Though Ron had mentioned it in passing, as if it had only just occurred to him, it was more than enough to leave Adelia utterly stunned.
It was one absurd disaster after another, all beyond the bounds of common sense. There was also the fact that he had beaten up a direct descendant of House Leonard, then taken the Promotion Exam as though nothing had happened.
How could anyone be this fearless unless he had chewed up a dragon's heart?
Come to think of it.
‘So that's why my brother chose closed-door training!’
Remembering how delighted Father had been that her second brother had finally come to his senses made her head throb. She had never imagined Ron was the cause of all this.
Was she supposed to be pleased or upset?
Judging by the results alone, everything was perfect, which only made it more infuriating.
“You can easily beat him up as well, my lady.”
“You think that's something you should say?”
“I am merely stating the truth. The Second Young Master is talented, but he is not particularly diligent. Furthermore, your Comprehension and Discernment are far superior to his. Therefore, you are entirely capable of beating up the Second Young Master.”
Is that a compliment or an act of familial betrayal?!
Pick one!
“He's still my brother!”
“Indeed, an arm bends inward.”
“Of course it does.”
“Reality, however, breaks that arm outward.”
Adelia was irritated, but she could now be certain that Ron's ability was no fluke. Judging solely by ability, there was no one in House Leonard who could compare to him.
Perhaps she had encountered an extraordinary stroke of fortune.
“Which brings me to my point. We will begin special training.”
“Out of nowhere? What sort of training could we possibly do here?”
“We must reconstruct your body first. With your current frail physique, even swinging a sword would be difficult. I will specially reveal a secret method to improve your stamina.”
“A secret method? What is it?”
“You will understand once you experience it.”
“Wait, let me think.... Huh?”
After obtaining Adelia's consent, Ron immediately put it into practice.
A technique he had developed since his days as the Taiji Sword God and perfected when he was The One.
Eight Extreme Hells.
A method that made one experience hell eight times.
It involved pain, but once it was over, one would understand its true value.
Nevertheless, it was called Eight Extreme Hells because it was an improved form of Bone-Splitting and Tendon-Seizing. Did they not say that extremes ultimately met?
The human body grew stronger through recovery after being torn and broken. If Bone-Splitting and Tendon-Seizing was torture that inflicted nothing but pain, Eight Extreme Hells allowed one to attain profound enlightenment through suffering.
Life was pain.
One had to fail in order to grow.
‘......KYAAAAAAAAAAH!’
Its drawback was the noise, but Ron blocked that minor side effect by pressing her Mute Acupoint.
PRESS!
To minimize her struggling as well, he pressed her Paralysis Acupoint. The technique specialized in using the least possible space, allowing one to train while remaining seated.
It was a training method designed for Adelia, who had difficulty moving around outside and did not require a separate training ground.
‘Nice.’
The effects appeared immediately.
-Progress Rate: -72%
Reward: 6 Coins
Whether the training method was extraordinary or Adelia's aptitude was extraordinary did not truly matter. It was enough that the Progress Rate of House Leonard Development had risen. Adelia would also be satisfied that she could devote herself to House Leonard in its time of crisis.
As a bonus, the value of a Coin had increased.
At 6 Coins, the reward had doubled.
If so, the rewards might increase by multiples as the Progress Rate rose.
‘Good as a test subject too.’
Ron meticulously checked the condition of their precious Adelia. He examined her carefully in case she suffered an injury.
POURRR!
Sweat poured from her like rain, but that was not a problem. It was proof that her body was expelling waste. In this way, even Bone-Splitting and Tendon-Seizing could bring about Body Reformation if used correctly. It was truly an artistic achievement that walked the razor-thin boundary between torture and training.
‘She won't shit herself, will she?’
Occasionally, the pain was so severe that someone lost control of their sphincter.
Ron sealed the acupoints in her buttocks. It was the consideration of a Personal Knight protecting the young lady's elegant dignity.
Once the preview ended.
TAP-TAP!
Ron released Eight Extreme Hells.
TREMBLE, TREMBLE!
Upon regaining her senses, Adelia glared fiercely at Ron. It was a pain unlike anything she had ever experienced. She had lost count of how many times she had felt the urge to bite off her tongue. How could a man who called himself a knight inflict such terrible pain upon a woman?
“...What in the world did you just do to me?”
“For a first training session, it went rather smoothly.”
“You think you'll get away unharmed after doing this to me?”
“How does your body feel?”
“Obviously, it hurts.... No!!”
Until a moment ago, she had suffered pain worse than hell, yet it had vanished without a trace. The fact that she had experienced such agony felt like nothing more than a dream.
“You feel refreshed, do you not?”
“...How?”
Adelia could not understand it, but her body felt strangely more refreshed than ever. Even so, it was an agonizing method she never wanted to experience again.
“Starting tomorrow, we will gradually increase the duration.”
“...Wait, you're going to do that again?”
Good grief, what a sheltered young lady.
“Nothing in this world is free. Surely you do not believe you can become like everyone else while remaining as you are? With such a complacent mindset, you would be better off remaining merely the flower of House Leonard.”
Does this bastard have thorns on his tongue?!
Adelia sighed at Ron's harsh words.
Having boldly declared that she would show everyone she had changed, she could not retreat now.
“Fine.”
“We will begin swordsmanship training as soon as the reconstruction of your body is complete.”
“Will this truly allow me to defeat my second brother?”
Ron let out a quiet laugh.
Across two previous lives, he had been both the strongest and the perfect teacher.
“The Second Young Master is not even worth discussing, in truth.”
“Watch your words. He's still my brother!”
“Shall I increase the duration?”
