'It was no estate; it was a stronghold.'

It was Clay's only comment after spending the entirety of his day exploring the lavish place.

In the novel, Count Durkton's estate is the name of this place.

Located on one of Mount Opal's ridges, a towering castle stood at its summit, overlooking a breathtaking alpine landscape.

There, an estate resides, a massive enclosure of pure stonework.

At the heart of the enclosure, a castle stands as the grandest structure, serving as the residence of the Durktons.

Around the castle were magic turrets, watchtowers, stables, barracks, lawns and gardens, some cabins dedicated to soldiers and servants, and the grand courtyard where they host annual events.

The castle's interior was no less impressive.

Stands of armors and griffin banners, mana-powered lamps, carved pillars and trusses, marble floors, and ashwood furniture maintained by batches of maids and keepers—all inhabit each of its hallways.

The servants appeared cautious around Clay, with most not bowing or showing any ounce of regard as he passed.

'Ah, of course. Not to forget that one.'

At the heart of the castle, before passing the great hall, Clay had witnessed a gleaming marble statue of the Count himself standing on an elevated platform.

On its left arm, the sculpture held the most accurate replica of the Sword of the Sun—a revered artifact with a deep history and religious significance in the Kingdom.

To call it a mere replica or not, the sword still emanated a surge of divine power, enough to make any passersby goosebumps.

It was no wonder knights guarded it heavily, unlike other chambers in the estate.

'But this sword will be stolen by the hero.'

And Clay knows that the incident will happen tomorrow during the ongoing Sword Ceremony.

There, the hero and his subordinates will infiltrate the castle.

They will use high-level invisibility magic to steal the relic.

In the scenario, they managed to get the sword in their possession but with some heavy casualties.

During their escape, one of the hero's subordinates nearly died, and Horus' got caught in that scenario, causing his untimely death.

Clay, of course, knows such infiltration is nearly impossible if they are not the novel's protagonists, for sure.

The estate, after all, is no ordinary residence.

Considering the estate is a military base itself, it is no wonder why there's a mana-detecting device stationed in each quarter and hallway of this castle.

This device causes an alarm when it detects any mana fluctuation in the air.

'Well, the hero and his subordinates rely on mana in combat.'

But despite that, they managed to escape and fulfill their objectives in that scenario.

"Heh," murmured Clay as he chewed with a sly smirk.

'As if I let this opportunity pass that easily.'

In the event, the hero desperately stalled hordes of knights for his subordinates to escape. And it was when the hero killed Horus, who stood in his way.

'Horus will not die this time. I'll lend the protagonists a hand.'

These were Clay's thoughts as he shoved pieces of steak in his mouth, savoring his dinner alone on an ashwood table in the estate's dining room.

Butler Gil was behind him, stiffly observing his young master eating without any hint of etiquette.

The butler speaks, with a hint of uncertainly in his tone, "Forgive me, young master, but could you please r-repeat your request?"

Clay paused mid-chew, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Must I repeat myself?" Clay asked, then took a long sip from his glass.

The butler cleared his throat. "No, sir. You wished to move the Count's Sword to the lower armory, correct?"

Clay slowly nodded, taking another gulp. "Yes, that's right. Is there a problem?"

The butler hesitated, beads of sweat forming on his aged face. "Forgive me, sir, but with many esteemed visitors arriving tomorrow, including the Kingdom's Defense Minister, the Count may be displeased if we left the statue without its—"

Thud.

Clay landed his glass on the table with a loud noise.

The glass did not break, but it did startle the maids passing around the dining hall.

Clay turns to the butler after tapping his mouth with a napkin, showing a look Clay knew only Horus could pull off.

Clay was aware of Gil's high position in the ranking of servants.

And despite that, half the old butler's duties focused on the welfare of the youngest son, Horus.

It made Clay wonder why the estate's head butler—the Count's second hand—was stationed on a son labeled a failure.

'Hmm... Does Gil care for Horus?'

Clay couldn't be sure about this.

The novel did not elaborate on Horus' life outside the academy.

Horus is a side, low-level villain for this reason.

