Silvia's eyes narrowed.
Roman Dmitri, unexpectedly appearing in this place, made her quickly scan him from head to toe.
"Oh."
First, his face.
He was more handsome than she had anticipated.
Despite being covered in dust from the mines, his strong features and sharp gaze exuded a distinctly masculine charm.
Silvia's admiration did not end there.
As her gaze traveled down from his face to his body, she couldn't help but gasp at the sight of Roman's physique revealed between his shabby clothes.
"Wow."
It was amazing.
Like a finely carved statue.
Roman's body was flawless.
Although she couldn't fully assess it due to his clothes, the glimpses of his smooth muscles hinted at something extraordinary hidden beneath.
In fact, after arriving in Dmitri, she had felt a bit regretful.
She had come to Lawrence after a long time at her uncle's request, but she thought Roman might not be as impressive as she had hoped.
So, she wished he would at least be average.
As long as his appearance was not unbearable, Roman's qualifications were truly perfect.
"The firstborn of the Dmitri family and the holy one who defeated the four-star swordsman, Homeros. There are rumors that he is likely to be overshadowed by his younger brother in the succession battle, but seeing him today, that doesn't seem to be the case. Which noble family would make their son work as a miner? This must be a directive from Baron Romero under the pretext of heir training, and it means that Roman's status has risen sharply due to recent events."
Pass.
It was worth coming down to Lawrence.
Having finished her analysis in a short time, Silvia urged the other noble daughters.
"Let's go see Roman Dmitri. It would be nice to greet him before the party."
"Should we?" Laughter appeared on everyone's faces.
They shared the same goal as Silvia.
They had received a special order from their families to win Roman over, and they pushed each other forward as they approached him.
"Hello."
"You are Roman Dmitri, right?" The women who had been frowning were nowhere to be seen.
Regardless of the dust swirling around or their dresses getting dirty, they showed Roman smiles like a spring day.
However, Roman did not respond.
He merely stared at them, and Silvia spoke up.
"I am Silvia from the Lawrence family. I wanted to sincerely thank you for helping our family this time. Without your assistance, the Lawrence family would not have survived the attack from Barco. But truly, you are as impressive as the rumors say. They say a hero has been born in the Dmitri family, and just looking at your appearance, I can understand why."
She was like a fox.
With an unwrinkled expression, she spoke sweetly, clearly knowing how to appeal to her looks.
The problem was that her target was Roman Dmitri.
"Ah, yes. I understand."
His words were blunt.
It was not a response indicating a willingness to converse.
It was as if he was saying not to bother him anymore.
Without even looking at Silvia, Roman turned and walked away with Hans.
At that moment, "Puhuh."
Flora, who was at a distance, burst into laughter.
Roman was consistently the same.
Knowing he was not just harsh to her, she approached Silvia to comfort her.
Hans followed Roman with small steps.
"Young master. They are still guests for the party; can't you be a bit kinder to them?" "If they were worth it, I would have. But I didn't want to smile for them from the start."
"Oh dear."
It was a sigh-inducing response.
If only Roman had been a little kinder, he could have gained many allies from that brief conversation.
But seeing him firmly draw the line, Hans thought that he had always struggled to win people's favor.
Hans said, "I understand that. But how long do you plan to keep working in the mines? Even though the lord did not give a special order, you've been toiling away for several days now. Everyone is quite worried."
Recently, there had been much talk about Roman's actions.
Especially Baron Romero and Lihana were concerned about Roman's health, and Hans asked on their behalf.
Roman did not stop walking.
As he walked alongside Hans, he explained why he had come to the mines.
"Do you remember the day I met the beggar in the slums?" "Of course, I remember."
It was unforgettable.
That was the day Roman began to change, and the impact was so strong that the memory of that day was still vivid.
"The beggar who claimed to have lived for ninety years told me the history of Dmitri. He said that Dmitri was originally a commoner family but rose to its current position thanks to the ironworks. From that moment, I thought to myself. Since the essence of Dmitri lies in the ironworks, shouldn't I learn about it as well?" A new life.
Roman fully accepted reality.
He had welcomed new connections into his life, and the name Roman Dmitri was gradually becoming familiar to him.
Therefore, he wanted to understand Dmitri completely.
It was not just about succession.
Just as he had risen from the bottom of the demonic sect, he wanted to feel the breath of this land from the bottom of Dmitri.
That was why he sought out the iron mine.
While people thought the ironworks were the foundation of Dmitri, Roman believed that the miners were no different.
He did not bother to seek his father's permission.
He went to the iron mine alone and declared that he would work there as well.
