Reincarnated as a failed hero?! Watch me Defy Fate!

The sun had already begun to set, and as usual, the training session led by the Mercenary King Yunho and the Mercenary Queen Mina felt like pure torture.

Many of the newly joined knights couldn't keep up and ended up collapsing from exhaustion. Garren was among them—he admitted that his body just wasn't as young as it used to be.

I also saw Luna and Termina sprawled out on the ground, unable to continue.

Even Leopold, who had seemed like he could make it to the end, eventually succumbed to fatigue and collapsed.

In the end, only a few of us managed to complete today's brutal training: Serena, Cain, Theresia, Freya, and me. We were already used to this kind of physical intensity.

But then I realized there was one more person who finished the training.

It was Marius.

He had just completed a 10-kilometer run. His entire body was drenched in sweat, but strangely, he didn't look tired at all. It was as if this level of training was normal for him.

"Hey, you shouldn't lie down in the middle of the road like that, Leopold, Luna, Termina! Hahaha, someone might step on you!" Marius called out cheerfully.

"I'm not doing this on purpose, you idiot! I'm exhausted!" Leopold shot back irritably.

Luna and Termina looked like they wanted to say something, but they were too tired to even speak.

"Are you really okay after all that, Marius?" Freya asked him, sounding impressed.

"Of course I am! I feel great—look at these muscles!" he said, proudly flexing his favorite biceps.

"Wow! This giant of a man is amazing!" Theresia exclaimed in awe. Given how small she was compared to him, her reaction made sense.

"Haha, you really do have an impressive friend, Naoki," Serena said to me with a smile.

I nodded and laughed. It was true—Marius was truly something else. His physical strength was well beyond average.

On the other hand, Cain looked annoyed.

"Tch... This is only the first day and so many of them already dropped out. How pathetic. That includes you, too, Leopold!" he scolded.

Leopold whimpered and apologized while dragging himself over to Cain.

Not long after, Mercenary King Yunho and Mercenary Queen Mina appeared. They looked a little disappointed as they scanned the condition of the new trainees.

However, their expressions shifted to surprise when they saw Marius still standing strong.

They asked him what kind of training he usually did.

Marius answered that he normally did about half of what today's training entailed, so he wasn't really surprised that the difficulty had increased.

"You've already gotten used to this kind of training? How long have you been doing this?" Yunho asked, visibly intrigued.

"Hmmm... I guess since I was about ten years old. HAHAHA! So yeah, it's been a while," Marius replied, laughing loudly.

"No way..." Mina muttered under her breath.

I was shocked too. At first, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. But then it started to make sense—his extraordinary physique wasn't something that could be achieved without training from a young age.

Even back when I first met him, I had thought it was strange for someone his age to have that kind of muscle unless he had been through rigorous training since childhood.

Yunho and Mina then asked him to release his combat aura.

Marius agreed, and as he unleashed it, I immediately felt that his aura had grown stronger since the last time I witnessed it. Still, it hadn't reached the Supreme level of Forced Aura just yet.

However, Yunho and Mina's expressions turned serious as they exchanged a glance and nodded.

They asked him to stop and then announced that training was over for the day. All participants were dismissed to rest, except for Marius and me—we were asked to stay behind.

Everyone else slowly dispersed. Freya carried Luna back to her room, while Theresia did the same for Termina. As for Leopold, he was dragged away by Cain, who looked ready to scold him again. Leopold didn't resist—he had given up.

Serena came to say goodbye to me. I told her that I'd be staying up late tonight to work on something important. She looked concerned and warned me not to push myself too hard.

I patted her head gently and thanked her. She blushed and, looking flustered, waved goodbye before heading off.

After that, Marius and I approached Yunho and Mina.

Yunho turned to me and asked, "Naoki... You've been friends with Marius for a long time. What do you think when you see him fight?"

I thought for a moment before answering, "Marius has always been someone who dedicates himself completely to training—especially muscle training. Back at the academy, he was obsessed with building strength. He's already mastered Forced Aura, but... there's something off about the way he uses it."

Marius looked puzzled when he heard me say that.

Yunho encouraged me to continue.

I explained that Marius's aura seemed unstable, as if it leaked out of his body in an uncontrolled manner. Sometimes, he couldn't focus or direct it properly.

Both Yunho and Mina nodded thoughtfully as I spoke.

"You're absolutely right, Naoki. We suspected as much—Marius does seem to have issues controlling his aura. That shouldn't be the case, especially with a body as well-trained as his," Mina remarked.

I agreed.

Yunho then asked Marius to take off his shirt.

"Uh... okay, but I'm embarrassed to show my nipples..." he mumbled shyly, covering his chest with both hands.

