Chapter 2

"――It was just a kid's fight, right?"

Later. I was practicing magic in a corner of the yard when my father, Henry, spotted me and called me to the study.

Daryl had cried to his mother, Kathryn, and Kathryn had cried to Father.

"Did you hear that you toyed with him using magic?"

Father seemed to have no intention of recounting the detailed story he heard from Kathryn. He probably intended to piece together the truth by comparing his account with mine.

Kathryn must have exaggerated the story. Daryl likely embellished it when he told Kathryn, so the story must have grown wings and fins by the time it reached Father.

He probably thinks that even if I defend myself, he will only believe his side of the story.

"They were the ones who pushed me into the ditch first. I did fire a warning shot at their feet, but Daryl was the first to throw a stone at me. I was just defending myself. Are you saying I should have let them hit me with stones and endured it?"

I have no guilt. I really think it was just a kid's fight, and from my current perspective, it was like I was just patting them on the head.

If I had used my full strength, even a basic spell would have felt like it could cause fatalities. I felt that way even while practicing.

After all, I still have the magical knowledge and the sense of manipulating magic from my memories. The only thing I think I lack is the absolute amount of magic power, but I know how to increase it.

"However, Theodor"

"…Do you want me to show you the evidence?"

"Do you have any?"

I shrugged, took off my jacket, and showed him my back.

"…This is…"

I could tell Father's voice tensed. There should be a few relatively new bruises on my back. Not countless, but an unnatural number to claim they were from being hit.

"Don't tell me that using violence to counter violence is wrong. I was just defending myself. If you think about the future, it was inevitable that I would have to do something like this at some point. I would like to be praised for not going too far and settling it at the level of a kid's fight."

I emphasized the part about it being just a kid's fight.

"…I understand. I'll talk to Byron and Daryl."

"If so, then to Lady Kathryn as well."

"…What?"

Father's expression changed.

"That's right. If you didn't educate them that way, who was fanning the hatred towards me? It should be obvious."

"Did… Did Kathryn hit you directly…?"

"Not exactly, but she gave me a riding crop. It was the day before yesterday, so I think the bruises are still on my back. Also, she seems to have been restraining Grace's actions. She told me she was using Grace's ring. I was a bit surprised when Grace told me."

Father's eyes widened slightly. He didn't re-examine my back, probably because he recognized the marks from earlier.

The fact that Grace's actions were restrained seemed to be a surprise to him, and he put his hand on his forehead as if to suppress a headache.

For example, preventing her from helping me. Preventing her from reporting to Father. If the master has malicious intent, the ring Grace wears constantly can be used to command such things.

Originally, it was designed to eliminate weaknesses in exchange for suppressing racial advantages. In practice, it's a derivative of a spell to prevent disobedience, escape, or rebellion during a slave contract. By accepting and controlling it, she is allowed to live in human society and blend in with daily life.

Theodore Dampier… a half-human, half-vampire. The "masters" who can command her with the ring are three people: Father, my late mother, and Kathryn. Only those three. Byron and Daryl are not allowed.

That makes sense. No matter how foolish Kathryn might be, she wouldn't be so stupid as to let her children have control over her.

"…I'm sorry I didn't notice, Theodor."

"It's fine. You're busy, after all."

I said this as emotionlessly as possible, and he gave me an awkward smile.

"Is there… anything you want me to do?"

"…I think it would be better if we could live somewhere separate and quietly. It would be more reassuring for you than the current tightrope situation of living under the same roof with people who hate me. Most of the servants are on Lady Kathryn's side. Grace is practically the only one on my side, and to be honest, it's been like sitting on a bed of nails since I came here."

"…I'll think about it."

I'm a bit worried that Father might get a hole in his stomach. But this is the time to say everything I've been holding back.

"Oh, personally, I'd like to go to Termwillis."

"Why?"

"I think I've reached the limit of learning magic by reading books in the study on my own. I'm sure I'll make progress there. It's a somewhat dangerous place, so I think Lady Kathryn and those two would agree."

Father let out a long sigh.

"…I've misjudged you and the family a lot, Theodor. I didn't think you were this articulate… about magic and everything else."

"I was wearing a mask. I didn't want to be disliked by you, Father."

The part about wearing a mask is true for me, but not for them.

Magic isn't something I can do without incantations just by reading books in the study. Before my memories from my past life returned, I could only manage basic spells with incantations.

But let's just leave it at that. Children can suddenly act out or snap, after all.

