The Fourth’s Summons

To the maids, Raon was a peculiar existence.

He was of the direct Rigbelto bloodline, yet ignored by his siblings and utterly lacking potential as a ‘mage.’

Despite his noble lineage, his complete lack of ability made him virtually abandoned by the family, a target even lowly maids could mess with without fearing any backlash.

‘This is….’

‘He’s basically a punching bag, isn’t he…?’

They had replenished their chipped pride and confidence from their grueling work by taking it out on him.

Whenever provoked, he reacted fiercely like a feral cat.

But no matter how fierce a cat is, a single kick from a human is enough to knock it down.

All it took was a little pressure from the maids, and he would bow his head on his own.

Because Raon’s issue was an innate limitation, they believed this dynamic would never reverse.

“If you don’t want that stiff neck of yours broken.”

However, those roles had completely flipped.

The maids realized they had fallen to their knees without even knowing it.

Yet, they couldn’t dare to stand back up.

‘T-This isn’t what we were told….’

Of course, they had seen with their own two eyes that Raon was different today.

But Mabel Rigbelto, one of the siblings who had personally tested his power, had spoken to the maids directly.

‘It’s obviously a bluff. Go see for yourselves today. Take a group if possible. He’ll show his true colors soon enough.’

He had definitely said that, but….

“Answer.”

“Y-Yes….”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

What in the world was up with those terrifying eyes and that aura…?

“Head maid.”

“…Yes.”

“My next schedule.”

“…Young Master Mabel has requested to see you, Young Master Raon.”

“I see.”

Raon nodded emotionlessly, as if he had expected this.

Seeing that.

The head maid and the other maids realized it instinctively.

‘He knew….’

‘He already knew who sent us…?’

If so.

‘He really… might kill us.’

Whether he had the authority of the direct bloodline or not.

Regardless of whether he was allowed to dispose of them, he wouldn’t care.

He might just snap the necks of not only the head maid but all the other maids in an instant.

That terror took deep root in their hearts.

“What are you doing?”

Before their thoughts could spiral any further.

Raon spoke with a deadpan expression.

“Get cleaning.”

“W-We will do it right away!!”

They genuinely felt their lives were in danger.

Their hands and feet moved faster than ever before.

Clatter!

The lack of cleaning tools or artifacts didn’t matter.

Thanks to limbs moving desperately to survive, the room left neglected for over a year became spotless in a flash.

Finally, a hastily brought hygiene artifact was activated, and the windows were thrown wide open to ventilate the air.

The workload that would have taken Abella all day was finished in an instant with multiple people working at once.

The room became so clean it practically sparkled.

Raon looked at the maids, who were trembling with their hands clasped politely, and spoke.

“Are you done?”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

“Then get the hell out of my room.”

“Pardon?”

Raon raised the chain toward the maid who asked the stupid question.

Turning pale at the sight, the maid didn’t say another word and scurried out of the room.

Slam!

The door closed with a violent thud.

***

‘Now I feel a little refreshed.’

Once they were gone, I comfortably stretched my legs and lay on the bed.

It was a shame I couldn’t personally tell them off like this back when I was just playing the game.

But seeing those terrified and shocked faces in person, wow.

It felt incredibly satisfying.

‘They won’t ignore or persecute me and Abella anymore.’

Then the Abella corruption route would likely be avoided.

The worry of getting stabbed in the back was gone, too.

‘It’s not perfect, though.’

Since I wasn’t recognized as a direct descendant, I still had to face the trial from my siblings.

I didn’t yet have the authority I should naturally enjoy as a direct bloodline.

If I killed or banished them, the other siblings could have used it as an excuse to strike at me, claiming an unqualified bastard was coveting authority.

‘They might have planned on that excuse to put me in my place.’

Still, it was much better than before.

Leaving the academy was definitely the right choice.

Otherwise, handling a situation like this would have been difficult.

‘Regaining my authority is a problem that will be solved in two weeks.’

