The Terminally Ill Prince is the Mad Dog of the Underworld (Novel) - Chapter 23

Chapter 23. Let’s Meet Face to Face Soon

Read it only at Utoon.net!
Discord

It had already been three days since Baklava left in tears after being beaten.

I was focused on physical training in a corner of the training ground that the butler, Olivier, had prepared for me.

“Huff huff, puff puff!”

I inhaled twice sharply through my nose and exhaled once through my pursed lips.

“Huff huff… cough cough!”

Of all things, a bug flew into my slightly open mouth and blocked my airway.

‘At this rate, I’m going to die. Damn it.’

It felt like my heart was about to jump out of my chest, but if it did, I was determined to pick it up and swallow it back down as I took another step forward.

Running was the most primitive yet superior form of exercise. Just a few laps around this training ground were enough to push my lethargic body to its limits of pain. There’s no more efficient torture than this.

‘Training is essentially a repetition of pain, torture, and hardship.’

The late spring sun beat down on me, and the seagulls floating in the sky cried out as they looked at me. The salty sea breeze carried the shouts of knights practicing nearby.

“Wow, I’m dying.”

When my vision started to blur and my legs trembled as sweat poured down like rain, I finally finished running.

But that didn’t mean I had time to rest.

As soon as I caught my breath for a moment, I began doing push-ups, followed by squats with heavy weights on my shoulders to strengthen my lower body. Lastly, I hung from the pull-up bar until my grip trembled so much that I couldn’t even hold a chopstick.

“Huff… huff…”

I panted like a pathetic man. Pain never really becomes familiar; you just endure it.

‘It’s at times like this that you truly feel alive.’

Fortunately, the training ground had plenty of equipment for working out.

‘I like it.’

The more I observed Grünewald’s martial arts philosophy, the more it aligned with my own beliefs.

‘Without physical strength, there is no technique.’

The first sentence in Duke Wittenfeld’s martial arts manual stated that before mastering any technique or swordsmanship, one must first build a strong physical foundation.

‘That’s absolutely right.’

What I needed right now wasn’t mana or anything else—it was basic physical strength.

No matter how talented Mad Dog Karzan was, if I was out of breath after swinging a sword five times, there wasn’t much I could do.

And when it comes to building basic strength, nothing beats brute force methods: eating until you’re full, exercising until you’re about to die, and then collapsing into sleep as if dead.

‘The body only grows when pushed beyond its limits.’

It’s not something that can be done with just an average mindset either.

Training in martial arts is essentially a process of repeating such madness over and over again.

‘The key is to consciously block mana during this process.’

This method allowed for both increasing control over mana and strengthening the body itself—a twofold benefit.

“Young master! Time’s up!”

At Peter’s voice as he checked the clock, I sat down, still gasping for air.

“Phew…”

I immediately closed my eyes and began using ‘Ocean Circulation Heart Technique’. My heart, lungs, and muscles—pushed to their limits—began greedily absorbing mana as if they were starving for it.

‘It’s flowing in smoothly.’

Even a traveler wandering the desert wouldn’t be this ravenous upon finding an oasis.

My organs and muscles quickly began recovering faster than usual as they absorbed the mana flowing through my bloodstream.

Even the mysterious remnants that normally hid within my capillaries—hindering the flow of mana—were now quietly biding their time without interference.

The best part of this process was that it naturally increased the affinity between my body and mana.

“…”

The guards-in-training and squires passing by glanced at me with curious eyes as if wondering what strange thing I was doing. It was probably something they’d never seen before.

But Mad Dog Karzan had always struggled like this to make up for his lack of mana.

‘By the way…’

I found myself quite fond of ‘Ocean Circulation Heart Technique’, Grünewald’s martial arts technique. The more I practiced it, the deeper its value became apparent.

There was a reason why such an esteemed family like Duke Grünewald’s had adopted it as their foundational technique.

‘Stability, versatility, solidity.’

Some might call these virtues boring. In some ways, they wouldn’t be wrong.

However, I am a man who has survived countless life-and-death situations through strategy and adaptability. Therefore, paradoxically, I understand the power of “fundamentals” better than anyone else.

‘In the end, mastering the basics first and then moving on to unconventional methods is the right approach.’

If you start with unconventional methods, you will eventually realize that you must return to the basics.

That’s why Karzan in my previous life couldn’t accept that he had to temporarily set aside everything he had built up at a certain point.

‘If only I hadn’t been so miserly and had the courage back then.’

Even if it took a longer path, I could have eventually surpassed another wall. If that had happened, I wouldn’t have been discarded so easily.

‘I would have become so strong that they wouldn’t have been able to throw me away even if they wanted to.’

Perhaps I could have even driven a knife into the back of the master who tried to abandon me.

‘Regret is always too late, no matter how early it comes.’

But I’ve been given a chance not to repeat that regret. And I’m not foolish enough to kick away an opportunity that’s come rolling my way.

The heights I once aimed for have now become an uncertain and distant realm.

‘But as long as I’m alive, there will always be opportunities.’

So for now, I must live fiercely in the time that remains.

‘I am a burning flame.’

I imagined the gazes of the guards, knights-in-training, and servants, including maids and butlers, who wandered near the training ground.

Those invisible stares felt like aimless starlight in the night sky.

‘What are you all thinking as you watch me?’

Do they think that the fourth prince has suddenly gone mad? Or that after recovering from illness, I’ve become strange? Or perhaps they’re pleased that I gave our bratty youngest sibling a good beating?

