The Pareira estate is a small but wealthy one.

Due to the close proximity to two kingdoms, it had a high volume of trade, and the situation improved after Baron Harun Pareira took up the role of Lord and brought in Guilds.

In addition, thanks to the daughter, who is a promising sorcerer named Kirill Pareira, the status of their family was much higher than before.

That made the surrounding estates jealous.

Im sure that Viscount Gairn

Marcuss expression hardened.

Even though the five estates around them kept checking on them, the Gairns were particularly severe.

For them, who served as the head of the southernmost region of the Hale Kingdom, the Pareira family wasnt welcomed.

And now.

The most vulnerable prey of the Pareira family was in the wagon alone.

I wish we would just pass by them

Of course, that wouldnt be possible. Whatever the circumstances, the six southern estates of the Hale Kingdom have a friendly relationship.

And when two families of close distance meet, just passing by them wouldnt be polite.

Unsurprisingly, the wagon on the other side slowed down and approached. The wagon of the Pareira family, too, slowed down.

A strange tension rose between the two wagons, which stopped at a safe distance.

Moments later, two figures appeared from Gairn Viscounts wagon.

Shit!

Aaron Gairn!

The servant gulped.

Aaron was the second son of Viscount Gairn, who was a year younger than Irene.

However, in terms of personality, he was far worse than adults.

In fact, whenever he visited the Pareira estate, he would constantly ignore Irene.

And when the Lord got angry at Aaron for crossing the line, the young one would often run away like a loach, saying that he acted like that because he was still young and didnt know better.

In other words, he was the worst person Irene had to face.

young lord, did you hear?

Yes.

Its the Gairn family. Young lord Aaron Gairn and Sir Jack Stewart got off the wagon.

Will you stay inside the wagon?

Marcus asked.

It would be rude to not show his face, but he could make up an excuse that Irene was ill and couldnt greet them.

Rather, for Marcus, it was more important that his young lord doesnt get offended.

As he was thinking, Irene shook his head.

Its fine. It wouldnt be polite.

yes.

Hes definitely changed.

He was still expressionless and said little.

But it was different from before. It couldnt be explained in detail, but but he felt stronger.

Marcus clenched his fists. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he opened the wagon door.

He looked after the young lord who followed him.

Soon after, he met Aaron Gairn, the second son of the viscount, and greeted him.

I greet young lord Aarin Gairn and Sir Jack Stewart.

Uh yes.

Aaron Gairn replied with a slightly startled expression.

Even Jack Stewart and the other men behind him had the same face.

It was because the physique of Irene, who was too lean before, was larger.

Aaron Gairn thought.

Tall did he grow taller? No, I think that his body has improved.

It was a sloppy body no more.

However, this made Aaron feel even worse. The muscles he could see over the clothes made him ever flustered.

It has been only a year since he went to swordsmanship school, and he changed like this?

Of course, there was nothing more shocking than that.

He was just a little perplexed. Wasnt it natural to be shocked seeing a guy who was supposed to be a weakling for the rest of his life improve?

He quickly changed his expression and asked with a smile.

Are you coming from the Krono Swordsmanship School?

Yes, that is right. For some reason, I see that the Gairn family is coming from our estate

Ahh, I was out running an errand for my father. But it has been a while. Nice to meet you, Irene?

Yes.

Woah, it looks like Krono is good at teaching. Irene changed so much that I dont even

Aaron was a year younger, but he didnt use honorific terms. It wasnt strange.

It was because of the difference between a Barons son and a Viscounts son, and there were many cases where they were called friends with just a year difference between them.

Of course, the two werent close at all. Aarons tone was rather ignorant and bewildering for others.

It still is.

Well, are you going to continue practicing swordsmanship in the future?

probably.

Probably? Well, it must be a little odd to learn from other places. And you even started so late.

That damned boy!

Marcus was furious.

He felt agitated about how ignorantly he was speaking with his young lord and the fact that he thinks that Irene failed Krono.

Its been a long time since even the servants forgot that Irene couldnt get along with others.

However, Aaron Gairn didnt even think before speaking.

The way he talked, his expression, from head to toe, everything!

Maybe, everyone in the Pareira family had the same agitation towards Aaron.

However, Irene wasnt agitated.

Maybe true.

Uh?

Is there anything else you need to say?

Uh

If there is nothing else, Im going to move. It has been a long journey. I want to get some rest.

Jack Stewart, who was standing behind Aaron, was once again shocked to see Irene speak so calmly. So was Aaron.

However, his emotions were more of annoyance than surprise.

How dare he!

The one across from him had changed.

It was a short interaction, but he knew it.

Irene wasnt the same as before.

The former Irene couldnt even make eye contact with him, and he would never answer so straightforwardly.

He would always make excuses to get away from Aaron.

Perhaps that was the only effort that Irene made in his former life.

But,

Why.

Why wasnt he the same now?

Why was he standing in front of Aaron and saying everything he wanted to?

Where was the deadbeat noble? With just a little struggle, didnt he get kicked out of the swordsmanship school after a year and was returning to his family?

The moment that thought passed his mind, Aaron Gairn vowed to not let him go.

Hold on.

?

Ah, its nothing. Lets shake hands before we go.

Now?

This!

His expression almost distorted at Irenes question, but Aaron forced a smile. And continued talking.

Did you know? Did you know that swordsmen can tell each others skills just by holding hands?

This is my first time hearing this.

Oh my, you dont have enough information because you have been inside the estate for too long. Sir Louis Sogard, a famous swordsman, said that. In fact, there is nothing more important than grip strength in swordsmanship, so this is obvious. Isnt that right, Sir Jack?