So, the next issue was what I needed to focus on.

‘I have to meet that bastard.’

The one who sent the maids, the fourth sibling, Mabel Rigbelto.

He was the most problematic guy in this family.

‘Then I’ll meet the patriarch….’

Only after meeting everyone would I be able to act on my own.

‘Once that’s done, I need to tour the territory.’

If only to jog my memory.

And to gather information.

Exploring the territory was a necessity.

‘I’ve got so much to do.’

Yet, for some reason, my heart was pounding.

The thrill of a gamer.

The thought of pioneering a new route I had never played before put me in a fantastic mood.

‘…Though having to meet those sons of bitches in person isn’t great.’

My mood soured again immediately at the thought.

“Haa, haa, haa….”

Creak.

The door opened, and Abella, soaked in sweat, entered carrying a massive pile of bedding.

She instinctively checked her surroundings, then looked surprised when she realized no one else was there.

“Huh?”

“Don’t block the door and get in.”

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry….”

Stepping inside cautiously at my words, she looked around again.

But when she didn’t see the maids who should have been filling the room, she asked carefully with a puzzled expression.

“The older maids are….”

“Can’t you tell by looking?”

I answered dismissively.

Answering kindly didn’t fit Raon’s personality.

And even if it did.

Saying it directly was… a little embarrassing.

Still.

I needed to say this.

“Abella.”

“…Yes?”

“Don’t bow to anyone else.”

“…?”

Abella looked like she didn’t understand for a moment.

I didn’t say it expecting her to understand right away.

Without adding anything else, I stood up from my seat.

“Because you’re my maid.”

“….”

Half out of embarrassment, half out of schedule, I walked toward the door.

Standing there dumbfoundedly for a moment, Abella belatedly snapped back to reality.

“…Where are you going?”

“To meet Mabel Rigbelto.”

Creak.

As I opened the door, Abella finally grasped the situation.

“W-Wait a minute!”

She tossed the bedding onto the bed without hesitation.

And hurried over to me.

“If you don’t come, I’m leaving you behind.”

“Let’s go together!”

Running toward me.

More than ever before.

She was smiling brightly.

***

Mabel Rigbelto.

The fourth of the direct Rigbelto bloodline.

With gray hair reminiscent of a wolf’s mane and gray eyes, he always carried a wolf-like nobility.

However.

“….”

Inside his empty room.

His face was uncharacteristically stiff.

Bubble—

Water filled the empty kettle along with a boiling sound.

He had gathered the microscopic moisture floating in the air to create it.

This near-miraculous feat.

Was a specialty only a mage, who could manipulate mana, could perform.

‘This is magic.’

To perform such miracles.

Mana was essential.

Mana, often called the source of life, was better the more you had; in all of history, there had never been a case where an excess of mana became poisonous.

Therefore.

Raon, born with such immense mana that he could easily be mistaken for an ancient, unrecorded lifeform like a dragon, was destined to become a great mage.

Yes.

It had been his destiny.

‘Though not anymore.’

A core, an organ as natural to a human—let alone a mage—as kidneys.

He was born without the core necessary to control mana.

Even the heart that could substitute it failed completely in acting as a core.

This was far worse than a ‘curse.’

The expectations once poured onto him instantly turned into contempt.

It was breaking down Raon, leaving him unprotected by anyone.

‘So why.’

Today.

How could he stand so confidently?

Without that chain, his body would have burst from the mana and died.

Yet even facing the eldest, whom Mabel himself feared, how could he….

‘And why did I.’

Upon seeing those confident eyes.

Why… did it feel like I was looking at the other siblings?

‘Are you ultimately a monster too?’

Just like the rest of them?

‘Impossible.’

He bit his lip inwardly.

No matter how much Raon had changed.

His fundamental constitution couldn’t change.

His mana wouldn’t decrease, nor would he miraculously gain the power to control it.

‘It’s just a temporary bluff.’

He was going to die anyway.

Unable to endure the trial given by the eldest.

