“Brother must be thinking of uprooting the corruption completely in one go to prevent any chance of reocurrence.”
In fact, Ian’s swift actions were earning praise from the territorial residents.
Seeing those who had oppressed them being dragged away one after another was a visible relief.
Some villagers were even capturing corrupt officials themselves and delivering them to Ian—such was the extent of the change.
Of course, the administrators in Rosen and the staff at Ansen’s detention facilities were screaming in chaos as they dealt with the aftermath.
“Send a letter instructing him to categorize the crimes by severity and handle them appropriately from now on. Ian should be able to manage that on his own.”
“Yes, Father.”
It was time to shift focus to proper governance.
Stabilization efforts needed priority.
The only problem was that the sheer volume of work ahead made it impossible to estimate when things would settle.
Knock knock!
“My lord.”
Jurdan’s voice came from outside the office.
A soft sigh from Hubert followed.
It wasn’t that their relationship had soured—it was just that Jurdan’s recent visits usually meant more paperwork to review.
His appearance often signaled additional tasks.
“Come in.”
There was no refusing him.
With Hugo’s permission, Jurdan entered.
Fortunately, he wasn’t holding any documents—meaning no additional approvals were needed.
Ignoring Hubert’s relieved sigh, Hugo asked:
“This doesn’t seem to be about routine matters. What brings you here, advisor?”
“I came to report important news.”
“What is it?”
“His Highness, the Fourth Prince—”
“The Fourth Prince?”
The sudden mention of the Fourth Prince drew puzzled looks.
“His Highness the Fourth Prince has gone missing.”
Hugo and Hubert’s eyes widened in shock at the unexpected news.
“Missing? How?”
“According to reports, he disappeared while on a hunting trip with some attendants—the same day the Third Prince also went missing.”
“Hah…”
The office fell into stunned silence at the unbelievable news.
“So,” Hugo finally broke the silence, though the shock hadn’t faded. “How is the imperial family responding?”
“They’re searching, but nothing has been found yet. The other princes are accusing each other of murdering the Fourth Prince, despite his disinterest in the throne.”
Naturally.
‘Whether it was orchestrated by one of the princes or a supporting noble, this situation is far from favorable.’
The critical point was that it provided justification for conflict.
“Is there any more information from the capital?”
“No, my lord. That’s all we know so far. The only other development is another minor clash between Duke Endran’s and Duke Eaton’s forces.”
“Again? That’s the fifth one this month alone.”
The frequency of these skirmishes had undeniably increased.
At first, people thought war was imminent, but by now, many had grown numb to it.
Minor clashes had become routine—occurring once or twice a month over the past two years.
The problem was the recent spike in frequency.
‘It’s about to explode.’
While others might have grown indifferent, Hugo felt the empire burning beneath his feet.
More frequent clashes meant more soldiers deployed to the frontlines.
And these weren’t random skirmishes—they were probing attacks, testing each other’s weaknesses.
“Advisor, keep a close watch on the situation. Report anything new, no matter how trivial.”
Jurdan, who had served him for decades, understood—every rumor, no matter how minor, was to be reported.
“Yes, my lord.”
With a bow, Jurdan left the office.
Hugo pressed his fingers to his temples. Hubert’s expression darkened just as quickly.
Father and son shared the same thought:
Watching their homeland, this great empire, crumble in real time was far from pleasant.
But.
‘If my discontent alone could fix this, I’d gladly endure it a hundred times over.’
Their meager strength couldn’t extinguish the flames threatening to consume the empire.
Against their wishes, the empire’s fate raced forward like a runaway horse—whether toward a treacherous path or an outright cliff, only the gods knew.
Swish!
A sharp sound cut through the air as a blade danced gracefully.
Swoosh—!
The next movement followed an unpredictable arc.
Ian’s sword flowed through the air like a dancer’s ribbon.
He was training in the secret practice hall, mimicking the movements of the first Schrantz Count’s phantom.
The third form was starkly different from the second, which had been as aggressive as an enraged bull.
Instead of brute force, this was fluid—like a deadly, elegant dance.
Outwardly, it appeared smooth, but beneath lay the lethality of a viper’s strike.
And it was unorthodox.
At first, some movements were manageable, but soon, the complexity escalated.
Eventually, the sequences became impossible for an ordinary human body to replicate.
How do you transition from this stance to that?
No matter how hard he tried, it was futile.
Ian realized that forcing it would only lead to injury.
Then it hit him—mana reinforcement.
