Come to think of it, I was not entirely sane either. For over twenty years, I had lived knowing exactly when I would die.
And when two people who were not in their right minds collided, the first to lower their gaze lost.
The hall was filled with taut tension. Everyone focused on our reactions, especially Chris’s. He stared blankly at my philtrum, then said,
“…My interest has cooled.”
At last, he turned away.
“Stanis!”
At his sharp call, a tall young man emerged from the crowd. Except for his gray eyes, he was dressed in black from head to toe.
“Please excuse us, but my lord is tired. You will have to continue this conversation another time.”
The young man politely asked for understanding as he stepped between Chris and me.
At that moment, I felt something from him—an indescribable, unpleasant sensation unlike anything I had ever experienced.
It was not merely that he made a bad impression. It was more like…….
I looked up. The young man was already leaving the banquet hall with Chris.
“Sir Chris is simply retreating?”
“Damn it, what does that mean for our position?”
“The Mabel faction will be strutting around for a while now.”
“The Mabel faction is not the problem right now, my friend.”
Every noble was deeply shocked. In their minds, Chris had been a godlike being who could make anyone submit with a command. Yet his fresh-faced younger brother had dirtied his territory with muddy feet, and he had not even dared utter a word.
At this point, everyone could not help but think of one question.
So, what were the conditions of that ability?
“That was a splendid performance.”
I turned my head. The sturdy boy with orange hair was smiling at me.
“I had no idea my younger brother possessed such tremendous ability. Had I known, I would have made sure to get into your good graces sooner. Ha ha ha!”
My eldest brother, Mabel Esterji.
By the way, his laughter was truly hearty. I wondered how he could laugh so freely after enduring so much contempt and pressure.
Perhaps that character was why he had managed to retain even a small faction against Chris, who was praised for his overwhelming talent.
At the same time, another question occurred to me. What exactly had this man trusted when he threw me in front of Chris? What would he have done if I lacked the talent to overwhelm him?
“I was grateful to you as well, Brother. I thought no one would recognize me.”
“I can say with certainty that after today, no one in the duchy will fail to recognize you.”
He placed a hand on my shoulder, leaned closer, and said,
“If you have time, would you visit my farm? You seem to like fruit juice, and several fruits are in season for harvest.”
“Yes, I will.”
He was an unusual person. Normally, would one not invite someone by mentioning the famous people of high society who would be attending, or that one’s summer villa was empty?
Well, I would probably feel more comfortable at a farm than at a party too. Watching people pile up desserts they would not even eat made my mood sour.
“All right, enough small talk.”
“Yes?”
“You should play the guest of honor too.”
Mabel winked. As though his words had been a signal, people rushed toward me in a crowd.
“Young Master Iden!”
“Young Master Iden, do you remember me?”
***
By the time I left the party, it was already midnight. Inside the swaying carriage, I slumped like a wet vegetable and leaned against Viten. Regardless of my high Dao Power, speaking with people I had no interest in talking to was exhausting.
But I did not seem to be the only one in poor condition. Thalia, sitting across from me, looked unusually dazed as well.
“Thalia.”
“…Yes?”
Her answer came two beats late.
“What is wrong? Did you eat something bad?”
“N-No.”
She abruptly came to her senses.
“What do you mean, no? Your soul has left your body.”
The same abnormal sign appeared in Viten. His condition was even worse. He was hiccupping, and every time he hiccupped, his red beard flapped up and down like a flag.
“What is wrong with everyone? Did something happen?”
“Iden.”
Thalia bit her lip tightly, then asked in an anxious tone.
“What happened earlier? How were you able to use two Awakened Abilities at the same time?”
“You are curious?”
“I am!”
Viten shouted.
“We never dreamed a human capable of that could exist! Unless it was Solitas!”
My ears were going to fall off.
Still, I supposed the two of them had been as shocked as anyone else.
“I do not actually have two Awakened Abilities.”
I smiled.
“Do you remember when I ate the Salamander’s Tongue?”
“Yes, I remember. Fire came out of your eyes.”
“I truly thought my heart would stop then.”
“That is when I gained the ability to control fire.”
Their gazes met in the air.
“Then could it be—”
“I think I might have an ability that lets me absorb a monster’s traits by eating it.”
It was an excuse I had carefully prepared. It sounded quite plausible, did it not? The story of how I ate a Salamander’s Tongue and remained unharmed was fairly well known.
Over the past five years, the two had built up enough trust in me. But explaining Daoist arts would require going back to my previous life, and that would make the story far too complicated.
“…I see. That makes sense.”
Thalia nodded.
“Then if you eat a Metal Golem, you could control metal freely as well?”
Viten asked excitedly.
“I suppose… I could?”