He would disappear from this world along with all that mana.

‘I don’t know what kind of hope he’s holding onto.’

But no miracle could save him.

Even if there was a divine miracle.

Unless there was a regressor capable of turning back time countless times, perhaps.

Knock, knock—

The sound of knocking broke him from his thoughts.

He frowned.

“Who is it? I ordered that no one be let in—”

“It’s Raon Rigbelto.”

“!”

His eyes widened.

He actually came here himself?

‘Did he figure out that I sent the maids?’

It wasn’t strange that he overcame them.

But to think he’d figure out through the maids who was pulling the strings.

‘I’ll have to get rid of a few.’

Loose lips weren’t needed in this family.

That wasn’t all.

‘To state his full name, Rigbelto and all….’

Among fellow nobles, stating one’s surname was a display of mutual status and rank.

In other words.

Raon’s words meant.

He was proudly declaring himself as a direct member of the ‘Rigbelto’ bloodline.

‘Are you trying to pick a fight with me?’

He was utterly dumbfounded.

To think he would seek him out personally.

‘Fine. I’ll entertain your expectations.’

He stood up and opened the door.

Raon probably thought Mabel couldn’t kill him since the eldest had personally intervened.

Mabel wanted to kill him on the spot, proving that it was a delusion.

‘You will die anyway.’

However.

If, by some minute chance, he survived.

No, even if he didn’t survive.

‘If I can figure out what kind of hope you found.’

He might be able to use it to grow stronger himself.

Contradicting his inner thoughts, he offered a gentle smile on the outside.

“You may enter.”

Creak—

“It’s been a while, Raon.”

As the door opened, Raon walked in, his entire body wrapped in chains.

The mana naturally radiating from his body filled the room.

Zap—

Mabel’s instincts as a mage warned him against that mana and the chain.

‘…Tsk. To carry around an artifact like that because he can’t control his mana.’

The chain Raon wielded was an ancient artifact kept by the family for unforeseen emergencies.

A type of restraint presumed to have been used in the past to seal beings like demons or dragons.

That restraint was highly lethal even to Mabel.

And the sheer intimidation of the mana contained within Raon was intense.

“Tsk.”

Vwoom!

The mana erupting from Mabel pressed down on Raon’s mana.

It flailed wildly to break free.

But masterless, drifting mana could never overcome a high-ranking mage like him.

Riiing!

Reacting to Mabel’s mana, Raon’s chain absorbed the energy even more greedily.

Mabel instantly recognized how Raon was utilizing the chain.

‘He’s using that to regulate the mana in his body.’

Raon’s biggest issue was the sheer volume of uncontrollable mana inside him.

It seemed he was soothing it by controlling the amount with the chain.

‘Which means he can’t even live without it.’

How could such a weak creature act so bold?

And right in front of me?

‘I’m curious.’

Exactly what kind of luck he had stumbled upon.

“It truly has been a while, Raon. How many years has it been?”

“I wouldn’t know. There have been so many people I haven’t seen.”

When Raon had entered the academy, essentially banished.

Mabel had briefly left the family for training.

‘Has it been… about three years?’

Mabel had grown remarkably, becoming much taller and broader than before, but Raon had barely changed, to the point it couldn’t even be called a child’s growth.

It was even more surprising considering mages and knights typically grew faster than ordinary people due to the influence of mana.

He hadn’t even reached the average growth rate of a commoner, let alone a mage or knight.

“Haha. I’ve just been so busy all this time. Come on in.”

“Yes.”

However, despite that diminutive physique.

‘He feels bigger than the reports….’

Was it just his imagination? He quickly erased the thought from his mind.

Because the further Raon stepped inside, the stronger his presence became.

To the point that Mabel had to output even more mana.

Yet Raon looked entirely unbothered, his expression perfectly serene.

‘Tsk.’

Keeping up this level of mana output was taxing even for him, so he retracted his mana.

In front of him, Raon calmly lifted a teacup to his lips.

