Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Luna listened closely to her fiancé’s words.

“We should provoke Zeke and induce him to start a fight first.”

“A fight?”

“He is only fifteen now, is he not? He will surely fall for even a simple provocation.”

“Ah.”

Theo was twenty, four years older than Luna.

Perhaps because of that, his thoughts were broad, and he was clever.

“That is a good idea. How can you be so smart?”

“Hehe. I suppose I am rather smart. Is that not why I reached the 4th Circle at this age?”

“Truly, I chose my man well. Hehe.”

At Luna’s praise, Theo’s mouth opened wide in a foolish grin.

“Instead of sitting around like this, let us go put it into action right now. Where is that fellow Zeke?”

“Follow me. I saw him in the annex with Brother Peter just a little while ago.”

Theo nodded and followed Luna to the annex.

The servants they met on the way greeted the two of them, but neither of them responded.

It was a scene that made it clear what they usually thought of servants.

“Ah, there he is.”

“He is speaking with someone.”

“That man is our family’s Captain of the Guard Knights. He is an upper-level Aura Expert.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

At Luna’s explanation, Theo’s eyes gleamed.

They were the eyes of a beast that had discovered its prey.

***

Zeke was having a conversation with Raker, whom he had happened to run into.

“Young Master. Are you all right? I heard Dalton strangled you.”

“Ah, that? I am perfectly fine.”

He stroked his neck once, but not because it hurt.

It was a gesture meant to show he was fine.

However, Raker seemed to think he was touching an injury.

Judging by the pitying eyes he was looking at him with.

“It is late, but allow me to apologize in his place. We should never have recruited someone from a mercenary background like him...”

“Why are you apologizing, Sir Raker? That man’s character was rotten.”

“In any case, it happened because I chose the wrong person. I am truly sorry.”

“It is fine, it is fine.”

Zeke waved his hand, saying it was all right, but Raker’s expression remained dark.

“There is no need to worry about it. It is all in the past now.”

“Even so, it has not even been a week. Yet how can you look so unaffected, Young Master...”

Raker stopped speaking midway.

He realized he had misspoken.

‘Even if he looks like that, he must be deeply troubled inside. These are far too shocking for someone his age to experience.’

At the age of fifteen, Zeke had nearly been assassinated by his own brother and had nearly been strangled to death.

They were far too harsh for a young master who had only read books in the magical archive.

‘And yet he does not show it at all. I felt it before, but his mental strength is truly admirable.’

It was not only his mental strength.

When Alex was arrested, Zeke had personally disguised himself as an assassin and drawn out the evidence.

Zeke had done something that could not be done without considerable courage.

‘To possess wisdom, mental strength, and courage as well. He is remarkable in many ways. Someone like this should rise to become the successor and continue advancing...’

Unfortunately, Zeke had not inherited the talent of a prestigious magical family.

As long as Peter and Russell were present, he was in no position to even look toward becoming the next family head.

Feeling that the world was unfair in many ways, Raker changed the topic.

“By the way, Young Master. How is your training going?”

“My training? Which training do you mean?”

At Zeke’s question, Raker opened his eyes round.

“I mean the awakening of your talent. What else could there be?”

“Ah, that? Unfortunately, there has been no progress.”

“You have not perhaps been learning aura, have you?”

Raker asked just in case, but he did not know.

That Zeke inwardly flinched.

“Come now, how could that be? After all the effort I have put in so far.”

“Haha, true. Since you asked me about the principles of aura before, I wondered just in case.”

“Even if I wanted to learn it, I could not. If someone born into a prestigious magical family learned aura, others would laugh at him.”

“That is true. Since I am an aura user, I would not oppose your learning aura, but as for you, Young Master, you cannot help considering the eyes around you. As long as you do not give up, a path will surely open.”

“Yes. Thank you for your wor—”

“How absurd. A mere guard knight is giving advice to the child of a ducal house?”

Zeke, who had been about to nod at Raker’s advice, turned his head.

A man with blond, curly hair was approaching them.

Luna was stuck close beside him.

‘That man is... Luna’s fiancé?’

Zeke had already heard that Luna was engaged to the Second Young Master of House Baldor, which ranked fourth among magical families.

He had also heard that the man moved around the ducal house as though it were his own home, but this was their first time meeting face-to-face.

When Zeke stared at him blankly, the fiancé frowned.

“What are you looking at? Do you not know who I am?”

“Are you perhaps from House Baldor...?”

“I am Theo Baldor, the Second Young Master of House Baldor.”

“Ah, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

Since it was their first meeting, Zeke greeted him politely, but what returned was the sound of a tongue clicking.

“Tsk, tsk. Even passing servants know that, yet you alone do not. I heard you stay buried in the magical archive, and it seems that was exactly right.”

“Buried? Are your words not a little harsh for a first meeting?”

“What?”

Theo’s mouth opened as though he had not expected Zeke to talk back.

“Ha! The McLaughlin family or not, to think the youngest would glare and talk back to the man who will become his brother-in-law. How ridiculous.”

“I find this rather ridiculous as well.”

“Well, I suppose there is no point speaking to someone who is receiving advice from an aura user.”

As he said that, Theo glanced at Raker, and seeing Luna chiming in beside him, Zeke could guess the two’s intentions.

‘From the look of it, they want to publicly humiliate me.’

He had felt it before, but Luna disliked him.

That was probably why she was picking such a ridiculous fight.

‘It seems they have chosen Sir Raker as their prey...’

Raker had done nothing wrong, yet he was getting caught in the sparks simply because he was beside Zeke. Zeke felt somewhat sorry.

But it seemed Raker did not want to simply endure it either.

Not judging by the way he looked at Theo with both eyes wide open.

“Young Master Theo. I apologize for interrupting, but please refrain from making remarks that demean aura users.”

