Chapter 5

【5】4

After leaving the unconscious Celia behind, Leo returned to the mansion.

In the living room of the mansion, Reina and Jis Zerdinger were having a conversation.

Around them stood the knights of the Zerdinger family.

Reina smiled upon seeing her son.

“Did you finish today’s training?”

“Yes, Mother.”

Reina’s question was answered by Leo, who then glanced at Jis.

‘Zerdinger… Zerdinger. Impressive, as always.’

Even in his previous life, warriors of this caliber were rare.

‘The title of a Hero family is not undeserved, it seems.’

“Leo, this is Jis Zerdinger. He’s a guest of our family this time.”

“My name is Leo Flove.”

“I’m Jis Zerdinger. You must already know, but he’s your uncle. Treat him casually.”

“Could I ask what you mean by treating him casually?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I have the bl**d of the Zerdinger family running through me. But even so, I am not a Zerdinger.”

Leo drew a clear line, making Jis’s eyes gleam with intrigue while Reina shook her head.

‘Our son lacks charm, doesn’t he?’

Jis Zerdinger.

Currently the Vice Lord of the Zerdinger family and ranked 2nd in official power among them.

Normally, someone Leo’s age would be thrilled to address such a person as “uncle.”

However, though they may be connected by bl**d, genealogically, they are strangers.

The rules of the Zerdinger household are very strict.

Reina didn’t refer to Jis as “uncle” for that very reason.

Leo had guessed this and asked:

“In formal settings, you wouldn’t call me your nephew, correct?”

“I understand.”

Leo’s straightforward response made Jis burst out laughing.

“I didn’t expect you to be this much like your mother.”

“Ho ho ho. What do you mean by that?”

As Reina laughed, stepping on Jis’s foot, she inquired.

“Leo, didn’t you see a girl named Celia at the training grounds?”

“Hm? Her?”

Leo glanced toward the entrance of the mansion.

There came Celia, foaming at the mouth and being carried on a stretcher.

“Huh! Ah, Miss!”

“What is the meaning of this!”

The Zerdinger knights were appalled.

“Tsk.”

Jis let out a sigh of admiration.

‘Beating Celia without mastering aura? Incredible.’

“Knight Huyten, what exactly happened?”

To Jis’s question, Huyten recounted what happened at the training grounds. After hearing the explanation, Jis shook his head.

The cause of the loss was obvious.

‘Overconfidence.’

Celia had underestimated Leo purely because he couldn’t use aura.

Of course, to the layman, that might appear reasonable.

The difference in battle prowess between aura users and non-users is tremendous.

But the fact that Celia’s defeat was due to her carelessness remains unchanged.

‘And that is not the way of the Zerdinger family.’

Jis stepped in front of Leo.

“So you defeated Celia, impressive.”

“The girl underestimated me.”

“Hmph. There seems to be a promise between you and Celia, isn’t there?”

“Yes. Celia Zerdinger and I had a bet. The loser would become the servant of the victor.”

“What!”

“Is that even reasonable?”

The Zerdinger knights reacted furiously, refusing to accept such an affront.

A Zerdinger direct descendant being a servant?

The knights glared at Leo.

But Leo didn’t flinch.

“Starting next week, Celia Zerdinger will be my maid for seven days.”

Reina chuckled.

Her son was always decisive.

Yet, even she hadn’t expected him to remain so calm in front of the glaring knights.

‘Who’s going to temper his personality?’

Meanwhile, Jis let out a gentle laugh.

“Celia is a Zerdinger. It’s inappropriate for her to be treated as a maid.”

He continued in a consoling tone.

“I would prefer if you let go of the bet. In return, I can offer you something else as compensation. For example…”

Jis rubbed his chin.

“How about one of our family’s advanced aura cultivation methods?”

“I decline.”

“What?”

“This was a personal bet between me and Celia Zerdinger.”

Leo glanced at Celia.

