The Awakening of the Monster
I shouldn't have killed them. When I first realized I had been born into the body of Carix Valentia—a physical and mental monster—I didn't want to live the life of a villain, so I deliberately chose not to fully bloom the talents I possessed. And once I discovered I could control them, the memories of my past life proved to be of some help.
"Depending on how you handle your body, you can turn it into a weapon."
I realized this and put it into practice when I was three. They say professional badminton players can swing their rackets at speeds of up to 200 km/h. Beyond that, there are baseball players, soccer players, mixed martial artists, boxers, sprinters, and so on. They possessed the physical ability to turn their bodies into weapons the moment they moved, and I knew that this was achieved through scientific, repetitive control over their own bodies. So, with the body of the monster Carix, I began a form of "brain labor"—not just training, but conscious physical control.
How to unleash maximum power in one strike like a baseball player. How to deliver force compactly and intensely like a martial artist. How to generate explosive speed in an instant like a sprinter. How to whip my body around like a badminton player. I experimented with all of it using my own body.
"What’s needed in common isn't an overly hard or bulky body. It’s flexible muscle that can be controlled consciously."
I had to make my body flexible and usable entirely under the control of my brain. My past life's memories denied it, saying such things were impossible, but Carix’s brain told me it was all possible, and I found myself enjoying the process of failure, adjustment, and success more than I expected. As a result, I bloomed the physicality of the monster Carix from the original game in a completely different direction.
Perfect control of the body through brain labor. From the tips of my fingers to the tips of my toes. I made it so there was almost no muscle that didn't follow the control of my consciousness.
"So, that’s how ten years passed, and that’s how the current me was made."
"……I apologize. I did not understand."
"It’s fine. I explained it knowing you wouldn't understand."
I killed all of Jerins and his knights. There was no information to be gained from them. Some begged for their lives, claiming they would tell me what they knew, but I am not such a fool that I wouldn't understand the situation even after experiencing it firsthand.
"What is your name?"
"Leng Dust."
"Dust? Was there a Dust family?"
"There is not. It is the surname I received when I was knighted."
"I see. Yes, Leng. You are the knight who served me faithfully even when the others betrayed our house. So, I am going to make you an offer."
Grasping the situation was simple. Since I, the only heir, stepped up to investigate the incident myself and they tried to kill me openly in less than two hours, it was safe to assume that at least half of our house had already been swallowed by Count Berzen. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to think that my father and mother hadn't just been avoiding me for two weeks, but had already become corpses two weeks ago.
"You are the one who killed all the knights who betrayed us here today. Do you understand?"
"Pardon?"
"Leng. I hate fools. I hate people I can't talk to even more. I explained the process of how the current me was made earlier. Can't you infer what this conversation is leading to?"
"Uh…"
"A person must not give up on thinking for themselves. That is an unforgivable sin. Please, I hope the sad ending where the enemy didn't recruit you because you were a useless knight with only loyalty isn't the reality."
"……Are you saying, Young Master Carix, that you would like to keep your abilities hidden for a little while longer…?"
"I’m relieved, Leng. If that sad prediction had been reality, I would have taken care of you, too, before long."
"*Hic!*"
I chuckled at the knight who started hiccuping as if shocked by my words. There would have been various ways to "take care of" him. Even if I didn't kill him, I could have just made sure he couldn't come near the capital. I could have given him a large sum of money and sent him to a completely different country so he couldn't spread my story. But since I had just drowned three knights who could use mana in a pool of blood, it must have sounded like a death threat to Leng.
"Understood! I, I will take today's events to my grave! *Hic*……!"
"It doesn't need to go to your grave. Of course, I won't stop you if you want to die quickly, but I intend to reveal my abilities within five years at the latest."
I gathered the knights' corpses in a corner and burned them as they were. Giving traitors a proper funeral or returning their heads to the arms of their families was too terrible a luxury.
"Th-then… is there a reason you are not revealing it right away?"
"Yes. Many. But I’m too lazy to explain them to you right now. So don't ask."
"Yes, sir!!"
