Chapter 16: TBSL

Chapter 16

As soon as the Border Count gave his approval, everything moved quickly afterward.

The knights could have been caught off guard by a sudden sparring match against an outsider, but instead, they seemed excited.

After all, their daily routine consisted of endlessly training themselves while preparing for enemies who might invade someday. It seemed this unexpected event had brought some much-needed excitement.

More importantly, why the hell did Kim Yu-hyun suddenly choose Lilith as his sparring partner?

Shion grabbed his head in frustration.

If it were up to him, he would have called it nonsense and canceled the match immediately. But since the lord of the territory, the Border Count, had already given his permission, he couldn't oppose it any further.

And on top of that, if she had refused herself, that would have been one thing. But Sir North—that is, Lilith—had simply smirked and accepted, further fueling Kim Yu-hyun's competitive spirit.

Damn it, this is driving me crazy. Why does everything keep getting more complicated?

Things seemed to be following the flow of the novel, yet somehow they weren't.

No matter how hard he tried to think positively, the uneasiness wouldn't leave him.

As Shion bit his lip in frustration, someone approached him.

"It's been a while since you've visited the knights' training grounds, Young Master."

Shion turned his head toward the middle-aged man who had spoken.

Though wrinkles lined his face, his physique was far more robust than that of most young men. Dressed simply, with a sword hanging at his waist, he stood before Shion.

Looking at him quietly, Shion let out a sigh.

"Commander Lion."

"Yes, Young Master Shion."

"Weren't you inspecting the knights' training?"

"Well, everyone seems to be doing fine on their own. When important people are around, even training that usually goes smoothly somehow ends up getting messed up."

"..."

"Besides, with the sparring match starting soon, wouldn't it be better to give them some space? Hahaha!"

The man laughing heartily was Lion, commander of the Clausen Border Count's knights and one of the "two swords" mentioned in the novel alongside Sebastian.

Of course, Sebastian was officially just the family's butler. To the people within the castle, the strongest warrior they knew was Commander Lion.

"More importantly, it seems His Lordship wasn't wrong when he said you've changed."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about you, Young Master. Yesterday, the Count told me that although you've only shown him disappointment until now, you've suddenly changed. He said it was unexpected, but also reassuring."

Commander Lion was an old comrade-in-arms and trusted friend of Lichten.

Since Lichten knew how tight-lipped he was, he had apparently spoken to him about his son.

Well, Shion Clausen never had the knights' support. If he couldn't gain the vassals' support, he should have at least won over the knights. Instead, because he couldn't use mana, he developed an inferiority complex and treated them with contempt.

Disdain from the vassals.

Contempt from the knights.

And ultimately, the unforgivable act of killing his own father.

For over a hundred years and three generations, the Border Count's territory had defended the frontier of the Kingdom of Hispania.

Yet it was all destroyed by a single man who wasn't even worth calling trash.

And that piece of trash had thrown tantrums without ever realizing what he was.

Just sharing the same body with that bastard makes me sick.

What would have happened if he had possessed some other villain instead of Shion Clausen?

Well, putting everything else aside, Kim Yu-hyun would have chopped off one of his arms right from the beginning, and he'd probably be spending his days whining about being disabled.

"An outsider suddenly sparring with our knights... I don't know what the Border Count is thinking. Especially with war right around the corner."

"Do you think he's an enemy spy?"

"Not at all. I trust the Border Count's judgment. But from the knights' and soldiers' perspectives, he could certainly seem suspicious."

"Don't worry about that. Once they see today's sparring match—and see him rampaging across the battlefield—they'll realize how pointless their suspicions are."

This was Kim Yu-hyun.

A man who slaughtered even the armies of the demon race with a smile.

Against ordinary humans, he could only be described as a monster.

There were fewer than five people who had managed to hold their own against him or gain even a slight advantage.

"It seems you trust this Kim Yu-hyun quite a bit, Young Master."

"You'll understand once you see him yourself. There's really nothing suspicious about him."

"Nothing suspicious?"

"He's a man who has survived hardships beyond anything we can imagine."

"How can you be so certain?"

At that question, Shion fell silent for a moment.

He couldn't exactly tell him about the contents of the novel, but any other explanation would sound absurd.

"The moment I met him in the reception room, I knew. He's not someone who can be treated lightly."

"...You made that judgment after only meeting him briefly?"

"I trust my instincts. And I believe those instincts aren't wrong."

"..."

Faced with such a confident answer, Commander Lion was speechless.

He had been in the territory since Shion was born and had watched him grow up.

And what he had felt toward Shion over the years was disappointment—and pity for his friend, the Border Count.

Whenever Shion acted thoughtlessly despite being the heir to such a vast territory.

Whenever he targeted his much younger half-brother instead of protecting him.

Whenever he skipped basic swordsmanship and military training to drink alcohol at a young age.

Lion had genuinely worried about the future of this territory and his friend's future.

Yet over the last few days, the shadow hanging over the Border Count's face had disappeared.

Not only that.

The young master who used to avoid his older brother was now happily searching for him, laughing all the while.

And rumors about Shion's changed behavior had begun spreading throughout the castle.

Did he finally mature? Or just as the Border Count said...

Had he been pretending to be incompetent all along?

If there was a reason for it, perhaps it had been to weed out the sycophants surrounding him.

In the beginning, plenty of flatterers had gathered around Shion, hoping to stay close to the future ruler.

But as time passed and Shion continued to make foolish decisions while the Border Count's worries deepened, those opportunists quietly disappeared.

They had followed power, not the person.

Eventually, no one remained by his side.

If that really was his intention all along...

Gulp.

