Rylan ran on his way back to the estate, trying to build his Endurance, which he hadn’t increased with his Free Points. He couldn’t stop training; every bit would help him get an edge over Evenon.

I still can’t tell what Circle he’s reached.

The moment when Evenon’s mana had surged had replayed in his mind countless times, but he lacked the knowledge necessary to measure the man’s level. He was working on it with Gerard, but he still knew too little. He clicked his tongue. He needed to get ready for the possibility that he would die. His eyes were filled with steeled conviction. Dancing on the edge between life and death was what Roland had done for almost a century. Death didn’t scare him; he only wanted to atone for his mistakes. Killing Evenon was the first step.

On the way, he encountered a few goblins and kobolds. They were weak creatures that only became a threat in far superior numbers. In the end, he easily butchered them while focusing on his surroundings. It was possible that Evenon had sent out more than one assassination squad. It was unlikely for the man to have known Rylan’s exact location, but assassins had reached him all the same. It meant that Evenon had probably sent out several squads to scour a general area.

Another squad might show up.

He needed to prepare for surprise attacks and ambushes. The assassination squad he had faced had been overconfident and reckless, showing themselves in the open before attacking instead of taking advantage of long-range magic. There was no reason to assume that this would be true for the other squads.

Silently, Rylan circulated the mana within him, letting it sharpen his senses. Both his hearing and sight found nothing, but he didn’t let his guard down in the least. Holding his sword, his eyes kept darting around. If he had properly developed Roland’s sixth sense – which the man had called perception – he would have had a much easier time analyzing everything around him, but perception only developed over time and was only perfected with Aura. His mana circulation helped, but it couldn’t completely replace those factors.

Rylan pushed his perception to its limit. However, he couldn’t find anything, even as he approached Cantavega. Its towering city walls and entrance could be seen in the distance. He looked at his clothes and forearms, which were covered in blood after several battles, and let out a small sigh. He continued to run.

After ignoring most possible enemies on his path, he entered the city and headed to the Flameheart estate. In the end, no other assassination squads had found him. It was suspicious. Had Evenon pulled back after the first squad’s failure? Why? In the end, it didn’t matter. Rylan was now safely within city walls.

Good.

As he made his way down the winding roads, Rylan kept trying to detect anything out of place. But, apart from a few strange looks and frowns, most likely due to the blood, he perceived nothing. He nodded to himself.

Soon, he arrived at the estate.

I should check up on the soldiers.

There was something he wanted to ask them. Without bothering to clean himself up, he walked toward the training ground. Soon, he arrived. Dozens of soldiers trained in swordsmanship and spear techniques under the blazing sun, covered in armor. The training ground was as lively as usual. The moment he stepped into it, all soldiers turned to him, stopped what they were doing, and bowed.

“Greetings, young master.”

“Hello, my lord!”

“My lord, are you injured? That blood…”

Their voices resounded, each drowning out the other. Rylan waved his hand dismissively.

“I’m fine. I only came here to talk to my team. You guys can continue doing what you were doing.”

So far, he hadn’t missed a single day of training with the soldiers. Because of this, he had been able to build up a good relationship with almost all of them, including the ones who had despised him the most at first. He’d proven to them that he had changed.

He turned to Jack and Scott, who were approaching him. They were followed by Daniel, Raniel, and the three other soldiers. Rylan waved at them, then walked to the edge of the training ground. Once they followed him, he spoke.

“Are you guys keeping up with training?”

Jack nodded and bowed.

“Yes, young master. Thanks to your help, we’re advancing much faster than before, even if we can no longer leave on hunts with you.”

“Yeah, you’re our master. I can now dream of being more than this,” Scott said, nodding.

“And you’re putting your Free Points into your physical stats?” Rylan asked.

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They nodded. A thought struck Rylan.

“Are all of you unable to use magic? Or are some of you simply unwilling?”

The soldiers’ expressions changed. Danie, Raniel, and three others appeared downcast as they lowered their heads. Jack and Scott were different, however. Their faces displayed their conflicting feelings. Jack was the first to speak, his voice low.

“I can use mana and the most basic spells, but I’m completely talentless. Physical stats and close combat were the only possible path.”

Rylan looked at Scott, waiting for the man to speak without pressuring him.

“…I have my reasons.”

Instead of asking for more information, he nodded.

“I might know of another path, but I still need to confirm it. Regardless, I’ll help you and the other soldiers to develop your strength.”

Silently, they bowed. He couldn’t promise them anything before he confirmed Aura’s existence or became powerful enough to share his mana circulation method with others without fearing the consequences, but he would continue helping them. He could see their gratitude etched on their faces. It was a good result. He needed them to stay loyal to the family and guiding them as they progressed was a way to do it. Of course, some of the soldiers would be willing to jump ship and seek another job after becoming stronger, but he hoped that most of them would stay.

