Ch.2424. You came in with a face that anyone could tell something was wrong, didn’t you?

*Screech-!*

“M-Master…”

As I entered the room, Luna spotted me and struggled to sit up.

I gestured for her to stay put and settled myself on the wooden chair beside her bed.

“How are you feeling?”

“Master… what happened to me?”

Upon entering, I had checked with my Insight [開眼] and found that her Affection Deficiency level had dropped to 50 from being completely full. Just as in the original story, it seemed that once the “Blood Massacre” was activated, balance was restored.

“How much do you remember?”

“I remember being kidnapped and brought before you.”

So then.

She doesn’t remember the harsh words I said to lower her Affection Deficiency?

Originally, she would have lost her sense of self from the moment “Blood Massacre” activated.

The things I said must have been quite shocking.

“After that, fortunately, the kidnappers got into an argument and everything became chaotic. That’s how we managed to escape together.”

“What happened to the kidnappers?”

“When I returned with the knights, they were all dead. They must have fought among themselves.”

“Are you unharmed, Master?”

Having a vivid memory of Luna’s merciless slaughter during her “Blood Massacre” activation, her concern for me now feels extremely jarring.

It’s hard to forget how she extended the back of her hand toward me, saying “Lick it” with that bizarre laughter.

‘How can these two possibly be the same person?’

I closed one eye briefly and reopened it as I faced Luna, who was looking at me with worried eyes.

“Of course! Fortunately, I wasn’t hurt.”

Luna nodded, then suddenly flinched and grimaced. She ran her hands over her body as she continued speaking.

“Ugh… my body hurts so much. Why is this happening?”

That’s to be expected.

Having only trained for a short time, Luna’s body is far from ready to handle the “Blood Massacre.”

Using an incomplete body so recklessly would naturally result in pain.

“You probably hit the floor hard when you collapsed.”

“Ah, I see.”

“You’ll be fine after resting for a few days, so don’t worry.”

“…But who were those people who kidnapped us?”

“People who held a grudge against our family. I’m sorry you got caught up in this.”

“It’s alright. I’m just glad you’re safe, Master.”

Luna clutched the white bedsheet with her bandaged fingers and began to cry silently.

After watching her for a while, I carefully adjusted my posture.

“So, you really don’t remember anything?”

“What memories are you referring to…?”

“Lick it.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing, it just came to mind suddenly. If you don’t remember, that’s fine.”

“…Anyway, thank you so much for saving me.”

I let out a short sigh as Luna, still sitting on the bed, repeatedly bowed her head.

“Haa… Now you understand why you need to train, right?”

“I think I do. If I had been stronger, I could have been of some help to you…”

“Yes, I’m glad you understand now. Take care of yourself.”

“A-Are you leaving already?”

“If I stay here, would you be able to rest properly? You’d be uncomfortable.”

As she tried to move again, perhaps to bid me farewell, I gently pressed down on her shoulder and rose from the chair.

As I turned to leave, I heard Luna’s small voice behind me.

“…I’ll become stronger, I promise.”

*

“Has sword training been difficult lately?”

-No, sir!!

“Aren’t you dissatisfied with the suddenly intense training regimen?”

-It’s fine, sir!!

I had gathered all the knights at the training ground.

Clearly, they looked exhausted on the outside, so why did they keep denying it?

I tilted my head up with the wooden sword resting on my shoulder.

“Some of you probably thought your careers as knights were over when you were assigned under me.”

This time, the knights didn’t deny my words, seemingly agreeing to some extent.

Yet their eyes were uniformly filled with determination.

“You might think that now, but someday you’ll consider being assigned to me the greatest fortune of your lives. I’ll make sure of that.”

Just a few months ago, if I had gathered the knights and said the same thing, they would have all scoffed.

But now, things are different.

I’ve dealt with assassins and personally led the knights in clearing out magical beasts.

Moreover.

The biggest change was the proper investment in the knights.

Three meals a day with diverse food, a lounge where they could rest comfortably even if briefly.

Top-quality equipment, and even a bathhouse to soothe their tired bodies after training…

All results achieved with the Fail Fruit.

