Rich (1)

Harold is an incredibly competent knight.

Not only in combat but also in leading a group of knights with outstanding leadership, he had no trouble at all.

With his exceptional qualities, Harold had perfectly proven his worth.

Lorentz Gaju especially cherished and treated Harold with special care.

But what is this all about? Harold harmed the eldest son of the Elaine family.

Even if the details and process are unknown, knowing such a thing doesn’t make it any better.

The fact that Evan Elaine was injured is a serious offense that cannot be easily overlooked.

If not handled properly, it could even lead to a territorial war.

To prevent such a disaster, forgiveness must be sought from the Elaine family.

How?

If possible, he wanted to avoid the situation even if it meant cutting Harold’s throat.

It is true that Harold is a talent not to be wasted, but the situation is so grave.

However, Evan chose to show mercy. He decided to overlook Harold’s crime.

Of course, he couldn’t purely rejoice.

If Harold had paid with his life and made amends in various ways, they wouldn’t need to be cautious anymore.

But receiving no responsibility from the other side only made things more uncomfortable.

It’s like having an unpayable debt.

Therefore, he couldn’t easily let go of his worries.

Moreover, if today’s incident leaks out, things will escalate uncontrollably.

Their knight who clashed with the eldest son of a rival family. And Evan Elaine, who forgave such a disrespectful knight with a merciful heart.

It’s painful to even think about how people will perceive them.

But this doesn’t end here.

“What?! Evan did that?!”

Paolo Lorentz exploded in anger.

In front of him, Harold stood with his head bowed, including his children.

“Evan! You made my son Damian like this?!”

Damian’s appearance was not good even without words.

His body was covered in red bruises and his nostrils, with dried blood, had tissue stuffed in them.

Lastly, the missing front tooth added to the horror.

“What a disgrace!”

“I, I’m sorry. Father…”

“Shut up! Useless!”

In his heart, he wanted to grab Evan’s arms and shake them for hitting his son.

No, he would have actually done it if Harold hadn’t intervened.

“This is outrageous! Evan, that useless brat dares!”

Evan had already paid for his sins through Harold. It was excessive, so he also received sympathy from the public, and along with it, the bomb Evan was carrying was passed on to them.

With the situation like this, how could Evan be punished? Rather, the one holding the knife is on the Elaine side.

“Me! Do I have to suffer like this because of my useless son?!”

Paolo’s shout filled the room. Damian knelt down without trembling but with folded hands, he earnestly begged.

“I, I’m truly sorry! He suddenly attacked me!”

“Huh! Are you using that as an excuse?”

Damian’s injuries didn’t anger him greatly.

What infuriated Paolo more than anything was that his son lost to Evan.

To that incompetent and weak Evan.

No, ‘incompetent’ is no longer a word to describe Evan.

That has completely shifted to Damian, and Paolo is furious about this fact.

“But, Father! It wasn’t a fair duel! I didn’t have a sword, and that bastard Evan had one!”

Realizing the reason for Paolo’s anger, Damian quickly defended himself.

It’s because Evan had a weapon. And he was ambushed. If they fought again, he would win.

This and that, Damian making up pathetic excuses. He continued to spew various remarks, refusing to admit his defeat.

“Really! I wonder what dirty tricks that despicable guy used―!”

Slap!

Suddenly, Damian’s head turned.

Facing his father’s stern gaze and hand raised in warning, he showed no reaction.

He wanted to say something to express his frustration, but couldn’t find the right moment.

Thud!

“Argh!”

A sudden kick made Damian grimace in pain.

Yerica, who was beside him, gasped and covered her mouth, while Harold closed his eyes tightly.

On the other hand, Rebecca, lying on the sofa, watched the scene with amusement. She even chuckled disdainfully and stuck out her tongue as if mocking him.

“This fool! Can’t even take a beating like a man! Still making ridiculous excuses?! What have you ever done right!”

“Cough! F-Father! I-I’m sorry! I-I will take full responsibility…! Ugh!”

“Shut your mouth! Why am I your father?! It’s an insult that you, a wretch like you, are my son! I can’t even hold my head up in shame!”

