*tick*

Time slowed down. No, it wasn't that time slowed down, but that my perception has surpassed time. The same phenomenon that happened when I fought against Orsted.

Now that I was aware of it, I could use it at will.

It wasn't hard. Just focus mana into my eyes and then time slowed down.

Still wasn't sure exactly *why* it was happening, but it seemed to be some sort of Demon Eye that I naturally awakened that made my thoughts go at light speed... or something.

But I couldn't waste time thinking about that.

Instead, I focused on the situation.

Sauros was attacking me. I wasn't sure exactly why, but from the first impression I got and the words he said, it was something along the lines of 'I must test this arrogant child that uppity Paul brought!'

Or something.

And this was supposed to be Dad's uncle.

Seriously, was Dad's family all off their rockers? My grandpa let Dad walk out from home at 12, Dad was... well, Dad, and now it seemed like my great-uncle was so action-oriented he didn't even think about the fact that he was an old man throwing a full-force punch at a child.

...Maybe stupidity was genetic in this world. Definitely needed to keep a check on that for me then. Probably should start a journal to monitor things.

*tick*

A soft tick echoed. The signal that my bullet time/light-speed thinking or whatever was running out.

From what I remembered, I had four ticks. Which meant there were three left.

...It also seemed pretty arbitrary in how long they were, but research on that later. For now, analyzing the situation was key.

There were only two people in the room right now. Me and Sauros.

However, someone had called out from the hallway. That person was out of sight right now, but from the fact that it was a male voice and called Sauros 'Father', it was probably my Dad's cousin, Philip.

Was this a setup then? A bad cop, good cop routine?

Since the betrothal contract was in place, I *was* technically part of their family. And if that Philip guy was as sly as he seemed to be, this could be a trap. Maybe a way to probe my abilities.

*tick*

Yeah. That made the most sense.

Dad liked to run his mouth a bit when talking about his family. And apparently when talking about me.

It was a bad habit, but I couldn't really blame him considering it was because he was proud and happy with the family he had.

He knew better now though. As reckless as he was, since he was aware Being W was out there and waiting to mess with us, Dad wasn't going to do anything to put his family at risk.

That was his best trait after all. When it came to things endangering his family, he took things seriously. Sometimes a bit too seriously and also sometimes a bit too quickly without thinking things through... but since me, Mom, Mama Lily, Miss Rose, Mister Laws, Roxy, AND Sylphy scolded him about the results from doing that last time, he wouldn't repeat it any time soon.

But that still left the problem in front of me.

How did I deal with this?

*tick*

The final tick.

With it, I saw time slowly speeding back up. Everything slowly ramping up to normal speed.

Meaning I had to think fast.

Sauros annoyed me. And I *really* wanted to beat him up. But was that the best thing to do? This guy *was* the Region Lord of Fedoa. That meant he was a pretty powerful guy too.

But if he was going to be my grandfather in-law, I also couldn't let him push me around. And if this *was* a bad cop, good cop routine, and if that Philip was a schemer, I couldn't show any sign of weaknesses.

After all, I had enough on my plate with that damned Being W throwing his schemes at me. I didn't want to deal with another guy too.

In that case...

Sauros's fist flew towards my face. A fast strike. Almost as fast as Dad's sword had been when I was still a baby.

Considering that it was while he was unarmed as well, it was impressive.

But not anything I couldn't react to.

Orsted had done the same thing. And compared to the Dragon God, Sauros was nothing.

I stepped to the side, moving away from the couch and table to get room. In the same step, I grabbed the sleeve of Sauros's outstretched arm and bent down, twisting my body to go with Sauros's momentum, but also diverting it to throw him over me.

"Wha-?!"

A loud crash. Sauros bounced off the floor and tumbled over a few times.

Huh. Didn't think that I threw him that hard. Then was he seriously charging to hit me with that much force? If I was a normal kid, I'd be dead!

At that time, footsteps echoed and someone ran into the room.

I glanced over to see a man around my dad's age come in.

He had a slender body, like someone who spent all day inside combing over books instead of training. His hair was also a bit darker than Dad's, a brown instead of the dirty blonde color Dad had.

And it seemed like he wasn't used to physical activity since he was completely out of breath, with sweat pouring down his face and staining his fancy overcoat and dress clothes.

Philip Boreas Greyrat. Dad's cousin and my potential father-in-law. By process of elimination, that was the only person that man could be.

...Though he didn't seem as collected as I would expect from a supposed political schemer. While he had the face of someone who did those sorts of things, at the moment his eyes were wide in panic.

Philip noticed me staring and gave me a quick nod, but then he turned his attention to Sauros and said, "Be reasonable, Father! Even if one tenth of what that man said is true, then we should-"

A growl. Sauros grit his teeth and then punched the ground, forcing himself back to his feet. After that, he stepped forward again.

I turned to the side, preparing for another ambush. But this time, I wasn't the target.

"Gah!"

