# Dawn at the Silent Mansion

In the dawn hours when everyone in the mansion was asleep.

After defeating the Desmont family with alcohol, I was swinging my sword in the empty courtyard of the mansion.

-BANG──!

It wasn't an elegant sword dance.

It was a rough and monotonous sword dance. Even becoming a Sword Master couldn't immediately change habits ingrained in my body. To others, my sword dance would look terrible.

-SLASH.

Holding Tirbing in my hand, I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and smiled lightly.

"It's different."

Definitely different.

The physical sensation.

The stability of holding the sword.

The magical power I could feel around me.

Everything had been honed to a sharpness incomparable to before. I smiled slightly at the explosive power surging through me, as if my entire body had become a weapon.

"I could probably go toe-to-toe with an Apostle now."

While I might not be able to handle the final boss of this world, I was relieved to have enough power to match a mid-boss. This much should be enough to avoid an untimely death.

With favorable compatibility, I could handle two Apostles.

With normal compatibility, one Apostle seemed within my capabilities.

I erased the smile of self-satisfaction rising to my face and shook my head.

"I need to stay humble."

I still had a long way to go.

Even as a Sword Master, there were different tiers and differences in experience, so I couldn't afford to become arrogant. I might die prematurely if I got cocky. Even with Olaf, I only won because we had good compatibility, so I shouldn't be overconfident.

I shouldn't just think I could win. I should only allow myself to relax after securing victory. I took a calm breath while settling my rising shoulders.

"Still though."

"I think I've become a teacher who won't embarrass his student."

Now that I've reached a level where I wouldn't lose to Rowen, perhaps I could take some pride in that. By the novel's standards, I would probably be considered a monster now.

I imagine I might be described as "The Knight of the Fallen Villainess."

"What nonsense."

I let out a hollow laugh as I thought about the upcoming events.

-Academy riot.

-Mikhail's growth.

-Pascal's appearance.

Pascal. A name from over a year ago.

It had been a year since I sent that villain to prison—the one who controlled people's bodies and loved strange art.

He appeared as a significant villain in the novel, but thinking about him being rehabilitated in prison to fill my empty bank account brought a bitter smile to my face.

-Why are you only picking on me!

He really was a good guy.

I would never forget my benefactor who helped me pay off my debts. If it weren't for me, he'd probably be living comfortably as an Archbishop by now.

I nodded my head, thinking of the mantis suffering in prison and wishing him good luck.

'Next time we meet, I'll put you in a collection box.'

To be honest, neither Mikhail nor Yuria could handle an Archbishop yet. That was true in the original story, and even now, the Archbishop's power was still too much for Academy students to handle.

Ruin had long since retired, and the Crown Prince only became truly powerful in the latter part of the novel, so their actual fighting power was minimal.

At this point, the power ranking would be Mikhail, Crown Prince, Ruin, and then Yuria.

They weren't falling behind. In fact, they might be stronger than in the original timeline. Although their explosive growth was somewhat diminished because I had eliminated many hardships, they had still been steadily improving over time.

Especially Mikhail, who had grown incomparably stronger after the last battle, and Yuria, who would be able to contribute more to their fighting power after awakening as a Holy Maiden.

With Hannah also at the Academy, she could sufficiently fill Ruin's vacancy. And if needed, there was Hans, so they weren't lacking in positions.

The only thing that bothered me was...

That Mikhail's sword hadn't broken yet.

I sighed as I thought about Mikhail's old sword. I couldn't understand why he was still carrying around that piece of scrap metal.

He really was stubborn in the most unnecessary ways.

"Haah..."

Mikhail's sword should have broken long ago. It should have shattered when he encountered the heretics. That incident needed to happen so he could learn to use a sword that fit his build and break his stubbornness.

He's doing well for now, but that's only true for the current situation. As the novel progressed toward the middle, the enemies they would face would become stronger. Mikhail's current sword had many limitations.

Just look at the Archbishop of Oblivion right in front of us—Mikhail became his plaything back then.

I understand. I know how precious that sword is to Mikhail.

I know it was the first gift he received from the nun who took him in at the monastery and cared for him like a parent.

But what would change if he didn't break that stubbornness and kept pushing forward? I recalled Mikhail's face with a bitter smile.

"..."

I couldn't think of a good solution.

If I could have broken his stubbornness, I would have done so already. But I suppose things will work out well since only good things have been happening.

Yuria has begun awakening as a Holy Maiden, Mikhail is growing adequately, so all that's left is for me to live well.

