When Lucius woke up, a sharp pain surged through his face. Touching the area, he could feel the swelling that had formed there.

  That had been quite an attack.

  He thought as he sat up on the bed.

  “Uaaah, you’re already awake, young master?” the knight asked in the middle of a yawn.

  Seated on a chair in the corner of the room—the spot previously occupied by Mira—the man wore a drowsy expression.

  Did he stay here all night?

  Judging by his tired look, it seemed so.

  No—more importantly…

  Lucius looked down at his own body, then back at the guard.

  “You bathed me.”

  Earlier, his clothes had been completely torn, his body covered in blood. Now, he was wearing fresh clothes, his body entirely clean.

  “Well…” The guard scratched the back of his head, a sheepish expression on his face. “We couldn’t exactly let you sleep like that.”

  A cold smile spread across Lucius’s face.

  “How considerate of you, especially after knocking me unconscious.”

  The guard’s face flushed red. He coughed, trying to hide his embarrassment.

  “About that… I’m really sorry. Liam—that idiot—ended up going too far. I hope you’re not upset.”

  Upset?

  Lucius shook his head, almost disinterested.

  “There’s no point in being upset. I acted, your friend reacted. Expecting a different outcome would be irrational.”

  The guard’s eyes widened in surprise, and he nodded a moment later.

  “That… that’s a very mature way of thinking, young master. I’m honestly surprised.”

  “Really?”

  Lucius laughed with a hint of disdain.

  “What were you expecting? A spoiled, tantrum-throwing young noble?”

  The knight didn’t respond, but Lucius imagined that must have been the case.

  Well, that’s to be expected.

  Given how much trouble he had caused the two knights, it would have been surprising if they thought otherwise.

  “What’s your name?” Lucius asked.

  The knight furrowed his brows, thinking for a moment before answering. “Tales. My name is Tales, young master.”

  Lucius nodded.

  “My name is Lucius.”

  “Uh, yes, I already know that, young master,” Tales said, scratching his head.

  “I know.”

  Lucius chuckled. It had been a joke—but it seemed Tales hadn’t caught it.

  Whatever.

  Shaking his head, Lucius stood up and went to the bathroom to wash himself.

  As always, the sensation of cold water covering his skin was extremely pleasant.

  Closing his eyes, he set all thoughts aside, forgot about his surroundings, regulated his breathing—

  —and was struck on the head by a blunt blow, making him open his eyes reflexively.

  Tales stood beside the bathtub, shaking his head with an exasperated expression.

  “You heard His Excellency, young master. Any form of training is forbidden.”

  Lucius said nothing. He simply closed his eyes again, set all thoughts aside, forgot his surroundings, regulated his breathing—

  —and was struck on the head once more.

  Tales’s expression was even more incredulous than before.

  “Did you not hear what I said, or did you simply decide to ignore it?”

  Lucius closed his eyes, set all thoughts aside, forgot his surroundings, regulated his breathing—

  —and for the third time, was struck by Tales.

  “I’ll take that as the latter.”

  Narrowing his eyes, Lucius rose from the bathtub. Instinctively, Tales took a step back, his guard already raised—something Lucius couldn’t help but find amusing. The water had begun to warm, so he decided to get out.

  Stepping out of the tub and completely ignoring Tales, Lucius walked over to the wardrobe, opened it, inspected its contents, and chose a set of clothes to put on.

  “Done?” Tales asked.

  “Almost,” Lucius replied—then suddenly kicked at Tales’s leg.

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  The knight reacted quickly enough, lifting his leg before Lucius’s kick could connect.

  Excellent reflexes.

  Lucius thought as he planted his kicking foot on the ground and used it as leverage to throw a punch at the knight’s torso.

  “Again?”

  Tales raised his left arm, taking Lucius’s punch head-on. Feeling the impact, he furrowed his brows, surprise flashing across his face.

  But Lucius didn’t care what was going through Tales’s head. Without wasting time, he threw another punch, this one aimed at the knight’s ribs.

  “Ugh…!”

  This time, Tales failed to react and was hit squarely. Pain flashed across his face as his body tilted slightly to the side.

  One more.

  Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Lucius launched a kick toward Tales’s head—but midway through the motion, he felt a powerful impact slam into his torso.

  “Ugh—”

  His vision blurred instantly, the air rushing out of his lungs like a punctured balloon. Before he realized it, his feet had left the ground, his body sent flying across the room.

  “Agh…!”

  His back hit the floor with a dull thud, a burning sensation spreading across his skin.

  “Ugh… Agh… Haa…”

  “Young master!”

  His body desperately searched for air, writhing as he clutched his chest, his face completely pale.

  At the same time, Tales rushed to his side, panic and concern evident on his face.

  “Are you alright?”

  Grabbing Lucius by the back, the knight helped him sit up, massaging the area to ease the pain.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you that hard,” Tales said with a guilty expression.

  But to his surprise, Lucius began to smile, his lips stained with the blood trickling from his mouth.

  “Young master, are you really alright?”

  Seeing Lucius react that way only made the knight more worried. Perhaps he thought the blow had affected Lucius’s head.

  What a ridiculous thought.

  Lucius found it amusing. His smile wasn’t because he enjoyed being hit—it was because he had felt, firsthand, the very thing he had been searching for.

  So this is Aura?

  It had only been for an instant, but when he was struck, he had seen the glow of Tales’s Aura.

  A power that elevates humans beyond what they are.

  Lucius clenched his fist.

  “Young master…”

  “I’m fine,” Lucius said, wiping the blood from his mouth.

