Rodos closed his eyes and focused inward.
The sudden turn of events had left him bewildered, but determining the condition of his body came first.
It would not be too late to plan what he would do afterward.
He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
It was a process of calming his agitated body.
He could feel them.
The wounds left behind when the magic had run rampant.
Every single one of them was potentially fatal.
The rampaging mana and magic had inflicted terrible damage on Rodos, leaving scars that continued to torment him.
He had no intention of using magic, but if he ever did, excruciating pain would undoubtedly await him.
Even his circulatory system had been damaged.
His heart beat irregularly, and because his blood was not circulating properly, his hands and feet were extremely cold.
He could tell that the family had given him only the bare minimum of treatment.
Just enough to keep him alive.
There was no possibility that House Augustus, a family that had mastered magic, was incapable of treating internal injuries caused by mana.
They had probably kept him alive only because he was still their blood relative.
‘I am amazed I survived.’
Rodos could tell.
During the two months he had been unconscious, he must have hovered between life and death dozens of times.
He had survived purely through luck.
Rodos had gritted his teeth and endured the pain.
His mana circuits were destroyed.
For a mage, mana circuits were just as important as mana itself.
They altered the properties of mana and shaped it appropriately so that it could manifest as magic.
Therefore, unless mana passed through the mana circuits, magic could not be manifested.
For a mage, having one’s mana circuits destroyed was no different from receiving a death sentence.
For a warrior, it would be the equivalent of losing the ability to use aura.
In a family where everyone was a magical genius and rank was determined solely by ability, it would not have been strange for him to meet a gruesome death at any moment.
Of all the bodies he could have possessed, he had ended up in this one.
His luck was truly abysmal.
‘This might actually be for the best.’
Yet Rodos considered himself fortunate.
The reason he had stepped down from his position as Great Warrior was because he had reached a wall.
Now he could begin again.
If he started properly from zero, perhaps he could reach the realm beyond the wall he had failed to overcome in his previous life.
‘I may not be able to use magic, but I certainly know how to swing an axe.’
Rodos was a warrior.
If he could not use magic, then he would simply swing an axe.
Of course, he was worried about the North now that he was gone.
But worrying would change nothing.
It was not as though he could travel to the North immediately in his current state.
Protecting his own body came first.
He needed to become strong enough that neither his siblings nor his enemies could touch him carelessly.
It was not impossible to awaken aura in the body of a mage and grow stronger as a warrior.
Rodos focused his mind once more.
He wanted to examine the vessel that would contain his aura.
Following the burned-out mana circuits, he extended his senses deeper into his body.
Gradually, he felt a cool sensation.
It was a pleasant coolness, like the water of a tranquil lake.
Following that sensation led him to an enormous lake.
It was the core, the space where mana was stored.
As befitted a mage, his body was overflowing with mana.
Rodos found it ironic.
He possessed such an enormous amount of mana now, yet he could no longer use magic.
Rodos withdrew his senses from the core and shifted them toward his heart.
The beating of his heart reverberating through his body became clearer.
Directly beneath the heart, he saw something resembling a furnace.
It was the Hall, the space where aura was stored.
The Hall was not particularly large, and it was empty.
Naturally, there was no aura within it.
He could not feel any of the distinctive heat that aura possessed.
Rodos was not discouraged.
He simply had to build it up from now on.
More important than that was his heart.
The stronger the heart, the more aura the Hall could contain, and the longer the body could withstand prolonged use of aura.
Those whose hearts could not endure it all died when their hearts burst.
After carefully examining his heart, Rodos could not hide his disappointment.
‘It is not good.’
Just as his emaciated body suggested, his heart was not strong.
Its beating was rapid and unstable.
The shock caused by the magical rampage had been severe, but his heart had been weak to begin with.
If its condition had been better, he would have begun training to awaken his aura immediately.
But that seemed impossible.
‘So this is a trial.’
A genuine trial had come his way.
As Rodos sat in a chair and contemplated the problem, an experience from his past came to mind.
‘I can convert mana into aura.’
It was a method Rodos had successfully used in the past, when he had been born with a small amount of mana.
Because his innate mana reserves had been extremely low, however, the method had been meaningless to his former self.
If he could accomplish it now, he would be able to use aura without placing excessive strain on his heart.
It was not impossible.
Mana and aura shared the same origin.
Both were forms of aether, the substance that composed the world, transformed according to different characteristics.
If he could truly accomplish this, he might even surpass the wall he had encountered in the past and reach an entirely new realm.
There were conditions, however.
He needed to possess an enormous innate quantity of mana, and his body needed to be exceptionally healthy and strong.
‘It is impossible for now.’
There was no way he could attempt it immediately.
What could he possibly accomplish with a frail body that looked ready to collapse after the slightest exertion?
Then there was only one thing to do.
His first priority was to train this pathetically weak body.
‘I cannot help remembering the past.’
A warrior should not remain bound by the past.
Yet there was something he could not help recalling now.
The body Rodos had possessed as the Great Warrior.
From head to toe, it had been a massive, powerful physique packed with solid muscle.
That was Rodos.
A body like his former one, honed over decades in the unforgiving North, had been a weapon in itself.
Harder than rock and, at times, supple as water, his body had allowed him to defeat his enemies under any circumstances.
Together with the axes in his hands.
Rodos intended to rebuild that same kind of body.
He would use the training method that had enabled him to become the Great Warrior.
