Leaving Selia unconscious, Leo made his way back to the mansion.
In the mansion’s living room, Reina and Zis were engaged in conversation.
Knights from the Zerdingher family surrounded them.
When Reina spotted her son, she smiled and inquired, “Have you completed your training for today?”
“Yes, Mother,” Leo replied.
In response to Reina’s question, Leo briefly glanced at Zis.
‘Zerdingher, huh. Truly remarkable.’
Even in his previous life, encountering a warrior of such skill was rare.
‘The name of a noble family isn’t without merit, it seems.’
“Leo, allow me to introduce you to Zis Zerdingher. He’s a guest who has come to visit our family.”
“My name is Leo Plov.”
“I’m Zis Zerdingher. You probably already know, but I’m your uncle. Feel free to be informal.”
“What do you mean by ‘be informal’?”
“What do I mean? Well…”
“I may have Zerdingher blood in me, but I am not a Zerdingher.”
Leo drew a clear boundary, which caused Zis’s eyes to sparkle and Reina to lower her head.
‘Our son really lacks a sense of charm.’
Zis Zerdingher.
He currently holds the position of sub-head of the Zerdingher family and is second in the official power hierarchy.
Normally, someone of Leo’s age would be thrilled to address such a person as ‘Uncle.’
However, while they may share a bloodline, they are strangers in terms of lineage.
The rules of the Zerdingher family are exceedingly strict.
This is why Reina did not introduce Zis as Leo’s uncle, and Leo had suspected as much.
“In formal settings, I won’t be able to address you as my nephew.”
“I understand.”
Zis chuckled in response to Leo’s curt reply.
“You don’t seem like my sister’s son.”
“Ho ho ho. What do you mean by that?”
Reina asked, playfully stepping on Zis’s foot as she laughed.
“Leo, did you happen to see a girl named Selia at the training grounds?”
“Her?”
Leo glanced towards the mansion’s front gate.
Selia was being carried in on a stretcher, foaming at the mouth.
“Ah! Miss!”
“What’s going on!”
The Zerdingher knights were shocked.
“Huh.”
Zis exclaimed.
‘He defeated Selia without even mastering aura?’
“Hwiton, what happened?”
Upon Zis’s inquiry, Hwiton explained the events at the training ground.
Zis lowered his head after hearing the account.
The cause of Selia’s defeat was evident.
‘Arrogance.’
Selia had underestimated Leo due to his lack of aura.
Logically speaking, it wasn’t an entirely unfounded assumption. The power disparity between aura users and non-users is significant.
However, Selia’s overconfidence had led to her downfall.
‘And that’s not the Zerdingher way.’
Zis stood before Leo.
“You defeated Selia; that’s quite impressive.”
“She underestimated me.”
“Yes, but it seems you and Selia had a wager.”
“Yes. Selia Zerdingher and I made a bet that the loser would serve the winner.”
“What!”
“Is that even allowed?”
The Zerdingher knights bristled as if such an arrangement were unacceptable.
A direct descendant of Zerdingher becoming a servant?
The Zerdingher knights glared at Leo.
However, Leo remained unfazed.
“From now on, Selia Zerdingher will be my servant for one week.”
Reina couldn’t help but chuckle. Her son had always been all-in, but she hadn’t expected him to make such a bold statement while the Zerdingher knights glared at him.
‘Who’s going to rein in that personality?’
Meanwhile, Zis let out a soft laugh.
“Selia is a Zerdingher. You can’t just assign her servant work.”
He seemed to brush it off lightly.
“I’d like to honor the bet. However, let me propose something else. How about…”
Zis stroked his chin in thought.
“Access to our family’s advanced aura techniques?”
“I decline.”
“What?”
“This bet was a pact between Selia Zerdingher and me.”
Leo cast a brief glance at Selia.
“Lord Zis referred to her as ‘Zerdingher.’ If you bear the name of a noble lineage, you must take responsibility for your words.”
After shifting his gaze, Leo locked eyes with Zis once more.
“Even if we negotiate, it’s something she and I should handle. And…”
Leo emphasized his point.
“If the Aura Technique serves merely as an excuse to prevent your niece from being humiliated, then I see no value in learning it.”
The knights were furious, sparks flying from their eyes.
“Unacceptable!”
“How dare you insult Zerdingher!”
The knights shouted.
Seeing their outrage, Hwiton reprimanded them.
“Why raise your voices now?”
“But, Sir!”
“There’s no reason to stay silent after hearing such things!”
“Nevertheless…”
Reina, who had been observing the situation, shook her head with a blank expression.
“It seems the standards of Zerdingher have declined significantly while I was away.”
“Even if you were once Zerdingher, that’s crossing the line!”
A knight warned.
Hwiton’s eyes filled with anger.
“How dare you!”
Just as Hwiton was about to erupt in anger, Reina raised her hand to stop him.
She then positioned herself in front of the knights.
“Crossing the line? Then let me ask you, who do you think you are to intervene in a conversation with the head of the family?”
Confusion clouded the faces of the knights at her icy question.
“Well, that is…”
“I may have left the family, but Zerdingher still remains a proud heritage to me. So, I must speak.”
An ice-cold aura emanated from Reina.
“Interfering in a conversation between the head of the family? Are you knights or just barking beasts, irrelevantly making noise?”
“Gasp!”
The knights swallowed their breaths.
Reina’s authority closely resembled that of the head of the family.
Zis, who had been quietly observing, spoke in a gentle voice.
“Sir Hwiton.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“It seems these men are still unworthy of being called Zerdingher knights.”
“I understand.”
The knights’ faces turned pale as Hwiton sternly led them away.
“Isn’t revoking their knighthood a bit too severe?”
Knowing how difficult it was to attain Zerdingher knighthood, Reina gently scolded.
