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chapter 10
Maybe a Genius
“Phew… I’m alive.”
Kyle shot Mayer a murderous glare, his face twisted as if he had chewed on something foul. Yet, perhaps because there were too many eyes watching, he quickly delivered the promised items.
When Mayer applied the potion Kyle had sent over, the lingering ache throughout his body finally eased, and he could wear a face that said he might just survive.
“This hurts like hell.”
He hadn’t prepared his body for advanced sword techniques, so the recoil hit him hard. Yet, oddly enough, that only made Mayer’s eyes burn brighter with determination.
“If I can just use it properly… this really is an excellent sword technique.”
Rando, a four-star knight. His swordsmanship was reputed to be the best in the territory.
But Mayer’s expression grew serious again. It was because of Kyle, whom he had met while being half-cradled in Heirun’s arms.
“Five stars.”
Astonishingly, above Kyle’s head appeared a “five-star” rating, along with an as-yet unrevealed question mark. That meant Kyle’s skill was a level above Rando, who was considered the best swordsman in the territory.
Though Mayer had never ventured into the wider world, being a secluded noble, he knew that five-star ratings weren’t something you saw every day.
Even Stan Mayer, the captain of the Iron Bear Knights, was considered a captain with only a two-star rank—so there was no way a five-star figure would be common.
“That guy is my sworn brother… and he’s after my position.”
In fact, the public already regarded Kyle as partly destined to inherit Erido Garden. Mayer rubbed his forehead.
“Phew.”
If Kyle, who was instilling fear into Mayer’s body under the pretense of teaching him swordsmanship, became the lord, what would happen to Mayer?
“I’d die, obviously.”
Even without anyone giving him an answer, Mayer could guess. The ambition lurking in Kyle’s eyes would be a curse for Mayer, even if Kyle became the head of the family.
After all, Mayer’s legitimacy as Erigo’s son would constantly be a thorn in Kyle’s side.
“What if I leave the family?”
Leaving the family could be a survival option. But Mayer shook his head immediately.
“Perfect way to die.”
Leaving the family with a body that hasn’t even swung a sword once? No one would look twice at him. Going out into the harsh world like that would be a direct ticket to the afterlife.
Even if he survived, it wouldn’t matter.
Through Kyle’s mind-reading, he knew Kyle would never tolerate Mayer—a legitimate heir with the right to challenge his position—alive anywhere in this world. One morning, Mayer could easily end up discovered as a corpse.
“So then, there’s only one way to survive.”
Mayer let out a faint, deep sigh.
“I have no choice but to push that damn sworn brother aside and become the heir of the territory myself.”
That was the only path to survival. Of course, it wouldn’t be easy, but at least it was the minimal chance of survival he could control.
For now, the successor seat was vacant, and the legitimacy belonged to Mayer.
He didn’t know yet what storm the small upheaval he had caused today would turn into, but he had to hold tightly onto this meager legitimacy.
“How to defeat that monster, though…”
Still, he had to try. Otherwise, he wouldn’t survive. Not a shred of desire to die existed in Mayer.
“Better to try to find a way to live than to stay cooped up like a student or in the annex, constantly fearing when the sworn brother will come to kill me.”
Two pathetic destinies had come together. Minus times minus becomes plus—combining secluded noble Mayer and exam student Park Yeon-ui yielded a better outcome than if they were separate.
At least for now.
“Why does it have to be fantasy when I come? If I’m going, let it be Three Kingdoms.”
If it were Three Kingdoms, Park Yeon-ui had mastered nearly every existing text—historical, fictional, alternate history—inside out. He could close his eyes and instantly recall who appeared and what happened in which year. Yet, they ended up in a fantasy world.
“Well, there should still be something I can use here.”
Judging from the erased news about the volunteer army and Leponi, the world outside the family didn’t seem completely safe either.
“I’ll show them the know-how of rotten water.”
Even the decayed knowledge of Park Yeon-ui, who had soaked in Three Kingdoms until rotten, could be useful here somehow—if not with a sword, perhaps as a commander.
After planning his survival strategy and eating a solid dinner made from ingredients Kyle had sent, Mayer straightened his clothes.
He had a guest to receive.
Soon enough, the person Mayer had been waiting for finally appeared.
“Please, come in, Sir Rando.”
“The young noble greets you.”
Rando Bellins. The top knight of the territory, who had come to the annex to learn the secret of Mayer’s Nankong Sword technique, bowed respectfully.
“I apologize. All I can offer is water.”
A chipped cup filled with cold water was the best Mayer could offer his guest. Rando looked taken aback that the annex where Mayer lived was even more worn and shabby than he expected.
‘No wonder he’s surprised.’
For a stoic, stone-faced knight to be surprised, the annex was hardly fit for human habitation. Mayer briefly considered his father, who had left him here without a servant or maid, but he pushed such thoughts aside.
