Chapter 76: Still No Clue (2)
Chapter 76: Still No Clue (2)
Red had originally moved to the capital and opened a pub at Patrick’s request.
Knowing full well the importance of information gathering, Patrick kept Red close by to stay informed about what was happening back home, even while he was away at the Academy.
And if something truly serious happened, he was prepared to throw everything away—Academy and all—and rush back immediately.
“First, the latest news,” Red began.
“Let’s hear it.”
“They say an outrageous scoundrel has appeared in the Academy’s Knight Department.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. Apparently, as soon as he showed up, he delivered a double flying kick to the son of Marquis Panola, who was minding his own business and training diligently.”
“…….”
“And that’s not all. Afterward, he supposedly rounded up the Marquis’s third son and all his friends and gave them a thorough thrashing. They say the scene of the assault was so brutal and wicked that onlookers were left trembling in horror.”
“…….”
“If such a violent delinquent is allowed to become a knight, it will surely bring misfortune and tragedy to the entire continent…. Whoa, whoa. Let’s stay calm. Calm down.”
“Heh heh heh. Calm? Sure. Why don’t you stay calm while I beat the hell out of you?”
“Moving on, news from the Schneider territory in the East.”
Red’s tongue moved faster than Patrick’s fist.
“It seems the number of Eastern nobles seeking to build ties with Baron Schneider has increased significantly.”
“…Why?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Didn’t you openly display the prowess of your soldiers during the last subjugation war?”
“Ah…. Right. That happened.”
It made sense immediately.
The Schneider Baronial Family had originally been a minor house even within the barren Eastern region.
But the moment it was revealed that the family had raised two hundred Aura Swordsmen, no fool would ever treat them as a minor house again.
At that level, they might be called 'soldiers,' but they were effectively equivalent to possessing several knight orders.
“If you live next door to a powerhouse, the best strategy is to become their friend.”
“That’s true. So, how is my father responding?”
“The Baron is just laughing happily, saying it’s all good.”
“Ugh…. He shouldn’t just be doing that.”
If he wasn't careful, his father’s pushover nature could be exploited as a weakness by the surrounding nobles.
“The fortunate thing is that the Baroness is complementing him well.”
“My mother?”
“Yes. She has suddenly become a celebrity among the noblewomen of the East.”
“How did she manage that?”
Ava was a Baroness of commoner origin.
Normally, she should have been kept at a distance by the other nobles.
However, Red’s following words explained everything.
“Well, the Baroness’s beauty is quite….”
“Ah. Right. I forgot about that.”
It clicked instantly.
Ava had been kept hidden away within the territory, avoiding public activities until now.
But once she started engaging with the outside world, the situation changed.
A woman’s beauty can be a powerful weapon in diplomacy.
If she were an unmarried maiden, it might be a cause for conflict, but the position of a beautiful noblewoman was quite different.
Furthermore, she was wise.
She maintained appropriate boundaries based on the status and intentions of others, building friendships while dealing with the Eastern nobles.
By the time Patrick returned home, the Schneider family that used to be treated as outcasts at banquets would be a thing of the past.
“I didn’t think Mother would step up like that.”
“Heh, a woman’s beauty is a powerful weapon. Why wouldn’t she use it?”
As he spoke, Red lightly brushed back his side hair with a haughty expression.
Seeing that…
“That’s annoying.”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind. If Mother has stepped up, I can rest easy to some extent.”
“I agree. She is quite a sharp person, after all.”
“Of course she is. She’s my mother.”
As Patrick puffed out his chest with pride, Red let out a smirk.
What a strange man.
Red was the master of a thieves' guild.
He had grown up in a harsh environment and seen all kinds of people.
But he had never met anyone quite like Patrick.
Usually, he was just a piece of work with a broken personality, but sometimes he showed the proficiency of a veteran mercenary with years of experience. Then, at times like this, he seemed like a child who hadn't even had his coming-of-age ceremony yet.
Watching Patrick show so many different faces never got boring.
Where would this man go?
What would he achieve? Red wanted to see it through to the end.
That was why he had accepted Patrick’s request and come all the way to the capital to open a pub himself.
“How are the guys? They aren't slacking off on their training just because I’m not there, are they?”
“I heard they’re screaming like they’re dying.”
At those words, Patrick’s expression crumpled.
“Those lazy bastards.”
“Pardon?”
As Red asked what he meant, Patrick frowned and said, “That means they still have enough energy left to scream, doesn't it?”
“…….”
“If you really train them properly, they shouldn't be able to lift a finger, let alone breathe. And yet they have energy left to spare?”
“Ha…. Haha….”
“Tsk, Sanson is too soft. If it were me, I’d…. You know, right? I gave you some special attention too.”
“How could I ever forget!”
Red recalled the past few years with a look of nausea.
A few times a year, Patrick would call him over to 'train' him, putting him through the wringer.
