Chapter 81

Part 6: I Am a Knight Student from Today (1)

Before the tea party ended, the queen surprised me again.

"The princess will attend the knight academy from tomorrow."

"Really?"

Surprised by the sudden announcement, I blurted out a response, but the queen didn't seem upset. Instead, she kindly explained the reason.

"Since you've obtained the maternal abilities, you need to be trained by Katrin."

That made sense.

"Moreover, you have other abilities, and you need someone to practice with to improve your skills."

Is she talking about me?

"Even though it's known that you didn't inherit the royal abilities, some people will still attack you recklessly, thinking you've been removed from the line of succession."

The queen was right. I had experienced it several times.

"There will also be field training, and I want you to be protected. I'll leave it to you."

Ah, so that's why she gave me the recommendation letter.

It seemed my bodyguard duties were about to begin.

After being shocked multiple times, I left the palace in a daze.

Once Katrin and I left the inner city by carriage, I finally came to my senses and asked her.

"Is the princess in such danger that you need to use me?"

"Yes. Even when the king was healthy, she was attacked several times. It was easy to fend them off because we were inside the palace."

Indeed, the palace was a scary place.

"If it gets to the point where the king collapses or passes away, it will be difficult to protect her even inside the palace."

"That's why, while the king is still able to move, the princess is being sent to the academy to distance her from the scrutiny of her brothers."

The king looked like he could collapse at any moment, and now that the princess has awakened, she clearly needs protection.

"We need to protect the princess."

Hmm, it seems I'm now fully part of this 'we.'

Not long after leaving the inner city, the carriage stopped.

We had arrived at the Latenhamar Viscount's residence, Katrin's maternal home.

The mansion was very beautiful.

While it was smaller in scale than the mansion in our duchy, it was much larger than the duke's 'villa' in the capital.

The viscount, unlike the Duke of Gresia, was a central noble based in the capital, and the size of his mansion in the city center alone indicated the viscount's influence.

We were led by the butler to the viscount's study.

"Welcome. I am Viscount Latenhamar."

An elderly man, still looking robust, sat on the sofa and scanned me as I entered.

He had almost no hair, sharp eyes, and a sturdy build.

At first glance, he was a proper noble.

I replied to his greeting.

"I am Alex."

A proper noble also meant someone who strictly adhered to class distinctions.

There was no need to frown by unnecessarily giving my full name.

After scanning me, he immediately asked Katrin.

"Did the awakening ceremony go well?"

"Yes, it went as planned."

Katrin answered in a stiff tone.

"As planned... Good to hear."

Their conversation sounded more like that of a boss and subordinate rather than a father and daughter.

This was common among proper nobles, so it didn't seem particularly special.

The viscount turned his gaze to me after hearing her answer.

Instead of inviting me to sit, he brought up another topic.

"I heard you received a lot of help from Katrin in obtaining the ancestral relic."

"I merely fulfilled the contract. I received adequate compensation."

"Compensation, huh. That includes the ancestral dagger, right?"

Dagger? He brings up the dagger when talking about compensation...

Is the old man not only a noble but also greedy?

I glanced at Katrin.

She had a stern face but subtly moved her fingers at my signal.

It was a mercenary's way of signaling a positive response.

The dagger was more of a gift from her, but it seemed to be part of the compensation.

"Due to the contract, I can't discuss that part. However, the dagger is currently my property."

There was no need to lie. It was enough to use the contract as an excuse and let him misunderstand.

"Ah, so it was compensation."

Indeed, he misunderstood right away.

"I understand. Please continue to assist Katrin and Princess Aisha well."

"I will keep that in mind."

I immediately responded to the clear dismissal.

"Katrin, stay for a moment."

I was sent out of the room alone, and a waiting maid guided me.

"Where are we going?"

"Miss Katrin asked me to guide you to the training ground."

Ah, after using my brain, it's time to use my body.

I followed the maid to the training ground.

The training ground was unusually located in the basement of the building.

Given the size of the mansion, it would have been difficult to build a training ground outside in the complex capital.

The training ground was surrounded by solid stone walls.

The stones were not ordinary.

"It feels like it was built with money."

Additionally, there was a sofa and a table on one side, allowing one to sit and drink tea served by a maid.

Drinking tea in a sweaty training ground was a cultural shock I experienced for the first time in the capital.

Various thoughts raced through my mind.

The royals I saw at the awakening ceremony today, the viscount I just met.