“My sister is correct; no incorrect words were spoken. Knighthood would be wasted on such behavior.”
Zis smiled gently.
He was a man who would gracefully overlook his subordinates’ mistakes.
However, if mistakes persisted, he’d sever ties without hesitation.
The knights should have realized their wrongs when Reina warned them.
After the storm had passed, Zis turned his attention back to Leo.
“Leo Plov. You declared that you would treat a direct descendant of Zerdingher as a servant and stated that the Aura Technique holds no value. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you think those statements were rash?”
Zis asked in a gentle tone.
Reina observed quietly.
Zis was responsible for educating the younger generation of the Zerdingher family, the mentor to all Zerdingher children. Thus, he had a keen eye for assessing potential.
‘He’s probably evaluating Leo’s potential right now.’
By Zis’s standards, Leo likely had already passed.
Yet, he continued to challenge Leo. Why?
It’s because he hasn’t yet determined the depths of Leo’s capabilities.
Leo also understands Zis’s intentions.
So he chuckled to himself.
“If you took it as an affront to Zerdingher, I apologize. But I didn’t intend to disrespect Zerdingher.”
“Isn’t it offensive to suggest that you’d reduce a direct member of the family to a servant and that the family’s Aura Technique holds no value?”
“The issue with Selia Zerdingher, as I mentioned previously, is a matter between her and me. If she truly embodies the Zerdingher name, she should be able to take responsibility for her own words.”
“Hmm?”
Zis nodded in agreement.
“Stating that the Aura Technique holds no value does not imply inadequacy in Zerdingher’s Aura Technique.”
“Then what?”
“If you, Lord Zis, had granted me the Aura Technique as a reward for defeating Selia, I would have accepted with gratitude.”
A slow smile began to form on Zis’s lips.
“But Lord Zis, you are offering me the Aura Technique to mitigate Selia’s error, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“You believe that if Selia had been more vigilant, she wouldn’t have lost to me.”
He asserted this, tilting his chin upward.
“Even if Selia had approached the duel seriously, I would still have emerged victorious.”
‘In essence… you declined because you disapproved of my attitude? Haha, what an intriguing personality.’
He couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Turning his gaze towards Reina, he saw her smiling as if to say, “You see?”
‘I comprehend what my sister is implying.’
Zis chuckled as he observed Leo, who boldly met his gaze.
‘What an expansive potential he possesses. If only he were a Zerdingher!’
Zerdingher would have acquired another hero.
‘I should inform my brother.’
This is a young individual whom the family should nurture.
“Escort Selia to the maidservants’ quarters.”
“Of course, Master!”
The servants tending to Selia looked bewildered.
“It’s an order.”
The servants hesitantly escorted Selia to the maidservants’ quarters.
“I understand your perspective. I will comply with your wishes.”
“Yes, Lord Zis.”
“Leo, when I stated earlier that I wouldn’t acknowledge you as my nephew in public, it also means I will regard you as my nephew in private.”
Zis offered a warm smile.
Regardless of Leo’s vessel, he displayed sincerity.
Understanding this, Leo willingly concurred.
“Yes, Uncle.”
“Very well. You appear fatigued from your training, so go and rest.”
“Have a peaceful night.”
Leo bowed his head.
“May your night be peaceful as well, Mother.”
“Very well, rest comfortably, Leo.”
After Leo departed, the two were left alone.
“Sister.”
“Yes?”
“I will attempt to persuade our brother to permit Leo to learn the ‘Phoenix Breath.'”
“Phoenix Breath?”
The symbol of Zerdingher is a blazing flame.
True to that symbol, Zerdingher’s Aura takes the form of fire.
Among them, Phoenix Breath held a unique place.
The first head of the Zerdingher family had perfected this Aura after consuming the blood of a phoenix.
All of the family’s aura techniques originate from Phoenix Breath.
Its potency alone established Zerdingher as a prestigious lineage.
Hence, only those acknowledged within the bloodline are allowed to master it.
Reina couldn’t help but express surprise that Phoenix Breath was even under consideration.
“Yes. However, whether our brother will grant permission remains uncertain.”
Zis spoke earnestly.
“But Leo embodies the spirit of a Zerdingher more than anyone else.”
His swordsmanship prowess that vanquished Selia.
An immense potential beyond measurement.
“So, we require a compelling reason to convince him.”
“You don’t mean…”
“Yes.”
Zis nodded affirmatively.
“He will enroll at Lumeren.”
“That’s perilous.”
Anyone with a passion for heroes aspired to join Lumeren.
However, admission to Lumeren demanded thorough preparation.
It was said that every student at Lumeren was a prodigy.
Nonetheless, very few managed to graduate.
They didn’t expel students who fell behind; instead, they supported them to progress.
However, if a student couldn’t keep up with the coursework, they faced two options: dropping out or death.
Life at Lumeren was grueling, and the entrance examination was equally brutal.
The examination was conducted in live combat, and each year, some lost their lives during this ordeal.
That’s why Reina hoped that Leo would first master the Aura Technique before attempting the entrance exam.
“Leo may excel in duels but has limitations in real combat.”
“There’s abundant potential. To persuade our brother, there’s no alternative.”
Zis clenched his fist.
“Sister, what do you envision for Leo’s future?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you wish for him to become a hero?”
“If that’s the path he desires.”
“Then we cannot select only the safe routes. Confronting challenges won’t be detrimental.”
“…”
“What is your decision?”
Reina closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“I will respect Leo’s choice.”
“He will undoubtedly accept.”
Zis was confident.
“That child possesses unwavering determination.”
Recalling Leo’s resolute gaze, Zis smiled.
‘Heh heh. I am eagerly anticipating it.’
Cliche Novel 