"Now then, Leng. I will give an order to you, who has become the first vassal I trust enough to give 50 percent of my confidence."
"Yes!! Please command me anything!"
Fifty percent meant all or nothing. Half and half. It meant it didn't matter if he was a traitor or a loyal vassal, but Leng seemed happy at my words, thumping his chest despite not even tending to his wounds.
"Even with a hole in your shoulder, you can drive a carriage, right?"
"Yes!"
"Let’s go to the Berzen County house."
"Yes! ………Pardon?"
"Let’s go."
"Yes…!!"
It seemed the state of my house was a complete mess, but it was fortunate that at least one loyal coachman remained.
Count Berzen thought to himself.
'The eldest son is underwhelming compared to the investment, and the current head, Ross Valentia, is not much of a man either. So, wouldn't it be natural for me, a superior mage and a collateral branch of the Valentias, to surpass them and become the head?'
'In the first place, the Duke himself has a tendency toward talent and ability supremacy, so if I, who am more capable than him, kill him and rise up, wouldn't he actually be grateful?'
If he had asked the Duke himself, he would have received the answer, "What the hell is this crazy bastard talking about?" but he rationalized it and put it into action. Over several years, he gradually bribed the people of the Duke's house with money, threatened them if that didn't work, and physically disposed of them if even that failed. There was only one reason such tyranny was possible. Carix, the ultimate villain who would have killed his brother and parents and become Duke at a young age by showing off his overwhelming physicality, talent, and cruelty, hadn't shown even a hint of prominence.
Count Berzen was a man who knew his place. In other words, he wouldn't have harbored such crazy thoughts toward someone overwhelmingly superior to him, even if they were young. But there was no direct descendant in the current Duke's house who showed more ability than Count Berzen, and in the end, despite being a collateral branch, he revealed his ambition. The beginning of that was cooperating in the assassination of the eldest son, Deolis.
"Tsk tsk. Stupid second son. If he had just stayed still, I would have let him live until he graduated from the academy."
He would have made him die on the magic beast front, and naturally eaten up the house. Most of the servants working in the Duke's house were already his limbs. Information about the incompetent second son, who suddenly became the next heir because his brother died, was easier for him to obtain than picking up a cup of water.
The death of the eldest son of the Valentia Duke's house, which he had been blocking from investigation by sitting in a senior position and making things drag on. He heard that the second son, Carix, had suddenly decided to look into it himself and headed to the central prison, where he threatened the gatekeepers he had bribed. Perhaps he felt that the death of his own flesh and blood was strange, even if he was famous for being an incompetent idiot. A fool who shortened his own lifespan because he was vaguely quick-witted despite being called talentless. Count Berzen just clicked his tongue.
"It should be time for the report to come. It’s late."
He had already finished talking with the knights the central prison warden had planted in the Duke's house. The first was an accidental death. The second was suicide, unable to bear the reality that his brother had died and he, an incompetent, would become the heir. And the Duke and Duchess had already been poisoned over a long period of time to make it look like illness. Now, in a few months, the stage was perfectly set for him, the most capable among the collateral vassals, to officially succeed the Valentia Duke's house.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Did he finally come?"
It must be his closest aide bringing the report that the last heir had finally been taken care of. Count Berzen called in the aide who had knocked with a joyful heart.
"C-Count. Carix Valentia… the heir to the Duke's house is requesting to see you."
"……What?"
For the first time, he felt that something was going wrong.
"Wow. The Duke's house lives quite lavishly, but the Berzen Count's house is even more so than ours."
"……Young Master. What kind of rudeness is this, coming here suddenly without an appointment?"
After waiting for an hour while looking at all the antiques and artworks that were a feast of money-wasting in the drawing room, I was annoyed by the sight of Count Berzen appearing so brazenly, so I spoke with a wide smile.
"The rudeness is that you are still alive."
"What… did you just say?"
"Choose. Either lay out all the evidence that you killed my brother, or the details of your involvement, right in front of me and commit suicide alone."
"If you don't like that, then from now on, all the blood relatives of your house will be slaughtered by my hands. For your information, I don't talk long with bastards who have stabbed me in the back."
