I couldn't understand it.
What part of what I did today was worthy of her approval?
Was it really that impressive just to sit through the entire lesson?
My mind was a whirlwind of confusion, but Hilda's reaction—bathed in the orange glow of the evening sunset streaming through the window—remained unchanged.
A touch of embarrassment. A hint of pride. But above all, respect that overshadowed everything else.
...Why on earth is this happening?
"Today's lesson ends here, Young Lord. ...And please forgive my previous rudeness."
"What rudeness? Have you ever been rude to me, Hilda?"
"When you delivered 1 gold to my father—no, to the Captain—as payment for his medical expenses. I didn't realize your true intentions and showed hostility toward you, the lord a knight must protect. That was clear rudeness."
"...?"
No matter how I thought about it, that was just understandable anger. In that situation, getting mad was normal, right? It was what I intended to provoke in the first place.
Was there something I missed, or something I misheard? As I racked my brain, Hilda let out a short sigh, and the tension drained from her face.
Unlike Karen's perpetual blank expression, Hilda's rigid features softened.
A clear, age-appropriate smile naturally followed.
"Then, we'll meet at the same time next time. Unless something urgent comes up, we'll continue lessons at this hour for a while."
"Uh... sure."
"Though I may be lacking, I will guide you with all my heart and sincerity."
"Hmm. Will you teach me some naughty stuff too? I'm curious about how babies are made."
"I can cover the basics. Things like menstrual cycles or proper contraception methods."
"...Never mind."
She was about to give me a perfectly wholesome sex ed lesson without batting an eye.
All the energy drained out of me, and a sigh escaped naturally. How many times had I inwardly tilted my head in doubt, wondering if this was right?
Just like when I'd first seen her today, Hilda thumped her fist against her ample chest and bowed her head.
"If you have no more questions, I'll take my leave. You did well today, Young Lord."
"Wait."
"Yes?"
"One last thing I want to ask."
"I'm listening."
"Why did you volunteer to be my teacher? Honestly, you didn't have good feelings toward me."
My original plan was to use Hilda, who harbored resentment toward me, to maintain my reputation as a wastrel.
I was pondering what extra benefits to squeeze out while keeping it up.
Well, for some reason, Hilda had come to respect me, so it all went up in smoke.
...How was I supposed to know it'd unravel in just one day!
As I suppressed the rising injustice, Hilda nodded nonchalantly.
"A perfectly valid question. Truthfully, there wasn't any grand reason. The pay was good since it was teaching the Young Lord, and I could get three times that amount. For someone from a rising family like me, it was an offer I couldn't pass up. Of course, my father pulled some strings too."
"Money... is important. Yeah."
"Yes. Money is important. I have some ambition, you see. Vice-Captain of the Silver Lion Knights, and maybe even Captain like my father someday... but that's not enough."
Her eyes gleamed with what could be called ambition—or more kindly, drive—as she looked my way.
"Fortunately, I've found someone who can pull me to greater heights."
"You don't mean me, do you...?"
"A knight's power comes from a honed body and the authority granted by their lord. I've found someone worthy of my loyalty, so all that's left is to sharpen myself further."
With that, Hilda flashed a playful grin.
"Please keep me close and use me well, Young Lord. Even if you pay me handsomely, I promise I'll earn every coin."
"... ."
Is this it? A roundabout loyalty pledge? She's declaring she's joining my faction now?
She bowed once more toward me, frozen in place, then left the room.
Watching her retreating figure, I let out yet another sigh— who knows how many that made today.
"I'm beat."
I should just learn to read and diligently practice aura cultivation.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Waiting for me in my bedroom was Karen, looking somewhat excited.
"I don't know how you did it, but securing the Hereib family's loyalty is truly impressive, Young Lord."
"Yeah. I wonder how that happened... ."
"Young Lord?"
"Nothing. I'm tired today, so just bring some simple dinner and let me rest. You go too, Karen."
"Understood. I'll have them send up a sandwich or something light."
"Oh, and some sweet fruits too."
"Got it. Rest well, Young Lord."
Her expression remained blank as ever. But her footsteps had a bouncy lightness as she left.
I flopped onto the bed in a daze, devoured the dinner that arrived soon after, then plopped down on the floor instead of the bed.
This was to review the basics of aura cultivation I'd learned today.
With the excessive mana accumulated in my body, the most urgent task was to refine it into aura.
Last time I collapsed in Jevella's room, it was because the tangled mana made me pass out.
