Chapter 5

1. Preparations for Running Away (3)

Jaiden took the youngest boy, who seemed to have come out willingly as if it were his last hope, and headed to his private training ground. Aiden, looking puzzled, asked him.

"Why here...?"

"Draw your sword."

"Excuse me?"

Confused by the sudden request to draw his sword, Aiden tilted his head. Jaiden then threw him a wooden sword with an iron core.

"Swing it."

Jaiden had thrown the smallest wooden sword from his private training ground, and Aiden, looking flustered, hesitated. It was natural for him to be flustered, as Jaiden had suddenly brought him to the training ground to practice sword swinging.

"Quickly."

At Jaiden's urging, Aiden, with a resigned expression, swung the sword. Jaiden, standing beside him, frowned and said,

"Don't do it half-heartedly; do it properly. Swing with all your might."

Aiden, though he didn't understand what was happening, took a proper stance and swung the sword with a resigned expression.

Despite being only six years old, he had learned the basics of swordsmanship, and his stance was reasonably well-formed.

Seeing this, Jaiden quietly asked,

"Are the hallucinations?"

"They've gotten worse."

Aiden replied with a choked voice, and Jaiden nodded.

"I'm going to show you one sword technique. Try to follow it."

Aiden, with a choked expression, silently looked at Jaiden.

Jaiden took a deep breath, adjusted his stance, and slowly swung his sword.

The genuine Lion Sword Technique he had learned during the beta test.

He began to perform the White Lion Sword Technique, which only the head of the family could learn. Although it was a sword technique of such a high level that he could hardly imitate it, he could at least mimic its form.

At that moment, Aiden's eyes began to change.

Instinctively, he started to mutter something while looking at Jaiden's sword technique. At the same time, with a dazed look, he began to mimic Jaiden's White Lion Sword Technique.

"Is this a state of synchronization?"

Jaiden looked at Aiden, who seemed to be synchronized with something, as if confirming his guess.

Even though Jaiden had stopped the White Lion Sword Technique halfway, Aiden continued to perform the sword form on his own.

"The soul of the divine beast that made a contract with the first head of the family is correct."

The king of the white lions, who had waited to be reborn as a soul fitting the first head of the family but eventually faded away, was now synchronized with Aiden's body, perfectly recreating the first head's sword technique.

Given the extremely high level of the soul, it had not been detected by the countless spells cast in the mansion, and due to its fading over time, it had not been detected by the current head of the family either.

The soul had become completely synchronized with Aiden due to Jaiden's White Lion Sword Technique.

Seeing the perfect form of the White Lion Sword Technique, which was a result of Aiden's genius and the synchronization with the king of the white lions, Jaiden's thoughts were...

"Damn talented brat."

Looking at Aiden, who was still synchronized and moving the sword, Jaiden sighed and lifted his own sword.

Seeing Aiden's incredible talent, he didn't feel jealous.

But others would have felt differently.

The feelings of those who were considered geniuses within the family, or even on the continent, upon seeing a true genius would have been intense jealousy.

If a mediocre person like himself felt this level of jealousy, others would have felt even more.

Thus, the frustration and jealousy of seeing a true genius would have driven Aiden to his death.

However, Jaiden was different.

He knew very well that he had no talent in this body and still had the real self from the real world in his mind.

"Huh! Huh! Huh!"

To suppress the jealousy that was subtly rising, he swung his sword.

Basic sword techniques were perfect for dispelling unnecessary thoughts.

It was a simple repetition of drawing a perfect sword line, but the more he repeated it, the more his stance improved.

His past experience of mastering numerous techniques and observing the swords of experts beside him were now integrated into his sword.

'Is this how it's done?'

Recalling the master's sword technique from the battlefield, Jaiden unconsciously imitated it while swinging his sword.

Even a naturally talented boy like Aiden would need to practice sword techniques countless times to imprint them in his body.

Since even a genius needed to do this, he had no other choice.

However, the basic sword technique was the only thing that could keep up with Aiden's speed.

The imprinting of a simple sword path.

Compared to the Lion Sword Technique, which was known for its complexity, the White Lion Sword Technique was several times more difficult to imprint. In contrast, the basic sword technique was simple and easy.

"Phew... Are you done?"

"...Yes."

"Are you a ghost?"

Aiden nodded slightly at Jaiden's question.

Smiling at the boy's appearance, Jaiden said,

"Are you going to continue training?"

"I think I should."

"Then come here to train."

Aiden's eyes widened at Jaiden's words.

"Is that okay?"

"Yes, but before that, you need to receive some training from me."

"Training?"

Aiden tilted his head, as if questioning what he could teach him.

