The Regression Of A Grand Mercenary - 45 - Exposed Strength and Hidden Emotions

Thill stood still before the beast.

The air around him rippled, heavy and thick, as though the world itself held its breath in anticipation. His shoulders were squared, fists clenched, and on his face… was an expression that hadn’t surfaced in years.

It was a look of pure, raw anger.

Not the loud kind, not the kind that screamed or tore at the sky—but the quiet, terrible kind that simmered just beneath the surface, controlled and deadly. His brows were drawn low, his eyes cold and unblinking. Every muscle in his body coiled like a spring.

He hated showing this face. It wasn’t who he wanted to be. It wasn’t who he pretended to be.

But some feelings were too old, too rooted in pain, to be hidden. Some things broke free no matter how much time you spent building walls around them. And right now, standing before the illusionary dragon conjured by the fear stone—one that mimicked the very monster that had nearly ended his brother’s life—Thill’s restraint shattered.

The creature, though born of magic and memory, still recoiled.

It whimpered, curled in on itself, its scaled form shuddering as it tried in vain to appear smaller. The illusion had inherited not only its real counterpart’s form, but its final memories. Even in this fabricated body, it remembered him.

Death had not freed it from fear. Not when its end had been written so violently by this same boy.

Thill took a single step forward, and the floor beneath cracked beneath his heel. No weapon was in his hand—he carried only his fists. But the sheer weight of his presence bore down on the illusion like a physical force. He was fury made flesh, a walking embodiment of death.

The dragon recognized him—not just by sight, but by instinct.

“Stay still,” Thill muttered, his voice low and cold, “I don’t want to make a mess of things.”

In an instant, he vanished from sight.

To the onlookers, it was as though the air simply bent around him—then snapped as he reappeared inches from the beast, his right arm already drawn back. With pinpoint precision and a speed that cracked the very sound barrier, his fist struck the dragon’s exposed gut.

The blow echoed like thunder.

The dragon’s body convulsed, its limbs twitching as pain surged through every nerve. The crowd—nobles, students, instructors—watched in stunned silence. They had never seen such brutality before, not in a test meant for illusion and revelation. But this was no mere performance.

This was personal.

Unlike the last time they had fought, Thill no longer struggled to control his power. Back then, he had only just awakened the first stage of his core. Now, he stood tall at the third stage—his body refined, his strength honed, and his control over the pure core within him sharp and flawless. Not a single speck of energy was wasted.

Another punch. And another. Each strike calculated, efficient, and devastating.

He pummeled the beast with terrifying precision, targeting every joint, every weak point, breaking it down piece by piece. The dragon tried to scream, but its voice failed it. In ten short seconds, its legs were shattered, crushed beneath the weight of his wrath.

Its wings—once symbols of majesty and escape—were sheared off by a single motion. A blade of compressed wind, so sharp and fine it could’ve split atoms, swept through the air and ended any hope of flight.

In desperation, the dragon opened its maw to unleash its poisonous breath.

But Thill was faster.

The winds obeyed him—his very will shaping them into invisible cords that bound the dragon’s jaw shut. It thrashed, helpless, like a hog being silenced before slaughter.

There was no mercy in Thill’s eyes.

Only cold, grim silence.

The crowd didn’t cheer. They didn’t cry out. They simply stared—pale and unmoving—as the illusionary beast was beaten down to its final moments.

And then, finally, it ended.

Thill stepped forward, grabbed the dragon by its long neck, and pulled its head down to his eye level. Wind once again swirled around his arm, taking the shape of a shimmering, translucent blade.

He leaned close to the creature’s ear.

“I don’t want to see your kind near my family ever again.”

With a single, clean swing, he beheaded it.

The illusion shattered.

And silence followed.

The fight—if it could be called that—had lasted less than six minutes. It was efficient. Painfully so.

When Thill turned to his brother, he saw Theodore lying on the stage, unconscious but breathing. A powerful figure knelt beside him—cloaked in robes that shimmered with starlight—the Grand Wizard, already tending to the boy with radiant healing magic.

Under the wizard’s care, Theodore’s color returned to his cheeks. His breathing steadied. He looked almost peaceful again.

Thill’s hands were still balled into fists.

He walked forward, gathered his brother’s body with care, and began to leave the stage.

“…Theodore Cicial,” the Grand Wizard said, just loud enough for Thill to hear, “He passed the test.”

