Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 146

As dawn broke the next day, the trainees began to chop trees for their homes, just as Yan had mentioned before. For the average villager, chopping a single giant tree would take half a day, but for these mana-trained trainees, it was as easy as eating cold porridge.

Thud! Thwack!

Crack!

In just an hour, the forest that had been dense with trees began to transform into a plain. Among the trainees, Roman was chopping trees at the fastest pace.

Thud! Thwack!

Each time Roman swung his mana-infused axe, trees fell powerless before him. After hours of logging, Roman wiped the sweat from his brow and surveyed the area. The other trainees were also working hard, beads of sweat dotting their foreheads.

It was then that Roman’s gaze halted on a figure atop a hill—a beautiful young boy deep in thought. It was Kasa Ifrain. Roman tilted his head and walked towards him. Kasa, however, did not react, even as Roman approached.

Roman looked down at him and asked, “What are you doing here?”

Startled, Kasa finally looked up at Roman.

Roman frowned at him, “Don’t you see the others working? If you don’t want to sleep on the ground, you should work hard too.”

“Ah… Sorry,” Kasa’s voice was tinged with melancholy, a sight Roman had never seen before.

“What’s troubling you?”

“It’s nothing serious, just… worries.”

“Worries, huh…”

Roman chuckled, “Then tell me. I can’t promise a solution, but I can listen.”

Kasa laughed at Roman’s uncharacteristically dependable demeanor, though hesitation lingered in his smile.

“If you don’t want to, there’s no need to force it. It’s your business after all.”

A shadow of concern briefly crossed Kasa’s face before he began to speak.

“I’m just… not good enough.”

“Not good enough? What do you mean?”

“You know. I started as a promising trainee, and now I’m just average.”

That wasn’t entirely true. Being fifth in the training academy’s rankings was no small feat.

But compared to his goals, it was a dismal result.

Kasa hung his head, his face filled with self-reproach.

“My talent has reached its limits.”

Roman scoffed at Kasa’s worries.

“And here I thought you had a real concern. That’s a luxury problem to have.”

“What? A luxury problem?”

“Yes, don’t you think so?”

At Roman’s blunt response, Kasa’s face went blank, then flushed with anger.

“Don’t talk nonsense. This is a serious issue.”

“Serious? Is lamenting your talent here serious? Wouldn’t it be more serious to practice your swordsmanship or build your strength instead?”

Silence followed Roman’s sharp retort.

Kasa bit his lip, understanding the truth in Roman’s words. They were basic, obvious, yet paradoxically difficult to accept.

And it wasn’t for lack of trying. Kasa had worked tirelessly during his time at the academy, mastering everything the royal armory had to offer and accumulating knowledge.

Yet, he still couldn’t catch up to Yan, Lorena, or Cruel. Instead, he had been overtaken by Roman and Charl.

Roman couldn’t possibly understand this feeling of inadequacy.

“What do you know! There’s not always time to keep trying. I need to clear my family’s name quickly…!”

“And who will listen to your plight if you just sit there complaining?”

Roman asked with a smirk.

Kasa, struck to the core, found no words to reply.

Roman looked down at him and advised, “Don’t sit idly. Keep moving forward. Whether it’s through thorns, on flat ground, or uphill, you’ll eventually reach your destination.”

This was also Roman’s motto. If you persist and keep moving forward, you’ll eventually reach your goal.

Roman himself was taking one step at a time towards his own unspoken ambitions.

“Keep moving forward…”

Kasa let out a hollow laugh at Roman’s words, but his face wasn’t as dark as before. He didn’t fully understand yet, but he felt a sense of clarity.

Roman nodded solemnly at Kasa, “Yes, move forward. Find what you’re best at, don’t look back, and keep walking.”

At that moment, Kasa’s eyes widened.

“What I’m best at?”

As if struck by a revelation, Kasa sprang to his feet and ran off, shouting back at Roman, “Thank you! I won’t forget this debt!”

Roman watched Kasa run away and smiled wryly.

“Suit yourself.”

* * *

While the trainees were engrossed in logging, Yan stood inside the mansion, quietly contemplating a spirit elixir.

“It feels like a waste to sell just one of these.”

All the artificial spirit elixirs he had made so far were uniformly effective, regardless of the type of magic stone used. Yet, something seemed lacking.

“If I could further research and categorize these into upper, middle, and lower tiers, that would be ideal,” Yan mused, stroking his chin as he eyed the elixirs on the table.

However, a clear solution did not come to mind. Such tasks were better suited for mages or scholars, not for him. He wished he could ask Momon for help, but…

“Does this conclude our transaction?”

With such thoughts, he had no choice but to give up.

“Sigh, I’ll have to look into it when I have some time,” Yan sighed, shaking his head in resignation.

Just then…

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Yan! No, Lord! Can we talk for a moment?”

Someone was pounding on the door from outside. It was a voice he knew well.

“Kasa Ifrain?”

Yan tilted his head, puzzled, and rose to walk towards the door.

Whoosh!