I threw the box I had brought in front of the standing Count Berzen, taking care so it would open well. What rolled out was the head of the gatekeeper who had tried to stab me in the carriage earlier. I had cut off both his arms, and even though he was bandaged, he had gone from excessive blood loss.
"W-what is this!? What kind of insolence is this…!!"
"I said I don't talk long."
If he didn't know that I had already come knowing everything even after acting like this, then how could the Duke's house have been eaten by a mere collateral Count, no matter how incompetent? If I was being played by a bastard who couldn't understand the meaning of the head I just threw and my words, starting with my brother and going all the way to my father and mother, then our house was truly a pathetic house that deserved to be completely wiped out. I watched the Count, hoping that our house wasn't truly that pathetic.
Clatter.
"If you choose the former, die with that. I will spare your family."
When I drew the sword from the waist of Leng, who was standing as a guard, and threw it next to his head, the guy's face began to turn red and purple.
"Ha…… Hahaha!!! I don't know how much you know, but do you even know how stupid your actions are right now?"
"……"
"Yes. It is I who helped kill your brother. So? What can you do now? Do you still not know that your incompetent father, brother, and you yourself were the problem in the first place!"
"This is a revolution needed for the Duke's house. It is a natural providence of nature that you guys, who are blood relatives of the Duke's house thanks to being born lucky without the ability to lead the house properly, should disappear!!"
He picked up the sword I had thrown, but as if he had no intention of stabbing his own stomach, he pointed the tip of the sword at me and laughed like a third-rate villain, "Hahahaha!", just as befitted his role. I asked Leng, who was behind me.
"Is that red thing rising on that guy's body mana?"
"No. That is magic power. Mana is energy in the body, and magic power is converted mana…"
"The explanation is enough. I know the theory from reading books. I just asked because the knowledge and the image don't match. In other words, that gentleman is a mage who uses magic power, right?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"What grade is he at that level? 7th grade? 6th grade?"
"……He must be at least 4th grade."
"Eh… he’s 4th grade? That bald pig?"
The strength of this world was divided from 9th grade to 1st grade, but the criteria were quite crude, as befitting an uncivilized Middle Ages. From 9th to 7th grade were apprentice mages who could only handle daily magic, and knights who were just a bit sturdy. 6th to 5th grade were awakened mages who realized their attributes, and knights who strengthened their bodies with mana. 4th to 2nd grade were the realm of masters who perfectly handled their attributes. Mages could freely use specialized attributes, and knights could even imbue their weapons with mana. And 1st grade. A mage who reached that point was a transcendent who highly handled even magic that wasn't their own attribute. A knight was a monster who could reach the sky with a sword. In other words, that bald pig who moved as my limb in the original game and then got tossed aside was a master-grade mage. I had rushed in thinking he was a weakling because it was episode 2 where he got taken out, but it looked like it was going to be a bit troublesome.
"Kekeke. Don't worry. Even if I hadn't done it myself to your brother, I had arranged for the rest of your family to go. Now that only you are going, your whole family will be able to meet in hell!!"
As Count Berzen began to gather red energy at the tip of his sword, a shape that looked like a magic circle floated in the air.
"Leng."
"Do not worry! Even if it means death, I will protect the Young Master…!!"
"Go out the window. You're in the way."
"Pardon? Young Master!?"
Leng, who was left with only a wounded body because I had handed the only sword to the guy myself, was honestly no help. After telling him to get lost, I threw the teacup on the table at the guy and started running toward him.
"You incompetent trash who can't even handle mana! Die!!"
I didn't know exactly what magic he was using, but the moment his magic circle activated, the teacup and liquid that were flying turned into powder and disappeared in an instant. I didn't know what it was, but it would be dangerous if I rushed in like this.
Boom!!!
"Trash. If you wanted to make it look like suicide, you should have left a corpse, but you attacked me in a rage, so you couldn't even leave a corpse…"
"Ah. I see. It’s wind. My goodness. You weathered the teacup? You were a mob with more useful abilities than I thought."
"?!!"