Thill said nothing. His face didn’t change.

He simply kept walking.

His family followed.

When Theodore awoke, the room was dim with the soft glow of morning.

He blinked, confused, as unfamiliar sheets brushed against his arms. The bed was too soft, the air scented with something sweet—lavender or citrus. He turned his head.

His siblings were there. All of them. Surrounding his bed, faces etched with worry.

“What… happened?” he asked groggily.

Thill leaned in slightly. “Do you remember anything?”

Theodore’s eyes widened as the memories returned all at once. The battle. The fear. The final blow he tried to land. The moment he slipped into unconsciousness.

“I… I remember everything,” he whispered. “Even to the end.”

Thill nodded. “I see.”

“I… I failed, didn’t I?” he asked. His gaze dropped as he looked at their expressions—gentle, but downcast. “I didn’t kill the dragon. I didn’t conquer the monster like Mirabel Pearl did in her test.”

“Actually…” Thomas interjected with a soft smile, “You passed.”

“What?”

Theodore blinked, stunned.

“You heard him,” said Thill. “The Grand Wizard said you passed. It might not make sense yet—but you did.”

“But how? I didn’t even finish the fight. I blacked out!”

Thill hesitated.

“You never had a chance to beat a dragon, Theodore,” he said quietly. “Not at your level. Not yet. But I don’t think that was the point.”

“Then what was?”

“I don’t know,” Thill admitted. “But if you want answers… maybe you should ask the person who created the test in the first place.”

“The Grand Wizard…”

“Exactly.”

Theodore leaned back in silence, struggling to process the truth. “I passed…” he murmured. “Me? I… I can’t believe this.”

“You should,” said Thill.

Theodore looked up. “What happened to the dragon after I fell unconscious?”

Everyone fell silent. Their expressions darkened, memories flickering behind their eyes.

Thomas finally answered. “Our brother finished the fight for you.”

Theodore turned to Thill. “Is that true?”

Thill gave a quiet nod.

“I see…”

He tried to smile, but it faltered. “Well… if you killed it once, you can kill it again, right?”

Thill didn’t smile. “It wasn’t fair. I know that.”

“What wasn’t?”

“I took your chance from you.”

Theodore gripped the sheets tightly. His voice cracked. “But you had to.”

“I had to save you,” Thill said.

“I know.” he said as he tried to sound understanding.

Theodore was still a child…a child who wanted to do things his way…

And if an adult were to take away the things he wanted to do, sometimes the only expression they would let out was anger, frustration, jealousy…

This was a test all for his sake…and yet, even he failed in the end. Not in the sense that he failed the test, but he failed to complete it in his own expectations.

But because his brother saved his life in return, he was mature enough to understand that his brother only did what he thought was right…

Yet still, that unfair feeling still lingered inside of him.

‘This was a chance for me to prove myself to everyone…and even then, I couldn’t do it on my own.’

Hearing his own thoughts, Theodore decided to lower his head down to his knees and sit in silence in bed that day.

Theresa and Thill understood the complex emotion that was brewing inside Theodore in that moment. So the best way to help him was to let himself be…

What was needed in that moment was time.

Theodore only needed time to understand his own feelings for that ruined day.

So, they decided to leave him in the tangerine inn for the day.

***

“What are we going to do?” asked Thalia.

“In times like this, we just leave him to figure things out on his own.” said Thill.

“I-I’m sorry about what I said back there.” said Thomas as he apoligized.

“It’s fine…if I was the one who said it, it would have been more difficult to handle how things would have gone. I’m glad that you were the one who said it.” Thanked Thill.

“So what are we going to do now?” asked Theresa.

“Well, since we all know now that both of you are finally going to be studying here in the city, its best that we finally make arrangements to find a proper home here for both of you settle.”

“Really?” asked Thomas.

“Yeah…and thanks to the amber family, we won’t have any complications finding a safe home in a safe neighborhood here in the city.”

“Ah right, the Amber family did give you the name of the Real Estate handler here in the city.”

“Right, so lets get going.” said Thill.

As they left the tangerine inn to go to the aforementioned handler, Theodore was by himself…in the room…in his own thoughts.

“…I shouldn’t be angry…my brother saved me from dying. So I shouldn’t be angry…but I am.” as he talked to himself, all of a sudden, the winds in the room started to get stronger and the atmosphere in the room was starting to get stuffy as well. Almost as if the room was overflowing with mana.

