“…”

Until the end of Jack’s story, Phill Gairn didn’t say anything.

He was seated in the chair as he placed his chin on his right hand and listened.

Of course, that didn’t continue for long.

After a while, he asked in a calm voice.

“So… while coming back from the estate, you met with the lazy prince.”

“Yes.”

“While they were greeting each other, Aaron acted as usual.”

“Yes.”

“But that lazy one didn’t run away or avoid his gaze, unlike before…”

“…”

“That’s why my son looks like that… am I understanding this right? That is what you said, right?”

“… at least that was what I saw.”

“Now! That! Does that make any sense! You bastard! Are you even walking with your eyes open or not!”

Thud!

Crack!

Clink!

Phill Gairn turned over the table with a scream. The glass on top shattered and made an unpleasant sound.

A few drops of the hot tea which was on the table splashed onto Jack Stewart’s face, but he didn’t even blink.

After a while, Phill Gairn, who raged like a monster, softened his expression as if nothing happened.

And calmly, he continued.

“I guess that was all. If it wasn’t you but some other bastard who gave me such a report.”

“Thank you for trusting me.”

“I need to believe. I believe you. You are the knight that I trust the most. Who would I trust if not you? Hehehe.”

The way the viscount smiled with his eyes open was terrifying.

But it was a familiar sight for Jack. He waited until the viscount sorted out his thoughts.

“Huh, but it’s still strange. Honestly, I can’t get myself to believe this. So that disgusting bastard has changed? That jerk who looked like an old man waiting for death? He really changed?”

“He definitely changed. His physique has improved noticeably, and his attitude towards people has also changed. I think that he learned a lot from Krono.”

“Uh-fuck it! Swordsmanship isn’t some magic! Anyway, this is annoying. Harun, the thought of that bastard smiling makes me cringe!”

Phill ground his teeth.

He has always hated Harun Pareira.

And not in a way like having him as an opponent.

Harun was more handsome and still had hair on his head when compared with Phill.

Unlike Phill, who got married through an arrangement, Harun married a pretty woman through love.

Two of them too. And he heard that his current wife was lean and beautiful.

That alone enraged him, and Harun’s estate grew richer with each day. The praise for Harun was heard by Phill every day.

Disgusting bastard.

Just the thought of Harun made Phill lose his appetite.

It was.

That was why he persistently did ill to his Irene because Irene was precious to Harun.

‘But, now that kid is beginning to cheer up…’

“Shit. What shit is this! He has to be stuck in his room like an asshole. Why is he crawling out! Why is he trying so hard to be normal!”

Phill Gairn continued to swear. His voice became louder, and words came out faster.

His bloodshot eyes and trembling knees showed his stress.

At that moment, Jack Stewart, who was silent, whispered.

“Wouldn’t stepping on a growing sprout be enough?”

“Huh? Yes, right! But how?”

“We can think of a way starting now. And it wouldn’t be difficult either. Isn’t there a subjugation coming soon?”

“Ah-ha!”

Clap!

Viscount Gairn clapped his hands and laughed.

Jack, who looked at his lord’s smile, continued to speak.

“It doesn’t matter what skills that lazy one has gained. If there is anything to do, we can create a few problems for him, and it’s a lot easier to criticize him and his faults during that time. In any case, wouldn’t that be enough to throw the opponent’s name into the mud?”

“Right! That’s right!”

“If not that, we can think of a more violent way.”

“I like that too! Indeed, I believe only you, Jack!”

Phill Gairn praised Jack. The knight who managed to satisfy his lord left the room.

“Crazy bastard.”

Jack wiped off the tea.

He was treated well, but every time he watched Gairn’s madness, he felt his appetite drop.

‘Apart from that, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem.’

Irene never attended events in the first place, so even if the kid changed his mind, nothing would happen. Then all the masterworks he mentioned earlier wouldn’t be necessary either.

‘It probably won’t happen because of the older one.’

A person smarter, more capable, and more dangerous than the father. Ryan Gairn.

Thinking of him graduating with high marks from the Royal Hale Knights Academy, Jack returned to his room.

** *

A week after coming back from Krono.

Irene Pareira continued his physical training and swordsmanship training without missing a single day.

He still hasn’t been able to find a clear answer.

The boy still had no clue what his sword was or what path he had to take.

However one thing was certain, he could no longer rely on that man’s sword.

Of course, he still got a lot of help.

The reason he came out of his room, all that he experienced in the school, and the connections he made with many people, were all influenced by the dreams. It was all thanks to the mysterious dreams and the man’s sword.

However, at least in swordsmanship, it was necessary to break free from the man’s influence, so the boy clenched his teeth and practiced only the swordsmanship he learned in Krono.

Until he forgot, until the man’s sword fades away.

“Huh, huh, hu…”

“Crazy…”

“How long does he plan on doing this?”

Looking at the young lord, some soldiers seemed tired.

They were the ones who came to the training ground voluntarily and were stimulated by their young lord, who had changed.

A dramatic change in the young kid they ridiculed as a lazy prince ignited all their hearts.

However, burning enthusiasm doesn’t last long.

Irene’s stamina was too much for them to pursue with plain motivation.

“Oh my, I can’t do this anymore.”

