Omen
As usual, I was basking in the morning sun in the courtyard, soaking it all in.
“What the hell is this…”
“Hurry…”
“Move it, fast!”
The garden, which should have been peacefully tended by gardeners milling about, was in chaos today. Guards were rushing off somewhere in a frenzy.
“…What’s going on?”
I approached a nearby maid and asked.
“Eek…! W-well, um…”
She jumped at my voice—me, who usually just lay there like furniture—but she quickly composed herself and started explaining.
“I-I only heard bits and pieces, but the Clayton Viscount’s estate… it was attacked…”
“There?”
The capital was lined with other nobles’ mansions, after all. I’d heard of the Clayton Viscount family before. Rowell had mentioned them lately during our training sessions.
“Isn’t that place supposed to be tough?”
From what I recalled, they were a renowned martial house that had produced knights for the Royal Guard for generations. And they got hit?
“What kind of bastards would pull that off?”
“Well… um…”
The maid hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should even tell me.
“Spit it out.”
“Y-yes, sir…!”
Under my steady gaze, she finally opened up.
“You can’t tell anyone, okay…?”
“Got it. Now talk.”
“It’s… the remnants of the Lugar Kingdom…”
“Lugar Kingdom?”
…That was Alden’s homeland. The place the Adel Kingdom had wiped out.
“They’ve still got survivors?”
“Yes… the ones who made it out are hitting nobles with terrorist attacks…”
“Whoa.”
That was scary as hell.
This wasn’t some ordinary world. Magic and Aura existed here, crawling with powerhouses. Even monsters like Rowell popped up now and then. For people like that to be driven by grudge and lashing out—it made sense that a family like the Claytons would get targeted. And since it was a weekday morning, most of their forces were probably out.
“So what happened?”
“I didn’t hear the details, but… Viscount Clayton was injured, so they sent a request for backup to our family nearby.”
“Ah, so that’s why they’re heading out to help?”
“Yes… to fill in the thinned-out guards.”
“Hmm.”
For a split second, I wondered if we were safe here. But attacking a house like that consecutively? Unlikely for a family on the Boyd level. Plus, with Rowell around, it was hard to imagine any real danger. The young miss had her own sworn knight, and the head guard captain was here too. Even if they sent reinforcements, the main muscle would stay at the mansion.
“Thanks for the straight answers. Appreciate it.”
“Huh…?”
Anyway.
I’d gotten the gist of why everything was in an uproar.
“Go do your job.”
I crawled back into my doghouse.
Clayton family or whatever—it had nothing to do with me.
Even if they pulled guards our way, Rowell was here. No worries.
Besides, wasn’t I just the yard dog?
Supporting some other noble house? Not my problem.
Well, if the Boyd family ended up on their hit list, that’d be different.
Anyway.
I lounged leisurely, waiting for the young miss to show up soon.
It was about time for her to come drag me out, whine about hating lessons, and head back. I stayed ready to go…
“Hm…”
…but she didn’t come today?
With everything going on, she probably couldn’t leave for the garden.
Guess it really was serious.
Makes sense. A noble mansion attacked right in the capital, family head wounded? The city gates were probably sealed by now, total pandemonium.
No young miss today, then. Time to train. I headed to the training grounds.
The garden, usually alive with servants’ chatter, felt eerily quiet today.
The mood was downright grim here at the Boyds’. Other places must be worse.
And when I reached the grounds? Empty. Everyone standing guard, I guess.
With so many pulled for backup, no spare hands for training.
Fine. Solo it is.
Moments like this really drove home how detached I was from this mansion.
Great for someone like me who just wanted to train in peace.
I stood before a straw dummy to get started.
Lately, I’d been refining the basics Rowell taught me.
Basics lived up to the name—easy to learn, hell to master.
I glared at the dummy and circulated Aura through my body.
The most fundamental for any Aura user: circulation.
And—
Bang!
I thrust my fist forward in a burst. The dummy cratered from the impact.
This was Rush—releasing Aura explosively outward for devastating power.
