Chapter 615
Now, In This Dream. (2)
Ghislain was more engrossed in the duel than ever before.
The techniques used in battle had a fundamentally different direction from the mana refinement technique and swordsmanship he had improved. In some aspects, they were even superior.
‘No way… Is that man the founder of the Ferdium family?’
Or perhaps one of his descendants later established the Ferdium family. It was still too early to make any conclusions.
A conversation he had with his father while refining the mana refinement technique resurfaced in his mind.
— Even so, this mana refinement technique has supported our family for a thousand years! How can you guarantee that what you’ve improved is better than our family’s technique?
— No, but seriously, does it even make sense that our family has been around for a thousand years?
— …I’m telling you, it’s true. Ah, the year you were born was actually the thousandth anniversary of our family. It was truly a day worth celebrating.
— Do you have proof?
— …I heard it from your grandfather.
At the time, he had just laughed it off. The idea that their family had existed for a thousand years was simply unbelievable.
He had assumed it was just a fabricated story meant to instill pride in their lineage.
But now, here it was.
Someone from a thousand years ago was using a lost form of Ferdium’s swordsmanship to fight.
The thought that this man could be the true founder of Ferdium became increasingly convincing.
‘So… our family really has existed for a thousand years? And it all started with someone who played a major role in that great war?’
Ghislain gazed at the man’s sword as if bewitched. This was an opportunity to uncover the lost techniques of the Ferdium family.
However… it was incredibly difficult to focus.
The man’s combat style was downright ridiculous.
“Ura-cha-cha-cha-cha!”
The man never stopped talking as he swung his sword. He wasn’t just fighting with his blade, he was using his mouth just as much.
“How about this! My overwhelmingly powerful swordsmanship! You’re practically dying, aren’t you? Can you feel the difference in strength? Doesn’t it feel like you’ve encountered an opponent you can’t possibly handle?”
“……”
The Apostle said nothing. It was clear he was simply trying to maintain his focus.
And yet, the man continued his ceaseless chatter while attacking.
“Fighting you like this reminds me of my old rival. We used to battle every single day. Ah, I was so young back then.”
“Hey, I’m curious about your face. Mind showing me? If you’re pretty, I don’t care about gender. I’d even consider running away with you.”
“This sword I wield… it carries a tragic legend. What? You want to hear the legend? Hmm, sorry. I don’t believe in legends. But if you’re curious, pay me 5 gold.”
“……”
‘……’
The Apostle remained silent. Ghislain, too, fell into silence.
The man’s tongue was as unruly as his sword.
His presence felt entirely different from the other three. If Claude ever decided to learn swordsmanship, wouldn’t he turn out like this?
Taking a deep breath, Ghislain came to a conclusion.
‘He’s not one of my ancestors.’
There was no one like that in Ferdium. No matter how ancient he was, Ghislain couldn’t accept him. In any case, he shouldn’t be an ancestor of the family.
Rather, the Apostle seemed even more impressive. To remain calm despite such constant mental attacks was remarkable.
Their skills were evenly matched. The battle between the endlessly talkative man and the completely silent Apostle didn’t seem like it would end anytime soon.
Ghislain examined the man’s face closely. As expected, the area around his eyes was still obscured by shadows.
It was even worse than the knight. The more he tried to focus, the more the details of the man’s face and hair blurred, making it impossible to make out his features.
All he could see was a faintly grown, scruffy beard, indicating that the man had a carefree nature and paid little attention to his appearance.
‘Haa…’
The more he tried to figure it out, the more frustrated he became, so he decided to give up. There must have been a reason why it wasn’t being revealed. It was easier to just accept that.
In the end, the only person whose face he had properly seen was the mage. And there was one more clue that could help him deduce the mage’s identity.
It was the words the Saintess had spoken in the dream.
— Did that help you? I was told it definitely would.
— I don’t know you well. But I’ve heard a lot about you from my mage friend.
— Our friend from the future.
"Mage friend."
Someone who was the Saintess’s and The Hero’s friend and comrade. It could only be referring to that mage.
However, the Saintess’s words were still unclear. He was indeed witnessing the past while being in the future… but could that really be called "a friend"?
What had that mage meant when he spoke to the Saintess? How did they know that someone from the future would be watching them?
