It seemed that Kyle had really gotten under Zahar's skin. Zahar's arms, which were wrapped around Kyle's body, tightened so hard that it felt like his body was about to shatter.

The pressure was suffocating, but Kyle was more bothered by the unpleasantness of being held in the arms of a burly man. The smell of the wild animal that wafted from his body only heightened that feeling. Wriggling in his arms, Kyle whispered.

"Let go."

A babbling sound came out. Kyle, with a frown on his face, spoke clearly, even taking a deep breath this time.

"If you don't intend to kill me, let me go first."

At that time, his face shook. Kyle could not move at all, so it was Zahar's chest that moved.

"Khh······."

A hissing sound, and with it, the strength in Zahar's arms loosened, and Kyle immediately pulled away. Zahar tilted his head back and then.

Kkhat–! Kk, hat, hat, hat, hat–

Jahar's unique accent-like laugh······ Is this what you call laughter? The aura that was carelessly carried in the sound spread in all directions. The birds in the forest flew away with a flutter, and the sound of wild animals making a fuss rang out. Of course, they were the bold creatures that had not left even after the battle with the golem. Kyle covered his ears with his aura to block out the sound that seemed to burst his eardrums. Even so, his ears were ringing.

"Grrr······."

Molson and the other seeds standing behind him covered their ears with their hands and groaned in pain. Kyle did not raise his hand even though he received the sound that came through the aura around his ears. He would not yield to laughter, no matter how loud it was. Something warm dripped from his ear.

"Kkhat, khat, khat······."

Even after Zahar's laughter stopped, the sound of his laughter, like a ghost crying, echoed in the forest for a long time. Zahar placed his hand on Kyle's head with a click. Jahar was expressionless, but it was no mistake that he looked pleased.

"Hmm. You're a hard one to figure out. How did you know I was here for a while?"

"You were spreading such a ferocious aura. Didn't you intend to let me know?"

Zahar narrowed his eyes and thrust his face forward. Kyle took a step back to avoid the threat, which was more menacing than the golem's fist.

You say you have a natural talent for ki? That's good. And what about that magical technique? Where did you learn it? Did you seek out a genius instructor in Naba?"

Even though his hearing was damaged, Zahar's voice was clear. In any case, it seemed he had now firmly imprinted where Kyle was from. And the magic was surely referring to the last blow that knocked down the golem.

Kyle had no intention of explaining this to Zahar. He knew that even if he did, this guy would not understand.

"Of course not! It's in my blood."

Zahar nodded. He turned around as if to say that he would not ask any further questions. After briefly looking at the golem's 'core,' he put his hands behind his back and took a step, then two······ and then suddenly soared into the sky. It didn't take long for him to disappear from Kyle's sight.

"Hmm."

Kyle felt tired after Zahar left. He had exerted himself in the experiment against the golem. Still, the fatigue from this brief confrontation also made his body feel heavy. He tapped his ears a few times, and the sound returned to him normally. Of course, Lutentus' recovery ability would work just as well on his hearing.

*Crack-crack*

He stretched his muscles. It was a simple task compared to what had happened before, but it had to be done properly. Just then, he noticed eyes darting everywhere. Those who had participated in the liberation seemed to have gathered at the commotion. They all looked like beggars after days of sleeping rough, but that was a good thing. A strong person's all-out battle would look like a weakened beast, an easy target for an ambush.

"I'm so tired. I feel like I could collapse right now."

He thought that if they all attacked him at once during this break, it would reduce the amount of work they would have to do. He had given them a warning, but no one moved.

'Didn't they understand?'

Kyle raised his voice a little and said,

"I guess I can't fight properly. I'll need to recover by tomorrow."

Finally, the bait was taken. A man with a spear, whose name Kyle didn't remember, appeared. Now, they would all swarm him, starting with that guy.

*Thwack!*

Another seed standing behind him hit him on the back of the head.

"Ow, why did you hit me!"

"Are you crazy? You're going to fight that monster?"

