“I think you are confusing Brother Chris with Brother Mabel. Brother Mabel is not that kind of person.”
Mabel was respected for his character by nobles and attendants alike. Since his Awakened Ability was ‘Song of Growth,’ he could not harm others, and because his faction was small, it would be difficult for him to become Duke.
“That is precisely the misunderstanding.”
Karoi brought his face close to mine.
“Listen carefully, brat. A true enemy never reveals himself before you. Instead, he pretends to be kind.”
“Do you have proof that Brother Mabel is pretending to be kind?”
“It is a feeling.”
“Just a feeling?”
“Not just a feeling. It is a Sovereign’s instinct.”
The bastard’s eyes flashed white.
“All you can see is that bastard’s neat mask, but I can feel the filthy, disgusting urges lurking beneath it. I can clearly feel his reason walking a precarious tightrope with those urges.”
“No... How can you judge a person based only on a feeling?”
“Think again. Do you believe anyone walks around displaying his innermost thoughts just to make it easier for you to judge him?”
I recalled what had happened at the party a month ago.
Mabel had seemed like a good person, but not everything he had done that day had been purely good. When Chris attacked him, he had deliberately redirected the subject.
From ‘me’ to ‘our youngest brother.’
Was it truly necessary to mention that Father had praised his youngest son’s talent in that situation? Had Mabel really not known Chris would throw a fit upon hearing it?
Once I began to doubt him, questions gave rise to more questions.
“...Your words have some merit.”
“You finally understand what people say.”
“Still, Chris is no less filthy and disgusting. I know that well because I have experienced him myself. As you say, if they are both objectionable people, Chris will become Duke because he has the stronger Awakened Ability and faction.”
“Since I mentioned the ‘Sovereign’s instinct,’ let me tell you one more thing.”
Karoi stretched out his legs and placed them on the desk.
“You seemed to possess quite an unusual talent earlier. It looks as though you have a multifaceted Awakened Ability, but that cannot be all you have shown, can it?”
I neither confirmed nor denied it.
“If Chris is your rival, your ability alone will be enough. I say that after taking your hidden abilities and future potential for growth into account. However, if your rival is Mabel...”
If it was Mabel?
“...Learn swordsmanship intensely. Otherwise, you might find yourself in a rather troublesome situation.”
“Do you intend to teach me intensely?”
Karoi exhaled smoke upward and smiled lazily.
“Of course, brat. That is, if you can keep up with my lessons.”
“I am ready.”
“Then you have read all the books I gave you?”
“Of course.”
I briefly recited the basic concepts of swordsmanship and physical training that I had read in the beginner’s manual.
“Good... You are prepared, at least.”
Karoi gave a long stretch and rose from the sofa.
“Now then, shall we begin in earnest?”
***
From that day onward, torture began under the name of swordsmanship training.
I ran around the garden all day long and went up and down the annex stairs while carrying heavy objects. For a while, I could not even touch a sword and had to focus solely on physical conditioning.
After a month, I was finally given an opportunity to swing a sword. However, even then, I could only swing it using the strength of my arms. I was not allowed to use Daoist Power at all.
He did not merely teach me how to use my body. The first place he went each morning was not the training ground, but the kitchen.
“What is this? All this sweet garbage? Is the goal to fatten him up and make him slower than an assassin?”
The bastard flew into a rage without warning and threw every dessert the chef had painstakingly prepared into the trash. Even the pink juice that had given meaning to this life of mine was discarded without mercy.
After thoroughly tormenting the kitchen servants, he came up with a menu that optimally balanced every nutrient needed to build my body.
He would also add a single drop of an exceedingly suspicious red liquid under the pretense of it being a secret sauce. I did not know what it was made from, but its effects were undeniable. Every time I ate, vitality surged throughout my body.
Once I finished eating, it was back to physical conditioning. Physical conditioning meant developing the body itself, without the involvement of any other energy.
“Was your ability fire? Or ice? It does not matter which. What will you do if you encounter an Awakened who can nullify all fire? One who can nullify all ice? Or someone who seals all your abilities, stuffs a rag in your mouth, and happens to be a thug with a filthy personality? What will you do then?”
