Ian thought that Sera was thanking him for keeping her mother’s identity as a mage a secret.
In reality, she was also grateful for him keeping her parents’ relationship and true identities hidden, but Ian had no way of knowing that.
Even though he had shed the “Troublemaker Tyrant” title, if it were discovered that Ian actually knew nothing, a drop in loyalty would be inevitable.
But Ian played it cool.
“Just like you, I accepted your mother as one of my people. It’s only natural.”
He decided to take credit for protecting Rimil, even though he had no idea about her true identity.
It seemed like there was some misunderstanding, but since it worked in his favor, there was no need to reveal his ignorance.
Sera seemed satisfied with his answer.
[Sera expresses gratitude for your generosity. Loyalty increased by 4.]
‘Phew!’
Seeing the loyalty increase, Ian felt relieved, thinking he had successfully navigated the situation.
He soon noticed Sera studying his expression.
“Do you have anything else to say?”
“Well… to be honest, I was worried you might forbid it.”
“Forbid what? Magic?”
Sera nodded.
“You’ve been nurturing me to use my father’s knowledge, so it might seem like I’m straying from that path.”
‘Why would I forbid it? That would be a waste.’
If she’s going to learn something, why not let her learn both?
Especially since magic is one of her aptitudes, he actually wanted to encourage it.
Of course, she shouldn’t neglect alchemy in the process.
While learning magic was good, she needed to level up her alchemy skills to save Hugo.
‘I was planning to have her learn magic later anyway.’
At higher levels of alchemy, combining it with magic becomes essential.
Learning magic was absolutely necessary for her.
‘It’s a relief I don’t have to hire a mage.’
He had even considered hiring a mage with his own funds to teach her.
Now that money could be saved, which was a good thing.
“Don’t worry about my opinion. Learn it in your spare time. It’ll be useful someday. Just remember, alchemy comes first for now.”
“Thank you, young master.”
Unlike Sera, who smiled and felt genuine gratitude,
‘Phew, that was close. I managed to dodge that one.’
Ian sighed in relief internally.
‘But what exactly is she misunderstanding?’
Without knowing the full story, Ian’s curiosity only grew.
If he knew the details, he wouldn’t feel so anxious every time he talked to her.
Of course, the day he would learn the truth never came.
After returning from Vilcen to the Endran Ducal House, Viola relayed what she had heard from Ian to Duke Endran.
“Hoh, so the story really came from the so-called ‘reckless young lord’?”
“Yes, it definitely wasn’t someone else’s idea he borrowed.”
“It’s strange that someone like him has nicknames like ‘Idiot Ian’ or ‘Reckless Ian.’”
“The young lord of Schrantz I met was nothing like the rumors.”
“Was he that different?”
“Yes, very different. He didn’t seem stupid at all, and the locals spoke highly of him. Plus, he seemed to recognize me immediately and was on guard.”
“Huh? Wasn’t this your first meeting?”
“Yes, but he acted like he knew me. He seemed more wary than nervous.”
“What? That arrogant brat. What does he think he’s doing, being wary of my daughter?!”
Viola shook her head.
“Do you want people to like me or dislike me?”
If someone likes her, he complains; if someone dislikes her, he complains.
She couldn’t figure out which side to take.
Her father was truly a mystery.
“Anyway, keeping him close doesn’t seem like a bad idea.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen you praise someone so highly.”
Viola nodded in agreement.
Even she had to admit she had never acknowledged someone like this before.
“If you’re praising him this much, he can’t possibly be like the rumors. Why do those rumors even exist?”
“I think he might have spread those rumors intentionally.”
“Why would he do that?”
“I’m not sure about that part.”
But she was certain there was a reason behind it.
‘It doesn’t make sense for someone to change so drastically overnight.’
As a noble who lives and dies by honor, she couldn’t understand why he would willingly endure such humiliation.
There must be some grand plan behind it.
‘Maybe… to lull hostile territories into complacency?’
Could he have acted recklessly to make them lower their guard in preparation for his rise as lord?
‘Would that really make a difference?’
She wasn’t sure, but since she didn’t know the internal affairs of Schranz well, she couldn’t uncover the truth.
She simply believed he had some grand scheme in mind.
What mattered was the future of her own family, not Schrantz.
“So, did he say when he thinks the incident will happen?”
“As long as His Majesty the Emperor is alive, it should be fine for now. But if his health worsens, he said something could happen within a year, or at most two years.”
“I see. Then what should I prepare for?”
“He said to side with someone who openly declares their convictions and embraces talent to the end.”
“Did he explain why?”
“Because we are the Endran Ducal House, not a family swayed by the outcome of power struggles. He said we should focus on the situation after the struggle, not the struggle itself.”
