A Good-for-Nothing Brother, a Good-for-Nothing Friend (1)
"What are you?"
If the first "What are you?" Redar asked me had been a question, this second "What are you?" was a command. He was demanding an explanation. He wanted me to justify my very existence to him.
Redar removed his hand from my shoulder. Only then did I look around.
"This place is..."
It was a space that looked remarkably similar to the barrier where we had fought the golem during the second exam. A stark, paper-white floor stretched out endlessly in every direction, with absolutely nothing else in sight.
"Inside a barrier."
Actually, I already knew. As Redar approached me, I had felt something twitching in my blind spot. Then, I felt the pull of mana trying to drag me somewhere. A summon.
Since Redar didn't know how to wield magic, he must have activated some kind of artifact. True to its nature, the artifact's summoning force was quite powerful, but it was still far from enough to drag me away against my will. So, I had chipped in a bit of my own mana, helping the summoning force do its job. If I had ignored it, there was no telling what crazy stunt Redar might have pulled right then and there.
Above all, I was on the same page as him. I had been feeling the need for some quality one-on-one time with this guy anyway. I had to find out exactly what he had read from me with those creepy eyes of his. What if he realized I was a world-class scoundrel mastered in the Assassination Arts and Black Magic, and snitched to our dear Lady Drin? What if she ended up hating me because of it?
*Gasp...!* Just the thought of it makes my heart shatter. If things ever came to that, I wouldn't have the will to live in this world anymore.
"A... barrier, is it?"
"Yes."
As I feigned ignorance, Redar thrust his fist forward, showing me the ring on his middle finger. For a second, I thought he was flipping me off.
The gem embedded in the ring was completely faded, as if it had exhausted all its power. I pretended to be utterly shocked.
"Unbelievable...! To summon not just yourself, but another person into a barrier. Is such a thing even possible...?"
"It's a rather rare artifact. *Sigh*, to think I'd waste it in a place like this." I'll have to keep a low profile in the Demonic Realm for a while, Redar muttered, rubbing his eyelids.
He then stepped away and began pacing nearby. His movements oozed absolute confidence—the certainty that no matter how far he strayed, he could close the distance and subdue me in an instant.
"So, it's about time you answered me. What are you?"
"First of all, my name is Sillon."
"Right, Sillon. I am Redar of the Liebringer family. And?"
"I am a participant in this Academy entrance exam."
"Yes. And?"
"I am a commoner."
"And?"
Redar stared at me, his massive four-white eyes looking as if they wanted to trap me inside them. A heavy pressure radiated from his gaze—a pressure built on the supreme confidence that he could overpower me at any moment, just like his careless pacing had suggested.
I didn't know the intention behind those eyes. I didn't know the purpose of this interrogation. But at this very moment, one thing was crystal clear.
Thank goodness.
It seemed the worst-case scenario I had feared hadn't come to pass. Redar hadn't recognized my hidden power. At most, he had probably only spotted the talent for the Assassination Arts that I was currently letting slip. Otherwise, there was no way to explain his relaxed attitude.
...Or did he?
But then again, you never know. I had landed myself in hot water several times before by directly applying my gaming knowledge to this reality. Even now, I was measuring Redar's strength based on his in-game level. At this point in the game, Redar was around level 60, which placed him in the 7-Star realm. Based on that 7-Star threshold, I figured it made no sense for him to act so nonchalant if he had actually seen through my true power.
But what if this real-world version of Redar had received a massive buff? What if he possessed enough power to completely disregard my hidden strength even after seeing it?
Ah, whatever.
I decided to rule out that worst-case scenario. If things really were that bad, I was doomed to die by his hand no matter what I did anyway.
This isn't optimism; it's just being realistic.
Redar hadn't seen my hidden power. He had only recognized my talent for the Assassination Arts.
But then, how do I explain why he's overreacting so much compared to Sinia?
If Redar had merely seen my talent, he should have also realized that I hadn't actually trained in the Assassination Arts yet. Yet, unlike Sinia or Instructor Herion, his reaction was far too extreme.
Did he accurately perceive the sheer potential of my talent?
It was highly possible. His eyes could see not only a person's current strength but also their latent potential. If Sinia and Instructor Herion looked at my talent and thought, *'Should we just take him in and keep him on a tight leash?'* then Redar had looked at it and concluded, *'If we leave that thing alone, it'll grow into something uncontrollable.'*
"And?"
Redar's prompting cut off my train of thought. Just as well. Overthinking it any further would only give me a headache. I decided to proceed based on the conclusion I had reached. He hadn't seen my hidden power; he had only seen my talent for assassination. In that case, the best course of action was—
"And... I have been evaluated by Instructor Sinia and Instructor Herion as having a natural talent for the Assassination Arts."