According to Karoi’s philosophy, Physical Arts were like insurance for an Awakened Ability.
And Physical Arts were nothing but the result of pure blood and sweat. If one took shortcuts, there was no point in training them at all.
Still, I had to give credit where it was due. The bastard was a good teacher. I was still only repeating basic exercises, but my physical abilities improved at a remarkable rate every time I trained. Since results followed as much as I worked, the training was not entirely grueling.
Then one day, just after training, I was sitting on the sofa and drinking a suspicious beverage Karoi had concocted when Thalia approached me.
“It seems he has gone back.”
Her voice was unusually cautious.
“I was very discourteous on the previous occasion. Shamefully, I failed to restrain my personal feelings.”
She repeatedly lowered her head before me.
Her usually neat violet bangs were in complete disarray. She seemed to have brushed them back countless times in a short while. Since she had always been so unwavering, this appearance of hers felt deeply unfamiliar.
“What happened between you and the Demonkin?”
“I am from Resti City. It is land that was taken by the Demonkin ten years ago.”
For land to have been taken by the Demonkin meant that every person who had lived there had died.
“Thalia—”
I opened my mouth to say something, but she did not give me even the chance to offer clumsy consolation.
“It is only a matter of the past now. I exist solely to protect Iden. I swear that I will never make the same mistake again.”
Thalia held the tip of her sheathed sword toward the floor and pressed its hilt against her forehead. I waited for her to finish her oath.
“Then is Father fighting to reclaim Lester City?”
“That is correct.”
“Since when?”
“Since that day ten years ago.”
“If he has been doing that for ten years, who manages the Duchy’s affairs?”
“That is a good question.”
She nodded.
“Iden will one day become Duke. You should know the condition of the Duchy better than anyone, but Demonkin rabble... My apologies, an outsider could not possibly teach you such things.”
Her solemn oath was already encountering difficulties from the very beginning.
“My answer is that there is no one managing the affairs. Since Lady Ophelia, Iden’s mother, passed away, the Duchy has remained neglected.”
I recalled the party from earlier this year. Mountains of desserts had been piled up, far more than anyone could eat.
“But... It looked as though everyone was living well?”
“You must remember that the fate of House Esterji is not the same as the fate of the Duchy.”
“What does that mean?”
“The nobles of this land are vassals of the Duchy, but they are also vassals of the greater Pellion Empire. The Empire will not collapse just because House Esterji does, so they are eagerly hoping only for His Grace the Duke to fall.”
“If our House falls... A ducal title will become available?”
“That is correct.”
Contempt seeped deeply into her gaze.
“His Grace the Duke knows this fact well. That is why, even when the battle situation is difficult, he aims for victory with only the minimum support.”
“I had no idea.”
I had no idea our household was a household in decline.
“It is because everyone considered Iden too young.”
“Thank you, Thalia.”
This was what I wanted to know. How much information had slipped through my fingers simply because I was young?
“What do you think about Brother Mabel? How high is the chance that he will become Duke?”
“Almost nonexistent. His character is excellent, but his talent is lacking.”
She differed from Karoi in her opinion. In truth, it did not seem likely that anyone would agree with Karoi.
“Young Master Iden!”
Just then, Viten flung open the door that had only barely been repaired.
“Young Master Iden!”
He ran up before me, breathing heavily.
“I-it is tremendous news!”
“Senior, if you intend to make a report to your lord, please think carefully about whether it is necessary and, if it is, whether it truly needs to be done in this manner.”
“This is necessary.”
He stared at me with blazing eyes.
“No, listen! A Lava Elemental has been captured in the castle town!”
“A Lava Elemental? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Did you not tell us last time that you gained a new ability after eating a monster? So I firmly instructed the Guild Master to notify us whenever something useful arrived. And just now—”
“It seems adventurers have captured a Lava Elemental. A rare commodity has come onto the market.”
When Thalia calmly interrupted him, Viten staggered from shock.
“Then...”
“Yes. If you have the money, you can buy it.”