“Then if you eat a Basilisk—”
“Senior.”
Thalia shot Viten a stern look.
“Iden is not a pet meant to satisfy your curiosity. He is our lord, whom we must protect at the cost of our lives.”
“No…… I only meant that we should consider the possibilities.”
Viten muttered dejectedly. Thalia glared at him until his sense of self shrank to the size of a bean, then turned back to me.
“I will keep quiet about Iden’s ability. It would be better to let people continue misunderstanding.”
“No, Thalia. I would rather the rumors spread far and wide.”
Still leaning against Viten, I closed my eyes and smiled meaningfully.
“That way, information about monster materials will come to me.”
***
Five days had passed since the party ended. In that short time, my standing changed dramatically.
“Another invitation has arrived, Young Master.”
Lily entered the room carrying an armful of envelopes.
“Put them over there.”
I answered without even looking at her. My desk was already full of invitations. Masquerade balls, ordinary balls, tea parties, dinner parties, local festivals, someone’s exhibition, and so on.
Father went out and risked his life fighting, while the nobles lay around and played.
I seriously wondered whether our territory was truly all right.
Of course, they seemed to provide people and supplies to Father’s army. Still, whose pockets did all this money come from?
“It truly is ridiculous.”
Lily spoke as she set down the invitations.
“The people who closed their eyes and ears and pretended not to know the Young Master’s birthday are now acting as though they are close to you.”
“I agree.”
The most ridiculous sight was this.
Until recently, they had treated me as though I did not exist. Yet the moment Chris’s position wavered, they changed their stance with ghostlike speed.
In a way, I almost respected them. If it were me, I would have been too embarrassed even to acknowledge someone. Shamelessness to this extent deserved to be called an Awakened Ability.
“Still, you would have fun if you attended. A song about the Young Master is hugely popular right now.”
“A song about me is popular? What does that mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Bards are competitively writing songs about how the Young Master humiliated Young Master Chris a few days ago. You will be able to hear them at any party.”
For some reason, I wanted to attend even less.
No, if I had known it would become a song, I would have behaved more decorously.
“Forget the parties. Let me know if Brother Mabel contacts me.”
“Yes, I will.”
Brother Mabel was the only person I wanted to meet privately. While I was at it, I decided to draw more information from Lily.
“What kind of person is my eldest brother?”
“He has a very good reputation. He is generous to those beneath him, diligent, and intelligent. His relationship with His Grace is not bad either. But….”
“But?”
Lily hesitated before continuing.
“…Misfortune never seems to leave the people around him. Last year alone, as far as I know, three of his friends died.”
“How?”
“No one knows. Healthy people suddenly die, so all sorts of ominous rumors spread. That it was an Awakened Ability, that they were cursed, and so on.”
I had a feeling I knew the reason. It seemed there was an evil bastard nearby who could not stand to see his siblings succeed.
“Do you have any more questions?”
“No, that is enough.”
“Then I will tell you about the Young Master’s education schedule.”
“Really?”
“Yes. You turned seven this year and have made a splendid debut in high society.”
She smiled warmly.
“You have waited a long time, have you not?”
“Yep!”
I thought my jaw would fall off from waiting. I needed to learn something so I could put the things in my head to use. How long was I supposed to keep pretending to be a child?
“The Young Master will study five subjects: history, culture, etiquette, martial arts, and statecraft.”
So they did teach culture and etiquette. I could not find any sign of either in the banquet hall, no matter how hard I looked.
I could accept the other subjects, but two of them—martial arts and statecraft—gave me pause.
First of all, I was a Daoist. Daoists were different in every way from common Martial World practitioners.
When martial artists sweated as they trained their bodies, Daoists sat in the shade and meditated.
When martial artists swung swords and spears to split people’s skulls, Daoists commanded swords and spears to move.
When martial artists formed gangs and established martial sects, Daoists secluded themselves in deep mountain valleys, hiding behind formations and mist.
A Daoist was someone who sought to attain the Dao and ascend to heaven.
Telling a Daoist to swing weapons and run about on two feet was asking them to lower themselves to the level of a martial artist. Did I really have to do that?
“Do I really need to learn martial arts?”
“Of course!”
Lily answered firmly.
“If the Young Master is to become the heir of a ducal house, you must master martial arts without exception. Only then will you become a son His Grace can be proud of.”
Hm.
Seeing Father’s dignified bearing, martial arts did not seem entirely beneath me.
In any case, I had already attained all the enlightenment up to the Incarnation Realm. Perhaps it would not be a bad idea to train my body instead of meditating.
“Besides, the person coming as your tutor is no ordinary individual.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Lily spoke with pride.
“He is someone His Grace treasures especially.”