How to Live as a Genius Knight in a Fantasy World

42

Who is the most unfortunate person in the world?

Depending on who is asked, there could be countless answers to this question.

Someone might say it’s a beggar, someone might say it’s an orphan.

Someone might say it’s a slave, and someone might even say it’s none other than themselves.

But if dark sorcerers were asked this question, all ten of them would answer that they are all dark sorcerers.

While those who have suffered unjustly would shed tears upon hearing this, the dark sorcerers truly believed so.

This belief stemmed from their process of becoming dark sorcerers.

Despite enduring numerous persecutions, surviving dark sorcerers were scarce, and among them, those who intentionally mastered dark magic could be counted on one hand.

Except for a tiny minority of exceptions, they were forced into the world of dark magic at a young age, making it impossible to make a proper judgment.

Even those rare exceptions, aside from disciples like dark magic, had no means of gaining power, resorting to learning it just to survive.

It is a fact that dark magic is relatively easy to learn and possesses exceptional power when dealing with people.

However, if other forms of magic reach a high level, they can wield power as formidable as dark magic.

No, even grand sorcerers who manipulate elements like fire or lightning have shown destructive power surpassing that of dark magic.

So, who would be willing to learn dark magic at the risk of turning the whole world against them for a lifetime?

Even those who already walked the path of dark sorcery refrained from teaching their children dark magic.

Naturally, the influence of surviving dark sorcerers gradually diminished over time.

This was a fatal problem.

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With plenty of people eager to hunt down and kill dark sorcerers, if their power dwindled, survival seemed impossible.

To prevent this, the dark sorcerers chose a simple method.

They gathered children.

Deceiving cruel parents, plundering entire villages hidden in the mountains, killing parents and snatching children, and even kidnapping maidens to ransom their children were all part of their methods.

By the time the children reached around seven to eight years old, they would undergo a ritual to become dark sorcerers.

And with that, an indelible mark was imprinted on their lives.

Once initiated into dark magic, there was no turning back.

There was only one way to escape dark magic.

Breaking the mana hole.

However, the mana hole was like life itself to sorcerers.

Causing excessive shock to the body not only rendered them unable to use magic again but also led to rare cases of disability.

Thus, the lives of children who became dark sorcerers became thorny paths.

Having learned dark magic, they had to witness horrific scenes daily that did not befit their temperament.

Some children, with fragile constitutions, fainted while dissecting the organs of animals.

If their condition did not improve after several treatments, those children would soon be ‘missing.’

The horror extended beyond their daily lives.

Simply because they were dark sorcerers, they always had to be wary of strangers.

Constantly fleeing enemies like knights who would attack without warning, if caught, they were tortured horrifically, forced to reveal all known information, then killed.

As they aged and around the time they kidnapped children to raise as new dark sorcerers.

Those who realized how they were initiated into dark magic finally harbored resentment towards the world itself.

That was why many dark sorcerers were extremely ruthless to others, striving relentlessly to overturn the world.

For survival, for freedom, and to reclaim everything they had lost due to unfortunate circumstances.

They had to eliminate those who persecuted them by any means necessary.

The anger etched into their bones became their belief, and that belief absolved them of any guilt in everything they did.

Finding those who hid in the buildings packed in Arden, throwing them to demons as food without a second thought was also thanks to the absolution they possessed.

“Mom! Mom!”

“Alan!”

“My dear! My dear!”

“No!”

Now, outside the mansion, the demon, with its grotesque form fully revealed, continuously writhed its dozens of tentacles.

As the family members trapped by the tentacles watched their loved ones being crushed inside the monster’s mouth, they screamed in a mix of horror and despair, but soon they, too, became part of the demon and fell silent.

Just today, hundreds of humans had already entered the demon’s mouth.

As if having consumed enough nutrition, one tentacle detached on its own, falling to the ground and splitting into dozens of pieces.

Before long, each piece transformed into a grotesque demon and rose to its feet.

It had been ten days since the collapse of Arden Castle.

As feared by many, the forces of dark sorcerers who had completely seized Arden were growing stronger day by day.