“Uncle Jis, you referred to her as a Zerdinger. Given the responsibility that comes with the name of a Hero family, she should keep her word.”

After breaking eye contact with Celia, Leo looked back at Jis.

“Even if we were to negotiate, it’s a matter for me and her. And…”

Leo drove the point home.

“If the aura cultivation method is only meant to save face for her failure, I believe it lacks any value worth learning.”

Grinding their teeth, some of the knights’ eyes flared with rage.

“We cannot tolerate it!”

“How dare you insult the Zerdinger name!”

The knights burst out in anger.

Seeing this, Huyten rebuked them furiously.

“Are you unaware of your place that you dare to raise your voice?”

“But, Sir Huyten!”

“How can we sit silently after such disrespect?”

“This… this situation…”

Reina, who had been watching, shook her head expressionlessly.

“During my absence from the family, it seems the Zerdinger standards have drastically fallen.”

“Don’t overstep your boundaries, even if you were a Zerdinger, Lady Reina!”

One of the knights warned.

Huyten’s eyes glinted with a hint of hostility.

“How dare you!”

Huyten was about to unleash his fury when Reina held up her hand to stop him.

She then stepped in front of the knights.

“Overstepped boundaries? Let me ask you something. Who do you think you are to b*tt into the conversation of a Vice Lord without permission?”

Confusion appeared on the knights’ faces at her cold question.

“It… it’s just…”

“Clearly, I am no longer an active member of the family. Even so, the Zerdinger name continues to be a source of pride for me. Therefore, I believe I have the right to voice my thoughts.”

A chilling aura radiated from Reina.

“One of just knights interrupting the Vice Lord’s words? Are you a knight or merely animals barking without reason in any situation?”

“Sip!”

The knights sucked in their breaths.

Reina’s authority.

It was strikingly similar to that of the Lord himself.

Jis, who had been watching quietly, finally spoke in a calm voice.

“Knight Huyten.”

“Yes, Vice Lord.”

“It seems these knights lack the qualifications expected of a Zerdinger knight.”

“I understand.”

The knights’ faces turned pale.

With grim expressions, Huyten led the disgraced knights away.

“Still, revoking their knighthood might be excessive, wouldn’t you say?”

Reina lightly chided, well aware of the difficulty of becoming a Zerdinger knight.

“There’s no fault in what you said, sister. The title of a knight should not be bestowed on animals.”

Jis smiled gently.

He was the type of person who let minor mistakes slide gently.

But if mistakes persisted, he could be ruthless.

The knights would have recognized their errors and pulled back as soon as Reina issued a warning.

With the storm passed,

Jis redirected his attention back to Leo.

“Leo Flove, you announced your intention to treat a Zerdinger direct descendant as a maid, and you claimed the Zerdinger aura cultivation method holds no value. Is this not false?”

“Yes.”

“Doesn’t that statement seem rash to you?”

Jis asked gently.

Reina watched silently.

Jis was responsible for the education of Zerdinger family members.

The teacher of every Zerdinger child.

Thus he was skilled in appraising their potential.

‘Maybe he’s measuring Leo’s potential now.’

Perhaps according to Jis’s standards, Leo had already passed the test.

Yet, Jis continues to press Leo to understand the depth of his character.

And Leo recognized this intent and smirked internally.

“If you find my words disrespectful towards the Zerdinger name, I apologize. However, I wasn’t mocking the Zerdinger family.”

“How is treating a direct descendant like a maid and claiming the family cultivation method holds no value not an offense?”

“Celia Zerdinger’s situation is, as I have said, a personal deal between her and me. I believe if she truly is a Zerdinger, she should be able to stand by her word.”

“Hm?”

Jis nodded.

“And the claim that the cultivation method lacks value does not mean I think the Zerdinger way is inadequate.”

“Then?”

“If Uncle Jis had offered me the method as a price for defeating Celia, I would have gladly accepted it.”

The corner of Jis’s mouth started to rise slowly.

