After leaving Krono and returning to his family, Bratt had busy days.
It was because he had to be trained to be the successor, something he had put off until now due to him traveling with Airn and the rest.
Learning the political structure of the kingdom, the continent, rechecking the etiquette, focusing on the culture and learning every other thing that a high-ranking noble should know.
But he didn’t forget his promise to Judith. To come once he had accumulated enough skills which wouldn’t make her feel ashamed in front of her teacher. And if he couldn't do that, she had told him not to visit her.
And thanks to that, he continued to train fiercely.
And he trained so much that sometimes a day felt short with only 24 hours in it.
However, no matter how busy he was, he didn’t make unreasonable plans.
He knew that he was capable. Although he might not be someone at the top of the geniuses, he still had the ability to handle tight schedules filled with intense training and practice. And he also knew that it wasn’t good to be overconfident and move without rest.
He knew that he had to give the body some rest.
And along with his body, his mind deserved rest as well. It was for that reason that Bratt was currently drinking at an Inn and not his home.
It was because such a place was more suitable for him to recall the memories he had with Judith.
“Bratt.”
“…?”
In front of him, a person he didn't expect to see appeared.
Bright blonde hair and a handsome face he didn’t know how to use, along with a good body.
He blinked a couple of times and looked to the side.
A beautiful woman who was unfamiliar to him and a sorcerer cat which couldn’t be here.
He suddenly became drunk in an instant. 1
And then he grasped the situation.
‘I don’t know how they can be here…’
First, he had to make an excuse for what he was doing. Having thought that Bratt, suddenly yawned.
“Yawn… is it because I am drunk? I keep yawning. And tears are forming in my eyes.”
“…”
“…”
“But who are you? Why are you sitting in someone els…”
“Bratt.”
“…”
“…”
“Bratt? Who is that… you have the wrong person.”
“I heard it when I came. You said you wanted to see Judith.”
“I heard it too. You were drinking and crying.”
Lulu added.
After a moment’s silence, Bratt continued his excuses.
“Th, hm…”
“…”
“There seems to be some misunderstanding. I was talking about Yurith and not Judith.”
“…”
“Like I said. I kept yawning and tears formed.”
“…”
“No, why would anyone cry in such a place? I am not Bratt, and I don’t even know such a person…”
"Liar! You weren't the least bit shocked when I talked!"
Lulu said, banging on the table with its foot.
This surprised Bratt.
It was a sharp point. There were very few people who could remain calm in front of a talking cat. Unless, of course, it was someone who already knew about its existence.
And even without that point, in Airn's eyes, Lulu and even this unknown woman, too, all of them already believed that he was Bratt Lloyd without a doubt.
‘It is true…’
Bratt checked in the mirror of the store. The disguise magic that was cast was perfect. He had spent a lot of money on the family magician for this appearance.
So it is fine. He could just leave today and treat his friends like nothing happened the next day when they met.
It was when he thought that and decided to leave.
“I have a letter from Judith and was asked to deliver it.”
“What!”
A voice that was so loud that the surroundings were startled. And then a silence fell between Airn and Bratt.
Noticing what he did, he sighed and sat down. Thinking for some time, he asked Airn.
“You met Judith?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t just interrupt her training for nothing, right?”
“No.”
“Then, why did you go?”
“…to be acknowledged?”
“…”
“Bratt, it’s been so long.”
Airn smiled and asked for a handshake, and Bratt hesitated before he sighed and took the hand.
He even tried to use his energy, but it couldn’t hurt Airn.
In the end, he released the hand without any results, and then looked around at the party.
“I did know this.” 2
“What?”
“That Brat Lloyd, the high-ranking noble who was heir to the Lloyd Family in the future, is so cool, but what is even better than that is… despite his high status and enormous wealth… he has a pure and romantic heart to shed tears for the woman he loves… the real man, Bratt Lloyd.”
“…”
"What do you think, Lulu?"
