The Butler's Deadly Curiosity
"Oh come on, as if I'd ever test Lord Abel?"
Karon, the butler attending Kaizen.
"Ahaha."
He let out a hollow laugh at the spectacle before his eyes, marveling aloud at Abel's power.
"Whoa..."
The knight order's arena.
Naturally, the first thing they'd prioritized when building it was durability.
In this era, where training methods for mana had evolved into far more efficient forms alongside technological progress, it was only natural that the average knight's power had risen compared to the past.
To match that overall leap in strength, this arena boasted incredible toughness. It was embedded with magic circles to absorb impacts, block noise, suppress vibrations, and even self-repair—not to mention a host of other enchantments. A building into which they'd poured a fortune.
"What a monster..."
And now that building was half-destroyed.
No, not even half. One entire side of the arena had been utterly obliterated, and the ground supporting the structure had been crushed under some immense mass. It looked like someone had dropped a massive iron ball into a mud puddle filled to the brim.
All of this from a single attack by Abel alone. If the servants hadn't reacted swiftly and evacuated ahead of time, there could have been massive casualties.
'Or... maybe not?'
Come to think of it, Bella—the one who should've taken the hit dead-on—was perfectly fine, wasn't she?
"..."
Karon silently took in the devastation Abel had wrought.
It had all started with a single statement from Abel.
[Right now, I've been under constant attack for the past three days on my way back to the Nebula Ducal Residence, so I haven't slept a wink or gotten any proper rest.]
One question immediately came to mind: Why three days?
As far as he knew, it had taken Abel about five days to return from the capital.
There was a discrepancy in the timeline.
Karon dismissed the idea that Abel was lying. It was a statement sworn on the name of the God of Contracts. If it turned out to be false, it would become a massive vulnerability for Abel down the line. No one scheming on this scale would risk a needless lie like that.
'Probably... yeah, that's it. The mercenary band Kaizen hired. He must've come up with it while fending off their attacks.'
Two days of assaults.
The [White Shadow] intelligence network had already reported that Kaizen and Bella had hired mercenaries to ambush Abel.
While enduring those attacks, Abel had likely decided to turn the whole situation to his advantage.
"Hahaha."
Easier said than done.
To recognize the ambush, flip it on its head to make himself appear weakened, spread word of that "weakened" state throughout the ducal residence, and then clinch victory with his true power—it demanded intellect, execution, audacity. And above all, absolute confidence in his own strength.
"..."
Karon knew Kaizen's power well. After all, he'd been the one to bring him into the residence, and they'd clashed in a life-or-death duel under the guise of a "test."
Objectively speaking, Kaizen was Expert Upper knight-level. But factoring in his talent, battle sense, and the uniqueness of his ability, he could take down even stronger foes than himself. Karon had the scars to prove it.
"Hmm..."
Yet Abel had utterly dominated a pincer attack from Kaizen—and Bella, whose versatility arguably outshone his.
"Lost in thought? That's unexpected."
A familiar voice reached the ears of Karon, who sat with his chin propped, deep in contemplation.
"Karon."
"Ah, Lord Sebastian. Haha, sorry about that. Just had something on my mind."
"Something on your mind..."
Sebastian trailed off, gazing steadily at Karon.
"What sort of thoughts, if I may ask?"
"...Haha. Nothing grand enough to bother you with."
Sebastian glanced in the direction Karon had been staring.
The knight arena, swept clean by some colossal force.
Abel—the heir to the Nebula Ducal Residence—had caused this.
And yet Karon, a member of [Black Shadow], was lost in thought over it? Karon, whom even Sebastian couldn't quite pin down?
"Nothing grand..."
Swish.
Sebastian began weaving threads of highly refined mana around them, just in case. Not as a threat, of course. Though sharp enough to slice through most knights on contact, he had no real intention of harming Karon.
"Then it should be fine to share with me, no?"
A barrier fully enclosed the two men.
"Or is it perhaps... something else?"
Sebastian flashed his usual reassuring smile, the kind that put others at ease. In this context, it was almost chilling.
"You wouldn't be thinking of opposing Lord Abel, would you...?"
As a member of [Black Shadow] himself, Sebastian knew what it meant for the head of house: unlike other noble families, even with the duke's recognition, one needed [Black Shadow]'s approval too.
If [Black Shadow] withheld it from the near-certain heir? Civil war would erupt in a storm of blood.
"..."
"..."
Karon and Sebastian faced each other, smiles polite and unwavering. In the tense standoff, where a second felt like a minute, Karon spoke first.
"Ahaha. Oppose him? Perish the thought. I'm just a fragile, fragile man."
He raised both hands, signaling harmlessness.
"I just had a thought, that's all. Lord Sebastian, may I ask you something?"
"...Go ahead."
"Do you recognize Lord Abel as the next head of house?"
Sebastian pondered Abel at Karon's question.
A powerhouse who could clash with the current duke. No—judging by the scale of this fight, Abel had likely been holding back even then.
Strength like that, plus the cunning to orchestrate this grand scheme. Abilities at an exceptional level, by any measure.
Putting it all together...
"Yes... I support Lord Abel becoming the next head of the Nebula family."
No, he was superior even to past direct descendants. Sebastian could say that with certainty.
Karon shrugged at Sebastian's words.
"He's undeniably impressive. I agree."
"..."
"With your support, and Nella's, I imagine—though it's just a hunch."
Mist was a question mark. Had she truly pledged loyalty to Abel as her master, or was she still testing the waters?
'She said she hadn't sworn loyalty when they spoke alone that time.'
Just a gut feeling, but Mist had likely sworn fealty to Abel by now. That was Karon's take.
"I'm not here to claim Lord Abel lacks the qualifications or anything mad like that."
On the contrary, Karon thought no one was better suited to lead the Nebula Ducal Residence right now.
"But there's one thing that's bothering me..."
"Bothering you?"
"Yes... So I'm planning to hold off on deciding about Lord Abel until I confirm it."
Sebastian listened quietly, then slowly released his mana.
Hummm.
The mana threads vibrated faintly, as if echoing his intent.
"Then you're planning to test Lord Abel?"
Sebastian mentally compared their powers.
"You'll die."
Even as a [Black Shadow] member, after witnessing Abel's strike firsthand, it was the obvious conclusion.
"Ahaha... I wouldn't mind dying, really."
Karon smiled lightly at that.
If the [Black Shadow] leader hadn't taken him in that day, he'd have rotted away in that death-filled ghost town. His life meant little to him.
Dead was dead. That was Karon's mindset.
"But I've never once thought of testing Lord Abel. I know my limits."
He waved his hands to emphasize his sincerity.
"I'm just curious."
"Curious?"
"Yes..."
Karon recalled the [White Shadow] report on Abel.
Near-perfect scores across the board—an absurd profile.
"But even scouring this fight and the full report, one thing's missing."
Interpersonal combat ability.
Sure, the range, power, and versatility had maxed out the scores. But Karon wondered about Abel's true prowess in one-on-one fights against people.
That smoke barrier [White Shadow] couldn't fully analyze? He was curious about that too.
"So I want to see it."
The smoke barrier, or whatever else Abel had for duels—everything.
Even if it killed him.
There wasn't a shred of doubt in Karon's eyes as he said it.
Abel's quarters in the Nebula Ducal Residence.
"..."
There, exhausted from three sleepless days, battles with Kaizen and Bella, and unleashing a technique that drained a huge chunk of his power, Abel had collapsed into the plush bed and passed out cold.
"..."
At his bedside, Mist watched his sleeping face with slightly downcast eyes.