"Clean, isn't it?"
"You son of a bitch. I will not let you get away with this."
"Who's calling who a son of a bitch?"
"You think you are so great because you beat a drunk man once?"
"If I hit you hard enough to make you sleep for two days straight, shouldn't you have come to your senses? Are you still drunk?"
Jamie ground his teeth as Leo answered him without giving an inch, then charged at him with his eyes blazing.
At that moment.
"Urgh......"
Jamie stopped in his tracks.
"D-Damn it!"
He could not move.
Nothing else had stopped him. Leo had subdued him solely with the killing intent that blossomed from his eyes.
'As expected......'
Those overwhelmed by an aura usually had their minds dominated as well.
In severe cases, some even collapsed while foaming at the mouth.
But as expected, his brother Jamie was different.
Even though he was clearly crushed beneath the killing intent, he was still brimming with spite.
He was every bit a man who had fully inherited the talent of House Valantes.
"Father gave the Secret Manual directly to me. So I'm taking it back."
At Leo's words, Jamie shouted with blood-red eyes.
"You have no right to possess it! A mere illegitimate son like you!"
"Shut up. Be grateful you're my brother. If you weren't, this wouldn't have ended here."
Leo ground out the words, and Jamie slowly lowered the gaze that had been locked with his.
"Clean up the mess you made in my room. And apologize to Hans and the others."
At those words, Jamie raised his head again.
"Do not spout that bullshit!"
It was humiliating.
His younger brother had always been weak.
When Jamie hit him, he took it; when Jamie insulted him, he cowered; when Jamie took something, he let it be taken......
Yet that younger brother had suddenly changed.
Jamie had been unable to offer him any resistance.
That fact already infuriated him, and now Leo was even telling him to apologize to an attendant.
"If you don't, I'll beat you until you do."
Jamie's expression went blank at those words.
When Leo took a fighting stance a moment later, Jamie flinched in alarm and spoke.
"Y-You! You burned my room!"
"Oh, then...... I'll let you off for trashing my room."
The instant he finished speaking.
WHAM—!
Leo's fist struck Jamie squarely in the face.
"GAAH-!"
Blood burst forth from that single blow.
A spray of blood gushed from Jamie's mouth as he screamed.
Just as Leo raised his fist once more.
"Young Master!"
"Please stop."
The nearby knights rushed around Leo in an instant.
"Let go."
However.
Despite the vigor with which they had rushed in, the knights immediately shrank back and retreated at Leo's quiet murmur.
Leo looked around and shot out his killing intent, then looked at Jamie again.
And then.
"Listen carefully."
Staring into Jamie's terrified eyes, Leo ground out his words.
"There are too many eyes watching today, so I'll end it here...... but touch me one more time, and then I'll burn you instead of your room."
***
In less than a day after Leo completely torched Jamie's room, the rumor spread throughout the Valantes Inner Castle.
That evening, Leo heard that Jamie had been confined to his quarters on Father's orders.
'I'll be summoned soon too, won't I?'
Sure enough, Magenta summoned Leo to his office.
The office Leo entered felt as though the chil of the north had settled over it.
Even after Leo entered, Magenta continued scanning the documents on his desk before slowly speaking.
"Why did you do it?"
Leo immediately answered the dry question.
"I obeyed the House maxim that if someone wrongs you, you must repay them twofold."
Magenta paused briefly at Leo's answer, then spoke again.
"I asked why you did it."
"My brother entered my room without permission and stole the Secret Manual Father gave me. He also assaulted my people."
"And?"
Leo continued speaking to Magenta, who still had eyes only for the documents.
"That is not all. Jamie tried to kill Exile. I was the reason Jamie had to be carried back to Valantes Castle. I subdued him when he tried to kill Exile."
"And?"
"He resented what happened then and came to take revenge. My brother also followed the maxim of House Valantes. If someone wrongs you, repay them twofold. So I repaid him twofold again."
Only then did Magenta look away from the documents and turn his gaze to Leo.
Their gazes seemed to intertwine in midair, but Magenta lowered his head again and spoke.
"Understood. You may leave."
"Pardon?"
His response was so dry that it caught Leo off guard.
"I said, leave."
"......Yes."
At Magenta's words, Leo bowed with a bewildered expression.
Then something he wanted to say suddenly occurred to him.
"How will you compensate me for being wronged?"
"I ordered Jamie confined to his quarters."
"I want other compensation as well, not just that."
Magenta cast his gaze toward Leo once again.
"What do you want?"
"Give me money."
"How much?"
Looking into his father's eyes, Leo answered cautiously.
"10 Klude."
"Why?"
Leo slowly answered Magenta's question.
"I plan to go train in the 'Living Forest.' I believe I need to buy some things before I go there."
The 'Living Forest' was located near the Valantes South Gate and was often frequented by herbalists, hunters, and lumberjacks.
Of course, his claim that he was going there was a lie.
It was a ruse to buy time to refine the Gray Troll Leather Armor and go in search of Zenix.
"Understood. The official in charge at the Domain Administration Department will personally deliver the money."
As expected, the answer came without a moment's deliberation.
"Understood. Then I will take my leave."
Leo answered and bowed his head.
At that moment.
"Wait."
Magenta called to Leo as he was about to rise from his seat.
"Yes. Is there something else you wish to say?"
"Why are you trying to become stronger?"
Leo immediately answered his father's question.
"Under the customs of the House, I will have to go to Rutoa Fortress. I wanted to improve my skills before being appointed Fortress Commander there."
Seeing no reaction from his father, Leo spoke again.
"You know this as well, Father. The most numerous graves in a cemetery are those of knights with middling skill. That is why I wanted to become stronger than anyone. Just like you, Father."
