Reincarnated as a Genius Prodigy of a Prestigious Family - Chapter 345

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Reincarnated as a Legendary Talent Genius of a Noble Family Episode 345

227. The One Who Lost Everything (1)

On the battlefield of my previous life, I faced countless enemies, and after discovering my talent and some time passing, I often engaged in general duels as well.

I was a card that Drenik used quite frequently and earnestly at the time.

Why?

Because I had talent but still held a low rank, making it perfect for catching opponents off guard, and yet I always won.

And the man I faced three times in those general duels is this very person.

The specter that Ut mentioned.

His name is—

“I am Gunter Dionil. Head of the Dionil Baron family.”

Just like that.

“I am Dane Sogress. The eldest son of Count Sogress.”

“Ah.”

Watching him nod at my introduction brings back old memories.

War doesn’t always consist of major battles.

There are small skirmishes, and often when both sides’ interests align, one-on-one duels like the general duels I just mentioned take place.

Gunter, who participated as ‘Baron Dionil’ at the time, looks quite different from how he appears now.

How should I put it…

He’s become considerably haggard, seems to have shrunk a bit in stature, and his eyes are quite sunken.

The reason I can compare and remember this is because Baron Dionil left a strong impression on me back then.

“What business brings someone of the stature of Count Sogress’s eldest son to this corner archive of the Imperial Palace?”

“Thanks to His Majesty the Emperor’s grace, I was fortunately given the opportunity to tour this archive.”

“Ah, His Majesty the Emperor.”

He showed a reaction that would have caused an uproar if Ut or Hank had seen it.

He snickered when mentioning the Emperor.

And it was clearly filled with mockery.

“Ah, sorry. I was wondering if his madness has lessened lately.”

What could have happened to this person?

General duels.

Of course, neither I nor Baron Dionil were actual generals.

But in general duels, both sides don’t send out real ‘generals’ for their own reasons.

It’s merely a numbers game where they check the roster to gauge who the opponent might send out, then deploy an appropriate match.

Anyway, Baron Dionil, whom I faced in that manner, was quite tenacious, impressive, and a man who wouldn’t have been strange to defeat if my talent had been just slightly lacking.

No, he ‘was’ a man.

Not like his current appearance.

“Then what brings Baron Dionil here?”

“…To forget.”

That’s when I noticed his hands.

Though he was strangely clenching his fists as if to hide them, the area between his thumb and index finger was completely torn open with scabs formed.

The calluses and traces of swordsmanship visible beneath.

These weren’t traces that could be made from simple practice alone.

“And there’s less than a month left now.”

Having said that much, Baron Dionil looked at me.

I felt a strange sensation.

No matter how I looked, these weren’t the eyes of someone who had lost everything and given up in despair.

Sharp glints flashing through the hazy confusion.

What could he be wanting?

“Excuse me.”

And then he suddenly disappeared.

Just like a ‘specter.’

There must be some passage I don’t know about.

Thanks to that, I was able to focus on the records with peace of mind.

Since he was an opponent I fought three times in my previous life, I’m curious about what his story might be.

Moreover, he seems quite hostile toward the Emperor and doesn’t even try to hide it, so how has he been able to frequent this archive for ten years?

But this time is more important to me than that.

Rustle.

I finally picked up and opened a record for the first time.

[Effective Puppet Control Methods]

Ah.

This seems to refer to those puppets that the Swordsmanship Department possesses.

Those puppets that appeared in the ‘Forest of Puppets’ that Professor Esteranza used to somehow torment me.

Of course, it wasn’t something I’d be curious enough about to read multiple times.

“Next is…”

[Dragons, The Differentiation of Their Species]

This is somewhat interesting.

Reading it, there was content about Karnas as well.

[Particularly among mutant specimens, those species whose body size becomes fixed in the juvenile stage require special attention. These species typically behave as if they are ‘giant’ dragons.]

“Special attention.”

So does this mean that if Karnas grows just a little more, he’ll act as if he’s a truly giant dragon?

I wonder what he’s doing now.

I miss him.

“Food… it says it’s good to mix in some vegetables.”

But how did the people of Arcana know this when they didn’t even raise dragons directly at that time?

“Ah.”

It’s written here.

Arcana had also deciphered other ancient records.

That’s very dragon-like indeed.

Even though they disappeared beyond the horizon very, very long ago.

“Interesting.”

Anyway, as I was pulling out and reading the tenth record.

“Lord Dane Sogress.”

I heard Ut’s voice from behind.

“It’s closing time for the archive today.”

“It’s already that time.”

“You also skipped your meal, aren’t you hungry?”

“I’m fine.”

As I organized the records I was reading and followed Ut out, he asked.

“Did you meet the person I mentioned?”

“Yes, he spoke to me.”

“He does that with everyone who visits the archive. But he doesn’t seem starved for human contact, as he doesn’t engage in long conversations.”

That does seem to be the case.

The conversation I had with him was just introductions.

“Aren’t you curious? About what kind of story it is?”

“I am curious.”

If it hadn’t been someone I encountered in my previous life, I probably wouldn’t have been particularly interested.

Just about that much.