Looking as if it hadn’t even crossed his mind that it might be poisoned.

“You’ve changed a lot. Aren’t you afraid of me anymore?”

“Why would I hate you, brother? What is there to be afraid of?”

At Raon’s scoffing smirk.

Mabel instinctively realized.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about it.

It was confidence.

Confidence that a mere poison couldn’t kill him.

He might not have changed physically.

But mentally, he had transformed completely.

‘He’s changed drastically.’

Just what happened at the academy?

‘Philip Oscula. He said he defeated him.’

Same age as Raon, and while his physical and magical abilities weren’t entirely outstanding by overall standards yet.

The fact that the Duke himself had appointed him as his heir meant his potential didn’t fall short of their own.

Defeating someone like that meant Raon was above him.

‘This is a miracle.’

Just what kind of hope revived you?

No.

What sort of fortuitous encounter made you like this?

Clack!

Mabel’s train of thought was broken by Raon’s teacup.

Setting the teacup down, Raon stared at him intensely and spoke.

“You seem to find my changed appearance strange.”

“Strange?”

“Your eyes look full of thoughts, brother.”

“…Do they look like that to you?”

“Yes.”

At the very least.

In front of this guy, I didn’t have to act like ‘Raon Rigbelto.’

He didn’t know the recent ‘Raon Rigbelto.’

He hadn’t seen him in at least three years.

And all he had heard were rumors of his incompetence at the academy.

‘Therefore.’

No matter how I acted.

He couldn’t suspect that I wasn’t Raon.

As long as he could perceive this immense mana and the chain.

Since he could perceive them, doubting the identity of Raon itself made no sense.

Therefore.

‘I am the one leading this situation.’

“Did you think.”

Raon met his gaze confidently.

“I was just wasting my time incompetently at the academy?”

“…!”

His words sent shivers down Mabel’s entire body.

Could it be.

Did he figure out a way to control that immense mana?

And that chain is just a decoy?

‘But definitely….’

‘I didn’t notice any significant changes.’

‘None at all?’

‘He did seem to have lost his mind a little more.’

There were no signs of the curse being cured or anything, right?

‘Has he mastered deceiving even the eyes around him?’

The moment his thoughts reached that conclusion.

He felt goosebumps rise all over his body.

‘He won’t pass the trial?’

The changes in Raon that even he felt.

Could the eldest really be unaware of them?

No. Impossible.

The eldest, who didn’t inherently want to kill direct bloodlines.

Would likely give a trial meant to test him rather than outright kill him.

Of course, even that would be dangerously lethal.

But if Raon truly learned to master his mana… he would survive.

And he would be recognized as a direct bloodline, regaining his position.

And join the competition for successor.

‘I have to kill….’

Mabel’s hand twitched.

At that moment.

Clatter.

Mabel’s eyes widened slightly at the sound.

The chain at his feet.

Was slithering like a snake warning its enemy.

As if ready to wrap around his leg and drain all the mana from his body at any second.

‘The chain… moving that freely?’

No.

‘…Does it have a will of its own?’

Or is Raon manipulating it himself?

“….”

His mana subsided.

His instincts screamed at him to kill him right then and there.

‘…It is not the time yet.’

To be exact.

‘I cannot kill him yet.’

No matter how well Raon could wield that artifact, there was no way Mabel would lose.

The gap between Raon and himself.

Was so vast that heaven and earth couldn’t even begin to describe it.

However.

If he attacked him here and exposed his own weaknesses… or got injured and caught by the other siblings.

‘…No.’

At the very least, after figuring out everything about Raon.

He had to make his move when he could cut his throat without taking a single scratch.

‘…If I can break both his arms and make him yield.’

He might be able to steer his disadvantageous faction war in a slightly more favorable direction.

But.

If that were impossible.

‘…Then, I eliminate him.’

An untamed hound was more dangerous than an enemy.

And all the while.

Raon stared at him, never taking his eyes off him for even a second.