Reincarnated as the third son of the Duke

Chapter 135 135 The Sword's Chosen Path

135 The Sword's Chosen Path

William smirked.

So Tristan had fallen into seclusion out of sheer despair...

Meanwhile, Jordi and Joshua had failed to solidify an alliance due to their mutual distrust.

He had expected them to unite against him immediately, yet instead, they had fallen into complete disarray.

'Well, that works just fine for me.'

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 medicine."

"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 time."

"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 time 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 time than to shackle himself to someone 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 time questioning him.

Then—

"Felicia," William said, turning to his knight.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Teach me 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 me to want to learn from you, is it? You're the successor to the Swordmaster."

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-lifetime 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 some of my advice with caution. Perhaps it is arrogant of me to say that."

"Actually, that's exactly why I need your help."

"...Excuse me?"

"You'll see what I mean 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 me."

Felicia still looked puzzled, but she adjusted her grip and prepared herself.

Tak! Tak!

The wooden swords clashed several times.

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 time.

Without a moment's hesitation, she grabbed William's wrist and dragged him to the training grounds.

Her excitement was palpable.

She didn't care about anything else.

The fact that someone 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 assume it's for predicting movements and countering attacks?"

"That's correct," Felicia confirmed. "However, that method only works against equal or slightly stronger opponents. Against vastly superior foes, it can become a liability."

"...?"