“It’s tragic. The family has essentially collapsed, and all the family members have scattered. To be precise, they got caught up in disputes between nobles that occurred after the war. They didn’t take any side, but as always, being neutral is dangerous.”

Baron Dionil.

I know the name, but since it’s a name I’ve barely heard in this life, it seems his influence rapidly deteriorated after the war.

“Then how did he come to enter the Imperial Palace?”

“It was at the call of the current 2nd Captain of the Royal Knights. Baron Dionil was formerly part of the Imperial Knight Order. Since he had lost everything, they wanted to take him in under that pretext.”

The story that follows is this.

Baron Dionil, who accepted the offer, rejoined the knight order, but as expected, he couldn’t adapt well in a place full of nobles.

However, the 2nd Captain showed consideration once again, transferring his duties to the archive side so he could live ‘safely’.

“It seems they have a deep connection.”

“That’s right. They were comrades who fought shoulder to shoulder in the last war. I remember the 2nd Captain was particularly fond of him.”

Baron Dionil has been living in the Imperial Palace as an ‘archive servant’ ever since.

“But that won’t last much longer either. His servant contract is for 10 years, and there’s less than a month left until it expires.”

“Didn’t the 2nd Captain discuss an extension?”

“The 2nd Captain position was replaced three years ago. Officially, he retired.”

Ah.

I see.

“There’s no one left to look after him. I’ve been watching over him for a long time, and since he’s never caused any particular trouble for the archive, I brought up the topic of extension, but…”

It seems it didn’t go well.

“Still, after watching him for 10 years, I’ve grown attached, and I worry about what he’ll do when he leaves here. He was someone who helped with archive work quite well.”

The fate of nobles who were pushed out during wartime, or after the war, is usually tragic.

It would be even more so for Baron Dionil, who lost even all his family.

“Anyway, that’s his story.”

“He comes to the archive every day, but it doesn’t seem like he’s looking for anything in particular.”

“Perhaps it’s an escape. He’s lost everything, including his will to live.”

Having said that much, he muttered quietly.

“That’s what makes war so terrifying.”

Yes, it is terrifying.

It’s also something that should preferably never happen.

Ut changed the subject.

“Well then, I’ll request a meal. What would you prefer?”

“Anything is fine. Just add a tart for dessert. Preferably a strawberry tart.”

“Just as I heard. Understood.”

Ut smiled brightly and pulled down the elevator lever.

Clank.

The slowly descending elevator.

Standing in the elevator, I looked at the 15th floor where I had just been and thought.

This archive here is the place I like most in the Imperial Palace.

The next day, after finishing a simple meal, I headed to the separately assigned training ground.

Record research is research, and training is training. Daily practice and conditioning has become something I can’t remove from my routine.

“This is the place. You may visit anytime during your stay at the Imperial Palace.”

The place I arrived at with the attendant’s guidance was a training ground that wasn’t as small as I expected.

Not only were there training dummies and targets, but weapon racks on one side had various weapons arranged by type, apparently prepared in advance.

“All practice weapons must be returned after use.”

“Thank you for the guidance.”

“Well then, please call if you need anything.”

With that, the attendant disappeared like the wind. It’s somewhat fascinating every time I see it. Did they all receive assassin training or something?

“This is nice.”

Anyway, Hank secured a proper training ground for me.

Since it’s a training ground attached to the Imperial Palace, it would naturally be a proper place, but judging by its maintenance condition, it’s not ordinary level.

The Imperial Palace is indeed the Imperial Palace.

Clank.

I gripped a sword.

It was a regulation sword that, despite only lacking a sharp edge, could be called top-quality if sharpened right away.

It reminds me of my previous life.

When supplies weren’t properly available, I used to use swords with chips missing here and there, let alone swords like this.

Swoosh!

Swinging the sword, it felt natural in my hand as expected.

Though not as much as an Arcanium sword, it was sufficient for training without any problems.

I also need to get used to the completed armor, so shall I start slowly?

“It would be perfect if only I had a sparring partner.”

If there hadn’t been any particular incidents, I might have been able to spar with knights through the camp program by now, which is regrettable.

Well, if I worry about every little thing like that, I won’t be able to train.

Anyway, holding the sword and starting with basic movements, my sword began cutting through the air without rest.

Swish, swoosh!

Thrusting and slashing.

A sword doesn’t have anything particularly special since almost all movements involve thrusting and slashing, but when you dig deeper, it’s a weapon with different aspects.

Sorry to Father, but it has more varied patterns than a spear.

Like that for about two hours.

“Whew.”

When my whole body was gradually getting soaked with sweat, I drank the water the attendant had brought in one gulp and wiped my mouth.

Then I looked at a tree not far from the training ground.

More precisely, I thought of the person behind the tree.

Isn’t that gentleman getting thirsty?

He must have been standing motionless for about an hour and a half, watching my training.

After thinking for a moment, I opened my mouth.

“It looks quite hot.”

No answer came back.

Instead, he flinched and showed signs of trying to move.

“I’m going to train for two more hours. But that tree doesn’t seem to have enough shade.”

Then there was a sign of him stopping.

A moment later.

A man soaked in sweat came walking out hesitantly.

The man I saw at the archive.

It’s Baron Dionil.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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