Chapter 003. Reincarnation (3)

The next day, while having breakfast, Marquis Haruen was purely amazed.

The boy had blue hair and red eyes, resembling his father perfectly. Moreover, his gaze was so strong that it was impossible to compare him to other children of a similar age; he possessed an extraordinary spirit.

'...Impressive.'

It was just yesterday that Marquis Haruen and his wife visited Count Vitelbach's household. Having drunk to the point of being inebriated with a friend after a long time, he had completely forgotten about the main purpose of their visit, Veris. But now, facing him, he felt a natural tightening of his grip.

"Did you say you haven't picked up a sword yet?"

"Yes, Your Excellency Marquis."

At Veris's polite response, Marquis Haruen smiled warmly.

Having met countless people over a long period of time, he had developed a keen eye for character. It was a fate of high nobility, and he had endured it silently, boasting a unique ability to discern people.

To the Marquis, this young boy truly shone like a gem.

Talent?

He had awakened his mana by himself and learned to utilize it through his own efforts.

He was a direct descendant of the renowned swordsmanship family, Vitelbach, and according to the Count, he would begin physical training and swordsmanship lessons in two years.

Even though the family held a title one rank lower than that of a marquis, its reputation was by no means diminished within the Empire. "Then, Veris, what was your first impression of our daughter?"

The Marquis quickly calculated in his mind.

This engagement was certainly not a losing deal. Rather, in the distant future, the Marquis's family might even benefit from this boy's assistance.

"I felt neither good nor bad."

"Oh? What do you mean by that?"

"Literally, I felt no particular emotion. I apologize to Your Excellency Marquis, but most people in a betrothal like this would feel the same."

"Hmm…."

He was a boy with an intellect beyond his years. Indeed, it would be unreasonable for someone with such outstanding talent to be dull-witted.

The Marquis turned his gaze to Beatrice and Gunther, who were sitting across from Veris.

His children were often praised for their maturity beyond their age. However, for some reason, being with Veris made them appear almost innocent.

Moreover, Gunther, the son, seemed to be looking at Veris with admiration, as if he had been inspired by the boy's noble demeanor in just one day.

"The Count is truly fortunate."

"...I fear I may become an unworthy father."

After conversing with Veris, the Marquis did not hold back his praise for the Count.

Understanding the Marquis's intent, the Count smiled bitterly, but deep down, he surely wanted to boast about his exceptional son as well.

"Then, what shall we do about our promise?"

The most important thing was Veris's own feelings. He subtly probed whether Veris was considering marriage, but since he did not take the bait, he had no choice but to ask directly.

"I, too, am a knight who values honor. Naturally, I intend to uphold the promise with Your Excellency Marquis. However, the most important thing is the feelings of the parties involved, is it not?"

"That is true."

It was a pleasant thing to hear, but ultimately, it meant that whether or not to fulfill the betrothal was entirely up to the son.

Of course, if he were an ordinary boy of that age, it would have seemed like an unreasonable shifting of responsibility, but the Marquis understood the Count's attitude.

The Count must also feel it. That the boy possesses a shining talent that is far too great for him to hold.

"Beatrice. What do you think?"

"Me, I…."

The young girl fidgeted with her fingers at her father's question. She was clearly struggling to come up with an answer, but no one reproached her.

She was now over ten years old. Asking such a child whether she wanted to marry or not was a cruel thing in itself.

"I don't dislike it."

As Beatrice stammered, it was Veris who broke the short silence.

"You don't dislike it?"

"I know well that a promise is not something to be easily broken. However, there is still plenty of time, so it might be a good idea to observe slowly."

"Then, if we maintain the status quo, and if nothing special happens…."

As the Marquis trailed off, Veris slowly nodded.

Naturally, the Marquis felt even more drawn to Veris's composed demeanor. If one had a proper sense of reason, how could they not be envious of the way this child presented himself?

In fact, even the Marquis could not force a marriage using the betrothal as an excuse. Although it was common among noble children, it was not unusual for such engagements to be broken as they grew.

"The way this atmosphere is flowing, I will speak frankly. I find you admirable. Anyone sitting here would know that."

Everyone nodded at the Marquis's words. Even his wife seemed to have a favorable impression of Veris, so what more needed to be said?

"This time, I would like to make a suggestion. Every spring, we hold a modest festival in our territory. Veris, if you are okay with it, I would like to invite your son there."

"How could I refuse such kindness?"

"Good. Then let's take our leave."

That was the end of the meal. After that, the Marquis left with only a brief farewell to the Count and his wife, likely to ensure that the nobles would not interfere with Veris.

Eventually, life returned to normal.

The Marquis had come and gone like a storm. He had felt Beatrice's mysterious gaze before they boarded the carriage, but surely nothing would come of it.

* * *

"Ha…."

They say time flows like water, don't they?

Before long, Veris, now twelve years old, began to wield a sword.

