Seth made his way to the training ground, a vast expanse where the personal army of the marquess used to train. Given the relative safety of the capital, their numbers were few. Isaac stood on the side, observing two soldiers engrossed in a sparring match.

Despite the dragon having already left them, Isaac still did not leave the mansion.

"Wahahaha! Take that!" The triumphant cry came from a woman, Maer, who executed a swift kick, narrowly missing her opponent.

"Maer! W-wait a minute-"

“Too slow!”

Maer sent another flying kick toward the man, causing him to trip on his own feet and fall to the ground.

The victorious woman smiled with her hands on her hips. "I win again. How many times is it now? Twenty-one?"

“I don’t know. But can you stop dragging me every time you are bored?!” He suddenly shut his mouth, and his face paled as his eyes darted behind her.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did I hurt you? I haven’t even used my full power, though." Maer turned to follow his gaze and was startled to find Seth standing there. "Uhh, young master Seth. I didn't see you there," she stammered.

“Continue what you are doing.”

“How dare we? We are only servants. If you want to use the training ground, then we’ll leave quickly.” Maer slapped the man’s shoulder, as they were eager to flee.

Seth immediately stopped them from leaving. "Do you mind having a spar with me?"

"A spar? I mean… um…" Although the man in front of her was asking her politely, she knew that she could not reject him. He might seem gentle, but it was only his appearance. She was afraid that he would throw her into a pack of wild beasts once she voiced her refusal.

Seth nodded. "Yeah."

“Why would you want to have a spar with me?” She hesitated for a moment, looking at the man beside her who had already left quickly. "That bastard… Okay, don't blame me if I accidentally hurt you."

They stood on the other side, facing each other. It didn't take long for Maer to showcase her skill and swiftly defeat Seth.

“Uh, sorry?”

“Why are you apologizing? I was the one who asked for you to spar with me.” Seth stood on the ground, patting the dust from his pants. “One more time.”

Maer trembled. “If you say so.”

They sparred again a few times, and Seth found himself soundly defeated each time. Maer became bolder, hitting him harder and more frequently.

Seth wiped the dust from his face and glared at her.

"You promised that you wouldn't get angry!"

“I’m not angry.”

Celia, Isaac, and the twins watched from the sidelines. Isaac looked at Seth disapprovingly.

‘Jerk.’ Seth cursed under his breath.

"Mister, you can do it!"

"I wonder who will win if I fight her."

“Don’t give up, Seth.”

The encouragement motivated Seth, but it seemed he still had a long way to go. Despite his efforts, Maer continued to beat him in their sparring sessions.

As Seth lay on the grass, gazing at the reddish hue of the evening sky, Celia's face appeared, peering down at him. Soon, the twins joined her, crouching down beside him.

Celia put her hand on Seth and healed the scratches.

“Thanks.”

Leon couldn't resist a taunt. "You suck. You couldn't land a hit on her once."

While Noel offered some encouragement, "I'm sure that you can do it better next time, mister."

“Young master, are we done?” Maer asked cautiously.

“Yes. Good work, Maer.” Seth sat up and looked at her. “I heard that you are bored and picked the guy earlier to be your training buddy.”

“Young master, I was wrong! I won’t do it again. Please don’t report me to Lady Agnes.”

“I won’t report you to her. Instead, why don’t you pick me as your opponent?”

“What? I don’t think that’s a good idea…”

“Are you refusing my suggestion?”

“H-huh, no way. It’s really good. How dare I refuse Lady Agnes’ younger brother? I won’t be bored if young master Seth becomes my sparring partner.” Maer laughed nervously, but inwardly, she felt despair.

“It’s settled then.”

"Amazing, you got a training partner," exclaimed Leon.

The enthusiasm was infectious, and Noel chimed in, "I want to train too."

"You guys also want to train?" Seth inquired, slightly taken aback.

“We weren’t allowed to touch swords when we were in the palace. We also didn’t have any instructors.”

Seth felt pity for them, as they were neglected back then. In any case, they were key characters that would overthrow the current ruler in the future. They needed to train to be stronger, like in The Summoned Hero.

“I want the driver who beat up people yesterday," Leon asserted.

“Yeah.”

One? It would be nice if he could train the twins.

Seth smiled at their eagerness. "I don't know if he’s available. We have to ask him first."

“Okay!”

The next morning, Seth opened his eyes and saw a man in his bedroom.

‘Who the hell?’

“Young master, good morning.” The man greeted him.

"...?"

Seth's gaze swept over the attire of the man, noticing the meticulously pressed suit, polished shoes, and the insignia adorning the lapel.

He remembered a character in The Summoned Hero. If there was someone that he should be wary of, then it was this person, Karles Raycraft. His background wasn’t clear, but he was proficient in a lot of things despite being only a butler and had been taking care of Seth since Seth was five.

Seth feigned calmness as he asked him, "Where were you yesterday?"

Karles spoke with a gentle voice. “You mentioned the other day that you wanted to taste the spearmint chilled tea. As your butler, I have to fulfill my master’s desires. The leaves only blossomed in the south, so I went there to get them."

