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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The Mad Dog of Azure Sea Castle (2)
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3.
Leo walked silently down the main building's hallway, following Camilla.
He wasn't so oblivious that he didn't realize his mother had tried to ignore Karron in the dining hall.
"Mother."
He called to her in a low voice.
As if she had been waiting for it, Camilla responded.
"That boy blatantly ignored you. Are you a man? Don't you have any backbone? You should have confronted him right then and there. This is why you got beaten to a pulp three years ago."
The anger she had been suppressing burst forth.
Her face flushed red as she unleashed a torrent of words at Leo.
"What is wrong with you? How can you possibly be of any help to your father like this?"
He understood the expectations his mother had for him.
His father was competing with his uncle for the right of succession.
His uncle's son, his cousin Hugo, was earning fame throughout the empire for his exceptional talent, while his daughter, his cousin Rion, was also actively undertaking missions.
And into that situation, a new variable named Karron had appeared.
The son of his younger uncle, who had been excluded from the line of succession.
The moment the first patriarch's sword chose Karron, the atmosphere in Azure Sea Castle had shifted.
It was true that Karron had beaten him mercilessly the day he first arrived.
But he didn't feel it was unfair. Thinking back now, he had deserved it.
The 'wish' Karron had made after passing the Eye-Opening Ceremony was a plea to never punish his older brother for that incident again—a wish for which Leo was incredibly grateful.
"I'll try harder."
"It displeases me greatly to see you spending so much time with Karron lately. He is your rival. Even if the youngest young master has no claim to succession, that boy Karron is different. Do you understand?"
His mother didn't know.
She would never understand what Karron meant to him.
Over the past three years, Leo had spent most of his time with Karron and had come to realize many things.
Karron was no rival.
To be precise, he wasn't even worthy of being Karron's rival.
It had been a long time since he'd realized that fact.
At first, he had struggled, determined not to fall behind Karron, but it had been an impossible task from the start.
Even to his young eyes, Karron's talent was dazzling.
Not even his cousin Hugo, who was called a genius, could compare to Karron.
"Do you have any idea how much your grandfather favors that boy? He's even assigned your aunt to raise him."
"…I'm learning with him, too."
"That's the problem. If you learn together, how will you ever surpass him? Leo. For your father's sake, you must…"
"Mother!"
Leo stopped in the hallway and stared at his mother.
Camilla was taken aback by his sudden outburst.
He was a child who had never once defied her.
A child who had always done as he was told.
That was why she was so stunned.
"Karron and I don't have the kind of relationship you think we do. A rival? Me? How could I dare?"
The 4th Star of the Sea-Conquering Art at thirteen.
Karron's achievement was one of the greatest in the family's history.
His talent wasn't just brilliant; it was blinding.
In comparison, Leo's achievement was the 3rd Star at fifteen.
It paled in comparison to Karron's, but that was only when compared to Karron. No firefly in the world could outshine the sun.
Even his cousin Hugo, hailed as a genius, had reached the 3rd Star at fourteen.
The Sea-Conquering Art required more time than other cultivation methods, so even reaching the 3rd Star was a remarkable accomplishment.
"Leo, you must cast aside your feelings of inferiority. You are…"
"What I'm feeling isn't inferiority, Mother."
No one feels inferior when faced with an incomprehensible phenomenon.
At least for Leo, that was what Karron was.
An existence beyond comprehension.
He knew Karron had looked out for him from time to time over the past three years.
In both mana cultivation and swordsmanship training.
Whenever he got stuck, Karron would grumble but demonstrate the technique over and over again.
All the while muttering about how he couldn't understand why he couldn't get something so simple.
Though he was the older brother by age, Leo had never once felt that way toward Karron.
"It's true that Karron is my goal. But it's not as a rival."
At first, he had thought much like his mother.
He had felt inferior to Karron's talent and had even resented the boy.
But not anymore.
Karron would lead him to greater heights.
If he just followed silently behind him, he knew he, too, would one day reach a high place.
"I'll go in alone. I'll see you later."
Leo let out a deep sigh, then opened the door and stepped into the room.
His mother would never understand him.
That was just the way she was.
"Leo!"
Left alone in the hallway, Camilla bit her lip and clenched her fists.
Her soft-hearted son seemed to have already given up, but she had not.
'This can't go on.'
She couldn't just stand by and watch an outsider usurp their rightful place.
It was impossible for now with Sabina around, but an opportunity would come. Sabina would soon return to the North Sea.
She gazed at the door Leo had entered and let out a small sigh.
4.
*Crack—*
A heavy impact echoed through the training ground.
A boy wielding a wooden sword was relentlessly driving an adult man into a corner.
The assault was ceaseless.
The cornered knight twisted his sword path, searching for an escape, but the boy paid it no mind and forced his blade through.
*Crrrack.*
The moment the boy's sword touched the leather armor the knight was wearing, the wooden sword in Karron's hand splintered.
Only then did the knight raise both hands.
"Stop, Lord Karron, stop. I've lost. Alright?"
"Hans. Why'd you break form? I keep telling you, the Sea Wolf Sword Style is useless if you get overpowered. You should have met it head-on, even if it meant breaking. How can a grown man be this weak?"
"I've never been told I'm weak anywhere else. You're just a monster, Lord Karron."
The knight called Hans took off his leather sparring armor and wiped away his sweat.
As soon as the armor came off, his brawny muscles were revealed. They were pumped up from the exertion of pushing his strength to its limit just moments before.
Karron listened to Hans's grumbling and tossed the broken wooden sword to the ground.
Then, with a grin, he patted Hans's chest.