The only thing that was certain was that, just as the Saintess had said, this dream was proving to be immensely helpful to Ghislain.
The Hero and the Adversary.
Their comrades and the Apostles.
The battles they showed continued to elevate Ghislain’s understanding and abilities.
‘Just who… are you all?’
Why did they keep showing him this dream?
From the Saintess’s words, it seemed that this dream was being shown only to him.
— It must be confusing, but don’t doubt it. You have to trust us. There’s not much time left.
— Only you…
— Only you can ‘save’ us.
Ghislain quietly reflected on the Saintess’s words. The dream was already beginning to blur once again.
As if guided by instinct, he opened his eyes and rose from his seat. The vivid scenes from the dream still lingered in his mind.
“Hm.”
After taking a moment to organize his thoughts, Ghislain turned to Dark and asked.
“You saw it too?”
— Yeah, I saw it. A thousand years ago, the world was crawling with monsters. If you or Julien ended up there, you’d be nothing but dog food. No, worse than that completely shredded to bits.
“……”
This bastard was getting more foul-mouthed by the day whether he took after Ascon or Alfoi, Ghislain wasn’t sure.
And honestly, he wasn’t that weak either. The Seven Strongest on the Continent would have been considered formidable even in that era.
‘If I had to rank us… we’d be just a notch below the Apostles.’
Yeah, it would be tough, but it wasn’t as if they wouldn’t stand a chance. A fight was something you had to actually experience to know the outcome.
Ghislain spoke bluntly.
“The times were different. Different eras, different standards.”
Not only were the strongest warriors of that time formidable, but even the average soldiers were of a much higher caliber than those of the present.
Well, according to Ereneth, they had spent ages battling the Demonic Abyss.
It was an era where all they did was fight. Naturally, the overall standard of warriors had to be higher.
Because of that, he now fully understood why Ereneth kept growing stronger over time.
Just as she had said, she had been unable to reclaim the full strength of her prime due to the Restriction.
“Hm, so in my past life, Ereneth at full strength might have been the strongest on the continent.”
Of course, Julien was a monster who got stronger with every breath, so who knew how things would have turned out?
With monsters like them around, there was no time to rest. He had to become even stronger.
Ghislain smirked as he mentally organized the battles of the knights from a thousand years ago.
‘The swordsmanship of the Ladran royal family focuses on defense. It’s truly the unshakable sword of a king, a knight's sword.’
That steadfast image was still vividly imprinted in his mind. Since he had personally experienced the secret techniques of the former royal family, understanding them wasn’t difficult.
By observing the knight’s swordsmanship, he could determine which direction he needed to take. Ghislain planned to analyze that aspect and incorporate it into his own swordplay.
‘Mother’s secret technique is the same.’
Belinda had once shown him a book where it was recorded. He hadn’t practiced it separately, but he had already memorized it all.
And as luck would have it, he had a technique perfectly suited for incorporating it.
Fwoosh.
Swords of mana materialized around him. Until now, he had only used them to shoot at a target.
‘It may look the same on the surface, but in reality, it’s completely different.’
Just like Belinda, the skill demonstrated by the masked woman made it seem as though each of her daggers had a will of its own, moving as if they were alive.
That meant it wasn’t just about shooting them in the desired direction it was something far more intricate.
‘Reaching that level will be incredibly difficult. It’s going to take a lot of time.’
It was a technique fundamentally different from the swordsmanship he had mastered so far, making it hard to fully grasp. But if he practiced whenever he had the chance, it could become his ultimate trump card.
After mimicking the masked woman’s movements a few times, Ghislain turned his thoughts to the most crucial element the swordsmanship of the Ferdium family.
‘I think I know what’s missing.’
He had found the missing piece. Since the foundation was already there, it wasn’t difficult to deduce.
No, more than that he instinctively knew how to move.
Whether it was thanks to the Saintess’s help or because the essence of Ferdium swordsmanship still remained within him, he couldn’t say.
Ghislain moved with his sword in hand. Once again, his family’s swordsmanship unfolded in his grasp.
The blade, which had been cutting through the air roughly, suddenly halted.
‘Normally…’
The next sequence of techniques had never been passed down. But now that he understood the principles, Ghislain naturally transitioned into the next form.
