Leonhardt.
He tilted his head as he looked at Kyle.
It was because he seemed quite different from the usual.
Even without exchanging words, there were things he could tell.
The aura.
The atmosphere a person exuded.
The skinny figure standing before him was quite different from before.
For one, he wasn’t drunk.
And even his way of speaking was entirely different from usual.
He was calmly, politely asking for something.
Had he experienced a change of heart?
Or was it just a rare moment of lucidity?
A few years ago, when he purchased a maid from an auction house, it had been the same.
Soon, a sense of curiosity welled up inside Leonhardt.
“Why are you trying to leave?”
“For a walk. And to get some exercise.”
“…Are you really saying you want to go out for such reasons?”
Kyle grinned at those words.
“Why? Does it sound too wholesome, making you suspicious?”
“It’s just that it’s too different from your usual behavior.”
“I’d appreciate it if you believed me this once. If you’re still doubtful, you can follow me.”
“…Still, you’re not allowed to leave. The Lord has…”
“That’s because he’s worried I’ll cause trouble. I won’t, so don’t worry.”
“Then please wait. I’ll get permission from the Lord.”
“Well, I doubt Father would give it. I don’t know how long I’ll be stuck here either. Don’t you think so?”
“…”
He probably wouldn’t.
Unless something changed, the marquis had strictly ordered that Kyle never be allowed to leave.
A walk and some exercise?
If he asked for permission to go out for such reasons, the marquis would surely frown.
He would likely think it was a hastily made-up excuse to leave.
Even if Kyle claimed to have changed, the marquis wouldn’t believe it unless he saw it with his own eyes.
And crucially, even Leonhardt himself wasn’t fully convinced Kyle had changed.
“…If you know that, go back inside.”
“I need to go out.”
“This is your final warning. The Lord has commanded me not to allow your departure unless there’s an exceptional reason.”
“I’ve given you a reason. A walk and some exercise.”
“Do it inside.”
“That’s not really an option.”
No matter how he looked at it, Kyle knew that persuasion through words alone wouldn’t work.
Seeing Kyle cling so persistently, Leonhardt finally began to release his aura.
An aura as sharp as a blade.
Letting it flow past Kyle, the knight quietly spoke.
“You will not leave this place, Young Master.”
Leonhardt was a knight of considerable skill, even within the marquisate.
Thus, there weren’t many people here who could withstand his aura.
As the sharp energy flowed around him and Leonhardt locked eyes with Kyle, a flicker of surprise passed through the young knight’s gaze.
Kyle.
This scoundrel of a young master was smiling as he faced Leonhardt’s aura head-on.
And it was a bright smile at that.
The knight’s sharp energy caused Kyle’s body to tremble.
Yet, he wasn’t afraid.
The reason was simple.
Ten years.
Not just a year, but a full decade spent enjoying a virtual reality game.
*Fantasy Defense* was a very realistic game.
Even the goblins and wolves, which were the first monsters you encountered, would let out ghastly cries when wounded, call for their comrades in dangerous situations, and without hesitation, sink their teeth into the player’s throat.
Furthermore, once you verified your age, the game displayed its graphic content without any filters.
Naturally, my ten years of experience in such a game were not to be underestimated.
Unlike this scoundrel of a young master, who probably had never faced any threats, I had fought countless terrifying monsters, albeit within the game world, more than a thousand times.
Aside from the physical reaction of trembling, there was no real fear.
While it couldn’t be considered actual experience, it was at least indirect experience.
In fact, by the 2030s, it had become common practice for soldiers to train using virtual reality modules to accumulate experience.
Thousands of instances of indirect experience could sometimes serve as harsher training than real experience.
‘This is a test.’
As soon as I faced his aura, I realized what was happening. That wasn’t the knight’s full aura.
It was just a moderate amount, restrained.
The reason for releasing such an intimidating aura.
Part of it was to drive me away, but the other part was to test whether I had truly changed.
If I passed this test, what then?
Leonhardt was a knight trusted by the marquis.
If I could gain the recognition of such a knight?
It would help mitigate the marquis’s anger over my unauthorized departure.
‘Well. I’m sure he’ll speak well of me.’
When reporting back later, Leonhardt would probably add some positive remarks.
I was only able to act this way because I understood Leonhardt’s personality well enough.
If he had been a treacherous, power-seeking knight who was petty and underhanded, who knew how he might’ve made me suffer?
In that case, I wouldn’t have bothered sticking to my request for an outing.
But as far as I knew, the young knight standing before me wasn’t that type of person.
There was no reason to refuse the test.
“Young Master, you could go out later…”
Erciel began to cautiously dissuade me as Leonhardt’s aura filled the space. Worry was written all over her face.
I appreciated her concern, but I had no intention of following her advice.
If I didn’t go out now, there would be no opportunity.
“It’s fine.”
