The Warehouse (1)
An awkward silence filled the room at the sudden mention of "father." Gray wondered if something had gone wrong with his ears. Yet when he saw his daughter's face flush bright red, it became clear his hearing was perfectly fine.
Never in my life have I met such a madman.
In all his years, no one had ever dared to talk back to him. Not the imperial family, not the heads of the other three great houses. They all treated him with respect, and never once had anyone interrupted him mid-sentence. Yet here was a mere academy student cutting him off—and boldly declaring that he was wrong.
From Gray's perspective, it wasn't entirely unpleasant. Had it been some talentless fool, he would have dismissed it as arrogance. But this was the top student from the entrance ceremony. In terms of raw ability alone, he ranked among the academy's strongest. So Gray didn't feel particularly offended.
Being called "father," however, was another matter entirely. Those words were no different from claiming he was dating his daughter.
I will never allow my daughter near a man I haven't personally approved.
With that thought, Gray turned his head and slowly opened his mouth.
"I don't know if you said that to provoke me, but if that was your goal, it seems you've succeeded. Come to the training grounds. Now."
In that instant, Baran's remark had become an unintended provocation.
In the training grounds, Sherry immediately smacked Baran on the back.
"What on earth did you say in front of my dad?!"
"Ahaha. My apologies. I just wondered if a provocation might work."
In truth, he had said it hoping Gray might take a liking to him, but he hadn't expected this reaction. Still, if a single "father" was enough to provoke him, the man was clearly a doting father. Finding the situation absurd, Baran quickly changed the subject.
"More importantly, let's think about our strategy."
"Hmm. Do you really think it's possible? I hate to say it, but my dad's a complete monster."
Sherry calling her own father a monster. Baran already knew that fact, so he didn't bother denying it. It felt oddly like he had just been dragged into some family drama, but her words weren't wrong. Landing a clean hit on Gray without him going all out would be like finding a single grain of sand in the middle of a desert. But that was only if he fought seriously. If he refused to use mana and didn't move a single step, then nothing was impossible.
I'm not alone, after all.
Baran explained the plan to her. After hearing everything, Sherry nodded.
"We really do have good compatibility."
"Pardon?"
"N-no, I just meant… yeah!"
When Baran tilted his head in confusion, Sherry's ears turned red and she whipped her head away. Her reaction was baffling, but soon enough the match against Gray began.
Gray stood facing the two of them, curious to see how they would approach. In that moment—
—Fwoosh!
Red mana surged around Sherry's body. The signature mana of the Patrick family. It burst forth in an instant. Gray's eyes widened slightly.
That blind man wasn't just talking big.
Sherry's mana was far vaster than the last time he had seen it. Baran hadn't been overconfident after all. Still, battles weren't decided by mana quantity alone. Skill mattered just as much.
—Hummm!
In an instant, three orbs appeared above Sherry's head. She hadn't been idle since the practical evaluation either. She had been pushing herself to the limit just to catch up to Baran.
If I want Father to truly acknowledge me, I can't end it here.
She didn't know what her father was thinking right now. But she knew exactly what she had to do—earn his recognition with everything she had. This wasn't Baran's fight. He was only there to support her. This duel was her chance to prove her own strength.
"Huu."
She took a shallow breath. Then she began imbuing the three orbs with attributes. The next moment—
—Fwoosh!
All three orbs transformed into black flames. Gray's expression turned genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected her to use black flames on top of triple orbs.
The next instant—
—Shhhk!
Bundles of black flames shot toward him from the orbs. Her growth was undeniably impressive. Honestly, she was stronger than he had been during his own academy days. But that was that, and this was this. The goal of this match was simply to land a clean hit on him. With his flame resistance, Sherry's attacks wouldn't affect him at all. She probably knew that too.
What is that blind man planning?
Just as Gray wondered, a cry rang out.
—Kaaak!
"?!"
A bird made of flames emerged from his magic circle. A familiar spoken of only in legends. Even Gray had never seen one before, yet he knew exactly what it was.
A phoenix?
He hadn't expected an ordinary student to possess such a familiar. But even if it was summoned, it wouldn't change much. Unless it unleashed its true power, a phoenix contracted to Baran had no chance of landing a hit on him.
Yet in the next moment—
"?!"
Sherry's orbs turned deep blue. The flames flying toward him shifted to the same color. Gray quickly raised his hand. Even he couldn't take that attack without mana and come out completely unscathed. At best, it would only cause minor damage, but the bet was strictly about whether he received a clean hit or not. Having assessed the situation, Gray swung his arm at the incoming flames.
The next instant—
—Fwoosh!
A single gust of wind pressure extinguished the flames instantly. The force was so strong that the two standing farther away were pushed back slightly.
He's a real monster.
With just one swing of his arm, Gray had blocked their combined attack—without even using mana. If Gray was this strong, just how powerful was Miroel? Could she destroy a mountain with a single strike? While thinking that, Baran quickly manifested his bow. He hadn't been idle either. While summoning his familiar, he had also been controlling the mana in the atmosphere.
Once I fully understood it, I could use it without Possession after all.
Of course, in his current state, stopping Gray was out of the question. But slowing him down even a little was possible.
—Humm.
In an instant, a small dimensional space opened in front of Baran. It was his first time using two powers at once, and fortunately, it hadn't failed. With his trait at level 3, his understanding had clearly improved.
Well, without Mind's Eye, using them simultaneously would've been impossible.
Baran created an arrow and—
—Fwoosh!
—quickly imbued it with Ppiyak-i's authority. Blue flames wrapped around the arrow. Then, in the next moment—
—Fwoosh!
Sherry's black flames overlaid it as well. The arrow turned completely deep blue.
"Huu."
Baran drew a breath and nocked the arrow onto the Bow of the Beginning. Gray's eyes narrowed.
He's aiming far too openly. What is he thinking?
It was obvious that getting hit by that attack would count as a clean hit. But there was no reason for Gray to just stand there and take it. Just as he pondered this—
This is…
He caught a glimpse of space twisting in a way invisible to the naked eye. Instinctively, Gray sensed that he needed to interfere with that space immediately. But—
Tsk.
He had already decided not to use mana. So he moved his hand to block Baran's arrow instead. In that moment—
"What?!"
His body moved slower than usual. The difference wasn't large. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't even be noticeable. But in a fight, even a split-second delay could be felt acutely.
—Fwoooosh!
In an instant, Baran's arrow rode through the dimensional space and reached right in front of Gray's body. The next moment—
—Fwoosh!
Gray unconsciously released mana and blocked the arrow. Using mana meant he had admitted defeat. And sure enough—
"I have lost. I'll acknowledge it."
He let out a sigh and withdrew his mana. At the same time—
Sub Quest: Get Recognized by Gray von Patrick — Cleared!
As a reward, 5,000 points have been granted to the player!
In truth, that was part of the reason he had called Gray "father." But this wasn't the main course. Compared to that, raiding the Patrick family warehouse was far more important.
"In that case, Father, please guide us to the warehouse."
"······."
He felt two sharp gazes stabbing into the back of his head, but it was surely just his imagination.