Those who resisted to the end, knights and wizards alike, were used as sacrifices, along with those who couldn’t escape Arden.

“Hmm… it would have been nice if there were a few more people…”

Harcan murmured, looking at the dragon whose forehead crystal had not fully recovered.

Despite some regrets, Harcan didn’t feel too bad.

It was because the square and stadium where the coronation ceremony had taken place not long ago were now filled with monsters under his control.

To ordinary people, they were terrifying monsters, but to Harcan’s eyes, they appeared more beautiful than anything else in the world.

Once all the humans hiding in the city were consumed, the kingdom would burn once again.

The dark sorcerer, eagerly anticipating the flames of the upcoming war, smiled sardonically.

After Viscount Ezel had departed, Rohan also began preparations to leave Taloon Territory.

He checked on the wounded soldiers and either disposed of or packed Rohan’s personal belongings as needed.

After packing everything, he finally called up his status window after a long time.

When he first obtained the status window, he used to check it frequently, but as the grades of his skills increased and the rate of proficiency growth slowed down, he naturally checked it less often.

“I didn’t expect to become so neglectful.”

After the intense battle and the strenuous return, Rohan, who had even forgotten to check his skills, chuckled as he checked the fully mastered Ezel’s Windblade Technique with 100% proficiency.

Despite the fact that he had forgotten everything, the thought of being able to synthesize skills made his heart race.

Before performing the synthesis, Rohan turned his head to check the newly acquired additional effects.

“Skill… Evolution?”

Although he had been expecting additional effects like increases in power or enhancements, the sudden appearance of a completely new option caught him off guard.

For a brief moment of surprise, Rohan’s mind quickly started to work.

“No, isn’t this a loss?”

It felt like a waste of time to have built up proficiency in a skill only to find out that there were no additional effects.

But the fact that the skill window presented a special option seemed to have a reason behind it.

“Come to think of it, it’s a bit strange that the grades of Windblade Technique and Swordsmanship are different.”

Subjectively, it seemed much harder to increase proficiency in an SR-grade skill compared to an R-grade one.

The difference lay in the power and depth of the skills, but could the levels of swordsmanship and Windblade Technique, passed down through generations in his family, really be so different?

As this thought crossed his mind, Rohan’s finger hesitantly hovered over the sparkling skill evolution button.

Although there was a notification about consuming four feathers, once Rohan made up his mind, not hesitating was one of his strengths.

With Rohan’s bold gesture, the skill window darkened and brightened several times.

Finally, as the skill window reappeared, Rohan carefully scanned it, and his gaze stopped at one point.

– Ezel’s Complete Windblade Technique (SR) / 46% (Increases the power of Ezel’s Swordsmanship by 20%)

“As expected!”

Rohan let out an internal cheer at the realization that his speculations were correct.

Whether it was inheriting some level of proficiency from before evolution or the proficiency itself being higher than when obtaining an R-grade skill through synthesis.

Moreover, even though the skill proficiency was not at 100%, there were additional effects attached, so the term “jackpot” didn’t feel out of place.

Joy was short-lived.

Intense pain, which he had momentarily forgotten, engulfed Rohan, causing him to writhe on the ground for a while before finally managing to get up.

“Ugh…”

Groans escaped Rohan involuntarily due to the pain he simply couldn’t adapt to, unrelated to his will.

However, to the extent that he felt he could endure even this unbearable pain, the skill he acquired this time was special.

Not merely because of the additional effects.

‘The path through which Ora circulates is different from the traditional swordsmanship. It truly feels like a perfect match with Izell’s swordsmanship.’

In reality, there wasn’t a significant difference in the broad sense as both were techniques of the same family.

But just as the difference between a good item and a luxury lies in the details, the subtle differences between the two techniques accumulate to create a significant gap.

Of course, there wasn’t any discomfort in using the traditional swordsmanship alongside Izell’s swordsmanship.

However, upon discovering the new technique, it was clear to Rohan that there were rough or awkward parts scattered throughout the traditional swordsmanship.

It felt as if some parts of the traditional swordsmanship had been lost, then somehow restored by later generations.