Despite the spine-chilling tension and the sensation that my heart was beating several times faster than usual.
I continued walking toward the door without hesitation.
At that moment.
The killing intent surrounding me grew denser and denser.
I felt as though if I took just one more step, my head would be lopped off in an instant.
That chilling feeling started to constrict me like a snake.
For a twelve-year-old child, this level of killing intent could easily make them collapse and wet themselves in fear.
Cold sweat poured down my face, and my legs began to tremble.
But despite that, my feet continued to move forward.
After all, I had spent a decade grinding away in a brutal game.
This was something I could endure.
Ten steps.
That was the distance I managed to cover while withstanding his aura.
Finally, I reached the door handle.
I made eye contact with Leonhardt.
Smiling at him, I asked,
“All done?”
“…”
In response to my words, the aura surrounding him slowly began to dissipate.
Then, finally, a single word escaped his tightly shut lips.
“I will accompany you.”
“You’re allowing it?”
“It seems I must. As for releasing my killing intent, I will report it to the Lord and accept my punishment.”
“No, that’s not necessary.”
“It must be done.”
“What punishment? All you did was let out a little aura. Forget it and just focus on protecting me.”
“…My punishment will be decided by the Lord.”
Ah, this stubborn guy.
It seemed convincing him otherwise would be impossible.
In that case…
“Well, I guess there’s no choice, but pass a message to my father. Tell him I don’t wish for any punishment. You wouldn’t refuse to deliver even that, would you?”
His expression turned troubled at my words.
After a moment.
“…Understood.”
With a stubborn look, he slowly agreed.
And then, his affection level toward me changed.
It rose from 50 to around 30.
It seemed he liked the behavior I showed.
Thus, the two of us left the annex.
Particles of mana scattered in all directions.
A smile naturally appeared on my lips.
If I could absorb as many of those particles as possible, I would be able to gradually remove these accursed black seals one by one.
For now, I should start with some light exercise.
Without saying anything, I began walking slowly, appreciating the beautiful scenery.
There was so much mana in the air that even as I moved, mana was gathering in my hands.
Going outside had been the best decision.
The mana was flowing much faster than it had inside the room.
It was like comparing 3G to LTE speeds.
I soon turned to the two of them.
“Let’s take a break. You both can sit down.”
“I’m fine.”
Leonhardt shook his head at my suggestion.
He insisted on keeping watch.
As expected, even with a lower affection level, he was a dutiful and stubborn knight.
Erciel seemed to agree, shaking her head while looking at the standing knight.
“I’m fine as well…”
“Just sit down. My meditation might take a while.”
I wouldn’t be able to hold on to the maximum amount of mana for long.
It was already quite taxing.
That meant I had to start working quickly.
Last time, it had taken about two hours to break through one seal. If I didn’t warn them now, this little one might end up standing for a long time.
She glanced over at the knight.
“I’m fine, so go ahead and sit.”
Jeez.
All this hesitation over something as simple as sitting down.
The hierarchical society really was exhausting.
Not that I minded since I enjoyed the privileges of being part of the elite.
After a bit more hesitation, she finally sat down cautiously.
“I’m going to meditate for a while, so just relax. If anyone comes, chase them off.”
“Understood.”
Leonhardt nodded.
His presence was reassuring.
There weren’t many in the Marquis’ household who could slip past his vigilance, so I could safely focus on circulating my mana.
With my eyes closed, I began to channel the mana.
Shaping it into a cone, I directed it toward the black seal.
There was already a small crack in the black seal.
The manifested mana slowly started moving toward it.
*Crack.*
The seal near my right wrist was completely removed.
[The ‘Blocked Path’ trait is weakened.]
‘Nice.’
When I opened my eyes, the two were looking at me with expressions of surprise.
“…Why are you both looking at me like that?”
Leonhardt’s eyes flickered with a strange light.
“…Do you know how long you had your eyes closed, young master?”
I had a feeling it had been over an hour.
I decided to feign ignorance.
“Did more time pass than I thought?”
“…It’s been nearly two hours.”
As I expected.
It had taken an unusually long time to move the mana from my palm to my wrist.
Most likely, it was due to the ‘Blocked Path’ trait.
The trait that prevented me from containing any mana or aura at all.
This trait might be why moving the mana inside my body was taking so much time.
I could always experiment to confirm my suspicion.
I ended up spending about six hours outside.
From lunchtime to dusk, as the sun began to set.
During that time, I broke through five black seals that had been blocking the path from my right wrist to near my heart.
With each seal removed, the speed at which mana flowed through my body increased.
It was a very good sign.
Finally, when I cleared the path from my wrist to my heart.
[Your Heart’s Eye is strengthened.]
[You can now accurately assess your body’s condition.]
[You’ve cleared the path to your heart.]
[The ‘Blocked Path’ trait is weakened.]
A pleasant message appeared before my eyes.
Now, I was ready to form a circle.
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