Chapter 5 : Awakening the Past

Under the pouring morning sunlight, Myers opened his eyes wide.

“Huff! Brother!”

He sprang up from the bed and looked around.

It was his own room.

The smell of alcohol clung to his body.

Shaking his head, Myers tried to recall the events of the previous night.

His memory was hazy, but a few scenes stood out.

He had been drinking with his usual group and, in his drunken state, caused a ruckus.

And then…

“I’m pretty sure I saw Brother…”

It felt like a vague memory.

Myers shook his head vigorously.

“Haha, no way.”

It must have been a drunken hallucination.

Ethan Ardan, his eldest brother, had been in a coma for ten years.

Myers’ face grew somber.

“When will Brother wake up?”

When their father passed away, their mother, devastated by the shock, soon fell ill and passed away as well.

For Myers, who could only see his mother’s face in portraits, Ethan was not just a reliable eldest brother but also a father-like figure.

With his exceptional swordsmanship talent and calm demeanor, Ethan had earned respect from those around him even at a young age.

Among their father’s children, Ethan was regarded as the most outstanding.

“Myers, even in tough times, it’s not impossible to smile. So never lose your smile.”

“Okay, Brother!”

If his talented eldest brother, who shared their father’s gifts, were around, it felt like he could stabilize their faltering family.

But ten years ago, Ethan suddenly collapsed.

After their grandfather and father passed away in quick succession, the family’s secret techniques were lost.

Ethan had tried to restore them, dabbling in numerous techniques, only to suffer a mana overload.

“Brother…”

Recalling that time, Myers gave a bitter smile.

Ethan had been like a lighthouse to him.

It felt as though the light of the world had vanished overnight.

What followed was a gnawing sense of self-loathing.

If only his own talents were a bit greater, could he have helped Ethan complete the techniques?

Or at the very least, could he have offered some comfort to his brother, who was already burdened with heavy responsibilities?

It was only after Ethan collapsed that Myers realized he had been nothing but a burden, unable to help.

It was a realization that came far too late.

His brother, who had fallen, never opened his eyes again.

“…I’m sorry.”

He was truly sorry.

The fact that he couldn’t say this to his brother directly made it all the more painful.

At that moment, the door creaked open.

“You awake?”

“…Huh?”

Myers’ face went blank.

A face so familiar stood before him.

“Brother? Brother! Is it really you?”

“Yeah, I’m awake.”

“Broooother!”

Tears welling up, Myers rushed into Ethan’s arms, enveloping him in a tight hug.

Ethan was completely engulfed in Myers’ embrace.

‘This guy’s size is really something else.’

Even in the Kingdom of Hydern, everyone acknowledged Myers’ massive stature.

At fifteen, he was already over 190 cm tall.

Despite Ethan’s own efforts to build his physique, he couldn’t help but be dwarfed by his younger brother’s frame.

“Hey, I can’t breathe.”

“Oh, sorry!”

Myers hurriedly loosened his grip, and Ethan gave a small smirk.

His younger brother’s pure-hearted nature seemed unchanged.

Yes, it was just a brief moment of recklessness.

“Did you sober up?”

“Yeah. You came to pick me up last night, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry…”

“Just drink in moderation from now on.”

“No way! I’m never touching alcohol again!”

“By the way, do you know where Theron is?”

It was the same question Ethan had asked Elena, but she hadn’t given a clear answer, deliberately avoiding it.

Not wanting to trouble his sister, who had cared for him during his ten-year coma, Ethan didn’t press further.

But that didn’t mean his curiosity had vanished.

“Well…”

“What? Is it something you can’t even tell me? Elena was like that too.”

“No, it’s not that…”

Scratching his head, Myers sighed and said, “After you collapsed, he went to another family. Since our family’s secret techniques were lost, he said he’d learn the techniques of another house…”

“…Ha. Where did he go?”

“Well…”

Just then, a knock came at the door.

Myers turned his head as if relieved.

It seemed there was some complicated situation he was avoiding discussing.

Prying further didn’t suit Ethan’s nature, and he figured his younger brother had a reason for not answering.

‘Well, as long as he’s alive.’

He could get answers later.

A voice came from outside the door.

“Young Master, it’s Hans. May I come in?”

“Yeah.”

Hans entered.

“You’re awake, Young Master Myers.”

“Yeah!”

“Oh, Young Master, this is what I got from those thugs last night.”

“Hm?”

Hans handed over a pouch.

It was quite heavy.

Peeking inside, Ethan saw glittering silver coins, with even a single gold coin among them.

It was an unexpected haul.

Ethan grabbed a handful of silver coins and handed them to Hans.

“Take it.”

“For… me?”

As Ethan nodded, Hans snatched the coins with lightning speed.

“Hehe, thank you, Young Master!”

“Good work.”

“No trouble at all! It’s just what I’m supposed to do!”

Ethan nodded quietly at Hans’ cheerful demeanor.

He hadn’t even considered such side income.

In his past life as the head of a ducal house, rifling through thugs’ pockets was unthinkable.

Yet Hans had pulled it off so smoothly.

‘After some refining, he’s more useful than I thought.’

Hans was quick-witted and knew how to handle himself.

Ethan’s mental evaluation of Hans went up a notch.

Soon after, Hans handed him a tray with tea and snacks.

“A small token of my sincerity.”

“I’ll enjoy it.”

“Yes, sir!”

As Hans flashed a business-like smile, Ethan turned to Myers.

“Little brother.”

“Yeah!”

“How far along is your training?”

“Well, uh…”

Myers mumbled, but Hans quickly chimed in.

“Young Master Myers is at the level where he needs to start training from the basics!”

“Is that so? Myers, let me see your wrist.”

“Okay.”

