Chapter 2
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In a small library on the northern outskirts of the Altaria continent, a woman seated at the librarian's desk gazed at a boy standing between the bookshelves.

"Every time I see the young master, I always wonder... How can he exude such grace?"

The boy's suit was well-tailored and fit him perfectly. He exuded a sense of dignity, even when standing still and flipping through a book. It was astonishing to think that the boy was only twelve years old.

The boy's name is Kyle.

He is the reincarnation of Yuriel, who was reborn after 150 years. Kyle was flipping through a book with a steady posture, but his eyebrows were twitching.

"It's not here again."

He had looked through all the new history books that had come in, but it was nowhere to be found.

Yuriel, who was once called the wise man of his time, had become a powerful wizard beyond his years.

The world had erased Yuriel.

To be precise, it had erased all traces of the Sollent family. It was as if they had never existed. It was as if his past life had been a dream.

But Yuriel was certain that his past life, which he had dedicated to the extermination of monsters, was not a dream. He knew this because he still had all the knowledge he had acquired as a wizard. This was something that he would not have been able to know if his past life had not been real.

"By the way."

Kyle clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Most of the history books were biased and glorified Lavida.

What he wanted to confirm was not how valiant Lavida was in some heroic epic. He wanted to find clues about how he could be reborn with his memories intact after he died.

Isn't the purpose of a history book to correct the biases and keep a neutral stance to preserve accurate history? Kyle's fingertips flickered with blue light.

*Fwoosh!*

A flame flared up and then died down. He almost burned the book in a moment of anger.

'I guess my mind has become immature as well.'

More importantly, the root of this rough personality is probably due to his 'bloodline.'

Kyle turned away after roughly shoving the book back on the shelf. He was reminded of his two apprentices who had participated in the monster extermination together.

In the end, Celine was shedding tiny tears. She had taught the child since she was young, and they had grown close without realizing it. Her last known actions were to leave for Andoria, the land of magicians, after defeating Selerathus.

'I would have shivered at the thought of Andoria.'

Could Yuriel's death have brought about some change of heart? It was hard to say.

It is said that Aktubaar, the first barbarian to enter the tower, refused the title and returned to his own land.

In addition to these, there was also Menya, a knight who was sacrificed by the imperial politics and participated in the battlefield, but survived and left his name in the history books.

There were biographies that highlighted each individual, but there were no books about Yuriel.

Is there anyone among the living who knows Yuriel or Sollent?

He couldn't sleep for a while when he first learned the truth, but that was all in the past.

*Whoosh!*

As he stepped out of the library, a cold breeze brushed against his skin. It was April, and flowers were in full bloom in the central part of the empire of Levatora.

"Why this place...?"

It was a question that had not been resolved for 12 years, but it came out as a habit.

Kyle had never lived a life that was so loose as to waste time on questions that could not be answered. He would simply stop for a moment when a question came to mind. It was when he was looking at the vast snow-capped mountain range for a moment.

*Thump!*

Something hit his head. A voice came from above the library.

"Oh my, young master! I'm so sorry, so sorry! Are you okay?"

"What kind of madness is this..."

Kyle covered his mouth. He couldn't hold back his emotions, and a careless word slipped out. It was a word he would never have even thought of in his previous life.

Kyle cleared his throat and looked up. It was a woman sitting at the librarian's desk.

"It's okay, don't worry about it."

"I'm so sorry······ but······ are you really okay?"

Kyle tilted his head and looked ahead. A stone flowerpot had cracked in half. No matter how hard the rock was, it couldn't match the strength of his head······.

'Lavida. I am······.'

There was not a drop of blood on his head, and he didn't even feel a slight headache. He was still a young boy whose bones hadn't fully matured. A body with such natural strength could only be found in "Lutentus" on the entire continent.

'I've finally obtained your body, which I've longed for so much.'

He was simply annoyed by the dust rising around his head.

"I need to hurry and get cleaned up."

Kyle walked down the street unconcerned.

