Chapter - 7

I woke up the next day to an awkward smell piercing my nose.

What is this scent? A rose?

I looked around with my half-open eyes and quickly discovered the origin of the scent.

Atop the table next to the bed, there was a vase with a bright red rose in it.

Luan Bednicker and the smell of roses. There might not be a bigger mismatch.

"So stupid," I muttered.

Of course, the rose wasn't meaningless.

One of the symbols of House Bednicker was a rose.

In fact, the outer walls of the main house were covered in rose bushes.

"Ehm..."

I stumbled a little as I sat up.

It got a bit chilly as I left the warmth of my blanket.

I couldn't remember properly if this was at the end of fall or the beginning of winter, but it was somewhere around there. The room was still a bit cold.

Seeing how I was still tired, it seemed I hadn't slept for the entire day.

"...Is it still early in the morning?"

That was the feeling I got. The period when, even though I wanted to sleep more, my body was waking up out of habit. A weird time when, although I was a bit tired, it would be hard to fall back to sleep.

Doing so would only be a waste of time anyway, so I got up out of bed.

But then my entire body, from my head to my toes, screamed in pain.

"Urgh."

Why were my muscles so sore?

I probably forced myself too much yesterday.

This body truly could only make me sigh in disappointment.

But I could bear with it, so I waddled up to the mirror.

It was a historical moment, my first good look at myself since my return...

But a dead fish was staring back at me in the mirror.

Of course, the dead fish was me.

"This is worse than I thought."

I had platinum blonde hair and pale skin, so I looked pretty weak to start with, but since I was also skin and bones on top of that, I practically looked like a patient.

I was honestly surprised I'd even been able to use the White Sun Form with such a thin body.

I needed to deal with this body somehow, but it wasn't an easy problem to fix by any means.

As a baseline, I didn't like eating a lot, and my constitution didn't allow me to gain weight easily.

On top of that, I was also stupidly picky with my food.

Somehow, I knew how to act like a food critic, so I'd ended up becoming sensitive to the smell of the raw ingredients and the texture of the dish.

Food was the one thing I'd never been able to let go. Even after getting beaten up by Master all day and having my bones broken, I would still spend time cooking.

A sensitive palate was one of the most noble traits one could have in high society...

But for the path I needed to walk in the future, it was but a stumbling block, a talent that met the wrong master.

"Hungry."

Thinking about food made my stomach growl. It was only natural, I hadn't been able to eat anything since the commotion yesterday.

In any case, I would once again be able to eat the food of my hometown.

I guess I should go to the dining hall.

It was early in the morning, but the kitchen started its work even earlier. They'd probably give me something if I asked.

I went to leave my room to fill my appetite, and also to take a look around the mansion.

Creak.

"Ack..."

Someone met me at the door.

It was someone I was familiar with.

One of the servant girls that had been standing in my room when I woke up yesterday.

She looked like an easily-scared squirrel, and I remembered that she was the one who had reacted the most when Kayan appeared.

"Y-young master. Have you woken up?"

"Who are you?"

"My name is Liza."

The servant girl named Liza lowered her head. I just nodded without care.

"So, Liza, what are you doing here so early?"

"I... I came to check on your condition, young master. When I saw you yesterday night, I wasn't able to see any particular symptoms with my naked eye... Are you perhaps uncomfortable somewhere?"

"Other than being hungry right now, I'm fine," I said. "Since the topic has come up, could you get me something to eat?"

"Ah, yes. I'll prepare your breakfast now."

"Right. Also, what about Mother?"

Liza suddenly looked a little startled.

"Mistress returned to the main house three weeks ago."

"..."

I'd been wondering why I hadn't seen her even when a collector came. So, that was the reason.

Thinking about it now, Arzan wouldn't have been able to beat me up if my mother had been here.

"All right. You can go now."

"Yes." Liza lowered her head, came into the room... and switched the flower in the vase.

"Hey, that rose..."

"Yes?"

"...No. Return to your work."

"Yes."

Not long after, Liza returned with a simple breakfast.

