Login in to Alandal

It was not easy for Kaham to admit his defeat. 

He took great pride in his swordsmanship. 

He was the eldest son of the Ruhaman family and grew up hearing that he was a child prodigy. 

'Kaham Ruhaman defeated a knight.' 

His confidence and pride grew out of control when he defeated a knight through sheer force of arms. 

He thought that even Selina, another genius within his age group, couldn't defeat him. 

Eventually, he took it for granted when others flattered him. 

However, an uninvited guest showed up during a conversation with Selina, whom he met at the banquet. 

The uninvited guest even insulted him. In front of everyone, Kaham Ruhaman himself. 

He grew angry and annoyed until he couldn't bear to see this insignificant bastard borrowing the power of magic. 

That's why he suggested a duel. And Raymond accepted it. 

He thought things were going the way he wanted. He even imagined how Raymond would be humiliated. 

Having beaten a trained knight, he did not think he could lose. 

After all, he didn't know that Raymond defeated a knight as well, and with less trouble than he had. 

Kaham foolishly allowed him to strike first, a common tactic among seasoned fighters. But as he lay there, battered and bruised, he couldn't help but wonder how it had all gone so wrong. Every inch of his body ached - his thighs, shoulders, and face throbbed with deep muscle pain. But it was the weight of Raymond's gaze that truly crushed him, those indifferent eyes that seemed to have foreseen Kaham's defeat. The arena fell silent as onlookers looked on in shock. 'Don't look down on me!' Kaham thought to himself, vowing to come back stronger.

Clap, clap, clap. 

Until Selina applauded. 

Everything that went toward Raymond should have been his. He had to be the one looking down at Raymond. 

This was impossible. 

'It must have been a trick. He cheated.' 

This couldn't have happened without someone messing around behind the scenes. 

The wizards must have cast a buff spell on him. 

'Coward.' 

To make someone interfere in a supposedly fair match. 

'How dare you.' 

As he glared at Raymond, Kaham saw Count Warrug's approach. 

Was he trying to comfort him? 

Of course, he was none other than Kaham Ruhaman. He was the one who would become a great warrior in the future. 

But Count Warrug went toward that guy, not him. 

'What do you think of Selina?' 

Sparks flew in his eyes. 

How come? How come Count Warrug was talking to a guy like that? 

He was the one that best suited Selina, not Raymond. 

'If it wasn't for that guy, if only he weren't here.' 

Kaham should be the one in his place. 

So, he would never forget this. 

He didn't like this man who took what he ought to have. 

He would take revenge. 

He would make him regret everything. 

"Young Master, are you okay?" 

As he had decided on his revenge, a servant hurriedly approached Kaham and helped him up. 

His legs were weak, so he had to lean against the servant to stand. 

"Go to the estate and bring the item on the bookshelf." 

"Young Master, that's...." 

The servant's face hardened. 

"Stop talking. Go get it right now." 

"...Yes." 

The hesitant servant nodded. 

‘I won’t let you get away with this.’ 

He glared at Raymond. 

A trick for a trick. He would pay him back for this. 

*** 

On the last day, the biggest event of the banquet was held. 

The wizard and swordsman households were divided into teams that would participate in the hunt. 

The prize wasn't grand, but it was an event that couldn't be better for the young lords who wanted to show off. 

In addition, it was an opportunity to get acquainted with the children of famous families who would lead the country in the future. 

Most of these noble children must have been waiting for this day, and it was clear that they were moving to team up with others they had already decided on. 

'The ideal outcome would be to team up with Beatrice.' 

Me from the Millennium Household, and Beatrice from Skylar. That could be called the best combination. 

But. 

'There's no way I can get close to her.' 

Given the trauma, she had suffered... 

Her brother sacrificed himself to protect me, so getting closer wasn't easy. 

Moreover, rumors spread that the person he protected was an incompetent scumbag shortly after the incident. 

'Of course, she would hate me.' 

Her brother wouldn't have been hurt if it weren't for me. 

'At least I think I'll get Selina on my side.' 

I was able to talk to her during the banquet. 

The situation wasn’t bad. After a bit of time, the odds of winning her over to my side increased slightly. 

'Hunting events are divided by the swordsman and wizard houses.' 

That was the problem. 

Selina was from a lineage of swordsmen, so it was hard to hang around her. 

If I broke that unspoken rule and tried to hang out with her, I would face hostility from the other children. 

I honestly didn't care. Still, there was no need for me to cause trouble here. 

'Is there anyone willing to be on my team?’ 

The second problem? 

The other children were reluctant to work with me. 

At least it was comfortable to be alone. 

It was far better to be alone than to be interfered with and quarrel with others. 

'But the place we are going to is the orcs’ habitat.' 

Where orcs roamed, even though the knights went around the day before and killed them, one or two might appear. 

'Can I handle the orcs by myself?' 

Even though I defeated a knight, I didn’t think I could. The difference between them and me was Mana. 

I couldn't use Mana like the knights. I never could, to be exact. 

There was a definite difference between how wizards and knights dealt with Mana. 

I might be able to handle one alone, but things would go bad quickly if more appeared. 

'It’s natural since I've never learned it properly.' 

All I did was simply 'act.' 

I didn't think that such an essential thing would be possible. 

'Then what should I do?' 

If there was no one willing to go with me, in the end, I had to move alone. 

'I can't even bring the family knights along.' 

They would consider only what I hunted with my strength. 

Therefore, there was no point even if I was accompanied by family knights. 

