CHAPTER 162

『Look at that his face, he's completely dazed.』

Mephisto sneered as he watched Haman get utterly captivated by Elric's incredible talent.

『He doesn't even realize it's all just a con.』

[A con? That's going too far, isn't it?]

Swish, swish—

With a solemn expression, Elric thrust the spear forward, adding to the conversation.

[This is, after all, my own ability.]

『Ah, these Melvingers. Their mouths are as sharp as their magic. Tsk!』

Mephisto shook his head in disapproval.

But regardless of his grumblings, Elric was still focused on the whispers he could hear by his ear.

"Step… left… one… pace."

"Right… angle… advance."

Like a planet orbiting a star, a faint, gray specter circled around him, whispering its guidance.

Divine power, Northern Wind, embedded with a wandering soul, was offering its advice to Elric.

How to place his feet.

At what angle to thrust his spear.

The most effective way to grip the weapon and how to rotate it for maximum power—all these details were being relayed to him.

This specter must have been a master of spearmanship during its life, or at the very least, someone who had reached a considerable level of proficiency. That's what Elric concluded.

There was no other explanation for how a ghost, with barely any reasoning left, could provide such precise advice.

'I never imagined the Northern Wind would have this kind of ability.'

The first time Elric discovered this ability of the Northern Wind was three days ago, while receiving a swordsmanship lecture from Herman.

Back then, Herman, just like Haman now, was trying to secretly teach Elric a valuable sword technique.

It was , the swordsmanship Herman had learned when he first entered the world of martial arts.

Though it wasn't as advanced as or , it was still a traditional and deeply rooted technique that had earned Herman the title of Blue Lion.

Herman had no doubt that would suit Elric perfectly and lead him into the higher levels of swordsmanship.

Because Elric, being a genius who quickly mastered anything, would surely be captivated by any sword technique that he found "difficult."

And indeed, was a challenging sword style for Elric.

When he first saw it, his immediate thought was, 'This man is really trying to torment me.'

But after some practice, Elric felt that he could eventually manage it.

Thanks to his deep understanding of physical arts like Body Strengthening, he had already grasped the principles behind martial arts. As long as he could understand the essence of swordsmanship, he was confident he could master it.

Then, just as he was about to demonstrate the sword technique, something unexpected happened.

The power of the Northern Wind activated.

Elric, thinking his mana might be surging out of control, tensed up, but fortunately, that wasn't the case.

Instead, one of the ghosts sleeping deep within his mana circuits quietly appeared.

The ghost, a master of swordsmanship in life, began offering Elric all kinds of advice.

Though its words were scattered and fragmented at first, once Elric got used to it, the guidance became quite helpful.

As a result, Elric was able to quickly master far more easily.

Herman, who attributed all of this to Elric's natural talent, could only marvel in awe.

The same thing happened during Lasalle's lecture the following day.

Lasalle was teaching Elric about the saber, passing on a technique called .

During this time, another ghost suddenly appeared and offered its guidance.

And, as expected, Elric quickly grasped the essence of as well.

'Mephisto was right. The guardians left behind by Otto Han were no ordinary people.'

Mephisto had said as much when they left Otto Han's residence.

The loyal companions who had served Otto Han were beings beyond comparison in their time.

Now, Elric understood those words completely.

'Of course, it's not without its limits.'

Even though the ghosts could offer guidance, it wasn't perfect.

The problem was that the ghosts couldn't think clearly.

They could only speak through fragments of their memories, offering advice in scattered pieces.

While they could help Elric navigate the current situation or master a specific technique, they couldn't provide the deeper insights needed to take things further.

For example, in a situation where Elric needed to master , the ghosts could help him become proficient in it, but they couldn't help him understand its true essence or introduce him to new techniques.

They could show him the shortcut to his destination, but they couldn't provide new milestones beyond that.

Still, Elric had no complaints. The amount of help he received from the ghosts was already incredible.

In fact, the thought that these souls could continue offering him new insights only fueled his curiosity and desire for knowledge even more.

Whirr, whirr...!

As he thrust his spear forward with full force, the rotational energy from the shaft gathered at the tip, creating a small whirlwind.

Breeze.

It was the moment when Elric fully mastered the first maneuver of .

And...

"Hah…!"

As expected, Haman, unaware of the deeper circumstances, let out a sigh of admiration, completely captivated by Elric's talent.

『Someone get that man a bib. He's about to start drooling,』 Mephisto muttered, shaking his head at Haman, who, like the elders of Nerester family, had now become completely captivated by Elric.

