Oh, Surely I Wouldn't Test Lord Abel

Karon, the butler serving Kaizen.

"Aha-ha."

He let out a hollow laugh at the sight before him, then exclaimed in admiration at Abel's power.

"Wow..."

The knights' training grounds.

Naturally, when the training grounds were built, durability was the first concern.

In this modern age, the methods of training with mana had gradually grown more efficient as the times advanced.

It was only natural, in a way, that the average strength of the knights had risen compared to the past.

Built to match that heightened overall strength, these training grounds boasted extraordinary durability.

Naturally, magic circles to dampen impacts had been laid throughout, along with soundproofing, vibration suppression, self-repair, and countless other spells. It was a building that money had truly been poured into.

"He's a monster..."

The building was now quite literally half-destroyed.

No, it wasn't merely half-destroyed.

Half the training grounds had been utterly erased, and even the earth supporting the building had been crushed beneath an enormous mass.

It looked as though a gigantic iron ball had been dropped into a pool filled with mud.

All of this had happened from a single attack by Abel.

If the servants had not acted quickly and moved first, there might have been an enormous loss of life.

'Or maybe that isn't right either?'

Come to think of it, hadn't Lady Bella, who should have taken the attack head-on, come out unharmed as well?

"..."

Karon silently gazed at the scene Abel had created.

It all began with a single statement from Abel.

[I haven't slept or gotten any proper rest for the roughly three days of continuous attacks I endured on my way here to the Nebula ducal estate.]

That raised one question.

Why three days?

Karon clearly knew it had taken Abel roughly five days to leave the capital and return to the ducal estate.

There was a discrepancy in the time.

He ruled out the possibility that Abel had lied.

It was a statement made with the Contract God's name on the line.

Even the slightest lie would have become a tremendous weakness for Abel in the future.

Someone capable of arranging a scheme this enormous had no reason to tell a lie he did not need to tell.

'Maybe... yes, that's it. The mercenary corps Lord Kaizen hired. He must have been counting the time he was attacked by those bastards.'

Roughly two days of attacks.

The [White Shadow] intelligence network already knew that Kaizen and Bella had hired a mercenary corps to attack Abel.

Enduring those attacks, Lord Abel must have thought of it.

Of turning this entire situation to his own advantage.

"Hahaha."

Easy to say.

He had to recognize that he was being attacked, use that fact in reverse to make himself appear weakened, announce that state throughout the ducal estate, and finally win through his own strength.

But to carry all of that out, he needed intelligence, the ability to execute, and audacity. Above all, he needed faith in his own power.

"..."

Karon knew Kaizen's strength.

He was the one who had brought Kaizen to this ducal estate, after all, and had fought him in a battle to the death under the pretext of a test.

Objectively speaking, Kaizen's strength was around the upper Expert level by the standards of knights.

But considering his talent, combat sense, and the unusual nature of his ability, he was someone who could certainly bring down opponents stronger than Karon himself.

Karon himself had been wounded by Kaizen's attack, after all.

"Hmm..."

To have utterly overwhelmed Kaizen and Bella, who was even more versatile than Kaizen, while being attacked by both of them...

"It's surprising to see you lost in thought."

As Karon sat there, chin propped in thought, a familiar voice reached his ears.

"Karon."

"Ah, Lord Sebastian. Haha, my apologies. I had something on my mind."

"Something on your mind..."

Sebastian gazed quietly at Karon, letting his words trail off.

"What is it you're thinking about?"

"...Haha. It isn't anything grand enough to warrant mentioning."

Sebastian looked in the direction Karon had been watching until a moment ago.

It was the sight of the Knights' training grounds after some enormous thing had swept through them.

The person who had created this scene was Abel.

The heir to the Nebula ducal family.

And yet Karon, a member of the [Dark Shadow], was lost in thought at this sight?

Karon, whom even Sebastian himself could never read?

"Not a grand thought..."

Swish.

Sebastian began to surround the area with threads of highly refined mana, preparing for any move Karon might make.

He was not trying to make any particular threat.

Of course, the threads of mana were sharp enough to slice apart even a decent knight the moment they touched him, but Sebastian genuinely had no intention of threatening Karon.

"Then I suppose you can tell me about it."

The barrier surrounding Karon and Sebastian was completed.

"Or perhaps it's something like that?"

Sebastian offered the reassuring smile he always showed others.

His calm smile in such circumstances was almost chilling to behold.

