Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Successive Visits (4)
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After filling my stomach.
As I was relaxing, I belatedly recalled the identity of that male student.
‘Hmm, so he was the one Jace defeated...’
It wasn't that he was weak.
It meant he was strong enough to stand against Jace.
His rank was around the top 20... placing him among the very best.
A sudden sense of crisis washed over me.
What if he had just attacked me out of the blue?
Forget fighting back; I would have been down in ten seconds.
“……”
This time, I got away without any trouble.
But I couldn't count on such luck again.
I needed a plan, but I didn't have any good options.
At this point, Ceria was my only certain ally.
But asking for her help would just look pathetic.
Even if she was quite strong.
I couldn't just hide behind a girl's skirt, could I?
There was nothing to be done.
No matter how hard it got, I just had to endure.
It would be fine to suffer defeat, to taste humiliation.
I just had to use those experiences as a foundation to become stronger.
“……”
In truth, my real worry lay elsewhere.
Jace was originally destined to be expelled from the academy.
Not only would his engagement be broken, but he'd also be disowned.
But with me possessing his body, the future had become unpredictable.
Since I'd somehow managed to fix his dantian.
It seemed likely that both the broken engagement and the disownment would be put on hold, but that was just speculation.
What would really happen?
I wanted to grasp the family's situation, but I currently had no way of doing so.
Perhaps...
they might come to me.
They would probably send someone to check on me.
‘The Family Head won't come in person, I imagine...’
He'll likely send a trusted vassal.
The key is to handle that process well.
I'll have to show them I'm a changed man.
* * *
At that same moment.
Ceria was greeting a guest.
"It's been a while, Hector."
A man of an age where his hair was turning gray.
The old knight, Hector, was a vassal of the Crodain family.
Among the many vassals, he was one of the most senior.
In fact, it was safe to say he was the Family Head's right-hand man.
"My lady. You've grown even more beautiful since I last saw you. Heh heh."
Ceria offered a faint smile.
He hadn't changed a bit, despite his age.
To put it nicely, he was as warm as a neighborhood grandfather; to put it badly, he was a bit of a scatterbrain.
When she was young, she often visited the Crodain estate.
Whenever she was spending time with Jace, he would always appear and play pranks.
In any case.
His unchanging demeanor put her at ease.
"I'm glad to see you're still so spry."
"Ahem! Spry? I'm still in my prime. Hahaha..."
He certainly looked young for his years.
He had trained his body consistently and was no less fit than a young man.
"You've come a long way. Why don't you rest for a bit? I'll have some tea prepared for you."
"I'd be delighted. I was waiting for you to say that."
In the academy's reception room, they chatted amicably.
At the same time, Ceria was calculating in her head.
He must have come to see Jace.
Having heard the nasty rumors, he would drag him away if things went south.
‘I have to stop that from happening, no matter what.’
Jace had already come to his senses.
He was striving to become strong again, just like before.
All he needed was time.
If they just waited, everything would return to normal.
"I'd like to see the young master now. Could you call for him?"
At that sudden remark,
the warm atmosphere plummeted as if it had never existed.
This was the true face of a knight who served the Family Head's command.
Ceria slowly explained the whole story.
"The thing is..."
There was no need to mix in any lies.
She simply conveyed the facts as they were.
Hector listened silently before summarizing it concisely.
"So the rumors were true, and he ended up facing a trial..."
"His expulsion is on hold."
"Why?"
"Because he's able to handle mana again."
"───??"
"Isn't it amazing? He overcame a ruined dantian all by himself."
She tried to sound nonchalant,
but to Hector's eyes, it appeared completely different.
My fiancé is this amazing!
That was the feeling she gave off, and he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Recently, some troublemakers attacked Jace, but he handled it on his own."
"Hmm, is that true?"
"Of course."
The girl looked so proud.
He guessed the situation wasn't as bad as it could have been.
Hector stroked his chin, then asked abruptly.
"Do you still trust the young master?"
"Of course. We swore to spend our lives together."
Hector had dedicated his entire life to serving the Crodain family.
He had watched over Jace for as long as the boy had been alive.