When Red protested, Patrick would claim he was too weak and might die, so they were just doing the 'minimum' amount of training….
I should have known what this guy’s 'minimum' looked like.
He really thought he was going to die.
No joke, he really did.
It was a miracle he didn't die, and even more miraculous that such torture disguised as training actually worked.
As a result of Patrick’s guidance, Red had reached the 4-Star Level.
However, he wasn't the least bit grateful.
Patrick spoke as if he had just remembered something.
“Are you still at 4-Star?”
“Yes. Well….”
“Tsk, tsk. So weak.”
“…….”
“Want me to take a look at you again? You should at least be at 6-Star so you don't get beaten up wherever you go. Don't you think?”
At Patrick’s words, Red ground his teeth.
Grit.
“4-Star is plenty.”
“Ayy, I’m telling you, you’ll get beaten up with just that.”
“Is a 4-Star some neighborhood thug?”
“It’s true. Even a 4-Star can get beaten up. Want me to show you?”
“If the opponent is you, Young Master, I’d get beaten up even if I were stronger than I am now!”
“Cheh, you didn't bite.”
Seeing Patrick’s disappointed face because he couldn't throw a punch, Red fumed.
How can a human have such a personality?
You should be the thief. I’ll be the knight.
“Ahem, in the first place, is a realm something you can just raise like that? It takes time and maturation. Do you think everyone gets stronger just because you handle them?”
“No. If they do it, they’ll get there. I recently raised someone to 7-Star.”
“Stop bullshitting….”
“Wow, look at this guy not believing me.”
“I only believe people who are believable.”
Patrick had casually leaked top-secret information, but Red failed to catch it.
Well, that’s his loss.
And so, after hearing enough news about home and deciding on a method for their next contact, Patrick left after drinking his fill.
He certainly lived a charmed life for someone under confinement.
* * *
“Ugh…. Uuuuuh….”
A man was huddled in the corner of a room, trembling under a blanket pulled over his head.
It was Roist Panola, who had recently been crushed while trying to retaliate against Patrick.
In fact, his physical wounds had already healed.
Patrick had meticulously shattered both of his arms, but in this world, divine power existed, and as long as one paid, they could be healed perfectly.
Thus, in terms of physical trauma, a near-perfect recovery was possible. However….
“Ugh…. Aaaaaaaagh!”
Mental issues were a different story.
The terror Patrick had etched into Roist’s mind was deep-seated.
That absolute fear.
The misery of being toyed with by an overwhelming existence.
Born as the son of a high-ranking noble and raised in comfort, Roist had never experienced anything like it.
A greenhouse flower had stepped outside for the first time and been struck by a freezing gale.
Even if it were rushed back into the greenhouse, the chill had already seeped through the stem and into the roots; could it ever return to how it was before?
It was absolutely impossible.
If he could have overcome it, he wouldn't have been a greenhouse flower in the first place.
Roist was broken.
He couldn't take a single step out of his room, merely staying shut away, occasionally letting out screams and throwing tantrums.
He likely wouldn't be able to return to the Academy even after his confinement ended.
* * *
“Who is it?”
A blonde man with a dignified mustache spoke through gritted teeth.
Though he was past middle age and approaching his senior years, his muscles, which looked ready to burst through his clothes, defied his age.
This man was Marquis Antonio Panola, one of the kingdom’s top knights and power players.
A 6-Star Knight.
Captain of the Royal Knight Order.
Head of the Panola Marquisate.
As one of the most powerful men in the Atronia Kingdom, he was currently furious to the core.
How could he not be, when his youngest son had been broken like that?
The Panola family butler approached him and laid out the information he had gathered.
“He is a student who entered in the middle of the first year. His name is Patrick Schneider, the son of a Baron from the East.”
“A mid-term admission?”
“Yes. It appears he was admitted with a recommendation from Margrave Parmas of the East.”
“And that brat turned my son into that?”
“Yes. That is correct.”
“What is the Academy’s internal response?”
“It seems they intend to settle it with mutual confinement. I tried to pressure the professors under our family’s influence, but….”
“Hmph, no doubt that fellow Late must have protested.”
“…….”
The butler silently bowed his head.
His master, Marquis Panola, and Professor Late of the Academy were well-known arch-rivals within the kingdom.
“As long as he’s protesting, it’ll be impossible to deal with that brat through the Academy’s punishment.”
“Yes. That is correct.”
No matter how powerful Marquis Panola was, there was a limit to the influence he could exert within the Academy.
That meant they would have to wait until Patrick graduated from the Academy….
I can’t do that.
For the impatient Marquis Panola, that was an impossible option. So, he chose another way.
“Where is Jordic right now?”
“He happens to be staying at home.”
“Good. Bring him here immediately.”
“Yes, Master.”
A short while later, the butler returned with a young man.
Blonde hair, a square jaw, and a muscular build.
This young man, who clearly looked like the Marquis’s son, was Jordic Panola.