And Rohan was convinced that this was not just a mere feeling but a fact.

After all, the skill’s name alone was ‘Complete’ Izell Swordsmanship.

Doesn’t that imply that the traditional swordsmanship is not complete?

Rohan, who completely unveiled the secrets entwined with Izell Swordsmanship, felt a deep sense of regret along with joy.

‘If only I had checked the status window a little sooner…’

If he had, wouldn’t there have been a higher chance of catching the Izell Viscount, even by a bit?

Regret lingered, but it was futile to dwell on it now.

Rohan knew it was better to focus on what he could do.

As the dark mages diligently expanded their influence and the northern forces bypassed Arden to head towards the Frederick Viscountcy, Rohan headed towards Izell Castle, taking care of the wounded soldiers.

Those who were critically injured to the point of immobility had already lost their lives due to infection, so the remaining soldiers had all received treatment and were somewhat recovered.

Even though winter was setting in, Rohan’s robust physique could withstand the cold with relatively light clothing.

The issue lay with the soldiers.

Despite trying to dress them in warm clothes as much as possible, the resources in Talun Territory had been exposed for a long time due to the expeditionary force, leaving little.

Winter clothing was no exception, so they had no choice but to layer thin clothes as much as possible.

‘Now I understand why wars can’t be fought in winter.’

Enduring nights in such cold weather for days on end was a painful ordeal.

Not to mention that these soldiers were not in perfect physical condition, so efforts had to be made to ensure they could at least find shelter under a roof.

Fortunately, there were quite a few small villages along the way to Izell, allowing them to avoid roughing it by delaying their journey slightly.

Rumors of dark mages rising seemed to have spread, as each village they visited showed signs of wariness towards outsiders.

Being relatively close to Izell, they managed to avoid being interrogated at the gates.

Of course, it couldn’t be denied that the fairy tales Rohan had shared played a significant role.

Having left the Talun Mountains far behind.

The group finally arrived at the long-awaited Izell Castle.

“Lord Rohan!”

Upon arriving at Yeongjuseong, the servant Freddie, who discovered Rohan, exclaimed in surprise, calling out his name.

“My goodness, you’ve truly been through a lot. Please, come inside the castle quickly.”

Along with Freddie’s enthusiastic welcome, Rohan entered Yeongjuseong, unpacked his belongings, and took a bath.

As he soaked his body in warm water after a long time, it felt as though the fatigue accumulated from days of homelessness was being washed away.

Humans were said to be creatures of adaptation, and although Yeongjuseong had been incredibly unfamiliar at first, now it felt as comfortable as his own home.

After finishing his bath and putting on freshly laundered clothes, Rohan felt the desire to simply collapse onto his bed and sleep deeply.

But now, Rohan was practically a member of the Viscount’s household.

Before he could rest, there were people he needed to meet.

Dressed neatly, he stepped out of his room and followed Freddie’s guidance towards the central staircase.

Perhaps due to the intense battle that had taken place, there stood three individuals who seemed like a sight from the distant past.

“Viscountess, Sophia, Lute…”

“Rohan!”

Particularly delighted to see him, Sophia ran towards Rohan as soon as she spotted him.

Being quite shy, she refrained from embracing him dramatically like in the dramas she had occasionally seen before.

However, she couldn’t hide the mix of emotions swirling in her expression.

“It’s been a while, Sophia. Have you been well?”

Suppressing the urge to hug him tightly, Sophia’s eyes widened at Rohan’s gentle words, noticing the change in the way he addressed her.

Her eyes, momentarily round with surprise, soon softened at Rohan’s tender address.

“Lord Rohan!”

“Rohan!”

For a brief moment in their own world, the two of them were brought back to reality by the voices of those who followed behind Sophia.

“Madam, are you well? Lute, it’s been a while.”

“We’re glad you’ve returned safely.”

“Oh, Madam… Right, it’s time. Anyway, Rohan, it’s good to see you safe. But… where is he?”

At the Viscountess’s inquiry, Rohan realized that they were still unaware of the Viscount’s decision.

A look of embarrassment appeared on Rohan’s face as he grasped the situation.