Mercilessly trampling on his own son, who is also a patient.

Despite Damian’s screams for mercy, it was all in vain.

The more he begged, the harsher the punishment became.

“Gah!”

As he worried that he might die from the beating, the violence suddenly stopped.

Paulo took a deep breath and sat down heavily on a chair.

“Phew. Don’t ever act so arrogantly again. I will really kill you next time.”

“Ugh… I-I’m sorry….”

“And Harold!”

Paulo turned to Harold with a fierce glare.

Although it was a sudden accusation, Harold didn’t hesitate to respond.

“Yes, sir.”

“I am truly disappointed in you! I always trusted your judgment! I never expected such a disaster to happen!”

“I am ashamed.”

Paulo glared at Harold, then sighed and massaged his temples.

After a moment of silence, he looked up at Harold again.

“Sigh. I will never forget this incident.”

“I apologize.”

“…Now leave.”

Harold quickly helped the fallen Damian to his feet and escorted him outside, with Yerica following behind.

“Tsk.”

As they disappeared, the once noisy room fell silent.

After a moment of silence, a name was called from Paulo’s lips.

“Rebecca.”

“Yes?”

She shifted her position on the sofa, looking at him.

Although her behavior was somewhat rude, Paulo didn’t mind.

Her daughter’s attitude was familiar to him, so he casually continued.

“Evan, that guy made your brother suffer. Can you believe it?”

“Hmm~ It’s a bit surprising. But Damian has been lazy all this time, right? It was only a matter of time before something big happened.”

“…I see.”

Rather than blaming Asha for losing, Evan couldn’t help but feel resentful.

It’s not just about accepting defeat, it’s about denying the common sense he believed in.

“Hmm… That day was quite shameful, wasn’t it? Seeing him return so strong.”

As Paulo muttered to himself, Rebecca smirked.

After a moment of contemplation, she remembered.

“Oh~ Right. I did tease him a bit back then, didn’t I?”

Slowly, memories of Evan resurfaced in the forgotten past.

Rebecca couldn’t help but smile at the ridiculous image of Evan.

“Why did he suddenly come back? Was it because of that incident back then? Did he come looking for me to seek revenge?”

Even if that was the conclusion, she wasn’t afraid.

The sense of crisis is not growing, only the arrogance is rising. At the same time, the urge for destruction is boiling.

“Hehe. She’s quite funny, isn’t she? What did she expect coming here? Seems like she thinks she’s some kind of hero.”

“Rebecca, don’t disappoint your father like that. If even you do that, I don’t think this father can handle it.”

“Ahaha. What are you suddenly talking about? You shouldn’t treat me like those scumbags. It’s hurtful.”

A tone that goes beyond confidence to arrogance.

Excessive composure creates openings, but Paulo was not worried about any concerns.

“Right. Don’t let him have his way.”

“Well~ But you don’t have the power to do that anyway, right? If he causes trouble, just educate him like in the old days. Don’t worry.”

His daughter who always exceeds expectations.

Worry and doubt were unnecessary mental waste; supporting and believing in her was the father’s role.

Paulo gazed at his daughter with a calm look that was the opposite of before.

#

After causing a commotion.

I received treatment and rested in the room.

“Such a worrywart.”

Of course, I was perfectly fine.

In the best condition with no discomfort.

– Knock knock

Someone knocked on the door, announcing their entrance.

When I told them to come in, Alfred opened the door with a creak.

“Young master, are you really okay?”

“Yeah. I’m really fine. Look at this.”

Eva got up from the bed and moved her body.

Seeing her move normally as usual, Alfred let out a sigh of relief.

“…I’m glad you look really okay. How surprised I was when I heard that news just now, it felt like I endured ten years.”

“Why worry when I’m perfectly fine.”

In fact, Harold’s attack didn’t cause much damage.

Even the massive bleeding was a phenomenon that I reversed by manipulating my mana.

‘Hollywood action movie stuff.’

Fortunately, I managed to avoid the immediate crisis with my own trickery, and now it’s time to face the next challenge.

“So, what about father?”

“Yes?”

“If you’re not busy right now, I’d like to see him. I have a lot to talk about.”