The second son of the Panola family and a third-year student at the Academy.
“I heard you called for me, Father.”
“Yes. Have you heard about your brother?”
“Yes. I am aware.”
“You’re aware, but you didn't care.”
“He was beaten because he was weak. Why should I care?”
Marquis Panola let out a small chuckle at his second son’s somewhat arrogant words.
Yes. This is what a man of the Panola family should be like.
Marquis Panola had three sons, but he favored the second the most.
The eldest had inherited his mother’s frail constitution and could never live as a knight.
Fortunately, the second and third sons were quite talented, and among them, the second son shared many of his traits.
Arrogance, confidence, and even tenacity.
“Your thinking has merit, but if you wish to lead the family, you must be able to look after your kin, not just yourself.”
“Hmm….”
“If your brother has been reduced to that state and we leave the culprit unscathed, what will the world think of the Panola Marquisate?”
“You mean they might look down on us.”
“Exactly.”
“…I understand. In that case, I will take care of that first-year brat myself.”
The way the second son spoke with such confidence and arrogance was very reliable. However….
“What is your current realm?”
“I am on the verge of reaching 4-Star.”
“So you are still at 3-Star.”
“…….”
Displeasure flickered across Jordic’s face.
In truth, being on the verge of 4-Star at his age was an incredible feat.
Among the third-year students at the Academy, there was only one person above Jordic.
Marquis Panola looked at his son and said, “I am not criticizing your talent. Someone of your caliber would be called a genius anywhere.”
“…….”
“But that doesn't mean there aren't geniuses greater than you. As you know, your brother was at the same 3-Star Level as you.”
“Are you saying you view Roist and me as being in the same realm?”
“Strictly speaking, yes.”
Of course, Marquis Panola knew that his second son was much stronger than the third.
While the third son had reached the 3-Star Level, it was merely a result of the family’s superior Aura Blessing, essentially forcing the aura out.
Comparing him to the second son, who was at the peak of 3-Star and looking toward 4-Star, was like calling a wildcat and a leopard both 'cats.'
There was a clear difference between the two. However….
“I heard that first-year defeated your brother and other first-years—about ten people in total—all at once.”
In truth, it wasn't just a victory; it was a scene that deserved to be called a one-sided assault.
But Marquis Panola didn't know that part.
Regardless, in Marquis Panola’s eyes, this first-year named Patrick Schneider was definitely stronger than his third son, and perhaps equal to or stronger than his second son.
He didn't think that would be the case, but wasn't it an adult’s habit to prepare for the 'what if'?
“Butler. Bring that.”
“Yes, Master.”
Following the Marquis’s command, the butler brought over a luxurious wooden box.
“Father, this is?”
“Open it.”
When Jordic opened the box, inside was a sword.
With a blue sapphire embedded in the hilt and a blade so sharp it looked like it would cut at a mere touch, the sword was an item Jordic knew well.
“Father, this is…?”
“Take it.”
“But Father, this….”
“I am not giving this to you just to deal with a first-year brat. I am giving it to you to be yours from this day forward.”
“Is that true?”
A bright smile spread across Jordic’s lips.
He was genuinely thrilled.
What Marquis Panola had just given him was one of the top artifacts of the Panola family.
The Ice Sword, Isis.
A sword in which an ice spirit was sealed, it was an ancient artifact that could no longer be replicated.
“Ha…. Hahahaha….”
Perhaps this was the expression of a young boy receiving the toy he wanted most on his birthday.
Jordic held Isis in his hand, gazing at it with enchantment.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes. Of course, Father.”
“Good. I assume you know why I am passing Isis down to you?”
“……?”
Jordic sent a questioning look, as if asking, What is the reason?
Seeing his second son, Marquis Panola let out a small sigh inwardly.
It’s good that he’s brave, but he’s a bit dull…. No. This is boldness.
Trying his best to put a positive spin on his son, Marquis Panola spoke again.
“It means that you are the only one left to inherit our family.”
“Ah….”
“As you know, your older brother is frail. I thought either you or your younger brother should inherit the family, but your younger brother….”
Marquis Panola sighed.
One can lose.
How can anyone go through life only winning?
He, too, had tasted the bitterness of defeat many times since his youth before reaching his current position. However….
If he’s going to be broken like that by a single defeat, then his vessel was small to begin with.
Well, it was a reasonable thought to have.
That is, if one didn't know the context—that he had run into someone who shattered vessels equally, whether they were large or small.
In the end, thanks to Patrick, Marquis Panola’s choice had been finalized as his second son.
“If you wish to inherit the family, you must be able to protect the family’s honor and your kin. Can you prove that?”
“Yes. I will grind that first-year brat to dust.”
“You mustn't just charge in blindly. I will pull some strings to arrange a natural setting, so deal with him there.”
“Yes, Father.”
And so, Marquis Panola handed the family’s precious sword to his second son, aiming the blade of revenge at Patrick.