“But Uncle Jis, the cultivation method was meant as a cover-up for Celia’s mistake, weren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“You thought Celia wouldn’t have lost if she hadn’t been careless, didn’t you?”

Leo lifted his chin as if making an assertion.

“However, even if Celia was serious during combat, I believe I would have still won.”

‘In short… I refused because your attitude doesn’t sit well with me, right? Ha ha, what a bold fellow.’

Jis couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

Glancing at Reina, he saw her sister smiling knowingly.

‘I understand where you’re coming from, sister.’

Seeing the audacious Leo looking up at him, Jis chuckled.

‘What an incredible character. What a shame he isn’t a Zerdinger!’

The Zerdinger family would gain another hero through him.

‘I must report this to the family Lord.’

He was the kind of person the family needed to nurture.

“Escort Celia to the maid quarters.”

“But, Vice Lord!”

The servants taking care of the unconscious Celia looked flabbergasted.

“It’s an order.”

Reluctantly, the servants carried Celia to the maid quarters.

“I understand your words. I will follow your wishes.”

“Yes, Uncle Jis.”

“Leo. Earlier, my statement about not calling you nephew in formal settings means I will treat you as my nephew in private too.”

Jis smiled gently.

No matter how great Leo’s potential, this statement was sincere.

Recognizing this, Leo complied.

“Yes, Uncle.”

“Well then, seeing as you’re exhausted from practice, go rest.”

“To your pleasant night.”

Leo respectfully bowed.

“Mother, have a good night as well.”

“Go rest well, Leo.”

When Leo left, only the two remained.

“Sister.”

“Yes?”

“I shall try to persuade the Lord about Leo learning the ‘Phoenix Breath.'”

“Phoenix Breath?”

The blazing flame was the symbol of the Zerdinger family.

Fitting the symbol, their aura manifested in flames.

Among their techniques, the Phoenix Breath was unique.

The initial Patriarch of the Zerdinger family perfected it after drinking phoenix bl**d.

From this technique derived all the other cultivation methods of the family.

Its power was sufficient recognition for why the Zerdinger family was known as a Hero family.

Thus, only recognized bl**d members could master it.

Reina, surprised by the mention of the Phoenix Breath, could hardly hide her surprise.

“Yes. However, whether the Lord grants permission remains to be seen.”

Jis spoke earnestly.

“Still, Leo is more Zerdinger than any of them.”

The sword skill to defeat Celia.

An immeasurable, enormous vessel.

“Therefore, it is necessary to find a justification to persuade the Lord.”

“Surely you don’t mean…”

“Yes.”

Jis nodded.

“Entrance to Lumera.”

“Risky.”

The dream academy for anyone aspiring to be a hero: Lumera.

However, enrolling required significant preparation.

It’s said all Lumera students are geniuses.

But the graduation rate is alarmingly low.

Of course, students who fail to keep up aren’t expelled.

Instead, they are provided with ample support to progress forward.

Even so, when unable to follow the curriculum, they are given two choices:

Withdrawal, or d*ath.

Such is the harshness of school life at Lumera.

Similarly, the entrance exam is harsh as well.

The exam is conducted under live combat conditions.

Some candidates have lost their lives during the entrance test.

Hence, Reina hoped Leo would learn an aura technique before attempting the exam.

“Leo might not be good in practice as he is in simulated combat.”

“The opportunity is sufficient. This is the only path to persuade the Lord.”

Jis clenched his fist.

“Sister, what kind of person do you hope Leo becomes?”

“What do you mean?”

“Wouldn’t you wish for him to become a hero?”

“If that’s the path he chooses.”

“Then, we can’t take only the safe route. I believe challenging trials wouldn’t harm.”

“…”

“Will you consent?”

Reina closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

“I will follow Leo’s wishes.”

‘That is to say, he would naturally say yes.’

Jis was sure.

‘The boy has the eyes of one who never hesitates to move forward.’

Recalling Leo’s gaze, Jis smiled.

“Hmph. I am looking forward to the future.”