Of course, right now he possessed the body of a patient who could barely lift anything properly.
Turning it into a physique capable of overpowering knights through sheer strength would require even greater effort.
But if he did nothing but dwell on such concerns, he would never accomplish anything.
If he wanted to wield his beloved axes again, he needed to rebuild his body as quickly as possible.
Rodos changed into light clothing and stepped outside.
In his hand was a letter from Kshar stating that he was permitted to train at the training grounds alongside the knights.
***
The Knight Commander’s office adjoining the family’s training grounds.
Inside, a knight was frowning.
It was because of what Kshar had told him a short while ago.
‘Young Master Rodos says that he wishes to learn swordsmanship. He only recently awakened, so that is probably why. Handle it as you see fit. I leave it to you.’
“The family’s young master wants to learn swordsmanship?”
His name was Igrun.
He was the Commander of House Augustus’s Guard Knight Order and a formidable warrior who had reached the highest tier of the Expert Realm.
Ten years ago, by order of the Empire, he had been appointed Commander of the Sixth Knight Order and had been leading the guard knights ever since.
The Sixth Knight Order.
It consisted mostly of knights of relatively low social standing and had been dispatched to the family by the Imperial Family under the pretext of providing protection, when its true purpose was to keep House Augustus in check and under surveillance.
“Do they think our Knight Order is a joke?”
Igrun let out a displeased sigh.
This was an insult to the Sixth Knight Order.
“And of all people, Rodos?”
Even among the siblings of House Augustus, Rodos was infamous for his exceptionally frail constitution.
Word that Young Master Rodos had suffered an accident after recklessly attempting a magical experiment had spread even among the knights.
The knights and the members of the family did not get along.
The family had repeatedly looked down on, scorned, and discriminated against the knights because they could not use magic.
And now a young master from that very family of mages intended to come here and learn swordsmanship?
It was absurd.
“Swordsmanship is not something just anyone can learn.”
The family should have handled its own affairs instead of dragging the Knight Order into them.
What was he supposed to do with a young master from a family of mages who knew nothing about swordsmanship?
“Well, it does not matter.”
Igrun decided not to concern himself with it.
The boy would not last even an hour anyway.
Whatever happened to a young master with no particular ability was none of his concern.
At that moment, one of his subordinate knights arrived to report.
“Commander, Young Master Rodos has arrived.”
“So he actually came.”
Igrun looked somewhat surprised.
The young master who had always shut himself away in his room had come to the training grounds of his own volition?
Something must have gone wrong with his head because of the accident.
“There is no reason for me to go out of my way to meet him.”
Igrun had no intention of going to him first.
Nor was he obligated to do so.
His duty was supposedly to protect House Augustus, but that was not entirely true.
The knights belonged to the Empire, after all.
***
After arriving at the training grounds, Rodos watched the knights in the middle of their training.
Their overall level seemed quite high.
Rodos turned his head in search of the Knight Commander.
The letter said that he only needed to find the Knight Commander.
“Where is the Knight Commander?”
“…….”
“HAH! HYAH!”
He asked the knights who were training, but they did not answer, whether because they were focused on their training or deliberately ignoring him.
No.
They were unquestionably ignoring him.
The knights had no intention of answering.
They belonged to the Empire and followed the orders of Igrun, their direct superior.
With no other choice, Rodos crossed the training grounds.
There was a small building ahead of him.
The Knight Commander was undoubtedly inside.
***
“So he insists on coming all the way here.”
Igrun, who had been watching him approach, sighed.
He had hoped that Rodos would simply turn around and leave, but apparently that was not going to happen yet.
“It cannot be helped.”
Igrun went outside.
Now that Rodos had come this far, he had no choice.
“You have arrived.”
A knight with an impressively well-groomed mustache bowed his head.
It was undoubtedly a courteous greeting, yet somehow it felt perfunctory.
“I came to train.”
Rodos stated his purpose without preamble.
Igrun nodded as though he could not care less.
“Do as you please. I have work to attend to….”
With that, Igrun left the training grounds.
Kshar had told him to let Rodos do as he pleased, so the boy could do whatever he wanted.
There was nothing he could teach a young master who looked incapable of properly holding a sword.
Perhaps Igrun would have thought differently if Rodos showed genuine dedication, but there was no chance of that happening.
Rodos thought the man was remarkably rude, but quickly dismissed the matter.
He could not allow himself to be swayed by his emotions if he wanted to build a strong body.
Silently doing what he was capable of doing.
That was what mattered most.
Rodos headed toward a corner of the training grounds.
There stood the Knight Order’s physical training area, packed with exercise equipment.
“HRRAAGH!”
“One! Two! Three!”
Several apprentice knights had already taken their places and were exercising while breathing heavily.
When they noticed Rodos, they looked at him uncomfortably and began whispering among themselves.
A mage in a knight’s domain.
“Why is he here?”
“I heard from the Vice Commander that he came to learn swordsmanship?”
“That is ridiculous. What does he think he can do with a body like that? He should have stayed shut up in his room.”
Rodos ignored them and took an empty spot.
He had been told to do as he pleased, so he would simply begin training on his own.
Now it was time to put his own training method into practice.
‘Do not stop even when you reach your limit.’
Reminding himself of the most important principle of his training method, Rodos lowered himself to the ground.
Since this was his first day, he intended to start with something simple.
Push-ups.
Whatever it took, he first needed to confront his limits.
That was where true training began.