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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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“Ethan, you know your meeting with Lady Sylvia is at 7 PM tonight, right?”
I nodded at Dania’s question.
“But do you know why she’s looking for me?”
“Well, of course…”
“Of course?”
I blinked, waiting for her next words.
“No clue~”
Dania shrugged cheerfully.
For some reason, her teasing made me want to smack her.
“Hehe, I’m just kidding! Just kidding! Lighten up, you’re scaring your big sis. Your sharp eyes make people think you’re angry when you have a blank expression.”
I chuckled at that.
“This is just my guess, but maybe Lady Sylvia wants to train you during the break?”
“Lady Sylvia wants to train me during the break?”
I couldn’t help but blink.
Tesha watched our conversation with sparkling eyes.
“Maybe? Of course, this is just my guess.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, your big sis is busy so I’ll head out first. Have fun on your date.”
Nia waved goodbye with a giggle.
She seemed determined to tease me and Tesha until the end.
“It’s not a date…!”
Tesha muttered as she watched Nia walk away.
“Don’t worry about it. She just loves teasing people.”
“Ah, hehe, it seemed that way.”
We walked side by side toward the academy.
“By the way, Sylvia… that’s Professor Sylvia von Linchester, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“She’s famous for not taking disciples, so how did you become her disciple?”
I shrugged as I replied.
“That’s… even I…”
“Even you…? Ethan, why do you keep making people curious by stopping mid-sentence!”
“No clue~”
Tesha looked shocked, but soon pouted. I parted ways with her in the dormitory lobby and returned to my room.
Then I went to meet my master at the appointed time. I knocked on the door and announced myself.
“Professor, it’s Ethan.”
“Come in.”
Sylvia greeted me with her usual composed demeanor, just as I remembered.
“Have you had dinner?”
“Yes, I ate something light.”
“I see. Well, I’ve heard about you. You’ve been quite diligent in slaying demons. Well done.”
Sylvia smiled gently.
I knew how rare such a smile was from her.
Sylvia rarely showed her emotions freely. She had deliberately cut off expressing minor emotions.
“Ethan, I’ll get straight to the point.”
“Yes, please do, Master.”
“I want you to come with me to Linchester during the break.”
“Linchester?”
Linchester was a city in the western part of the empire.
As the name suggests, it was territory ruled by the Linchester family.
“Yes. How would you like to train properly with me in Linchester?”
This was clearly both an opportunity and a chance to gain power.
However, it wasn’t an easy question to answer.
Because I had things to do in August. But it was also difficult to refuse my master’s offer.
Above all, it was a definite opportunity to become stronger.
“Will I be training for the entire break?”
“Oh my, I forgot to mention the most important part. Until July. After that, I’ll be too busy.”
“It would be my honor.”
“Good. Very well. Then let’s depart for Linchester this weekend.”
Leave this weekend?
Weekend meant the day after tomorrow. It was a bit sudden, but it was break time anyway.
“Understood.”
“Good then. Would you like some tea? Ah, no. My apologies. I believe I heard that drinking tea at night disturbs sleep. You may go.”
Disturbs sleep. Must be because of the caffeine. Either way, it was a dismissal. It was an honor just to have tea with Master, so it was a bit disappointing.
“Don’t be disappointed. We can have tea together as much as you like in Linchester.”
Ah. I had forgotten. That Master Sylvia was skilled at reading others’ emotions.
“Ah, yes. It would be my honor if you would.”
“Huhuh, how amusing. What honor? You may go.”
I bowed my head and turned to leave.
As I was about to exit through the door, Sylvia’s firm voice called out.
“Ethan.”
“Yes, you called?”
“…Are you hiding something from me?”
Her sharp eyes seemed to be looking at my shadow.
No way. No, no way. My heart raced as if I’d been caught doing something wrong.
“I’m not sure what you mean…”
A brief silence passed. Then Master shook her head and replied.
“Never mind. You may go.”
I bowed my head once and left the office. My heart was still racing madly. I quickly sent a telepathic message to Lien.
[Lien, do you think Master has noticed?]
[I’m not sure, my lord.]
Until now, no one had noticed that Lien was residing in my shadow.
However, Master was not only a member of the Linchester family but also had legendary talent in dealing with demons.
At some point in the novel, enemies who were skilled at concealing demonic energy did appear.
So it wouldn’t be strange if Master had noticed.
[We’ll have to be extra careful not to be discovered.]
[Indeed, my lord. Being discovered would do us no good. It would only create misunderstandings.]
I was exhausted from being so tense. I threw myself onto my bed as soon as I got back to the dormitory.
Arthur seemed to be looking at his status window.
“Hey, Arthur. What are you going to do during summer break?”
“Huh? I’ll probably stay at the academy and keep training.”
As expected.
No matter what anyone says, he’s the protagonist of this novel.
The character who grows faster than anyone else with the help of his status window and system.
He’ll probably get stronger by completing quests during the break.
“I’ll be training with my Master in Linchester during July.”
“Master as in Professor Sylvia von Linchester?”
“That’s right.”
“Congratulations. You’ll get stronger.”
I paused for a moment before speaking.
“Let’s go to the beach together in August.”
“The beach?”
“Yeah, the beach.”
The Dragon’s Nest that I planned to visit in August was originally a place Arthur and Sonny went to together.
Following Sonny’s suggestion to go to the beach, Arthur readily agreed, and thanks to Arthur’s luck, they reached the Dragon’s Nest.