Count Berzen looked back with a surprised expression at Carix's voice coming from beyond the explosion, but what entered his eyes were only the table and sofa that had been completely weathered and smashed by his magic.
"Wh-where…!?"
"Above."
"!!"
Before his attack started, I had jumped like a cat, rotated, curled my body, and grabbed the ceiling to hold on. Although he was 4th grade, unlike a knight who used a sword, his dynamic vision didn't seem very good, so he heard my voice, looked up late, and made eye contact with me.
"!!"
"Oh. Do you also make defense walls or something with wind?"
What followed was a heel drop falling like a flash of light. But it was blocked by an intangible wall that wasn't there. A sound like hitting an empty iron plate rang out, and Carix involuntarily let out an exclamation.
"Wh-what is this! There was no report that you were capable of such movements…!!"
Berzen, who had barely stopped the heel from being driven into his bald crown by a thin sheet of paper's difference, was turning pale with cold sweat. It was a matter of course. If it were a slightly capable knight, anyone would know how to handle mana, and it wasn't impossible for Carix to move as quickly as he was showing now. The problem was that to Count Berzen, a mage reaching 4th grade, there wasn't the slightest sign of Carix using mana. In other words, he was evading magic and counterattacking at tremendous speed using only his own physical ability.
"It’s fascinating. A magic circle was created when you used attack magic. But the defense just now appeared out of nowhere with nothing. What is it?"
"Kuh! Do you think I would explain it to you, an enemy!!"
"Don't answer. It’s brainstorming. I told you I wouldn't talk long with you in the first place."
It was sincere. I had no intention of asking him something, interpreting it, and judging it. In the first place, what would I do by believing information given by an enemy? It was just a process of putting fantasy phenomena that were difficult to understand with the common sense of my past life unfolding in reality into my mouth and engraving them into my head.
Thump!
"Kuh!?"
"It doesn't look like magic that only protects the head."
I wondered if it was magic he had cast because his head was precious since he was bald, so I kicked his leg, but it was defended the same way. Afterward, I moved like a whip and launched a wave of attacks, but he leisurely backed away and started drawing a magic circle on the tip of his sword again.
"Hmm?"
"This is the end!!"
The Count's magic circle glowed and rang out a detonation. A weathering explosion with much higher power, worrying about the possibility of Carix running away upward like before. It was an attack to the extent that the drawing room wall and ceiling would turn to powder from weathering.
"Is that all the attack magic you have?"
"What!!?"
But Carix was standing perfectly fine in the larger explosion smoke. He hadn't jumped up and run away like before; he was just standing peacefully in a location slightly off from the vicinity of the explosion center.
"You just increased the density of the weathering. As long as it blows within the same trajectory, if you stand where it doesn't reach, it’s just a breeze."
"You… figured out the trajectory of the magic explosion… after seeing it once?"
Berzen was absolutely not incompetent or stupid. If he had been, he wouldn't have even been able to appear as Carix's subordinate in the original game, and he wouldn't have been able to carry out the act of occupying the Duke's house, where only people with less ability than himself were gathered, in reality. Therefore, he absolutely did not think the skill Carix had just shown was a coincidence. If he hadn't perfectly read the range of the weathering spreading from that explosion "after seeing it once," he should have been scattered as bone powder by now.
"Th-they said you had no talent for magic either. What on earth are you. Who are you—Uwaaak!!"
A whip-like kick that buried the Count's words exploded.
"Judging by the repulsion or sound, it’s a lump of iron. I wondered why you were holding the sword I gave you, but that became the catalyst for your defense magic."
"Hiiik!!?"
A fist that made one's hair stand on end was driven into the face just before the Count's face, who was flustered.
"The positions automatically protected by the defense wall are the right front and the head. The rest is manual."
"W-wait! Your fist won't work on me anyway…!!"
The elbow struck and shattered the defense wall, unleashing a heavy impact.
"Y-you crazy bastard!!!"
"In the end, it means there’s no possibility of you winning if you can't follow my movements. At this level, it’s so weak that I don't know why you don't keep guards by your side at all times."
