"Count Bled?"
Lloyd was puzzled.
Count Bled had not even shown his face when his son injured his head and collapsed.
Yet that Count was looking for him......
"Could this be because of what happened with Hailed?"
Nothing else came to mind.
Perhaps Anna thought so as well, because she gave a small nod and spoke.
"Young Master Hailed was there as well, so I think that is probably why."
"Hmm."
Things had been quiet for several days, so he had thought the matter might pass quietly like this.
It seemed that would not happen after all.
"Where is Count Bled now?"
"The Count is in his study, but...... Are you all right?"
Anna could not help worrying.
She knew well that Lloyd was afraid of Count Bled.
"I'm fine. I'll be going, then."
Lloyd spoke and left the room.
It took some time to search through his memories, but he safely reached the study.
When he knocked and entered the study, Count Bled was looking at him with a sharp gaze.
Lloyd sat in the seat opposite the Count and asked,
"Why have you called for me?"
Count Bled glanced at Hailed's shoulder, as Hailed was sitting beside him, and spoke.
"Hailed's shoulder...... Did you really do that?"
"I did. Is there a problem?"
At Lloyd's words, which made it seem as though he did not understand the reason, Count Bled's eyebrows twitched.
To be so confident after stabbing his younger brother with a sword.
"Are you asking because you truly do not know?"
"Yes. Are injuries of that level not common during sparring matches?"
"Sparring matches?"
If that were the case, there would be no problem.
House Bled was one of the Kingdom's most renowned swordsmanship houses.
Since they sparred with steel swords from childhood, incidents like this occurred often.
However, Count Bled could not easily believe it.
"Is that really true?"
His reaction might seem heartless, but it was only natural.
Hailed possessed a large amount of mana and exceptional talent for swordsmanship.
Meanwhile, Lloyd had not a trace of mana, and his body was weak enough that he had never even held a sword.
How could Lloyd have injured Hailed in a fair sparring match?
"It is true. Is that not right, Hailed?"
Hailed was startled, apparently not expecting Lloyd to address him.
However, he soon nodded hurriedly.
"Yes? Yes. The idiot...... No, Brother is right."
"Hmm."
Since even Hailed said so, Count Bled had no choice but to believe it, though it made no sense.
'That aside......'
Count Bled looked at Hailed with a somewhat puzzled expression.
Who had looked down on and harassed Lloyd the most in the family?
It was Hailed.
Yet Hailed was calling Lloyd Brother.
'That is not all.'
He could not properly raise his head, and he looked deeply cowed for some reason.
Did he not look as though he was afraid?
Count Bled frowned in displeasure.
However, such things did not catch Hailed's attention right now.
'Damn it! I kept quiet because I was afraid of this happening. How did Father find out that the man who stabbed my shoulder was that psychopath!?'
A psychopath.
Hailed was certain.
The Lloyd of now was insane.
'He was definitely trying to kill me.'
The look in Lloyd's eyes when he had tried to cut Hailed's throat was still vivid even after several days.
There had been none of the guilt, fear, anxiety, or any other emotion one might feel when killing a person.
The mere thought of it made his whole body shudder.
'If the maid had not come......'
Hailed touched his neck.
The place the cold blade had touched tingled for no reason.
Then, at last, the words Hailed had waited so long to hear came from Count Bled's mouth.
"This seems to have been an accident during a sparring match, so I have nothing more to say. You may leave now."
At the Count's words, Hailed sprang up as though he had been waiting for them and hurriedly left the study.
He heard a click of the Count's tongue behind him, but it did not matter.
As long as he could get out of that psychopath's sight!
After leaving the study, Hailed ran without stopping to his room.
Meanwhile, Lloyd was about to leave the study as well, but Count Bled stopped him.
"I still have something to say to you, so sit back down."
"What is it?"
When Lloyd sat down again, Count Bled took a sip of tea and slowly opened his mouth.
"Before long, you will become an adult too."
"Yes."
Unlike his original world, in this world, one became an adult at sixteen. In other words, he had two years left until the day he became an adult.
'Come to think of it, I heard that illegitimate children who are not acknowledged as members of the family are expelled from the household.'
Sure enough.
Count Bled spoke of exactly that.
"As you know, an illegitimate child who cannot be of use to the family will be stripped of their noble status and must leave the household on the day they become an adult."
"I see."
Count Bled was briefly puzzled at the unexpectedly composed reaction, but he spoke again.
"You are, at least, my son, so I will give you one final chance."
"A chance?"
Count Bled nodded and continued.
"I heard it from the knights. They say you have learned swordsmanship fairly well?"
"Yes."
"Then take part in the monster subjugation that will take place two months from now. If you distinguish yourself there, I will grant you a position as a House knight."
At those words, Lloyd faintly furrowed his brow.
The monster subjugation was carried out regularly by House Bled to prevent monsters, which had run short of food during winter, from coming down to the villages.
'It would be good to participate.'
It was an opportunity to gain experience and, at the same time, overturn the assessment that he was incompetent.
However, he did not like the present situation.
'No matter how much I distinguish myself, I can only become a knight.'
That much, he did not want.
To end up having to follow someone else's orders again at this point.