It's a relief that I can finally relax a bit.

I smiled slightly and mentally called out a familiar name.

-Status window.

[Ricardo Lv. 92]

[Occupation]

Swordsman - (Sword Master)

Butler - (Household Master)

[Stats]

Strength: 251↑

Vitality: 301↑

Agility: 223↑

Magic Power: 400↑

[Traits]

◈Offensive

[Swordsmanship Lv.7↑], [Martial Arts Lv.5], [Dagger Skills Lv.5], [Greatsword Skills Lv.5], [Spear Skills Lv.5]

▣Defensive

[Poison Resistance Lv.5], [Fire Resistance Lv.4↑], [Magic Resistance Lv.5↑], [Lightning Resistance Lv.5↑], [Cold Resistance Lv.4↑], [Black Magic Resistance Lv.6↑], [Curse Resistance Lv.5↑], [Mental Resistance Lv.7↑]

◉Skills

[Aura(A)]

[Weapon Prodigy(S)]

[Regeneration(A)] ▶ [Body Regeneration[S]]

[Limit Break(L)]

[Thunderstorm(L)]

[Healing Touch Lv.2]

└Vitality consumption is dramatically reduced.

└Fundamental healing becomes possible.

A status window I hadn't opened in a long time.

It felt like it had been ages since I last checked it. When I first came to this world, I would open it every day to confirm if my training methods were correct, but at some point, it became a possession privilege I rarely looked at.

It was like having these abilities, a memo, a simple manual. Although the status window, which showed me something like an error note, had been very helpful, it was now an element I rarely looked at.

I couldn't see others' status windows—no, I couldn't see others' information. Since the concept of a status window didn't exist in this world, I naturally used it less frequently. I had naturally blended into this world, you could say.

The mirror that only I could see showed different numbers from the past.

I had grown rapidly compared to a year ago, and my resistances had strengthened considerably while I wasn't looking.

I smiled with satisfaction and swung my sword again.

To slowly adapt to this unfamiliar power, and to ensure Miss would never use black magic again, I diligently swung my sword.

And as morning dawned...

-AIR RAID ALARM!!!!

Once again, without fail, a loud battle cry echoed through the mansion.

*

-Tick.

The stopped clock hands began to move.

Standing on a chair, Yuria smiled as she replaced the battery in the broken clock.

-Tick.

-Tock.

Yuria smiled with satisfaction at the finally moving clock hands and climbed down from the chair.

The time was now 10 PM.

Waking up alone in the hospital, Yuria carefully sat down after neatly covering James with the blanket he had kicked off in his sleep.

"Dad."

-...

"Are you sleeping?"

Yuria smiled as she touched her father's cheek. Despite it being only 10 o'clock, an early hour, Yuria's father was already asleep. He couldn't resist his daughter's insistence that he needed to focus on recovery.

Yuria put her lips close to her snoring father's ear and whispered softly.

"Dad, you know what?"

"..."

"I've found someone I like."

-I know. That handsome one.

"He's very handsome."

-Don't cry.

"He's incredibly caring."

-Who is it? The one who did this.

"He takes really good care of me."

Yuria spoke while firmly holding her father's hand. Her father's hand, full of calluses, bore the scars of years spent raising her alone.

Yuria tickled her father's rough palm and smiled, saying:

"You know."

And with a small smile, she added:

"I think I really like him."

Very much.

Yuria's clock had started ticking.

*

Words were being written on white paper.

To the noble from the borderlands.

To the enemy of the Academy.

To memories of someone I once considered a friend.

Olivia was writing a letter.

-I invite you.

Darvav anticipated that Olivia's letter would become gossip for many and cause significant ripples.

-We're holding a ball.

-Yes.

-At your house.

-No.

-Then at our house.

-Fine.

The Desmont family remains strong.

Olivia is a member of the Desmont family.

Darvav's plan was to solidify her position by holding a ball in Olivia's name.

I watched Miss sitting at her desk writing invitations after a long time and asked:

"Miss."

"Eeeeek..."

"Miss?"

Miss, who was wiping her runny nose on the invitation paper, glanced at me and smiled broadly.

"Ricardo."

"Yes."

"I don't have any friends."

Darvav was making the biggest misconception.

"Here! The invitation."

"Oh..."

I smiled bitterly as I looked at Miss's invitation.

"Should I write one for Hannah too?"

"Mm-hmm."

"And one for the boss too."

"Let's do that."

"And..."

Miss didn't realize that she had no friends.