Chapter 9
Meeting with Marquis Remton
It happened more easily than expected.
He was the one who scheduled the meeting first.
A month of continuous change.
With the news spreading that I had become a magician, it wasn’t strange that he would want to meet.
Early in the morning.
I was walking towards Marquis Remton’s office.
As I walked, gazes began to gather.
“…Is that Young Master Kyle?”
“His appearance… it’s completely different from before.”
“Haven’t you heard the rumors spreading from the annex?”
“Was it true?”
Murmurs filled the air.
Thanks to the heightened senses that developed after forming a circle, I could hear conversations from quite a distance if I focused.
Not all the conversations were positive.
Some vassals frowned from afar, clicking their tongues in disapproval.
Given that only a month had passed, their reactions were understandable.
‘I can change things slowly.’
Soon, I saw the citadel.
‘It’s grand.’
The Alton Empire.
It occupied about a third of the central continent.
In such an empire, the power of a marquisate ranked within the top ten could be clearly felt just by looking at the citadel.
The vast size of the castle.
Knights radiating sharp energy as they moved about, and soldiers standing guard, equipped with well-organized armor.
This must be the strength of a thriving martial family.
Soon after entering the citadel.
Leon hardt headed to the training hall, while I followed a butler’s guidance to the office.
Opening this door, I’d be facing a Swordmaster.
What should I call him?
Should I call him father? Or master of the house?
Based on Kyle’s memories, calling him father seemed right.
It felt quite awkward.
‘Well, it’ll work out somehow.’
Soon, I knocked on the office door.
And then.
“…Father. It’s Kyle. May I come in?”
I decided on the title.
“Come in.”
As I opened the door and entered, I saw Marquis Remton.
His rough beard.
The scar on his face, his angular jaw, and muscles filling his body.
‘He looks more like a bandit.’
It was fortunate Kyle had inherited his mother’s genes strongly.
When I subtly activated my heart eye, it immediately bounced back. His level was too high to see anything, not even his favorability—it was just a question mark.
“You’re here? It’s been a while.”
The marquis greeted me with warmth in his eyes.
“This brat! Don’t take a single step out of the annex until I command you!”
Whew.
Luckily, the last memory of him being filled with rage wasn’t present. At that time, Marquis Remton’s outburst was so terrifying it made my legs buckle.
It seemed like his anger had subsided over the nearly year-long period of confinement in the annex.
Indeed, time heals all wounds.
“Yes. It’s been a while, father.”
At my greeting, there was a flicker in the marquis’ eyes.
“…You’ve certainly changed.”
Just one word of greeting.
That was enough for the marquis to assess me to some extent.
Well.
Considering Kyle had mostly shivered to the point of wetting himself rather than properly greeting him before, this reaction was natural.
Soon, the marquis and I sat facing each other. Two cups of fragrant tea were placed in front of us.
As he savored the tea, Remton spoke.
“Kyle.”
“Yes, father.”
“I thought you’d never change.”
“Did you?”
“I did.”
Even for a Swordmaster, it seemed there was no way to overcome an awkward father-son relationship. The marquis appeared uncertain of what to say next.
After a long pause.
“If Aisha had seen how you’ve changed, she would have been truly happy.”
With that statement.
A scene played before my eyes.
“Kyle. My dear son… This unworthy mother is always sorry…”
A frail-looking woman.
At the sight of her, an overwhelming emotion welled up inside me.
Guilt, perhaps? The woman in the memory was always crying.
Every time Kyle accumulated more sins, as he grew more and more twisted, she wept. She blamed herself for being weak, for making him the way he was.
She said it was all her fault.
Every time the marquis roared in anger, she was the one to hold him back.
Kyle always took it out on her.
Instead of the harsh marquis, it was that woman who bore the brunt of Kyle’s anger.
She passed away when Kyle was eleven.
Perhaps she died so early because Kyle caused her so much heartache.
That day, the marquis wept more sorrowfully than anyone.
He must have loved her as much as, or even more than, his lawful wife.
Kyle wept a lot too.
Seeing the boy sobbing made my heart ache for some reason.
The emotions conveyed were too strong to resist.
Well, despite crying so much, he soon went back to drinking and causing trouble again.
Kyle truly was a scoundrel. The scene ended.
The memory had been long, but in reality, only a brief moment had passed.
My gaze naturally turned back to Marquis Remton.
Hmph.
To think that face had once wept so bitterly.
Perhaps because of what I had just seen, I struggled to find words.
After gathering my thoughts, I finally asked,
“Father, do you not resent me?”
I posed the question.
“…Resentment. Are you asking about your mother?”
“Yes. If it weren’t for me… she might have passed more peacefully.”
At my words, the marquis touched his teacup for a moment.
After a brief contemplation, he slowly began to speak.
“At first, I did.”
The marquis continued.
“Kyle. You are undoubtedly my son, but to be honest, I resented you. I thought it was your fault, that you were born with that condition, that you caused so much trouble, and most of all, that Aisha was always crying because of you.”
I quietly sipped the tea in response.
Despite its fragrance, the tea tasted rather bitter.
