carriage with smooth handling and premium liquor. Ah, no, that’s not right.’

 

He couldn’t stop all the plots and attacks by himself. He needed to build his power and establish a solid foundation quickly.

 

‘Money. In the end, I need money. Without it, I can’t do anything. Damn it, whether in my past life or this one, money is always the problem.’

 

No matter how much he thought about it, money was immediately needed.

 

With money, he could gather people, obtain what was necessary, and sustain it all.

 

However, the Ferdium territory was one of the poorest in the kingdom, and even the little money they had wasn’t within Ghislain’s reach.

 

‘There’s nothing I can do right now, is there?’

 

No matter how much he thought about it, no clear solution came to mind.

 

Even if he wanted to use his memories from his previous life to make money, he would first need some starting capital.

 

And the current situation wasn’t leisurely enough to allow him time to accumulate wealth slowly.

 

‘I can’t just go around begging for money… And persuasion isn’t going to work, either. Should I go back to mercenary work? But that would take too long. Robbery or banditry would be the quickest, after all, wouldn’t it?’

 

Ghislain crouched in a small garden, plucking petals one by one as he continued to mull over his predicament.

 

‘Gah, but I can’t really stoop to the level of banditry… Damn it, what should I do to raise the initial funds quickly?’

 

As Ghislain was deep in thought, someone approached him with a few knights in tow.

 

“Hey, cousin! I heard the rumors! It looks like you’ve come down with delusions now, too? Going around spouting such big lies—your guts are impressive, I’ll give you that. I’m seriously touched! Hahaha!”

 

Hearing the man’s boisterous laughter, Ghislain’s eyes widened.