Initially, the master of the mine doubted Roman's intentions, but soon accepted him as a miner.
For several days, he dug for iron ore in the dusty underground.
Without cutting corners, he tried to do his assigned work just like the other miners.
"The essence of Dmitri lies in the ironworks and, furthermore, in the iron mines. The miners sweat and toil to extract iron ore, which is then turned into iron in the furnace. I simply want to experience that together and empathize with them. Only then can I truly understand their hardships. To live on as Roman Dmitri, I cannot coexist with the people of this land through mere verbal understanding."
"...... Young master."
Hans stopped walking.
Tears welled up in his eyes. 'When did you grow so much?' Roman had suddenly matured.
Seeing Roman's daily changes, Hans felt genuinely proud to be his servant.
As Roman walked away, not waiting for him, Hans hurriedly called out, "From now on, I will take perfect responsibility for your attire morning and night! It's fine if you get covered in dust! Just like it never happened, I will wash it perfectly for you! I, Hans, am ready to dedicate myself to you!"
As always, Hans followed in Roman's shadow.
Roman arrived at the training ground.
In the spacious area, dozens of men were sweating as they trained.
"One."
"One!" "Two."
"Two!" They swung their swords in rhythm with the commands.
Chris walked among the soldiers, correcting their stances, and the soldiers focused on swinging their swords according to his words.
This war with Barco had ignited the soldiers' blind loyalty.
Roman had defeated the four-star swordsman Homeros, and Chris had taken down the three-star swordsman Janson.
Their recognition had changed.
What they once thought of as mere figures from the outskirts now seemed extraordinary.
"Chris."
"Did you call?" Chris rushed over.
The soldiers continued their movements, ignoring him, and Roman asked while watching them.
"How is the training going?" "We are teaching the training methods you provided, my lord. Everyone is highly motivated and quick to learn, so we can expect rapid progress."
After the war, Roman judged that he needed to expand his influence.
Therefore, he shared the basic training methods of the demonic sect through Chris.
He taught them to build basic inner strength with the Shura (修羅) heart technique and how to efficiently defeat opponents with the Shura sword technique.
In truth, while it was called basic, this knowledge was like a treasure in this world.
Roman rewarded the soldiers who fought alongside him in the war, and that was the potential to become aura swordsmen.
If they followed well, these soldiers, nearing thirty, might witness the miracle of stepping into the path of aura swordsmen.
'This alone is not enough.' This war had variables.
Flare and Homeros.
Information that Roman could not uncover, and the lack of information made it feel like he was falling into a trap.
Fortunately, overwhelming strength solved all problems.
However, his past experiences told him that he could not solve problems this way forever. 'I need my own intelligence network.
A network that can analyze the depths of my opponents.
The problem is that creating such a network requires resources and manpower, and I still do not have that kind of leeway.
Therefore, I must find a way to make the most of my position and situation.'
Going to the mines was also an extension of his plan.
As he had told Hans, he wanted to experience things from the bottom of Dmitri, but Roman also wanted to see the source of the family with his own eyes as the firstborn of the Dmitri family.
Facing the reality of Dmitri.
Only by perfectly understanding his current state could he find ways to utilize it.
Roman did not just move aimlessly.
With a clear purpose, he fulfilled his role without uttering a single complaint, even in the face of dust.
And finally, Roman had one more task to do.
"Chris, from now on, I will teach you a new sword technique."
At Roman's words, Chris felt as if his heart stopped for a moment. '...
Is he really going to teach me swordsmanship?' In truth, while teaching the soldiers, Chris had accumulated some dissatisfaction.
He did not distrust Roman, but he could not understand Roman's intentions when he taught everyone but him.
He had learned the Shura sword technique and the Shura heart technique.
However, Roman only studied as a teacher and told him not to make it his own.
And now, Roman explained his reasoning to Chris.
"You started from a different starting line than others. Unlike those who learned nothing, you have already built your own world, making it difficult to accept new knowledge. So, I hoped you would cultivate flexibility in your thinking. The ability to think differently based on what you see and hear, rather than being trapped in rigid knowledge. If you had not shown the courage to accept a new world, you would not have survived the duel with the three-star swordsman."
The duel with Janson had been a test.
On the stage meant to test Chris, he had overcome his limits and beheaded the three-star swordsman.
Now, he was ready to teach something new.
Looking at Chris, who was silently watching, Roman saw the burning desire in his eyes and bestowed upon him a gift.
"The name of the sword technique I will teach you from now on is called Lightning (閃電)."
The Lightning Sword, once revered in the martial world, was now being passed down to Chris in that moment.