Chapter 10: Lian Drasen

“Mother, are you going to watch over my brother's etiquette lesson again?”

When Lian asked with a smile, his mother’s expression immediately stiffened.

“Lian, just because your brother calls me Mother, you’re doing it too?

You don’t have to yet. Here, try again. Mo, mmy.”

“Heehee, brother said honorifics are good things that contain a respectful heart.

I want to call you Mother too. Mo, ther.”

“My, you don’t have to grow up so fast….”

His mother wore a sorrowful expression for a moment, but she soon gave a slight smile and hugged him tightly.

“This mommy is so happy. To have two such thoughtful sons.”

“Hehe. Me too.”

“I’m sorry, Lian. Mommy’s been a bit neglectful lately because I’ve been busy preparing for your brother’s coming-of-age ceremony.”

“It’s okay. I’m twelve now, too. I’m all grown up.”

“Oh, you. My son is so well-spoken……. So, what’s your schedule for today?”

“Swordsmanship training in the morning, then studying with Administrator Palmer. I’ll work hard.”

“Alright, Lian. I believe in you~!”

His mother, hugging him tightly once more before turning away.

Lian smiled, embracing that warmth deep in his heart.

But then, as if a thought occurred to him, he wore a cold expression unfitting for his age for a moment.

That expression was already gone without a trace by the time he opened the door and stepped out.

“Young Master, you’ve arrived.”

“Yes.”

As soon as Lian arrived at the training ground for his swordsmanship practice, Knight Larry greeted him.

Normally, he would have started training right away, but today was a little different.

“Larry, is the investigation finished?”

“Yes.”

The sky-blue-haired knight, with a face still young for his sturdy build, continued as if he had been waiting.

“The ones who spread rumors about Young Master Muno were the knights, Roider and Pelson.

They even went so far as to underreport the size of the identified gnoll pack to Young Master Muno during his last outing.”

“How dare those bastards….”

Grinding his teeth, Lian's face held a chilling ferocity that was hard to believe belonged to a twelve-year-old boy.

“Summon all the common knights.”

“Yes!”

Thump.

Larry, who had awakened at the age of nineteen to become a 1-Star knight, was still the youngest of the six common knights of Drasen at the age of twenty, but there was not a hint of hesitation in his reply.

* * *

“Young Master Lian did?”

“Why?”

“I don’t know either.”

“Ha, honestly. A little kid calling a summons….”

“Watch your mouth. He’s the one who will become our future lord.”

“I know, but….”

The common knights of Drasen gathered at the training ground, puzzled by the sudden summons, and from the Second Young Master at that.

“The kid probably wants to play soldier.”

“Let’s just play along.”

Just as the senior knights among them, Roider and Pelson, who were in their late 30s, were placating their comrades with a smile.

Lian and Larry were seen walking into the training ground together.

Roider found the sight of Larry bothersome.

‘That young punk….’

Of course, it was an undeniable fact that the kid awakened before he was even twenty.

‘He’ll surpass me someday.’

But seeing him suck up to the next lord of the territory like that made his stomach churn.

No, since he was already so focused on flattery, perhaps he would fail to grow for the next 10 or 20 years after just one evolution.

As he stared at the boy's simple face with such a curse in mind,

the moment their eyes met, he saw the punk let out a smirk.

‘That bastard…?’

His eyebrows twitched naturally, and when he looked to his side, he saw his comrade Pelson also wearing a similarly displeased expression.

‘That bastard, I need to teach him a lesson.’

‘Yeah. Let’s handle him appropriately.’

As a comrade and friend with whom he had worked in perfect sync for a long time, their intentions were clear with just a glance.

‘The life I’ve lived, for a brat to… dare.’

He had been a mercenary since he was young, and for over a decade, he had gone around reciting cheap Corporeal Arts circulating in the industry like a mantra.

It was only after he had crossed the brink of death once he was nearly thirty that he was barely able to undergo evolution and be reborn as a Corporeal Arts user.