"What's wrong with that! He's probably tired too... right...?"

His gaze fell to Kyle's feet, and he trembled. The hill was made up of the golem's broken remains, and the red core was bursting, flowing like blood. Kyle, standing there in red, would not have been out of place in a history book as the legendary Selerathus.

"Damn it······ He's like a demon······"

Demon. Kyle felt a strange emotion as he looked at himself. He didn't want to admit it, but he nodded. They were right, he did look like a demon.

Only then did he begin to understand how the people who had seen him emerge from the forest felt. He had felt it before, on the battlefields of his past life. It was a sense of awe as if they saw a different species. They all showed similar emotions, and then Gilliam approached.

"I give up. I've already met the conditions for my release. April is already gone, they say. And damn it! Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to beat a guy like you?"

He threw off his bracelet, even letting out a bit of anger.

"Food. Food... Give up. Victory. Impossible. Big brother."

Bretta rubbed his hungry stomach and took off his bracelet. He had given up. The seeds who had been watching him from the forest slowly approached. They raised their hands like surrendering soldiers. Bipar, who was at the head of them, spoke.

"...Kyle. I don't know about people like you, but we need to be liberated. Of course, we know we can't beat you! But... could you give us some time to compete among ourselves...?"

These must be the ones who had not yet been eliminated but had not yet reached the required number. Kyle felt like he had become some kind of ferocious predator in the jungle.

He doesn't plan to interfere if they want to fight each other. He already knew how desperate they were through Molson.

"Do whatever you want."

Kyle turned around without a trace of regret. He picked up the remains of the mana core that had fallen to the ground. Although it had now lost its ability to form the golem's shape, there was still room for experimentation. The remaining liberation period could be used to further solidify the new technology.

After Kyle left, the battle continued fiercely. It was their own arena, for only liberation.

* * *

On the top floor of the Levido stronghold, which boasts a height of over 30 meters, Zahar stepped lightly into the gaping hole in the golden library.

"Oh? Why are you here, Duke?"

Finelli widened his eyes and looked back and forth between the screen and Zahar. Zahar, on the screen, was laughing as if the world was going away. Zahar in front of him said in a flat voice.

"Why are you asking me that?"

"Oh······? Oh! I forgot that I had it delayed for ten minutes!!"

Finelli had forgotten that he had paused the timeline to rewatch the point where the golem collapsed. Even so, Zahar had come from there to the library in just "ten minutes." The distance that would take two hours by car on average, or an hour at top speed, Zahar had covered in ten minutes. Even so, he was still nonchalant without a drop of sweat. That meant he wasn't running at full speed.

"Lutentus are truly fascinating creatures the more you see them."

Finelli had been so caught up in the familiar yet unfamiliar "magical" phenomenon that was clearly the work of Zahar that he had lost his train of thought.

It was different from April. April's coldness looked similar, but it was a completely different nature. That alien energy was something that could not be called "magic" within Finelli's common sense. If his interest in April was curiosity about the unknown, then what Zahar showed was a desire that a magician could not help but covet.

"I'm so glad I came here! How is every day so new?"

"So. How was it?"

The meaning of that sentence without a subject or object was obvious. It was a question about Kyle's performance. It could be talked about all night, but there was something that had to be covered first. Finelli, with a smile on his face, raised his finger.

"First of all, Your Grace, the Lutentus. Shouldn't we do something about it?"

Zahar frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

"The golem, the golem! If it weren't for Kyle, how many people would have died? Oh my, it's terrible. Who could have done this? To dare to go against the Lutentus."

Finelli spoke angrily, unlike his usual self. Desire always includes the fear of losing what you desire. If the person who hired the golem had damaged Kyle, he might have lost his mind.

"Indeed. You've finally said something right."

Zahar nodded. He had forgotten for a moment because he had found someone who was quite, or rather quite useful. How dare they try to ruin an event hosted by the Lutentus.