That is right.

Look. Even the best knight in our family says so.

As a senior who learned swordsmanship for six more years than you, Ill take a look at how much your skills have improved.

Aaron Gairn stretched out his right hand as soon as he finished speaking.

Marcuss expression twitched as he watched it. Jack Stewart watched the situation with a little bit of curiosity.

And Irene Pareira.

After a while of thinking, without saying another word, he took the other persons hand.

Aaron, who saw it, was filled with joy and immediately gave strength to his hand.

Ah! If I use too much strength, he will remove his hand right away. Should I do it slowly uh?

Something was strange?

It was the expression on Aarons face. He looked at Irene with eyes that said that it cant be.

The moment their hands met, he knew that it wasnt going to be easy.

A sturdy hand that didnt even twitch.

The second son of Viscount Gairn felt anxious and put in a bit more strength.

At that, Irene just watched silently.

What do I do?

As said before, Irene wasnt stupid. He knew how to clearly distinguish between ridicule, disregard, and coldness from people.

It wasnt because it didnt hurt, but it was because it didnt even matter.

Even before scabs formed on his hands, the gazes of those around him were a bigger wound to Irene, and those wounds never healed.

He hid himself in sleep and the dark so the wounds wouldnt get infected.

A life of running away.

Do I still need to run away?

No. It wasnt like that.

If it was his former self, Irene would have surely run away. For him, there were a few opponents who were fearful, terrifying, and tenacious like Aaron.

For Irene, the opponent in front of him was like a natural enemy.

But not anymore.

Having received advice from Ilya Lindsay, Bratt Lloyd, Judith, and many other trainees, he didnt feel any fear towards Aaron.

Then, should I fight?

He didnt know the answer.

After the final interview with the school master, the boy began to differentiate between his own power and the power of the man in his dreams.

The more he pondered, the clearer the answer was.

That his current growth wasnt because of his own abilities, but only because of the dreams. And that Irene was just sitting silently.

The boy didnt have the confidence to corner an opponent. He didnt change that much.

Eiikk

The handshake continued as Irene kept thinking. Irene didnt even realize that Aaron was struggling.

Aaron wanted to see a wrinkled expression on Irenes face. To at least hear him groan in pain.

However, Irene was at peace.

It wasnt just his body, he continued contemplating and contemplated some more. There were just too many thoughts that were unresolved for Irene.

But Irene decided on how to deal with the current situation.

At least

His gaze looked at the opponents hand.

There is no need to be arrogant, right?

He looked into Aarons eyes.

Pressure which neither hides nor escapes.

It came out involuntarily. Of course, there was a difference between Irene and what Ahmed or Ilya Lindsay had shown.

However, this was enough.

Aaron Gairn jumped back in surprise.

ugh!

His face soon turned red.

It was because his pride was hurt, and he felt ashamed.

Did I withdraw my hand first?

He didnt want to admit it.

However, he couldnt fool himself. He knew that very well.

Before that, he couldnt overpower the opponent with his own strength.

He was curious.

How did it happen? How did the deadbeat noble, who was nothing more than human garbage, create such pressure?

Was a year enough for such a lowly person to change? Or was he overthinking it?

However, there was something else he was feeling.

I want to run away.

Fear.

He was now feeling the same emotions that Irene felt a year ago.

But

He couldnt do that.

If he stepped back like this, he couldnt save his face.

He couldnt go back to the wagon because he was worried about what Irene would say when he returned to the Pareira mansion and what the servants behind Aaron would say behind his back.

Even the black cat, which was watching them from the grass in the fields, was annoying.

Anxiety spread over him that even animals would make fun of him.

At that moment, Jack Stewart, who had been silent until then, opened his mouth.

Young lord?

Uh, huh?

Young lord Irene Pareira said that he wanted to relieve his body by getting home. It wouldnt be polite to hold him here.

Ah, Is-is that so?

It is. Wouldnt it be?

The knight looked at Irene, and the boy nodded. Then Jack bowed.

Then we will start moving too.

ah, right. Ah! Irene, it seems like you turned out to be quite good. Of course, well need a real match to find out!

Then, Ill be leaving!

Watching the two of them say their goodbyes, Irene didnt even respond to them. The servants and soldiers who pulled the wagon were all polite and bowed.

However, Marcus seemed pissed.

That lowly bastard!

The results werent bad, and it was clear what that kids intention was right from the beginning.

That guy was anxious to disgrace his young lord, and Jack Stewart, who clearly knew the kids intention, didnt even stop his own young lord, they are all the same lowly kind.

Of course, he couldnt speak out. Because he didnt have a title, nor was he in a situation to speak out.

In the end, all he could do was sigh.

It was time for them to return to their wagon.

Hes good at escaping because hes scared.

?

A sudden, provocative remark.

Aaron Gairn, who was returning to his wagon, turned and looked wide-eyed when someone said that about him.

How dare you!

He couldnt remember any feelings of anxiety or fear he felt a moment back. Everything he felt was replaced by rage.

How dare someone say such a thing about him, the son of the Gairn family?

What kind of messed-up person would say that!

The answer came out right away.

Its me. What will you do?

Uh?

Peoples attention that was on Aaron, who wasnt that tall, was redirected to a voice that came from a lower position.

A black cat.

A small cute creature that looked like a wild animal, standing on two legs, added more words.

What are you staring at?

A talking cat.

A word popped into the minds of everyone who encountered the impossible.

Sorcerer!