"..."
Hearing this, Redar closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.
"I see. Those two already recognized you and decided the Academy should take you in."
"It seems so, yes."
"Complacent fools."
"Excuse me?"
"Those two don't understand how dangerous your innate talent is. That is not a power that should be nurtured in the Academy—in Arien—or anywhere in the ordinary world."
Redar opened his eyes again. He stared at me with his four-white eyes, which seemed even sharper now.
"Sillon. I have a proposal for you."
"A proposal...?"
"Come with me to the Demonic Realm."
"...What?"
"I heard about today's food. You made it, didn't you? Kid, you're full of surprises, despite how you look."
Redar took a bite of the chicken drumstick he was still holding.
"My, oh my... To think it suited the palate of the esteemed Lord Redar of the Omniscient Eye. I am truly honored."
"You do know that 'Omniscient Eye' nickname is meant to mock me, right?"
"Ah...! Is that so? It sounded so grand that I... My apologies, I meant no disrespect."
"Fine, I forgive you. Now, back to the matter at hand. Sillon, do you know what I realized most painfully during my long, solitary life in the Demonic Realm?"
"What would that be?"
Redar muttered, looking down at his own hands with resentment.
"That I am a terrible, god-awful cook."
"Oh dear, for the Lord Redar of the Omniscient—"
"..."
"Ah, slip of the tongue! Not the Omniscient, but the *omnipotent* Lord Redar to have such a flaw...!"
"Exactly. These damn eyes of mine don't help with cooking in the slightest."
"How tragic..."
"So, Sillon, I need your talent. Come with me to the Demonic Realm and cook for me."
"I believe... that is the most pathetic confession I have ever heard in my life."
"Confession? Don't talk nonsense. Are you into that sort of thing?"
"Of course not. What about you, Lord Redar?"
"Even if I were, I wouldn't be interested in someone like you."
"Well...! I don't know whether to be relieved or insulted."
Though I couldn't fathom his intentions, Redar was deliberately creating a relaxed, easygoing atmosphere, as if telling me to make myself comfortable.
"So, what's your choice? Are you coming with me or not?"
I crossed my arms and furrowed my brow, pretending to be locked in deep thought.
"Even if you suddenly spring such an offer on me..."
"You actually have to think about this?"
"Of course I do! It's not just anywhere; it's the Demonic Realm—and the Great Demonic Realm at that!"
"Don't worry. On the honor of the Liebringer name, I won't let you die before I do."
"...In times like this, aren't you supposed to promise that I won't face any danger whatsoever?"
"I make it a rule never to lie."
"Perhaps that's why you're so terrible at persuading people."
"And besides, kid. There are no absolutes in real combat."
Redar raised his index finger to emphasize his point.
"Instead, I'll promise you something far more enticing than safety."
"Uh... is there really anything more enticing than safety?"
"Power."
"...Excuse me?"
With all playfulness completely vanished from his face, Redar extended his middle and ring fingers alongside his index.
"Everything you could possibly gain over three years at the Academy under Iron Wall and Herion."
Then, folding those two fingers back down, he continued.
"If you follow me, you can obtain it all within a single year in the Great Demonic Realm. In fact, you'll gain far more than that."
"..."
He took my silence in stride and kept speaking.
"I'm not saying I'm a better instructor than those two. However, the Great Demonic Realm offers high-quality, real-world combat experience that you could never dream of getting at the Academy. And in that place, I can be a guide just as good as them—if not better. Above all—"
His index finger pointed directly at me.
"In the Great Demonic Realm, it's not hard to run into those Harashin bastards. Do you understand what that means?"
"...Could it be?"
"Yes. I will do everything in my power to accommodate your training in the Assassination Arts. Iron Wall and Dedler will definitely forbid you from learning the Assassination Arts. They'll try to forge some fake swordsmanship style to exploit your talent. Isn't that why they had you learn Baurer's Sword in the first place?"
I was taken aback. This time, it wasn't an act; I was genuinely flustered. Setting aside the fact that he had even realized I practiced Baurer's Sword—
He's going to accommodate my training in the Assassination Arts?
This was absolutely not something the eldest son of the Liebringer family—one of the eight great families leading the charge to banish the darkness—should be saying.
"I-is it really acceptable for the eldest son of the Liebringer family to say such things?"
The silver lining of being genuinely flustered was that it made acting flustered incredibly easy. Though, perhaps it wasn't even an act anymore.
"It's precisely because I am the eldest son of the Liebringer family that I can say this."
The Harashin. Redar had brought them up.