Alert!: this chapter has been translated by Mangademon / demonicscans.org, this is a premium translation, not mtl
Screeech-!
The gates of the Plov Family’s mansion opened.
The members of the Zerdinger Family entered through it.
The servants of the Plov Family, who came to greet them, swallowed nervously.
The overwhelming presence befitting a hero family that dominates the continent could be felt.
Flutter- Flutter-
The family crest embroidered with flaming flames fluttered in the wind.
At the front, a carriage drawn by a griffon came to a halt.
The door opened, and Gis and Celia stepped out.
'Why would Uncle choose to stay here?'
In truth, when Celia heard they would be staying at a noble family’s home, she wasn’t pleased.
Celia didn’t intend to settle for just entering Lumerne.
Her goal was to be the top student.
Thus, she wanted to focus solely on her entrance exam preparations until then.
But visiting a noble family often came with inconveniences.
Especially a noble family from a small kingdom.
They were bound to be desperate to forge a connection with the Zerdinger Family.
She had hoped they would just rent out a high-end hotel instead.
Since this was a decision Gis had made, she didn’t openly complain, but she wasn’t happy about it.
Swish-
Celia brushed her black hair, which reached her waist, behind her ears and stood up straight.
Whether she liked it or not, she was the daughter of the family head.
Her external image was important.
As a representative of the family, she needed to show proper courtesy to the hosts.
As Celia thought this, she was momentarily startled.
"Huh?"
She wasn’t the only one.
The other Zerdinger members murmured among themselves.
Standing at the entrance of the mansion were a man and a woman.
Dade and Reyna.
They were shocked, especially when they saw Reyna.
'Father and Uncle look alike.'
And she noticed that Reyna also bore a resemblance to herself.
"Introduce yourself, Celia. This is the Marquis of Plov."
"I’m Celia Zerdinger. I’ll be relying on you for a week."
"Welcome. Please consider this house as your own and stay comfortably."
Dade greeted her with a calm demeanor.
There was no sign of trying to overly impress the hero family.
"And this is the Marchioness of Plov."
"Hehe, I’ve heard quite a lot about you."
Reyna greeted her with a gentle smile.
Celia looked at Reyna with confused eyes.
"Uncle, who is this?"
"Reyna Plov. She’s your aunt."
Celia’s eyes widened in surprise.
***
The Zerdinger Family settled into their rooms at the mansion.
During this time, Gis sat in the parlor with the Plov couple, conversing.
"I’m glad to see you’re doing well."
"There’s no reason for me not to be."
Click-
Reyna elegantly lifted her teacup.
"You’ve grown more composed, Sister."
"Hehe. And you’ve grown up, Gis."
Gis shook his head, seeing the vein bulging on his sister’s forehead.
'Her personality hasn’t changed.'
She was once called the 'Flame Witch.'
The reason she earned the rare title of 'witch,' unusual for a knight, was simple.
It was purely because of her personality.
Recalling old times with a smile, Gis spoke.
"Leo is quite bold."
"What has my son done now?"
At Dade’s question, Gis chuckled.
"Before coming to the Plov Family, I visited Delan Royal School to observe. All the students gathered, but I heard Leo left early, saying he wasn’t interested in the Zerdinger Family."
"If it upset you, I apologize on behalf of my son."
"Gis isn’t someone who would be upset over such a thing, Dade."
"Indeed. It was quite a refreshing experience."
As someone from the Zerdinger Family, always in the spotlight, Leo’s reaction was novel to him.
"So, what kind of child is Leo?"
"I’m not saying this because he’s my son, but his talent is exceptional."
"If you say so, Sister, I’m intrigued. However."
Gis’s warm demeanor suddenly turned cold.
"Granting permission to learn the family’s aura technique is another matter."
The chilling atmosphere was unfitting of someone nicknamed the Flame Blade.
Gis tilted his head up slightly.
"Sister, do you truly believe Leo Plov is qualified to inherit the Zerdinger flame?"
An overwhelming pressure emanated from him.
It wasn’t a special power; it was pure charisma imbued into his being.
"I believe he’s more than qualified."
Reyna spoke with a confident smirk.
"You’ll understand when you meet him. The value he holds."
***
"Sir Wheaton, do you know anything about my aunt?"
Celia asked Wheaton, a loyal knight of the family since before she was born.
"Lady Reyna is the previous wielder of 'Flame Storm,' which you now possess."
Flame Storm.
One of the family’s heirlooms, it amplifies the Zerdinger’s symbolic 'Flame Aura.'
Being its previous wielder spoke volumes about her prowess.
"What led someone like her to abandon the family name and settle in this remote kingdom?"
"Lady Reyna lost her flame due to an unforeseen accident. Afterward, she expressed her desire to live an ordinary life and left the family."
The moment someone abandons the family name, their records are erased, regardless of the reason.
"Even I never imagined I would meet Lady Reyna again here."
'For Sir Wheaton to say this much, she must’ve been truly remarkable. I wonder if she would guide me in swordsmanship later.'
As Celia thought about wanting to see Reyna’s swordsmanship firsthand.
They arrived at the Plov Family’s training ground.
Whoosh-! Whoosh-!
"Huh?"
The sound of a wooden sword swinging echoed.
Someone was practicing their swordsmanship in the training ground.
Unfamiliar white hair and familiar red eyes.
"You must be Leo Plov."
Leo looked at Celia with a puzzled expression.
"Yeah, and you are?"
"Ahem."
Celia cleared her throat, straightened her back, and introduced herself.
"My name is Celia Zerdinger. I’m your cousin."