Personally, I wasn’t a fan. Too Aura-hungry.
Efficiency improves with mastery, but for now, not my go-to.
My favorite? Fleet, hands down.
Speed booster.
How cool was that?
If I’d known about it sooner, I might’ve escaped the Colosseum clean.
Water under the bridge now.
With the dummy in tatters, I refocused my Aura.
Last time was raw destruction. Now, conserve—no Aura leaking out.
Push Aura through your body to physical limits for an instant burst of acceleration.
I concentrated until my head went white.
And in a blink—
I was behind the dummy.
I’d lost track of my own movement.
“Hm…”
Insanely fast for that split second, but control was tricky.
Usually paired with Track to enhance dynamic vision. Still working on using them together.
Rowell said I was progressing fast, but…
I wanted these basics down yesterday.
Anyway, mid-training—
“Training hard on your own, I see.”
“Rowell?”
I turned at the familiar voice. He was heading my way.
“You can be here? Thought everyone was on guard duty.”
I’d figured he’d be glued to the young miss.
“The young miss is currently in a magic lesson with a special tutor.”
“So?”
“She’s with one of the safest people in the capital right now.”
“…Must be one hell of a guy.”
“The best I know.”
Damn.
She always griped about that nagging old lady.
Who knew she was that impressive.
“How bad is it out there?”
“You’ve heard the basics?”
“A bit. Asked a servant.”
“Hm. It’s serious, yes.”
Rowell calling it serious meant it was bad.
The man didn’t mince words or exaggerate.
“The Royal Guard will send reinforcements, though. We’ll be fine.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Plenty from the Clayton family in the Guard. They’re probably gnashing their teeth as we speak.”
Right—the Claytons pumped out Royal Guard knights like clockwork.
The viscount’s eldest was the Guard captain himself, second son a key military figure.
They’d poked the real hornet’s nest.
That confident, huh? Even in the capital.
“Hope it ends well.”
“Don’t worry too much. Let’s finish our training.”
“Sparring?”
“Yes. Loosen up a bit.”
“…The spot you hit last time’s still throbbing.”
“You’re young. You grow stronger through the pain.”
After that.
Rowell beat the crap out of me in training, and I put the terror business out of mind.
No need to worry, he said.
Royal Guard was coming, right? Sounded badass—they’d handle it.
And so.
For a few days, I went about my routine in the unusually quiet mansion, no big concerns.
Then news on the attack finally trickled in.
“What? The Royal Guard got hit?”
“…They prepared thoroughly this time.”
The pursuit squad they’d formed? Ambushed in turn.
“That’s bad, right?”
“Yes. We’ll need to bolster security.”
Never thought it’d escalate this far.
What, did those guys have no backup?
“Can’t mages track ’em?”
“…They’ve got skilled ones too.”
“Better than ours?”
“Seems they specialize in concealment spells that erase traces.”
“Ah…”
This was a disaster.
Elite unit excelling at trace-wiping, urban guerrilla terror?
Superhuman individuals fueled by grudge to boot.
“Maybe we should bail.”
“The Adel Kingdom isn’t that weak.”
“But you can’t catch them.”
“The royals recognize the threat. The city’s locked down now. They’ve got two options left.”
“Which are?”
“Break through at a single point and flee, or go down swinging and get wiped out.”
“Which way you leaning?”
“Hard to say. Before, it’d be flight. But now? They’re brimming with confidence.”
…So they might force a last stand.
High chance of massive bloodshed.
“This is heavy. I’m holing up in the doghouse.”
Better not get cocky in this mess.
Minimize training, stay put for a while.
“That’s wise, but…”
Rowell eyed me steadily, then spoke.
“You wanted to learn the Boyd family’s secret techniques, yes?”
“Ah, right. Yeah?”
“…Protecting the young miss is the greatest merit.”
“Huh?”
“Please, don’t forget that.”
Stating the obvious so gravely.
“Yeah, got it.”
I brushed it off casually.
That night.
BOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the mansion—one I’d never heard before.