By Zephyria 
Marianne spoke, and after I repeatedly asked questions I didn’t understand, a rough outline was formed.
The first thing mentioned was that Edwin intensely disliked his older brother, Wesley Kiadris, to the point of having a fit just hearing his name.
Wesley Kiadris is a boy who reached the Peak realm, the highest level of Sword Expert, at the age of sixteen. Now, he has attained the Hwagyeong realm and received the title of Grand Sword Master, serving as the banner and face of the Imperial Knight Order directly under the Emperor.
He was also a cherished disciple of Maelo Sanson. Maelo had once mentioned having a tenacious disciple who had studied under him for sixteen years before me. I recall feeling a pang of envy for their deep master-disciple bond, seeing how Maelo’s face lit up with pride when he spoke of Wesley.
Wesley and Edwin have a thirteen-year age gap. Wesley enrolled in the Academy the year Edwin was born. Upon graduation, he joined the Imperial Knight Order, securing lodging and meals within the Imperial Palace. Thus, Edwin apparently never saw his brother’s face while growing up.
I wondered how that could be, given they were brothers. But then, it was explained that Wesley is currently twenty-nine and a Grand Sword Master, so he must be incredibly busy, which was a point I could accept.
Regardless, Edwin, who possessed quite decent talent, grew up feeling overshadowed by his unknown older brother, stifled within his family. There are two other siblings between Wesley and Edwin, born to different fathers, and rumors suggest they might be the cause.
It was said that everyone in the family, from elders to peers, would constantly repeat, “Wesley was better than you at everything you did, and you can’t even match him,” which naturally bred resentment.
Hearing this, I found myself longing for my own siblings and wishing them well.
In any case, the explanation was that Edwin, unable to surpass his brother in swordsmanship or business acumen, had declared magic as his own domain, his own territory, and was asserting his authority.
Umbrella Hat
Looking at him, with a face as pale as someone who might carry an umbrella hat, I wondered how he could have committed so many misdeeds. Upon hearing the details, some were indeed wicked, but others left me bewildered as to why they were considered wrong.
Edwin used his family’s power to bully others. It wasn’t just about showing off; he would ensure that the families of those who didn’t comply with his wishes found their financial resources drying up.
When he first entered as a first-year student, he singled out a few classmates who didn’t obey him and manipulated them. One of them, it was said, knelt, begged for forgiveness, and cried profusely.
When I asked how such a young boy could do such things, I was told that while not as exceptional as Wesley, Edwin also had considerable talent. From around the age of fifteen, when he debuted in high society, he began dabbling in his family’s smaller businesses, which all bore the Duke’s family name and thus received preferential treatment.
He particularly detested swordsmanship students loitering in magic department classes. Last year, all swordsmanship students who had been sneaking into magic classes were forced to give up their studies after pleading with the professors.
It was also mentioned that Edwin acted so cunningly and primly in front of the professors that they were completely unaware of his actions.
He apparently didn’t greet or speak to people he disliked. When I subtly asked if people ignored him, he flushed and pointed at me, saying I was the problem.
He seemed quite agitated, so I didn’t press further, but I still couldn’t grasp why his actions were considered malicious.
The wicked in the Central Plains would sever an arm for a mere brush of sleeves. Edwin’s method of first issuing verbal warnings, stating his demands, and then applying pressure was closer to the ways of the Orthodox Sect.
Of course, interfering with blood relatives was enough to make one’s blood boil, but even then, it only amounted to taking some money. While I didn’t consider Edwin’s character upright, I couldn’t quite understand why it warranted such anger. Edwin hadn’t killed other students’ relatives or severed their limbs, had he?
Must one befriend those they dislike?
However, when those in positions of power behaved that way, it was the subordinates who suffered the consequences, so I eventually feigned agreement.
Marianne believed the most malicious act among them was the Crystal Orb incident.
“Still, up until now, he only made people’s lives difficult, but he didn’t physically harm or injure anyone. But this time, he’s truly gone mad. He inserted his mana into a magic formula mid-cast, causing a circuit explosion within the body. How could he even conceive of such a thing?”
“Well, it heals in four days.”
“It hurts! There was bleeding! He was vomiting like he was dying!”
I chuckled, thinking how much pain could it be if it wasn’t an incurable illness. Marianne, her eyes wide and startling like someone seen on a dark road, not primly at all, shrieked, “It hurt, you know!”
“Alright, alright,” I nodded, waving my hand to stop her from yelling.
“Even after doing something like that, he didn’t apologize to Michael, let alone acknowledge him. He probably meant something like, ‘If you’re scared, just run away on your own.'”
“Hmph.”
“So, in the second class, no one could greet Michael. Michael doesn’t have to attend magic classes, but we do. How could we possibly give up Professor Angela Sting’s class…?”
“That’s right. That’s true.”
I nodded. Even if I were a magic student, I wouldn’t have given up Professor Angela Sting’s class. The opportunity to have such a high-level individual as a mentor doesn’t come easily.
“Anyway, that happened, and then the following week, Michael showed up with a perfectly fine face and looked at Edwin with such a lingering, affectionate, mysterious, ticklish, and wistful gaze… That Wednesday, I think, one of the second-year seniors asked Edwin if he was perhaps friends with Young Master Ernhardt now, and Edwin even slapped him. Didn’t you hear about that?”
“Uh… I didn’t hear about that.”
