Chapter 27

Ian Leinrant (1)

"I'm glad you returned safely, Young Master."
"Safely? I'm exhausted enough to die."

Early morning.
The Leinrant House estate for the first time in a week.

I removed the cloak draped over my shoulders as I answered the greeting from Dunkel, whom I had not seen in quite some time.

"…You were invited to a villa gathering, so why are you wearing a field cloak?"
"There were circumstances. Where's Father?"
"In his study."

I nodded at Dunkel's answer and climbed the stairs toward the second floor of the mansion.

Morning sunlight filtered through the windows.
The synchronized shouts of knights training in the drill grounds mixed with the laughter of maids beginning their daily work.

"Home really is nice."

I walked down the corridor while taking in the drowsy morning scenery.

It felt as though the tension I had maintained since departure was finally loosening.

'The report's already written in the carriage, so I'll keep it brief. As for Hector…'

I was moving while organizing my thoughts—

"So you're the second son Heinkel mentioned?"

A voice suddenly spoke.

Lighthearted, yet somehow detached at the same time.

Startled, I quickly turned around.
Not because it was an unfamiliar voice.

That wasn't the reason at all.

"They kept calling you a genius and all that, but your reactions are slower than I expected."

A chill ran down my spine.

The corridor leading to Heinkel Leinrant's study was perfectly straight.
Yet the voice had come from directly behind me.

Which meant—
I had already walked past the owner of that voice.

And yet I hadn't sensed when that old man had appeared behind me.

'At minimum, he's on Garrison's level… maybe even stronger…!'

The tension that had faded away instantly tightened again.

An old man wearing a brown robe, his white hair tied upward.
His unfocused, empty eyes stared directly at me.

"I was thinking of putting this off for another time since you were taking so long to return, but this works out nicely."

The old man nodded at me and slowly approached.

Without letting my guard down, I rapidly pieced together the situation in my head.

'Location: near Heinkel's study. No guards or attendants. That means he's either a secret guest or here on personal business.'

Meanwhile, the white-haired old man reached out a hand toward me.

'Then at the very least… he isn't an enemy.'

The instant I closed my eyes while thinking that—

Smack—!

A heavy impact struck my forehead, forcing a sound out of me before I realized it.
Opening my eyes, I saw the old man grinning mischievously.

"…Isn't that a bit harsh for someone meeting his nephew for the first time?"

The moment I voiced the conclusion I had reached, the old man's grin widened further.

"So you figured out who I am already. You've definitely got the instincts of a schemer."

Still smiling broadly, the old man spoke to me.

"Show some manners, you rude brat. I'm your uncle."

I smiled back at him.

His name was Ian Leinrant.
The eldest son—and illegitimate child—of the former duke, Rudel Leinrant.
A discarded child whose name had been erased from the family registry.

"You said the world bored you and left. So why come back now?"

Alongside Heinkel's displeased voice, three cups of black tea were placed onto the study desk.

'The Duke of Leinrant personally serving tea…'

As I picked up the steaming teacup, I found myself oddly bewildered.

"I told you, I didn't leave voluntarily. The head maid chased me out."
"Well, you emptied the entire liquor storage. Anyone would've lost their temper."
"Hahaha! To think my only younger brother turned out like this…!"

After saying that, Ian downed the burning hot tea in a single gulp before grabbing an entire handful of cookies.

'Looks like my report's already been completely forgotten.'

Watching the two bicker endlessly like old friends, I raised the teacup to my lips.
Even then, I never took my eyes off that eccentric old man.

'The rumors made him sound completely deranged, but that doesn't seem entirely true.'

Ian Leinrant.
The forgotten Leinrant whose name had been erased from noble records, to the point where people hesitated to even speak it aloud.

Because of that, information about him was extremely fragmented.
Even I, a son of the ducal house, had only heard his name through Dunkel.

The only things truly known about him were two facts:

That he had once been commander of the Empire's strongest knight order, the Golden Wing Knights.

And that he had slaughtered all of his subordinates before disappearing into seclusion.

"Anyway."

While I was lost in thought, Ian—who had been arguing with Heinkel the entire time—pointed a finger at me.