* * *

After the monster extermination was over, the emperor awarded the title of duke to the border lord Lavida in recognition of his merits.

The vast lands in the north that had been opened up were all given to Lutentus. And the autonomy of Lutentus was expanded, and taxes were reduced under the condition of regular monster extermination.

All this was based on the emperor's 'fear' of Lutentus. If Lutentus were to change its mind and point a sword at the emperor, it would have to hand over the empire by force.

······In the midst of complex political interests, Lutentus is a place that could be called a principality of the Levatora Empire.

Kyle pulled himself up the bar with one hand, effortlessly.

His feet were weighed down by iron balls the size of a human head, but his breathing was still steady.

"The problem is after Lavida's death."

After Lavida's death, Lutentus felt lost.

Originally, it was a family that gained power based on its strong military force but was not interested in politics. The next heir to Lavida chose a simple and convenient method. He married the tribes of the northern border and the nobles near the Lutentus territory.

'Even so, they could have made a decent effort.'

The current Duke of Lutentus has over twenty wives and over a hundred children.

This 'tradition,' which has been passed down to this day, has turned into a struggle between blood relatives for power. Anyone who inherits the blood of Lutentus, the "Seed of Lutentus," is qualified.

"I will not hesitate to use any means necessary to produce strong offspring," Lavida once said.

'No dignity whatsoever······.'

The reason Kyle knows this is because he is also a seed of Lutentus.

The Nava tribe of the northern frontier. Leya, who became the tribe leader at a young age, was the 17th wife of the current Duke Lutentus and the mother of Kyle. Kyle's only memory of her was of her looking surprised when he didn't cry as a baby.

······Leya died shortly after giving birth to Kyle.

It was not easy to accept the fact that the one who gave birth to him was dead, but he didn't have the time to dwell on it.

"Huup!"

Kyle took a deep breath and lifted his body up high, then crossed his arms. The iron bar creaked and swayed. It was a crude method, but it was the best way to use his innate Lutentus body.

Kyle's twelve-year-old body had long since surpassed his previous weak mage body. With his elastic muscles, he repeatedly lifted and lowered his body. He trained hard every day because the monsters had not yet disappeared.

Although they did not plague the continent as they did 150 years ago, monsters still appeared in various places. The insane prophecy that the death of Selerathus would mark the end of the monsters was wrong.

However, given the small number of monsters, it seemed that few people were aware of the danger. The only thing that could be confirmed from the newspapers was that a few scholars speculated that the monsters were symptoms of an impending outbreak.

But Kyle knew, having experienced the early stages of the monster outbreak himself. The beginning of the monster's full-scale appearance was heralded by the "fall of the mage."

······Kyle felt a strange mix of emotions when he learned this. Of course, he was furious, but he also felt a sense of relief. He thought that this time, he could finally put an end to it with his own hands.

*Clang!*

Kyle let go of the iron bar, and a loud noise was heard. The training was just beginning. Kyle, holding a steel sword in his hand, approached the wall. The wall was covered in dents. Kyle, holding the sword in one hand, stabbed and slashed at the wall.

*Clang! Clang!*

The sound of metal clashing echoed in the warehouse.

The nature of ki, which is used to control the body, is not much different from mana. While mana is cast outside the body through magic circles, ki is stored in the body to increase the limits of the body explosively. Therefore, it is advantageous to have a strong body that can accept ki.

Kyle had inherited the memories of Yuriel, who had reached the pinnacle of mana utilization. He could feel the 'ki' flowing through his body more sensitively and train more efficiently.

······A woman was watching this from a distance. She was Milia, the 'messenger' who reported everything about Kyle to the head of Lutentus and his foster mother. She had once been a knight of Lutentus.

In her eyes, she could see it.

*Kaaang-!*

Kyle was incredibly talented.

He could flexibly adjust the strength used to hit the wall.

Most impressive of all was the perfect use of ki in a "restricted body." She had never seen anyone achieve such results at that age, even in Levido. Also, she had never taught him etiquette, so how did he grow up to be so well-behaved?