Besides, I didn't think they would listen to me. 

I looked down on them for years before this, so unless they were a bunch of weirdos, they wouldn't help. 

‘Let’s check the sword first.’ 

I checked the sword I got from the Knight Commander again. This time I could wield the real thing. 

"I can do well." 

I encouraged myself. 

Handling wooden swords and handling real swords. Moreover, sparring and taking a life were two completely different things. 

Would that be possible with my ‘acting?’ 

'Even if I can't, I have to.' 

Make the impossible possible. 

I couldn’t give in already. 

'I have to prepare.' 

The hunting ground was a dangerous area where one didn't know when and what danger might come. 

So, I had to prepare as much as possible. 

I went to the knights and put on the leather armor they offered. It was enough to cover only the important parts and not hinder my mobility. 

As I was tying my shoelaces, I suddenly remembered what had happened yesterday. 

'What did that mean?' 

Count Warrug’s words still lingered in my head. 

'What do you think of Selina?' 

What did he mean by that? 

Did he like me? Maybe that's why he told me to get closer to Selina. 

'It can't be.' 

It was a conundrum, even to my own understanding. Selina, with her poised demeanor and deft swordsmanship, had countless suitors vying for her attention. 

And then there was me, a scumbag with a tarnished reputation, marred by scandalous whispers. 

The notion of us being romantically linked was nothing short of absurd. But perhaps, just maybe, it was because he saw something different in me, a transformation from the man he once knew. 

The Raymond of old, and the man I had become, were worlds apart.

In addition, Count Millennium and Count Warrug were close, so they must have met often. 

If so, he must have met Raymond often. 

'He can't help but doubt if I’m somebody else.' 

I would doubt it too. Well, that wasn’t a bad thing, though. 

'I wonder if it was just a joke.' 

I was pretty troubled hearing it since I had to accept the piercing stares of the men around us. 

The ripple effect of what Serina’s father said was by no means small. 

'Why the hell did he say that?' 

As a result, I had to return without having a proper conversation with Selina. 

'Is there any other way?' 

Was there any way for me to hunt with Selina? 

Would it be a big problem if we worked together...? 

'It would.' 

After hunting, there would be a big problem with distribution. 

Since she and I were on different teams, we could fight over it. 

'This is hard.' 

With finesse, I belted the gleaming sword around my waist and draped the regal robe over it. Adorned in the emblem of the Millennium Household, I cut a striking figure as a true wizard of renown.

Knock, knock. 

While I was looking around to check if I missed something... 

"Young Master, I've come to get you." 

It wasn't Alice, but a man I had never heard of before. 

'Alice did say she had a lot of work to do.' 

On the day of the banquet, the maids were busier than usual. 

From the guests’ breakfast to bedtime, they were responsible for everything, so even though Alice was my dedicated maid, she couldn’t slack off. 

'I don't have to make it difficult for her just for my comfort.' 

It didn't mean I couldn't do anything just because she wasn't here. 

"Let's go." 

The knight glanced at me before taking the lead. 

Unlike before, when he looked at me with contempt, he now looked at me as if I were a strange animal. 

‘Least it’s better than before.’ 

Buzz, buzz. 

The entrance to the hunting ground was noisy. 

The nobles’ sons had surrounded the young ladies and were busy bragging about their achievements. 

Among them, there were a lot of men gathered around Selina and Beatrice. 

'Beatrice?' 

I felt a little puzzled. Why was she here? Wasn't she supposed to be busy at the magic academy right now? 

What happened? 

'Was there something like this in the original story?' 

For obvious reasons, Beatrice hadn't attended the banquet since 'that day.’ 

But the fact that she came to the banquet today meant she must have a reason. 

'No way....' 

There was only one reason it could be. 

Only once did Beatrice come to the banquet. To be precise, it was to hunt. 

'The Magic Tower Master must have told her to come here to overcome her trauma.' 

She went hunting almost half-forced; I didn't know the exact day because the original story only off-handedly mentioned it. 

Could that have been today? 

Her gaze danced around mine, a coy sidestep as she studiously avoided eye contact. I could see the disdain etched in the lines of her face. 

I knew that she loathed me, yet I couldn't help the wry curve of my lips as I forced myself to move on. 

.... 

When I followed the knight for some time, the place became suddenly quiet. 

'Looks like the incident yesterday was quite big.' 

That was how people reacted after I defeated Kaham. 

They didn't say anything in front of me. 

'Not bad.' 

Instead, this was better than before. It was preferable to them cursing at me or whispering behind my back. 

The quiet subservience suited them. 

"Was the bed comfortable? I am worried that you may not have slept well because you're in an unfamiliar place." 

I passed by them and spoke to Selina with a smile. 

"Oh, Young Lord Raymond." 

With a weary face, she turned to me. 

Unlike in the banquet hall, she wore the comfortable clothes typically worn by knights. 

She was like a painting, wearing well-crafted iron armor covering only essential parts. 

'I'd never have imagined a woman in armor would look cool.' 

Even prepared for battle, she was unrealistically beautiful. 

"Thanks for your consideration. I had a comfortable night." 

As she said that, she looked behind me. 

And seeing that no one was there, she frowned slightly. 

"By the way, where is your party…?" 

Party... 

There was no one. 

Was there anyone who would want to go with me? 

Just as I was about to shake my head and say no, someone called out to me. 

"Young Lord Raymond." 

Looking back, I unknowingly changed my expression. 

"Would you like to team up with me?" 

Because Kaham Ruhaman was standing there.