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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Probably Around Wyvern Level
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Damian, who had been belting out "fuck" like a song, was dragged away by a servant who popped out of nowhere.
It seemed like one of the watchers Gamot had assigned, but even then, Damian was still asking what "fuck" meant.
Only after Damian's voice had completely faded away.
"What in the world..."
Alfredo trailed off in a daze.
His mind was in a fog.
Butler of a prestigious family.
Do you know what kind of position that is?
It's one of the highest seats a non-bloodline member can reach in a great house.
And yet, to refuse it?
'Ah.'
It was around then that Alfredo realized something.
'Hmm, that makes sense.'
Just look at the boy in front of him.
Born a slum rat in the Black-White Slums with nothing to his name, he had mastered mana all on his own through innate talent.
Whether he got a secret manual or some stroke of luck, learning mana without a teacher was no small feat.
'He knows his own worth.'
He got it.
He had been the same way once.
Not quite a Black-White Slums brat, but born into an ordinary family and learned mana.
Back then, he had been so cocky, oblivious to how vast the world was.
'Hmm, yeah.'
Suddenly, looking at the boy made him see his younger self superimposed over him.
Already with that perky nose, a face that would break hearts when he grew up, and those rebellious eyes as a punchline.
It was him to a T.
He almost wondered if it was a hidden son of his, but no, regrettably not.
...He'd never even been with a woman once.
"..."
Feeling like he might tear up, Alfredo looked up at the ceiling.
He forced a slight smile to hold back the tears, then took a deep breath.
Then he looked at the boy.
"Boy, the world is wide."
"It's not narrow."
"Right now, you probably feel like you can do anything and conquer the world."
"Not really."
For a split second, a vein bulged on Alfredo's forehead.
'Calm down, I must hold back.'
He wanted to smack the boy upside the head, but he couldn't afford to ruin things with rash actions.
There would be plenty of chances once he became the successor anyway.
Butlers were the guardians of the house. Like the Troubleshooters of the Decullan Family, they were the shadows of great houses, protecting the estate and the bloodline.
How easy could that training be?
'...We'll see then, boy.'
Alfredo barely suppressed his anger. But that patience didn't last long.
"Have you heard of canyon goblins? That's exactly what you are right now. Grown up inside a canyon, oblivious to the dangers outside..."
"I think I'm around wyvern level."
"..."
Pop.
A bulging Y-shaped vein on his forehead.
The anger he'd just tamped down surged back up.
'Hold...back. I must hold back.'
The opponent was just a young boy.
Raised in the Black-White Slums, ignorant of the world's vastness. Ignorance from lack of learning isn't a sin. It's not a sin. It's not a sin, but...
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.
'Isn't it the role of an adult to teach him that vastness...?'
Alfredo's patience fizzled out.
"I can say this with certainty."
He shot up from his seat.
Bang!
The chair flew into the wall and shattered, the table collapsing limply.
"You, boy, have no idea."
His face flushed red on one side, his body swelling up like it might burst. Bulging muscles asserted their presence under the once-loose tuxedo.
Aster slightly furrowed his brow at the intimidating sight, and Alfredo spoke.
"So, this butler will teach you himself. How vast and terrifying this world is."
Alfredo was confident.
He would show this boy the bitter taste of the world and make him his butler successor no matter what.
'Teacher!'
Imagining that insolent little punk gazing at him with sparkling eyes, begging for instruction, his boiling enthusiasm felt ready to explode.
* * *
Crossing the hallway, Alfredo led Aster to one of the Blandoga Family's training rooms.
Creak.
As the stone door opened, children immersed in training came into view.
All in their early to mid-teens, around Aster's age, they spotted Alfredo and stopped training.
"We greet the Head Butler!"
"We greet the Head Butler!"
With resounding voices, the children lined up in perfect rows. Their movements were crisp and disciplined, unbelievable for kids their age.
Alfredo didn't hide his proud expression at the sight.
"What do you think, boy?"
"Of what?"
"Each one of them has proven their talent to the Blandoga Family. All around your age. Surely you're feeling something."
"Hmm."
Aster's head tilted crookedly.
"And they're not all of it. The Blandoga Family has more than one or two such training halls. Shall we think about the entire continent?"
"..."
"What do you think? Starting to get it now?"
He didn't ask specifically what he was feeling.
But Aster understood the implication.
'The Blandoga Family is indeed impressive.'
They were refined to a degree that belied their teens. The subtle aura they exuded filled the space.
But Alfredo's point wasn't that they were exceptional.
'There are plenty more like this across the continent.'
He got it. He did.
But suddenly, a thought struck him.
Who was truly oblivious to the world's vastness? Him? Or these kids in front of him?
