The Terminally Ill Prince is the Mad Dog of the Underworld (Novel) - Chapter 28
Chapter 28. Do You Resent Your Father?
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Yesterday, I surpassed the 4th level, and today, after consuming another elixir, I broke through to the 5th.
This speed was excessive, beyond what could be explained by Karzan’s innate talent and understanding alone.
‘It means that Allenbert’s bloodline possesses a talent far beyond that of ordinary people.’
Growth can sometimes be as slow as a turtle, but other times, it happens suddenly and dramatically like this.
Thanks to that, my body and mana proficiency had already reached the latter half of the 2nd tier.
‘It’s due to the rapid training that my physical capabilities have advanced.’
While I focused solely on training without any distractions, I felt as though I had quickly regained the level of mastery this 17-year-old body should have originally achieved.
Or perhaps it was because Karzan’s powerful soul had returned to Allenbert’s once-weak body.
‘At this rate, it might be possible…’
…to break into the 3rd tier.
“Peter.”
When I opened my eyes, the sun had already dipped significantly toward the west.
“Young Master!”
Peter rushed over in surprise and asked,
“Are you alright?”
“Of course. How much time has passed?”
“About three hours.”
“No wonder I’m hungry.”
“Shall I prepare a meal?”
“No.”
Now wasn’t the time for that.
“Bring me a sword.”
“Understood.”
Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Peter quickly ran off and returned with a practice sword.
“Here it is.”
“Stand back.”
I took the sword. It felt heavy in my hand—after all, it had been 17 years since I last held one. I brought the blade close to my face, savoring the familiar scent of iron before lightly swinging it through the air.
‘The balance is perfect. The feel of the swing is smooth and light.’
This is what makes a good sword. It was far superior to the blades wielded by those lowly thugs and mercenaries in the underworld.
‘If there’s a workshop capable of producing such swords and if they use them merely as practice weapons, how strong must Grünewald’s martial prowess truly be?’
I looked at my reflection in the blade. The eyes were Allenbert’s, but the gaze belonged to Karzan.
‘Allenbert. Just as you forgot Karzan for a long time, I too had forgotten your past.’
But now, I could glimpse Allenbert’s emotions—his joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure—albeit imperfectly.
‘And so, the fog of forgetfulness that once obscured us both has lifted. Truly, I have become you.’
I channeled mana into the sword using Ocean Circulation Heart technique.
Like opening a new waterway or breaking through a dam, mana surged into the blade with tremendous force.
From high to low—
From full to empty.
When I flicked my finger against the blade, a clear ringing sound echoed out.
*Wooong!*
The sword, now saturated with mana, began to glow faintly with a white light. And then…
“Ah!”
I heard Peter let out an almost deathly scream as I smiled.
“Hahaha.”
It was *sword aura*. A brilliant blue aura resembling the sea shone clearly from the blade.
“Congratulations! Sword aura!”
“Shh, shh.”
I exhaled sharply and calmed Peter down before he could get too excited.
“Toss that honey jar into the air.”
“Yes!”
Peter threw the jar into the air in an arc. I stepped forward with my left foot and drew a single stroke in midair with my sword, without putting any strength into my shoulders.
*Swish!*
The jar was sliced cleanly in half before falling to the ground in pieces.
*Clang!*
The tribute sent by our enemies shattered meaninglessly on impact with the floor.
I reveled in the sensation still lingering in my hand.
‘Wow, what cutting power.’
The aura forged by Ocean Circulation Heart was incredibly sharp and strong yet flowed effortlessly without obstruction.
“Hehehehe.”
How old was I when I first manifested sword aura in my previous life? It had taken countless struggles before I finally achieved it back then.
“Everyone take note.”
I declared aloud,
“I, Allenbert, have reached the 5th level of Ocean Circulation Heart technique and manifested sword aura—entering the threshold of the 3rd tier.”
What is the significance of reaching the 3rd tier?
It is considered one of the highest levels attainable by ordinary people. Talented warriors typically require around five years of training to reach this stage. It’s also the level of strength required to lead a top-tier criminal organization or to be knighted as a squire on their way to becoming a full-fledged knight. That is what defines the 3rd tier.
