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Chapter 49

“What did I do?”

“...Crushed the plans of the cult in the mountain range and defeated a gem beast by yourself. Then, when they asked for an explanation, they claim you said...”

“What did I say?” I asked, suddenly feeling a little uneasy. 

“‘I can beat up the entire Council of Elders myself’.”

I mumbled to myself in shock, “I think they exaggerated that at least 10 times over.”

Kayan let out a sigh of relief.

“As I thought. But most of Bednicker now believes that nonsense.”

“Let them believe what they want. My reputation is already at rock bottom. It can’t go any lower.”

“Even if your current position is worse than right after you sold the sword of the house?”

“That’s a bit...”

So there was a floor below the floor.

More importantly, it would become tiring if my position fell even lower.

“So what, did the Council of Elders say that they’ll personally teach me a lesson or something?”

“No. It seems you will face a member of the Iron Blood Knight Order—or perhaps the Fang Knight Order.”

Kayan checked for my reaction before clearing his throat.

“Young master. The skill levels of the knights vary widely.”

“I know.”

“Some knights have just entered the order, and some have been in it for more than 10 years. Even within a single knight order, the skill difference between two different knights can be like heaven and earth.”

“I said I know.”

“...What’s important is that your opponent will be decided from among them by the Council of Elders.”

At this point, I was beginning to understand what Kayan really wanted to say.

“You don’t need to be impatient, young master. With your skill, you can catch up in just two years, perhaps even one year—”

He was talking around the point, but what he wanted to say was...

“So I shouldn’t fight right now?”

Kayan closed his mouth and nodded.

“Yes.”

I looked at Kayan in a new light.

I had heard that my mother was quite indebted to this man, but I didn’t fully trust Kayana yet.

To begin with, I was averse to trusting someone just because they suddenly started to treat me well. In addition, this old man was the one who had cut my tendons in my previous life.

But right now, Kayan was trying to give some painful advice.

I understood that it was difficult for someone of a lower position to say, You’ll get destroyed if you fight now, so hold back.

“It’s fine.”

But even though I understood the situation, my answer didn’t change.

I wasn’t looking down on the knight orders.

I knew them well.

Within the knight orders, there were some members who were as monstrous as the children of the Lord of Blood and Iron.

That was even more of a reason that I needed to fight now.

“...Understood.”

Thankfully, Kayan didn’t pry further and instead backed away.

At this, Arzan seemed to suddenly remember something. She said, “Ah. I have something I must tell you regarding the third daughter of Goodspring.”

Sellen?

“What is it?”

“I’ll first explain the situation from three days ago. Immediately after Lady Sellen returned from the banquet, she told me that the young master was in danger.”

I nodded.

I’d hoped that she wouldn’t actually say anything, but considering what I’d seen of her personality that day, that had always been a foolish hope.

“When Sir Kayan and I heard that, we immediately went out to search for you, but Lord Asad stopped us mid-search.”

“Asad?”

The Archmage stopped them?

Had he received a request from the Lord of Blood and Iron?

Although Kayan and Arzan weren’t pushovers, they could in no way be compared to Asad.

“In any case, while we were searching for a different method, you returned. The problem is what happened the day after. I heard that Lady Sellen spent the entire night looking for your whereabouts.”

I was surprised by Sellen’s actions, and a question formed in my mind.

“Why? Couldn’t you just tell her that I had returned safe and sound?”

“The Council of Elders didn’t give a definite answer about your whereabouts, and even when I informed her that you were safe, she didn’t seem to believe me.”

“And just showing me to her... Ehm.”

I stopped talking. Sellen was still a Goodspring.

Since I understood her character now, I trusted her somewhat, but Kayan and Arzan were a different story. They wouldn’t allow a member of House Goodspring to see my unconscious body.

The situation had indeed been a bit tricky.

Growl...

My stomach threw a tantrum, demanding to be fed after being empty for three days.

“We will prepare your meal. Please wait a moment.”

I replied with a nod.

* * * * *

* * * * *

After eating, cleaning, and clothing myself, my mother came to visit me.

“Is your body okay?”

“Yes. It’s fine now.”

“I see. It seems you were quite tired.”

Even though I had slept for three days, my mother didn’t seem to be particularly worried about me.

From what I had heard from Kayan, reactions like this didn’t seem to be uncommon after a blessing ceremony.

Was this an after-effect of the ceremony as well?

Was the reason I’d collapsed for three days not because of the exhaustion that had piled up but because of the Blessing Ceremony?

I couldn’t know for sure.

I couldn’t feel any big difference from before, and I still didn’t know what my blessing was.