"See? I told you. You've got nothing but inflated muscles."
"You're the only one in the entire Sea Wolf Order who says that, Lord Karron."
"That's because I'm the only one telling you the truth."
"Anyway, I can't handle you anymore without using mana, Lord Karron. I mean, you weren't this strong even last year."
"Kids grow up fast."
"It's a little weird hearing you say that about yourself… Anyway, because of you, I'm going to get chewed out by the commander again. I already got an earful for the injury I got on the last mission."
Hans sat on the ground and let out a great sigh.
"Hah. Everyone else is out investigating monsters, and I'm stuck here babysitting. My body is itching for a fight."
"Then who told you to get hurt on a mission? It's because you're weak, Hans."
"How many times do I have to tell you? Huh? I took a magic spell for a comrade. That grand spirit of self-sacrifice…"
"Yeah, well, I would've just cut it with my sword."
"I'm done talking to you."
Hans realized there was nothing to be gained from a childish argument with a kid.
He stood up and picked up two water bottles he had placed on one side of the training ground. He tossed one to Karron.
Karron snatched the bottle out of the air and immediately took a gulp.
"By the way, at your level, Lord Karron, I think it's about time you got some real combat experience."
"Hmm, now that my mana has reached the 4th Star… I guess it is about time."
Karron slowly nodded at Hans's words.
He had currently reached the 4th Star of the Sea-Conquering Art and was training in the 4th Style of the Sea Wolf Sword.
The Sea Wolf Sword Style was inherently one with the Sea-Conquering Art. Training in the 4th Style required mana at the 4th Star.
The same was true for the Sea Wolf Knights.
Their cultivation method wasn't the Sea-Conquering Art, but the Sea-Following Art, a derivative of it.
A method that meant to follow the sea.
Since the Sea-Conquering Art could only be used by those with Azure Mana, the founder of House Leston had created the Sea-Following Art based on it for his subordinates.
'Though there are some differences, of course.'
In any case, Karron had now reached a stage where he could undertake missions.
The minimum requirement to carry out missions as a member of the Sea Wolf Knights was the 4th Style of the Sea Wolf Sword.
It meant that a Sea Wolf Knight could pull their own weight in any situation.
"The commander seemed to be giving it a lot of thought. A first mission is always like that. It can't be too difficult, but it can't be too easy, either. An easy mission is barely real combat experience."
"What do you think, Hans?"
"I guarantee you could successfully complete a 5-star mission, Lord Karron. The Sea Wolf Sword Style only shows its true power when combined with the Sea-Conquering Art."
Although he was currently recovering from an injury, Hans was a combat operative who had mastered the Sea Wolf Sword Style up to the 6th Style.
This meant he was a squad leader in the Sea Wolf Knights, a key player in most battles.
Hans's predictions, backed by a wealth of experience, were generally highly accurate.
"Of course, if we factor in your sword, Guillotine, even more variables could arise, right? Your sword is… well, it's pretty strange, isn't it?"
Hans recalled facing Guillotine a year ago and shook his head.
For a sword, it emitted a sinister killing intent on its own and greedily devoured its opponent's mana.
The entire time he fought it, it kept suggesting that his head might be cut off.
In any case, it was a dreadful sword he never wanted to face again.
"That's my assessment, anyway."
"You're being pretty generous with the praise today. You didn't hit your head, did you?"
"If you keep acting up like that, I'll have to report you to the commander, junior."
"I'll tell my grandpa."
"Go right ahead and tell him. The Duke isn't even in Azure Sea Castle right now, and besides, I was merely reprimanding Karron the Blue Wolf, not Karron of House Leston. Hahaha!"
Just as Karron was bantering with Hans, he spotted a man walking down a distant corridor.
He didn't recognize the face, but it was etched with worry.
"What are you looking at?"
"Someone's coming over there. It's not often you see an outsider in the Sea Wolf Order's grounds, right?"
"Hmm?"
Hans followed Karron's gaze to the unexpected visitor. A moment later, he spoke in a relaxed tone.
"That's the young Baron Bellus. I saw him once while on a mission in the Bellus Barony."
"Bellus? That's the territory next to ours."
"Yes. I heard they're having a tough time with bandits lately. The Bellus Barony itself isn't very prosperous, so their military strength is what you'd call lacking."
"Is he here to ask for help?"
"Most likely. Usually, they'd send a representative for something like this, but for the heir to come in person… it seems quite urgent."
"Hmm."
Karron listened to Hans and thought for a moment.
Then, after a moment, he dusted off his pants and stood up.
"Where are you going?"
"To greet our guest."
"…Excuse me?"
Hans's eyes went wide as he stared at Karron.
Karron just gave him a slight smile.
"Grandpa went to the capital with Grandma, and my uncles are away on an expedition because of the monsters. A nobleman has come all the way to Azure Sea Castle; shouldn't a nobleman from our side go out to meet him?"
"The commander is here, though."
"Come on. Sir Jeras is probably in the middle of a strategy meeting right now. This is when I should step up. You wouldn't know since you're not a noble, Hans, but there's such a thing as noble etiquette."
It was absurd, hearing a brat who didn't have a single polite bone in his body lecture him on etiquette.
Hans sighed deeply as he watched Karron's retreating back.
'What is that little rascal planning this time?'
Karron Leston, thirteen years old.
'The commander is going to chew me out for not stopping him. Should I go write my apology letter in advance?'
The undisputed, unstoppable number one troublemaker of Azure Sea Castle.
Hans shook his head and let out another deep sigh.
This was all too familiar.
A Mad Dog Lives in the Duke's House