It was a pure question, but Jaiden barely restrained the urge to punch him and said,

"It's simple. We'll do some sparring."

"But...?"

"Anyway, your personal training ground is being used by the knights."

Originally, using a direct descendant's personal training ground privately was absolutely forbidden, but since Aiden was often confined to his room and had no particular connections, the knights had the nerve to use the personal training ground of the Leonhardt bloodline.

"Have you recovered some stamina?"

"Yes."

"Then grab your sword."

Jaiden said this with a wicked smile.

"It'll take a few days. I'll change your weak personality to the core."

"Wh... What do you mean...?"

Aiden looked at Jaiden with fear, but the moment he took his stance, Jaiden immediately charged forward.

Instinctively, Aiden blocked Jaiden's sword path and continued to block the continuous attacks with a flustered expression.

However, the experience from his past life was not lost.

Though he had artificially raised his level to the 5th stage through artifacts, he had the experience to play with a boy who was still a novice, despite being a genius.

"Huff... Huff..."

"Is that all you can do? Is that why your mother died like that?"

"Ugh! Big brother!"

"Pathetic. Your mother will cry in the afterlife."

To deliberately provoke the exhausted and fallen boy, Jaiden helped him get back up.

What Aiden needed now was a fierce spirit. Jaiden's task was to make him discard his weak personality, which would consume his genius. Even if it meant turning him into a monster, it was necessary.

'After all, he will have to become a monster when the time comes.'

When countless monsters swarm like a pack, one must become cruel to survive.

It would be more advantageous to instill a fierce spirit from the beginning and make him stronger quickly.

"If you're angry, attack."

Aiden reflexively attacked, but he was once again defeated by Jaiden's numerous techniques.

Even if he didn't fall for the same trick, Jaiden had hundreds of techniques learned from the battlefield.

There were enough techniques to torment the boy until he left the mansion next year, and his actual skills were still far superior to the boy's.

In the end, Jaiden said to the boy who was sprawled out,

"From now on, come here every morning at 7. Mornings are for your own training, and afternoons are for sparring like today."

Jaiden said this and returned to his room without waiting for a response.

The next day, he saw the youngest boy already training before him.

"You came early?"

"...Yes."

"Then let's start the training."

Jaiden smiled brightly and practiced the basic sword technique.

Aiden also began to practice the early stages of the Lion Sword Technique.

Since Aiden had not even mastered the basics, he was practicing the fundamental Lion Sword Technique.

When Aiden occasionally asked if his stance was correct, Jaiden showed him the Lion Sword Technique from the beginning and had him practice it on his own while he focused on the basic sword technique.

In the afternoon, it was sparring time.

Jaiden spent a satisfying time giving the boy a realistic experience, without any mercy... or rather, making him gain practical experience, and repeated the same thing the next day.

One day, the boy, curious, asked him,

"Big brother, don't you practice the Lion Sword Technique?"

Aiden, surprised by his constant practice of the basic sword technique, asked with wide eyes.

Jaiden smiled bitterly and said,

"It doesn't suit me."

"Excuse me?"

Aiden, not understanding, tilted his head.

"The Lion Sword Technique doesn't suit me."

Aiden still looked puzzled at Jaiden's answer.

To Aiden, the Lion Sword Technique was just a basic technique, but he couldn't understand that it could be a high-level technique for others.

"Besides my lack of talent, the Lion Sword Technique doesn't suit me. That's why I practice the basic sword technique."

"That can't be. Looking at your sword technique..."

Aiden trailed off, looking at Jaiden's sword.

The straight and clean sword line was something Aiden aimed to achieve.

Even the lion beside him said it wasn't bad.

But that was only good for his age. Ultimately, the clear limit of talent meant that the growth potential would decrease.

"Well, it might look that way now. Anyway, I don't suit the Lion Sword Technique, so I just practice the basic sword technique. Don't worry about it."

"...Yes."

Aiden, still not understanding, answered, and Jaiden, to change the subject, deliberately provoked him.

"By the way, can you win today?"

"Today, I will!"

Seeing Aiden clench his fist and declare this, Jaiden smiled and swung his sword.

"I'll be looking forward to it."

Saying this, Jaiden resumed his basic sword technique practice.

As always, Aiden also picked up his sword and started training.

This routine of personal training in the morning and sparring in the afternoon continued for a month, two months, and then the head of the family, judging that Aiden had recovered sufficiently, resumed his personal education in the morning.

As a result, the personal training time moved to the afternoon, and the sparring time to the evening, creating a tight schedule.

Despite this, both Jaiden and Aiden managed the schedule without much trouble, and several months passed.

The Duke's Eldest Son Runs Away to the Military (5)