He looked as if he pitied them.

***

"Lord Commander, are you just going to keep watching?"

"The media has already crowned the head of the Melvinger Family as Herman's successor."

"The longer we wait, the worse it gets for us!"

"Let's be honest, that position should rightfully be yours, shouldn't it, Lord Commander?"

"Exactly! We can't just let this outsider run wild anymore!"

"...."

Blue Rams.

Like mountain goats with horns, who charge fearlessly to protect their herd from predators, they existed to safeguard their family.

In battle, they always took the lead, never hesitating to give their lives if necessary.

When the incident with Paul Weyl happened, they remained neutral because they firmly believed Herman would one day return.

And when Herman finally emerged from his battle with the reflux disease, they had been the first to rush to his side without a second thought.

This was possible because Herman had taken them in without prejudice, despite their humble origins as commoners or slaves, and had personally handed them swords.

For those who had grown up without proper parents, Herman was both a father and a mentor.

Because of this, they would gladly follow any order Herman gave, no matter how unreasonable it seemed.

But now, things are different.

The members of the unit were desperate to convince their leader, Kanata.

They urged him not to remain idle.

They insisted that he had to reclaim his rightful position as Herman's successor.

Kanata, however, repeatedly warned them not to cause unnecessary trouble.

But as the situation continued to escalate, he finally fell silent.

After all, even Kanata couldn't remain unaffected by this.

Up until Paul Weyl's rise, Kanata had been widely regarded as Herman's likely successor within the family.

Herman had taken him in as his first vassal.

He had even personally taught Kanata the way of the sword.

Kanata took great pride in this. Of all the knights in the Blue Rams, he alone had mastered the secret and advanced techniques of .

So deep down, Kanata believed himself to be the rightful successor, Herman's true disciple.

That is, until Elric—the giant boulder—rolled into his path.

"Something terrible has happened!"

Just then, the doors to the campsite where Kanata and the team leaders were gathered flew open.

The youngest team leader stumbled in, panting heavily, his breath hot with exhaustion from running.

"What's going on?"

"What happened?"

"The training with Sir Haman has just ended!"

"What?"

"Damn it…!"

The faces of the team leaders hardened.

This was bad.

"Didn't he just learn saber techniques from Sir Lasalle the day before?"

"And before that, didn't he study under our lord? I heard he did exceptionally well."

"What's the result this time? How did it go?"

The youngest team leader gave a bitter smile.

"Sir Haman seemed quite pleased with him."

"Hah…!"

"It seems the rumor about him becoming the shared disciple of the Blue Hawks is true."

"...."

"...."

"...."

A heavy silence filled the room.

A few of them sighed deeply.

It wasn't that the Blue Rams disliked or rejected Elric.

In fact, most of them respected and felt gratitude toward him.

After all, Elric had saved their lord and restored order to the family.

Moreover...

The sight of Elric single-handedly defeating the Blue Wolves was still fresh in their minds.

His imposing figure as he led the army of the dead through the icy blizzard left a chilling impression that they couldn't forget.

Respect for the strong was the core of the Weyl family's values.

But the fear that Elric might take Herman's place as successor—that was a different matter altogether.

This atmosphere wasn't so much about envy or jealousy.

It was more like anxiety.

If Elric became the Blue Lion, what would happen to those who had followed Herman so loyally all this time?

If the Melvinger family became the Blue Lion family, they would be cast adrift like ducklings abandoned on a river. That's why the consensus was that the Weyl family must remain the Blue Lion family.

However...

"This is the lord's decision."

As always, Kanata tried to quell the concerns and frustrations of his men.

"I'm worried too. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. But this is the lord's decision. He must have his reasons. This isn't for us to debate. If anything, we should be making sure that our benefactor isn't further ostracized by the rest of the family...!"

The team leaders bit their tongues.

"If the lord himself tells me that Elric Melvinger is the next person to whom I should swear loyalty, then I will obey without hesitation."

That was the key.

This was why the Blue Rams, and other knights in the family, followed Kanata so deeply.

He is resolute.

And he is loyal.

In his youth, Kanata had resembled Herman so closely that people couldn't help but follow him. It was also the reason why everyone tacitly believed he would be Herman's successor.

"Disperse. Let's consider today's incident as if it never happened. But if it happens again, I won't overlook it."

One by one, the team leaders rose from their seats, lowering their heads in deference.

Still, the uneasy and bitter atmosphere lingered.

And so, deep silence settled over the camp.

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