Chapter4: Instructor Test (1)

Ray glanced behind her.

A man was following her.

Tall, with a solid build and a neat appearance. The noble air he exuded could be felt just from the way he walked.

He was Edgar Mulick, the second son of the family.

It had already been a month since Ray had been assigned to him.

She had experienced Edgar’s notoriously foul temper several times, and, true to her nature of perfectly completing her tasks, she had built up various strategies to deal with him.

Edgar had a surprisingly simple side, so as long as she had the right manual, she could handle him without much trouble.

With that mindset, Ray had been carrying out her duties smoothly for a month.

Today was no different, just a continuation of her usual work.

“Come in.”

But today, something about Edgar was strange.

It started with the first words he spoke when she visited his room early in the morning.

Normally, his voice would be filled with irritation, but today it wasn’t.

There were no angry outbursts telling her to leave and not bother him, nor were there any moments where he embarrassed someone by completely ignoring them.

“Come in.”

It was a simple phrase, something any master of a room might say, but from Edgar, it was almost unheard of.

He never allowed anyone into his room unless it was for tea time or drinking—times when he specifically needed someone.

And most strangely of all, that single phrase, “Come in,” carried an inexplicable gentleness and the grace of a noble.

Setting everything else aside, that was something that should have been impossible.

Edgar Mulick.

Among all the nobles Ray had encountered, he was the most lacking in dignity and the least noble in character.

“I’d like to see it.”

“It doesn’t make sense for a family member not to have seen the inside of the building.”

The oddities didn’t stop there.

While heading to meet the head of the family at the main residence, Edgar suddenly said he wanted to visit the training ground.

He had never shown interest in his destined role as a <Mage>, nor in anything other than magic, so his desire to visit the training ground was somewhat unexpected.

But that wasn’t the most important thing.

“I’d like to see it, Ray.”

That statement was truly strange.

Until now, Edgar had always referred to Ray with phrases like “Hey” or “You.”

He had never once properly called her by name, and there were even days when he mistook her for a maid and asked her to bring him drinks.

And clever as she was, Ray had already analyzed the reason for this.

“Because he hates commoners.”

Edgar Mulick was a noble who absolutely despised commoners.

He was someone deeply entrenched in a vile sense of superiority and could never accept the fact that commoner-born heroes stood shoulder to shoulder with nobles.

And most of the maids and butlers in the family were commoners.

He had vented that anger on the innocent household staff.

The main reason Edgar was criticized so harshly by others was largely due to this petty disposition of his.

“But…”

That same Edgar had just called Ray by her name.

Until now, he hadn’t even bothered to remember her name, let alone tried to learn it. Yet today, he immediately recalled the name she had told him earlier in the morning and called out to her.

It was the first time this had happened.

“Then, give me a moment.”

And as he said that, he gave a slight smile…

Ray could confidently say that she had never seen such an expression on Edgar’s face since she started working as a butler.

“…Did he take some medicine?”

That thought naturally crossed her mind.

Edgar was acting that strange today.

Strange, but not just a little—something was deeply off.

“Ray, does the mansion happen to have something like a smithy?”

Then, after handling a sword and swinging it a few times in the training ground, he began talking about fate and continued asking questions related to heroes.

Ray was well aware of Edgar’s failure.

Unlike his siblings, he had been given the most ordinary fate from the beginning, that of an <Apprentice Mage>, and unable to overcome that sense of inferiority, he had given up both his time at the academy and his personal growth.

For that reason, in Edgar’s private quarters, any mention of that topic was essentially taboo.

Heroes, fate, mages…

The moment he heard even a whisper of such words, Edgar would throw things and lose control.

And yet, now he was bringing up the topic of fate on his own…

“… He must have definitely taken something.”

When someone changes this much, it’s only natural to reach such a conclusion.

Ray, despite her composed expression, was feeling deeply confused inside.

“…Is there something on my face?”

Seeing Ray lost in thought, staring at him, Edgar gave an awkward smile and asked.

She bowed her head slightly and answered.

“My apologies. There is no smithy within the estate. However, if you leave the mansion and go to the territory or a nearby town, you should be able to find one. If you tell me what you need, I can purchase it for you…”

“Ah, no, that’s fine. I need to see the equipment myself.”

“…I see.”

“Hmm. If there’s time later, we could go together.”

