Chapter 4

The Marquess Family's Magical Genius - Chapter 4 (4/324)

4

Leopold.

He tilted his head as he looked at Kyle.

It was quite different from the usual Kyle he knew.

There were things he could tell without even having a conversation.

Aura.

The aura a person exuded was different.

The scrawny figure standing before him now was quite different from before.

First, he wasn't drunk.

And his tone was completely different from usual.

He was maintaining composure and politely making a request.

Had he undergone some kind of transformation in his heart?

Or was it just a rare show of behavior?

A few years ago, when he bought a maid at an auction, it was the same.

Curiosity soon arose in his heart.

"Why are you trying to go out?"

"For a walk. And to get some exercise."

"......Are you really going out for those reasons?"

Kyle smiled slightly at that.

"Why, is the reason too wholesome for you to believe?"

"It's just too different from your usual behavior."

"I wish you could trust me once. If you're still suspicious, you can follow me from behind."

"......Even so, going out is not allowed. As per the head of the household's orders..."

"That's because you're worried I might cause trouble. I won't, so don't worry."

"Then please wait. I'll go get permission from the head of the household."

"Hmm. I don't think Father will allow it. I don't know how long I'll be confined here. Don't you think so too?"

"......"

He probably would.

Unless something extraordinary happened, the Marquess had explicitly instructed that Kyle should not be allowed to leave.

A walk and some exercise?

If he asked to go out for such a reason, the Marquess would surely frown.

He would most likely think it was a hastily made-up excuse to go out.

Even if he said Kyle seemed different, he wouldn't believe it unless he saw it with his own eyes.

Most importantly, he himself wasn't sure if Kyle had really changed.

"......If you know that, then go back."

"I really need to go out."

"Warnings end here. The head of the household has given me orders. I am not to allow you to go out without a good reason."

"But there is a reason. A walk and exercise."

"Do it inside."

"That's a bit difficult."

It seemed impossible to persuade him with words.

Seeing Kyle's unusually persistent behavior, Leopold finally began to emit a powerful aura.

A sharp, blade-like aura.

As the aura flowed out, the knight spoke quietly.

"You cannot leave this place, young master."

Leopold was a knight with considerable skill in the Marquess family.

Thus, there were few in this place who could withstand his aura.

The moment he looked at Kyle with a sharp aura, a glint appeared in the young knight's eyes.

Kyle.

This unruly young master was smiling while directly receiving his aura.

And he was smiling brightly.

* * * * *

The knight's sharp aura made his body tremble.

Yet, he wasn't afraid.

The reason was simple.

Ten years.

Not just one year, but ten years of enjoying virtual reality games.

Fantasy Defense is a highly realistic game.

When you start the game, even the goblins and wolves you can catch at first will curse when injured, call for help in dangerous moments, and bite into the player's neck without hesitation.

With adult certification, even cruel depictions were shown without any filtering.

Naturally, my ten years of experience in such a game were not easy.

While this unruly young master might not have experienced real threats, having fought with spine-chilling monsters thousands of times in the game, he felt no particular fear.

Apart from the physiological reaction of trembling, there was no other fear.

This might not be real experience, but it could at least be considered indirect experience.

In the 2030s, it was common for soldiers to use virtual reality modules for training and to accumulate experience.

Thousands of indirect experiences can sometimes be more rigorous training than real experiences.

'This is a test.'

I could immediately judge that this was not the knight's full aura.

It was a restrained aura.

The reason the knight was emitting a threatening aura.

It might be to drive me away, but half of it was probably to test my changed appearance.

What if I passed this test?

Leopold is a knight trusted by the Marquess.

If I could gain his recognition?

I could avoid the Marquess's anger over my unauthorized outing to some extent.

'Well, I'll speak well of it.'

When reporting later, he might add a good word or two.

This was an action I could take because I had a good understanding of Leopold's character.

If he were a righteous and stubborn knight, or a despicable and vile knight pursuing power, I wouldn't know what kind of trouble he might cause me.

In that case, I wouldn't have been so persistent about going out.

But from what I knew, the young knight in front of me was not that kind of person.

So, there was no reason not to take the test.

"Young master, can't you go out later...?"

As Leopold's aura intensified, Ersiel cautiously tried to dissuade me. Her eyes were filled with worry.