But it didn’t matter.

My main strengths would always be the Strongest Fire Technique and the White Sun Form.

Even if I had received an incredible blessing, I had only intended to use it as another tool in my arsenal; I’d had no plans on changing my whole fighting style around it.

“...Do not say anything during the hearing,” my mother said. It was similar to what Kayan had said.

Her expression was similar as well.

“I heard that one guardian can attend with you. I will do the talking, so leave it to your mother here.”

“Will you be okay?”

The corner of her mouth quirked upward.

“Of course I’ll be okay. Who do you think I am?”

Well.

Although her authority had weakened a lot, she was still a noble of a territory called Colland.

Her political wisdom was greater than mine.

“Of course, I also know that the Council of Elders isn’t a simple bunch. I’m not acting thoughtlessly.”

“Hm. I understand. For now.”

“For now...?”

She let out a laugh as if baffled by my words, but she didn’t ask any further.

Was it because she thought there wasn’t time to discuss this further?

Kayan checked his pocket watch and said, “It is time. Let us depart.”

I got up from my seat and followed after Kayan.

As we walked through the particularly quiet halls, I mumbled to myself, “I guess there’s a reason it’s so quiet. All the tiresome guests have left since the Blessing Ceremony is done.”

“They haven’t all left. The ones who wish to attend the Bednicker training camp have remained. There are quite a few present.”

“Really? Are they not in the main house right now?”

“They have been moved to special accommodations away from the main house.”

“Hmm.”

The Bednicker training camp was pretty infamous.

It was educational only in name. Honestly, one needed to put their life on the line to survive the dangerous and extreme training regiment.

It even had a funny nickname: the Six Weeks of Despair.

Still, if you can complete it, the results are undeniable.

Lessons like these to teach heroes weren’t common, so anyone with grand ambitions would choose to attend.

If Sellen is joining as well, it would be nice to get the misunderstanding out of the way.

Of course, the odds she would attend were very slim. Not because of her personality but because she was a Goodspring.

House Goodspring could provide an education that was on par with House Bednicker, so there was no need for her to remain here and work harder.

Perhaps because he thought the atmosphere was too heavy, Kayan spoke up with a joking tone in his voice.

“You must be the first person to enter the Trial Room twice in the same week, young master.”

I smirked as I remembered the scene I’d seen in the Trial Room last time.

Would the Lord of Blood and Iron be there this time as well?

More importantly, had the Lord of Blood and Iron not interfered with the Council of Elders summoning me to question me?

That was probably the case.

Although he seemed to be interested in me, he wasn't one to reach out with a helping hand when his children were in danger.

“We’ve arrived.”

I saw the huge doors of the Trial Room before me.

One difference was that people were standing in front of the door.

Two people were present.

I immediately realized who they were when I saw their outfits.

Collectors?

And both of them were very skilled as well.

Although Kayan halted for a moment in front of them, he didn’t try to talk to them.

The man standing on the left looked at us.

He was a handsome man with gentle features and a natural smile on his lips.

“What reason are you visiting the Trial Room today?”

“A hearing is set this afternoon for this child.”

At that, the man’s gaze turned to me.

“Are you young master Luan?”

“That’s right.”

“It has been confirmed. Please enter.”

My mother nodded as she tried to step forward.

The two men took a step inward, narrowing the distance between them and blocking my mother from moving forward.

“What are you...”

“Please excuse us, our lady, but only Luan is permitted to enter today.”

“But hearings before the Council of Elders allow one guardian to enter alongside...”

“That is normally the case, but this instance is special.”

“...I cannot accept such an ambiguous reason.”

“...”

At that, the man standing on the left let out a troubled laugh, and the man standing on the right answered, “Of course, the house rules of Bednicker are firm and must be applied to everyone in every instance...”

This one looked much more hardened than the other.

“With but one exception.”

My mother flinched.

Naturally, it was because there was only one being in Bednicker who fit that description.

So it’s by the order of the Lord of Blood and Iron.

Although it wasn’t unexpected, I didn’t like it either.

Just like I’d expected, the Lord of Blood and Iron wasn’t reaching out with a helping hand.

However, he shouldn’t be trying to obstruct me either.

Which meant that there should be no reason for him to stop my mother from entering with me...

“Young Master Luan, please enter.”

“...”

There didn’t seem to be much time.

I turned to face my mother. 

“I’ll just go by myself.”

“Will you be okay?”

“Of course.”

Honestly, this might be easier for me.

As I walked forward, the two collectors stepped aside to let me through.

They even opened the door for me.

Step.

With that, I stepped foot into the Trial Room once more.