"Oh come on, you're not some cute, sexy girl. You're a ripped dude who's always showing off his muscles," I said, half-annoyed. Marius laughed at my reaction.

Eventually, he took off his shirt. Yunho began examining his body carefully.

"As I suspected... This is an [Aura Fist Seal]," Yunho muttered as he pointed to a brownish, fist-shaped mark on Marius's back.

"Look at that shape... There's no doubt. This is a seal meant to block or restrict someone's aura flow. How did you get this?" Yunho asked, clearly curious.

"That's right... It's extremely rare for someone from the royal kingdoms to bear a seal like this. These are usually reserved for knights or mercenaries being punished," Mina added, her tone growing cautious.

"Eh? Really?! I thought it was just a birthmark... That's what my father told me," Marius said, his expression dimming a little.

"That's strange... Marius... who are you, really?" Yunho asked, now sounding completely serious.

A chill ran down my spine when I saw that.

"I... actually... Marius??" he replied, utterly confused.

For a moment, we all thought he was about to reveal a hidden identity. But it became clear—he truly had no idea what was going on. His expression turned sorrowful, like someone just realizing a piece of themselves was missing.

"Ahem... It's alright, buddy. Take your time. Maybe that muscle-bound brain of yours needs a little break," I said, trying to lighten the mood and comfort him.

In the back of my mind, I could hear Envi agreeing with Yunho. He was just as curious—who was Marius really? Why had his powers been sealed like that?

I was curious too, but I knew I couldn't force the answer out of him. Not now.

Yunho turned to Marius and asked, "If you don't mind... what's your full name?"

"Marius Stone... Stoneblood," he said hesitantly.

The moment he uttered that name, both Yunho and Mina's expressions shifted. They looked at each other, stunned, and then exchanged a nod. Something had clearly clicked for them.

I, on the other hand, was confused. This was the first time I'd heard his full name too.

"Marius... So your full name is Stoneblood. Why do you only go by 'Stone' then?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Hmmm, my dad told me to drop the 'blood' part. Said it sounded terrifying. And honestly, I agree!" he replied cheerfully, without a hint of doubt.

He really was that innocent. He said it so casually, without even questioning why.

Yunho suddenly clapped a hand on both our shoulders.

"Well, we'll talk more about this later. For now, Marius—get ready!"

He turned Marius around, positioning him so his back was fully exposed.

"W-Wait, hold on—!"

BAM!

Before Marius could prepare himself, Yunho's fist crashed into his back, striking the exact spot where the aura seal had been. The blow sent Marius flying forward and crashing to the ground. He was completely knocked out.

"Hey, what the hell was that for?! I get that he's a musclehead, but he's still my friend!" I shouted, instinctively reaching for my katana.

"Calm down, you idiot. My king just broke the aura seal. That's how it's done," Mina said, smacking me on the head.

That's when I realized it—the sealed aura had been completely released. I could feel it rising into the sky like a wave, and the brownish fist-shaped mark on his back had disappeared.

"He'll be unconscious for the rest of the day. Take him back to his room," Yunho said calmly.

Understanding dawned on me. I carefully picked Marius up and carried him to the room that had been prepared for him by King Aslan.

I never would have imagined that my goofy best friend had such a deep, hidden mystery inside him. Hah... Sooner or later, I'll uncover the whole truth.

That night, I went to visit Edwin at his new blacksmith workshop—one that had been custom-built by order of King Aslan.

The old dwarf was laughing joyfully, clearly thrilled as he pored over blueprints. He was working on a magical device designed to counter teleportation. His excitement was palpable.

I greeted him, and he looked up with a big grin. He praised the facilities King Aslan had provided, saying they were far beyond what he was used to.

I was glad to hear that.

Then he explained that he had just finished a long discussion with the kingdom's top magic researchers. The blueprints were a result of that collaboration.

Apparently, Archmage Salvador, Xerion, and Arsene had all contributed brilliant ideas. Edwin was so excited about it all that he hadn't been able to sleep.

The old dwarf looked truly alive when he was crafting something new.

He told me that the researchers were currently working on the magic circles that would go inside the anti-teleportation device, and they would reconvene tomorrow to finalize everything.

I figured this was the perfect opportunity.

I asked Edwin if he could craft a few magic items for me.

He grinned wide and said he'd love to. In fact, he was already planning to stay up all night due to his excitement, so making the items would be a welcome task.

He said it was perfect timing—I showed up right when he needed something fun to work on.

I leaned in and whispered the details of the magical items I had in mind.

He nodded enthusiastically and assured me that they'd be ready by tomorrow night, thanks to the fully equipped workshop.

I thanked him sincerely and promised to return the next evening.

Envi seemed thrilled too. He mentioned that I could take the items with me when I visited my family back on Earth.

That's right... I can't wait to see them again.

...

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