Perhaps my appetite hadn't returned yet, because it tasted terrible.

I ate just enough to stop being hungry, then went to wash my body. I suspected I had been covered in far too many medicinal herbs, because I smelled foul.

When I finished washing myself and stretching my stiff body, the day was fully bright. As the sun swept away the darkness and chill of the house, my mood returned as well.

Maybe it was because of the martial art I had learned, or maybe because it was just human nature, but I really liked the day more than the night.

"Young master, have you awoken?"

"Are you uncomfortable anywhere..."

...I liked it a lot more before these guys started to approach me.

I looked at the employees of this house with cold eyes.

I could still clearly remember how they all ran away as soon as Kayan entered the room. Honestly, I had no intention of criticizing them for that.

My personality had been pretty trash around this time, but they should at least be consistent. It hadn't been that long since they ran away like they didn't care. Now that the collector was no longer here, however, they swarmed me and spoke empty words.

In any case, since I was also to blame, I couldn't just beat these guys up and kick them out.

I waited until their false worries ended before speaking.

"I got it, so leave for now. I'm going to rest for a little longer."

"Yes. But, young master..."

"What?"

"How did the collection go?"

"Can't you tell?"

Even though I waved my two arms in front of them, they just stood there blinking.

"The collection didn't proceed."

"Pardon?"

"I asked him nicely and he went away."

"H-how could that..."

"That's what happened, so get out. While I'm telling you nicely."

They seemed to want to ask me more questions, but I forced them out of the room. As I closed the door, I didn't forget to say one last thing.

"No one can come in for the time being. Don't even knock."

"Sorry? U-understoo—"

Boom. The room finally became silent as I closed the door.

I enjoyed the peacefulness for a second before opening the window wide.

"It's the middle of winter, but the day is good."

Strong sunlight but cold winds. I liked it.

It was just the right amount of cold to awaken a drowsy mind.

I smiled a bit as I sat in front of the window, facing the sun.

This was the first time I'd been able to be alone since returning to the past.

I straightened my back and sat in the lotus position.

I closed my eyes...

And started to do the first thing I should've done upon returning to the past: practice the Strongest Technique in History.

The creation of the Strongest Under the Heavens, Baek Nogwang.

The Strongest Technique in History was a breathing technique.

By the concept of this world, it could be called a refinement technique.

The best time to practice the Strongest Technique in History was when the sun was highest in the sky.

The Strongest Technique in History had its roots in the Five Elements. According to this breathing technique, most humans could be divided into five elemental attributes.

They were either wood, fire, earth, metal, or water...

Whether by my master's intention or simple coincidence, all five of his disciples possessed different elemental attributes.

The attribute I possessed was fire, but Master told me that it would be unbecoming if I only aimed to become a simple match, so I should aim to become a great existence that could swallow the sun.

Anyway, the surrounding environment was very important when practicing the Strongest Technique in History, though this was probably true for all breathing techniques.

Just having dense ki in the air wasn't enough, one needed to find a place that resonated with one's attributes.

To put it simply, someone with a wood attribute would be able to practice more efficiently when inside a forest.

For me, it was better to focus during the day. It was most effective if I practiced when the sun was highest in the sky.

In truth, the most effective place was a landmass with dense yang energy like a volcano or the historical site of a fiery calamity, although that was a little extreme.

It's not like I can go to those places in my current state anyway.

So, after a few moments of meditating while sitting in the lotus position on the floor, I ended up opening my eyes with a frown.

"Wow," I instinctively exclaimed.

I'd been able to see that the state of my body was terrible just from looking in the mirror, but it was even worse inside. Even a six-year-old kid was probably healthier than me.

It wasn't that the innate constitution I was born with was bad. Rather, after living like an idiot for so long, and maybe because I had been beaten up recently, this body was no different from a patient on their deathbed.

Will I be able to recover in a month?

It felt like it would take at least half a year to turn this body into something usable, especially because the outer body was a lot more important for the Strongest Technique in History than for other techniques.

I'll need to cut back on my sleep...