Channeling mana through his body, he found himself executing previously impossible movements with ease.
A swordsmanship style that flowed naturally before striking with unpredictable, razor-sharp precision.
This was the essence of the third form.
And once understood, progress came swiftly.
The result?
[Skill ‘Schrantz Swordsmanship – Chapter 3’ conditions have been met. Chapter 3 effects have been unlocked.]
[Skill ‘Aura Body’ has been acquired.]
<Schrantz Swordsmanship> – A swordsmanship style and secret art passed down through generations of the Schrantz family.
– Chapter 1: Attack Power +5%
– Chapter 2: Maximum MP +100
– Chapter 3: MP Consumption -5%
– ???<Aura Body> – A skill that consumes 10 MP per second to envelop the body in mana, enhancing physical capabilities.
– While active, increases defense and movement speed by 10%.
– When used simultaneously with ‘Aura’, both Aura and Aura Body effects are doubled. However, MP consumption increases threefold.
Ian had successfully unlocked Chapter 3.
“Haah!”
With the exhilaration of unlocking Volume 3, he marveled at his newly acquired skill. Not only did it strengthen his body, but it could also be used in combination with other techniques.
‘And if I use it with Aura, the effects double!’
In a duel against a knight of equal standing, this would give him a decisive advantage. No—it might even allow him to overwhelm stronger opponents.
However…
‘Even at peak condition, I can’t maintain it for even a minute.’
The drawback was that it couldn’t be used recklessly. While it doubled his power, the cost tripled. He couldn’t afford to waste MP like water.
This raised the stakes of MP management.
Though somewhat disappointing—
‘Well, if there weren’t any drawbacks, it’d be downright broken.’
Ideally, he’d prefer no downsides, but from a game balance perspective, it made sense. Of course, now that this was reality, he’d gladly toss balance out the window for pure advantage.
‘Still, it’ll work as a trump card.’
Or he could mix it in during combat to quickly pressure his opponent. There were plenty of ways to utilize it.
“Perfect timing—just as my training session ends.”
Ian wiped off his sweat with a towel he’d brought beforehand, donned his outer robe, and exited the secret training hall.
“Young Master, are you finished?”
Nea was waiting outside as usual, always timing her arrival to match when Ian would emerge.
“What’s for dinner tonight?”
“Meat stew. Sonya prepared it herself.”
“Oh ho, really?”
Sonya was a young kitchen maid. Everyone raved that her cooking rivaled the head chef’s, and Ian thoroughly enjoyed it too. So much so that he sometimes specifically requested her dishes over the head chef’s.
“But why her instead of the head chef?”
This time, he hadn’t even asked for Sonya’s cooking, yet she had prepared the meal.
When he inquired, Nea explained:
“The head chef fell ill and couldn’t come to work. He suddenly developed a fever early this morning. Sonya finished cooking and left early too.”
“Oh dear! Sonya must be worried sick.”
The head chef and Sonya were newlyweds. So lovestruck were they that honey practically dripped from their eyes whenever they glanced at each other during work.
“Young Master, sometimes you amaze me.”
“How so?”
“When something happens, sometimes you’re startled, but when it comes to truly serious matters, you remain completely unfazed.”
Given the context, she wasn’t talking about Sonya and the head chef. She was referring to the disappearance of the Fourth Prince.
Upon hearing the rumors, the entire household wore expressions of concern, fearing the empire would soon be engulfed in turmoil. Nea tried not to show it, but she was clearly worried too.
Yet Ian felt nothing more than “what was bound to happen has happened,” and indeed, his demeanor hadn’t changed before and after hearing the news.
‘The difference lies in whether it was an inevitable event or an unexpected one.’
And this fell squarely into the category of “inevitable for this period.”
Had there been no signs of civil war contrary to his expectations, he would have been far more alarmed.
While the war’s aftermath would undoubtedly have some impact, he judged that the direct effects on Schrantz would be minimal. After all, Schrantz was located in the empire’s most remote corner.
For Schrantz to be directly affected would mean the Endran Ducal House had been breached—and Ian knew full well that wasn’t likely to happen easily. That was why he could remain so composed.
‘It’s not like there’s anything I can do about it anyway.’
All Schrantz could do was profit from the situation amidst the chaos.
‘Weapons trade… The Endran Ducal House would block that thoroughly, so no luck there.’
While smuggling was theoretically possible, Ian had no confidence in handling the fallout if caught. After all, he was merely “a member of the household”—not the lord, not the heir, nothing of significance.