The mana refinement technique, which had always felt incomplete, now moved seamlessly, supporting his sword techniques.
Swish!
What was once a raw and wild northern sword style now flowed like a free-spirited gust of wind.
Just as rough winds soften into gentle streams, Ghislain’s sword danced through the air with fluid grace.
He closed his eyes and steadied his breath. Within him, mana surged and wrapped around his entire body. From the tips of his fingers gripping the sword to the soles of his feet, every muscle felt as though it was connected in perfect harmony.
‘So this is it.’
Each time he swung his sword, he felt an overwhelming sense of freedom.
His movements became even more unrestrained. No longer bound by rigid forms, his sword carried infinite possibilities.
At times, it roared like a violent torrent. At others, it glided as gently as a falling leaf.
It was like a fierce wind howling from the mountaintop, or the untamed sprint of a beast racing across the wasteland.
Flash!
At some point, Ghislain’s sword came to a stop. Though still incomplete, he now understood what his ancestors had been striving for.
"At last… I’ve reclaimed our family’s true swordsmanship."
A grin spread across his face. He had gained something completely unexpected.
The swordsmanship he had refined over time had been perfected through countless real battles. His mana refinement technique had been improved by drawing inspiration from an incomplete ancient grimoire.
When compared to his family’s fully developed swordsmanship, it was impossible to say which was superior. Their direction was similar, and their roots were the same.
The only difference was that while his style emphasized explosive power, the family’s swordsmanship sought fluid adaptability.
"Good. I can become even stronger."
A new goal had emerged.
He planned to merge everything he had learned into an even more advanced swordsmanship and mana refinement technique.
Of course, he still needed more time to study. Even if he had seen the answer, he hadn’t completely grasped the entire process.
Regardless, he had now witnessed the level of the ancient powerhouses.
And he would surpass them.
By combining the power to wield will itself with techniques that pushed the limits even further, he was certain he could ascend to a new realm.
"Was this the real intention behind all of this?"
He had felt something similar before, but today, he was certain. These continuous dreams were helping him elevate his abilities.
At the very least, they were guiding him to become as strong as the powerhouses from a thousand years ago if not even stronger.
And as a bonus, the mysteries that had plagued him were slowly being unraveled.
“So, after the war ended, the Hero’s comrades each left something behind…”
The mage must have founded the Magic Tower where Jerome resided and developed new magic. While that might mean something to Jerome, it wasn’t particularly relevant to Ghislain.
For him, the knight and the masked woman were of far greater interest.
“If the knight became the Founder King of Ritania… and the masked woman became the Commander of the Shadow Knights… then it’s reasonable to assume they built the kingdom together.”
It made sense, considering they were comrades. Just as Berhem had said, they might have joined forces to protect the Saintess’s relic, or there could have been another reason entirely.
“And… even if he wasn’t the ancestor of Ferdium, let’s assume he was for now. Either way, he was part of it too?”
He, too, was the Hero’s comrade. And the Ferdium Territory had long defended the northern borders of Ritania.
In fact, it seemed far more plausible that those three had founded Ritania together.
“…Hmm, but something doesn’t quite fit.”
One became a king.
One ruled the kingdom from the shadows.
And the last… left behind a pathetic noble family.
As that thought struck him, Ghislain’s face twisted with displeasure.
“Damn, that’s a terrible look. They were all the Hero’s comrades, so why is my family the only one that turned out like this?”
Even if the three of them didn’t completely match, it was absurd just how much his family didn’t fit in. It felt like they had fallen behind on their own.
There was no way someone that powerful would have left behind such a pathetic lineage…
‘…Then again, judging by his actions, I guess it’s possible.’
Still, the kingdom wouldn’t have treated him carelessly. So what exactly happened in between?
“For generations, we’ve just been fighting northern savages… living like beggars because we had no money… No matter how I think about it, someone who helped found the kingdom shouldn’t have ended up like that…”
As he mumbled to himself, something suddenly clicked in Ghislain’s mind.
It was something Ereneth had said.
— The Demonic Abyss… is the Forest of Beasts.
“…Damn.”
That was when he realized.
Ferdium’s true mission was never just about stopping the northern savages.
Their real duty…
Was to monitor the Demonic Abyss.