"You're not thinking of rebelling against Lord Abel, are you..."

Sebastian, too, was a member of the [Dark Shadow], so he had long understood what it meant for someone to become head of the Nebula ducal family.

Unlike ordinary noble families, it had the unusual custom of requiring not only the head's recognition but also the [Dark Shadow]'s approval.

What if the [Dark Shadow] refused to recognize someone who was already almost certain to become the ducal family's heir?

That would mark the beginning of a civil war soaked in blood.

"..."

"..."

Karon and Sebastian faced each other in silence, both wearing smiles brimming with amusement.

In the standoff where every second felt like a minute, Karon was the first to speak.

"Aha-ha. Rebel? Surely not. I'm a terribly, terribly frail man."

Karon raised both hands, emphasizing that he meant no harm.

"I just had something on my mind. Lord Sebastian, may I ask you a question?"

"...Go ahead."

"Have you recognized Lord Abel as the next head of the family?"

At Karon's question, Sebastian quietly considered Abel.

A powerhouse capable of standing against the current duke.

No—in view of the scale of this fight, Lord Abel probably hadn't even been fighting at full strength then.

Someone with that kind of strength, and the strategic mind to devise a scheme this enormous.

If one dared to judge his ability as well, it was at an exceptionally high level.

Taking all of that into consideration...

"Yes... I am in favor of Lord Abel becoming the next head of the Nebula ducal family."

No, Sebastian could confidently say that Abel was even more outstanding than the direct heirs of the Nebula ducal family in the past.

Hearing Sebastian say that, Karon shrugged and spoke.

"He certainly is remarkable. I acknowledge that as well."

"..."

"With your support—and this is only my expectation—I imagine Lady Nella will also vote in favor of putting Lord Abel in the position of family head."

I can't say about that girl Mist.

I don't know whether she has decided to make Lord Abel her master or is still sounding him out.

'When the two of us spoke alone back then, she said she hadn't pledged her loyalty.'

It was only a hunch, but Karon suspected Mist had probably sworn loyalty to Abel.

That was what Karon thought.

"I wasn't about to make the insane claim that Lord Abel is unqualified."

No, in Karon's view, there was no one better suited than Abel to lead the Nebula ducal family at present.

"But there is one thing that bothers me..."

"Something that bothers you?"

"Yes... So I intend to put my decision regarding Lord Abel on hold for a while, so I can verify that concern."

Sebastian listened silently to Karon, then slowly began releasing his mana.

Vmmm.

As if responding to Sebastian's thoughts, the threads of mana began to vibrate faintly.

"Then surely you're planning to test Lord Abel?"

Sebastian silently compared Abel's full strength with Karon's.

"You'll die."

Even if Karon was a member of the [Dark Shadow], Sebastian would naturally say that after directly witnessing Abel's attack.

"Aha-ha... I wouldn't mind dying, though?"

At Sebastian's words, Karon smiled lightly.

If the leader of the [Dark Shadow] had not taken him in that day, he certainly would have rotted to death in that city filled with death.

That was why Karon was not particularly attached to his life.

If I die, I die.

Karon was the kind of man who lived by exactly that mindset.

"But I have never thought of testing Lord Abel. I know the difference between courage and reckless bravado."

Karon waved both hands as though to show that he was sincere.

"I'm simply curious."

"Curious?"

"Yes..."

Karon recalled the contents of Abel's report, which [White Shadow] had investigated.

It was a report describing an utterly absurd level of ability, with nearly every stat receiving close to a perfect score.

"But even after going through this fight and the entire report, there was one thing I couldn't find."

Namely, his ability in one-on-one combat against another person.

Of course, Abel had likely received perfect scores for his range, power, and ability utilization, but Karon was curious.

He wanted to know the level of Abel's true ability in personal combat—something the report had yet to reveal.

He was also curious about that smoke barrier whose exact ability [White Shadow] had confirmed but still did not understand.

"So I'd like to see it."

All of it—the smoke barrier, and any other personal-combat ability unique to Abel.

Even if that curiosity ended up killing him.

There was not a trace of doubt in Karon's eyes as he said this.

***

Abel's room at the Nebula ducal estate.

"..."

There, Abel had spent three days without sleep, fought Kaizen and Bella, and

finally executed a technique into which he had poured a considerable portion of his power. Exhausted by it all, he lay on the soft bed and slept as though he had passed out.

"..."

At Abel's bedside, Mist gazed at his sleeping face, her eyes slightly downcast.