As he descended the ancestral mountain and took the road back to the family estate, servants and vassals who came across Logan, or even those who saw him from a distance, avoided him well in advance.
It wasn’t solely because of Logan’s notorious reputation.
“What, a beggar?”
“Why is there a beggar in the estate…?”
“Shh, quiet! That’s the young duke.”
“That beggar…person?”
“Shh. Shut your mouth, girl!”
No matter how softly they spoke, their words were clear to Logan, whose senses had been greatly sharpened.
But he did not particularly care.
Right now, all of Logan’s focus was on one thing.‘The time is nearly upon us.’
Although his memory wasn’t clear, leading him to come back a bit early, he knew that within a week an incident would occur—an incident crucial for achieving his next goal.
‘Money.’
The event that would enable him to get that money was not far away.
‘I can do it.’
Woong.
The robust Force, responsive to his will, and his transformed body filled him with confidence that he would easily accomplish his next goal, thanks to his visibly enhanced abilities.
* * *
“Ahh. Have you been rolling around in squalor for the past three months?! What exactly did you do up in those mountains?!”
“I told you, I was training.”
“Ahh. What kind of training do you get by rolling in the mud? Oh, my nose.”
Rick grumbled as he vigorously splashed water and worked the scrubbing brush.
Despite showing open reluctance to approach the dirty(?) Logan, the greyish-black water that rinsed out left him speechless.
“Ah. Anything happen while I was gone?”
Logan asked awkwardly.
“Nothing much. Without you, sir, the estate has been so quiet… Ahahaha. What I mean is… it was boring. Yes, that’s right. Boring.”
The unexpected reply came after.
The head young master had fled a sparring match with the younger young master.
Disliking comparisons, he had given up everything and gone into seclusion.
A coward was not fitting of the successor to a knight’s family.
During these three months of seclusion, weird rumors had spread within the family estate.
Pfft.
“That’s ridiculous. Well, I have a good idea who’s behind this.”
“Don’t you said that you don’t care about rumors? Right? You shouldn’t get worked up.”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s okay. Everything will be sorted out soon once I meet my father.”
Logan knew that his father, a high-ranking knight, would definitely be aware of his awakening.
Once his father realized this, such rumors would dissipate.
However, Logan’s complacent thoughts shattered in just one day.
On his way to report the end of his seclusion training and meet his father.
Logan encountered an unexpected situation in front of the residence.
“What did you say?”
“According to the family rules, even direct blood relatives cannot meet the family head without prior notice.”
Looking behind him with an incredulous expression, Rick mumbled in a hesitant voice,
“That rule is indeed from hundreds of years ago…”
What is this absurdity?
“I met him just like that three months ago?”
“Then, the guard in charge at that time didn’t do his job properly, sir.”
Logan looked intently at the knight in his forties blocking his way.
‘This never happened in my past life…’
Having made different choices from his previous life, it was natural that the future would change too, but he had never anticipated that his reception would deteriorate like this.
Just then, Logan’s heightened senses overheard the conversation of soldiers hidden within the residence.
“Is the knight insane? He’s still the young duke.”
“I don’t know. He’s always been reckless. He’s retiring soon. You bet on that side, didn’t you?”
“Really think he’ll turn back? Will he start a rampage?”
“He’s a coward who cowers even from a fourteen-year-old. So, wouldn’t he turn back?”
“Well, whatever happens, it’s going to be the knight’s responsibility…”
“We were on a break, so we didn’t know.”
Now, at this moment. Logan could fully sense how low his reputation had fallen from this conversation.
“The soldiers are absent right now, no one can deliver the message inside. Please come back another time, sir.”
The knight’s face, brazenly smiling on top of it all, twisted Logan’s temper.
‘Hah, are you watching this guy?’
By nature, Logan was anything but meek.
His years as a mercenary and rebel, after leaving his comfortable family life, had given enough patience even to a ruffian that would have otherwise been unrivaled.
He didn’t feel like indulging in such petty provocation…
But something was bothering him.
No one…
‘…cares.’
Around the knight, inside the residence.
Many family members were either shamelessly watching or pretending to look away, blatantly or subtly. Nearly all, if not all, were ignoring the knight’s actions that crossed the line.
Logan was aware he had acted in ways that invited disregard and that his reputation was at rock-bottom, but feeling it this directly was different.
‘Was it to this extent? This is a bit troublesome…’
The plan he had thought of when coming to see his father.
The plan to receive acknowledgment by showing his father the changed Logan and then gradually overturning his reputation—at this moment, it was discarded.
‘There’s no need to delay.’
Though he had dismissed this mentally, the young heart within his still young body fanned the flames of calculated anger into his eyes.
“What’s your name, knight?”
“Dominun, sir.”
The knight replied with a broad, dismissive smile, now openly disrespectful.
“Right, Dominun. You humiliated me using an outdated family rule.”
“Yes?”
“I, Logan McLaen, demand a duel with Knight Dominun to redeem the unjust humiliation.”
The knight’s face froze upon hearing Logan’s indifferent follow-up words.
Slap.
A sparring glove that Logan removed from his coat struck against Dominun’s chestplate and dropped to the ground.