“I assume you’re curious about something.”
There was no need to beat around the bush. Rando was not someone easily influenced by chatter. It was better to speak first and take the initiative.
Rando Bellins was not the type to care about trivialities.
“Yes.”
“The sword… it’s because I used your swordsmanship, isn’t it?”
Rando’s eyes sparkled.
“Yes.”
Rando had no disciples. Few had properly learned his Nankong Sword technique. He cared for Victor but hadn’t taught them the technique. Yet here Mayer was, wielding it boldly.
Seeing Rando’s blazing gaze, Mayer slightly raised his chin.
“I suppose… I’m a genius.”
Mayer thought it sounded arrogant even to himself, but the words were already out. And there was no other way to explain it.
‘From today, I’m a genius.’
If he could grasp and replicate someone else’s sword technique simply by holding their sword, what else could one call that but genius?
Mayer decided to gild his own image.
‘To survive, I have to be extraordinary.’
A secluded noble who once fainted at the sight of weapons and blood… turns out he’s a sword prodigy?
It was the only way for Mayer to survive. His method for confronting the monster Kyle—a five-star or possibly even higher being—was simple, yet orthodox.
‘I need to increase the number of people who trust and follow me.’
Power.
Even in Three Kingdoms, the ones who survived to divide the world weren’t the greatest warrior Lü Bu, but Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan.
To survive Kyle, he needed a force—one that could stand against him.
In that regard, Rando Bellins was the top recruit.
Mayer quickly continued.
“I observed you sparring with the Iron Bear Knights. Curiously, I could see the flow of your swordsmanship. After that, I was able to understand it.”
Seeing and understanding the flow of swordsmanship?
Rando unconsciously showed a blank expression.
If true, Mayer was a genius. A genius capable of rivaling the best in history.
“But young noble…”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Fear of leading and of blood. Yet Mayer’s eyes sparkled.
‘In martial arts fiction, suffering corresponds to proportional talent—that’s a cliché.’
If there’s a cause, there’s a result.
What Mayer endured could plausibly be seen as a heavenly trial, and overcoming it granted him genius.
“Such an event…”
“Apparently, the gods did not abandon me, Mayer.”
Chance? No, it was a remarkable inevitability. Mayer told Rando that the gods had aided him to finally overcome the trial, allowing him to wield sword techniques simply by watching them.
Rando seemed convinced.
Otherwise, there was no way to explain why Mayer had used the Nankong Sword.
Now it was Mayer’s turn to bait Rando.
“However, when I wielded your technique, it felt too noble for my body to handle.”
He subtly praised Rando’s swordsmanship while claiming he had barely healed his torn muscles with a potion. Even Rando, a human, could not resist being complimented on his technique.
“Hmm, hmm.”
Trying not to show it, Rando was pleased. Mayer seized the opportunity.
“So, please, teach me as well. I will even become your disciple if necessary. Do not ignore my desperate struggle to overcome this heavenly trial.”
Rando stiffened at Mayer’s desperate plea.
“I apologize. Allow me some time to consider.”
Leaving Mayer with these words, Rando ultimately did not give a definite answer. Mayer looked sorrowful, but Rando left the annex with a guilty expression.
For a loyal knight who follows chivalry, to turn his back on a lord’s child striving to overcome his fate must have been emotionally difficult.
After Rando left, Mayer wiped the sadness from his face and changed his expression.
“This is a success, isn’t it?”
Of course, Mayer never expected Rando to immediately accept. That would have been best, but he anticipated Rando would evade the answer.
Yet just not being rejected outright was half a success.
“See?”
As Mayer spoke aloud, Heirun walked in, giving Mayer a distrustful look.
“Since Sir Rando didn’t give a definite answer, I win the bet.”
Mayer had made a simple wager with Heirun. He bet Rando wouldn’t immediately reject it.
Heirun sighed lightly.
“Yes. You win.”
“Good. Then, having won, I’ll state the condition.”
Mayer smiled.
“Spread this story secretly within the family. Focus on the servants and maids.”
Heirun shook his head, as if he couldn’t stop him.
“You mean to put pressure on Sir Rando?”
Even rumors, if heard by someone like Rando, could cause stress, making him pay attention to Mayer.
“Yes.”
Mayer nodded with a bright smile. Heirun found the smile irritating but couldn’t deny Mayer had chosen the perfect strategy.
‘And Mayer the noble is a genius.’
Listening to Mayer converse with Rando, Heirun couldn’t hide his amazement—Mayer was truly a genius who could wield a sword by simply observing swordsmanship.
He had even hidden that from Heirun. Yet Mayer had always helped him at the right times.
Watching Heirun’s eyes shift anxiously, Mayer grinned.
“Shall we make another bet?”
