“Pfft. I thought a noble family would give an impressive gift, but it’s just a trident? Rumors sure are misleading.”
Raul had just finished presenting his gift and was returning to his seat when he heard an unexpected remark.
‘What is that lump?’
There sat a young man with a massive build, wearing a smug expression.
“Those inland folks sure know how to boast. With that flimsy body, what? Not even worth a punch.”
Despite Raul’s direct gaze, the young man mouthed off like a common thug. Dumbfounded, Raul asked, “Who are you?”
“Ha! You step into the Marquis Greer’s domain and don’t know who I am? Did you leave your manners at the door, you bastard?”
Suddenly, Raul’s mind flashed with someone’s profile.
‘Ah, so that’s who he is?’
Feigning tension, Raul asked, “Are you perhaps Lord Fidel’s eldest son, Travis?”
“That’s right. I’m Travis de Greer. So, now do you feel like showing proper respect?”
Raul approached him and, with a bright smile, softly said, “Why the hell are you swearing and speaking informally to someone you’ve just met, you piece of trash?”
Travis, momentarily stunned, stuttered in confusion.
“Did no one ever teach you basic noble etiquette? Thanks to your distinguished father, you probably received the title of ‘Baron’ upon becoming an adult. But how dare a mere ‘Baron’ speak informally and insult a legitimate Viscount of this kingdom? I’ll overlook it once out of respect for the marquis, but if you have even a shred of intelligence, you won’t run your mouth carelessly again.”
Raul poured out his disdain with a hint of menace.
But then, “What the hell did you just say? You bastard think you can insult me, the heir to the marquisate? Guards! Make this prick kneel before me immediately!”
The audacity of Travis, whether due to ignorance or sheer arrogance, filled the hall with his resounding shout. Raul shrugged and took a step back.
Travis wasn’t officially the heir yet, and publicly badmouthing the Count Ashton’s family was something even Marquis Fidel wouldn’t dare.
As the guards behind Travis hesitated, unsure what to do,
Clatter.
Other knights from the marquisate rushed over.
“Yeah, hurry and make him kneel….”
Surrounding Travis, their leader, dripping with sweat, bowed deeply to Raul and apologized profusely.
“We’re deeply sorry! Please forgive our lord’s ill-mannered behavior when he’s had too much to drink!”
“Are you ignoring my orders?!” Travis bellowed again, oblivious to the situation.
“Silence, you fool!”
Marquis Fidel had approached unnoticed, his face as stern as stone.
“F-Father, that guy dared to insult our marquisate….”
“Why are you still here? Take this idiot away immediately!”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Wait, what did I do wrong? Let me go!”
Even as they dragged the over two-meter-tall bulk of Travis away, Marquis Fidel apologized to Raul.
“My apologies. My thoughtless son spoke out of turn. I hope you can forgive him.”
“No, I should apologize for causing a scene over a trivial matter.”
The marquis’s perpetual frown spoke volumes. Meeting him in person, Raul could empathize with his troubles. With a reckless idiot like Travis as an heir, the marquisate’s illustrious name seemed destined for a swift decline.
‘So that’s why. In my past life, the Marquis Greer transferred the title to his nephew rather than his own child.’
The Marquis Greer had left little mark on history, becoming a rather mundane family. Only Ken, having broken free from familial constraints, had made a name as the first female Master.
‘Now, what should I do?’
Raul’s mind raced, contemplating how to secure the marquisate’s cooperation.
***
Except for that small commotion, the first day of the marquis’s celebration banquet concluded smoothly. In the afternoon’s Round of 64 tournament matches, both Ken and Josh easily defeated their opponents.
Observing Ken’s fluid spear movements, the marquis’s expression seemed highly complex. Another person who couldn’t sit still upon seeing Ken was his stepmother, the current marchioness.
‘Why is that child here?’
The present marchioness was displeased with the situation. As a typical noblewoman, she couldn’t stand the thought of Kaylee wielding a spear.
It was expected for a noblewoman to marry a suitor chosen by her parents for the family’s sake. So why had she run away only to return disguised as a man?
‘If other noblewomen find out, they’ll definitely gossip about our family.’
Her biggest fear was that the marquis might suddenly declare Kaylee as his heir.
‘No, that can’t happen.’
Such a development was unimaginable to her. However, the marquis’s recent actions had been hard to trust. He had humiliated their eldest son in front of everyone today.
Rather than support his son, he had bowed to a peer around his son’s age. She couldn’t comprehend it. However, she remained oblivious to her sons’ shortcomings and the origins of those deficiencies.
*
The marquis’s banquet continued for three days, and the tournament was now on its final day. Raul’s unease remained just that, as the event proceeded without incidents.
The tournament had narrowed down to the final eight participants, including Ken and Josh. If the bracket held, Josh would face Haphael from the Randal household in the semifinals, while Ken would face Favian from the McNeil Marquisate.
Just as the last day’s matches were about to begin, an unexpected figure stepped into the arena and shouted.