“Airn, Bratt must be drunk.”
Hearing that, Airn shook his head.
Bratt was always on the brazen side, but now he was being serious, and Irene felt that he was being a bit over the top.
However, Airn’s emotions were nothing compared to Kirill’s.
‘What is this man?’
Unlike Airn and Lulu, it was her first time meeting him. And seeing this made her feel utterly confused.
Even more so because she had heard all the stories of Bratt from Airn. Hearing all the compliments and then seeing such a stupid look when she met the real person, the sense of disparity was too great for her to comprehend.
And,
What the hell did Judith see in this man to start dating him?
All kinds of thoughts ran through her head. It was mostly negative thoughts about Bratt.
And through the chaotic atmosphere, another man appeared.
A person with a bigger physique than Bratt and Airn. Airn, startled at his appearance, called him out.
“Lance!”
“What? Airn, how… Lulu is here too! What? Why are you guys here?”
“Hello, Lance!”
A person who had a close family relation with Bratt’s family.
No, Lance was now someone who was on equal footing with Bratt.
Airn was surprised by it. Lulu, too, seemed unable to adapt to Lance suddenly greeting them warmly.
And Bratt said.
“Ahh, I didn’t tell you. I was drinking with Lance.”
“Right, Lance wasn’t in school. Perhaps…”
“Right. I left Krono after graduation. I was heading back to my family and thinking of traveling around, but then stopped by to see Bratt before leaving. Ah, more than that…”
Lance reached out with a smile.
“… congratulations. On becoming a Sword Master.”
Along with the smile, Airn could feel the emotions of the person with his sorcerer powers, and at first glance, the emotions were complicated, but then were quickly sorted out.
Rather than sorted, it was more accurate to say that pure and deep pleasure covered everything else.
It wasn’t difficult to guess why.
Airn thought to himself.
‘Is it because of graduation?’
And then, he remembered that he didn’t introduce them to Kirill.
“Uh? Where did she go?”
Kirill was nowhere to be seen, which made Airn bewildered.
She was with him until a moment ago, her cold gaze looking at Bratt as if she had found him pathetic.
Her eyes were waiting for a fight to happen.
But where did she go?
Could it be that she went to her room feeling disappointed after she met Bratt?
That thought didn’t last long.
Within a while, Kirill returned with the brightest look like never before.
“Hello, you must be schoolmates from Krono Swordsmanship school? I am Kirill Pareira, the daughter of the Pareira family.”
“Ah, night to meet you. I am Lance Peterson.”
“…”
“Bratt? What is it with you? Introduce yourself.”
“…”
“Is it because of the disguise?”
“… eldest son of Lloyd’s, Bratt Lloyd.”
“Yes, nice to meet you.”
Kirill smiled sweetly, but her gaze didn’t turn to Bratt Lloyd.
Seeing her eyes completely focused on Lance Peterson, the Lloyd family’s eldest son knew what was going on.
‘Quite a unique taste.’
Of course, dull Airn couldn't read it, and Lulu was the same as always, and her eyes were drooping as if she felt sleepy. And immediately after,
“I am sleepy. Wake me up when something interesting happens.”
With that, she went into Airn's backpack, and silence fell again.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“… hey”
“Hey.”
“Ah, you go first.”
“Right. Are you going to keep drinking? No, would you like to drink more?”
At Airn’s question, Bratt looked around. People were looking at them, mostly because of the talking cat, but the other people on this table were also unique in their eyes.
He thought that drinking more was rude after this, so he got up with a sigh.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
“I hardly drank.”
“But today won’t be the only day. So, are you here to just deliver Judith’s letter?”
“Hmm, not just that…”
Airn paused.
Just like before, in the scene outside, happy people could be seen.
He watched as he mumbled.
“… it’s a beautiful place.”
“Hmm?”
“The atmosphere is really good. I’ve been around a lot, but I don’t think I have seen a place like this before.”