The two arms that had become overly swollen for his frame during his evolution were a bit inconvenient in daily life, but in battle at least, they had advantages that more than made up for the inconvenience.

When he slaughtered lowly monsters by swinging a giant two-handed sword like a pinwheel, he even felt the delusion that he had become an absolute being.

However, even after becoming a Corporeal Arts user and obtaining the qualifications of a knight, Roider could not get appointed to a good territory because of that conspicuous physical change.

It was the same for his friend, Pelson.

His two legs, swollen like Roider’s arms, had the limitation of clearly showing that he had learned ‘cheap Corporeal Arts’.

Compared to other Corporeal Arts users who had little to no visible physical changes, they were often rated low on combat endurance and future growth potential.

Those who rejected their appointments all made excuses, mentioning character or trust, but in the end, that was the problem.

‘Still, we’d be stronger in a short, decisive battle.’

But since that was the common perception, wasn't that why they were serving as knights all the way out here in this remote countryside?

To settle down after ending their long mercenary life.

Of course, it was a territory where they had to fight rather harsh battles every winter, but compared to his mercenary days, everything from the salary and treatment to his status was better.

It was just that sometimes, seeing those who had blossomed their talents in a good environment, he couldn't help but feel his stomach twist.

Like that monster, Muno Drasen, who, despite his stutter, was born with a natural physique and played with the common knights even before he awakened.

‘That adopted bastard….’

And it was the same for that punk Larry, who was lucky enough (?) to awaken while serving as a soldier in a harsh environment.

The soldiers of this Drasen territory were training with proper Corporeal Arts that were incomparable to the scraps Roider had picked up during his mercenary days.

Moreover, if someone showed promise, a knight like Sir Gunter would even pass on an Evolution Factor, so it was thanks to that that the punk Larry awakened at a much younger age than his natural talent would have allowed.

Naturally, he couldn't help but be jealous.

‘If only I had grown up in an environment like this….’

But had his thoughts wandered for too long?

Suddenly, a youthful voice came from below his line of sight.

“What are you glaring at?”

Looking down, he saw the Second Young Master of this territory, Lian Drasen, looking up at him with cold eyes, having approached at some point.

“Ah, it’s nothing, Young Master.”

“What is nothing?”

……Why is this little kid being like this.

He was annoyed, but he couldn't show it.

This kid was different from that Muno.

He was the biological son of this territory's lord, Baron Ryan Drasen, and the maternal grandson of Count Enoch Trian.

He was the future master of this land who would inherit the lordship of Drasen.

And since he had shown talent in swordsmanship and Corporeal Arts from a young age, he was an individual who was originally expected to awaken even faster than that monster Muno.

An elite who had everything from birth.

Just the thought of it made his stomach churn, but this little kid was his future lord… no, his employer.

“……I was just thinking, about why the Young Master might have called for us!”

“And why do you think I called for you?”

Seeing the kid trying to put on a dignified expression with his cute face made him want to laugh inwardly, but he held it back.

Honestly, it was strange.

‘What on earth could he have seen to act like this?’

Even Sir Gunter, who could be called the head of the 9 knights… no, now 8 knights in Drasen, had never summoned them like this.

Well, whatever.

“……I am not sure.”

It’s probably just a child's game.

Roider swallowed the words he couldn't say out loud and shook his head.

But then.

“The reason is simple. It’s because I heard some rather absurd news.”

An inexplicable sense of dread washed over him as he looked at the smiling little kid's face.

“Yes?”

“You all know that things have been abuzz lately because of my brother, right?”

“Yes!”

The knights’ answers were unhesitating.

But the young master's face as he looked at them was simply cold.

“You all know well that my brother has been diligently subjugating monsters for the past few months.

Everyone here has ‘yielded’ their own missions to my brother several times. Isn't that right?”

Yielded.

At that word, uttered with particular emphasis, the knights’ faces simultaneously stiffened.