However, when Karzan’s talent combined with Allenbert’s body and Grünewald’s martial arts techniques, such an astonishing miracle occurred.
“Congratulations, Young Master!”
Behind Peter’s joyful expression, I could feel shock radiating from those who had witnessed this scene unfold.
“Be even more amazed. Spread my fame far and wide.”
I had no intention of hiding it.
On the contrary, the brilliant talent shown by the Fourth Prince, who had awakened from his illness, would become my renown and value.
‘…Though I wonder if my father will be pleased with the talent of a son he once discarded.’
My heart cooled.
‘Let’s see how useful this son can be to you, Father.’
I understood Duke Georg, but I felt like I wouldn’t be satisfied until I confronted him directly about his thoughts.
—
“Allenbert has manifested sword aura.”
“They say it was a bright and radiant blue aura.”
That day, Duke Georg Grünewald, head of the family, received the news that had stirred up the entire Grünewald estate. He spoke in an even tone.
“It seems there has been a significant change in his state of mind.”
“I confirmed it myself along with Olivier.”
A change in mindset alone meant nothing. But every action Allenbert had taken so far was anything but ordinary.
“How many days has it been since he started training?”
“Today marks the fifth day.”
“He manifested sword aura in less than seven days?”
“It’s a speed rarely seen.”
Even at Count Aiden, the head butler’s words, the duke showed no particular reaction.
“Anything unusual?”
“This morning, the second wife sent an elixir as an apology. It seems that may have contributed to his progress.”
“Elixir?”
“…It was honey sent as tribute by the mountain tribes.”
“A rather unpleasant gift.”
The duke was not unaware of its implications.
“The prince fully exposed the intent behind the gift, scolded the maid, and yet calmly accepted it.”
“How brazenly confident.”
The duke remarked.
“He knew it was meant as mockery but swallowed it without hesitation and made it his own.”
In this situation, it wasn’t Allenbert who looked foolish—it was Lady Emengarde.
“How did he come up with such a response? That too is a form of talent.”
A talent that even he had never taught.
“If Allen has reached a point where he can manifest sword aura on his own, it means he’s ready to properly learn swordsmanship.”
It was a moment when Allenbert’s efforts were finally being recognized. The duke gave his order with an expressionless face.
“Personally monitor his progress and assess his talent.”
“Understood.”
As Count Aiden bowed his head, he thought to himself:
‘Perhaps this is a sign that he intends to assign him a proper swordsmanship instructor.’
Allenbert, who had suddenly begun to make his presence known, was now creating ripples—small but impossible to ignore.
Whether those ripples would grow into a great tidal wave or fade away like a mere stream remained to be seen.
—
After finishing my afternoon training and before dinner, Count Aiden came to visit me personally at the annex.
“Young Master. Congratulations on your achievement.”
“As expected, word travels fast. Thank you.”
“You made an open declaration yourself; how could anyone not know?”
“That’s true enough.”
Olivier personally brought out tea.
“Thank you.”
“I hope you have a pleasant conversation.”
Olivier added calmly, as if drawing a firm line between business and personal matters.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
“That boy…”
I smiled as I noticed the slightly disappointed look on the butler’s face.
“Were you perhaps here to see your nephew rather than me?”
“You could say about 10% of my visit had that intention.”
“Oh? This is the first time I’ve heard you joke, Butler.”
Then I added,
“Or was that not a joke?”
“Haha. It was indeed a joke.”
The same butler who had once been suspicious of me during our first meeting now looked much more relaxed after seeing my recent actions over the past few days.
More than anything, sending his beloved nephew to assist me was proof enough. If he didn’t trust me, he would have stopped Olivier from volunteering no matter what.
However, I wasn’t someone who would get overly excited by quiet goodwill from others.
“You seem to have grown quite a bit in just a few days.”
“I’ve been eating well, exercising hard, and sleeping plenty—so that must be why.”
“That’s good to hear. Training one’s body is just as important as practicing martial arts techniques. In fact, it’s often much more grueling work.”
“That’s certainly true.”
