Reincarnated as the third son of the Duke

Mana flowed smoothly through William's body.

The resistance he had braced for never came.

It was almost laughable how effortless it was.

teen years old, his body offered none at all.

ThEven a newborn, when first exposed to mana, would experience some level of resistance.

Yet, despite being sixat was impossible.

Is there something wrong with this body?

If, after all this, his body failed to absorb the benefits, or worse, if the potion's effects were completely wasted, it would be devastating.

Doubts crept into his mind.

But as if mocking his worries, everything continued to flow perfectly.

The circulation was so smooth that he barely had to guide the mana—it spun on its own like a waterwheel.

The absence of any blockages meant the potion's effects spread evenly, seeping into every fiber of his body.

At this rate, the efficacy of the potion would be two or three times stronger than expected.

"…Unbelievable."

It was almost ridiculous.

At this point, there was only one possible explanation.

His body was a gift from the heavens.

Unlike the pathetic mindset of its former owner, this body was a masterpiece—a vessel of pure talent.

If a knight were given such a body, he would gladly sell his soul to keep it.

Yet, this extraordinary physique had been wasted on a spoiled noble brat.

Like hanging pearls around a pig's neck.

William barely suppressed a laugh.

He never expected such a windfall.

This talent would no longer wither away in some remote estate.

Now, it belonged to someone who could unleash its full potential.

From that day forward, William relentlessly consumed his concoction and continued his mana circulation training.

His heaven-blessed body absorbed each dose greedily, distributing its effects flawlessly.

With every cycle, his bones and muscles grew far stronger—beyond what should have been possible from homemade elixirs.

It felt as if he was drinking true Nectar, not some inferior replica.

At the same time, he balanced his training with regular walks and high-calorie meals to speed up his recovery.

Ideally, I'd focus entirely on mana circulation for a full month…

But my father is watching.

While his internal transformation was progressing rapidly, outwardly, he still looked thin and weak.

If there were no visible changes, the Duke would grow disappointed again.

And he couldn't allow that.

He had to prove himself—or risk being labeled all talk.

On top of that, remaining cooped up in his room would only fuel suspicion.

Besides, I need to familiarize myself with the entire estate.

As a city gate guard in his past life, he had learned the general layout of the territory.

But that knowledge only covered areas he was allowed to enter.

If he wanted to be prepared for anything, he had to explore every restricted part of the estate.

Thankfully, three weeks was enough to restore much of his health—he could now walk without assistance.

He still needed a cane, but at this rate, he'd be walking freely within a week.

"Young Master, what exactly did you drink? Was it a phoenix egg from legend?"

"Phoenix? Don't be ridiculous. It was just a mix of Moonlight Herb and a few others."

"There's no way a few herbs could explain this recovery speed."

Hans gawked at him, utterly baffled.

William chuckled.

He might tell him the truth someday—but not yet.

Right now, he was too busy working on himself.

"Enough talk. Let's keep walking."

"But, my lord… I think it's time we head back."

"I feel fine. I've seen most of the estate already—maybe it's time to check out the training grounds."

"…The training grounds?"

Hans' expression darkened.

"…Why?"

"What? Do you have bad memories of that place?"

"…Not mine, my lord. Yours."

"Mine?"

"You once told me you hated the training grounds… because of how your brothers used to bully you there."

So that was it.

The previous William had terrible memories of that place.

But avoiding it just because of the past?

That wasn't William's style.

This wasn't the same William anymore.

More importantly, the training grounds were crucial for his future plans.

Instead of running away, it was better to face it head-on.

"I don't care. We're going."

"Are you sure, my lord?"

"Do I look like I'm forcing myself?"

"Well… no, but—"

"Besides, I plan to start sword training soon. I should at least familiarize myself with the place."

"…Sword training? You?"

William shot Hans a sharp look.

The young servant immediately turned his head away.

William sighed.

Changing people's perceptions was going to take time.

By the time they reached the training grounds, the knights were in the middle of drills.

William studied them intently.

As a former city guard, he had never been allowed to set foot in this place.

Everything was new to him.

This place is amazing.

The facilities were incredibly well-maintained.

There were weighted dummies for practicing strikes, floors that were reinforced or softened in specific areas to help with balance training, and even supplies of hydration potions and first-aid kits in case of injury.

Everything was designed for perfect combat training.

If my mercenaries had trained in a place like this, our combat strength would've doubled…

William clicked his tongue in frustration.

As he observed the knights, he noticed that some of them had caught sight of him.

For a moment, they flinched.

However, they quickly returned to their drills, pretending not to notice.

Good. That's the right attitude.

Knights should obey their lord, but not waste time catering to their lord's children.

Any knight who constantly sought the favor of nobles rather than honing their skill was nothing but a fraud.

In William's past life, the knights who truly excelled in battle were never those who spent their days ingratiating themselves with nobility.

As he observed the training grounds, Hans whispered nervously beside him.

"My lord… should I really be standing here?"

"Why wouldn't you be?"

"Well… I heard that servants aren't supposed to watch the knights train…"

"Oh, that?"

William's lips curled into a smirk.

Sword techniques—specifically, Ancient Sword Forms—were a sacred discipline.

A single motion, performed correctly, could lead to enlightenment and refine one's physical abilities.

It was said that warriors in ancient times mastered these forms and transcended into something more than human.

Legends even spoke of swordsmen splitting mountains and parting seas with a single strike.

…Though, that might be a bit of an exaggeration.

Still, not all of it could be false.

Even a century ago, there was a famous swordsman who split a fortress in half, leaving behind a scar that still existed to this day.

If these techniques were so commonplace in the past, it wouldn't be impossible for such feats to have occurred.