Because in reality, it wasn't yielding, but dumping.

Since the one who was nominally the lord's eldest son, even if adopted, was actively seeking to subjugate monsters, they had each pushed their missions, which they were reluctant to take on anyway, onto the Grand Prince several times.

‘Don't tell me….’

A cold wind began to blow in the chest of Roider, who had been the most active in doing so.

“The Grand Prince of the territory is actively stepping forward for subjugation, and if the knights can't help, to think they would push their missions… Hmph.

I can try to understand yielding them. It was my brother’s will as well….”

A cool gaze, unbecoming of a child, swept across the knights' faces.

“……In the end, my brother overcame the peril he chose for himself and awakened at the mere age of sixteen. That’s great. Since it turned out well, I will let that slide.”

……What if it hadn't turned out well?

That thought lingered in everyone’s mind, but no one dared to utter it.

Just when they were wondering if this little boy was really the Second Young Master, Lian Drasen, who was famous among the servants in the castle for his politeness.

“……But!”

The little boy's face, grinding his teeth with a crack, was now clearly contorted.

“My brother was merely slow of speech; he was a wise and benevolent person for his age.

Anyone who has watched him up close knows! But!”

A child shouting in a manner truly unfitting for his age.

But no one even thought of challenging him on it.

“Just because of his speech! Because of that ‘one small’ flaw, I heard there were some sons of bitches who called my brother a fool, the shame of Drasen, and spread those rumors both inside and out!”

The moment he heard those words, Roider couldn't help but look at his colleague Pelson beside him.

And at that moment.

Srrng.

Lian suddenly drew a small sword.

For some reason, he felt a chill, but.

‘There’s no proof. No proof.’

Roider desperately tried not to show his anxiety.

Then, Lian, sighing again, continued in a tone that seemed regretful.

“……Still, since no direct harm was done, I can let this slide too. A punishment too excessive for the crime disrupts order and collapses the organization. Yes, that's what I learned. I must endure it. Yes, I must.”

The little boy, tapping his own head with the side of the small sword as he paced back and forth in front of the knights.

The harsh words he muttered with a contorted expression looked grotesque, contrasting with his cute appearance.

Then.

“But still….”

The sight of Lian stopping his steps in front of Roider and suddenly grinning was nothing short of terrifying.

“Those sons of bitches……. I heard they even deliberately underreported the size of the monster group my brother went to subjugate?

This is clearly causing harm, isn’t it? Right?

Then I don’t have to endure this, do I? Is that not so, Sir Roider?”

Gulp.

He swallowed dryly.

Where did he find out.

“There, there must have been some kind of mistake. Ri, right, Pelson?”

“Th, that’s right, Young Master! Surely….”

Roider, in his urgency, even stuttered.

‘Even so, there's no grounds to punish us for such a trivial matter. Yes, not even the lord can do that.’

Inwardly, he recited this common sense, trying to soothe his continuously shrinking heart.

Yes, what could the still-young Second Young Master do?

That's what he thought.

“There’s no way we would have done it on purp….”

Puk.

“……Aaargh!”

In that instant, Lian’s cold blade embedded itself in his leg.

“Young Master!?”

“Sir Roider!”

“Yo, Young Master. If you do this…!”

“All of you, shut up! Larry, beat down anyone who resists!”

“Yes, Young Master!”

Thump.

As Larry raised his greatsword and stepped beside Lian, the approaching common knights flinched and stepped back again.

It was partly because they knew well the power of Larry, who was the youngest among the common knights but possessed overwhelming skill, but in the first place, they had no intention of doing anything to Lian.

Lian, after sweeping his gaze over the retreating knights, twisted the blade embedded in Roider’s thigh with a cold expression.

“Kuaaargh! Yo, Young Master! I was wrong, I was wrong!”

Roider screamed. And seeing Pelson's face, pale as he stood beside him, Lian laughed coldly.