When he noticed this, he started to feel unnerved.

But before he could react, all of a sudden, a bright light spread across the room, blinding him for only a second. And once his sight was returned, he saw a familiar grand face standing in the middle of the room.

“…G-grand wizard?!”

“Hmm, hello dragon boy.” said the grand wizard.

Looking at the sight of the grand wizard in that room, Theodore quickly got up from his bed and bowed to the grand wizard with respect.

His mood quickly shifted to prioritizing a proper bow to the guest.

“It looks like your brother isn’t here right now.” he said.

“Ah, right…the rest of my family left. I don’t know where they are.” he said.

“I see, its too bad though. I wanted to speak to him out of pure curiosity.”

“…”

“Both you and him were quite a spectacle in the test. You both left quite an impression to the academy.”

“Forgive me for speaking grand wizard, but…my brother is more interesting than I am. I didn’t complete the test as you would have hoped. My efforts were in vain.”

“Hmm, but you did though. You were just as qualified as the rest of the other participants that passed that day.” said the wizard as he approached Theodore.

“…But it doesn’t feel like I’ve earned your praises. I remember every detail of my fight against the dragon…and all I’ve shown you was how weak and pathetic I was. My performance was laughable.” he spoke.

“Is that how you see yourself?” he asked.

“…What else is there to see?”

“Well, you were unconscious when this happened, but the rest who were able to manifest their fears out of the stone…those students who were able to face their fears in an illusion as real as it is placed on their minds, most of them failed.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“One example was the student who came after your test. By using the fear stone, we were able to see into their deepest and darkest fears…this boy, the boy that walked after you…he feared a much weaker monster than that of the dragon that you manifested.”

“What kind of monster was it?” asked Theodore.

“An orc…one that was covered with blood.”

“An Orc?”

“Not all fears are the same. But all fears are feared nonetheless by their respective persons. This orc was faced by the boy…and you would have expected for the boy to face off against the orc, but sadly…the boy cried out of fear. He failed the test.”

“So what do you mean?”

“The test was made to ensure that a student who will attend under my home is capable of rising against his own fears. One must never be trampled by the fear instilled in his heart…one must always rise above every known fear and doubt. That is how we gro to discover the deeper meanings of magic, and that is how we express our love for magic.”

“.…But I failed. I lost consciousness.”

“Yes you did, but you fought with all your heart and soul. You acted with bravery. And only those who do act out of bravery is someone who I am proud to call my student.”

“…”

“In your final moments, you released such a beautiful spell that spoke of your soul. A ball of fire that resembled the emotion of spark and dance…that fire made me realize that you are capable of so much more. So I accepted you.”

“…So it wasn’t about my brother’s acts? It wasn’t because he defeated the dragon?”

“Your brother…I don’t know how to describe him properly in front of you…”

“Please, be honest with me grand wizard.”

“…Your brother…he is a monster.”

“…What?”

“I was instilled with fear the moment I saw your brother act. No man should be able to express that amount of anger in the way he did. I’m afraid to say this, but your brother…he is not someone you should hate out of no reason. I felt the pain in his eyes…a pain only similar to that of a man who could possibly crush a country. A ruler, if I am to be honest.”

“I…I don’t understand.” spoke Theodore.

“…It’s fine. You are still young. In time, when you reach your years, you will come to understand the pain in someone’s eyes.”

“…Okay. B-but anyway, why are you here?” he said, finally realizing the abrupt arrival of the wizard.

“Hahaha, well…to be honest, I just came here to personally deliver you your letter of accomplishment.” from those words, the wizard pulled a letter from his robes and he gave it to Theodore.

Nervously, Theodore reached to the letter and it sparkled magically once it was let go of the wizard.

It was there that the details of his years as a student of the academy was written down.

“Is…is this real?” he asked.

“Yes, you and three other children have passed my test. And in a month from now, your days as a student will finally begin”

“Only four of us?”

“Unfortunately yes…some were unable to impress me.”

“I see…”

Standing before him, the wizard smiled as he finally delivered the letter. And once this was done, his body started to fade as if it was made of light.

“Theodore Cicial, I hope to see you again in a month from now.”

And from that, the wizard disappeared from his sights. Leaving Theodore with a bewildered expression.