"It's been a year and a half. And by God… I give up. Really!"
Yamiyo lay sprawled on the hard training ground, chest heaving, sweat soaking through his light training clothes. His small limbs felt like lead. Every muscle burned.
"My brother is strong. We already started our journey of mastering basics. But I am way weakest."
He didn't want to give up.
But… uff!
It was too painful.
He had expected the Hogyoku to do something — anything — after the ceremony. A surge of power, a hidden boost, even the smallest sign. But after that day with the red-and-gold ring, it had gone completely silent. He couldn't even summon the Spirit One no matter how hard he tried.
Yamiyo turned his head weakly and looked across the field.
His big brother, Dragon, was still running laps without breaking stride. His movements were clean, powerful, and full of natural talent. The healthy twin showed no signs of stopping.
Then Dragon suddenly slowed down and came to a halt.
Yamiyo followed his brother's gaze.
Their mother stood on the second-floor balcony of the main building, watching them in silence. Her expression was unreadable, distant, almost cold.
A strange feeling twisted in Yamiyo's chest — sadness, anger, and a sharp pang of nostalgia all mixed together.
"Mother?" he muttered under his breath. "Well… I don't care. Why should I?"
He never truly felt her as a mom.
Father was different — at least there had been some acknowledgment after the blessings. But Mother? After giving birth to the two of them, she had barely looked at them. Not once had she shown any warmth or care. At least not until Yamiyo had run away in his previous life.
"Why?" his mind kept questioning him. "Why doesn't she feel like a mother at all?"
To him, she had always felt like an extra in his story. Someone present but never truly part of it.
Yamiyo looked back at the woman on the balcony again. After a few moments, she turned and left without showing any emotion, disappearing inside the building.
"Well… training? Forget it… hell… I give up," Yamiyo said, his voice tired and bitter.
He stared up at the sky for a long moment, breathing heavily.
Then a dark smirk slowly crept across his young face.
"I need a shortcut. And as a regressor, I know one."
Yamiyo lay there a moment longer, staring at the sky, before pushing himself up on shaky arms.
"I remember some body-building drugs will be invented in the future," he muttered under his breath, voice low enough that only he could hear. "It's kind of a drug that gives mana to body muscles directly. Slowly, in small amounts."
He wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
"Well, the thing is, there are easy ways to directly invest mana in body muscles or inner organs. But in those cases, either the effect vanishes after some time or, with a large quantity of mana, they explode. But in this case, the herbs slowly increase it in the body. And if you know the right method — like me — I promise you will become a mana giant among humans."
A determined glint appeared in his eyes.
"But first, I need to gather the herbs," Yamiyo muttered. "I know who can handle it."
He glanced toward the edge of the training field.
Different from other noble houses, his father had put both twins in the care of the same maid — Liyna. It was exactly the same as in his previous life.
She was a kind maid who took care of them with gentle patience. At least, that was how she appeared inside this house. If Yamiyo hadn't run away to become an adventurer in his first life, he would have never discovered the truth: she was actually a martial arts master, a knight from a fallen noble house.
But right now, to everyone else, she was only a simple maid.
And right now, she was the only one he could trust with this.
Yamiyo stood up, his legs still burning from exhaustion. Without another word, he started running again.
One thousand more laps.
His small body protested with every step, but he clenched his teeth and pushed forward. The pain didn't matter anymore. He had a plan now — a shortcut only a regressor could know.
He would gather the herbs.
He would grow stronger.
And this time, no one would call him the weak twin ever again.
Night had settled over the estate. The room was dimly lit by a single lantern, casting soft golden shadows across the walls. Dragon and Yamiyo lay side by side in their shared bed, blankets pulled up to their chins. Liyna sat on a low stool beside them, her voice gentle and rhythmic as she told the bedtime story.
"Once upon a time," she began softly, "there was a prince who was born without a heart. The doctors and mages searched everywhere, but they could find nothing. The prince grew up cold and empty inside. He never laughed, never cried, never felt love or fear. Yet he was brilliant. Ruthless. The perfect heir.
"When he turned twenty-five, the day of his coronation finally arrived. But that very morning, a treacherous minister opened the gates and let the demon empire invade the kingdom. War erupted across the land.
"In the middle of the bloodiest battle, the prince saw her — the demon princess. She fought like a storm, beautiful and terrifying. For the first time in his life, something strange stirred inside his empty chest. He did not understand what it was. How could he? He had no heart. Still, he could not look away.
"With a ruthless strategy that shocked even his own generals, the prince won the war. He captured the demon princess and made her his slave. But the more time he spent near her, the stronger that strange feeling grew.
"One night, the princess chose death over losing her dignity. She drove a dagger into her own heart and sacrificed herself right before his eyes.
"The prince clutched his chest. For the first time, he felt pain — sharp, crushing pain — even though he had no heart. The agony was so great that he collapsed and died beside her.
"A wandering sage was passing through the ruined battlefield at that moment. He saw the two bodies and took pity on them. With great care, he cut the demon princess's heart in half. He placed one half inside the prince's empty chest.
"Because of the demonic power of regeneration, both halves healed and grew into two complete, beating hearts. The sage then chanted ancient mantras of life and wisdom. Slowly, both the prince and the princess opened their eyes once more.
"From that day on, they could feel each other's emotions as clearly as their own. Love, sorrow, joy — everything. Together they built a new kingdom, one that united the human and demon realms in peace."
Liyna's voice grew softer, almost a whisper. "And so… the prince who was born without a heart finally learned what it meant to truly live."
Dragon's breathing had already become slow and deep. His eyes were closed, lashes resting peacefully against his cheeks.
Yamiyo tried to stay awake. He fought hard, blinking rapidly, forcing his heavy eyelids to stay open. He wanted to think about the herbs, about the plan, about tomorrow's training…
But the warmth of the blanket, Liyna's gentle voice, and the long day of running finally won.
His eyes slipped shut.
He fell asleep.