He had grown up so well.
Not only was he talented, but his character was also excellent...
The girl before him was the same.
Despite being the daughter of a noble family, she was well-mannered.
As intelligent as she was beautiful, her judgment could be trusted.
‘Still, I'll have to see for myself.’
The Family Head's order was paramount.
He had been given full authority, so everything would be decided by his judgment.
"Where is the young master?"
"Follow me. I'll take you to him."
* * *
[Sudden Quest]
[Hunt Target: Bear]
[Reward: Achievement Points +50,000]
Hey, you got some kind of grudge against bears?
It keeps tempting me to go beat up a bear.
The reward has already gone up from +30,000 to +50,000.
Huh? Is this a bounty? That's what it feels like.
In any case, I didn't want to try it right now.
The force of its paw swipe is a whopping one ton.
Getting hit by that would be no different from a car crash!
No matter how outstanding this body's physical abilities were,
it wasn't enough to take on an apex predator.
Well, maybe...
I might surprisingly be able to put up a fight, but the problem is I'd have to risk my life.
“……”
I'm not alone.
I have a fiancée who's the apple of my eye.
Especially when the main premise of my goal is to survive, how could I take such a risk?
For now, I'll just keep refusing.
If I could manifest even a crude form of Sword Ki, the difficulty would plummet.
That day wasn't far off.
I was getting stronger by the day, so a week would probably be enough.
On a sun-drenched rock.
As I was meditating in a prime spot I'd chosen for myself,
"Look at that. He really never seems to rest."
Ceria had come, and she brought someone with her...
Before my memories even surfaced, I instinctively knew who he was.
Someone sent by the family.
He had to be a knight, a close aide to the Family Head.
As if to confirm my guess, my memories gradually filled in the blanks.
The old knight, Hector.
They said he once defeated the Demon King's Army with his ruthless swordsmanship.
His prime may have passed,
but he still possessed top-tier skills.
Furthermore, he was the vassal the Family Head trusted most.
Was he planning to judge me through this man's eyes?
Since I had more or less expected this,
I was able to greet him with a calm demeanor.
"Young master."
"You must have had a hard journey coming all this way."
"Haha, it was no hardship. I took my time, treated it like a trip."
Yeah. I don't believe you.
He might not have rushed frantically, but he must have traveled without rest.
At a glance, he seemed frivolous,
but when handling important matters, he became sharper than anyone.
That was probably his true nature.
An opponent who allowed not even a moment of carelessness.
Just the fact that he had the Family Head's trust said it all.
If I had to make a guess...
if Hector were to report, 'This kid's a lost cause,'
then nine times out of ten, I'd be kicked out of the family.
Well, there was no need to worry too much.
Perhaps because Ceria was with us, the atmosphere was quite warm...
"I'll be going now. This doesn't seem like a place for me to intrude..."
No! Don't go! Please, save me...
Well, I understood. She was just a third party.
This was purely a family matter,
so it was natural for Hector and me to face each other alone.
Hector plopped down across from me and slowly began to speak.
"You don't seem to be hurt anywhere... Looks like you're managing well enough."
"As you can see..."
"The Family Head was very worried about you, young master."
"You can speak plainly."
"A part of the mansion was destroyed. The garden was turned into a wasteland."
“……”
I prodded him a bit, and just as I thought.
He said it as if it were nothing, but the content was truly terrifying.
Jace had thrown a tantrum at the academy in front of everyone.
He had tarnished the spotless reputation of the family.
If I were in his shoes, I would have been furious too.
His heart must have shattered all the more because it was the son he had trusted.
If I get dragged home, I'll probably be beaten to a pulp, right?
Even if I wasn't disowned, I'd have to be prepared for closed-door training.
‘That would be a problem...’
Closed-door training would be poison for me.
If I'm locked away, all the quests and achievements will be gone.
In other words, I had to stay at the academy, no matter what it took.
"I will take responsibility for what I've done."
"Are you saying you need time?"
"Yes. I will atone for my sins and bring honor to the family name. Please relay that to my father..."
Is this enough?