"This is the kid you were talking about, right?"

Ian asked.
Though his gaze was fixed on me, the question was directed at Heinkel.

"Yes. I believed he was someone my elder brother needed to see."

At Heinkel's words, a smile spread across Ian's lips.

"Yeah. He's not completely empty-headed, at least."

"And unlike that brat Delline," he added.

Heinkel gave a bitter smile at those words.
And honestly, I might have agreed.

Ian lowered himself and reached his hand toward me.

My neck.
My arms.
My shoulders.

He grabbed and examined them one by one as though appraising merchandise.

'I feel like livestock at a butcher shop.'

Just as I frowned at the emotionless sensation—

"Not very impressive."

Ian's voice sounded openly disappointed.

"You're swinging a sword your body isn't even accustomed to, so your muscles stiffen quickly, and your frame isn't developed at all. Rather than a swordsman, you've got the build of a scholar—or maybe a mage."

Ian's sharp evaluation made me flinch.

'He figured all that out just from my frame?'

They said blind people developed their remaining senses to compensate for losing sight.
Was that why his perception was so terrifyingly sharp?
I couldn't tell.

"Klein defeated an Imperial Royal Guard knight with that body."
"A Royal Guard? Someone I know?"
"Randel."
"Ha—!"

Randel.
The knight whose wrist I had severed before.

The moment his name was mentioned, Ian let out an incredulous laugh.

"That punk degenerated so far he lost to a frail bookworm like this?"

"He still seemed above the average main-house knight."
"Oh really~?"

Only after hearing that did genuine interest finally creep into Ian's voice.

"Then let's have a look."

Ian approached and grabbed my shoulder.

His hollow eyes devoid of light.
Yet the blind man's gaze was aimed precisely at my face.

"Whether you're a gemstone… or just another rock rolling around on the roadside."

And the instant those words left his mouth, I hurriedly raised my demonic energy.

In front of me, a Skeleton arm carrying a shield had already begun forming.

KWA-BOOOOM—!

An agonizing impact exploded through my back.

The wall of Heinkel's second-floor study shattered, and I was blasted straight through it, suspended midair.

'I can't survive the fall impact. Skeleton!'

Immediately, I unleashed demonic energy and formed a summoning circle at the point where I would land.

One Skeleton clasped its hands together to form a foothold, and another leapt upward using it, catching my body in midair.

Then came the fall.

Craaash—!

The Skeleton beneath me shattered apart, becoming a cushion in my place.
If I hadn't hurriedly raised demonic energy, I would have been the one smashed to pieces instead.

"Hoh? So necromancy can be used like that too?"

Ian Leinrant poked his head through the hole in the wall as he spoke.
Judging by his expression, his interest had been genuinely piqued.

'So Heinkel told him about my necromancy.'

There must have been some reason behind it.
Otherwise, there would've been no point in calling that old man back to the main house.

"I thought the lesson in nephew etiquette ended with that flick to the forehead earlier?"

I twisted my lips into a grin as I said it, and Ian's smile widened as well.

"It did. This isn't education anymore. It's confirmation."

With those words, Ian stepped outside through the hole in the mansion wall.

The reed field behind the estate—
the same place where I had previously formed a contract with Rudel Leinrant.

At some point, two swords had appeared in Ian's hands.

"Catch."

I caught the sword he tossed through the air.

Not a blunt practice weapon, but a genuine sharpened blade gleaming with killing intent.
Still wearing the same amused smile, Ian slowly drew his own sword.

"I have no intention of going easy on you like the knights around here. Come at me with everything you've got."

Confirmation, huh.
I could roughly guess why Heinkel Leinrant had summoned him to the estate.

"What kind of nonsense is this out of nowhere?"

Muttering a brief complaint, I slowly unsheathed my sword.

"If you die during the spar, don't blame me, Uncle."

Naturally, I didn't forget to provoke him either.

Claaang—!

The instant I drew my blade, Ian's sword flew toward me.

A strike without mana.
And yet he was using only one hand.

"You'd better prove you're worth all the trash you've been spouting, insolent brat."

