Wizard: I Have a Cultivation System

The Rosenian army had yet to reach the Black Wood Forest Outpost when they saw two plumes of smoke rising in the distance.

First was the smoke from a warning beacon, followed by the blaze from the outpost itself.

Viscount Frost, Victor, sat atop his warhorse, a mocking sneer spreading across his tattooed face. "Burning the outpost and fleeing into the forest? It seems this Baron has run out of ideas."

He waved his hand dismissively. "The Vassal Army will put out the fire. The main force continues forward."

Obstacles appeared one after another along the way. Giant trees had been felled to block the road, meticulously placed pit traps were hidden beneath fallen leaves, and the main support structures of bridges had been demolished.

With every obstacle they cleared, the sneer on Victor’s face deepened. "It seems this Baron is only capable of such petty tricks."

When the army had finally cleared all the roadblocks and the silhouette of the first village came into view, Victor excitedly raised his Longsword. "Warriors! Let the blood of those heretics stain your blades! The God of Truth shall bless us with victory and glory!"

He sneered to himself. ’Finally, some fresh Wandering Souls to collect.’

However, as the army drew closer to the village, a sense of foreboding began to grow.

The village was far too quiet; not a single human voice could be heard.

What unsettled him even more was that his keen spiritual sense couldn’t detect the presence of any living person.

After charging into the village, Victor’s expression turned completely grim.

The houses were empty, the streets silent. Not a single grain of rice had been left behind.

"Useless!" he roared, furiously hacking at a nearby fence with his sword. "That coward Sylvan actually dismissed everyone!"

But in stark contrast to his fury, his soldiers were thrilled.

Though there were no people to be found, the village was full of abandoned supplies—earthenware pots, tools, and even some furniture that hadn’t been hidden in time.

The Vassal Army and the infantry began to loot with glee. For them, plunder without a fight was always a welcome turn of events.

"All of you, stop!" Victor barked. "Form up and continue the advance!"

However, the situation that followed was identical.

They passed through two manors and five villages, one after another, all of them completely deserted. It was as if everyone in the entire territory had vanished into thin air.

Standing before the sixth deserted village, Victor finally lost his patience and roared in fury, "Fighting like this... isn’t he afraid the Church Court and the Royal Family will strip him of his territory for the crime of refusing to fight?"

According to the fundamental principles of the Noble Inheritance Technique, a suzerain grants land to a Lord so that the Lord will assume the responsibility of defending that territory.

If every Lord fled at the first sign of trouble like Sylvan, wouldn’t the entire feudal system collapse?

However, he had to admit that this tactic, which completely violated the conventions of noble warfare, was surprisingly effective.

The entire territory was like a hollowed-out tree, leaving his formidable army with nowhere to apply its strength.

What baffled Victor even more was how that young Baron had managed to pull all this off.

Getting the peasant farmers to evacuate was perhaps understandable, but how could his officials and vassals possibly agree to abandon their own properties? To abandon their futures?

"Pass on the order," Victor commanded, his face grim. "Speed up the advance to the Baron’s Castle. I’d like to see if he has abandoned his own castle as well." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

...

Inside the silent, empty Duval Castle, morning light streamed through the stained-glass windows, casting colorful patterns of light and shadow across the long corridor.

The entire castle was deathly still. Servants, Guards, and even the lowliest menial servant had all evacuated according to plan.

Only the kitchen showed any sign of life, with a wisp of smoke rising from it. It was Murphy, preparing breakfast with the last of their stored food.

He carried two bowls of steaming hot minced meat porridge to a small dining room on the top floor of the main keep, the only place that still bore the last traces of their life there.

Aurora sat by the window, gazing absently at the empty courtyard in the distance.

"Try this." Murphy pushed the carved wooden bowl toward her. "It’s made with the last of the oats and cured venison. I followed a secret recipe I learned and added dried mushrooms and wild scallions."

Aurora carefully scooped up a spoonful. "It smells wonderful. What is this?"

"It’s called minced meat porridge. It would taste even better with some fresh minced ginger." He sat down across from her. "Unfortunately, we used the last piece from the cellar yesterday."

