Chapter 31

“D-Duke…?”

Jack uttered his master’s title in a low, shocked voice, while the servants stood there, stunned and not even blinking.

At that moment, a frail old man grabbed Jack by the ear.

“Ouch! What, what’s going on!”

“You little rascal. Look at the state of the mansion! Half of it is gone!”

“Gah! Sir Coulot.”

Coulot, the knight commander of the Tenest family.

When he shot a disapproving look, Jack shuddered as if he had seen a ghost, tears welling up as he rubbed his hands together.

“S-Sorry, Sir Coulot. Ahh. My ear is going to rip off. Please, just this once, let me go, yes?”

“Hm, should I just tear it off? The soldiers have gotten too lazy lately. Maybe taking an ear as an example would set them straight.”

“Eek!”

Coulot chuckled as if satisfied and let go of Jack’s ear.

“Just kidding. Honestly, I didn’t expect much. How could you guys handle that kind of monster? It’s a miracle you’re even alive, and that half the mansion is still standing.”

It was indeed close to a miracle.

As soon as they set foot on the estate, they saw the circular purple barrier surrounding the mansion, and by the time they hurriedly arrived, it had just crumbled.

‘If we had been even a bit late, it would have been a dire situation. But still, who on earth broke the barrier?’

As he was recalling the events, something fell to the ground with a thud, kicking up dust.

Thud.

Coulot raised an eyebrow, looking at the monstrous bird that Aol had thrown to the ground.

‘That monster revealing its true form means the seal had been broken for quite some time… A hungry monster wouldn’t have just stood idly by with prey around. That means someone must have fought it.’

‘Perhaps a formidable guest was staying at the mansion?’

Considering the barrier was broken, it wouldn’t have been an ordinary person.

Coulot glanced around, searching for anyone who might have fought the monster.

The only person nearby was Hersel, who had collapsed midway.

‘…Did that useless brat faint at the sight of the monster?’

‘No way that wimp could have done it.’

There was one possibility, but the young master was too young.

Then who on earth could it have been?

“Grandpa, you’re here?”

Mircel greeted with a wave, limping slightly.

“Oh, young master. What happened to your leg?”

“Just jumped from a high place, that’s all.”

Coulot sighed, thinking of the mistress.

As the knight commander, soldier management was his responsibility. Though he had been away to the Demon Realm, the lady wouldn’t let it go easily since Mircel was hurt. ɽ

“Sigh, I’ll have to discipline the soldiers again. Anyway, come sit here. You’ll want a good spot for the show that’s about to start.”

The monstrous bird bristled its feathers, its eyes filled with bitter tears of resentment towards Aol. The grudge from being sealed was palpable, the dark magic it emitted made the air feel chilling.

Meanwhile, Mircel looked curiously at Coulot sitting beside him.

“But, Grandpa, shouldn’t you help?”

“Huh? Help?” n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“You didn’t seal it alone, right? Grandpa and the knights helped too.”

Coulot chuckled at the unnecessary worry.

If Aol was an unrefined raw gem during the first subjugation, now he was a nearly perfected masterpiece.

In contrast, the monstrous bird’s time had remained stagnant.

“Back then, the duke was around 22 years old, wasn’t he? If you think he’s the same as he was back then, that’s a big mistake.”

Aol lightly stroked the hilt of the sword hanging from his waist.

Coulot squinted, focusing on Aol’s hand.

“Watch closely now. That’s the sword you’ve wanted to hold so badly.”

“…But I can do that too, you know?”

“Don’t get overconfident. Real combat is incomparable to what you’ve seen in training.”

“…”

Just as Mircel was watching Aol’s hand with a disgruntled face—

Clang—

By the time the metal sound rang out clearly, the monstrous bird’s head was already sliding off at an angle.

The bird’s body kept running towards Aol, oblivious that its neck had been cut.

Thud.

The lifeless body of the monstrous bird collapsed and slid across the ground.

Seeing this, Coulot had a satisfied expression.

Although Mircel looked bewildered, his pupils were dilated.

“How about it? Did you see it with your eyes?”

“I only saw him draw and sheathe the sword. It was as if there was no middle process at all…”

Coulot’s lips curved upwards at the honest answer.

“Good. At least you saw that much.”

“But the sword wasn’t even close to the bird. How did he cut its neck from there?”

“Well, that’s for you to figure out. You’ll improve by pondering and struggling on your own.”

“That’s so unfair.”

Coulot, leaving Mircel pouting, got up from his seat.

Aol was carrying the bird’s head and heading towards the basement. He had the key, so he would handle the sealing himself.

“Hm, this wraps things up neatly.”

Just then, an unresolved question resurfaced in Coulot’s mind.

“Oh, right. Young master, did we have any notable guests staying here? Someone well-known with a sword, perhaps.”

“A guest? A swordsman?”

“There must have been someone who fought the monster. Breaking the barrier too, it couldn’t have been an ordinary person.”

Mircel pointed to himself with his finger.

“I broke the barrier.”

Coulot’s eyes widened.

“Wh-What?”

“I just cut the feathers like my big brother said, and the barrier disappeared. It was my brother who fought the monster.”

“Nonsense! You can’t fool an old man like me!”

“Geez, whatever.”