"We must find them. I will feed their organs to pigs after cutting them out alive, and I will cut off their heads and let everyone who enters Levido see them."

"It won't take long. The Swallowing Darkness, the shadow that exists only for Zahar, will be the one to do it."

Finelli frowned and bristled.

"No way! Isn't Kyle in danger? No matter who it was, wouldn't there be repercussions if they tried to destroy Kyle?"

"Finelli. Why are you getting so worked up? What's the big deal."

Zahar's lip twitched. He also didn't plan to send Kyle back to Nava as is. There were a few things that were strange.

"We need to keep an eye on him for a while."

Zahar's scarred lips formed a crescent moon.

·

·

·

"Hmmm······."

Late at night, Zahar sighed alone in his luxurious room. He felt a headache coming on already as he looked at the pile of papers in front of him. He had left all the paperwork related to the fiefdom to his vassals, but he had ordered this one to be checked by him personally.

"Words······."

I can't remember the last time I read a book. When I thought I had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, the petty words I saw were nothing more than muddy water that could ruin what was already complete.

"One······."

There are times when he has to read. The arrogance that does not bend even in the face of his threat, and even dares to be arrogant. The talent that cannot be hidden even in the absence of a teacher, in a poor environment, and within the limits of shackles.

This guy has everything, but he's somehow suspicious. He's like a cogwheel that's a different size from the others, and it doesn't make sense. Zahar was determined to find the clues to this phenomenon full of contradictions.

Shh-

The sound of the paper turning was chilling, and the words blurred before Zahar's eyes. It was a secret letter from "Umbo," who attaches herself to any seed of Lutentum. However, it was only a formality for Zahar, and Zahar had never opened the secret letter.

"In Levido, where the snowdrops bloom in January, a year has passed, and Kyle is now two years old. He has never cried or thrown a tantrum. Well, he did blush once. It was when he pooped in his diaper for the first and last time. Did the child even know shame? As someone who has never raised a child, it was a very rare sight······."

A baby that doesn't cry. It was a very interesting introduction. Zahar had already pulled up a chair and opened the secret letter for the year when Kyle turned five.

"Kyle's natural grace is beyond words. He is of an age where his appetite is strong, but he is never in a hurry, even when he lifts a spoonful of rice. And what of his walk? Even though he insists on wearing shoes, his gliding gait is a sight that is too precious to be seen only by my humble eyes······."

"My goodness, is this a novel or a secret letter?"

The more he read, the more ridiculous it became. Kyle was only seven years old when he offered comfort to the nanny who was alone in the annex, longing for her hometown, and he was only nine years old when he rightfully scolded and chased away the merchant who came to Nava. It would be a more believable story if he had said that he had killed a wild boar at that age.

"······My worry is so intense that I can't sleep at night. In my humble judgment, this training has already surpassed the limits of the Chains. In my opinion, as a former knight of Lutentus, I don't think there has ever been a young master who could withstand this kind of training. Still, is the reason why his dantian is not damaged because his natural body is so large? I can only pray that this is the case."

The last page was finally turned. Kyle's nanny was said to be a demoted first-class knight. So, the training she described was dangerous enough to risk one's life? And he had endured it without any problems and grown up to be like this?

And Zahar had seen it with his own eyes. The boy had emitted an unprecedented ki. It had been undulating slightly, but it surged forth when he completely destroyed the golem. He was said to be simply born with it, but that alone could not explain it.

It was not something that could be achieved simply by 'talent.'

"Hmmm······."

The secret letter sent by Kyle's nanny was ridiculous, but it might be the key to unlocking this mystery.

"It wouldn't be strange if he had died once."

Even I, who have swallowed up all my blood relatives and risen to this position, did not have the talent to face a golem at that age. When I think about all of this, why do I think of the ancestor who built the current Lutentus and disappeared without leaving any trace?

Lavida.

If he had been resurrected, wouldn't he have shown such behavior?

"That's crazy."

Zahar laughed dryly and stood up. The sun was already rising outside the window.