She savored the taste, then suddenly blinked playfully. "Brother, will you feed me? Like you used to when we were children."

Murphy chuckled, rising and walking over to her side.

Seeing no spare chair, Aurora stood up, motioned for him to take her seat, and then settled sideways onto his lap.

He picked up the spoon, blew on it gently, and carefully brought it to her lips.

Watching her take small, delicate bites, he suddenly asked, "Do you think I made the right choice... to abandon our defense?"

"Brother, your decisions are never wrong," she said without hesitation.

"But this is abandoning the Duval Territory," he said, his voice low.

Unlike Lawrence, who had been subtly influenced by Murphy and held a flawed understanding, Murphy himself knew the consequences of this decision better than anyone.

If he hadn’t mastered special abilities like [Control Human], he would never have adopted—let alone been able to execute—such an extreme strategy.

This was, after all, tantamount to voluntarily abandoning the territory.

Aurora took his hand and had another spoonful of porridge, then said seriously, "When I was little, Mother always told me I had to restore the glory of the Duval Clan. But as I grew up, I gradually realized that was just an expectation she had forced on me."

She looked up into his eyes, her own blue ones clear as crystal. "What I really want is to be by your side forever, Brother."

A long silence stretched between them.

Murphy turned his head to gaze at the distant mountains outside the window and finally said softly, "After the war is over, let’s get married."

Aurora’s eyes widened. "Mar...ried?"

"You don’t want to?"

Tears instantly welled in her eyes as she threw herself into his arms. "I do! I do!" After calming down slightly, she looked up, her face still wet with tears. "But before that... can I see you?"

Murphy’s movements paused almost imperceptibly. "Alright."

As he released the [Thousand-Faced Illusion], the face of a black-haired young man slowly came into focus.

His features were plain, but he had a pair of eyes as tranquil as still water.

Aurora stared at him, stunned.

"Are you disappointed?" he asked softly.

She suddenly broke into a radiant smile, reaching out to gently caress his cheek. "I was just thinking, our children will be so handsome!"

"Aurora..."

"It’s time to call me something new," she said with a playful blink.

"And what should that be?"

"’Wife,’" she said, her cheeks crimson.

After a moment’s silence, Murphy hesitated. "Would you like to hear a story?"

"As long as you’re the one telling it, Brother."

He chuckled. "Still calling me ’Brother’?"

"You’ll always be my brother," she said earnestly.

Murphy took a deep breath and began to tell the story he had kept locked in his heart.

He told of Othilia’s arrival, of the transformation of a lowly Groom named Murphy, of the former Baron’s fate, and of Sylvan’s end.

He omitted the truth about the system and his transmigration, attributing everything to the Witch’s Magic.

As he spoke, he watched her reactions nervously.

Aurora’s expression shifted from surprise to solemnity. Finally, she asked softly, "Mother... she..."

"It wasn’t me," Murphy denied at once. "I wanted to save her, to let her see Kaiden be born with her own eyes, but..."

She broke into a smile, interrupting him and throwing herself back into his arms. "That’s enough."

Leaning on his shoulder, she began to dream about their future. "You’re not Baron Duval anymore, and I’m not the heir to the territory. What will we do now? Why don’t you go back to being a Groom, and I can be... a groom’s wife!"

She gestured excitedly. "We can raise a little white pony, and when our children are older, we can teach them to ride..."

Murphy watched her, her face alight with excitement, and his heart felt both warm and heavy.

’How could Aurora, who was raised and educated to be a Lady, not understand what it meant to give up her noble status?’

’With my current abilities, I could have become a hermit in the mountains long ago. So why haven’t I given up the title of Baron?’

’It’s because this title, aside from the system’s quests, brought so many conveniences: ample resources, people at my command, a quiet environment for research, and clues like the Wizard’s Scripture.’

’What’s more, [Control Human] has now freed me even further from the burdens of governance.’

He looked out the window at the now-dissipated beacon smoke and made a silent vow.

’No matter what, the Duval Territory is ultimately mine, and it must also be Aurora’s.’