“No matter if you’re a former mercenary, even if you have a bit of a character problem……. If those skills are useful to the territory, you are worth taking in. Those are Father’s words. I agree with that too. But….”

Kwajik.

“Kuaaak! Fo, forgiveness….”

As he violently pulled out the blade without a shred of mercy, a stream of blood gushed out.

Lian, without avoiding the gushing blood or even glancing at Roider who was rolling on the ground, raised the blood-reddened sword with a flushed face.

“By my standards, what you guys did wasn’t just a little character problem, you see?”

His figure, smiling coldly while covered in crimson blood.

Though these were the words of a young master who seemed to have a bigger character problem than anyone else, all the knights were frozen, unable to utter a single word of rebuttal.

And Pelson, with a pale face, bent his massive legs and knelt.

Thump.

“Yo, Young Master! Fo, forgiveness….”

But before he could finish his words, the small sword plunged into his side.

Puk.

“Kuaaak!”

“If you’ve committed a crime, you must be punished. Isn't that right?”

The image of a little boy who had stabbed him with a cold smile and without a shred of hesitation.

But even in that immense pain, Pelson could feel the direction of the blade that had exquisitely avoided his internal organs.

“Keeeeuh….”

Was it a coincidence? No, impossible.

The blue eyes he met up close were, even in this situation, astonishingly cold.

Meaning, this ‘monster’ had no intention of killing them in the first place.

“Keuuk. I, I am sorry.”

“Well, I’m fine with it. If you guys keep creating motives like this, I can spill blood with justification. However….”

Kwaduk.

“Kuaaak!”

“It won’t end like this next time. Understood, Pelson?”

“Keuuk! Yes, yes!”

“Roider!?”

“Keuheup! Yes, yes! I understand!”

Even Roider, who was frantically trying to stop the gushing blood from his thigh, answered loudly in terror.

And in front of them.

Pushuk.

Lian, who pulled out the sword embedded in Pelson’s side, soon turned his gaze back to the two sinners.

“Of course, I hope you guys will do something like this again next time.

I wonder if you know what I mean?”

At the eerie smile drawn in a single line on his callous face, the two nodded their heads like mad.

Seeing this, Lian’s face hardened coldly again.

“Prove your worth, you trash. So that I don’t have to kill you.”

Clang.

“Clean this up, Larry.”

Without even waiting for an answer, Lian carelessly tossed the small sword aside and was about to step out of the training ground, but he turned back with a look of realization.

“Ah, and you all know that everything that happened today is a secret, right?”

“……Yes?”

“You don’t know? If word of today’s events leaks out and Father, Mother, or my brother finds out….”

The moment Lian's eerie gaze swept over the common knights.

“What happened!?”

“Uh, oh? Sir Roider and Sir Pelson’s spar was a bit excessive.”

“Th, there was no need to draw blood! You sparred too violently.”

A one-act scenario was whipped up on the spot.

Lian, who smiled at the sight and turned around, meticulously wiped the blood from his body with a prepared cloth and then left the training ground.

And not long after, he encountered a familiar face.

“Brother~!”

“Ugh……. Lian.”

“Etiquette lessons are tough, aren't they?”

“Don’t even mention it. It really doesn’t suit my disposit……. Wait, what’s this. Why do I smell blood?! Who dares...!?”

Seeing his brother suddenly frown and grab his shoulders with a serious look, Lian realized his mistake.

He had forgotten that his brother was particularly sensitive to smells.

“Ah, I was watching the knights spar at the training ground. But a lot of blood splattered….”

“Sparring? But blood splattered? This much?”

“Sir Roider and Sir Pelson were hurt quite badly.”

“Ah……. Th, they should have gone easier. Or they could have called me.”

“Brother, you’re not at the level to spar with common knights anymore.”

“I just, have a lot of stress built up……. Ahem, never mind. Right, you should also watch the knights’ spars from a distance, since it’s dangerous.”

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

In Lian, who was smiling so brightly, the chilling boy from the training ground was nowhere to be found.

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