In conclusion, my request was easily granted.

The border city of Termwillis. Or the labyrinth city of Termwillis, either way, I'm on a carriage heading to that city.

Father has arranged a considerable amount of funds, connections in the city, and guards for the journey. I don't want to rely too much on him, and I don't want to strengthen the ties with my family, so I think of it as a severance package.

I also refused to use the Gartner family's villa in Termwillis, as I didn't want to face my family there. I can see the criticism coming if I use the villa.

There are still some of Father's acquaintances there, so it won't be a complete break, but the fewer constraints, the better.

Now, the labyrinth in Termwillis is said to be connected to another world.

It changes its structure and pathways with the phases of the moon… a living labyrinth. It's called the Great Labyrinth of Termwillis. Valuable treasures from the other world can be found deep within, but the deepest parts remain unexplored because no one who has reached them has ever returned.

In BFO, the deeper parts were added through updates. So, I don't know what the deepest parts of that labyrinth are like.

Still, the shallower levels aren't that threatening. I think it's a perfect place to experiment and hone my skills. If I can't handle it, then I don't belong there anyway.

If it comes to that, I have a plan. Living with the Gartner family would be worse.

There are several reasons why I chose Termwillis as my destination… one of them is that a child who can use magic can blend in relatively easily. Termwillis is a place where people of various races gather because of the labyrinth. Apprentices to magicians aren't rare, and with the strong martial spirit, skill is naturally recognized. I'll just play it by ear.

The reason I told Father I wanted to learn magic there isn't a lie. The magic Kagehisa learned is heavily biased towards combat, and it's not very practical for daily life, so I'd like to learn more versatile spells.

"Is this good for Grace? It was a chance to leave the house and be free."

"I'm attached to Theodor. Since I was taken in by Lady Lisa, I decided to serve her and Theodor for life. Or are you saying I'm in the way?"

Grace, sitting across from me in the carriage, said this and looked down. Lisa is my biological mother, who died of illness.

Grace was taken in by my mother when she was in trouble, and she feels a deep sense of gratitude towards her.

Because of this, Grace strongly requested to accompany me when I decided to go to Termwillis.

"No, that's not it. I rely on you. I feel bad for not being able to talk about magic with you."

"No, I'm the one who feels bad for not being able to protect you from those two. I'm grateful that you allowed me to accompany you."

"Protecting" is difficult for Grace by nature. She's not good at stopping people. She's either on or off. It's even more so when it comes to her employer or their children.

If she had tried to protect me directly, she would have had to be a barrier, which I don't want.

Kathryn and the others were focused on tormenting me, so I'm glad the attention didn't turn to Grace. I also tried to keep her out of it to protect her from harm.

There was also a childish sense of pride that I didn't want her, whom I think of as a sister, to know I was being bullied… but that seems like a long time ago now.

Still, Kathryn was afraid of Grace, so it might have been a groundless worry.

"I'll prove my worth this time. Please let Grace stay by your side."

Now, I'm the only one who can manage the curse device. I'm the only one who can command Grace.

She's eager to fight if the curse device's restrictions are removed. I haven't seen it in action, but I'll ask her about her weapon.

"What weapon do you use, Grace?"

"A battle axe."

…A battle axe?

"A battle axe?"

"Yes. It's like this."

She pulled out a heavy package from under the carriage seat. Inside was a double-bladed axe called a Labrys.

The blade is thick and large, but the handle is short, making it unbalanced.

A thick chain extends from the pommel. It seems to be a weapon used by swinging it with brute force at close range and throwing it with the chain at a distance.

There were two of these unique weapons. Does she use them in a dual-wield style?

Also… it's wild or something.

She looks like a delicate young girl, but when the restrictions are removed, she can unleash incredible strength. That's why she's either one or the other.

When bound by the curse device, she has the physical capabilities of a normal girl, but when released, she can display strength on par with a vampire.

If I say I'm going to the labyrinth, she'll probably follow… Her skills are unknown to me, and she doesn't know my magical abilities, so it's hard to say what will happen.

But with these weapons, she seems ready to fight if necessary.

Even with the restrictions, she has indirectly protected me in various ways. It might be that they think it's too risky to let me go to Termwillis alone, not just Grace, but Father as well.

It's a problem if I'm overprotected, but people's impressions don't change easily, so I have to tolerate it for now. I'm trying to make Father think I've gone wild and snapped by showing a drastic change.

I can gradually change the impression I've given so far.