Chapter 15: Succession (2)
"Wait just a moment!"
Micheal, who had been bowing repeatedly, stopped at Kaiden's intervention. He looked up, wondering what was wrong.
"I cannot decide to take you in as an adopted son on my own. As I said before, it must go through a family meeting."
"Hmm..."
"Besides, you have a family as well, don't you? This isn't a decision you should make entirely on your own."
"There’s no one left in my family but me."
"What?"
"Since my parents passed away, I’ve been alone."
It wasn't a lie. Micheal had decided to cast aside the Kellion name and carry on his mother’s maiden name, Wilson. And since his mother had no living relatives, Micheal was the sole member of the Wilson family.
"This is the first I've heard of that..."
"You didn't ask."
If those words were true, then it wasn't entirely impossible. However, he couldn't just blurt out a decision on such a momentous matter. He had to verify if Micheal’s words were true and go through the family council.
"I understand your position. Anyway, I can't give you a definitive answer right now, so... right, we were supposed to check the storehouse. Let’s do that first. To enter the family storehouse, a direct descendant is required, so you can go with Grant."
"Yes, I understand."
Micheal didn't press further. Whether or not he became an adopted son of the Luncay family wasn't the most important thing. He had made a promise to Cailan, so he had to show him results.
'Surely he won't refuse to teach me after I've gone this far.'
Soon, Micheal left the office with Grant. Left alone, Kaiden quietly chewed over what had just happened.
'It's not a bad idea.'
It was a much more certain way to tie him down than a mere disciple or a son-in-law. The problem was how the rest of the family would take it. It was something worth considering deeply. Kaiden stared at the door Micheal had exited for a while before calling for Edric. As soon as Edric entered, Kaiden got straight to the point.
"Look into Micheal’s background in detail. He claims to be the sole survivor of his family."
"Yes, I will check right away."
"I appreciate it. By the way... did you find Barque?"
Barque was Cain Rappel's right-hand man. Grant had said he dealt with him, but when everything was over, his body had vanished.
"We found an empty potion bottle nearby. It seems one of his subordinates treated him and took him away."
"Hmm. Didn't you say the Rappel remnants had vanished as well?"
"Yes. Since Barque is the only one left to act as a rallying point, he likely gathered them."
"This has become a headache."
"However... wouldn't they just go somewhere else and settle down? Now that Cain Rappel is dead and their base in the North is gone, they won't be able to set foot here anymore."
Edric spoke cautiously, but Kaiden shook his head.
"It won't end like this. They were receiving support from the central nobles, so he knows well that he's a dead man if he just runs away like this."
"I see... I will find them as quickly as possible."
"Please do. And since he was defeated by Grant, he might seek revenge."
"Understood. I will assign guards to the Young Lord as well."
However, contrary to their conversation, a different discussion was unfolding in the place where Barque was hiding.
"That brat's name is Micheal?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Micheal... It's him. Everything turned out like this because of that brat."
Barque's eyes were fixed on someone entirely different from what one might expect.
"We're here."
Standing before the family storehouse, Grant placed his palm on the door, and a magic circle activated, beginning to open the gate.
Rumble—
Soon, the storehouse doors swung wide. The thickness of the door alone was as tall as a grown man. Filled with anticipation, Micheal kept looking around as he stepped forward, but his complexion grew visibly worse the further he went.
"Isn't it a bit too empty for its size?"
[It used to be full...]
Though he had muttered it as quietly as possible, Grant apparently heard him and turned his head. Seeing Micheal's expression, Grant realized what he was thinking and gave a bitter smile.
"Pretty empty, right? We had to sell a lot due to circumstances, and we used up quite a bit too. But there's still a decent amount of useful stuff, so take a look around."
Micheal nodded and walked through the storehouse. As Grant said, there were some things that looked quite decent. There were weapons that looked high-quality even at a glance, and various elixirs, including top-grade potions.
'The problem is that's all there is on these massive walls...'
Weapon racks were lined up densely along the vast walls, but only about ten were filled. And there were just as few glass bottles presumed to contain potions and elixirs. There was enough space for hundreds if lined up, but there were only about twenty. Among them, there were only three top-grade potions. Seeing that, he realized once again how precious the top-grade potion Kaiden had given him really was.
[They really are flat broke.]
At Cailan’s words, Micheal unconsciously nodded. Then, he noticed a pile of items deep inside.
"Oh, that spot is actually somewhat filled?"
"Ah... you don't really need to look there."
He wondered what he meant, but once he got closer, he understood why. Most of the items were things whose purpose couldn't be discerned at a glance, and none of them looked particularly valuable.
[I've seen enough. Now go back to where the elixirs are. Just take the black bottle from there.]
Since there was only one black bottle, there was no need to hesitate. As he strode over and grabbed the black bottle, Cailan spoke in a low voice.
[Once we head out, we'll start training immediately, so steel yourself. It won't be easy at all.]
"Sounds good!"
"Huh? What?"
"Ah, I said I've finished picking."
Grant scratched his head at Micheal's words. What Micheal was currently holding was poison. He didn't know why the ancestors had put it with the elixirs, but since it was stored in an expensive bottle with maintenance magic on it, they had just left it in its place.
"That's poison..."
"What? Poison?"
Micheal was surprised, but he quickly regained his composure. Cailan wouldn't have made him go into the storehouse just to pick up something useless.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yeah, this is enough."