Gil sighed. "I understand."

"I have a reason. I'll deal with Father. For now, do what I say," stated Clay, casually pointing his silver fork at the butler.

Without a choice, Gil swallowed hard as he gave a curt nod, his expression polite but guarded. "Very well, sir. I will see to it that the knights are informed."

"Great, now get me more of this juice."

══════════

Dusk soon came, and Clay spent his night in his room, scribbling down notes on batches of parchments.

'Too many had already happened. By the third volume, the hero must have gathered half his original squad.'

Like most heroes in a typical fantasy novel, they all have a set of subordinates that help them accomplish their goals.

Be it a member of a fallen assassin clan or an exiled elven princess, Axel Hillkind—the novel's hero—is no exception to this.

Clay recalled Axel had six companions in total, and most were outlaws. 

Given that it's the third volume now, there are three people Clay had to note for tomorrow.

They are the eagle-eyed sharpshooter Kled from a fallen assassin clan, their reliable and supporting tank Arthur, and most importantly, the half-elf princess Effelia, their brilliant strategist and a light mage.

Of course, they are no ordinary figures.

They are the novel's main characters.

And each character has unique abilities and expertise that make them a reliable asset to the hero.

However, among the three, Lady Effelia is the most crucial part of Clay's plan.

You can even forget the hero himself and the two.

Clay knows Effelia is the sanest among the main characters.

'She's wise enough not to decline my offer.'

Clay planned to strike a deal only with Effelia, then let each other go their merry way.

Of course, Clay doesn't want to get further involved with any of them after this.

'And that should be viable enough.'

With a final stroke on the parchment, Clay ended up with seven pages, all written in Filipino.

Each page narrated critical events and necessary locations that Clay needed to note.

By this, Clay had plotted a safe plan to save his head tomorrow with all this information at his disposal.

And by that, the morning came more quickly than Clay had hoped.

Clay did not sleep—as if he could, anyway.

With the help of Gil and a few servants in his room, Clay did not take long to dress.

Clay ended up in linen garments in full regalia—in a monochrome of black, as he requested.

His gloomy option made Gil and the servants hesitate, but they still respected his uncanny choice.

"Right... before I forget, you know the Lord had you training with the head knight these past few weeks," said Gil, with a warm smile as he strapped Clay's attire with a luxurious jade brooch. "The Count notified me you are to battle the opening rite of the ceremony as your debut match."

'Ah, I remember.'

The Sword Ceremony, after all, was a ceremonial event.

The ceremony grants squires an opportunity to be selected as a fully pledged knight by a noble or the territory itself.

The occasion commences with a formal opening ritual, where two prominent nobles engage in a melee duel.

That is, both duelists are not allowed to use mana in the fight to respect the purity of the sword.

Usually, it is Luther's job to do these rites, but he is not in the territory at the moment.

As a result, the Count had to opt for Horus to stand in for his eldest son.

'Hmm... Now that I remember it, Horus fought a swordmage.'

The novel narrates Horus' match as a one-sided fight.

After all, his opponent is no ordinary knight.

And that knight injured Horus enough that his encounter with the hero instantly killed him.

'Damn awful of a novel.'

"I don't have to win, correct?" asked Clay with a frown, letting Gil and the servants finish his attire.

Hearing that made Gil halt as he gestured to the servants to leave. He slowly turns to Clay, hesitating for an answer. "Young master, I a-apologize but—"

"Just say it," Clay cut in, sighing.

"No, you don't have to," replied Gil. And after ensuring the servants had left, he adds, "...But I have one wish, dear sir."

A bit surprised, Clay replies, "What is it?"

"I keep telling you this, but" the butler paused, recollecting his words, "be careful, dear sir. I know you have been training for this match, but don't push yourself too much, okay?"

There was genuine warmth in Gil's words.

Although Clay had no idea about the truthfulness of the butler's words, he was at least glad that someone does care for the kid.

It also made Clay somewhat guilty if Gil was to learn that he was not Horus he had cared about all along.

"I know," said Clay as he began to make his way. "I'll remember that."