Of course, there are other family heads who take special care of skilled knights, but for most knights, even in prestigious families, the only difference is a slightly higher salary, with little else to distinguish them.

But to be cared for to this extent?

It creates loyalty where there was none before.

“Tomorrow, we will go hunting magical beasts with my father, Baron Byron. Other families will join us, so I hope you’ll demonstrate the strength of the Alphonse family knights.”

-Young Master, we will do our best in training!

-Long live Young Master Selden Alphonse!!!

-We are fortunate to have been chosen by Young Master Selden Alphonse!!

-Leave it to us! We’ll sweep away all the magical beasts in the territory!!

-For the honor of House Alphonse!!

The knights’ resounding cheers.

With a satisfied expression, I stepped down from the training ground platform, and Federicks bowed.

“I’ll escort you to the study.”

“Very well.”

No matter how good the food and facilities have become, some will inevitably be dissatisfied with the increasing training load over time.

That’s why it’s necessary to put on this kind of performance occasionally.

After arriving at the study and taking a seat, Federicks, who had followed me, clapped his hands in admiration.

“Wow, Young Master. Your speech today was impressive.”

“It was hardly a speech.”

“I think it really boosted the morale of the knights who were struggling with the intense training lately.”

“That’s good to hear. Hasn’t Riden Solice arrived yet?”

“I guided him to the reception room since you were giving your speech.”

“Ah, tell him to come in.”

Federicks left the study, and shortly after, Riden Solice entered with a haggard face and greeted me.

“Young Master, it’s been a while.”

“What’s wrong with your face?”

“It’s nothing.”

“You clearly entered with a face that says something’s wrong?? What is it?”

“W-Well, the truth is, the Poison Lady of Honghua Tower has put a bounty on my head.”

The Poison Lady is the leader of Honghua Tower, one of the top information networks, and the person who defeated Riden Solice in a power struggle.

In a way, it’s natural for the victor to target the loser to prevent any future rebellion.

In the original story, Riden Solice becomes crippled in one leg while fleeing from the Poison Lady.

And then he meets the protagonist, Serion Raikers.

‘Hmm, what should I do about this?’

Originally, the protagonist Serion Raikers would bring down the Poison Lady of Honghua Tower for some reason.

For Riden Solice, the protagonist is essentially his lifesaver.

That’s how he naturally becomes the protagonist’s informant.

‘This is troublesome.’

If I let the story flow as it should, Riden Solice will lose the use of one leg, but if I deal with the Poison Lady myself, I’ll be cutting the only connection between the protagonist and Riden Solice.

It’s truly a dilemma, and I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Haa… Don’t move around for a while and stay at the mansion. I’ll take care of the Poison Lady issue.”

“N-No, please don’t. You might become a target of Honghua Tower too.”

“Don’t worry about that and just stay put.”

A derailed story can be put back on track midway.

But a body that becomes crippled cannot be easily fixed, can it?

This was the conclusion I reached, prioritizing Riden, whom I had grown somewhat fond of.

“But didn’t you call me here because you had something for me to do?”

“I did, but your situation seems more urgent right now.”

“I’m fine. If there’s something you need me to—”

“It’s alright, it’s not urgent, so we can deal with the Poison Lady issue first.”

Riden fidgeted with his mouth before cautiously asking.

“May I ask how you plan to resolve this?”

I could lead the knights to storm Honghua Tower right now and completely annihilate them.

I’ve grown considerably through the system window, and the knights are much stronger than before.

However, there’s no justifiable reason to do so, and I would easily become a target of the families who silently support the Poison Lady.

This is truly the time to properly utilize the knowledge I gained from reading the novel.

Of course, I need to successfully get through the upcoming joint magical beast hunt first.

“Riden, is there anything in this world more precious than family?”

“Hmm… I wouldn’t know since I don’t have a family, but if there is something more precious, it would probably be money, wouldn’t it?”

Riden is the type of person who would go to the underworld and return with the Grim Reaper’s weakness if paid enough.

His answer was exactly as expected.

I gave a meaningful smile to Riden, who still looked worried.

“I think the Poison Lady might disagree with that.”