Lion unconsciously swallowed.

If Shion had truly planned all of this from the start, it was terrifying.

Deceiving everyone around him.

Manipulating every situation.

Secretly planning his future while enduring endless ridicule and rumors.

He must have wanted to give up countless times.

Yet until the day he came of age—until every corrupt person had left his side—he endured.

And now that the time had come, he had finally spread his wings.

"Since you're so certain, Young Master, you've made me quite curious."

Shion could only hope that curiosity remained nothing more than curiosity.

Sebastian and Raido had managed to fight Kim Yu-hyun on even terms, but neither had defeated him.

And Lion was just slightly weaker than those two.

At this rate, he might end up getting beaten black and blue by someone young enough to be his son.

"By the way, Young Master, I heard you'll be participating in the upcoming war against Nudia."

"..."

Father!

Your son just wants to live a long, peaceful life! I don't need anything else—I just want to survive quietly!

He had always run away whenever he saw street fights. And now war?

"Yes. That's how things turned out."

"The soldiers don't know yet, but some of the knights do. They're quietly looking forward to it. They say the Border Count would never send his son into such a dangerous battlefield without reason. They believe you must be hiding something."

"..."

Damn it, stop expecting things! There's nothing to expect! I haven't prepared anything!

"Well, they're free to expect whatever they want, but tell them not to expect too much. The greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment."

"No matter what anyone says, you're the Border Count's eldest son and the future lord of this territory unless something unexpected happens. It's natural for people to have expectations. And even if they're disappointed, you can improve little by little and keep moving forward."

Birds of a feather flock together.

Like Lichten, Commander Lion tended to see people and the world with optimism.

Unlike the cold and rational Sebastian—or Raido and Kim Yu-hyun.

"Ah, Young Master. We should head over now. The preparations for the sparring match should be finished."

"You're right. Commander Lion, do you know the order of the matches?"

"Hmm, I heard there will be three knights participating. I believe Sir Rodem will go first. He's quite skilled in both offense and defense, especially with a shield."

Sending out a shield specialist first was certainly a wise decision.

He could observe the opponent's swordsmanship, attack patterns, and habits.

"The surprising part is that Sir North is among them. I don't mean to belittle his skills, but he wasn't exactly outstanding."

"Who knows? Perhaps he's finally realized his shortcomings and is trying to improve."

"There must be a reason you stopped him from leaving and appointed him as your guard knight. If he proves himself in this sparring match, the other knights will see him differently."

Unfortunately, that won't happen. The person inside that body isn't that old man—it's a terrifying lady.

Once the war ended, Sir North would leave just as he had originally planned.

Thinking that to himself, Shion headed toward the training arena with Lion.

They chatted a bit more along the way, but nothing particularly important came up.

The only noteworthy thing was that Aden had been smiling a lot lately.

"Young Master. Commander."

As they reached the arena, two knights bowed respectfully.

After returning their greetings, Lion glanced at Shion.

The old Shion Clausen had looked down on the family knights.

To knights, honor meant everything. Yet the son of their lord constantly disrespected them, causing resentment to build little by little.

But today's Shion was different.

With a gentle smile, he returned their greetings.

The old Shion was an absolute idiot.

There were few things more important for an heir than earning the support of the knights.

Even he, someone who had merely read novels, understood that much.

Shion Clausen hadn't even managed that.

Recalling that fact, Shion began to suspect the author of the novel had some personal grudge against anyone named Shion.

"This way."

Lion led Shion toward the spectator seats.

Lichten was already there.

But he wasn't alone.

Huh? Aden and Countess Leona too?

Aden Clausen, his half-brother.

And Countess Leona, Shion's stepmother.

There was only a twelve-year age gap between them, so honestly, she felt more like an older sister than a mother.

Still, she had married his father, Lichten.

"Father."

"You're here."

After bowing respectfully, Shion looked to the side.

Aden was looking at him with equal parts anticipation and worry.

Before he could start worrying that his older brother had reverted to his old self—

"If you call me 'elder brother' in that creepy formal way again, you're getting scolded."

"Ah, okay! Brother!"

Thanks to Shion's playful tone, Aden immediately brightened.

When Aden whined about wanting to play ball together again, Shion broke into a cold sweat.

"Your brother needs some rest too, you know."

And this... this really doesn't come easily.

After struggling internally, Shion finally forced the word out.

"Mother."

Countess Leona widened her eyes in surprise.

Wondering if he had made a mistake, Shion remained silent.

She simply smiled and bowed her head.

Just then, Kim Yu-hyun stepped into the center of the arena.

He wore his usual simple clothes and held a wooden sword instead of the blade he normally carried.

Commander Lion was about to announce the first opponent.

"I'd like to choose my first opponent myself."

Kim Yu-hyun looked directly at the commander as he spoke.

Lion glanced at Lichten, asking for permission.

The Border Count nodded.

"Very well. Choose your opponent."

"...Sir North."

Damn it! Why is this bastard so obsessed with Lilith?!

Since she still didn't know much about Kim Yu-hyun, Shion had hoped she would watch a little, gauge his abilities, and go easy on him.

But their protagonist wasn't willing to allow even that.

Kim Yu-hyun stared directly at North—that is, Lilith.

Displeased by his gaze, Lilith tilted her head before stepping forward.

"You've been calling me out ever since earlier."

"I want to test myself against you."

"...Suit yourself."

Still disguised as North, Lilith picked up a wooden sword.

Kim Yu-hyun raised his own weapon and faced her.

And just like that, the duel began.

Damn it, damn it, damn it!

While Shion panicked over the possibility of Lilith's true identity being exposed.