‘Crazy. Who would go so far just to get some tea? It’s equivalent to going to Antarctica. He’s probably gathering pieces of information under the order of the marquess.’ Seth thought.

"Oh."

It wasn't like Seth cared.

"Leave. I'll bathe alone."

"Can you do it alone, young master?"

Seth glared at him.

"It seems like you're in a bad mood. I'll leave you to cool down. If you need anything, please call me." Karles did not pressure him and closed the door behind him politely.

After dressing, Seth silently followed Karles into the corridor. In the vast dining hall, he joined his family for lunch. Agnes, the marquess, and Elliot sat at the nicely decorated table. Celia, Isaac, and the twins were there as well. Seth was the last one to arrive.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Seth, you're here." It was Agnes who greeted him first.

Seth joined them and sat on the empty chair on the left side of the marquess.

The marquess had a serious face and didn’t initiate any conversation, so it was Agnes, with her usual confident smile, who spoke first.

"Yesterday, I had to do some business, so I didn't have to introduce myself. I am Agnes Whitlock, the sixth member of the Knight of the Order." She said with enthusiasm. "This is our father, Marquess Gilliame. And this is our youngest, Elliot."

Elliot was gloomily glaring at Noel and Leon, who were eyeing the dishes on the table.

"It’s been a long time since Seth brought guests home. I didn’t expect that he would meet a lot of people while he was going on a quest this time. Why don't you all introduce yourself?”

It would be out of character for Seth to take the initiative to introduce them, so he stayed quiet while eating.

Celia looked at the people around her nervously and then took the lead. “Hello, my name is Celia. I’m from Cloudfall Village.”

“Cloudfall village? You’re from the Credia kingdom?”

Celia nodded. “I came here to participate in the Legendary Master of Rejuvenation’s disciple selection.”

“Well, there are currently more visitors in the capital than usual because of him.”

“That’s true.”

“I wish you good luck.”

Celia nodded shyly. “Thank you.”

Agnes moved her gaze to the silver-haired man. “What about this sir?”

“Isaac.”

Isaac looked like he was unwillingly dragged here. Seth looked at Richard, who was smiling while standing behind Marquess Gilliame.

“Um?”

“That’s my name.”

“Oh…” Agnes seemed a bit embarrassed by the short response.

The atmosphere in the dining hall remained tense.

“What about these two?”

Noel immediately put down her spoon as she spoke, “My name is Noel. And this is my brother, Leon.”

“You two are twins?”

They both nodded simultaneously.

“I heard from Richard that you both will stay here for a long time. Then I think you should also get private tutoring.”

Agnes was initially surprised that Seth brought in a lot of people; however, she did not want to ask him too much, afraid that he would think that she was annoying.

“It’s a good idea.” Marquess Gilliame added.

Noel and Leon both looked at Seth. Their faces showed that they were asking whether he would allow them to do as Agnes suggested.

“They also want a sword instructor,” Seth said.

“Then it’s decided.” Agnes seemed happy, while Elliot was getting gloomier.

Seth suddenly felt tense, and something knocked on his hand. “...?”

"Please enjoy the meal," Agnes said with a smile.

As breakfast concluded, Seth received word from Marquess Gilliame that he wanted to see him in his office. With Agnes by his side, they made their way to the Marquess's office.

“Come and sit.” Seated in his grand office, Marquess Gilliame spoke earnestly.

"I've heard about what happened," he said, his gaze unwavering on Seth. "Birds of a Feather... I’ve sent people to investigate them. They’ve committed similar crimes as they did to you. You aren’t the only victim. I'll make sure that they face the law."

‘Although he has a cold look on his face, I can sense that he’s angry.’ Seth noted in his head. ‘I was right. Karles is good at gathering information, and he went to gather information about them. However, I have my own plan.’

“I appreciate your concern, but I don’t need you to interfere with my problem.” Seth crossed his arms and leaned on the chair. “I can handle everything on my own.”

Marquess Gilliame frowned slightly. “They are working under the Silverskull guild. If you do anything recklessly, the problem will only get bigger.”

“I know. I won’t implicate your name and ruin your reputation.”

Marquess Gilliame, as Seth knew from the novel, didn’t like to express his feelings. After his wife passed away, he also handled his grief by being a workaholic.

"It's not about my reputation."

Seth looked at the old man, who had a few strands of white hair on the sides. He kind of looked like Seth's dad in his past life. But his dad was a quiet person.

Agnes observed the exchange with caution, her eyes revealing her concern. “That’s right, Seth. Listen to Dad. It’s safer to act according to the law. We don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

“I can take care of myself.”

‘Do I look like a child to them?’ He was getting slightly agitated and couldn’t help but ask, “If I had died, would you have done the same thing?”

Seth was a bit surprised that he couldn’t control his emotions.

He knew that they did. The novel told him. The people who killed Seth only stayed in prison for a few years. Even then, in prison, they were able to eat, drink, and live under a roof. Was that what you call justice?