None of them were people I could easily deal with.

Although I am the son of the Duke of Gresia and have awakened, I am just a half-blood bastard.

I thought I had managed to get by in the duchy, but it was nothing compared to the capital.

Being a bastard was a more despised position, and the class hierarchy was not just broken but non-existent.

The queen and princess keeping me close was likely because I was a bastard.

My position was enough to be ignored by the two princes.

Objectively, it was a daunting situation, but I remained calm.

The viscount's greed for the dagger didn't scare me, nor did the two princes or the king.

The fear had disappeared due to my experience of coming back from the dead, but it was also because of my confidence in my ability to overcome death.

While lost in thought, Katrin entered the underground training ground.

She approached me and apologized.

"Sorry. I didn't know the viscount was interested in the dagger. I'll apologize on his behalf. Actually, bringing you here was a mistake."

It was a typical apology from her.

"Until yesterday, he didn't even mention the dagger. I thought he was just curious about Alex."

Yesterday, the dagger's effects were not yet confirmed, so he probably didn't mention it.

Or perhaps it was due to her perfectionist personality.

"It's okay. The dagger is in my possession now. If any problems arise later, I'll ask for your help."

"Sure. I'll definitely help you."

I thought she had become a bit softer since coming to the capital, but her personality hadn't changed.

She seemed quite frustrating at first, but now she doesn't seem so bad. Maybe it's because I feel she's on my side.

"You must think of it as a family heirloom. I understand."

Katrin sighed softly at my words.

"He wasn't like this before. He seems to have become more anxious since the king's health declined."

With the wrong choice, the entire family could be destroyed, so it's understandable that he's anxious.

"Do you know everything about the princess's situation?"

Katrin bit her lip at my question.

"...No. I haven't told him about the two abilities. I don't plan to tell him for a while."

Huh? You're not telling your father what you told me?

She spoke with a gloomy expression.

"I made a promise to the queen. If the princess gains the royal abilities, it should be kept secret from those who might be greedy."

Oh, so the greed for the dagger has caused a rift between the daughters.

"The princess is still young. She needs time."

Indeed, she needs time to fight her brothers.

Of course, if the king dies and a civil war breaks out, it would be meaningless.

From the princess's and the queen's perspective, this might be the best course of action.

"Then, who else knows everything?"

There were more people who knew than I expected. After all, I found out, so it's natural that others did too.

"Only my father knows about the dagger's awakening ability. The queen, the princess, and I know everything. And you."

"Me? Why me? What makes me trustworthy...?"

I can fix mistakes, but that's something only I know.

If even my father doesn't trust me, how can he trust me?

She answered my question.

"You made a contract with me. And I've been checking."

Ah, the contract. We made a contract to keep secrets.

However, based on my experience with countless contracts in my past life, this one had many loopholes.

"I made a decision after considering various factors. The queen and I are confident that Alex is trustworthy."

Katrin looked at me intently.

Her eyes sparkled. Is this what it looks like when someone trusts you?

It felt like something was poking my heart.

Well, I don't have any plans to betray them right now.

I averted my gaze slightly.

"I understand. But weren't we supposed to have a proper sparring session?"

"Ah, right. Are you ready to spar?"

"Yes. I need to check as well."

I drew the dagger.

I intended to confirm whether the queen, the princess, and Katrin were people who would use me and then discard me.

As long as I don't die, I have plenty of time to check.

Ultimately, I decided to stay and see how things go.

Katrin raised her shield and sword.

Steam rose from her sword and shield, and a red aura visible only to me surged from my sword.

"Let's start."

"Sure!"

We were both in formal attire, but so what? It happens sometimes.

Bang!

Whoosh!

We swung our shimmering swords at each other.

* * *

The sparring session ended pleasantly.

The only downside was that one of my few formal outfits was cut.

Her ability, which included the use of a shield, was truly terrifying.

Thanks to her ability, the shield seemed to change size freely.

If she continues to grow, she might be able to protect not just herself but multiple people.

The aura from her sword also seemed stronger.

If I had the same skills as during the dungeon, I would have been easily defeated.

However, this sparring session could be considered a draw.

While using abilities isn't the same as real combat, it was enough to give me confidence in my skills.

"I still need to work harder."

I felt like I was easily drawn into unnecessary situations, so I couldn't afford to be complacent.

After the sparring session, she stayed at the mansion, and I headed to the academy.