“What?”

“I am well aware that aura users lag behind mages. However, our guard knight order is fundamentally composed of aura users, and we train every day to protect the family. I say this only in the hope that you might acknowledge our efforts even a little.”

In other words, he was asking that their hard work be recognized.

Perhaps his pride had been wounded because Theo had openly demeaned aura users, but it seemed a little hasty.

‘He will obviously seize on that.’

Sure enough, Theo snorted and glared at Raker.

“How insolent. You are not even part of the Court Mage Corps, but a mere captain of a guard knight order hired by a family, and you dare talk back to me?”

“…….”

“And did I say anything wrong? It is common knowledge that aura users fall far behind mages!”

“I merely meant that I hoped you would view us kindly. I had no other intention...”

“I do not want to hear it!”

As expected, Theo seized on the point and shouted like a mad dog.

“They say one can know the master by seeing his subordinates. Looking at the state of a guard knight captain who talks back, I can see what kind of temperament my brother-in-law has!”

“Please speak properly. Brother-in-law? You are only engaged. You have not even held the wedding yet.”

“What? You mannerless brat...”

Theo tried to snap back, but Zeke’s words came first.

“There is no courtesy for me to show to Young Master Theo, who insulted our family.”

“What do you mean? Insulted the family?”

“You said just now that one can know the master by seeing his subordinates. Does that not mean that if one looks at Brother Alex, who tried to assassinate his own brothers, one can guess the character of the other siblings as well? And even our father, the Lord Patriarch?”

“...Ah?”

Theo realized in an instant.

He had made a fatal slip of the tongue.

“You are slandering my father as someone who failed to properly educate his children, so how can this not be an insult to our family?”

“N-No, I merely...”

Having said one wrong thing and been caught by it, Theo’s face flushed red, then blue.

“I-I never meant it that way.”

“I am sure Sir Raker is the same. He certainly had no intention of teaching you or insulting you, Young Master Theo. So please clear up the misunderstanding.”

“Ugh...”

Theo groaned as though troubled.

If he wanted to clear the stigma of insulting the family, he had no choice but to lower his pride first.

“F-Fine. I misunderstood.”

“Thank you for saying so, Young Master. I also apologize for saying something that could be misunderstood.”

Raker apologized, but Theo did not have the presence of mind to listen.

He was only cursing Raker and Zeke inwardly.

‘Damn it. To think I lowered my head first to those fools...!’

He had tried to use Raker to trample on the other side, but instead, he had ended up backing down first.

Naturally, his pride was wounded.

‘Damn it, what kind of mess is this because I underestimated him after listening to Luna?’

He had heard Zeke was a fool whose talent had not even awakened, but now that he saw him, he was no ordinary opponent.

To think Zeke could take one careless statement and put the other party in a difficult position.

Theo chewed on his lips.

‘The provocation I originally planned will not work.’

Seeing Zeke’s calm expression, as though he had not taken even the slightest internal injury, Theo realized he was not the type to be easily excited.

If anything, Theo himself was the one who had become more excited.

‘This will not do. Before I get drawn in by him, I should retreat for now...’

Theo was about to withdraw his plan and step back, but Zeke had no intention of letting him go.

Because he had thrown out bait.

“You said earlier, Young Master Theo, that aura users cannot match mages.”

“I-I did.”

“Then why not have the two of you spar?”

“Spar?”

“There is a training ground nearby, so you can face Sir Raker there. An aura user and a mage. Let us see which of the two is stronger.”

‘Ha, look at this fellow.’

A hollow laugh leaked out through Theo’s twisted lips.

Zeke’s intention was obvious.

‘It seems he intends to make me duel that man and humiliate me, but does he think I will fall for it?’

No matter how strong mages were, the opponent was an upper-level Aura Expert.

One needed to be at least a 6th-Circle mage to fight him properly, while Theo was only 4th Circle.

It was a fight he could not win.

“Listen, future brother-in-law. It is not a bad proposal, but if you are going to choose an opponent, you should choose properly. How is someone like me, who is 4th Circle, supposed to spar against an upper-level Aura Expert? If you are going to match someone against me, you should choose someone of a similar level.”

“Is that so? Then what about me?”

“What?”

“I think I can beat a future brother-in-law like you.”

“What did you say?”

When Theo saw Zeke smiling broadly, his brow creased.

“Are you saying you want to have a magical duel with me?”

“No. I have had nothing to do lately, so I have been learning swordsmanship. Young Master Theo can use magic, and I will use swordsmanship. What do you think?”

“Ha, hahaha!”

At the absurd proposal, Theo burst into loud laughter without realizing it.

It was no different from a child asking an adult to fight. How could it not be funny?

‘To think I am being looked down on by a cripple who cannot learn either aura or magic. How ridiculous.’

A hollow laugh came out, yet anger subtly boiled within him.

He wanted to repay the humiliation he had suffered just now, no matter what.

Lowering his pride once was enough.

“Haha, that is an amusing proposal, but even so, how could I use magic against someone who has not even learned aura? I should match your level as well.”

“How?”

“I also will not use magic. I have never learned swordsmanship, but there is a difference in physique, so would that not make it somewhat fair?”

“That would be fine with me.”

Though he said that, Theo was someone far from fair.

His mind was already full of thoughts of using magic to win.

‘I should secretly cast Strength and Haste on myself. I will also wrap my body in Mana Skin to harden it.’

After all, was his opponent not a brat who could not even feel magical energy?

There was no way he would notice that Theo had buffed himself.

‘You dare challenge me just because you learned a little swordsmanship? I will make you crawl on the ground as soon as it begins.’

When Theo stared at him with blazing eyes, Zeke smiled brightly.

Unaware of the fate that would soon befall him.

“Then shall we go to the training ground?”