Winter winds howled.

Kyle was currently on his way to the capital city of Levido, located in the southern region of the Lutentus territory. The process of proving his identity as a Lutentus would be held there.

"...thus, although Lavida was proficient in horsemanship, he chose not to ride in crucial battles. He focused more on the speed generated by compressing and exploding the muscles of his lower body than on the speed of a galloping horse. It is said that his terrifyingly fast movements made a sound as if tearing through the air. Like 'whoosh' and 'bang'... Kyle, sir? Are you listening, sir Kyle?"

"Yes, I'm listening."

Kyle replied briefly to the chattering man's words. The man, whose beard was stained with spices, was named Aldbert. He was a Lutentus knight who had come to escort Kyle to the capital.

'Having lived in the remote frontier, where Lavida's greatness is seldom heard of,' he's insisting on enlightening me himself. At least for now, there are few people who know more about how remarkable Lavida was than Kyle.'

"Heh heh, I guess you've never heard stories like this before, right? Surprisingly, all of this is true."

Aldbert's condescending tone started as soon as he arrived in Nava.

Two days ago, Kyle was staring at the "automobile" that Aldbert had arrived in. He said that if you entered the coordinates of your destination, the device with four wheels would arrive on its own.

After the death of Yuriel, magic had lost its destructive side and developed to suit the convenience of everyday life. The automobile was probably a product of that history. Kyle felt a strange bitterness at this fact, but Aldbert was looking at him with a face that was trying to suppress laughter.

Kyle felt a growing sense of displeasure at Aldbert's unrefined behavior and current attitude, but he did not show it. This was because of Aldbert's subtle "rhetoric" that was designed to avoid leaving a bad impression.

Getting upset here would be playing right into his hands.

As he listened to the endless stories about Lavida, many memories came flooding back to him. The five years he spent with him hunting monsters was the most intense period of his life. It was also a time when he harbored unbecoming thoughts as he watched Lavida's "light" from the side.

'Right now······.'

The edge of one of the doors of the "mana engine transportation device," simply called a car, was dented.

"I just gave it a little push because the door wasn't closing properly."

If he had applied his full strength, the door might have fallen off its hinges. Such innate power was evident even in everyday life.

At the time, Aldbert muttered under his breath, "I paid so much for this thing······." but that was all. Even though he was from the indirect branch, Kyle was also "the seed of Lutentus." He wouldn't dare express his dissatisfaction openly.

'If he saw this, Aktubaaar would be so surprised.'

Aktubaar always looked at his frail body with pity. He was a barbarian from the southern barbarian tribe, and he came to the tower after his village was destroyed by monsters. When asked why a barbarian had come to the tower, he just kept repeating the word "protection."

No one paid attention to him, but Yuriel couldn't ignore him. He also had something he couldn't protect.

Yuriel found and taught Aktubaar a forgotten barbarian arcane magic.

It was a magic that specialized in defense, with ancient runes carved into a shield. Aktubaaar, with his distinctively burly physique, used that shield to take on the full force of Selerathus's attack.

If he hadn't bought them some time, the outcome of the last battle might have been different. He was offered a title from the empire in recognition of his service, but he refused.

The reason Kyle has been lost in these old thoughts lately is because of a monthly magazine he read at the end of last year.

"Shock! Selerathus was not the end! The end of the continent is still unknown······."

This monthly magazine was also one that the postman had quickly collected within a day. The revised monthly magazine was replaced with things like "The glamorous return of the queen of the social scene, the wife of Baron Maurice! Is the dress the work of Andrea Jean?"

However, Kyle remembered the contents of the original article in detail.

After killing Selerathus, Lavida continued her journey with a small elite group, including Yuriel's two disciples, Aktubaar and Celine.

The reporter presented evidence of this in the form of traces found beyond the "Land of the Dead Demons," where Selerathus met his end. The corroded shield in the photo was undoubtedly the one he had given to Aktubaaar.

If Selerathus was not the end······ If that means that the monsters are still out there, then why.

Does that mean Lavida and the others didn't go all the way?

'What did they see at the end of the continent······?'

Kyle knew it was just a thought, but he didn't stop the flow of his thoughts. He believed that these questions and uncertainties were the driving force that would make him stronger.

If he were to rise to the ranks of the 'strong' like Lavida, he would eventually have to face the truth of the continent, even if he wanted to avoid it.

Quickly getting stronger was the only answer.

"You can't take your eyes off of it. Haha. Well, anyone would be surprised to see this sight for the first time."

The unpleasant tone of voice caused Kyle's body to react, and he snapped out of his thoughts.

"Hmm?"

Kyle couldn't hide his surprise. He thought the saying "Levido is spring all year round" was just a metaphor.

In the north, people freeze to death on the streets at night.

In Levido, colorful flowers bloom profusely all over the streets. Cars that were never seen in Nava were common on the lively streets, and people were bustling about on the well-maintained sidewalks.

"Thanks to the eight-sided fire dragon stone, Levido is always spring. This is also the grace of Count Lavida, who performed the miracle of catching the fire dragon."