“Uh. Of course, one shouldn’t forget the duty of a noble, and should work hard for the people of their estate day and night…”
Bratt felt his head heat up as he said it; he knew whose gaze it was, so he smiled and continued.
“All thanks to my esteemed father, Lord Philip Lloyd. And my loving mother.”
“…”
Bratt glanced back. Kirill’s expressionless expression caught his eyes. He smiled and then looked at Airn.
“Why? Are you interested in meeting my parents?”
“Yes.”
“Right. But that wouldn’t work now. They left to the capital for work. They will be back after a week or so.”
“Well, we can wait.”
Airn answered right away.
Travelling with Kuvar, reading the historical books in Durkali and listening to the opinions of Tarakan and Karakum. After all that, the difficult problem in his mind still couldn’t be solved.
What could he do to make the world better?
Was subjugating the devils enough?
‘I think Bratt’s parents would be able to solve some of my problems.’
It wasn’t just because of the happy faces he saw all around the territory.
Airn looked at the man with the middle-aged disguise, walking in front of him. It was a ridiculous appearance, but Bratt was his most reliable friend.
He was the person who supported Ilya’s wandering and Judith’s pain, and even when everything around him felt like it was crumbling, he still kept his focus.
If it was his parents, then…
While he was in thought, they all arrived at the mansion.
Bratt, who was disguised, moved majestically, and the guards and knights in the mansion looked at the figure coming towards them.
“It is me, the high noble Bratt Lloyd.”
“…”
“…”
“Sorry. I drank and bit too much today since it has been quite long.”
Bratt playfully closed his eyes. And then something began to ooze out of his body along with a small amount of Aura.
Startled, Airn asked.
“Don’t tell me you just drained away the kick of alcohol with aura?”
“Yep. It was a by-product of thinking how to express Aura more effortlessly and naturally. Thanks to that, I have an edge when it comes to drinking with my father now.”
“…”
“So, would you like to have a spar?”
Bratt shoved his hand into the magic pouch. A blue sword boasting energy appeared.
Airn nodded his head.
By the time he came to his senses, he realized that he was now in the centre of the training hall and that some knights were looking at them with interested expressions.
“Please.”
“Please?”
“There is something I have been thinking about these days. Doing this with you will help me a lot… ah, I didn’t come here just because of that thought.”
“Sir Christopher?”
“Yes, young lord.”
Bratt, who heard Airn's request, called a knight. The man ran in quickly and bowed. And the eldest son of Lloyd said.
“This person is the famous Sword Master of the continent, Airn Pareira.”
“…!”
"And that great Sword Master is now asking me for swordsmanship advice.'
“…”
“Aren't I cool?”
“You are cool.”
“It’s a joke. Sorry if that came out weird.”
“It is fine.”
“To say it was fine, you must have thought that I was making it up.”
“…”
“That was a joke too.”
“I know.”
Sir Christopher stepped back again.
Airn had a flustered expression on his face, and Kirill just shook her head.
Lulu, who suddenly woke up from her sleep, too, shook her head.
Lance didn’t.
With a serious expression on his face, he intervened.
“Sorry, but can I have the first fight with Airn?”
“…”
“…”
“I know it’s been a while. But…”
Lance didn’t speak more.
But it was enough. Airn looked at Bratt.
And he stepped back with a nod. The air turned heavy, and the young Sword Master took a stance and said.
“Shall we start?”
“Yes.”
Lance Peterson, who responded, took a stance too. An unconcealable energy rose from his body, and the fight began.
But the fight didn’t last long.
“… I lost.”
Lance pulled back the sword with a nonchalant expression. But no one really thought that he was okay after that loss.
“Nice, it’s my turn now.”
As if nothing had happened, Bratt faced Airn with a more energetic look.
And the second battle began after a while.
He’s acting. He’s not really drunk.↩I found this to be slightly confusing. If it wasn't clear, it is Bratt himself who says this.↩