Mircel ended the conversation in annoyance and turned his back.

Coulot looked at Jack, who was standing at attention, and raised an eyebrow.

“You answer me.”

Jack flinched and stammered.

“Wh-what Young Master Mircel said is all true.”

Coulot’s expression grew serious.

No soldier would dare lie to the knight commander unless they had a death wish.

Jack, driven by dreams of wealth and fame, would never do that.

“Sir Coulot, shouldn’t we check on Young Master Hersel instead of standing around?”

Jack cautiously added.

Coulot was stunned by his next words.

“He took the breath attack directly and must be in critical condition…”

Took the breath attack? And survived?

Coulot looked farther than the half-destroyed mansion grounds.

Originally, there was a huge mountain behind Tenest.

But now it was a flattened mess, lava bubbling and smoldering, no longer recognizable as a mountain.

‘Even the duke would be in trouble if he took that head-on, and yet…?’

The brat survived…??

Coulot was so flabbergasted his mouth hung open.

***

The smell of disinfectant hit my nose.

I was covered in a white cloth that allowed for good ventilation.

These were my first sensations as I woke up in bed.

“You’re awake?”

Selly, who had been sitting in a chair, greeted me and closed her book.

“How long was I asleep?”

“A day and a half straight.”

“Really? Well, at least I survived.”

I should have been happy with the unexpected luck, but I felt dazed.

I never expected Aol to arrive so early, two days ahead of schedule.

The reality was so far removed from my expectations that it left me in a stupor.

Who would have guessed this would happen?

Seeing a scene from the game’s cutscenes play out in real life…

Putting my thoughts aside, I checked the clock.

9 o’clock.

A late morning.

“I should get up.”

“Wait, your ankle!”

“Ugh!”

The pain in my ankle felt like it had been hit with a hammer, forcing me to sit back down.

This was bad; I needed to be on the move. Today was the last day of the festival, the most dangerous time, and I was stuck like this.

“Don’t worry, just rest. Jack and Rodel are keeping watch outside, and the Duke is here too. No one would dare try anything foolish.”

“Oh, right. That’s true.”

The festival ends with Aol’s return, not on a set date.

So, is the festival really over now?

For the past two and a half months, I…

“It doesn’t feel real.”

“…Honestly, I feel the same. I never thought you would hold out, young master.”

“Selly.”

“Yes?”

“You’ve done well too.”

“…”

Selly turned around, maybe to hide her expression.

Surely, this little one had been through a lot in ways I didn’t know.

“It’s nothing.”

At that moment, the curtains fluttered.

The smell of burning wafted in, and Selly closed the window.

“There’s one more surprising thing I need to tell you.”

What could be more surprising than what had happened?

I relaxed and nodded.

“Well then…”

What Selly recounted was quite a gossip-worthy event among the servants.

Last evening, the mistress returned.

Deisel and Erucel came later.

But while Deisel was greeting the lady at the front gate, something happened…

“The lady slapped Young Master Deisel. The sound was so loud even the maids far away turned to look.”

Compared to the monstrous bird, it seemed trivial, but it was still unusual.

Deisel was vying persistently for the heir position.

The lady had been supporting him.

And she had slapped Deisel, in front of everyone.

“So, where is he now?”

“I don’t know… He walked off with a red face.”

Ran away, did he?

A late rebellious phase, perhaps.

“Oh, and wait a moment.”

Selly remembered something and quickly left the room.

She returned with her arms full of baskets, making several trips.

“…What is that?”

“People asked me to give these to you. As thanks.”

The baskets contained everything from food to books with a new smell.

“They didn’t poison the food, or curse the books, did they?”

“Of course not. As I said, the Duke is here too.”

So, it was genuine. But those people?

“The same people who wanted to kill me are now buttering me up because they think Deisel is out of the picture? Ridiculous.”

Selly squinted at me, seeming exasperated.

“…”

“Do you think I got into that mess because of my bad attitude?”

“No? Not at all. Not in the slightest.”

Her flippant denial irritated me.

I covered myself with the blanket and waved her off.

“Enough. Leave me alone. I’m going back to sleep.”

“Get well soon.”

After Selly left, I closed my eyes and started to think.

Now was the time to address the problems I had pushed back.

Surviving was my priority until now, but I had to ask myself.

‘What do I do now?’

‘Learn swordsmanship from this body.’

‘Ah.’

…I had planned to go to the academy.

Not a bad starting point.

The academy was like an incubator for playable characters with narratives of becoming stronger.

There were those like Dellerger, high-spec from the start, but also those who weren’t.

You know, the protagonists who take their first steps towards becoming knights or mages.

“Indeed, there’s no better place to turn this weak body into something better.”

– At least you’re aware of it.

“Shut up. I’m going to sleep, don’t bother me.”

The best part was that the academy’s narrative difficulty was relatively easy and safe.

As long as it wasn’t that one academy among the five.

“OF, OFLI… Ah.”

“Ahem, greetings. Madam, what brings you here at this late hour?”

I woke up to the commotion outside the door.

It was still midnight.

I spoke nonchalantly to Jack and Rodel.

“Let her in.”

It was perfect timing.

I had questions for the mistress.

And it was time to settle this damned feud.