BXBX NOVEL Chapter 13 – Duel (1)
‘Feels like I’ve aged ten years.’
I had expended too much mental energy today.
All I did was negotiate with the headmaster and have a confrontation with Irene, but I was already exhausted.
Shouldering an impossible task and being pressured to complete it was beyond unfair.
I didn’t feel sorry for Aslan, but this was too much.
‘I just want a peaceful life without worrying about someone coming to kill me or getting blackmailed…’
Gold and jewels? Surrounded by beauties?
I don’t wish for such things.
I just want to live out my natural lifespan without being murdered.
Isn’t that a modest dream?
Why is this so difficult?
As I sighed deeply and lamented my fate, the carriage stopped in front of the mansion, and the door swung open.
…It opened too quickly to have been the coachman.
“Uncle! Uncle!”
“What’s the matter?”
“You came just in time! I have something to show you! Come quickly! Hurry!”
“…”
Charlotte hopped into the carriage and grabbed my hand, pulling me along. She was so excited she couldn’t sit still for a moment.
Come to think of it, I am already living surrounded by beauties.
Well, these beauties are still in their future forms and might kill me someday.
“What is it?”
“It’s urgent! Quickly, quickly…!”
Being dragged by the oddly urgent Charlotte, I decided to use the skill, ‘Appraisal’ again.
[Charlotte]
[Age: 13]
[Affection Level: -1]
[Wants to believe you are a good person.]
Considering it was -5 on the first day, it had improved significantly…
But it was still in the negatives?
Ridiculous.
What do I have to do to get a positive affection score?
‘On the outside, she looks like she trusts me, but not quite.’
Charlotte seemed like a carefree, innocent child without a worry in the world.
But wanting to believe I was a good person suggested she still didn’t trust me completely.
Her inner barrier was still intact.
Possibly more robust than Julia’s.
A careful approach was needed.
“Look! Watch closely!”
“…!”
Charlotte led me to the training grounds where Sylvia awaited, both drenched in sweat.
They had been training for quite a while.
Charlotte assumed a stance, taking a deep breath, and suddenly the atmosphere changed.
It was the first time I had seen Charlotte’s serious eyes.
Sylvia, too, had a solemn expression.
What are they going to show me?
I swallowed nervously as Charlotte prepared to demonstrate.
“Super Ultimate! Downward Slash!”
Whoosh.
The scene matched the onomatopoeia ‘whoosh’ perfectly.
It felt like a learned person’s proper downward slash.
Was it really impressive? If you asked me… well…
Having seen Yuri’s flashy skills in the game, I felt no excitement.
‘Is it really impressive? Am I just not recognizing it?’
Thinking it might be my lack of understanding of swordsmanship, I glanced at Sylvia.
But Sylvia had her hand on her forehead, sighing deeply.
Charlotte turned to gauge Sylvia’s reaction, so I quickly called her to divert her attention.
“Charlotte.”
“How was it? I practiced this downward slash all day!”
“Excuse me for a moment. I need to discuss something urgent with Sylvia…”
“Uncle, where are you going?”
I gestured for Sylvia to follow and moved away from the scorching sun in the training grounds, where Aslan’s skin couldn’t bear the heat.
Waiting under the shade of a building, Sylvia wiped her sweat and approached me.
“May I speak frankly, young master?”
“When did you ever hesitate to speak your mind? Go ahead.”
“Charlotte has no talent for the sword. Continuing her swordsmanship training is pointless; I suggest we stop.”
“…”
As expected.
No talent, huh…
Seeing Charlotte swing her sword tirelessly under the blazing sun, my heart ached.
“As you know, young master, I was once called a genius. I’ve seen many geniuses, not just myself. Charlotte lacks even a fraction of the talent those geniuses had.”
“Truly? None at all?”
“I’ll give her this: she has perseverance. These days, kids lack perseverance. Back in my day…”
“Stop. Get to the point.”