“Ah, really. The magic department was in an uproar that day. This week, they’re openly telling everyone to pretend Michael doesn’t exist if they see him! So, during Monday’s class, everyone could barely breathe.”
A lingering gaze? I was recalling a dear friend long gone, and contemplating his funeral. I found it absurd that it was being interpreted so intensely. The child before me was puffing with indignation for my sake, which I found rather cute, but it wasn’t a situation that warranted anger, so I let it be.
Moreover, the fact that it was this week’s event was amusing.
I had thought the person glaring at me so intensely from behind during the second class had calmed down and was no longer angry, but I never realized it was an act of deliberate disregard.
The idea that not looking at someone could be considered an attack was a soft sentiment that I couldn’t comprehend.
When children in the Central Plains bullied their peers, they kicked them in the stomach.
If they kicked their limbs, they might break, and then the adults would scold them for being unable to work, so the wicked act was meant to hurt their stomachs and make them miserable.
After a thorough beating, they would starve and work, suffering for a month.
Thanks to inheriting a diluted bloodline of Namgung, I had never done such a thing, nor had it been done to me, but there was a time in my childhood when I was too afraid of their fierce aura to intervene, remaining silent. Just like Marianne now.
Listening to the story and thinking it over, I concluded that while he was a troublemaker, he hadn’t done anything he would deeply regret. I also considered the pressure he must have faced as the direct heir born to the legitimate wife of a high noble family, and sighed, wondering what kind of knives his parents’ tongues held to raise him this way.
Then, a question suddenly arose, and I asked, “But why are you so wicked towards me?”
“I’ve been telling you all this time! Ah, it’s so frustrating! Absurd! It’s a relief! It’s annoying!”
“What do you mean, a relief and annoying?”
“It’s a relief that Michael wasn’t hurt, but it’s annoying that you’re smiling like that with a face that doesn’t understand anything at all. No, I told you that Edwin Kiadris is sixteen years old and Wesley Kiadris is twenty-nine! And Wesley entered the Academy sixteen years ago!”
“Ah. And so?”
“Because Wesley also joined the swordsmanship department at thirteen, just like Michael! Do you know Michael is called Little Kiadris throughout the school these days?”
“Ah, yes, I know. I’ve heard it a lot.”
“And yet, you didn’t realize something strange?”
“I didn’t.”
Making a strange groaning sound and shaking her shoulders as if about to cry, her appearance was so amusing and entertaining that I couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.
As I laughed, she hid her previous anger and spoke in a hushed voice, just like before.
“Anyway, I’ve felt sorry for you all along. This is separate from Michael not being hurt. Even though I’m friends with Michael, I couldn’t even think of defending him, and it will be difficult to take his side within magic classes. If you keep getting hurt without knowing why, it’s just too pitiful and difficult…”
“You felt sorry for me?”
“Yes! You were pitiful! But why have you been using informal speech since earlier?”
“Ah.”
“It’s annoying how natural it is! I’ll also receive a title when I graduate from the Academy, so I’m not just a Baron’s Young Lady! It feels like you’re treating me like Michael, the Count’s Young Master, does! Like that bastard Edwin!”
“Ah… I hadn’t thought that far. I apologize for that.”
“Doesn’t the Ernhardt family teach etiquette classes on fan language, noble language, and the system of honorifics based on titles and ranks? They must! They should!”
“They told me to do something, but when I said I wouldn’t, they said it was fine.”
“No, no… Michael is a truly strange person. Do you know that too?”
“I know. I also know that Marianne is kind. Don’t worry. From my perspective, it doesn’t seem like a big deal.”
As I spoke soothingly, she, who had been raging alone, then looked like she was about to cry, then screamed, finally let out a strange sob, her shoulders slumping as the tension left them. Seeing how drained she was, I worried about the journey back.
At this moment, I felt fortunate in two ways.
First, it was fortunate that we had this outburst in a place where no other guests were present, so it wasn’t embarrassing. Second, it was a great relief that I hadn’t brought Shayden. If I had brought him, there would have been two noisy people. If they had hit it off and started gossiping, it would have been nothing but tiring.
“Is it… really not a big deal?”
“Yes. Well, it’s fine if Edwin continues to ignore me… and even if he does pay attention, it seems like it will be amusing, so I’m not worried.”
“What? Amusing? What kind of amusement?”
“Ah, well… Until now, I only thought that friend Edwin wanted to have a magic duel with me, and I was focused on how to use the Purification magic formula from that Crystal Orb well. It doesn’t make sense for us to fight with swords.”
“It makes sense for him to want to fight with magic?!”
“Well, I’m taking magic classes, after all.”
Marianne whined, “Michael is a truly strange person,” once more, and I, gently coaxing her, stood up. She insisted on paying for the tea, her pride piqued, saying it was her fault. Her world was different from mine, but it was still a part of the vast world.
On the way out, it was late, and dusk had fallen.
Some ruffians on a backstreet picked a minor quarrel, and I dealt with them briefly. Since Marianne was beside me, I didn’t act too harshly, merely showing my aura once. I was hesitant to spill blood in front of such a fragile child, who had only coughed up a tiny amount of blood, like the tip of a pinky finger.
By the way, what will Edwin do from now on? While I will look after the child in my arms, it’s not necessary to pinch and correct someone already in another’s hands, so the future remained uncertain.