Glen had changed.
His family members were not the only ones who noticed it.
The maids and knights who served him all said the same thing.
Young Master Glen had become completely different from before.
On one occasion, a maid dropped a plate in front of Glen and shattered it.
In the past, he would have flown into a rage, demanding to know whether she dared to disrespect him.
“I-I’m sorry, Young Master! P-Please forgive me...”
More startled than anyone by her own mistake, she immediately prostrated herself on the floor.
Because everyone knew how sensitive Glen was toward his inferiors, the maids of the household regarded him as the person they had to be most cautious around.
The other servants tensed as they watched the deathly pale girl’s eyes fill with tears, but unexpectedly, Glen merely looked indifferent.
“What was your name again?”
His voice was flat rather than angry.
“L-Lily, Young Master.”
“Very well, Lily. Raise your head.”
He picked up one of the broken glass shards and held it out to her.
“I shall give you this shard as a gift. Keep it with you at all times, and make certain that you never repeat today’s mistake.”
“...Pardon?”
“Take it.”
When Glen’s expression tightened slightly, she flinched and hurriedly accepted the shard.
Still unable to understand what was happening, however, she unconsciously opened her mouth.
“Th-Then my punishment...”
This time, his expression twisted completely.
What kind of punishment would there be for something like this?
Muttering under his breath, he added,
“Ah. As punishment, clean up the broken pieces properly.”
Leaving only those words behind, he strode down the corridor.
The people who had witnessed the scene stared after him in bewilderment.
It was something they could never have imagined happening in the past.
Lily and the other maids merely blinked as they watched his retreating back.
As time passed and similar incidents accumulated, they gradually came to understand.
The Young Master had changed at some point.
More precisely, he had changed after rising from his sickbed.
He no longer became irritated or angry at every opportunity as he had before.
He still seemed arrogant, but he no longer looked down on or mocked his inferiors.
Instead, he listened carefully when they spoke, and he occasionally greeted them first.
“Do you think something truly happened to him? He was never like that before...”
“I saw him the other day, and it seemed as though he was trying to memorize each of our names.”
Some said that he had finally matured, while others claimed that the Duke must have given him a truly severe reprimand this time.
Whatever the reason, it was a welcome change for them.
The most difficult person to deal with in the entire household had become somewhat easier to approach.
***
“Did that truly happen?”
Glen’s biological mother, Marie Repent, blinked in surprise.
The Head Maid nodded once again.
“Yes. I witnessed it myself, so there is not the slightest falsehood in my account.”
“Glen... That child truly let the matter end there?”
“That is correct.”
“Did he perhaps summon her in secret afterward and harm her?”
Marie’s gaze darkened.
Glen remained her beloved child, but believing that a person had changed overnight was another matter entirely.
It was not exactly distrust.
Rather, it was simply difficult to believe.
It felt like watching a child who had brought home nothing but failing marks suddenly receive a perfect score.
“...Shall I confirm it with Lily?”
“Yes... No. Summon her here instead. I should verify it myself.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Before long, a young maid entered the room.
Her eyes were lowered and her shoulders drooped, making her resemble a drenched puppy.
“Y-Your Grace. D-Did you summon me?”
“Yes. I wish to ask you about what happened between you and Glen recently. I heard that you broke a plate in front of him.”
“Ah! I-I’m sorry!”
Lily almost reflexively dropped to the floor.
A quiet sigh followed.
“I did not summon you to reprimand you. Raise your head.”
“B-But...”
“Do you intend to waste my time? Raise your head at once.”
Lily quickly lifted her head, revealing the necklace hanging over her chest.
It appeared to have been made by polishing a shard of glass and threading it onto a cord.
“That necklace... Did Glen give it to you?”
“Y-Yes, Your Grace. The Young Master told me to k-keep it with me at all times...”
“Did he summon you separately afterward?”
“Pardon? What do you mean...?”
When Marie’s brow furrowed, Lily hurriedly continued.
“N-No! He never summoned me separately.”
“Are you certain? He did not call you away and harm you?”
“H-He truly did not. Rather than that... the Young Master has changed greatly of late.”
“Explain in detail.”