“So, it’s important to side with someone who embraces their own talent to the end… I see.”
And for Duke Endran, building achievements by approaching such a person wouldn’t be difficult.
“Father.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“……”
Viola gazed at him in silence for a moment. His face seemed tense, as if something was troubling him.
“What’s wrong?”
Viola cautiously asked, looking at the smiling face of Duke Endran.
“Father, you already knew who was behind this series of schemes, didn’t you?”
“……”
It was absurd to act immediately based solely on the words of herself and the young master of the Schrantz family, without any evidence.
If he hadn’t known who was behind it, he would have dismissed it as nonsense and not taken any action.
If it were the father she knew, he would have done just that.
Duke Endran smiled faintly.
“That rascal from the Schrantz family seems more useful than I thought.”
It was an unexpected response, but upon hearing it, Viola felt a chill run down her spine.
‘As I thought. He knew.’
Yet, he had dismissed it as delusion, likely to hide the truth even from her.
Unlike herself, who wanted to stop the conspiracy and somehow resolve the situation, Duke Endran had been hoping for something like this.
‘A man who would willingly leap into the fires of hell for what he desires.’
Viola knew Duke Endran better than anyone.
Her father was a man who wore a smiling mask even to his own family.
Though he was her father, he was a deeply fearsome presence.
“Hmm, there may not be an immediate problem, but if we make an enemy of him, it won’t end with just a sore back of the head.”
“Do you think he will become an enemy?”
“There are always variables. It would be better to improve our relationship for now.”
How to improve the relationship?
After a moment of contemplation, Duke Endran looked at Viola.
“Still, giving my daughter to that scoundrel is too much!”
Viola shook her head vigorously.
She had thought that the easiest way to bring him to their side was to marry her off to Ian, but it seemed that sending Viola to a family with nothing to offer was still too much of a waste.
—
The day after being recognized as a member of the family.
Out of the blue, Oswell summoned him to the training ground.
“What brings you to call me to the training ground, Sir Oswell?”
It was somewhat surprising that Oswell had called him, as no one usually bothered him.
To Ian’s question, Oswell politely replied.
“Now that you have officially become a member of the family, the lord has ordered that you begin training.”
“Training? What kind of training?”
“Until now, you have only learned enough swordsmanship to protect yourself. But now that you are a formal member of the Schrantz family, you will learn the family’s swordsmanship.”
‘There was such a thing?’
Ian was unaware of this.
Although he had played as the young master of the Schrantz family, he didn’t know everything, especially things he hadn’t experienced.
Originally, playing as the Schrantz family’s rogue young master only became possible after the last DLC was released.
It had only been out for about 1-2 years.
Even though the game was over 10 years old, discovering new things was typical of Meta Pangaea.
‘Wait, has anyone ever received the title of a member of the Schrantz family before?’
There might have been, but at the very least, Ian had never seen or heard of it in any broadcasts or communities.
Originally, Ian had obtained the title by blocking a monster invasion targeting the Schrantz family, an event with an extremely low probability.
‘Even if others encountered it due to bad luck like me, most would have avoided it by save-scumming(saving and reloading).’
Even if they didn’t avoid it, they likely failed or started over immediately.
If the territory suffered significant damage, they would have lost the strength to fend off the Schrantz raid.
A player who realized they had no chance of winning wouldn’t think of continuing further.
Even Ian would have done the same.
“First, I will show you. This is the first form of Schrantz swordsmanship. Please follow along slowly.”
The training began immediately.
Oswald demonstrated the Schrantz swordsmanship, and Ian followed his movements.
At first, it was simple basic movements.
But as he continued, the movements became increasingly difficult and complex.
‘It’s powerful.’
Every time he swung his sword, the sword wind tousled Ian’s hair.
He could feel the destructive power.
A swordsmanship that strongly pressured the opponent and overwhelmed them with powerful strikes.
‘So this is why Hubert didn’t fall behind much when sparring with me, despite the difference in size.’
Even with a head’s difference in height, he could fight on equal terms because he had been learning this swordsmanship.
At the same time, his words came to mind.
‘So this is what he meant when he said I could never surpass him without being recognized as a member of the family.’
To learn such a valuable technique alone and then say that.
It was truly unfair.
‘Well, if things had gone on without me becoming a member of the family, it would have turned out as he said.’
And if both Hugo and Hubert had died, this technique would have been lost forever.
‘If I posted this on the community, it would have caused an uproar.’
It was the first time he felt the urge to post on the community, where he usually just lurked for information.
A rogue young master with good initial stats and an extra point added to level-ups, with a way to become even stronger?
Whether it was true or not, the thought of the chaos that would ensue if people tried to verify it was overwhelming.
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