Myers held out his wrist, and Ethan checked his pulse, examining his internal state.

Hans was right.

‘He’s barely learned the family techniques.’

Using the breathing techniques exclusive to the direct descendants of the Ardan ducal family, one could alter the nature of their mana.

The mana of the Ardan family burned like fire and could incinerate an enemy’s internal energy upon contact.

But Myers’ mana was ordinary.

‘It’s murky, and his muscle mass is lacking for his size.’

His physical talent was above average but not exceptional for a child of a ducal house.

‘His talent is about the same as in my past life.’

In his previous life, Myers had trained rigorously from a young age, building muscle through a healthy diet to overcome his limitations.

But now, things are different.

Releasing Myers’ wrist, Ethan spoke firmly.

“To put it simply, you can only master one thing—either offense or defense.”

“Just one?”

“Yeah. If you try to do both, you’ll end up mastering neither. It’s too late to train for both. And your talent is lacking.”

“So what should I do?”

“Which one do you prefer?”

“I… think defense is better. I hate getting hit. And… I want to protect you now, Brother.”

“You’ll have to work hard for that.”

“I’ll start now! Harder than anyone else!”

Looking into Myers’ eyes, Ethan nodded.

‘Defense.’

Indeed, in his previous life, the youngest had more talent for defense than offense.

“You’ll have to follow me with the resolve to die. Are you ready?”

“I am!”

“Good. Hans.”

“Yes, Young Master!”

“How many sandbags do we have?”

“We don’t have many right now, but give me two hours, and I’ll make as many as I can.”

“Prepare two wooden swords as well.”

“Yes, sir!”

Ethan looked at Myers.

Fifteen.

It was a bit late to build a foundation as a knight, but if he gave up one field, there was still plenty of potential for mastery.

Now it was time to put him to work.

After making sure the youngest had a hearty breakfast, they went out to the courtyard.

They strapped sandbags all over his arms and legs.

“Follow my lead.”

“Okay.”

Starting with footwork, Myers began mimicking the postures needed for strength training.

His large frame, made of solid bone, allowed him to keep up with physical conditioning without much trouble.

From morning to noon, they continued strength training, then picked up wooden swords.

“When I strike, block.”

“Got it.”

Ethan immediately thrust his wooden sword at Myers’ throat.

The boy, caught off guard, collapsed to the ground as soon as his throat was struck.

“Gah!”

“Get up.”

With tears in his eyes, Myers sprang back up.

“The enemy won’t go easy on you. Focus.”

“Got it.”

Only then did tension fill Myers’ eyes.

Waist, chest, arms, legs, hips.

Ethan struck his entire body with the wooden sword.

Myers took the blows as if he were a punching bag.

The truth was, Ethan wasn’t attacking with the expectation that Myers would actually block.

‘He can’t block them yet anyway.’

Myers had only learned basic swordsmanship.

With a body steeped in alcohol, there was no way he could block the offensive techniques Ethan was using.

The reason for beating him like this was simple.

You learn faster by getting hit.

Each time the wooden sword struck, Myers collapsed to the ground, yet he kept giggling.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because I’m training with you, Brother. It makes me happy.”

Ethan thrust at his throat again.

“Gah!”

Myers, tumbling to the ground, sprang back up like a roly-poly toy.

Solid resilience.

Better-than-expected stamina.

And an unyielding tenacity.

As the sparring continued, Myers’ strengths began to shine through.

The servants watching the brothers’ training in the courtyard were astonished.

Even Hans, the head servant, felt the same.

Not only had Ethan slapped him across the face, but he’d also broken the limbs of those thugs.

And now, the first thing he did upon reuniting with his brother after ten years was to beat him half to death with a wooden sword.

Hans shuddered.

If he was this ruthless with his own brother, how much crueler could he be to a complete stranger like Hans?

‘He’s a terrifying man.’

There was one more unsettling element in this training: Myers’ expression.

‘Does the young master actually enjoy getting hit?’

Each time he was struck by the wooden sword and collapsed with tears in his eyes, Myers stood back up with a smile plastered on his face.

A brother mercilessly beating his sibling, and a sibling laughing gleefully while taking the blows.

The more you saw of them, the more exhausting they were to watch.

‘I’d better not give him any reason to find fault with me.’

Hans immediately thought of the young lady.

He resolved once again not to let a single drop of water fall into her hands and quietly stepped away.

The Kargas Barony.

A letter arrived for Baron Helmut, the head of the house.

As he slowly read its contents, the baron’s eyes began to narrow.

“So, the Young Master has awakened after ten years…”

The baron thought of Ethan Ardan.

When the previous duke died, and Ethan, as the eldest son, was naturally appointed acting head of the house at a young age, no one took it seriously.

But over the five years before his collapse, he showed a presence that even seasoned nobles couldn’t easily dismiss.

They say a promising tree stands out from its sprout.

Ethan was the embodiment of that saying. His talent as a knight was undeniable.

Proving his Ardan bloodline, he displayed exceptional skill with a sword from the moment he held one.

As time passed, the chilling gaze he inherited from the previous duke made nobles tremble unconsciously.

Knights looked at their future lord with eyes full of anticipation.

‘That’s how much potential his future held.’

Though too young to directly govern the house, he steadily showed the qualities the vassals expected. If he hadn’t collapsed due to mana overload, the ten branch families wouldn’t have been able to dominate the ducal house as they had.

If he had maintained that presence, the Ardan house would already be firmly in his grasp.

The baron quickly wrote a letter.

He then summoned the head steward.

“You called, my lord?”

“Steward, send this letter to the Fernes County.”

“Yes, sir.”

The steward respectfully took the letter and left the study.

The ten branch families.

It was time to inform them all.

The ghost of the past had returned.