The trainees' auras were sharp, but the intent behind them was laughably obvious.
With Alfredo and the instructor nearby, they couldn't be overt, but they were trying to intimidate him. A focused wave of malicious pressure. The intent was clear.
Especially those eyes. A subtle sense of superiority, not even bothering to hide it.
That's why Aster smiled.
But there was no need to react to it.
"Yeah, it's pretty vast."
He tried to brush it off, but Alfredo's persistence was tenacious.
"So, you'll accept my offer? If you succeed me as Head Butler, you can shine like those kids. No, you have the talent to shine brighter than anyone."
Alfredo's burning eyes.
Aster shook his head.
"I hate the spotlight..."
"Boy, why..."
It was a ridiculous farce unfolding before dozens of trainees.
The Head Butler of the great Blandoga Family fervently scouting a Black-White Slums brat, and the brat coldly rejecting him over and over?
That's when it happened.
"Head Butler."
A trainee raising his hand to call Alfredo.
Alfredo turned with a puzzled look.
"Winster trainee? Do you have something to say?"
"We've heard your words about the world's vastness too. It hit us hard, but then this thought crossed my mind."
"What thought?"
The trainee named Winster took in Aster with his eyes.
The emotion in those eyes was clear hostility, envy, and jealousy.
He didn't bother hiding it, smiling at Aster.
"If I were that boy and truly understood your words, I never would've passed up the opportunity. Something like that?"
"Hmm."
Alfredo nodded at the words.
'Indeed...'
It was a valid point.
If seeing these kids really made him realize the world's vastness, he wouldn't have refused the offer.
Then Winster spoke.
"If you give me the chance, I'd love to show that boy how vast the world is..."
"You want a spar?"
"Well, not even a full spar. Just a little taste of what magic is like."
Alfredo looked steadily at Winster.
For a trainee to speak up like that was downright impertinent. The instructor had gone pale because of it, and he hadn't even noticed.
The intent wasn't purely innocent either.
But.
'Setting all that aside...'
Alfredo thought it wasn't a bad idea.
"Boy, what do you say? How about a quick spar with that friend?"
When Alfredo cautiously asked, the trainees' gazes focused on Aster.
Curious about his answer.
In truth, the trainees' feelings toward Aster had already hit rock bottom.
The young patriarch's runaway incident wasn't a secret anymore once he returned. Rumors about Aster had spread along with it.
Their perception was...
'Lucky slum rat bastard.'
'Receiving the young patriarch's favor? A filthy slum rat like you?'
'Crawl back to the gutters where you belong. Why follow the young patriarch...'
About that level.
As all eyes turned to Aster.
"Hmm."
Aster's head tilted even more crookedly.
"No need to push yourself, boy."
Alfredo sensed the hostility too and tried to dissuade him subtly.
But Aster smiled.
"Can I pick the opponent?"
"...Hmm."
Alfredo pondered briefly.
'Indeed...'
Winster was an excellent trainee. Already scouted by one of the Blandoga Family's top magic squads, 'Dawn'.
No pushover, and his skills were outstanding.
So, sparring with other trainees instead of Winster wouldn't be bad.
"Go ahead and pick one."
As Alfredo's response fell.
Aster spoke.
But not just one.
"You, you, you, you. And... yeah, you too."
"...?"
Five trainees, including Winster.
As they tilted their heads at Aster's selection, his low voice echoed.
"I'll take on all five of you at once."
"..."
Alfredo fell silent.
The trainees fell silent.
Only Aster opened his mouth.
"If you're scared, just drop dead."
The five trainees looked to Alfredo.
Their eyes blazed.
Not just hostility toward Aster, but thick fighting spirit boiling over.
As they shot pleading gazes for permission.
"Huhhuhhuhhuh!"
A laugh that boomed through the space.
Alfredo laughed like a madman.
'Yes, that's the qualification for my successor.'
This matched his own youth perfectly.
Unbreakable even if bent, never abandoning pride even in defeat.
He'd already coveted this talent, but now his greed was uncontrollable.
"Boy, can you take responsibility for those words? What you just said could be seen as insulting the Blandoga Family..."
Aster shrugged.
"Hmm, so you can take responsibility. Good. Then let's do this. Exactly one minute. If you endure one minute, we'll consider you responsible for your words. But..."
Alfredo's eyes gleamed.
"If you can't last the minute, I'll hold you accountable. Ah, but if you do endure it, I'll give you a gift."
At first glance, it sounded chilling.
With a great house's name, 'insult', and 'accountability' all together.
But Aster thought differently.
'Ha, this old man...'
Trying to pierce his nose.
The 'accountability' meant making him succeed as butler.
"Fine. Let's do it."
At this point, Aster had no intention of going easy either.