He had a kindness that was incomparable to the other 'Lutentus seeds', who had rough personalities.

That's why it was even more unfortunate.

If he had been born as the descendant of the 5th wife or even the 10th wife, he could have soared even higher with a good environment and a good teacher.

"Milia. Do you plan to keep watching?"

Kyle could tell that she was there even without turning around. His sense of ki, his ki-sense, was simply amazing······.

Milia approached with a wry smile.

"As I have said many times, you must refrain from training that puts a strain on your body······."

On Kyle's back, which was exposed after taking off his shirt, the magic circle, [Chain], was glowing red. It was a restriction imposed by 'Lutentus' on its descendants. It was carved into his body by a mage who came from Andoria when Kyle was five years old.

[Chain] prevents the body from absorbing ki. The moment it absorbs ki, it becomes toxic and torments the body.

Small amounts of ki naturally generated in the body become toxic, but even that can be detoxified by the 'Lutentus body.' However, ki generated during excessive training can be a fatal poison even for those with the blood of Lutentus.

As Milia watched with concern, Kyle smiled brightly.

"If it's because of the Chain, you don't need to worry. I'm adjusting it well so that it doesn't strain me."

"······Kyle. I'm worried you'll collapse. If you go berserk, you may never be able to wield a sword again."

"Like those idiots?"

"······."

If you continue to train while ignoring the ki that spreads like poison, your dantian, which stores ki, will be damaged. Two of the 'Lutentus seeds' have had their dantian damaged this year alone.

This is madness. As proof of this, the name 'Lutentus' is slowly cracking. The war between blood relatives has been etched into history, and its fame has been falling endlessly.

It remains to be seen how long the brilliant gold mine that Lavida had cultivated will last.

"There's not much time left until the initiation ······ If you have the talent, you will surely be able to pass, so just bear with it until then."

"I will do that."

The seed of Lutentus is liberated at the ceremony by proving one's identity as a Luntentus. This must be done annually, from the age of 13 until before becoming an adult at 17.

The Chains are ostensibly to prevent those with dangerous bloodlines from accidentally killing people. But Kyle knew the real reason. The Chain degrades the body and hinders growth.

'Such foolishness to do to a person...'

The original name of the Chain was [Weaken]. It was a monster-killing spell perfected by Celine with the help of Yuriel. It was slightly modified, but the basic magic circuit was the same. It was only because of Lutentus' body that it was able to withstand it; an average person would have died from the poison.

It is unknown whether this was an attempt by the blood relatives of the one who holds power in Lutentus, or a trick from outside. However, this magic circle could not harm Yuriel.

"That's it for today."

Kyle put down his sword and turned his back. On his back, out of Milia's sight, the shackles flickered with a blue light. Small wisps of smoke seeped out, and the energy that acted as a toxin was expelled from his body.

Milia, who did not know the truth, looked at Kyle with sad eyes. She had raised him since he was a baby, even though she was sent as a messenger.

'If only he could have learned properly······ He wouldn't have to push himself like this······.'

"Milia. You don't need to look at me like that."

"Yes? Oh, yes."

This caring young master smiled brightly as if he understood her feelings.

·

·

·

Upon entering the room, Kyle made a creaking sound.

'I need to increase the strength of the Chain next time. The stimulation is too weak.'

The poison that the shackles release is a good stimulant for the muscles as long as it is detoxified in time. This is also possible because Kyle is a Lutentus. Kyle smiled contentedly as he looked at his toned body reflected in the mirror.

If he knows the theory and has a small amount of mana, he can disassemble the Chain and even adjust the strength. Kyle decided to refrain from dismantling the Chain as it might arouse the suspicion of his family, and instead use them for training.

And Milia doesn't know that Kyle is a mana user.

'She doesn't even know that I know she's not just a nanny but a 'messenger.''

He learned this from a conversation between her and a man from the family when Kyle was still a baby. He knew that Milia had reported everything back to the main family. That's why he hid the fact that he could use magic.

'She seems like a good person, though.'

You don't have to blindly believe everything. 

Author's Note

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