A sickening blow.

Sauros crossed the room in a single stride again and punched Philip directly in the stomach. Not only that though, silver mana gathered around the old man's fist as he did, amplifying the force of the blow.

Philip flew through the air, crashing into the wall. Glass-framed portraits fell to the ground, shattering. At the same time, Philip actually left an imprint in the wall from where he struck it.

A scene that looked just like a reckless accidental murder.

Except Philip was fine.

Right before Sauros hit him, silver mana wrapped around Philip as well, softening the blow.

And as if to show that, Philip stood up and brushed off his clothes before looking at Sauros. "Father!"

"Hmph." Sauros clicked his tongue and ignored him. "Be silent. Whatever that fortuneteller said, I'll verify with my own eyes." He turned back to face me and then gave me a serious expression.

...Fortuneteller?

Hold on, I think I'm missing some *very* important context here-

Sauros stepped forward again. This time, he attacked while that silver mana wreathed his body. Not only that, but there was clear killing intent in that blow.

My eye twitched.

This time, instead of dodging, I stepped forward and swung my elbow to meet his fist. I wrapped my mana around me like in my fight with Orsted and then growled. "Is everybody in Dad's family this stupid?!"

A loud explosion echoed, along with the sound of shattering glass. My blow, overpowering Sauros's and breaking his mana reinforcement.

"Kuh." He stepped back and shook his fist. "Hmph! Arrogant brat. With just that strength, you expect to survive in the Asura Kingdom?"

My eye twitched again and I growled. "That's it. I've had it up to *here* with everything. First Dad being stupid, then being attacked, then finding out about the betrothal contract, and now this bullshit..."

I was having a great time chatting with Sylphy, messing with Dad... and I was even going to approach everything civilly. After all, it wasn't good to burn bridges. And these people were technically family.

But.

I cracked my knuckles and said, "Fine. You want to see how strong I am? I'll show you how strong I am." I looked at Philip and said, "Watch closely *father-in-law*. And think carefully if you want to try and scheme around me and my family."

...Forget all of this.

If they were going to treat me like this, I wasn't going to pull my punches. And since I was planning on thrashing Dad anyway, what a perfect opportunity to test out my new training method...

Sauros spat and raised his fist. "I knew it. You're just like your father. It seems that I'll have to disci- Gah!"

I slammed my fist into Sauros's stomach, just like he did with Philip. "THINK before you act!"

"You insolent-"

I spun around with a roundhouse kick, wreathing it with gold healing mana before whipping my foot at Sauros's ribs. "Nobles are supposed to set an example for people, not be tyrants!"

I could see it. This guy was used to lording his power over other people. A tyrant who ran around doing whatever he wanted because he could. Someone like that...

Sauros clutched his side and then glared at me. "You dare-"

"I DARE!" I kicked off the ground and threw a punch at his stomach again.

...I wanted to smack his face instead, but I was still too short.

Sauros grabbed my fist and opened his mouth to spout some more nonsense.

I spun around and smacked him with the heel of my left foot.

Sauros staggered back and then growled, wiping blood from his mouth.

But there wasn't a wound.

Of course. Since I was wrapping my limbs with healing mana, any damage would be immediately healed. And technically, it should be improving him as well. Marginally.

At that time, Philip stepped forward. "H-Hold on a moment, you two. I believe we started off on the wrong-"

"SILENCE, BOY!"

"DON'T INTERRUPT!"

Philip sighed and muttered, "Well. I suppose that explains why Paul said they would be a perfect match..."

I ignored Philip and glared at Sauros. "You need to be taught a lesson in humility, Old Man!"

"And you need to know when to bow your head, Child!"

-LIV-

Philip pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered, "So this is what Paul meant."

Rudeus Greyrat. Paul's first child and supposedly exceptional son. Someone that he was willing to take extraordinary measures to protect... and who he took drastic measures to keep from following to Roa.

Someone who was an unbelievable child prodigy in magic according to Paul's friend, Laws.

...And someone who would hold the key to ensuring the Fedoa region didn't fall into complete chaos. At least, according to the magician who revealed Thomas's scheming to kidnap Eris.

Also, someone with a stubborn streak miles wide and a temper that burned bright hot.

"Running rampant like this is exactly why your father is not the current head of Notos!"

"He's more qualified than an dumb asshole like you! What the hell do you even think you're doing, fighting a kid like this?!"

"Children must learn their place!"

"And old men should get with the times! Set a proper example, dammit!"

"You know nothing of what it means to set an example, Child!"

"More than a stubborn old man who would hit his own kid like that! Fuck, are the Greyrats all this bad? No wonder Dad ran away from home!"

"Your father ran because he was selfish! He blamed others instead of taking responsibility!"

"What the hell does a tyrant who ignores the plights of the commoners struggling to just live know of responsibility?!"

Philip let out a deep sigh and then rubbed his face. "...I've got my work cut out for me, don't I?"