With those words, Edgar focused on walking again.

Ray also turned her head forward.

Though she had responded with a calm expression, her eyes were filled with turmoil.

“…This is really strange.”

It had been a month since Ray received a secret mission from Brandon Mulick, the head of the household, and took on the role of Edgar’s butler and special bodyguard.

Today was the strangest day of her otherwise peaceful assignment.

They arrived at the main house after quite some time.

The mansion was so large and vast that it took a considerable amount of time to move from the annex to the main residence.

The delay was further lengthened because of Edgar’s brief diversion at the training grounds.

The main house of the Mulick family mansion.

It was where the head of the household, his wives, and a few other family members resided, as well as the location of the head’s office and various rooms for managing family affairs.

In terms of a territory, it was like the lord’s castle, and in terms of the capital, it was like a royal palace.

Perhaps that’s why its size and height were overwhelming compared to the annexes.

“It’s ridiculously huge…”

Without realizing it, a curse I used on the battlefield slipped out.

Although I had been raised learning noble etiquette from birth, and had lived a long time as a noble even before my return, I still preferred the rough, unfiltered expressions of the battlefield.

There’s something about stepping out of formalities, and honestly, the language is just more fun.

So while I maintain proper decorum when dealing with others, inside, words like those often slip out, as they just did now.

“Master Edgar, I will guide you inside.”

“Hmm.”

I follow Ray as she calls me and leads the way.

The interior of the main house was as grand and luxurious as the exterior.

The interior design immediately revealed this to be a noble family’s mansion, with its antique style and large ornaments catching my eye right away.

Just from the jewels embedded in them, I could easily tell how expensive everything was.

“Plenty of magical artifacts too.”

As expected of a prestigious mage family, large and small magical artifacts were placed throughout the interior.

At first glance, they looked like ordinary objects, but within them were intricate magical structures.

They likely contained spells for everyday convenience or offensive magic to intercept uninvited guests.

In the past, I wouldn’t have been able to detect the faint magical flow at all, but after my return, with my heightened senses and abilities, I could pick it up quite easily.

“I will prepare the food.”

We soon arrived at the dining room inside the main house.

The family’s chef must have been preparing an early lunch course, as a variety of bread and appetizers were already laid out.

Naturally, the head seat wasn’t mine, so I chose the seat to the left of the two available options.

Then, I asked Ray, who was standing next to me.

“When did Father say he’d arrive?”

“The appointed time is in 20 minutes.”

What?

Shouldn’t the food not be served yet then?

As that thought crossed my mind, my question was immediately answered by the words of another middle-aged butler who had just entered the dining room.

“The head of the house is arriving.”

Whether Father had heard that I was already here, or whether he was just hungry, I wasn’t sure, but he arrived 20 minutes earlier than scheduled.

And then came the sound of footsteps.

I looked toward the door, filled with both anticipation and nervousness.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him.”

Father, Brandon Mulick.

That name didn’t carry many fond memories for me.

As a war hero of the kingdom and a respected archmage, my father wanted his children to have fame and skill comparable to his own.

Perhaps that’s why he raised us so harshly from a young age.

But I, who remained stuck as an <Apprentice Mage> without meeting those expectations, was a disappointment.

Unable to overcome my inferiority complex, I gave up on proper education and spent years wasting away like a delinquent.

Even now, it’s a shameful past to think about, so how much worse must it have been for my father?

Our relationship was naturally strained since I was tarnishing the family’s name.

‘But still, it’s nice to see him.’

I don’t know what Father thinks, but I’ve wanted to see my family’s faces at least once.

After mastering swordsmanship, my old inferiority complex had long since faded, and although I had been a mess, Father and my siblings were quite well-respected.

I wanted to apologize for the mistakes of the past when we met again.

Creak—

Bang!

But something felt off.

Though a familiar face opened the door and entered, the door closed with a loud bang, and Father’s expression was nothing short of menacing.

After sitting at the head of the table, he slammed the table with a loud thud and looked straight at me.

Without hesitation, he got straight to the point.

“I won’t waste words, Edgar. Take the instructor exam and go to Tristan. This isn’t a request; it’s an order. The rank doesn’t matter. If you refuse again, I’ll strip you of the family name, so don’t even think about pulling another stunt like last time.”

“……”

Just like ten years ago.

You never fail to meet my expectations.

What a warm welcome.