The atmosphere in the Wintermoon estate was tense and gloomy. Too many good people died. Comrades, friends, and family fell victim to the Demons. They were torn apart in front of their friends’ eyes, unable to escape the Demons’ clutches.

Fewer good people would have died if the Imperial prospects had been prepared for the demon attack, armed to their death and mentally ready to engage in a fierce battle against Elite Demons. Unfortunately, the reality looked bleak. The attack was unexpected and bloody.

Still, gossip never ceased to spread, not even in times like this.

“His name was Percy, right? I can’t believe Lady Reeze and her knight picked him up in a random village. Don’t you think they’re hiding something?” Someone had asked.

“He doesn’t look like Melissa, but what if they’re siblings? It should be impossible for a commonbirth Ego to use the Staff of Leech this often!” Another one added fuel to the fire.

“So, you think Percy is a bastard of the Reeze Duke? That doesn’t make any sense. The Duke wouldn’t have hidden Percy’s identity this long, only to allow him to travel with the Glacia Knights and Lady Reeze. They would have sent him to the Imperial training as a squire of the Glacia Knights or something similar if they had wanted to hide him.”

More and more rumors surfaced, but Percy couldn’t be bothered. He was exhausted and slept for two days straight after the last demons were killed. When he woke up, their corpses had already been removed.

Tarlek and Erik slept in the same tent. They woke up when Percy stirred and looked at their friend intensely.

“Did you lie to us?” Erik asked with a tinge of sadness.

“What are you talking about? I don’t think I lied to you guys,” Percy rubbed the weariness out of his eyes and frowned at his friend.

Tarlek sighed and got up from the mattress. Percy followed suit to stretch his stiff body, only to find himself in a tight embrace. Tarlek smiled at him.

“First of all, I’m grateful you are alive and well. I don’t know what I would have done if you had sustained any heavy injuries after using your Ego to save me with that potion.”

I think you’re misunderstanding something. Ego-enhancing your potion wouldn’t have changed anything. There is no need to be worried or feel guilty.

Percy waved his hand dismissively, but Tarlek wasn’t done.

“I owe you a big one for saving me, and I do not care if you don’t want anything in return. Don’t hesitate and ask me for help if you ever need a pair of helping hands,” Tarlek declared dead-seriously.

Erik was still quietly grumbling, clearly not satisfied with the answer he’d received, but he added, “Make that two pairs of helping hands.

Percy could have rejected them, yet he was glad the brothers offered him their help. He may not need their help right now, but that could change quickly. The future was unknown, and having powerful allies was of great help.

Still, Erik’s intense stares bothered him.

“So…what is this about lying? What’s the issue?” Percy looked at the brothers.

“You have been asleep for two days and might not know about the things happening in the Wintermoon estate. It is…crazy, for the lack of a better word. Rumors about you and your relation to the Reeze household are circulating, but that is not all. There is more to it!” Tarlek sighed deeply, “Everyone says you are a bastard from a powerful noble family or that some of the kingdom’s greatest powerhouses have been hiding your existence. Nobody believed us when we said you were a young, recently awakened Ego from a small village called Raewood.”

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“A noble? Me?” Percy’s frown deepened, “How does that make sense?”

Erik couldn’t take it anymore. “Do you even know how difficult it is to generate and accumulate essence if you weren’t born with it? Every Ego naturally produces some Essence, but the Staff of Leech consumes a massive amount of it to create those powerful bursts of mana. Even Gifted born with powerful Egos do not have much Essence to train with. They can release one or two mana bursts through the Staff of Leech before they collapse. Some can maybe release three if they put their lives on the line.”

Tarlek grasped his brother’s shoulder and stopped him from shouting at Percy. He motioned his brother to calm down and step back a little.

“What Erik is trying to say is that even nobles, who are born with traces of their parents’ Essence, have a hard time accumulating large quantities of Essence. That is also why the Staff of Leech is both so powerful and dangerous. It allows weak Gifted to utilize their Essence, which is why it is so powerful. However, if you use up too much Essence, which happens easily through the Staff of Leech, you end up injuring yourself easily.

Training your body and Ego helps you accumulate more Essence over time, but most nobles have only accumulated enough Essence to use it freely when they reach their mid-20s. That is roughly when they can use the Staff of Leech five or more times. At least, that is what that idiot Felix heard from Lady Reeze.”

Percy stared at Tarlek for a while, his mind rattling wildly.

Wait a moment. That unknown source of energy drained by the Staff of Leech is what everyone is calling ‘Essence’, right? Every Ego has one, and nobles are born with them. They accumulate it with training and constant use of their Ego…and I seem to have enough Essence to use the Staff of Leech seven times in quick succession – twice with more Essence than the norm – which is something only much older nobles are supposed to be capable of…

“Does that mean my Ego is that much stronger than the norm?” Percy mused.

In his mind, that made the most sense. Percy couldn’t think of himself as a noble. He may not know his parents but he didn’t believe they were nobles. The old man, Greg, would have told him. Right? But instead of telling him about his parents, Greg only told about how much of a hassle nobles were. Percy could agree with that statement.

Nobles were a hassle.

“I don’t think your Ego can generate that much Essence. Most nobles are born with a trace of Essence – the stronger their parents, the more Essence the children are born with, which is also one of the reasons the nobility is more likely to give birth to powerful Egos – and train with their inborn Essence for decades.

If you didn’t manifest your Ego at birth, which you said you didn’t, you…must have been born with Essence. That is the only logical explanation I have.”

“But that doesn’t mean I’m a noble or a bastard,” Percy responded, trying to gather his thoughts.

“No,” Tarlek reaffirmed, “You could be the child of two powerful Egos. But…I cannot tell you how strong they would have to be for you to contain enough Essence to activate the Staff of Leech seven times in a row without dying.”

Erik’s expression changed slowly, surprise replacing whatever sadness and agitation was left.

“So…Percy is a noble? That is surprising.”

Percy glared at Erik but decided against saying anything. He was already tired of this.

**

Melissa was tired of the questions. Her noble friends and acquaintances who didn’t even like her approached Melissa to bother her with questions she couldn’t answer either.

“Lady Reeze, let us be honest with each other,” Felix pleaded with Melissa, “If that kid were a bastard, he would already be dead. That leaves us with only a few options.”

Felix looked at Melissa, who returned the gaze with a neutral demeanor.

“Either, Percy is a secret child of a powerful family. Please do not glare at me like that, Lady Reeze. I am not saying Percy is your brother or anything. I’m just laying out the possibilities. Second, Percy could be the child of the strongest Egos in the kingdom. But that is also not feasible since the strongest Egos in the kingdom are also nobles. Percy would, therefore, be a noble as well. Or third, he is the child of a ruined house.”

The way Felix spoke indicated to Melissa what the young nobleman thought.

“You think he belongs to a ruined household?”

Felix’s lips curled up into a creepy grin. Melissa shuddered but listened intently.

“The timeline fits with the destruction of one household.”

Melissa’s expression turned gloomy.

“You think…”

“How am I supposed to know for sure?” Felix responded, his grin growing wider.

“He could be… But maybe he isn’t”