"Hmm... well, if you say so."
"Let's get out of here!"
Micheal walked away with an excited feeling. To think he was finally going to learn properly! He was curious to see how the things Cailan taught would be different.
Since the issue of adoption had to go through a family meeting, it was bound to take a long time. Therefore, instead of returning to Kaiden, Micheal went straight to the training ground. That was more urgent to him, anyway. However, someone stood in his way.
"Micheal, so how did that Heaven-Rending Flash work the other day?"
"What about it?"
"You used it without any recoil."
"Oh, that?"
Micheal thought about how to answer and decided to postpone it for now. Didn't he have a new martial art waiting for him? Grant's desperate curiosity didn't reach Micheal's heart.
"Just... well. I got lucky."
"Tell me properly. How exactly did you succeed?"
"I said 'well.' I'll tell you once I'm sure."
"You're really going to be like this?!"
"Yeah, I am. If you don't leave quickly, I won't tell you even after I'm sure."
Only after Micheal took a firm stance did Grant back off.
"Fine, tell me when you're sure. Ah, and I'll be busy with family business for a while, so I don't think I can train with you."
"Yeah, I got it, so go already."
"To think you'd tell me to go already..."
He looked dejected, but Micheal simply waved his hand in response. At this important time, conversation was a luxury. After sending Grant away, Micheal stood in his spot with a flushed expression.
[As I mentioned before, the Sword of Death utilizes souls. You can use souls to attack, defend, and even enhance your physical abilities.]
"Whoa..."
[If we break it down, there are many things, but for now, let's refine what you can do. Start by converting souls into Dark Aura.]
Micheal began to convert souls into Dark Aura through his modified Soul Drain as instructed. But after a moment, Cailan stopped him.
[You said this was a magic you modified? Hmph... goodness, all the core principles are there. Moreover, to think you're pulling in surrounding souls and converting them into Dark Aura.]
"Hehe, I've spent years digging into just this."
[But everything else is a mess. That's why you almost died last time. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to recklessly take in souls and convert them into Dark Aura?]
They were stinging words, but Micheal wasn't particularly hurt. After all, he hadn't even known the energy he possessed was Dark Aura. He just had to learn step by step from now on. Micheal opened his ears further and focused on Cailan’s words.
[Dark Aura is 'Death Qi' built up as an aura. However, that energy is fatal to living beings. Therefore, the role of a cultivation method is to remove that toxicity and allow it to be built up stably.]
However, the magic Micheal had created was a method to build it up rapidly. In short, it meant he was currently absorbing the toxicity as it was. Thanks to his natural affinity for Death Qi, he was enduring it well, but Cailan said a major disaster would occur one day if he continued like this. The problem in Micheal’s case was that his mana flow had already changed to match that during his partial Body Reconstruction last time. Now, there was no way to filter the toxicity of the Death Qi.
[Fortunately, as your body changed, your resistance increased accordingly. A rampage won't happen easily. But if you go beyond that, you're a dead man.]
"Then what should I do?"
[You must absorb it the same way but make it as stable as possible. I will now teach you the basic Luncay cultivation method, so try it again.]
As Micheal began to create Dark Aura following those words, a minute energy led the way. It was the same intense energy as when he used the Heaven-Rending Flash last time—Cailan’s energy. That energy began to move along the aura, and Micheal moved his Dark Aura accordingly. Starting from the dantian, it passed through the perineum, the back, the philtrum, and the chest before returning to the dantian.
In that process, Micheal felt a sense of stability he had never experienced before. The Dark Aura, which had always wanted to burst out, was now sitting quietly in his dantian.
'No, it's not sitting quietly; it's developed a suction force.'
After finishing several cycles of energy circulation, Micheal snapped his eyes open.
"Master, this is the same principle as the Heaven-Rending Flash, right?"
[You noticed well. That's right. Both are based on inhalation. For a while, build up your Dark Aura only through energy circulation. That will stabilize the energy stored in your dantian.]
"Thank you, Master!"
[No need for thanks. And next is the Heaven-Rending Flash, but since you've already mastered it, we'll skip that. Finally, try using Descent.]
"Descent?"
[...I'm telling you to emit your energy.]
"Ah."
Only then did Micheal begin to emit the Dark Aura that was resting in his dantian, and a monster appeared and enveloped his body.
"But does this Descent always look the same for everyone?"
[No. The appearance is different for every user. The form that appears through Descent is called a 'Vessel,' and in my case, it was a Reaper with a scythe. But your Vessel... it's quite hideous.]
Micheal's Vessel was a monster, no matter how generously one looked at it. A monster with souls clamoring to escape from all over its body.
[Abilities are determined to some extent by the form of the Vessel, and yours seems to focus on mental pressure. A powerful one at that, enough to affect even those at the same rank.]
Micheal was satisfied with those words. He had almost been hurt by the word "hideous," but he liked the ability. He had already survived crises several times through it. Feeling his aura hole running low, Micheal quickly deactivated the Descent. Then, he looked up with a face full of anticipation.
"So, is it time to learn something new now?"
[What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Master what I taught you today first. I'll give you a week. If you can't use it maturely by then, we'll start hellish training.]
"Then if I finish within a week, you'll teach me a new martial art, right?"
[Sure.]
'Go ahead and try. No matter how talented you are, it will be difficult.' Cailan thought that he could finally put this annoying brat through the wringer.