I was grateful for her concern, but I had no intention of following her advice.

If I couldn't go out now, it would be a hopeless situation.

"It's fine."

Despite the chill running down my spine and my heart beating several times faster than usual, I walked towards the door without hesitation.

At that moment.

The concentration of the oppressive aura around me grew even stronger.

With just one more step forward, it felt like my head would fall off my neck.

The feeling was like a snake tightening around me.

It was an aura that could make a twelve-year-old collapse and wet their pants.

Cold sweat dripped down my face, and my legs began to tremble.

But my feet kept moving.

After all, I had ten years of experience.

This was something I could endure.

Ten steps.

The distance I moved while withstanding the aura.

After grabbing the doorknob at the front door.

I met Leopold's eyes.

I smiled at him and asked.

"Done?"

"......"

In response to my words, the aura around him gradually dissipated.

After that.

A single word came from his tightly closed lips.

"I will accompany you."

"Are you allowing it?"

"I think I should. I will report the emission of the aura to the head of the household and accept the punishment."

"No. There's no need for that."

"It must be done."

"For just emitting some aura, there's no need for punishment. Just do your job well."

"......My punishment will be decided by the head of the household."

Ah, this stubborn guy.

It seemed persuasion would be difficult.

Then.

"Whatever. Tell Father that I don't want to be punished. Surely you can convey that, right?"

The young knight's expression became perplexed at my words.

After a moment.

"......Understood."

He answered slowly with a stubborn expression.

Immediately, the favorability towards me changed.

From 50 to 30.

It seemed my appearance was quite to his liking.

Thus, the two of us, including me, stepped out of the annex.

Mana particles floating in the air.

A smile naturally appeared on my face at the sight.

If I could absorb as many of these particles as possible, I could remove these damn black barriers one by one.

Let's start with some simple exercise.

I began walking slowly, admiring the beautiful scenery without a word.

Perhaps because there were many particles, mana was gathering in my hands even as I moved.

Coming out was the best choice.

I could feel the mana gathering much faster than inside the room.

To put it in terms of speed, it was like the difference between 3G and LTE.

I then turned to the two people.

"Let's take a break. You two, sit down."

"I'm fine."

Leopold shook his head.

He had to stand guard?

Indeed.

A righteous knight who did his duty even with low favorability.

Ersiel was the same.

She was shaking her head, looking at the standing knight.

"I'm fine... "

"Just sit down. I'll be meditating for a while."

The time to hold the maximum amount of mana wouldn't be long.

It was already quite tiring.

Therefore, I needed to start quickly.

Since it took about two hours to break one barrier earlier, if I didn't say anything, this kid would have to stand for quite a while.

She looked at the knight.

"I'm fine, so sit down."

What a hassle.

To be so cautious about sitting down.

The class system was a tiring place.

Well, I was part of the privileged class, at least.

After a while, she cautiously sat down.

"I'll meditate for a bit, so just rest. If anyone comes, just chase them away."

"Understood."

Leopold nodded.

His vigilance was reliable.

There weren't many in the Marquess family who could break through his defenses, so I could meditate with peace of mind.

I closed my eyes naturally and moved the mana.

Forming a cone shape, I directed it towards the black barrier.

The black barrier with a small hole already in it.

The mana, now in a tangible form, slowly moved towards it.

Snap.

The barrier near my right wrist was completely removed.

'Good.'

When I opened my eyes, the two people were looking at me with surprised expressions.

"......Why are you looking at me like that?"

Leopold's eyes sparkled at my words.

"......Do you know how long you were meditating?"

It must have been over an hour.

I had to pretend I didn't know.

"Was it a bit too long?"

"......Almost two hours."

Indeed.

For just moving the mana from my palm to my wrist, it was excessively long.

It must be due to the blocked channels in my body.

The characteristic of not being able to contain mana and aura.

This characteristic might have significantly slowed the movement of mana in my body.

If I was curious, I could experiment.

Thus, I spent about six hours outside.

From lunchtime until the evening twilight.

During that time, I broke through five black barriers blocking the path from my right wrist to my heart.

The more barriers I removed, the faster the mana moved in my body.

It was a very good sign.

When I finally opened a channel from my right wrist to my heart.

A pleasant message appeared before my eyes.

Now, I was ready to create a circle.