Reincarnation of the Forsaken Genius

There's a huge difference between having no talent and being just average.

Kwagwagwagwa!

When it comes to gathering aura, the Antaria Aura Method is a notch below the Vreio Aura Method.

If a trainee knight had to choose between the two methods, they'd pick the Vreio method in a heartbeat.

'I want the aura method that fits my body.'

I had faith in my theory.

I trusted a lifetime of study.

I had to show it was right, even if people laughed at me and called me a loser.

'The start is the top of the head. The blessing that begins in the sky goes through the head, down to the earth, and the person standing between the earth and sky is the representative of everything.'

The Antaria Cultivation Method fit their beliefs.

The King of Antaria said he was God's representative, and this was reflected in the cultivation method.

Because of this, the Antaria Aura Method usually worked well with divine magic.

The magic of the surrounding air soaked into my whole body and gathered at the top of my head.

It went through my head, burst into the lower part of my body, and then spread out.

The energy that slipped away circled back to me.

Again, a couple of circles were made from the top of the head, through the head, to the lower part of the body.

Kwagwagwagwa!

Magic flowed in, but I was able to manage it.

Kkaddeuk!

Even when it felt like too much, I had to bear it.

This was an opportunity.

It was a lucky break that would never come again to either of the Lewises.

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Raei  Translations

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"Inferno."

A flame the size of my head flickered in front of me.

A beefy man without a lower body looked at me with a dull expression.

Brown, who had been studying the guy, spoke.

"The spirit seems to have grown bigger."

"Has it become a lower-grade spirit now?"

"What do you mean?"

I had introduced Inferno to Brown as the lowest-grade spirit.

It had become a lower-grade in just three days, so it made sense that Brown was taken aback.

Actually, I could have made Inferno more powerful.

However, if I did that, my aura would run out quickly and I would faint.

Using aura instead of spirit power to control spirits was inefficient, but I had a workaround.

"Inferno is a mid-grade fire spirit. I just can't fully use its power because I'm not good enough yet."

Brown's eyes widened.

You can't make a contract with a spirit based only on your abilities.

The rule is to gather mana according to your abilities and gradually make contracts with higher spirits.

But I shattered that rule.

Brown was unaware of all these specifics.

Just knowing that I had contracted with a mid-grade spirit was enough to turn his world upside down.

For a knight, his lord's growth means his world expands.

If what I claimed was true, it meant I was a talent too great for a mere baron's household.

The moment rumors spread of a spirit magician contracting with a mid-grade spirit, high-ranking nobles would be clamoring for my attention.

Since I'm the heir, nobles might rush to propose their daughters for marriage.

But that wouldn't be enough to fill the Lewis castle.

'At most, I could end up with a daughter from an earl's family. And not the eldest, but the second or third.'

I had lived a life with power at its pinnacle within reach.

Lower nobles held no appeal for me.

Even if countless nobles took an interest in me, they couldn't spark interest from my father, who had never really seen me for who I am.

-Vreio doesn't need just any talent!

-Fame? People? Are you saying that's more important than the dignity of a duke's household!

The voice of the man who was my father, who might have forgotten my existence by now, rang in my ears.

I remember the man who was my father.

The humiliation I endured in the duke's household is etched in my soul.

It was impossible to shake it off and start a fresh life.

That wasn't my style.

The way of Vreio, which I had absorbed for 19 years, was even less so.

-Don't forget the one who hurt you. Even if he forgets, don't you forget. Be sure to take revenge and put him under your foot. Only then will the world not look down on you.

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Raei  Translations

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"They fear Vreio."

Those words were as valuable as gold and jewels.

I planned to confront the Duke of Vreio in the Vreio way.

To do that, even if I couldn't match Vreio, I had to at least reach a level where I could aim for his chin.

"You seem to have changed a lot."

"Yeah, I don't want to live like I used to."

"Please lead the way."

Sir Brown's attitude towards me had changed.

He treated me as if I were a lord.

"Give it everything. Because I will too."

"Yes, my lord."

We stood opposite each other in the training field.

We had decided to spar two days ago, but due to my mother's concerns, I only got to step onto the training field today.

Hwarururuk!

Flames sprang up from the long sword.

Just like when I was hunting the Ashen Wolf, I limited Inferno's abilities to compensate for my weak aura.

'If I want to control spirits with aura, I have to adjust the aura to match Inferno.'

I knew the theory.

There are various kinds of aura in the world, and there are training methods aimed at their very attributes.

I had committed them to memory, but I hadn't been able to find a stable way to graft them onto the Antaria Cultivation Method.

However, if I removed the factor of stability, I could derive nineteen different methods.

Gulp.

Sir Brown swallowed hard. He had no prior experience of duelling an opponent with a flaming sword.

Typically, one would shrink back in apprehension, but Sir Brown advanced towards me, his eyes sharp.

Kagagang!

Our swords clashed.

After a mere three collisions, we found ourselves apart, standing in confrontation.

"Your sword is as stiff as your personality. That's why it's predictable and easy to anticipate."

Sir Brown gripped his sword tighter.

He aligned his posture and stared at me directly.

Until a moment ago, Brown was my instructor.

But now, he had become my pupil.

He intended to fully receive my teaching.

'Sir Brown is indeed exceptional.'

