One day, having a suddenly expanded family is not an easy matter to handle. Fortunately for , the mistress was my stepmother, so I could keep my distance. As for my siblings, treating them with love, like nieces and nephews, wasn’t too difficult.
“Huff… Huff… I was just resting after training, and I feel like I’m going to die. If you need support, I can help you. Please, get off.”
“Hang in there, Erucel. We’re almost at the top floor.”
But dealing with the presence of a father was different. I had my real father, and calling a stranger ‘father’ felt sinful. If he had been as abrasive as the mistress, it might have been easier. But despite his hatred for the festival, he wasn’t a stepfather.
“Hm.”
If this were reincarnation, I might have had ti to adapt and accept it. But since I wasn’t ready for this emotionally, every step up the stairs felt heavy. Still, I had my reasons for this uncomfortable encounter and couldn’t avoid it forever. I steadied myself and made my way up to the top floor.
“Phew, even getting here is exhausting…”
“Huff… Huff… It was truly exhausting.”
“No, not you. .”
Just as Erucel collapsed in the hallway, an elderly voice sounded.
“Tsk, tsk. Still bullying your younger brother, I see.”
To accuse of mistreating my brother like that was annoying. I narrowed my eyes in displeasure. However, upon seeing the frail old man in front of , my anger dissipated into a neutral expression.
It was the knight commander, Coulot.
After Aol, he was the strongest in the world.
Unsure of how to address such a man, I stayed silent. But since he spoke first, I couldn’t remain silent forever. Watching Erucel for cues, I played it wisely.
“Ugh… I feel like I’m dying, Sir Coulot…”
“Tsk, you think I’m taking your side? Good grief, the third young master is too dramatic. Now, get up!”
Coulot lightly kicked Erucel’s rear. As a knight commander, and an incredibly strong man, even Hersel would have given him so respect. Thus, I figured I should do the sa.
“You’re looking healthy, Sir Coulot. May you live long.”
“Huh?”
Perhaps my polite greeting was over the top, for his eyes widened in surprise.
“Well, yes… It seems you’ve recovered quite a bit.”
“Indeed. I have business to attend to, so I’ll be going now.”
Afraid of making another mistake, I turned to leave. But Coulot narrowed his eyes and offered a word of caution.
“Mind you, the Duke is in a foul mood. Don’t do anything to aggravate him. Don’t make a mistake.”
“Is sothing bothering Father?”
“Well, the second young master has left the house, so it’s only natural he’s upset. And the trophies in the basent… It seems the monstrous bird ate them all, adding to his fury.” 𝙍
Damn, that’s bad news. Feeling even more tense, I deliberately walked more slowly, pretending to be in more pain.
***
Coulot watched Hersel’s back with a bewildered expression, then turned to Erucel.
“Am I getting old and losing my hearing? That insolent brat actually said sothing polite, didn’t he?”
“You heard correctly, Sir.”
“What?”
Erucel didn’t seem to be lying. Coulot, taken aback by the upside-down world, unconsciously stepped back.
“That loose tongue actually said sothing polite?”
Given that Hersel used to constantly spew insults like “boastful old man” or “bubble-blowing geezer,” Coulot couldn’t help but be astonished.
“I’ve never seen anything this bizarre in my life. What’s been going on?”
“I don’t know the details, but it seems he’s been ntally unstable lately.”
Erucel massaged his trembling legs from the exhaustion.
“But don’t let your guard down, Sir Coulot. He’s still rotten at his core. I swear I’ll…?”
Coulot nodded at Erucel’s determined words.
There was no other way to explain the earlier situation except to think that Hersel had gone mad.
“I thought I had lost a gem, but it seems there was no point in waiting…”
Coulot had been waiting to assess Hersel’s capabilities as a knight.
After gauging him, it seed his personality had slightly changed, but the content remained the sa.
“Well, this is turning out interesting in its own way.”
Coulot chuckled as he watched Hersel enter the reception room. He was curious about what would happen if Hersel entered the academy in this state.
* * *
As I stepped into the reception room, the first thing I noticed was a bottle of alcohol and two glasses on the table.
Aol, seated at the head of the table, began speaking as he looked at the shelves filled with bottles.
“Not much has changed since my ti here.”
I heard that this was the annex where Aol lived before becoming the head. Now, he was voicing his reflections. I greeted him.
“You called for , Father.”
Though calling him ‘Father’ felt awkward, it wasn’t too difficult to say. Perhaps it was thanks to the ‘Noble Blood’s Ember’ trait.
“Take a seat.”
Aol pointed to the seat with a glass on it.
The atmosphere suggested he wanted to drink together.
I didn’t like the idea since I had decided to quit drinking.
“I’ve actually stopped drinking.”
Aol blinked at my honest reply.
“That’s a good thing.”
He seed genuinely pleased and poured himself a drink.
Pour—
One glass, two glasses,
He drank alone continuously.