“Th-The Young Master has become much more generous recently. He no longer becomes irritated or angry, and he acknowledges every one of our greetings.”
“...That is certainly difficult to believe.”
Marie had heard that her son had begun swinging a sword early every morning.
That was understandable and hardly surprising.
He had always possessed considerable talent in swordsmanship.
He had simply found his proper path again at last.
However, even though Glen was her son, she had believed there was little that could be done about his arrogant and temperamental personality.
Considering that he refused to heed even the advice of his father and mother, she had regrettably concluded that it was an inborn trait.
She briefly wondered whether she had behaved similarly in her youth, but decided it was probably due to her husband’s disposition.
Naturally, she had vaguely hoped that Glen would improve as he grew older.
But a person could never change so completely overnight.
That was especially true of one’s personality.
“If even I, his mother, can hardly believe it, no wonder his father remains so wary.”
Even after confirming the matter herself, she could not fully believe it.
Her son had always been exceptionally difficult.
“...Pardon?”
Still, Lily did not appear to be lying.
A mere apprentice maid could not possibly possess that much nerve.
“Hmm. I was speaking to myself. You may leave now. You have been through enough.”
“Th-Thank you. Then I shall take my leave...”
Lily bowed and left the room.
The Head Maid, who had been standing to one side, quickly approached and lowered her head.
As the person responsible for Lily’s supervision, she was likely apologizing for the younger maid’s inexperience.
“I apologize. I shall train her more thoroughly.”
“That is unnecessary. If the person involved has forgiven her, what position would that put Glen in if I punished her? Make certain that she is not disciplined over this.”
“...Yes, Your Grace.”
“Where is Glen now?”
“He is most likely at the training ground. He has been going there consistently of late.”
“How long has this continued?”
“A little over a week, as far as I know.”
Marie’s eyes widened slightly.
“A week? Are you saying that he began swinging a sword almost immediately after rising from his sickbed?”
“Well, both the Court Physician and I attempted to stop him...”
The month Glen had spent lying unconscious had been like hell for Marie.
The thought that she might helplessly lose her son without being able to do anything had even caused her to lash out at the Duke from time to time.
Glen had rarely suffered so much as a minor illness when he was young.
Why, then, had he been forced to remain unconscious for so long?
Could that absurd illness known as Firstborn’s Disease, which had no proper basis whatsoever, truly have been the cause?
Was the Goddess genuinely trying to take her child from her?
For an entire month, she had been consumed by endless questions and anxiety.
Fortunately, the Goddess had watched over him and returned her child to her.
Even now, remembering how he had sobbed in her arms on the day he awakened made her heart ache.
It was a period she never wished to experience again.
That was why she was so anxious now.
“Did his health appear sound?”
“Yes. The Young Master said that moving his body felt far better than simply lying down.”
“Haa...”
Marie released an unconscious sigh.
“...Shall I summon the Young Master?”
“No. As his mother, I cannot allow my excessive concern to hold my son back. Leave him be. Instead, instruct the Court Physician to examine him regularly.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Marie’s troubled gaze turned toward the window.
***
Glen had also become a source of astonishment among the knights.
Ever since rising from his sickbed, he had visited the training ground before dawn without missing a single day.
He began with light stretches, then ran around the training ground to warm his body.
He struggled somewhat at first, but his condition gradually improved as his body recovered.
When Sir Nedain, who had been assigned as his swordsmanship instructor, arrived, Glen listened with a serious expression and absorbed his teachings rapidly.
“How long do you think he’ll last?”
“How many times has the Young Master acted like this before giving up?”
Some knights mocked him behind his back.
How many times had Glen fled from training after complaining that it was too difficult?
Some even wagered that he would last no longer than a week this time.
However, when Glen’s behavior continued for one month and then two, the knights slowly began to acknowledge him.
Knights were a rugged group who judged the sweat a person shed more honestly than anyone else.
One thing had become certain.
The Glen they had known in the past was gone.
They did not know what had caused it, but he had unquestionably changed.
In truth, no knight was more surprised than Sir Nedain, Glen’s swordsmanship instructor.
At first, he had not been particularly pleased about teaching Glen.
The Young Master’s reputation was simply too poor.