It was a late start compared to his peers, but behind that reason lay the stubborn will of his father, Count Verden.

"To walk the path of the sword, one must first train the body."

That was the Count's philosophy. No matter how extraordinary one's swordsmanship might be, if the fundamental physical strength did not support it, learning swordsmanship would be like building a sandcastle.

Thus, Veris endured hellish physical training until just before picking up the sword. The human body is similar to steel; the more it is stimulated, the stronger it becomes, so the Count had forced training that a child could not normally endure.

Bang! Smash!

And that bizarre level of physical training bore fruit. The straw doll standing right in front of him was instantly shattered into dozens of pieces.

However.

"This isn't it."

As Veris swung his sword like a whirlwind, he tilted his head with a dissatisfied expression.

The swordsmanship he had learned, the Vitelbach Vision Swordsmanship, was not like this.

It was a sword technique that was literally as strong and swift as a storm raging in the sky. It pursued both strength and speed simultaneously…

Standing in the training ground for a while, Veris swung his sword this way and that. Yet, compared to the sword techniques his father had shown him, it still felt lacking.

Was he wielding mana-infused swords?

[ Sufficient swordsmanship proficiency has unlocked a skill! ]

[ Conditions have been met, and a skill has been unlocked! ]

[ You have acquired a skill, and the skill list has been opened! ]

Suddenly, an indescribably powerful sense of clarity surged around Veris.

It was a familiar system notification, but the content was different from usual, and Veris could not help but feel his heart racing.

It had been nearly twelve years since he started a new life in this world.

During that time, Veris had learned and felt many things, growing endlessly, but his only concern had been this.

"Finally, a skill!"

Veris knew that skills existed. Just opening the status window revealed a separate tab for the skill list at the very bottom.

But the problem was that Veris's skill window had always been blank until now. Without any clues, no matter how hard he tried, he had not achieved any results.

Veris hurriedly focused his consciousness to check his skill list. It was a system message that had appeared while he was training in swordsmanship. This meant that a skill related to swordsmanship had surely been unlocked.

< Skill List >

{ Passive Mastery (New!)(UR)(Unique)(Bound)(Mythic) }

{ Heavenly Sword Technique (New!)(SSR)(Legendary) }

In a rush, he opened the status window and then the skill list, revealing that dazzling appearance.

It was so radiant that he wondered if he might go blind from its brilliance, and it was adorably registered on one side of the system window.

Moreover, look at those tags behind them, presumed to be characteristics or grades. Even rubbing his eyes and looking again, the following words were clearly extraordinary.

"...Huh?"

But that excited feeling quickly cooled down.

It was a strange thing.

With the uniqueness and mythic nature of the skill, Veris had a certain expectation of its value. However, the moment he tapped on the skill name in the system, he felt his mind go blank.

[ Passive Mastery ]

- Every beginning is every end.

Type: Passive Skill

Effect: When acquiring an active skill, all stats decrease by 80% for each active skill. Non-removable. Increases the performance of passive skills.

"Eh?"

He rubbed his eyes and looked at the system window again.

He rubbed his eyes and looked at the system window once more.

He shook his head and read the text again.

But the result remained the same. When acquiring an active skill, all stats decrease.

Not just a decrease, but an 80% decrease in stats. Even per skill.

Currently, his physical power stat has risen several levels to 90 compared to the past, so an 80% decrease would mean about 18 in physical power. If he learned two active skills, that would mean 3.6.

"...."

As if someone had struck him on the head with a hammer, Veris staggered and collapsed to the ground.

The physical power stat of Tom, the eight-year-old boy from the upper village who loved candy, was 19.

The physical power stat of Old Man Johnson, the village chief from the lower village, who was in poor health and on the verge of death, was 25.

The physical power stat of Chef Detol, who was in charge of the mansion's kitchen, was 43.

The physical power stat of Senior Soldier Thompson, stationed in the territory, was 62.

"What the hell… are you kidding me?"

His hands and feet trembled uncontrollably.

He had just finished about two years of physical training and had just begun to wield a sword, yet if he gained even one active skill, he would become as weak as an old man or a little child. What kind of nonsense was this?

"Not yet, not yet!"

Veris gathered his wits.

The bizarre skill called Passive Mastery was enough to make him lose his mind, but the skill he had acquired was not just one.

"I'm counting on you."

With his fingers still trembling, Veris pointed to the name of the second skill.

The family's vision swordsmanship, Heavenly Sword Technique. Let's think logically. Swordsmanship is not something that is commonly considered an active skill.

"Ugh."

But soon, as the system UI appeared, Veris lost consciousness with a gasp.

The system window still floating in the air contained the long-desired description of the Heavenly Sword Technique, which was briefly written as follows.

[ Heavenly Sword Technique ]

- When you raise your sword to cover the sky, you will finally see the heavens.

Type: Swordsmanship-type Active Skill. [ON/OFF]

Effect: You can use the Vision Swordsmanship: Heavenly Sword Technique.