Eventually, he emptied an entire bottle…
Pop!
When he opened the second cork, I wondered if I had made a mistake by saying nothing while he drank in silence.
Finally, his heavy lips opened.
“Do you resent ?”
His deep, calm voice started with an ambiguous question, making my head spin. Was he referring to past conflicts I wasn’t aware of, or the fact that he had ignored the lady’s murderous rampage?
“I’m not sure what you’re referring to…”
“Anything, really. But I’m specifically talking about the tis I tested you with your life.”
“….”
Not knowing how to respond, I stayed silent.
Aol seed to interpret my silence as he wished and downed another drink.
“To be honest, our relationship has always been one of love and hate. If you died, it would be your fate.”
This seed a bit harsh.
“Still, you were like a sore thumb to . Blaming you was like blaming myself. I also wandered like you and had no right to be strict with you. As my first child, I didn’t know how to raise you. Despite that, I was always disappointed in you, though I had no right to be…”
Listening to his continued words, I felt awkward.
It seed he wanted to apologize, fueled by alcohol, but I could only see it as his circumstances rather than resentnt.
Hersel must have caused considerable trouble for him.
‘Having said it out loud, it feels like an excuse.’
Aol laughed bitterly as he poured another drink.
“But it seems I was wrong. Maybe I didn’t even try to understand you.”
At this point, I felt I should say sothing, so I opened my mouth.
“I don’t dwell on past events.”
It was an honest sentint.
Though it was frustrating to be in Hersel’s body, it wasn’t Aol’s fault.
Aol’s eyes widened slightly, and he smiled.
“You’ve grown to be quite a broad-minded person.”
“You flatter .”
“Yes, this is a drinking session, but we’ve only talked seriously. Hersel, do you have anything you want to say to ?”
With the alcohol setting in, the mood felt right.
It was a good ti to bring up my request.
Giving up the position of head could co later. First, I needed to talk about magic.
“Actually, about the academy…”
“Feel free to speak comfortably.”
“Alright, then.”
With no more hesitation, I spoke clearly.
“I want to enroll in the magic departnt this ti. Could you find a skilled magician to teach the basics?”
Thud!
The reception room door closed.
I had just been flatly rejected and thrown out.
In truth, his reaction was within my expectations.
– The Tenest family was built on the sword. What would they say if the eldest son wanted to learn magic?
As they say, what is planted is what grows.
Whether it’s swordsmanship or magic, a family established with one discipline doesn’t permit the other, according to this world’s lore.
– Though I don’t look down on magic, it doesn’t suit our lineage.
With Mircel, who would later make the Tenest na famous, there was hope that they might overlook the wayward son.
But the monstrous bird incident shattered that hope.
-You are expected to contribute greatly. I heard you helped capture the bird. So, focus on the sword and don’t waste ti on nonsense.
For soone with a damaged dantian, it was a painful reality.
Being forbidden to study magic, which I was forced to learn, made genuinely want to pursue it.
The biggest motivation was Aol’s pitiful reaction.
– And Hersel, though it’s awkward to say, you learning magic… That requires intelligence. Never mind, just leave.
Comparing my intelligence to Hersel’s?
I had never felt such an insult to my pride.
To equate with that primitive fool who wasted his ti drinking and reading obscene stories was to say I had no worth.
I had to prove it. I would beco a magician.
***
“What do you think about him learning magic?”
Aria asked, rolling her pen, as Dellerger scratched his head from the couch.
“Well, he’s already as strong as he can be, so it’s natural to look at other things.”
Aria looked skeptical.
“…I still can’t believe it. Hersel is really stronger than you?”
Though she had heard about the incident in the mines from Dellerger, it was hard to believe.
But Dellerger answered without hesitation.
“Yes. Incomparable, really.”
“…”
Aria was speechless at his firm response.
Dellerger, sensing her unease, added an explanation.
“You heard about him surviving that monster’s breath attack, right?”
“I still can’t believe it. Isn’t that an exaggerated rumor?”
“It’s not an exaggeration. Even the townsfolk saw the mountain lt. Plus, there are eyewitness accounts.”
Aria rested her chin on her hand, falling silent. The evidence was clear.
“But I wonder if it’s alright.”
“What do you an?”
“His request for a magician. The Duke wouldn’t allow it in a family known for swordsmanship.”
That was a headache.
Despite the many eccentric magicians, few were crazy enough to teach the Duke’s son.
But with enough money, nothing is impossible.
Aria smiled slyly.
“We could do it secretly. I have the ans.”
“Secretly? Is there really a magician willing to do such a thing?”
“Yes, and they’re top-notch in their field.”
“Surely not a magician from the Magic Tower? That would cost a fortune.”
Dellerger blinked in surprise as Aria took out an old book from a drawer. It was the “Ancestor’s Ledger” she found thanks to Hersel.
“If I receive sothing, I should repay generously, don’t you think?”
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