Even after Leo finished, his father showed no reaction. Leo bowed his head, opened the door, and stepped outside.
Behind him, he heard Magenta mutter.
"It will not be easy......"
Hearing those words, Leo closed the door with a resolute expression.
'I am already getting closer.'
***
The position of Head of House.
Of course, it would be a lie to say he did not covet it.
That was especially true when it was House Valantes, the kingdom's foremost martial family, rather than some insignificant little family on the frontier.
But Leo saw things a little differently.
'The moment I become Head of House, my freedom to act will be restricted.'
The position of Head of House was like fastening a heavy weight to the legs that had to keep moving diligently for the sake of the future.
Of course, he needed the power of the House. That was why, as one part of his efforts, he intended to reform his brother Jamie from the ground up.
Not long after meeting with his father, a retainer from the Domain Administration Department came carrying the money his father had bestowed upon him.
'10 Klude!'
It was an enormous sum equal to one-third of a knight's annual salary.
Leo was both amazed and grateful that his father had handed over such a sum without a word.
His father probably considered this much money nothing if it was an investment in making his son stronger.
He loved martial arts that much.
Leo checked the amount again and muttered inwardly.
'With this much...... I should buy a decent shield too, shouldn't I?'
His swords were already sufficient, and for armor, all he had to do was refine the Gray Troll Leather Armor.
But he still had not obtained the shield required to learn House Valantes Swordsmanship.
As it happened, there was a decent weapon shop in the territory where he planned to stop and commission the refining.
For now, he planned to look for a shield at one of the shops in the territory, even if only as a stopgap.
"Hans, are you outside?"
At Leo's call, Hans slowly opened the door and entered.
The swelling had subsided considerably over the past two days, but his expression remained gloomy.
"Yes, Young Master. Did you call for me?"
"Why don't you come sit here for a moment?"
Hans closed the door, slowly approached the table, and sat down.
Leo then took out a coin pouch.
It was not the pouch his father had given him, but the one he had taken with him to buy Exile's weapons.
"What is this, Young Master?"
"You went through a lot because of Jamie this time. You and the others. Use this so everyone can eat something good and buy themselves a set of clothes."
"N-No! We would not dare......"
"This is a reward Father personally granted."
Hans deliberated for quite some time over Leo's words, then slowly took the pouch and examined its contents.
"GASP!"
Leo smiled at the sight of Hans jumping in surprise.
It had been Leo's entire fortune until a short while ago.
1 Klude.
It was several times greater than the attendants' monthly wage, so his surprise was only natural.
"Young Master. This is too much."
"That's why I'm telling you to buy clothes and eat something good."
Leo had several attendants of his own.
But Hans handled most of the work and was the leader of the attendants who served Leo.
That was why Leo had bestowed the gold on Hans as their representative.
With about five attendants, each would receive more than twice their usual wage.
"Even so, this is......"
"If you say one more time that you won't accept it......"
Leo narrowed his eyes, and Hans tucked the pouch against his chest before speaking.
"Yes. Since it has come to this, we will all eat meat and buy clothes! I will make sure that is how we use it."
Leo smiled in satisfaction at Hans's spirited answer.
'That's right. Being spirited like that suits you much better than looking gloomy, Hans.'
"Young Master."
"What?"
"By any chance...... are swords expensive?"
"Swords?"
"Yes...... Ah, I was only asking about the price. Just in case......"
Leo slowly spoke as he watched Hans subtly avert his gaze.
"Do you want to learn swordsmanship?"
"W-What? No! How could someone like me dare take up a sword?"
"Why not? There's no reason you can't learn."
Hans's eyes widened as he stared at Leo.
"Truly?"
"Yes. Of course."
Leo smiled. Hans thought for a moment, then sighed as though he had made a decision and began to speak.
"Seeing how you have changed made me want to change too, Young Master. Not only that...... when Young Master Jamie came this time, I was deeply ashamed of how pathetic I was, trembling in fear. He ransacked your room, yet I could not say a single word and could only watch......"
Hans clenched his fist as though the memory had returned to him.
"Hans."
"Yes, Young Master."
"It looks like you're ready to learn the sword."
Rather than being consumed by fear, Hans was angry at his own weakness for not saying a single word.
Anger could be poison, but it could also be medicine that greatly aided growth.
"After arranging tomorrow's meeting between the Blood Axe Merchant Company and Father, I'll leave for the 'Living Forest.'"
"Why are you suddenly going there......?"
"......Why so suddenly?"
"To train."
"Ah......"
"When I return, I'll teach you swordsmanship."
Hans spoke with a deeply moved expression.
"......Truly?"
"Certainly. Of course. I'll teach you swordsmanship. Grow strong and watch my back."
Leo meant it.
Hans was someone who would lay down his life for him.
Teaching Hans the sword could only benefit Leo.
Status did not matter.
If Hans learned the sword and grew strong enough to protect himself and even Leo, it would be far more reassuring.
And.
'In this life, don't die before me, Hans.'
Leo wanted to remain with Hans, who was like a brother to him, until the very end.
He hoped that when the war was won, Hans would be there with him at a table laden with delicious food and drink.
"Thank you very much, Young Master. I will do my best to learn."
Leo nodded at Hans's words.
"But, Young Master. This may be presumptuous of me, but even if a lowborn wretch like me ate a Dragon Heart, I still would not be able to wield mana, would I?"
Leo laughed loudly and answered Hans.
"Haha. If you ate a Dragon Heart, you would soon become a dragon......"
Huh? Wait.
A brilliant flash streaked through Leo's mind as he answered Hans.
'I only used that as an excuse......'
Now he had a reason he absolutely had to go.