The fire dragon was one of the high-level monsters that had given him a hard time during the monster extermination. He knew that the stones the disgusting monster carried were 'mana stones,' but he never thought they would be working in this way.

'They must have hired a pretty talented mage.'

No matter how good the mana stones were, they couldn't maintain this kind of environment for over 100 years. At least they must have been recharged by a talented mage every few years. Kyle thought of the Andorian mage who had carved the Chain on his body when he was five years old.

'He couldn't have estimated my mana capacity.'

Kyle, who was born with a weak constitution, had significantly reduced magical sensitivity, so he could not make an accurate diagnosis.

However, the level of the mage did not seem to be any lower than that of the royal mage in his previous life.

The cost of hiring such a mage would be astronomical, but strangely enough, the streets of Levido looked only prosperous. The degraded status of the family that was rumored to be circulating was unimaginable.

'But it starts to crack from places that are not visible.'

Kyle's intuition, honed as a mage, was telling him that the seemingly perfect world of Levido was a house of cards that could collapse at any moment.

"Kyle, I've been serving the seeds of Lutentus for a long time, so I'd like to give you one piece of advice."

"I don't need it."

"Haha. People who say that always end up regretting it. Not all the seeds who attend the Harvest Rite are desperate. Take April, the fourth daughter of the second wife, for example. She's attended three times now, and for her, the Harvest Rite is a kind of release or entertainment. You should be careful not to get on her bad side. And not just her······."

As Aldbert chattered incessantly in the seat behind him, Kyle's attention was focused on the scenery outside the window.

The shape of a bird of immortality from legend. The flag of Lutentus, which symbolized Lutentus, was fluttering at the top of the magnificent castle, which was at the end of his sight. The owner of that place must be the current head of the Lutentus family. It was a position that anyone with the blood of Lutentus would aspire to. Kyle was no exception.

'Is this also the influence of my bloodline······ or is it still the inferiority complex of being the head of the fallen family.'

Kyle closed his eyes because his heart was pounding.

Kyle was aware that he still had a long way to go, even with his confidence in his own talent. He knew that rash ambition would only lead to trouble, so he waited calmly for his emotions to subside.

The car pulled up in front of a large building that reminded Kyle of a training hall. It was quite a distance from the main castle.

"Are there other Seeds inside?"

"Yes. There will be people who came from the 'indirect branch' like you, Kyle. The people from the 'core family' don't need to come. They all have their own luxurious······ Oh, I shouldn't have said that."

Aldbert seemed to be enjoying himself as he spoke. He glanced at Kyle's body with half-closed eyes. Was he trying to humiliate him and enjoy his reaction? He was pathetic.

"Then I'll go in."

There was no need to respond to this childish power struggle. So Kyle got out of the car. Aldbert was still sitting in the back seat, smiling broadly.

"Oh? Aren't you going in?"

Kyle also smiled at him.

"Aldebert Ruthwell, the second knight of Lutentus."

A knight who swore loyalty to the family, sending off a member of the family's bloodline while remaining seated?

This was not a cute act of defiance like before. This was clearly an act that crossed the line. It was an act that was unacceptable both as a descendant of Yuriel and as a seed of Lutentus.

...Aldbert's expression hardened. Calling someone by their title and name was a way of demanding a salute.

It was the accepted practice for a family knight to show respect to the bloodline of the head of the family based on their loyalty to the head. But how did this bastard, who had been stuck in the indirect branch, know this "etiquette"?

Aldbert enjoyed bringing seeds from the indirect branch who had never come to Levido and mocking them. It was so enjoyable to see those precious bloodlines blush and stammer! And seeds don't bow their heads. Isn't that an unspoken rule that has been in place for a long time?

Kyle, who had called him, was still smiling. He was just waiting with his hands behind his back. It was now clear what he was hoping for.

Aldbert gritted his teeth and got out of the car with a loud thud.

If the rumor that a knight had ignored the Lutentus salute reached the lord's ears... He felt his face burning with shame, but the fear of punishment was even worse.

Since he had left his sword in his room, Aldbert clasped his hands together in the air and slammed them down to the ground. He kept his head held high, but he dared not meet Kyle's eyes.

This was the Lutentus' long-standing "salute."

"It was an honor to escort you. Kyle, the heir of the Nava tribe."

Now it was Kyle's turn to "respond" by raising his right hand and tapping his chest. But······.

"Kyle, sir······?"

He waited for a long time, but no response came. He wondered if he had gone into the building, so he glanced down.

"Humph!"

Aldbert immediately raised his eyes. The two eyes were still looking at him. Was he being disciplined, like he had been as a new knight? Could this brat be trying to trick me?

His lips were parched with shame when he heard a sharp tap on his chest.

"Indeed, a dignified salute worthy of a Lutentus knight."

Aldbert lowered his gaze and was finally able to take a good look at Kyle.

Kyle, who had already turned his back, was walking into the building with a dignified gait. His back was a flawless figure.

'I messed up······ This guy isn't normal.'

Aldbert thought about avoiding Kyle until the end of the training camp. However, he was also curious.

What would he look like when he faced the real seeds of Lutentus, not the trash from the indirect branch? 

Author's Note

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