Everyone was speechless until the thrown wooden sword hit the floor, rolling away in silence.
“What use is a faint that can’t even move a wrist. You call yourself a knight and this is the best you can do?”
Logan’s mocking voice broke the silence of the training ground, stirring astonishment among the crowd.
“That’s impossible!”
“The young duke did that?”
“I didn’t see it at all!”
While everyone, including the startled servants and retainers, sounded evidently shaken…
“Force user?”
“The young duke?”
“Huh…”
The most surprised were the knights watching.
For the past few years, Logan McLaen was nothing but an undesirable piece of dirt to them.
The direct descendent who, despite his lack of skill, only caused trouble and acted violent.
That hooligan, whom they wanted to avoid, had revealed an unexpected side of himself.
The knights, who usually maintained calm, looked at each other, even more agitated than the servants.
“Referee, I kind of want to give Dominun another chance. What do you say?”
Logan’s voice drew everyone’s attention amidst the murmuring crowd.
“…Yes, proceed. Dominun, are you okay with that?”
The startled referee, suddenly put on the spot, looked at Dominun with eyes still full of shock, and Dominun, his face redder and even more wretched than before, nodded heavily.
Eventually, the argument that started at the entrance of the estate led to the knight’s training grounds.
Sparring knights were abruptly turned into audience and witnesses, eagerly observing with great interest.
Of course, no one expected Logan to win.
Their interest was to see how well the young duke could stand against a knight or how miserably he would be knocked out.
No knight had missed seeing Logan’s public embarrassment when he was defeated by Ronian.
But…
‘I wonder if I’m really poor, or if Ronian is a genius.’
If Logan were to win this spar against a knight, what kind of rumors would spread?
Logan was already curious about what would follow before the duel even began.
The knight Dominun, proving to be a worthy sacrifice, spurred Logan’s fighting spirit excellently.
“…Take care of yourself, young duke.”
Still gritting his teeth in anger, Dominun’s tone was polite.
Despite starting the dispute, he lacked the nerve to curse at a direct family member in front of the many training knights.
“Let the official duel between Logan McLaen and Knight Dominun begin! For safety, the weapons will be limited to wooden swords! Do your best, both of you!”
A knight, who was suddenly put in charge of officiating during his training, looked unhappy. But there was nothing more he could do than take away the real swords and limit the weaponry.
Even so, knights capable of wielding the Force could kill with a wooden sword, so they were still anxious.
But there was no going back now with Logan’s firm resolve.
‘Whatever happens, it’s not my fault. Still, please take it easy, Sir Dominun.’
While he anxiously contorted his face, against his wishes, Dominun charged at Logan first.
“Taat!”
Emanating from his body, Dominun sprinted forward, emitting faint red wisps.
The Force leaking out from his body was evidence of his immature control, but to the uninformed, it looked rather intimidating.
‘I’ll fix that.’
Paang!
The wooden sword hurled at Logan split into three separate shadows, aiming at his upper, middle, and lower parts.
‘End it with one blow!’
Dominun couldn’t forget the humiliation he had just endured.
Heathers critics and the ambitious juniors.
He had already decided to retire when he resigned himself to the lowest rank, number 53, in the knights’ order upon reaching forty.
He was just enjoying his last life as a knight, handling moderate responsibilities.
But the young duke’s words ignited the knight’s last bit of pride.
‘M I’m not washed up!’
Although lacking talent among knights, Dominun had his own unique move that came from his experience.
Having decided on retirement already, he intended to swiftly overpower the young duke and teach the naive young lord his place with that move.
Confident in his secret move, the Triple Kill (三重殺), Dominun launched his attack, sure of his victory as the young duke before him seemed unable to move.
However…
Thwack!
“Kuk!”
The impact and the sharp pain in his wrist forced out a grotesque scream he could not contain.
Thud.
Degurrurr.
With a brief cry, the knight’s wooden sword, flung from his hand, rolled across the ground.
For a moment, the training ground fell silent again.
“What’s the point of a feint that doesn’t even move a wrist? Is this really the best of a so-called knight?”
Logan, still poised, broke the silence with his derisive voice, as everyone erupted into astonished exclamations.
“No way!”
“That young duke?”
“I didn’t even see it?”
Despite the voices of the astonished servants and vassals…
“A force user?”
“The young duke?”
“Huh…”
What shocked the assembled knights the most was the unexpected demeanor of Logan.
Over the past few years, Logan McLaen to them was equivalent to unwelcome filth.
The direct lineage who just caused trouble and violence without any real ability.
To see that ruffian unfolding in an unforeseen way was a revelation.
Unlike the knights, who maintained calm, they were now bustling with agitation, flabbergasted, more than the servants.
“Referee, can we perhaps give Dominun another chance? What do you think?”
Logan’s voice now drew the already mesmerized and chattering crowd’s focus to one place.
“…Yes, let’s proceed. Dominun, do you agree?”
Startled out of his wits, the referee looked at Dominun with eyes that couldn’t hide his astonishment. Dominun, his face now an even redder and twisted rage, nodded with heavy resolve.
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