That was all because I had more mana than a normal method could handle.
Fortunately, I could already sense the mana in my body, and with some focus, unconsciously gather it.
Thanks to that, running the basic aura breathing technique Hilda taught me alone wasn't too hard.
Of course, the speed was glacially slow.
"Hoo... ."
The mana circulated through my body along a set path, refining as it went, and the purified energy gathered in my heart.
Just as the heart pumps blood throughout the body, refined aura spreads vitality everywhere.
That's why knights possess superhuman strength, they say.
Obviously, for someone like me who had just barely started refining aura, it was a distant tale.
Anyway, this basic breathing method was so fundamental that the refined aura didn't clash with personal affinities, and it was safe enough to let your mind wander midway.
So, as I diligently cycled the aura breathing, I began pondering future plans.
Not my overall stance—that was already decided. Whether it worked out well or not, continuing the wastrel act was still the best for now.
What I was mulling over wasn't such grand policy.
It was the succession ceremony, now just ten days away—down from two weeks.
During the bloodline verification ritual at the event, the magic artifact called Blue Blood would expose my true origins.
Just as Jevella didn't know the exact roots of her bloodline ability, no existing magic artifact could distinguish or trace the type of bloodline ability.
But it could detect whether one existed or not.
That I was actually a commoner, not a noble... not Jevella's bastard child from House Zahav, would be revealed.
I had to avoid that at all costs.
Originally, I planned to just sneak away at night. But now I knew better.
I knew how much hope and obsession Jevella placed in me as true Zahav blood.
She was someone who'd suffered greatly, and she was good to me.
I didn't want to suddenly vanish and hurt her. She'd endured enough pain already.
So, I wanted to wait until she calmed down mentally and loosened her attachment to House Zahav a bit, then slip away naturally... .
But the time limit, now just ten days away, was closing in too fast.
First, I had to somehow get through the succession ceremony. But how? Could a magic artifact break? If it did, wouldn't they just bring a new one?
Refusing the verification outright would only pile up suspicion and distrust.
With my mind calmer from the aura breathing, after agonizing over it repeatedly, I came up with a decent plan.
Once again, sourced from memories of my past life. Though the wastrel project had veered slightly off due to unexpectedly high results, it was still better than nothing.
This one wouldn't be perfect either, but it would mean something.
Yeah. An ability gauge exploding is just 'common sense,' right?
In my previous life on Earth, among the novels I read, there were hunter stories.
Roughly: gates suddenly open in the modern world, monsters invade, people awaken with superpowers to fight back.
And in every hunter story, there's one cliché that never fails to appear.
Equipment rated up to S-rank fails to measure the protagonist who awakens to EX-rank, misjudging them as F-rank or straight-up exploding.
In my case, faking an F-rank misjudgment wouldn't work... but smashing the artifacts and muddling through might.
...Of course, that might make them think I inherited an overwhelmingly powerful bloodline ability.
To avoid the worst, you sometimes have to settle for the second-worst.
Besides, ever since slaying the Orc Warlord, the territory folk and knights ambush-worshipped me whenever they could. What's one more change?
The Blue Blood, which verifies bloodline abilities, was a fist-sized glass orb, they said.
A transparent sphere filled with solution. When gripped, a needle pops out, draws the user's blood, and mixes it inside.
For a normal person, it just turns red... .
But for someone with a bloodline ability, it turns blue.
So, crush the artifact with grip strength before the needle draws my blood...!
My freshly learned, clumsy aura would be obvious if used, so no. Overtly squeezing hard would give it away too, so that's out.
The key is gripping lightly in appearance but actually applying strong force subtly. And acting shocked.
"Perfect."
This time, a flawless plan. Especially since I chose the second-best without greed.
All that's left is special training for perfect grip control.
I added clenching motions with my hands to the aura breathing practice.
...It looked oddly obscene, but since no one would see, it was fine.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Back in my childhood, someone once told me.
Life rarely goes as planned, and that's what makes it fun.
But now I can declare it confidently: nothing that doesn't go as expected is fun.
Crash!
The magic artifact shattered, leaving a brilliant flash and a sharp explosion.
The crowd murmured, and someone cried out in awe.
"I-It can't measure it! The new Grand Duke Zahav's bloodline ability is beyond some trifling artifact...!"
In a way, it went according to plan. But I couldn't smile. The reason was simple.
"I hadn't even gripped it yet... ."
What the hell is this?