He will give up on his own if I merely go through the motions and waste enough time.
Nedain had initially thought that way, but it did not take long for him to realize how completely mistaken he had been.
“You have improved tremendously. No, rather than saying you have improved... it feels as though you are gradually rediscovering something you already knew.”
Nedain himself had once been called a genius within the Lion Knights.
He also held the distinction of being the youngest Vice Commander in the order’s history.
Even from his perspective, Glen’s talent was overwhelming.
“Is that meant to be praise?”
Glen himself, however, merely looked indifferent.
Nedain could understand such a reaction.
He had responded in much the same way whenever those around him marveled at his abilities.
Talent was astonishing only to those who observed it.
To the person who possessed it, it merely felt natural.
“Of course. I once dared to consider myself a genius, but after seeing you, Young Master, I may have to abandon that belief. However...”
Nedain lightly scratched the bridge of his nose.
“This may be a rather strange question, but... have you ever learned Aura?”
“Aura?”
“I cannot quite explain it, but when I watch your swordsmanship, it feels as though you have wielded Aura before.”
“Your jest goes too far.”
“I only asked on the off chance that it was true. Ha ha.”
He is surprisingly perceptive.
Although Glen maintained an impassive expression, he felt a twinge of alarm inwardly.
During his time as Riklang, his injuries had gradually robbed him of the ability to wield mana, but he had compensated for that weakness through Blood Magic.
One of his defining traits had been his ability to cloak himself in Blood Energy and wield it like Aura.
Naturally, he could not reveal that now.
“Are you not overestimating me? I am still nothing more than a lowly apprentice knight.”
When Glen stated the obvious with a faint grin, even Nedain looked somewhat dumbfounded.
“An apprentice knight... That rank certainly does not suit you.”
Could any of the Lion Knights’ fully fledged members defeat the current Glen?
Nedain did not believe so.
Even if two of them attacked together—perhaps even three—the outcome would remain uncertain.
“Then I suppose it is time to remove the apprentice knight label.”
“I shall formally report the matter to His Grace.”
The promotion examination was held not long afterward, and Glen passed it with ease.
He was now eighteen years old.
Considering that most people became full knights around the age of twenty, his achievement was exceptional.
The Duke showed no particular reaction.
He believed it was only natural—perhaps even slightly overdue.
Considering that the Duke himself had become a full knight at sixteen, his response was understandable.
***
The Duke’s study, shortly after news of Glen’s promotion arrived.
“Are you not pleased?”
The person asking the question did not look pleased in the slightest.
Rather, his expression was as impassive as ever.
The Duke snorted as he looked at the ever-stoic Knight Commander.
“Hmph. He has finally accomplished one thing he was supposed to do. Is that something worth celebrating?”
“Has he not improved greatly compared with before? According to Sir Nedain, the Young Master may possess even greater talent than he does.”
“He carries the blood of House Repent. It would be far more lamentable if he lacked even that degree of talent.”
“Young Master Ian has also been inspired by him and is training even harder. He will likely be ready to take the promotion examination next year or the year after.”
“That child will manage perfectly well on his own.”
Dimit gave a faint smile.
Despite the Duke’s words, Dimit believed he understood how the man truly felt.
Naturally, the Duke could not possibly be displeased.
As the father of a child himself, Dimit was certain of that.
“It has been a long time since I last saw you smile.”
“...I was not smiling.”
“That is enough about them. Have the guests arrived?”
“They should be arriving around now.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a servant hurriedly opened the door and approached them.
“Your Grace, an ambassador from the Empire has arrived.”
Her voice was noticeably tense.
She was not the only one.
The entire household had every reason to be tense.
The Empire was that kind of entity.
“...Our unwelcome guest has finally arrived.”
***
News of the Imperial delegation’s arrival spread throughout the estate.
Naturally, Glen was among those who heard it.
At the news delivered by a maid, he muttered with a rigid expression,
“...It was about time they arrived.”
This had been the incident that allowed the Empire to begin tightening a leash around the duchy in earnest.
It was also the first cause that had set the Duchy of Repen upon the path to destruction in his previous life.
An unexpected disturbance—one that might eventually grow into a tremendous storm—had arrived.