“You did make mistakes. But… I wasn’t without fault either. In retrospect, perhaps I pushed you out of my heart, thinking of you as nothing but a worthless son. The illness you were born with—it wasn’t your fault.”
Since I had taken over Kyle’s body, his sins were now mine to bear. Even though it wasn’t by choice, I had to take responsibility.
Maybe that’s why the words naturally slipped from my mouth.
“…I’m sorry.”
Marquis Remten gave a faint, bitter smile.
“If I had done better, maybe you wouldn’t have gone so astray.”
“You couldn’t just look after me alone. I understand.”
Remten.
He was forty years old.
By Korean standards, he would just be an older brother.
Even at thirty-six, I, Lee Hyun-woo, couldn’t imagine starting a family, so the responsibility and burden he bore, leading a great household at forty, must have been immense.
He couldn’t afford to tolerate Kyle’s delinquency forever.
So I understood.
I was Kyle now, but also different from him. A mix of thirty-six-year-old Lee Hyun-woo and twelve-year-old Kyle.
“…Kyle.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know what’s driven you to change so much, but you seem much better than before.”
“Do I?”
“Eyes are like the windows to a person’s essence.”
He looked into my eyes.
“You have good eyes. Did something happen?”
“I just wanted to live longer than twenty.”
Survival.
It was a more convincing reason than admitting I had changed after taking over this body.
The marquis nodded quietly.
“…I see.”
Soon, the servants brought in food.
A rich soup.
A salad with abundant vegetables and meat.
A savory, sweet grilled fish.
And a steak made from some unknown meat.
It was an impressive spread for breakfast.
Far more lavish than my usual morning meal.
I took a bite of the steak and fell into thought.
‘The reaction isn’t as bad as I expected.’
After all, very few fathers truly dislike their children.
Marquis Remten was no exception.
Considering Kyle’s half of his delinquency stemmed from Hermem, the marquis seemed to understand to some extent.
Things were likely to go smoothly.
After finishing the meal and having another cup of tea to cleanse his palate, the marquis spoke.
“By the way, I hear you’ve reached the 1st circle.”
“That’s correct.”
It was faster to show than to explain.
I summoned flames in my hand, and Remten’s eyes widened in surprise.
“This power isn’t just 1st circle. It’s closer to the 2nd circle.”
“It’s probably because I overcame Hermem.”
“That might be it… Regardless, it’s impressive. Well, having one mage in the family isn’t a bad thing.”
Although the family revered swordsmanship, they didn’t reject magic outright, and the marquis’s reaction was positive.
Perhaps it was because he finally saw potential in his wayward son.
Now seemed like the right time to bring up my main point.
“By the way, Father.”
“What is it?”
“Could I obtain a spirit stone?”
“…A spirit stone? Why do you suddenly need one?”
“I’d like to conduct some research.”
“Research? Well, that’s fine. I can support you with that much.”
As expected.
Thanks to my changed behavior, the marquis nodded readily, unlike when he had cut off my allowance.
This is why powerful families are the best.
Without the marquis, it would’ve been nearly impossible to acquire one.
“Is there anything else you need?”
“I’d also like support for magical reagents, if possible. Catalysts, too.”
“Sure, I can provide that. How much do you need?”
As a high-ranking noble, his answers were surprisingly straightforward.
Since things were going so smoothly…
‘I should ask for the best.’
The spirit summoned depends on the catalysts, spirit stones, and magic circles used, so I might as well get the finest materials.
“Two high-grade spirit stones, Renaflon flowers, Helaim’s Screechweed, Aindel’s Obsidian, and Efron’s Blade should do.”
The marquis tilted his head.
“What’s the approximate cost?”
‘What were the market prices again?’
It wasn’t hard to recall the going rates for some of these materials.
In this game, I wasn’t just experienced; I was practically a relic.
I quickly calculated.
“It should be around two thousand gold.”
“…”
The marquis’s expression soured at my response.
“That’s more expensive than I thought.”
“These are essential for magical experiments. Oh, and some additional gold would also be appreciated…”
If not now, when else could I seize this opportunity?
Seize the moment when it comes.
I looked at the marquis with a desperate gaze.
After pondering for a moment, he nodded heavily.
“…Fine. I’ll support you. But make sure to show results.”
“Yes, sir.”
Results?
That would be easy.
With Erciel’s talent, she’d be able to summon a top-tier spirit.
Whether I’d reveal such a powerful spirit to the marquis would depend on how he treats me going forward.
If I had any doubts, I’d just show him a moderate level.
The marquis handed me a pouch.
Inside were three platinum coins.
That amounted to roughly three hundred gold.
‘Nice.’
Considering all I had to do was ask, it was a sweet reward.
After handing over the money, the marquis called for the family’s mage to guide me.
To the magical supplies warehouse.
After securing the materials there, the mage also helped me obtain several pieces of equipment needed to handle the catalysts.
With everything prepared, it was finally time to summon a spirit using the materials given by the marquis.
‘I wonder what will come out.’
With Erciel’s talent, whatever it was, it would be a remarkable spirit.
My steps toward the annex were light, filled with anticipation.
The spirit coin I had patiently nurtured over the past month.
It was finally time to cash it in.
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