Celia thought Leo would be shocked.
The beautiful girl considered one of the top entrants to Lumerne, a gathering of the world’s greatest talents.
Celia was a globally renowned figure.
Especially among her peers, she was an object of admiration, akin to an idol.
"Oh? Nice to meet you."
Whoosh-! Whoosh-!
But Leo’s response was dry.
He didn’t even stop swinging his sword.
Seeing his clear lack of interest, Celia frowned slightly.
```htmlJust as Celia was about to speak again, Leo stopped swinging his sword.
"Phew."
As Leo wiped off his sweat and took a deep breath, Celia asked.
"How old are you?"
"Fifteen."
"So we’re the same age? Since we’ve met like this, I’ll make a special exception and teach you swordsmanship. What do you think?"
Celia offered with a kind smile.
'If I treat him well, Aunt Reyna might give me personal guidance.'
It was a suggestion with ulterior motives, but Leo had no interest.
'What’s with this kid?'
Swordsmanship lessons?
He could tell she was skilled, but she was entirely off the mark.
Ignoring Celia, Leo resumed swinging his sword.
Whoosh-! Whoosh-!
This time, Celia carefully observed his sword movements.
She let out a small exclamation.
'He’s pretty good.'
There was no wasted motion in his sword swings.
It was clear that his sword carried considerable power.
'I guess that’s the blood of our family. He’s better than I thought.'
Clink- Clink-
'But what are those bracelets?'
The sound of rattling metal accompanied his sword movements.
After a while, Leo stopped swinging and put away his sword.
"Alright, now give it a proper go. I think you have potential."
Celia felt a slight sense of anticipation.
But Leo wiped his sweat and walked away from the training ground.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"I’m done with today’s training."
"I said I’d teach you."
"No thanks."
"Why not?"
"I’m not interested in learning from someone weaker than me."
"What?"
Celia’s face hardened.
"Are you saying you’re stronger than me?"
"Right now, you’re probably stronger. I can’t use aura."
In a life-and-death fight, he wouldn’t stand a chance against Celia.
"But in a swordsmanship duel, I’d win."
Celia’s lips twitched as she watched Leo speak nonchalantly.
"Quite confident, aren’t you?"
Her red eyes narrowed.
"Judging by your sword swings, I can tell. You’re the strongest at your school, aren’t you?"
At Delan Royal School, all aspiring knights could handle aura.
But Leo was undoubtedly stronger than them.
The fundamentals were on an entirely different level, regardless of aura.
'He’s probably not learning aura because Aunt Reyna wants him to master a high-level aura technique.'
A high-level aura technique.
For example, the Zerdinger Family’s unique aura technique, exclusive to its bloodline.
'What? Did he just imply that once he learns aura, he’ll be stronger than me? How arrogant!'
In the Zerdinger Family, intense competition began at an early age.
This applied even to the family head’s children, and Celia had always been the best.
Her pride stemmed not from the Zerdinger name but from her confidence in herself.
"Fine. If you’re so confident, let’s have a duel."
"A duel?"
"Yes. If I win, you’ll be my servant while I’m staying at the Plov mansion."
"And if I win? Will you become my maid?"
"Of course. It has to be fair, doesn’t it? Not that it’ll happen."
Celia brushed her hair back with a smug smile.
"Ah, my lady."
This chapter was translated by demonicscans.org
Wheaton, who had been watching, tried to intervene hastily.
"Don’t worry, Sir Wheaton. I’ll win anyway."
Celia, wearing a confident expression, looked at Leo and said.
"I’ll show you that you’re just a big fish in a small pond."
The two stood in the center of the training ground.
Leo glanced at Celia, who was gripping a wooden sword.
"Oh, by the way, you can use aura."
"What?"
'This little...!'
"Hmph! Fine, then I’ll give you two free attacks. Go ahead, give it your best shot."
A reddish glow enveloped Celia’s body.
Aura Armor.
A technique that cloaks the body in aura like armor.
"Alright, I won’t hold back."
"As much as you want."
Celia smirked.
She was certain that an aura-less Leo’s attacks wouldn’t affect her.
Leo gripped his wooden sword with both hands and took a deep breath.
"Phew-!"
The veins on his forearms bulged as his red eyes gleamed.
Bang-!
The wooden sword struck Celia’s temple precisely.
Her head snapped to the side, and a ringing echoed in her skull from the impact.
A sharp pain shot up from her neck.
Shocked by the overwhelming power, Celia’s face turned pale.
"Impressive durability."
Leo commented in admiration.
"H-Hah! Do you think your attack could break through my Aura Armor?"
'What... what kind of monstrous strength is this?'
Although she forced a smile, she had nearly blacked out from the blow.
The wooden sword, reinforced with magic, was already splintering from the force.
'Still, it’s not something I can’t handle.'
Feigning composure, Celia smiled.
Leo casually removed the bracelets from his wrists and tossed them aside with a thud.
Thud-!
"...!"
"Now, shall I really give it a swing?"
Leo loosened his shoulders and smiled, appearing like a devil in Celia’s eyes.
The bracelets were weighted with magic.
A primitive training method she would have mocked as outdated under normal circumstances.
But now, she couldn’t even bring herself to laugh.
The scene before her was beyond brute force—it was madness.
"Let’s go for one more hit."
"W-Wait...!"
BANG-!
The sound was incomparable to before.
A devastating impact struck her head.
As her consciousness faded, she saw Leo discard the shattered reinforced wooden sword.
Her last thought was:
'What kind of...'
Celia’s vision went black.
'...madman is this?'
```End Of Chapter
