The Villainous Noble’s Father - Chapter 14

It was a sunny afternoon, just as March was coming to an end.

I was finally wrapping up my work in the royal capital, thinking that once Leonard’s school entrance ceremony was over, I’d head back to the territory. I was sitting at my desk in the mansion, mid-thought, when it happened.

“M-Master! It’s terrible! L-Leonard, Leonard is—!!”

Without even bothering to knock, Lady Yulia kicked the office door open and burst in.

I mean… seriously? That’s definitely punishable behavior. Hasn’t her personality changed a lot since we first met? Or is this her true self?

Wait… what did she just say? Leonard…!?

“What happened to Leonard!?”

“He’s… he’s changed so much…! I-I can’t even…!”

“Where is he!?”

“T-The front hall…!”

Ignoring the clearly panicked Lady Yulia, I bolted for the entrance hall. My Red Eyes activated to full power. I didn’t care who saw or what got in my way, I just tore through the halls at top speed.

“Ugh… Leonard-sama… how could this happen…?”

Behind me, Lady Yulia sobbed.

Wait, she’s keeping up with me? I’m running at full Red Eye output! Who is this girl!?

A few seconds after sprinting out of the office, I burst into the mansion’s grand hall. There stood two boys. Both of their clothes were torn and filthy, but there was something powerful about them that made you forget their ragged appearance.

The first one I noticed was Alan.

Gone was the carefree, childish demeanor, he now carried himself with a calm confidence that made him seem like a young man, not a boy. He must’ve run all the way here from The Forest of Eternal Darkness.

His Red Eyes were still active, but perfectly controlled, he looked completely at ease. Impressive. Honestly, he’s at the level of our own elite knights.

And the second…

Leonard? Wait, who is that?

Before me stood a tall, lean young man, nothing like the chubby boy I knew. He brushed his long, messy black hair from his eyes and gave me a respectful bow.

He, too, had his Red Eyes active. His movements were sharp, efficient, more like a seasoned warrior than a student. Even compared to Alan, the game’s protagonist, Leonard’s strength was on par.

“I’m back, Father.”

Yeah, yeah… I’m glad you’re… WAIT, that is Leonard!? What happened to your body!? You look completely different! They say a boy can change in just a few days, but this is like a whole new person!

“Leonard-sama… you’ve become so thin… how tragic…”

Tears in her eyes and handkerchief in hand, Lady Yulia ran to him.

“Your once-soft body… ah, but now it’s all muscle. Incredible…!”

As she wiped the dirt off him, she couldn’t help but feel his abs. Her cheeks flushed red.

Yulia… are you serious right now?

“Oh, but you’re so dirty! I’ll have a bath prepared right away! Alan-san, there’s a well out back, you can wash there. We can’t have you dirtying the mansion.”

Wow. That tone-shift.

Just a second ago, she was all teary-eyed over Leonard, and now she’s dismissing Alan like he’s a stray dog. It’s not even a class thing, she’s treating him like he’s not even human!

Leonard, oblivious to the clear favoritism, just nodded.

“You’re right. It wouldn’t be good to bring all this dirt into the house. Al, let’s go wash at the well first.”

“Huh? Oh, um, yeah. Wait! You’re coming too?”

“Of course. I won’t make more work for Yulia and the others. Besides, I’ve been in these clothes for a month, I’d be happy to wash any way I can.”

Despite Alan’s flustered look, Leonard just walked off to the back of the house.

Talk about oblivious to romance cues, Leonard’s giving off main character energy. Yulia, left behind, began trembling.

“He… he called him Al? A nickname? From Leonard-sama!? That thieving cat!!”

In frustration, she bit her handkerchief. That’s such a classic, old-school move. I didn’t think people actually did that.

Watching her, I quietly decided, once her manners training is over, I’m sending her straight back home.

Later…

After their rinse at the well, both boys took a proper bath. Now they sat on the guest sofas in my office, clean and composed.

“So,” I asked, “how did the mission go?”

“Very well.”

“Excellent.”

Short, confident replies. That confidence was something the old Leonard never had. The Forest of Eternal Darkness is, in game terms, an early-mid area. It’s full of tough-looking monsters, but for two people with Red Eyes, it’s manageable.

Still, real combat is never like training.

Even weak enemies can kill green recruits if they panic. That’s why my knights send trainees into monster dens that test, but don’t overwhelm their actual strength. Apparently, these two passed that test.

“Now then… I believe brave young men who pass trials deserve a reward.”

I grinned, pulling out two legendary swords, one black, one white. The holy sword Brave blade, and the Demon Sword Northern Cross. Bought from the royal family. Each with a mysterious origin, said to predate every kingdom on the continent.

They’re nearly indestructible and only usable by those with powerful magic. The holy sword turns protective feelings into light energy. The demon sword turns a desire for justice into dark energy.

That’s the official game lore, anyway. A classic “light and dark swords” duo. Feels like home, really.

“Whoa! This black one is so cool, wait, huh?” Alan excitedly grabbed the demon sword, but it wouldn’t budge from its sheath.

“What the—? This white fancy one won’t come out either!”

Leonard, also confused, tried to draw the holy sword but failed.

Ah, right. Wrong matches.

“The holy sword is light-aligned, the demon sword is dark-aligned. Try switching.”

With reluctant expressions, they swapped swords. In this world, everyone has an elemental attribute tied to their magic. There are six, Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Light, and Dark.

Most people have one. Rarely, someone can have two and only Light and Dark ever combine with the other elements.

Leonard has Dark and Wind. Alan has Light and Fire. Light and Dark are so rare, it’s like one in tens of millions. It’s not about being good or evil, it’s just a rare magic affinity.

As soon as they held the correct swords, the weapons began to glow faintly, one in light, the other in shadow. The two of them drew their blades at the same time. In that moment, the room lit up, black and white magic surged out from the swords like a flood.

The white sword gleamed like polished silver, and the black one shimmered with a darkness that swallowed even light. They shone like twin stars crashing to earth.

“Wh-What is this…!?”

“Ha! These swords are incredible!”

I could feel it, their power spiked instantly, like they’d jumped several levels in a blink. The swords had accepted them. Heroes of Light and Darkness. Sounds cliché and overused, but strangely, it suits them.

What started as a half-baked plan to stir up some excitement with a duel, might turn out to be a bigger deal than I imagined. Though I only realized later, while I was admiring the scene, that my office had been completely destroyed by the swords’ magic surge.

Next time, let’s draw the legendary weapons outside.