“Seth?” His question startled Agnes. “Why would you say that?”

Seth was disappointed, but he could not blame them, as Marquess Gilliame and Agnes were righteous people who would not break the law. He wanted them to feel sad and hurt and take revenge for him.

‘No, wait… why do I care about the original Seth?’

“Did anything else happen in the dungeon?” Marquess Gilliame asked.

Seth opened his mouth and hesitated. He felt like he was complaining too much. “Nevermind. I’ll take matters into my own hands.”

He didn't want others to take revenge on his behalf; he needed to be involved. His anger and resentment won’t be quenched just by sending them to prison.

Seth left the room without looking back.

…

The door of the office closed, and silence enveloped the room.

Agnes looked at Marquess Gilliame with concern. “He is upset.”

“I can see.”

“Dad, you don’t understand. I know that I did agree with you just now, but I can’t think of any other methods that would give the criminals the punishment they deserve. They took everything from Seth and left him to die. What can I do with them?”

Marquess Gilliame put his hand on his chin as he looked at the closed door thoughtfully. “Let him be. I know what he’s thinking.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll know soon enough.”

“Dad…” Agnes frowned. “I just hope he's not getting himself in danger again.”

“Whatever it is, just make sure that no other unnecessary people will know about what he is going to do.”

“Of course, I’ll make sure of that. After all, he’s my brother.”

Marquess Gilliame thought to himself, ‘He’s really taking after me.’

…

Seth was strolling through the garden after leaving Marquess Gilliame’s office, enjoying the calm and quiet of nature, when he came upon a man tending to the colorful blooms and lush vegetation. It was the same man who had fought Maer the day before.

“Young master, hello…” He immediately greeted Seth anxiously.

“What’s your name?”

“My name? Everyone here usually calls me Jehan.”

Jehan scratched his cheek with his worn-out gloves. Judging by his attire, he seemed to have been working here already for a long time.

“Are you here to look at the flowers?”

“Well…”

The flowers in the garden were certainly pretty.

“Follow me.” Jehan stood up, and Seth followed him past a small bridge, which led to another place where all of the flowers had already bloomed.

Pink, blue, red… It was evident that the flowers were taken care of seriously.

“Who would usually go here?” Seth asked curiously.

“After a rough day, Lady Agnes spent her time here sometimes.”

They stopped at the path where purple flowers lined up on the side.

“These are the best flowers that have bloomed so far. Be careful not to get too close, though. It’s poisonous.” Jehan warned.

The glistening flowers were colored in deep shades of royal purple, accompanied by a delicate blend of sweet and slightly spicy notes that lingered in the air. Intricate, star-like shapes with iridescent veins ran through the petals.

“What is it called?”

“Violet Serpent.”

The flower suddenly spat out a viscous purple liquid. Seth swiftly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the splash as the gooey substance hit the ground, creating a small, sizzling crater where it made contact. The grass nearby sizzled and withered.

Jehan giggled and said, “Naughty girls, you almost dirty young master.”

‘What the fuck?’ Seth was alarmed and disturbed.

Jehan noticed his face turning ugly and said, “Don’t be scared, young master. It won’t bother anyone as long as we aren’t too close.”

“Then why is it planted next to where people are walking?”

Jehan was a bit different from Seth’s first impression when he tried to run away from him yesterday.

“It’s not like anyone walked here. But if there’s an intruder, the flowers will make sure that their feet corrode before they can reach the mansion.” He seemed to be proud of his reasoning.

‘Wasn’t it Karles who found most of the servants? Where did he get Jehan from?’ Seth was getting a bit disturbed by him, so he walked away.

“Young master, where are you going? Don’t you want to see more of the flowers? You haven’t seen Blood Thorn, Demon’s Lavender, Cold Hair…”

The voice was getting more distant as Seth returned back to the mansion. He felt goosebumps crawling on his skin.

As he made his way back to his room, he realized that he was somewhat lost in the hallway.

He saw the maid from yesterday again, cradling a blanket in her arms. But the moment she saw him, she swiftly turned on her heels and vanished like a fleeting wisp of mist.

‘Uh?’

Seth spent several minutes lost before he met Karles who led him back to his bedroom.

"It's rare for the young master to go to the garden." There was a faint hint of curiosity in his words, a subtle probing that suggested a deeper interest.

It was annoying to Seth.

“It's not too bad,” Seth replied.

As he sat on the sofa, Karles handed him an envelope.

"What’s this?"

"It's an invitation from Miss Lowther."

The letter was encased in a white envelope with sealed by a crimson lion emblem.

“Miss Lowther?”

Karles maintained a patient demeanor as he replied, "Miss Elizabeth Von Lowther is your fiancée, young master. You've declined two previous meetings this month. However, based on my calculations, you have turned her down seventeen times so far this year.”

‘It seems like there was such a thing mentioned in The Summoned Hero. What kind of woman would be so insistent on seeing Seth?’ Seth was curious, so he decided he wanted to see her. Aside from that, there was also one thing he needed from her.

“I’ll go.”