“...Are you threatening me right now?”
“You adapt remarkably quickly, my lady.”
Though it was accelerated training, Ron was confident that no method was more reliable for establishing a proper foundation. Occasionally, someone failed to endure the pain and suffered a mental collapse, but a mental-health specialist was standing right beside her. He was particularly knowledgeable about anger-management disorders and mental frailty.
“If it has no effect, you'd better prepare yourself.”
“How much will you pay me if it does have an effect?”
“...You want money again?!”
“For your sake, my lady, I have generously bestowed the secret method that made me who I am today.”
Anger surged within Adelia, but she could not even refute him. A knight's secret method could not be bought even with gold. If she received one without offering any compensation merely because he had become her Personal Knight, she would be a failure as his liege.
Nor could she deny the secret method's effectiveness.
Her condition had improved far too much for that. Even the bloated feeling in her stomach was gone.
‘But it hurts far too much!’
She could have endured an ordinary degree of pain, but this was agony to which she could not possibly adapt. The thought of paying money to experience it made her heart collapse.
“It's fine even if it has no effect.”
“You cannot be so idle that you have time for worthless training.”
“I said it's fine.”
“They say those who have the most are the worst.”
“What did you say?!”
“I was speaking to myself.”
“Enough. Get out!”
“Are you truly not going to pay me?”
“My finances are tight too!”
Would this damned man only be satisfied after forcing a lady to reveal her financial circumstances?
Hmm.
Ron's expression stiffened for a moment.
He felt the sorrow of a knight forced to serve a penniless liege. At this rate, he did not think he could work with any enthusiasm. A proper relationship between a young lady and her knight had to be supported by ample funding.
“I will take my leave.”
“Go already.”
Before leaving, Ron offered one piece of advice.
“You should summon your Personal Maid.”
“I'll handle it myself!”
The workday was drawing to an end. Ron hurried out of Adelia's room before quitting time.
Immediately after opening the door and stepping outside.
FWHOOOOO!
Ron had been holding his breath until the training ended.
The reason was.
“KYAAAAAAAAAAH!”
Adelia's scream answered for him.
Her Personal Maid, Remian, had entered the room and fainted from the terrible smell.
“Remian~~! Wake up~~~!”
Ron hurried to find Sir Ternoar.
***
It was a dinner appointment.
It had not been scheduled. After the Promotion Exam, the old man had unilaterally declared it. Ron had naturally objected. Once work ended, he needed to return to his nest and rest deeply! Only then could he face the next day with energy.
It was improper to interfere with his time outside work.
-Amelin wishes to see you.
However, the person who had summoned him held overwhelming power.
The old man had taken Ron in, but it was the madam who had fed him, cared for him, and raised him.
The fact that he had not visited her recently also played a part.
‘I feel ashamed.’
He could not become an ungrateful black-haired beast. He could tolerate many things, but ingratitude was unforgivable.
“You wouldn't even snort when I asked you to come, yet you're afraid of Amelin?”
“It seems you find Madam rather easy to deal with, old man.”
“......Of course.”
“Oho. So you mean you can remain just as confident before Madam?”
“Are you going to put it that underhandedly?”
“Someone once told me never to utter words I couldn't bear responsibility for.”
GROAN!
A pained sound escaped Radon before he could stop it.
Even as they walked home, Radon repeatedly glanced back at Ron, wondering whether this was truly the boy he had known.
How had someone this sly and glib lived in silence for so many years?
‘Did I raise a con artist?’
Radon felt strangely wronged after worrying himself sick that Ron might fail the Promotion Exam without knowing any of this.
Ron had never been someone who required his concern in the first place. As though dispelling every suspicion that stopping the assailant had been mere luck, he had driven one of the knight order's rising stars back one-sidedly and defeated him.
“To think you were such an impudent brat. Amelin will be disappointed.”
“Madam already knows.”
“......?”
Ron had deceived everyone else, but he had told Madam the truth about everything except his swordsmanship.
“Eshula too?”
“Yes.”
“......So I was the only one you deceived!”
“You simply lack perception, old man. Madam and Eshula knew long ago. Come to think of it, I feel disappointed. You were the one who brought me here, yet you took so little interest in me.”
“......That is!!”
When he heard that his wife and daughter had known, Radon was left speechless. Claiming that Ron had deceived him would amount to admitting that he had not taken enough interest in the boy. It could even be interpreted as neglecting a child who had lost his father and been left alone.
“Then why did you never tell me?”
“You never asked. Was I supposed to announce, ‘I am this extraordinary’?”
Groan.
Radon had tried to rebuke him out of irritation, only to suffer a critical hit instead. A low moan escaped him.
‘Sigh, I truly was inattentive.’
He had needed to raise Ron strictly if the boy was to survive the cruel storms of life, but it was also true that he had not spoken with Ron enough.
He should have recognized Ron's ability before Ron revealed it himself.
“I am sorry I failed to look after you.”
“Why are you acting unlike yourself, old man? Behave as you normally do. If you suddenly keel over, how am I supposed to face Madam?”
“You bastard, must you phrase everything that way?!”
“You need to live a long life.”
Radon admitted that his eye for people had failed him, but he still could not be certain he could have noticed. Just look at Ron now. Before he knew it, the boy was already dancing on top of his head. How was anyone supposed to see through him if he deliberately concealed himself? Before blaming Radon's discernment, they should blame this bastard's cunning.
“If you were that concerned, you should have visited more often.”
“Who wants to see their workplace superior at home as well? Do you wish to have a private audience with the Count even after the workday ends, old man?”
“......Of course.”
“You hesitated.”