“Now, go ahead. Sorry for interrupting your training.”

The soldiers bowed and headed to the middle of the training ground. Rylan left, walking back to the mansion’s entrance. After some time, he approached it and looked at Sarah, who was sitting on a chair, as usual. However, she was now holding something. He realized that it was a letter. She stood up and bowed.

“Welcome back, young master.”

“Thank you, Sarah. Is that letter for me?”

She nodded, extending her arm. He grabbed the letter and broke the seal, then unfolded the paper inside the envelope. As he read it, he couldn’t help but let out a smile. The letter was from Calan, and the contents were extremely simple: tomorrow, the City Guard would raid Evenon’s building with the intent to capture him and make him answer for what the assassins had testified. At the very least, he would stand trial.

He won’t go down that easily.

If Evenon complied and decided to stand trial, he commanded enough influence and power to lengthen the entire process. But, because the assassins had testified, it was now possible to tie him to the rest of the discoveries made by the City Guard, including the dealing spots of Dust. The assassins hadn’t been common grunts; even though Evenon’s subordinates only knew what they had to, it seemed that the assassins’ words had been enough to set another phase of the operation into motion.

We were able to deal with the other nobles’ pressure well.

The Lady’s prostitutes had done what they could to follow her orders. They had whispered to their customers, trying to get them to hinder the operation. Nevertheless, the Vaard family had overcome it masterfully. It was likely the work of their Family Head. Many people were invested in Evenon’s capture and execution. He wouldn’t have been able to do it properly on his own. Roland only knew how to solve problems with his sword. He grinned.

In the end, that’s what’ll probably happen.

In short, Evenon was running out of options, but even a mouse would bite a cat if cornered, and he was no mouse.

Rylan waved the piece of paper, smiling at Sarah.

“This means progress, Sarah.”

She nodded, her expression shifting into the slightest trace of a smile. Together, the two of them entered the mansion.

***

Alone in his room, Evenon rubbed his beard. He looked at the city through the window as it was bathed by orange sunlight. The buildings in the shopping district were varied, but each of them carried its own charm. It was necessary to attract customers. He watched the people walking around, entering and leaving the shops. In his silence, his mind raced with a razor-sharp edge.

It's probably too late to go to another town.

Even if he managed to escape Cantavega and head to the nearest town, the information from the assassins’ words gave the City Guard enough grounds to follow him and discuss his capture with the city lord. It meant that leaving wouldn’t change anything, even if it lengthened the process. His fate would be the same.

He let out a sigh. Based on the speed Rylan had shown when they had fought, he had judged that fifteen trained assassins would have been enough. His gamble hadn’t paid off. Somehow, Rylan managed to defeat them all and even leave them alive. That had been Evenon’s greatest mistake; he had underestimated Rylan’s power. No, maybe that wasn’t quite right. It was far more likely for the boy to have bribed them. Still, he couldn’t get rid of the notion that they had fought. His mind kept turning back to when Rylan had swung his sword against him.

“…It doesn’t make sense no matter how I think about it.”

Rylan Flameheart was no fighter. He had lived his entire life as a wastrel and Evenon knew this well. He had more contact with the boy in the past five years than most others. He knew exactly what kind of person Rylan was. That only made this situation even more unbelievable. Even if Rylan had turned against him, it was unthinkable for him to be powerful on his own, and even be willing to throw away all that they had built together. The boy had been willing to give him an heirloom just for Dust and women.

“Well, so be it.”

It was the reality. All he could do was think about what to do from now on. Even though the noose around his neck had tightened, he was perfectly calm. His serene eyes continued to watch the city in the sunset, admiring its beauty. He rubbed his chin.

Everything had been fine. His enterprise continued to grow, his customers increased in number, and his power became greater. He was finally truly rising above what he had been destined to be, clawing his way upwards in this hellish world. The wounds that originated from his childhood only fueled everything he had built.

As his thoughts reached this point, his gaze turned to the elaborate staff lying still on a table to the side. It was as beautiful as the first time he saw it, but he now found the sight a bit strange. He spoke to himself in a low voice.

“I have something he wants, huh?”

On its own, he didn’t believe it was worth it for Rylan to discard what they had built for a mere staff. However, when had he truly been able to understand the boy? He had never been able to comprehend Rylan’s actions in the first place. The boy’s willingness to drown in hedonism, his complete lack of desire to understand magic and further his own power, his behavior that did not care about his family in the least. Evenon hadn’t been able to understand him from the start.

“And here I thought I had already suffered enough.”

Other people were trying to take away his only shot at a successful life. Evenon stared at the staff. He stood up and walked up to it, grabbing it firmly. Then, he smiled.

“Let’s see who dies first, then. Just like we promised.”

He wouldn’t go down without a fight.