135 The Sword's Chosen Path
William smirked.
So Tristan had fallen into seclusion out of sheer despair…
anwhile, Jordi and Joshua had failed to solidify an alliance due to their mutual distrust.
He had expected them to unite against him imdiately, yet instead, they had fallen into complete disarray.
'Well, that works just fine for .'
Without interference from his brothers, he could focus all his efforts on solidifying his own power.
Returning his gaze to the ever-growing pile of gifts, William gave Hans another order.
"Send all of these to Hugo. Have him sell them off. I need the funds for dicine."
"Again? Even after all the ones we've already sold, we still have a hefty sum left."
"It won't be enough," William replied. "Better to prepare now while we have the ti."
"If that's the case, why not just secure a proper patron?" Hans suggested. "Wouldn't it be easier than liquidating assets constantly?"
"Absolutely not."
William's expression darkened as he firmly rejected the idea.
Now was not the ti to take on a financial backer.
'It's not just a matter of needing money. The problem is that my revenue streams are currently nonexistent. If I take on a backer now, they'll have too much control over my finances. And once I start relying on an external source, I'll never be able to cut them off.'
If he wasn't careful, the entire foundation of his power could end up in the hands of an outsider.
Even if the financier swore loyalty to him, they would still expect permanent influence in return.
Better to struggle for a ti than to shackle himself to soone else's purse strings.
'At the very least, I need to control my own money. If I can't, then I'd rather delay forming a faction entirely.'
"Understood," Hans said with a slight bow. "I'll have Hugo handle the sales."
Recognizing that William's decision had weight behind it, the steward wasted no further ti questioning him.
Then—
"Felicia," William said, turning to his knight.
"Yes, my lord?"
"Teach the sword."
"…What?"
Felicia blinked in surprise, completely caught off guard.
Her puzzled expression made William frown.
"Why do you look so confused? It's not that strange for to want to learn from you, is it? You're the successor to the Swordmaster."
"No, I just…" Felicia hesitated. "Do you… really need to learn from ?"
William raised an eyebrow.
"I've been training in the Lionheart Sword, but that's a sword style, not raw swordsmanship. You know as well as I do that technique and individual skill are separate things."
"That's… true, but…"
Felicia trailed off before voicing what was truly on her mind.
"But my lord… you already defeated once."
William stiffened.
"Considering your talent, you must have only grown stronger since then," she continued.
"…"
William looked away, unable to et her gaze.
He really needed to clear up this misunderstanding.
"So, you're telling … that day, you just guessed half of the attacks I was going to make?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
Felicia's eyebrows shot up in disbelief.
Monts later, her voice ca out sharp and biting, as if a gust of cold wind had swept through the room.
"My lord, what were you thinking? If even a fraction of your guesses had been off, I could have cut you in half on the spot!"
"Well, you used the sa technique, didn't you? I just took inspiration from what you did."
"I can see mana! That changes everything! No wonder your movents were so unpredictable back then…!"
Despite how much ti had passed, the recklessness of William's past actions still made Felicia clutch her forehead in frustration.
The realization that a single misstep could have killed him sent an uncomfortable chill down her spine.
"Fine. What's done is done. But never do sothing like that again."
"Relax. I wouldn't have done it unless I was desperate to recruit soone—"
"Even if you're desperate, you must not do it again!"
"…Alright, alright."
Felicia's firm, unwavering glare forced William to take a step back.
Truthfully, if he hadn't known the past version of Felicia, he wouldn't have taken such a reckless gamble. But explaining that to her was impossible.
Once satisfied with his answer, Felicia exhaled and nodded.
"Good. In that case, I will teach you as you wish. However, keep your expectations in check. I may be learning, but I'm still no master, and I have little experience teaching."
"I'm not looking for a miracle," William reassured her. "I just need soone who can see the world differently and help refine my technique."
He spoke lightly, but inside, he smirked.
Felicia was lying.
In their past life, she had been a natural teacher—arguably even better at explaining than Aizen himself.
Despite her prodigious talent, she never struggled to understand where others fell short, pinpointing exactly what they needed to improve.
Most geniuses struggled to communicate their knowledge to others, but Felicia? She was an exception.
A once-in-a-lifeti warrior who could both wield and teach the sword at an exceptional level.
"Besides," Felicia added, "my perspective is… unique. You may need to take so of my advice with caution. Perhaps it is arrogant of to say that."
"Actually, that's exactly why I need your help."
"…Excuse ?"
"You'll see what I an in a second."
William picked up a wooden training sword and tossed another to Felicia.
Confused, she caught it instinctively.
"A sparring match?"
"Just humor ."
Felicia still looked puzzled, but she adjusted her grip and prepared herself.
Tak! Tak!
The wooden swords clashed several tis.
After only a few exchanges, Felicia's eyes widened.
"My lord, could it be—?"
William grinned.
"You got it."
The realization hit her like lightning.
"You can see it, can't you?"
Felicia wasted no ti.
Without a mont's hesitation, she grabbed William's wrist and dragged him to the training grounds.
Her excitent was palpable.
She didn't care about anything else.
The fact that soone else could share her vision was exhilarating in itself.
"If you can see what I see, then you must already know how to use it properly."
"I assu it's for predicting movents and countering attacks?"
"That's correct," Felicia confird. "However, that thod only works against equal or slightly stronger opponents. Against vastly superior foes, it can beco a liability."
"…?"
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