‘It’s all meaningless.’

Such empty words are nothing more than fleeting noise that can be ignored. I focused solely on looking into my own heart.

It was dark, deep, and vast. As I approached it, it revealed itself to be an endless ocean.

The ocean opened its mouth to me. Without fear, I reached out my hand and stepped into it. And so, into that boundless sea of night…

I entered.

Even at this very moment, my mastery of ‘Ocean Circulation Heart Technique’ was effortlessly surpassing the wall of four stars. But compared to this pure sense of elevation I was feeling now, such progress seemed trivial.

—

“Is your training progressing well?”

“Whether there is progress or not, training is about repetition.”

Olivier, the butler, gave a small nod at my words.

“I see. That was a foolish question.”

“Well, not exactly foolish.”

I glanced at my reflection in the mirror and smirked at how gaunt my face had become over the past few days.

“These have been very satisfying days. It’s almost a shame I didn’t start sooner.”

“…I see.”

The seven-year gap was caused by complex internal and external circumstances within the family, so Olivier seemed unsure how to respond.

“But young master, about what you were going to command earlier.”

“Oh, that.”

The fact that he had waited three days without asking showed he was a man of great patience.

“Olivier. You mentioned that supervising and instructing the servants is part of your duties?”

“Yes.”

“Then whose man are you?”

Olivier narrowed his eyes slightly.

“What do you mean by whose man?”

“If you’re my father’s man, I have no complaints. If you’re under the head butler’s command and maintain strict order under his authority, I can understand that too.”

“…”

“But if you belong to one of my brothers or sisters, then we have a problem.”

Olivier hesitated for a moment—something unusual for him—before replying,

“Of course, I am not connected to your siblings.”

“Is there any chance pressure could come through your family?”

“I don’t believe so at this time.”

“I see.”

I nodded.

“So essentially, you take orders from my father and report to the head butler?”

“In summary, yes.”

“That’s perfectly fine. However, as a butler, don’t you think it’s your duty to prioritize my orders over those of other siblings?”

“That is indeed my duty,” Olivier answered firmly.

“I believe that is the trust we must uphold between us.”

I then added,

“From now on, it will depend on my abilities to truly make you my loyal retainer.”

Unlike Peter or Julia, there was no room to show kindness to this man. Winning over someone like him would take time.

“Now, I’ll give you the second command.”

“I’m listening.”

I raised two fingers and folded one down.

“First, those who leak information from this annex to the outside.”

“……”

“Second, those who speak ill of me behind my back. I want you to weed out any servants who fall into these categories and replace them with trustworthy ones.”

Olivier hesitated for a moment before replying,

“Since the selection of staff is usually managed by the head butler, I will report this in detail and work to get approval.”

I pointed at Olivier.

“You tend to be cautious and avoid giving definite answers.”

“My apologies.”

“What will you do once you get approval?”

“First, I will assess the character and actions of the staff. Those who are unsuitable will be reassigned far away from direct contact with you. After that, I plan to handle their positions naturally through reassignments.”

It was a good method. I nodded.

“That sounds fine. However, avoid firing them outright, as it would ruin their livelihoods.”

I didn’t believe their offenses were severe enough to destroy their lives. This seemed like an appropriate punishment and measure.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

After a brief pause, Olivier asked,

“If I may be so bold, it seems that you intend to make this annex entirely your own domain.”

“That’s correct.”

In the underworld where I used to live, anyone who couldn’t protect their own territory was respected by no one. Giving up your territory meant giving up everything.

“Even a pitiful stray dog bares its teeth to protect its turf.”

“Ahem.”

It seemed Olivier was slightly taken aback by my crude analogy.

“Of course, my teeth will be quite sharp.”

“…Understood.”

Olivier was indeed a sharp man. He had accurately grasped my intention to isolate all servants who were aligned with my siblings and cut off any flow of information.

‘And yet he still agrees to follow my orders.’

This meant that Olivier had essentially been chosen as one of my retainers. Naturally, I had to make him mine.

‘How can I fight for succession if I can’t even control a single butler or servant?’

And after all, I’m a man seasoned in leading and managing an organization. If I couldn’t even protect my own interests, I would have been eliminated long ago.

‘Right now, more than anything, I need my own power.’

I had come to realize that not only could I not rely on support from my maternal family, but I also had to avenge them instead.

‘Unlike my siblings, not having a powerful backer is a weakness.’

And becoming the heir of Grünewald was not something the fourth prince could achieve with just his talent and skills alone—especially without external support.

‘Therefore, I need to find another faction to support and back me.’

That backing could come from another vassal family or a powerful noble house.

But if I didn’t establish my own power base in the underworld, I would ultimately end up as someone’s puppet or chess piece.

‘I need to be ready to strike if things go south. Otherwise, I’ll be the one struck down.’

However, this isn’t something that can be done with just the status of a prince of Duke Grünewald’s household. That’s why it’s even more crucial for me to return to the dark “world of night.”

In other words, Allenbert and Karzan must join forces if we are going to win this fight.

‘But creating secrets while being watched is suicide.’

First, I needed to secure the annex’s security before deciding whether or not to reach out to the darkness of the underworld.

That was why I wanted Olivier to weed out any informants within the annex.

‘And then there’s that second prince.’

I thought about the person who was currently keeping me in check most openly.

‘So he dared send that foolish youngest brother of ours just to test me.’

I don’t care how powerful you are.

‘Let’s meet face-to-face soon.’