“Ahem. Charlotte is diligent and hardworking. She wakes up before dawn, skips breakfast and lunch, and practices all morning. Her posture and basic swordsmanship are already at a high level, but she cannot use mana, the most crucial aspect for a swordsman. After examining her heart, I found her mana core’s responsiveness is worse than my injured heart. I suspect she might be born unable to use mana…”
She started strong but trailed off at the end.
No talent for mana manipulation, huh?
In this world, not being able to use mana makes it challenging to excel in any field.
Whether it’s magic, swordsmanship, or healing arts, mana is essential.
Can the protagonist’s companion really lack such a fundamental trait?
‘Late bloomer?’
Starting with overwhelming talent is boring?
Perhaps Charlotte is a growth character who awakens her potential later.
To Sylvia, who knows nothing about this, she must seem like a hopeless case…
“Is she enjoying the training?”
“Pardon?”
“Does she enjoy the swordsmanship training?”
“Yes. Although I’m the one doing the training, Charlotte seems to enjoy it more than I do.”
“Then continue the training. If no talent is visible, find it. If you show any sign of slacking, expect a 100% pay cut.”
“…”
Sylvia stared at me, dumbfounded.
Hmm. I’m starting to doubt Sylvia’s backstory of being a former genius.
If Sylvia can’t do it, should I hire a Sword Master as an instructor?
That would strain the family’s finances, but it would be worth it.
A well-trained Charlotte could be more valuable than ten Sword Masters.
Investing all the family’s resources in Charlotte and Julia is the best move.
The problem is those who won’t let me do that…
“A girl with a sword? Your friend is playing quietly in the library. Why don’t you join her?”
“Ah! Knight Sylvia made this wooden sword for me…”
“Knight? What knight? That cripple can’t even use mana.”
Like that idiot, for example.
The wooden sword in Charlotte’s hand snapped under the grip of a sudden brute.
Charlotte’s face showed shock and despair.
Who is this idiot?
[Skill, ‘Appraisal’ has been activated.]
[Leon Verkus]
[Age: 34]
[Affection Level: 12]
[A hereditary knight who has served the Vermont family for generations. His behavior has earned widespread contempt.]
Oh, this bastard.
One of the few employees with a positive affection level.
A high affection level with Aslan means he’s likely a villain.
I don’t like going out into the sun, but…
Unable to tolerate it any longer, I put on a hat and stepped out into the sunlight.
“Is there a problem?”
“….”
Charlotte, with her head hung low, said nothing.
No. She’s deliberately keeping silent.
A child who has learned the hard way that tattling brings trouble.
I don’t like that.
Children should behave like children.
“Young master. I see you came. This girl has been taking up the training grounds all day for sword practice.”
“I told her to. Any objections?”
“Oh. Is that so? I didn’t know. But, young master, considering she has no talent, wouldn’t it be better to raise her as a maid?”
“No talent? Leon, what do you know about Charlotte…!”
“Shut up, you halfwit. What do you know to speak out? You’re a cripple who can’t even use mana.”
“What…!”
Sylvia turned red with anger but said nothing more.
Despite her earlier assessment of Charlotte, she didn’t like hearing it from someone else.
‘This guy is challenging me, not Charlotte or Sylvia.’
While he seems polite to me, he’s not.
By criticizing Charlotte and Sylvia, he’s indirectly insulting me.
Quite blatantly, too.
“Do you have a problem with me, Leon? Stop the indirect remarks and speak like a man.”
“Hah! How could I, young master? I just have one piece of advice. I’m worried you’ll make a mess of unfamiliar tasks. Why start doing things you’ve never done?”
“So it’s about the paperwork I handled last night.”
“Yes, exactly. The work was going well without your involvement, so leave it to me from now on.”
Aha.
Now I understand why this parasite, who’s only accomplishment in life was inheriting his father’s knight title, was so angry.
“I didn’t do anything special. Just noticed some employees’ salaries were flowing into suspicious accounts, so I seized those accounts. It seemed like someone was embezzling. Do you know anything about that?”
“Young master!!!”
Leon clenched his fists and shouted.
The nerve of this bastard. Caught stealing and then yelling at me?