“These days, young people think they can become strong simply by consuming expensive elixirs and practicing advanced techniques. But only by enduring hardship and discomfort can one achieve true strength.”
The butler spoke like an old man stuck in his ways. And since he really was an old man, I just nodded along.
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Besides, he wasn’t wrong. The path of martial arts has always been arduous—something I knew all too well.
“Thank you for listening so attentively. Most would dismiss it as the grumbling of an old man.”
“I think it’s foolish for young people to dismiss the words of the elderly simply because of their age.”
It seemed my answer pleased Aiden.
“You sound just like Olivier. I can see why Rudan is so fond of you.”
“Oh, really?”
“He’s so protective of you that even when I tried to ask him about you, he wouldn’t say a word.”
Aiden’s remark was a subtle probe. After all, he was admitting right in front of me that he had tried to pry into my affairs.
“There was no need for that. You could’ve just asked me directly instead of wasting your time.”
I brushed it off smoothly. If this were Baklava, he would have likely reacted with irritation or shown an unpleasant expression.
“Rudan has always been the type to let me eat snacks at his place without saying a word since childhood. He has no reason to do anything that would harm me.”
My calm response seemed to change something in Aiden’s gaze.
“It seems you’ve regained quite a bit of your memory.”
“Who knows?”
I answered ambiguously. It was better to keep how much I remembered shrouded in mystery.
“Now I feel a bit slighted. Didn’t you tell me to ask directly?”
“Ah, that’s true.”
Realizing there was no point in dragging out meaningless wordplay, the butler shifted the conversation.
“I heard you’ve reached the 5th level of Ocean Circulation Heart technique. It seems the elixir helped.”
“Oh, you mean that honey?”
I chuckled lightly.
“It was incredibly sweet. In one of my lessons, I learned that flattery, sweet to a ruler’s ears, can rot a nation from within. It seems the saying is true—sweetness can indeed be poison.”
This was a metaphor indicating that I understood the mockery hidden in the gift.
Of course, Aiden wasn’t surprised. He must have already heard about what I said to the maid.
“The Duke also remarked that it was quite an unpleasant gift.”
“That’s surprising. I thought my father wouldn’t care either way.”
Sensing my less-than-pleasant attitude toward my father, Aiden asked directly,
“Do you resent your father?”
“As my mother’s son, it’s only natural. But—”
I looked into the old man’s eyes, curious about what kind of answer I would give him.
“As someone who rules over the principality and as the head of House Grünewald, my father has always had to make difficult choices on the scales of necessity. Not understanding that would be childish.”
“…”
Perhaps he hadn’t expected such a cold and rational response. The butler fell silent for a moment.
“I understand that without knowing all the intricate details, it would be rash to pass judgment on such weighty matters. However, if there is blood debt I must repay or truths I need to uncover…”
I looked at him seriously.
“I will not turn away from my responsibilities.”
“You continue to surprise this old man.”
The butler’s expression grew slightly more complicated.
“As much as I’d like to defend my master, I won’t speak further on this matter.”
He was essentially telling me to find out for myself. It seemed this too was part of the test I had to pass as an heir.
“I had already planned on doing so.”
We were both adept at reading between the lines without explicitly saying everything.
Some conversations don’t need words to be understood.
“Now that I think about it, I should explain Baklava’s situation as well. His behavior was so disgraceful that I gave him a light punishment.”
“You did what any elder brother should do.”
It was clear from his response that they didn’t consider Baklava’s actions worth making an issue over. That alone showed how low Baklava’s reputation and standing were.
‘What a pathetic fool.’
“But I suppose you already know why I’ve come to see you today?”
“Well, I’m no prophet—how could I know?”
I feigned humility in an uncharacteristic manner.
“In that case, allow me to explain.”
The butler looked at me squarely.
“The fact that you manifested sword aura within less than a week after starting your training is unprecedented. Therefore, I’ve come personally to verify your achievement.”
“And how do you plan to do that?”
“By having you demonstrate your sword aura in front of me.”
I chuckled softly.
Indeed, there was no simpler or more direct way than that.
Very well then—let me show this man just how sharp and solid the blade within my chest truly is.