  Still, Tales found it hard to believe. With a skeptical look, he examined Lucius from head to toe, finally sighing in relief when he saw that Lucius wasn’t truly injured. And the moment Tales relaxed—

  Lucius threw a punch.

  “Young master!”

  Instinctively, Tales grabbed Lucius’s fist, stopping the blow just before it reached his face.

  Lucius tried to strike with his other hand, but this time Tales was ready, catching his arm as soon as it moved and crossing both of Lucius’s arms around his body before forcing him to the ground.

  “You really won’t give up, will you?” he said with an exasperated expression.

  Lucius merely smiled disdainfully, prompting the knight to sigh in exhaustion.

  “If you keep this up, we’re going to spend the entire day here,” Tales said, frowning.

  The two stared at each other in silence for a few moments, until Tales was the first to break eye contact.

  “I’m going to let you go,” he said as he released Lucius’s arms. “But you have to promise you won’t attack me again.”

  Lucius said nothing, which only made the knight’s expression more unsettled.

  “I’ll take your silence as a yes,” Tales said as he let go of Lucius.

  But he didn’t believe his own words—because the moment he released Lucius, he jumped back, already prepared for the next attack.

  Idiot.

  Lucius shook his head as he looked at the knight. Standing up, he brushed the dust from his clothes and began straightening the wrinkles in them.

  Seeing that Lucius had no intention of attacking, Tales finally sighed in relief—something Lucius could only regard with disdain.

  He wasn’t an idiot. Tales was an elite knight, someone who had already manifested his Aura. In a direct confrontation, Lucius stood no chance against him. His only opportunity came when the knight lowered his guard. In that sense, Tales’s worries were pointless.

  But then again…

  Lucius walked toward the knight, who immediately raised his guard.

  “W-What is it?”

  Just as I thought.

  Lucius laughed inwardly, though outwardly he maintained the same indifferent expression.

  “I already told you, young master, there’s no point in trying anything. If you keep this up, we’ll spend the entire day here,” Tales said, visibly disturbed.

  Lucius said nothing. He simply stood there—close enough to launch an attack if he wished. And as seconds turned into minutes, Tales’s expression grew increasingly strained, cold sweat forming on his forehead.

  How long can you endure this?

  Hm?

  Suddenly, Lucius remembered something. Shaking his head, he stepped away from Tales and headed toward the bedroom door.

  “Young master?” Tales exclaimed in surprise.

  Having already opened the door, Lucius gestured for Tales to follow.

  “It’s time for breakfast,” he said. “You have to keep watch over me, don’t you? Then let’s go.”

  “R-Right.”

  Nodding with a strange expression, Tales followed after Lucius.

  When they arrived at the dining hall, the entire family was already gathered. Tales nodded at Lucius and remained outside while Lucius took his seat at the table.

  Because of the commotion earlier, I ended up late.

  Lucius thought as he sat down. His arrival added extra weight to the atmosphere—something visible on everyone’s faces except Cédric’s.

  This seems to be becoming a common occurrence.

  It was as though he had become a strange entity that drained the energy from those around him. Thinking that, Lucius couldn’t help but laugh—internally, of course.

  His arrival was the signal for breakfast to begin. Servants brought the food, and everyone started eating.

  Lucius did the same. He hadn’t eaten dinner the night before, so he was quite hungry, and asked the servant to fill his plate to the brim.

  With almost no conversation, breakfast passed uneventfully. Once he finished his meal, Lucius excused himself with a small nod and left the hall.

  “So where are we heading now, young master?”

  The moment Lucius stepped outside, Tales appeared at his side.

  Where are we going?

  Tales’s question made Lucius stop and think. After breakfast, without exception, he would normally begin his daily training.

  But…

  Lucius glanced at Tales. With him constantly at his side, that seemed impossible. The knight had made it clear he would not allow any form of training.

  So what now?

  Lucius needed only a moment for the answer to come.

  “Up there.”

  He pointed toward the staircase connecting the main hall to the first floor of the library.

  “Let’s go.”

  Without waiting for Tales’s response, he climbed the stairs.

  “Alright.”

  Nodding, the knight followed close behind—but the moment Lucius reached the last step, he launched a kick toward Tales, who was several steps below.

  “What the hell?!”

  In a hurry, Tales leaned his body backward, letting Lucius’s leg pass just above his head.

  Not yet.

  Lucius quickly altered the motion of his kick, shifting into a downward strike, forcing Tales to throw himself backward to avoid it.

  Spinning in midair, the knight landed on his feet at the base of the staircase, knees bent to absorb the impact.

  “Young master!”

  Looking up, he shot an irritated glare at Lucius, who said nothing—only gesturing for Tales to follow.

  “You really are—”

  Taking a deep breath, Tales climbed the stairs again, this time never taking his eyes off Lucius. Lucius waited until the knight finished ascending before continuing on.

  His chosen destination was the library.

  Located on the first floor of the manor, it occupied a quiet wing overlooking the inner garden.

  It was a vast hall, filled with tall shelves of dark wood packed with ancient books. Soft light filtered in through arched windows, illuminating orderly reading tables and the well-kept floor.

  Walking to one of the shelves, Lucius picked up a random book and began reading it.

  “Young master…”

  “What?”

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m reading.”

  “Yes, but… that doesn’t seem like a good way to read,” Tales said, tugging uncomfortably at his collar.

  Instead of sitting down, Lucius was standing—less than a meter away from Tales.

  “It’s a simple book, so it doesn’t matter,” Lucius said indifferently.

  “Even so…”

  Tales cast him a disturbed look.

  “What?” A small smile crept onto Lucius’s face. “Afraid of something?”

  Let’s see how long you can last.