Facing his razor-sharp grin, I knocked aside his blade.

But at the exact same moment, a second strike and then a third poured in.

'A sword path I've never seen before. Attacks from the side and front simultaneously…!'

A strange swordsmanship unlike anything used by Leinrant swordsmen.
I deflected the serpent-like thrust head-on, then immediately severed the flow using Meteor Sword.

Kiiiiing—!

A sword strike compressed into a single point and launched forward.
Ian tilted his head slightly to avoid it and let out an impressed exclamation.

"To weave Meteor Sword between consecutive attacks… even commander-class knights struggle with that, yet you do it casually…!"

He sounded impressed, but only that.

I couldn't imbue my sword with mana.
I could replicate the movements, but not the power behind them.
A half-complete swordsman who could never truly be perfected.

'Then what about this…!'

The best defense was offense.

I stepped forward aggressively to seize the initiative and simultaneously drew the sword concealed in my sheath, slashing horizontally.

"Hoh-hoh, Phantom Sword?! Well, would you look at that?!"

Kakaang—!

Only a single sword swing—
yet two shining sword trajectories appeared.

Using Rudel's technique, Phantom Sword, I attacked along two paths simultaneously.

'He blocked even that?! How…?!'

Phantom Sword.
A sword technique meant to deceive the opponent's vision.

Yet Ian neutralized it without the slightest confusion.
Spinning in place like a windmill, he knocked my sword aside.
That bizarre technique was something I had never seen before either.

"I don't even know how many decades it's been since I last blocked that technique!"

As Ian approached while saying that, I realized something too late.

"Trying to use visual deception on a blind man… truly idiotic!"

Claaang—!

Together with the rebuke, his sword thrust straight toward me.

A strike without mana.
And yet, the moment I tried to redirect it, my stance collapsed.

"Khgh?!"

Pure physical power unenhanced by mana.

'Who the hell would ever think this monster was blind?!'

Even more precise than mine despite having no sight.
Watching his sword path, I cursed inwardly.

An overwhelming powerhouse my current swordsmanship couldn't even begin to contend against.

"But!"

My weapon wasn't just the sword.
And my true nature wasn't that of a knight.

The instant my stance collapsed, I formed a summoning circle within the opening in his sword path.

Craaaagh—!

A knight clad in black armor.

The Death Knight created from the soul of Hector Ross Paul Wyvern.

Claaang—!

Unlike me, the knight's blade carried mana as it smashed into Ian's sword.

"To create something like this in such a short time… now this is quite the treasure!"

For the first time, even Ian seemed slightly surprised, and his defense opened for an instant.

'He probably opened it on purpose.'

But there was no time to hesitate.
Because my only chance lay there.

'The most effective technique right now is the one he used earlier. Remember it. Recreate it!'

I forced my mind into motion and reproduced the swordsmanship Ian had just used.

Kirikirik—?!

I straightened my blade and thrust toward him.
Like a serpent, the strange sword path twisted its way into his defense.

"This ends it—!"

Just before I unleashed my final move—

"Good. You pass."

Together with Ian's satisfied voice, an overwhelming impact slammed into my entire body.

"Khgh?!"

Overwhelming force beyond the reach of mere technique or skill.
Simply by increasing the output of the mana core in his lower abdomen, Ian blasted my attacking body far away.

Crash—!

My body rolled across the distant reed field.
The soul body of Hector I had summoned had already been blown away.

Thunk—!

Just as I hurriedly tried to stand, the sword Ian threw embedded itself beside my head.

A little closer, and it would have pierced straight through my skull.

A perfect defeat.

"Haa…! Haa…!"

As I struggled to rise with my body drenched in sweat—

"Snake Shadow Song. You perfectly reproduced the secret technique of the desert warriors in just two minutes."

Ian spoke the name of the technique I had copied before grabbing me by the collar and hauling me upright.

"Heinkel. I'm taking this one. No objections, I assume?"

By the time he said that, Heinkel had already stepped out into the reed field.
With a sigh, he nodded.

"…Fix the wall you destroyed before the day ends."
"Ah."

Naturally, even as head of the house, he hadn't forgotten to do his duty.