Count Berzen had goosebumps. Carix wasn't talking to him. It was truly talking to himself. Repeating appropriate attacks, reading his magic that had reached 4th grade in the current situation, and gradually figuring out how to break it. Moreover, the observational eye that even figured out that he couldn't follow his movements was absolutely not normal. The second son, who was called talentless in the Duke's house, was not there.
"W-wait!?"
"Uwaaak!!"
The Count didn't know anything at all, only defending reflexively and shouting. He hadn't even seen the kick that narrowed the distance in an instant and was driven into his left side. It was a godsend that he had been consciously casting magic on his left side as well after hearing the words he was muttering to himself.
It wasn't that he didn't have other attack magic. But the reality was that the attack magic he had used so far was the fastest to cast among the magic he used, and it was magic with a wide range and high power. For magic with higher power, he had to spend time gathering magic power and overlap several difficult magic circles, and for that, someone had to protect him.
However.
"Wait!!!"
"If it’s the private soldiers, they won't come. Why do you think my guard went out the window?"
"!!"
Thinking about it, it was strange. Carix had made his guard run away as soon as the battle started and rushed in immediately. That time wasn't long, but it wasn't short either. Yet, not a single person came to the drawing room during that time. The time when anyone would have come if they were going to come had long since passed.
"W-wait!! I lost!! I will apologize!! So…!!!"
In other words, the second son, who was called talentless in front of him, had ordered his own guard knight to tie up the reinforcements coming from outside from the beginning… he was moving with such thorough calculations that he didn't want to believe it.
"I already gave you the choice, and the choice you made is the route where your whole family is slaughtered together."
In the wave of attacks that gradually increased in speed as if he already knew the way to break it, Count Berzen couldn't even create attack magic and was only defending. Although he had reached 4th grade at the age of forty, he was a mage who only did desk work in the end because he was the head of the Count's house. Once the characteristics of his magic were broken and even his distance was taken away, he had no means to resist properly.
Crunch.
"Uwaaak!!?"
"As expected. There’s no reason for the catalyst used for defense to be invincible. If you didn't want it to be discovered that you were using the sword as a catalyst, you should have swung it at least once when I got close. If you had done that, it would have been 8 seconds later that I noticed the sword was the catalyst."
The sword began to scream and break. I wondered what meaning there was in an ambiguous time like 8 seconds. But the current Count Berzen had no choice but to know that if he had even that much time, it was the difference between the possibility of throwing a feint and running away with the next attack and not having it.
Crack!!
"Kuhk!?"
"Magic is good. I drove it into the same place 13 times, but I didn't expect it to hold out like this. Is it because I can't handle mana yet?"
Unable to withstand Carix's fierce attack, the sword used as a catalyst broke, and a whip-like kick was deeply driven into his side. The Count, who received an impact as if his internal organs behind his flabby fat were bursting in a single blow, spewed saliva like a fountain and rolled on the ground.
"W-wait… on earth… on earth who are you… why, why are you doing this…"
No matter how much Count Berzen thought about it, he couldn't think of the young man in front of him as the incompetent second son of that Duke's house. He even thought that it would be much more normal to think that a monster who had been killing experts somewhere without using mana and magic power had appeared using polymorph magic.
"Carix Valentia. A nineteen-year-old in puberty whose leash, called his only brother, has been loosened."
"Originally, originally you had… talent? You had this kind of absurd martial power? Th-then why until now…!"
"If my brother had remained as the head, I wouldn't have intended to reveal it, and I wouldn't have intended to show it for the rest of my life. It’s all your fault. So—"
Carix, who grabbed the few remaining hairs of the middle-aged man, who was surely twice as heavy as himself, and lifted him up lightly, looked at him expressionlessly and thrust the fragments of the broken sword earlier at his face.
"Deeply and deeply regret your choice in front of your family's corpses."
The heterogeneously gentle voice added to the cold gaze ended it. There is no emotion in the red eyes reciting the downfall of the Count's house. No mercy, no anger, no hatred.
"U, Uwaaa…!!"
The Count could only scream as he faced the heterogeneous existence he had summoned.