Brown was a knight with a character more remarkable than his swordsmanship.

He had a character deserving respect as a mentor, a pupil, and a knight.

"It seems there's nothing more I can teach you."

"From now on, I will guide you. Thank you for generously teaching me so far. There was no one like Sir Brown in my life. If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't be who I am today."

Brown nodded subtly.

His previously animated face seemed slightly contorted.

Brown lowered his head.

Before his tears could reach the ground, Brown bent his upper body forward, as though to conceal his weeping.

"I won't hold back."

This time, I was the first to attack.

I aimed for Brown's vulnerability with the defensive maneuvers of Antaria swordsmanship.

No matter how impressive the swordsmanship, it was pointless if the knight executing it couldn't support it.

I lacked foundational physical strength.

The muscles that deployed the swordsmanship were far from the ideal state that I had theoretically comprehended.

Kaang!

My attack was parried by Brown.

In a split second, I employed a ruse.

My sword twisted slightly, just barely skirting past Brown's blade.

Brown discerned my ruse.

He tried to knock my sword aside, but the more he tried, the more my sword adhered to his.

Reinhardt Swordsmanship Technique 4: Adhesive Sword.

It was the initial technique of the swordsmanship handed down in the Reinhardt Earl's family.

Its basis was sticking my sword to the opponent's in order to defend, but it had a critical weakness, so it came with a warning not to use it when facing a formidable foe.

Brown couldn't shake off my sword.

No, when he thought he had barely succeeded in shaking it off, my sword was already aimed at Brown's neck.

I consciously maintained a distance from Brown. It was due to the flames erupting from my sword.

If this had been a battlefield and Brown my foe, I would have at least scorched one of his eyeballs.

Hwaruruk!

Brown's forehead was mildly scorched.

But he didn't retreat, instead gazing at me with trembling eyes.

"......Is this also a technique of swordsmanship you devised yourself?"

"I've tailored Antaria's swordsmanship to my physique. The swordsmanship I just displayed is the Adhesive Sword, one of the foundational techniques of Reinhardt's swordsmanship."

Brown sheathed his sword and retreated a step.

"How do you know Antaria's swordsmanship and Reinhardt's swordsmanship?"

"The library of the Hebron Earl's house, which everyone has abandoned, contains all sorts of books. Our family's ancestors were earls. They sold all the valuable originals, but fortunately, quite a few copies remain."

The Hebron Earl's house was a family whose long history was inconsistent with its diminished status.

Anyone familiar with their history would have found it difficult to dispute my words.

Brown didn't question my explanation either.

Instead, he saluted me.

His fist pounded his chest.

"I request your guidance, my lord."

"I was planning on providing thorough instruction anyway. The baron's house is in need of talent. Shall we start with physical training first?"

I attempted to chuckle generously, but I was panting. If my duel with Brown had extended further, I would have lost, regardless of my swordsmanship or spirit magic.

'There's a vast difference between a wolf and a knight. It's much simpler to handle a wolf.'

Strengthening my body was the most immediate task.

Only then could I fully employ the knowledge I possess.

I can show the world that a dragon can ascend from a minor stream.

......And I can expose the one who betrayed me and the mastermind behind them.

'Sir Brown seems to align with Vreio's swordsmanship. If it's exposed to the Duke's house, not only Sir Brown but also the entire Hebron Earl's house could be incinerated, but well, there's a workaround.'

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Raei  Translations

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Hebron didn't keep dogs.

Among the nobility, it was fashionable to keep pets like cats and dogs, but Hebron couldn't afford that luxury. Even if they did keep animals, they would have been consumed whenever a beast emerged from the eastern forest.

'It's akin to a dog.'

There were two people who followed me like dogs. Sir Brown and Tom, who owed his life to me.

After his life was spared, Tom came to me requesting even the most minor job.

I desired to officially hire Tom, but the Hebron Earl's house was impoverished.

If we increased the number of servants any further, we would face dire destitution.

There was also a high probability that other villagers would begin to follow Tom's lead.

"What is this?"

Brown peered down at the circular diagram I had drawn in the corner of the training field.

At first glance, it was too ambiguous to be called a magic circle, but it was an ancient magic circle that had long vanished and was no longer passed down.

The magic circle I drew was rudimentary.

It was a groundbreaking method that could unfold magic even without mana, so it intrigued me, but only one magic circle could actually be executed.

With that alone, comprehending the system or principles of magic was impossible.

"I'm attempting to discover if I have a knack for magic."

"Huh?"

"It's a fundamental elemental magic circle. It's simple enough to manifest with just the mana dispersed in the atmosphere."

"You're saying you know magic, my lord?"

There were no magicians in the Hebron Earl's territory either.

Such was the rarity of magicians.

Finding individuals with magical talent was challenging, and even with the mere talent to sense mana, one couldn't become a proficient magician.

In the Earl's house, there were frequent instances where they gambled on dubious talent and ended up embarrassed.

"I read it in the library. 'How to Become a Magician in 100 Days.'"

"Ah......"

Brown quickly dismissed his anticipations.

However, Tom's eyes were wide, curious about the impending events.

Whooing.

The wind stirred.

That was the extent of it, but the magic circle functioned properly.

'Because it's a magic circle I've drawn over a hundred times.'

The magic circle I drew forged a pathway for the wind.