'Moreover, if I become a House knight, I will eventually have to follow that bastard Hailed's orders.'
He wanted that even less.
However, to enjoy complete freedom on this continent, he needed to maintain the status of a noble.
"I will participate in the subjugation, but I have no intention of becoming a House knight. Therefore, please grant me only a knighthood."
Was it because Lloyd had said that he did not want to become a House knight?
Count Bled's eyes turned fierce, and he raised his voice.
"Insolent fool. Do you think that someone without mana like you can become a knight anywhere but here!"
"I will take care of that myself, so you need only promise to grant me a knighthood, Count."
At Lloyd's attitude of boldly saying what he wanted without blinking an eye, the Count looked somewhat surprised.
The timid and weak Lloyd was looking him directly in the eyes and speaking with confidence.
"......Fine. If you accomplish a feat that everyone will recognize, I will grant you a knighthood immediately."
Having received the answer he wanted from Count Bled, Lloyd bowed and left the study.
After Lloyd left, Count Bled was alone. Drinking his now-cold tea, he fell into thought.
'I heard that Lloyd's personality changed, but...... It is beyond what I expected.'
It was not merely a small change in personality. It was enough to make him seem like an entirely different person.
Count Bled wondered whether a person's personality could truly change so extremely, but it did not matter.
'He has become somewhat useful now.'
He still did not have mana, but if Lloyd possessed sufficient skill, it would be fine to accept him as a member of the family.
The Count set his empty teacup on the table and lifted the corner of his lips.
For the first time, Count Bled felt expectations for Lloyd.
***
After returning to his room, Lloyd told Martin about the conversation he had had with the Count.
Then Martin spoke in an excited voice.
"An opportunity has come to show everyone Young Master Lloyd's true ability!"
The monster subjugation would not be easy, but Martin was not worried in the slightest.
Lloyd had easily defeated dungeon monsters stronger than the monsters in this area.
"Then do you intend to reveal that amazing ability that moved the swords!?"
If he revealed that ability, people would stop saying that he was an incompetent illegitimate son or that it was a shame he had no mana.
Furthermore, perhaps Count Bled would recognize him, and he might compete with Hailed for the position of heir.
Martin waited for Lloyd's answer with an expectant expression, but the answer was not very encouraging.
"I do not know."
The time would come when he revealed his ability, but that time was not now.
First, should he not wait for the System's synchronization to finish and raise his mana through leveling up?
'By the way, when will the System's synchronization finish......?'
Lloyd opened the System.
After leaving the dungeon, the letters were once again appearing corrupted.
[&□□5.2*&@□]
It was only five percent.
Judging by the speed, it seemed that it would take quite some time for synchronization to finish.
He could not use his ability carelessly now that he had no mana, but it did not matter. He only had to use it without anyone noticing.
"In any case, now that things have come to this, we will have special training from tomorrow. So make thorough preparations too, Sir."
"Yes!"
"Before that, we should divide the things we obtained from the dungeon."
At those words, Martin was startled and waved his hands.
"Divide them!? I am fine!"
"I will feel better if we settle such things clearly."
"If you say so......"
Martin replied as though he had no choice.
To be honest, who would dislike being offered money?
"I want to exchange the things we obtained from the dungeon. Do you know a suitable place?"
"I know a place well suited for that."
At Martin's confident answer, Lloyd rose from his seat and spoke.
"Good. Then guide me there at once."
"Pardon? Now?"
Martin glanced outside the window.
Perhaps they had spent longer in the dungeon than they had thought, because the sun had already set outside.
"It is already late today, so perhaps we should go tomorrow......"
However, Martin could not finish speaking.
Before Martin had even finished, Lloyd had left the room first.
"Wait, Young Master!"
Martin hurriedly followed Lloyd out.
***
Eldium, the city ruled by House Bled and a commercial city where many merchants and blacksmiths gathered.
Though it was late, the streets were crowded with people.
'Come to think of it, this is my first time freely looking around outside too.'
Even Lloyd, who usually wore an impassive face with little change in expression, looked around with interest.
Watching him, Martin smiled inwardly.
'Only now does Young Master Lloyd look his age.'
None of Lloyd's recent words or actions had made him seem fourteen, but now his expression was that of an unmistakable boy.
'When talking with him, even I nearly forget Young Master Lloyd's age.'
In any case, since they had gone out for the first time in a while, Martin deliberately took the long way so that Lloyd could look around at leisure.
However, contrary to Martin's thoughts, Lloyd's interest soon faded.
He had only been interested because this was his first time seeing shops and streets like these in this world. There were no items that caught his eye.
'Is the shop still far away?'
Just then, a merchant's booming voice came from nearby.
"Come one, come all! What I will show you this time is a male slave with a sturdy body and extraordinary strength!"
When Lloyd turned toward the voice, he saw a large man wearing nothing but a scrap of cloth barely covering his private parts.
'He resembles that guy a lot.'
One face came to Lloyd's mind.
It was Jinseok, one of the companions from whom he had been separated, a man of exceptional size and strength.
Perhaps that was why.
Lloyd headed toward the slave trader.
"Young Master?"
Martin called out in puzzlement, but Lloyd gave no answer and approached the slave trader.