I've confidently declared my manly ambition, so I hope he just lets it go.
But...
I can't quite read this old man.
He's staring intently at my face,
and with a faint smile, I can't tell if he finds me admirable or pathetic.
"Ah, right. How did you fix your dantian?"
Once a dantian is broken, it's impossible to fix.
It sometimes heals naturally, but that takes decades.
How should I explain this?
Actually, I had already prepared an answer.
"You know how I consumed many elixirs when I was young."
"You did. Speaking of which, the Family Head gave you far too many. To absorb all that, you'd have to be at least thirty..."
"Recently, the energies that were clumped up in the corners of my body came into harmony."
"───??"
"I don't fully understand it myself, but thanks to that, my dantian recovered. As a bonus, the elixir's energy is dissolving into me, and I'm gathering mana at a rapid pace."
"Hmm, and how rapid is this pace...?"
"Prepare to be surprised. It easily exceeds ten times that of a novice."
"───!!"
"Of course, it seems to be a temporary phenomenon... but just having this blocked path opened up promises great results."
"Then how much time will you need?"
"One year... Within one year, I will recover the level I had once achieved."
“……”
To be honest... I don't really know either!
It could take two years, or maybe even three.
There was no way to predict the variables of achievements and quests.
‘If things go smoothly...’
I'll be able to proudly claim my position as the heir of the Crodain family anywhere.
In any case, Hector's expression had turned serious.
For now, that was all that mattered.
"A true miracle has occurred... To be honest, I came here to take you back with me."
Agh, so that was his plan after all!
Thank goodness I was prepared; I was this close to being dragged away.
"Seeing you again, you've become quite dependable. Now I can understand the young lady's faith in you."
He suddenly mentioned Ceria.
It seems she put in a good word for me beforehand.
As his fiancée, her opinion must have served as a basis for his judgment.
At this point, I could relax.
Now that I had Hector on my side, it was highly likely they'd just observe me for a while.
"I will report what I have seen and heard. The decision is up to the Family Head, but in my personal opinion, there won't be any problems."
I did it. I've earned another grace period.
And with that, my freedom was guaranteed.
"This old man will take his leave now. I only hope you will strive to be the best."
Hector was a vassal of the family,
but he had served with loyalty for so long that even the future family head had to treat him with respect.
I should at least see him off.
As I rose from my seat to follow him,
he spoke slowly, as if something had just occurred to him.
"Ah, but I suppose I should confirm it myself. Pardon me for a moment."
By the time I tried to grasp what he meant, it was already over.
“……”
A sharp edge grazed past my face.
A few strands of severed hair fluttered in the air.
If not for that, I would have never realized it.
A draw and resheathing so swift it was chilling.
The entire grand motion was completed in the blink of an eye.
Hey, what are you doing, swinging your sword at me out of nowhere?
You should have given me time to prepare... Though, even if you had, I probably couldn't have reacted. Tch...
"Excellent. You pass."
What? Why?
I just stood there and took it blankly, yet instead of being disappointed, he wore a satisfied expression.
"You'll be a man the next time we meet. I truly look forward to it."
I wasn't sure what was what,
but he chuckled, left some words of encouragement, and departed.
Seeing that, it seemed I could finally let my guard down.
* * *
Hector had served two Family Heads in his lifetime.
In the future, if Jace also became the head, that number would increase to three.
He looked forward to that moment so much
that the Crodain family was synonymous with his own life.
"There's no need to worry."
He had swung in an instant with all his might.
And yet, the boy hadn't so much as flinched, not even blinking.
He hadn't forgotten the teaching to never take one's eyes off the sword.
This was a thought that could only arise because Jace's dantian had been fixed,
but Hector felt that the unfortunate accident was actually a blessing in disguise.
"The young master had never experienced failure before..."
His talent was so exceptional that he had always been on a path of success.
But that process couldn't be seen as unconditionally good.
A person grows stronger by overcoming trials.
It seemed that condition had finally been met.
Perhaps the most skilled Family Head in history might be born...
The glorious future that would be realized under Jace's rule already shimmered before Hector's eyes.