As he turned the doorknob, Kasa burst in, panting heavily. Yan frowned slightly at Kasa’s sudden intrusion.

“What’s the matter?”

“I have a favor to ask!”

“A favor?”

Yan blinked at Kasa, noticing the tension and firm resolve on his face.

“Let’s sit and talk over there.”

Kasa took a seat, still catching his breath.

“What’s going on?”

“You’re considering me for one of the knight commander positions, right?”

“That’s the plan… Why, you don’t like it?”

“No, it’s great, but I have another suggestion.”

“Another?”

Kasa swallowed hard and took a deep breath, seemingly hesitant to speak.

‘What’s he trying to say?’

Just as Yan wondered, Kasa clenched his eyes shut.

“Appoint me… as an administrator.”

Yan’s expression turned quizzical.

An administrator, out of the blue?

Someone of Kasa’s caliber should undoubtedly be assigned to the knights.

But seeing the determination on Kasa’s face, Yan couldn’t help but ask.

“Why do you suddenly want to be an administrator?”

“To keep the promise you made with me, at least until the Armenian territory stabilizes and gains some strength, right?”

Yan nodded readily.

Reviving Armenia and then using the resulting surplus to fulfill his promise to Kasa was his plan.

Kasa continued, knowing this would be the case.

“Then the most important thing is the management of the territory. I’ll take care of that. I’m smart. And though it was when I was younger, I did receive heir training from my father.”

“…”

“Based on your actions so far, you won’t stay put in Armenian territory, will you? You’ll surely be out and about, seeking something. Right?”

Kasa asked, his eyes sparkling.

Yan nodded again.

Indeed, he needed to keep moving.

He had to rescue his father and find information about his mother.

He couldn’t afford to stay tied to Armenia.

Bang!

Kasa slammed his hand on the table, as if confirming his own thoughts.

“See! Then it will obviously take a very long time for this barren territory to thrive.”

“So?”

“I’ll become the administrator and revive this territory in your stead. Wouldn’t that be convenient for you? Even without me, the trainees are almost perfect for maintaining order. Think about the efficiency.”

Yan leaned back in his chair, pondering Kasa’s words.

‘There’s definitely a point to that.’

But why Kasa would make such a proposal was beyond him.

The Kasa he knew would do anything to build his own strength.

And now he wants to be an administrator?

Sensing Yan’s thoughts, Kasa answered with a bittersweet smile.

“I got some advice from Roman.”

“Advice?”

“To walk the path I can do best.”

Yan chuckled at that.

He knew well the path Kasa had walked in his previous life.

A master of dragon arts and strategy as a Reincarnated Star.

In other words, he might also have a knack for managing and growing a territory.

After all, whether it’s dealing with people or managing a territory, it all comes down to intelligence.

Yan smiled broadly, stood up, and patted Kasa’s shoulder.

“Never thought Roman would give such advice. Let’s give it a try.”

Kasa’s face lit up with joy.

He too stood up and grasped Yan’s hand firmly.

“Thank you!”

“What for? I was worried about where to find an administrator anyway. You’ve saved me the trouble.”

If Kasa took on the role of administrator, the territory would run smoothly even in his absence.

Yan smiled contentedly and walked out of the mansion with Kasa.

* * *

Yan paused their stroll through the village and turned to Kasa with a revelation.

“The most crucial ingredient for crafting artificial spirit elixirs is the magic stone from beasts.”

Kasa whirled around, startled by Yan’s sudden disclosure of such vital information.

After all, wasn’t this a secret that should be closely guarded?

“Do you trust me?” Kasa asked, a playful smirk on his lips.

To speak so casually of the artificial elixirs’ secret—it was unexpected.

Yan nodded, his smile widening. “Of course.”

It wasn’t complete trust, but that didn’t matter.

For now, the experiments with magic stones were a well-kept secret, but they were also in full swing.

If he were to start trading in elixirs, it wouldn’t be long before the use of magic stones as an ingredient became common knowledge.

‘If Kasa were to betray me with this information, it wouldn’t be the worst outcome.’

He had important tasks for Kasa in the future, and if this trivial piece of information could weed out a traitor early on, so be it.

Kasa looked at Yan, his face awash with gratitude.

Unaware of Yan’s thoughts, he could only assume Yan placed immense trust in him.

Yan then posed a question to Kasa.

“So, what should be our priority to revive this territory?”

Kasa pondered for a moment before responding with three suggestions.

“Regulate the beasts in the forest, systematize the slaughter, and lastly, establish contact with or directly create a trading guild for the elixirs?”

“Correct.”

Yan clicked his tongue in approval.

He hadn’t expected such a swift and accurate response.

A sly grin crept onto his face.

‘He might just be trustworthy after all.’

Looking around, he noticed the trainees’ houses were nearly complete, thanks to the villagers’ eager assistance.

Yan asked Kasa, “So, what should we tackle first?”

Without hesitation, Kasa replied, “We start by understanding the forest of beasts and establishing a system.”

Yan chuckled with satisfaction.

“Call the others. Let’s get started right away.”