“I am Travis de Greer, eldest son of the Greer Marquisate. To apologize for my rudeness on the first day and to make the tournament more exciting, I have a proposal!”
Marquis Fidel held his head in frustration.
“What do you say, Viscount Raul? How about a man-to-man duel right here?”
The spectators were intrigued. Despite Raul’s famous reputation, he hadn’t participated in the tournament. Seeing his skills would make for a thrilling spectacle.
Raul, surprised, could only give the marquis a wry smile. Marquis Fidel, being an Expert at the uppermost level aiming for mastery, was well aware of the gap in skill between Raul and Travis.
“What do you think, Marquis?”
Raul asked, intending to respect the marquis’s dignity. If the marquis insisted, Raul was prepared to decline the challenge, even if it meant some slight detriment.
While the marquis hesitated, someone decided to stir the pot.
“What’s there to think about? The boy wants it so badly; why not allow it?”
It was the marchioness. She seemed oblivious to the potential outcome of the duel, confident her son was unmatched. A victory over Raul could significantly boost Travis’s reputation, which was a rare opportunity within their insulated household.
However, she failed to grasp the adage of knowing one’s limits.
“Please, handle him gently.”
Marquis Fidel seemed to have processed many thoughts in that brief moment.
And perhaps, this event completely eliminated Travis from the list of successor candidates. Raul just slightly nodded and descended to the training ground.
“Keuheuheu. I owe you a lot from a few days ago, you XX bastard. I’ll smash those flimsy bones of yours.”
Travis couldn’t wait for the judge to get on the stage and started yapping again.
Raul pulled out a greatsword from his inventory and kept his mouth shut, as if it wasn’t worth responding to him.
“Are you scared? Scared, aren’t you, you XX? You should’ve groveled when I told you to. It’s too late now, even if you apologize, you’re dead, XX.”
Raul realized once again.
‘The world is vast, and there are even more crazy people.’
There was no need to look into his status window.
Raul just stood with the greatsword in hand, waiting for the duel to start.
And as soon as it started, Travis charged at Raul with a large spear that matched his massive body.
“Die!”
Whoosh.
From the momentum alone, it seemed like he could crush a mountain. But for three minutes after that, Raul blocked every swing of the large spear with just one hand on his sword, while standing in place.
The difference in skill was clear to anyone watching. And it wasn’t until three minutes later that Travis realized Raul had no intention of seriously fighting him.
“This bastard dares to ignore me! Now I’m really not holding back!”
Raul frowned.
‘Is this déjà vu?’
Black tattoos covered Travis’s hand, and a mana spear abruptly emerged from the tip of his spear.
Just like Dave from last year’s mansion incident with the ‘Proof of Bloodline’, who had carved the Emperor’s mark on his body and unleashed a fake mana blade, Travis was also drawing out a fake mana spear in front of him.
‘How disgusting.’
Feeling irritated at the sight of the Empire’s remnants here, Raul no longer felt the duel was worth continuing.
Sarak.
“……?”
With a light swing of Raul’s greatsword, Travis’s spear was cut in half.
And before he even realized what had happened.
Bam.
Raul, who had somehow gotten behind him, lightly karate-chopped him, causing Travis’s huge body to collapse onto the ground. The judge was saying something from behind, but Raul ignored it and walked towards the VIP seats.
‘The son of a marquis has the Emperor’s mark engraved on him. What should I make of this?’
The duel was so one-sided that even the spectators couldn’t utter a small cheer. And Travis, who was carried away by knights, was quickly erased from people’s memories.
*
Raul and the Marquis, who had returned to their seats, remained silent for a while. Raul was deep in thought about the traces of the Empire, and the Marquis was troubled because of his reckless wife and sons.
Since the Marquis’s wife had rushed out the moment her son collapsed, silence filled the surroundings for a while. And their silence was broken by Ken.
Before they knew it, the first match had ended and it was Ken’s turn.
“It seems he’s been doing well. The shadows have lifted from his face. He used to rarely smile after her brother disappeared.”
“Some problems tend to be healed by time. It seems he overcame it well on his own.”
“I wonder. It seems to me she met someone who could act as a remedy.”
“…….”
The Marquis smiled for the first time today and continued.
“By the way, what kind of training did she receive to improve so quickly? When she left the family, she was barely able to draw out a mana blade.”
“Isn’t it the result of her own hard work? Moreover, she inherited outstanding talent from you, Marquis.”
“Haa, that’s the problem. That child is exceptionally talented. I can’t help but worry whether the world will accept and recognize her.”
The Marquis seemed more worried because he knew well how female knights were treated on the Connect Continent. But how many people in this world could truly look down on a Master?
“So, please take good care of her. Perhaps it might be better for the child not to return to the family.”
“I’ll remember your words well.”
Raul wondered if he would still think the same after Ken revealed her true self soon.
‘Not that I intend to let her go anyway.’
There was no need to return a talent that would naturally grow into a Master to the Marquis family. Meanwhile, Ken’s opponent for the quarterfinals was stepping onto the training ground.
(To be continued)