Since Sonny wasn’t here, I had to be the one to drag Arthur to the beach.
“Alright. Just make sure you train well.”
“Yeah, yeah. This big bro is going to get fucking strong during the break, so you better keep getting stronger too.”
I sat up abruptly in bed.
I figured I should pack while I was thinking about it.
I’d need a lot of things to stay in the city of Linchester for a month. I packed my belongings and put them into my shadow.
Ever since Lien evolved, I had gained my own spatial storage. If I didn’t have it, I would have had to buy an expensive spatial skill ball.
[Lien, please take care of my things.]
[I shall follow your orders. But won’t Sylvia be suspicious if you have no luggage?]
Ah, that’s true.
In the end, I took the luggage out of my shadow.
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The weekend arrived quickly.
Ethan and Sylvia met at the arranged place to take the transfer stone to Westvan. Behind them, Dania was carrying Sylvia’s luggage.
“Working on the weekend again. Sigh. My life.”
Lydia, the transfer stone operator, grumbled about working on weekends. It wasn’t without reason, as this was her third weekend shift in a row.
“Next customer, please.”
Lydia called the next customer in a humming voice without thinking, then opened her eyes wide. A familiar figure with black hair and black eyes approached.
The boy looked more refined than before.
“Ah… long time no see.”
She wanted to properly acknowledge knowing him.
However, seeing the silver-haired woman behind the boy made her close her mouth. It was the woman who had been with Ethan when he traveled to Central Ward.
‘Wow…, she’s really beautiful.’
Even to another woman, the lady had an irresistible charm despite her cold appearance.
“Miss Lydia?”
“Oh, ah, yes?”
“Three to Westvan. Including the brown-haired sister back there.”
From what she could tell, the boy and the woman each carried large backpacks as if going on a trip. And the woman behind them carrying luggage clearly looked like an attendant.
She knew the academy was on break.
‘Are the two of them going on a trip together?’
She was envious.
She couldn’t even remember the last time she had gone on a trip.
Ethan and Sylvia had already passed by Lydia and were moving toward the transfer stone. Watching them made her feel complicated and bitter.
‘Ah… I should drink when I get off work today.’
She wanted to call her friends on her crystal and get completely drunk.
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We arrived in Westvan and took a carriage to Linchester. During the journey, Master kept looking out the window.
And next to Master stood a long stick.
…the Rod of Discipline.
I wondered how many times she would gleefully strike my head this time. I could already see myself rolling on the ground after getting hit on the head.
My master really is a sadist, no matter how you look at it.
“Ah, we’ve arrived, Lady Sylvia!”
At Dania’s words, I also turned to look out the window.
Screech.
Finally, the carriage stopped and someone opened the door. As we got out of the carriage, a massive castle stood towering before us.
It seemed like the biggest castle I’d seen so far.
“Ethan, we’ll be meeting the family head right away. Prepare yourself.”
“Yes, understood.”
The head of the Linchester family would be Benek von Linchester.
The silver-haired middle-aged man I met at the social gathering in Central Ward.
In the reception room.
Benek von Linchester was waiting for us with tea prepared. Maids were pouring tea beside him.
“Sylvia von Linchester, here to see the head of Linchester.”
“Sylvie, forget about seeing the family head. There’s no need for such formality at home. Everyone else may leave.”
The maids and Dania bowed and withdrew. The remaining three sat at the table.
“Ethan, was it? This is the first time since the social gathering, I believe.”
“Yes. I’m honored you remember me.”
“What honor? I’ve heard much about you from Sylvia. They say you’ve already slain two demons?”
“I was merely lucky.”
I finished speaking and took a sip of tea.
“For Sylvie to invite a guest home. I thought it was unusual enough when she took a disciple. Living long really brings surprises.”
I glanced at Master’s expression, and she wore an ambiguous smile. Benek let out a gentle “hoho” laugh.
“Learn much during this summer break.”
“Yes, I’ll make sure to do so.”
Light conversation followed.
The family head mostly led the conversation. He had seemed like a dignified mature gentleman at the social gathering, but now he was more like a friendly neighborhood uncle.
Still, I couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable. After all, how could anyone be comfortable drinking tea with their master and master’s father?
“So, Sylvie, have you found a partner?”
“Father, the conversation seems to be going astray.”
Sylvia replied without showing any discomfort.
“It’s not going astray. You’re of marriageable age, how can you not look for a partner? Sylvie, you’re twenty-five this year. Haven’t you gone your whole life without dating?”
Master bit her lower lip slightly, as if somewhat frustrated.
“…I know.”
“Ethan, you’re twenty this year?”
Why is he suddenly asking my age?
I tried not to show my confusion. Things were starting to feel strange.
My original age was twenty-five, but after whatever this transmigration or possession was, I became twenty.
So it wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Yes, that’s right. I’m twenty.”
“The perfect age. I’ve rarely seen Sylvie smile like that in my life.”
“Haha, is that so?”
What could I say to that? All I could do was laugh.
“And you’ve learned the Linchester family’s secret techniques.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then, naturally, you must pay the price?”
“I beg your pardon?”
Benek’s eyes flashed sharply at my words. It sent chills down my spine just looking at him.
“Surely you weren’t planning to learn our secret techniques and keep quiet about it. I haven’t seen anyone make Sylvie smile like that in nearly 10 years.”
Benek smiled slightly and continued.
“Therefore, you’ll have to take responsibility and marry my daughter.”
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Congrats on the marriage, Ethan!