“Yes, this much is enough.”

Eventually, the soldiers left one by one.

Irene, who just started his break, looked at them.

And remembered the kids from the school.

Ilya Lindsay, Bratt Lloyd, Judith, and the others.

‘They are all amazing.’

It was a reminder of just how amazing those kids really were.

Irene benefited from the dreams, but the other kids had no help from anyone.

With pure passion, fighting spirit, and mental strength, they endured hellish training. Their stamina wasn’t something they were born with.

‘Can I stand without a dream?’

Anxiety resurfaced.

Irene shook his head.

No one can do it right the first time. How many times had he experienced it?

It was the moment he regained his composure and was about to swing the sword.

Swish!

Flutter!

Pop!

Meow!

“Haha, can’t catch that too?”

“…”

The boy’s concentration was broken by the unfamiliar sight.

Amazing. The current Irene Pareira was so immersed in what he wanted to do without thinking about anything else.

However, anyone who saw what happened could understand it.

Three cats were chasing worm-shaped toys hanging from a fishing rod.

And a black cat was moving the rod to and fro.

Where in the world would such a bizarre thing happen?

Thanks to that, the soldiers who were leaving, the maids on their way to work, and even Marcus, the servant, couldn’t take their eyes off the cat.

‘What the hell is it thinking?’

The reason was clear.

The cat thinks that Kirill would listen to Irene, so the cat was trying to get close to Irene. Those were the words that the sorcerer spoke out loud.

However, since that day, Lulu hasn’t said a word to the boy.

Well, it did sit next to Irene every day.

However, on the first day, it stared at Irene for a while and then slept the whole time.

On the second day, the cat played with a ball. And occasionally, it would lick itself.

And since yesterday, it has been playing with cats, which no one knew where they came from.

Due to the situation, even Irene, who was never interested in other things, couldn’t help but pay attention.

“Woah.”

Eventually, unable to contain his curiosity, he approached the sorcerer, Lulu.

Just in time, Marcus followed him.

Irene asked with a puzzled expression.

“Marcus, why?”

“Isn’t a cat sorcerer a strange thing? So, I am curious about how it talks…”

It was a lie. Marcus just liked cats, and he wanted to find an excuse to take a closer look at them.

Of course, Irene didn’t care. He nodded and walked towards Lulu, and the three tabby cats ran away.

Fortunately, Lulu didn’t run away.

Without even frowning.

And spoke.

“Why?”

“Nothing…”

Confused.

After saying all that about convincing Irene, the first thing the cat says is ‘why’.

The boy stopped.

‘Should I use honorifics?’

Irene pondered for a moment and shook his head.

Although it was a sorcerer, it felt strange being respectful to a cat.

Deciding to treat the cat comfortably, he opened his mouth.

“So…”

“So?”

“You said you will, flirt and convince me?”

“Ah! Those words, where did I hear those words? Right! I heard it from a novel that adults read!”

“… that was what you said.”

“That’s right too.”

“But, why didn’t you talk to me after saying all that?”

“Because I thought talking wouldn’t be fun?”

“Uh?”

“Kirill has a popping feel, but not you. You look boring like a hundred pebbles in a valley.”

“…”

It was correct. Irene, who had been confined to his room for a long time, wasn’t a talkative person.

But hearing those words come from a cat made him feel weird. It has been a while since he wanted to rebuke someone’s words.

At that moment, Lulu put aside the rod.

The people around burst into exclamations when they saw the long rod slip into nothing.

But that wasn’t the end. Lulu didn’t just push aside the rod, it continued to rummage its hands.

As if it found something, the cat smiled with a bright expression. Although it was a cat, its emotions were so vivid.

And it spoke.

“I’ll give you a present.”

“Huh?”

“People call it a bribe.”

“…”

“Receive this, and if you like it, tell your sister.”

“No…”

The boy was bewildered. The blatant expression of a bribe and the cat’s attitude of revealing its intentions were all too unexpected. Irene was confused.

But the others weren’t.

In particular, Marcus, who was next to Irene, was curious about what the cat sorcerer would give, so he couldn’t resist.

He lifted his head and checked the object in the cat’s hand and shouted.

“Ch-Chatoyancy!”

“Chatoyancy?”

“Really?”

Murmurs were heard from the people around. They too were shocked at the word.

The only person who didn’t know about Chatoyancy was Irene.

But there was one thing he understood.

‘It looks like an expensive jewel…’

So he asked.

“Marcus, is that expensive?”

“Very expensive.”

“Very expensive.”

Answers came out from Lulu and Marcus at the same time.

The servant paused for a second and spoke with a trembling voice.

“If it’s that big, and if it’s a real stone… perhaps a quarter of the Pareira estate could be bought.”

“…”

A value beyond one’s imagination, and Irene was at a loss for words.

Seeing that, Lulu jumped onto the servant’s shoulders.

Stroking the person’s head, he spoke.

“I’m grateful that you said something favorable to me.”

“Well, I was just stating the value of it…”

“If you convince him, I’ll give you something good too.”

Feeling the cat’s gentle touch, the servant tried not to break his expression.

Irene, who stared blankly, asked the cat.

“To give me such a precious thing, why exactly do you want my younger sister to become your disciple?”