章 22: Chapter 22: A Body Prepared for War
A few days had passed since the meeting, and I'd fallen into a rhythm. It was important to establish routine—discipline. If I was going to achieve anything in this body, I needed it to be as finely tuned as possible. Mayer had done well preparing the training room I'd requested, and I spent hours there every morning. There was no other way. The body needed to be molded, sculpted like a weapon, capable of wielding power without breaking under the weight of it.
I exercised relentlessly, pushing my body far beyond what it was accustomed to. Weightlifting, resistance bands, and body-weight exercises that would make a common soldier drop from exhaustion. But I wasn't a common soldier. I was Leon Winter—no, Eliot Blackthorn now. Either way, I demanded more.
Mayer had equipped the room with all the essentials—heavy stone weights, ropes for climbing, wooden dummies for precision strikes—but it was my method that made the difference. I didn't just throw punches mindlessly or lift weights out of sheer brute force. Every movement was calculated, deliberate. Precision, not power. Fluidity over strength. The body needed to move like a blade itself—swift, clean, cutting through the air without hesitation.
This body was something else entirely. It was progressing at a rate that even surprised me. The muscle fibers responded with an almost unnatural speed. Compared to the frail, weak thing I started with, it was already worlds apart. Soon, I would begin swordsmanship training—though not just any training. This was for *Mistral Edge*, the sword technique I had perfected in my previous life.
*Mistral Edge* wasn't just some flashy name to impress fools. No, it was a style born from necessity, honed from endless battle and bloodshed. It prioritized cool over rush, precision over brute strength, and above all, fluidity over flaunt. Every strike was meant to flow seamlessly into the next, each one connected like the elements themselves—wind, water, fire, earth—all controlled, yet unpredictable. It required a body that could move as effortlessly as it could strike, a mind as sharp as the blade in hand. That was why I had to train my body so relentlessly.
In my past life, it took me nearly nine months of rigorous conditioning before I could even begin the initial stages of *Mistral Edge*. My body then was powerful, but now—now I had the advantage of knowledge, experience. The training methods were clearer, the pathways to success already mapped out. I was halfway there, in a fraction of the time. This body, despite its youth, responded quicker than I had anticipated. With every day, every rep, every moment of strain, it grew stronger, faster, more prepared to wield the techniques I had mastered before.
As I finished today's session, wiping the sweat from my brow with a cloth, I grabbed a banana and ate it while reflecting on the progress. My muscles ached, but it was a good ache. The kind that told you things were changing, evolving.
The meeting from the other day had gone well—perfectly, in fact. I had expected resistance, of course, but everything had played out as I wanted. The seeds were planted. All I had to do now was wait and let them grow.
A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. Mayer entered, his usual calm and obedient demeanor intact. He knew his place, which was why I trusted him more than most.
"Sir, today is the day you'll deal with the bandits," he reminded me.
I nodded, still nonchalant, as I finished the banana and tossed the peel aside. My mind was already a few steps ahead. "How is Margot?" I asked, more out of formality than actual concern.
"She's handling the documents as you instructed. She's been compliant, focusing on the paperwork that comes with being a head of Ravenhood. The amount is… significant, as expected."
Documents. Endless piles of them. One of the many things I had grown to hate in my previous life. Sebastian could sit around signing decrees and treaties, but I'd grown sick of it. That's why Margot was handling it now. She was useful for something after all. I wasn't worried about her betraying me—she wouldn't dare. If she ever did, I'd put her down without hesitation. What could she do, anyway? A once-proud woman stripped of power, now living in fear and submission. She knew who was in charge, and even if she didn't, Mayer was always there to remind her.
Everything was going as planned. It was almost amusing, really. This is what happens when Leon Winter reincarnates into the body of a boy. You become the one pulling the strings from the shadows while everyone else is busy playing their petty games.
I stretched my arms, feeling the tension in my muscles loosen. The day was just beginning, and soon enough, I'd be dealing with a band of bandits. Pathetic, really. But it was all part of the plan. Let them think they're testing me, proving my worth. In the end, they'll see who truly holds the power.
And when they do, there won't be anything left to question.
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