"First, regarding the apprenticeship—I have no objections. Please, train him as you see fit."

  Schneizel frowned at those words.

  "Hard to believe that's comin' from the guy who's been neglectin' the brat."

  "Indeed, I'd think the same. But I assure you, there's not a shred of malice in my words."

  "And how the hell do you prove that?"

  "Do I truly ck your trust to that degree?"

  "Damn right you do. We just met. And guys like you? The more cornered they look, the more they're schemin' behind the scenes. No clue what's goin' on in that head of yours."

  Nichos, who clearly thrived on mind games, and Schneizel, who demanded straightforward answers—the difference in their status was id bare in this battle of wits.

  Schneizel, refusing to even give Nichos room to maneuver, pressed down on him from a position of absolute dominance. Against this kind of pressure, even the sharpest tongue would falter.

  As I pondered this, my eyes met Nichos' again. Somehow, I could almost hear him saying, "Your master is quite ruthless, isn't he?"

  Of course, that was just my imagination.

  But maybe, just maybe, there was something deeper—some unspoken understanding between father and son, bound by blood.

  "Very well. I suppose I'll have to show you a glimpse of my hand."

  "Huh. Didn't expect you to cave so easy."

  "Indeed. For me, Norwin becoming your disciple is the optimal outcome. To achieve that, I'm willing to bare a little more than usual."

  Nichos raised both hands in mock surrender, his smile never wavering.

  But anyone could see he wasn't actually conceding. To him, even this was part of the pn. Everything was under his control.

  "So? What're you gonna spill?"

  "Let's start with why I anticipated my son's apprenticeship. Consider it... a reveal of the trick."

  "That ain't proof you ain't pnnin' to screw us over. At least tell us why you neglected the brat in the first pce. What kinda parent calls this 'optimal' after failin' their damn job?"

  "There are times when nobility forces one to bend even their pride as a parent. For me, Norwin was that case."

  "The hell's that supposed to mean?"

  Schneizel—a known lover of children in the game's story and a father of two himself—finally had a vein throbbing on his forehead.

  The suffocating pressure radiating from him was overwhelming.

  If even the aftershocks were this intense, Nichos, who bore the full brunt of it, must have been under unimaginable strain.

  Yet, when I looked at him, his calm smile hadn't so much as flickered.

  He remained utterly unshaken.

  "As I mentioned earlier, I cannot reveal everything. Expining my treatment of Norwin would require disclosing secrets my family has guarded for generations. Even to a future Great General of your standing, such things cannot be divulged lightly."

  "...You ain't lyin'."

  "No, I am not."

  W-Wait, what?!

  Hold up—what's this about "secrets guarded for generations"?

  Huh?!

  Was Norwin not just some random mob character?!

  "F-Father?!"

  Without thinking, I blurted it out.

  For the briefest moment, I swore I saw a crack in Nichos' mask—a flicker of something only a family bond could have made me sense.

  "My apologies. I can't tell you yet. Just know that even saying this much is crossing a dangerous bridge. You're clever, Norwin. Surely you understand?"

  "Th-That's—"

  NO, I DON'T UNDERSTAND AT ALL?!

  As a gamer, I'm dying to know!

  What the hell is this?!

  I pyed through the story over a thousand times, and there was never any hint of this kind of backstory!

  ...Wait. Maybe it's something unreted to the main plot.

  Earlier, I saw for myself how vast this world is when I went into town.

  Game knowledge alone can't fill in all the gaps.

  "Tch. So the brat's got some real baggage, huh?"

  "That would be the case. Now, returning to the matter at hand—is the information I've provided sufficient to reassure you, Commander Schneizel?"

  "Hell if I know. If it ain't proof, it don't mean shit."

  "Heh. It's been a while since I've been at such a disadvantage."

  "Then quit while you're ahead. You neglected the brat all this time—why the sudden interest in his growth?"

  "Because it's necessary."

  "—Tch."

  The man who cimed he'd show his hand now wore a smile of refusal—an iron mask that revealed nothing.

  Whatever concerned me was clearly taboo.

  Damn it. Now I'm even more curious.

  "More importantly, why is an outsider like you so invested in this? His rare magical talent and sharp intellect? True, finding a child surpassing Norwin would be difficult, but not impossible. So why risk meddling in another family's affairs?"

  "......"

  "Shall I spell it out for you?"

  "Shut it. Push any further, and I will lose my temper."

  "My, my. My apologies. It seems you simply have a soft spot for children."

  Schneizel clicked his tongue at Nichos' refusal to back down.

  Perhaps realizing he'd crossed a line, Nichos cleared his throat and smoothly shifted gears.

  "Forgive me. Let's leave the jests aside and proceed to the reveal—"

  "Schneizel, was that really okay?"

  After the discussion, we left the guest room and headed back toward the annex.

  As we walked, I posed the question to the strongest man alive.

  "What're you on about?"

  "The 'reveal,' I mean. All he expined was why he knew about my apprenticeship. That doesn't prove he's not scheming something, right?"

  "Eh. But I saw how serious he was. Doubt he'd risk ruinin' a pn this eborate just to screw with us. The rest is up to us—dance in his palm, or break his expectations."

  So, what'll you do?

  His sidelong gnce was a challenge.

  My answer was already decided.

  "Obviously, I'll shatter them. Now that we've officially sealed the apprenticeship, I'm going all in."

  "Heh. Then quit worryin' about the small shit. Go all out, smash through everything, and no shackles'll keep you from the top."

  "The top, huh?"

  "Damn right. Who the hell do you think's trainin' you?"

  "Right. Looking forward to it."

  I bowed my head, but—

  What lingered in my mind wasn't Schneizel's overwhelming strength, but the brilliance of Nichos, who had outmaneuvered even that.

  Nichos had prepared for everything.

  No exaggeration—literally everything.

  For this incident alone, he'd been ying the groundwork for two years.

  The first piece: hiring Misha.

  Not for her noble upbringing or education, but for the life she'd lived—one shaped by noble whims. He'd counted on her sympathizing with Norwin's plight.

  And just as expected, Misha had sided with me.

  But that alone wouldn't have led to today.

  The second piece: Norwin's change in attitude.

  And that had only happened because I took over his body.

  Nichos had known.

  He'd noticed Norwin's shift in behavior, my secret movements under house arrest—and let it happen because it served his purpose.

  The final piece: the vampire and Schneizel.

  Two years ago, Nichos had learned of a vampire preying on young women in this town. He'd spent all that time deliberating how to use it, brainstorming dozens of possibilities—until the day he noticed my and Misha's changes.

  From there, it was just a matter of setting the stage.

  He had a bribed officer summon Schneizel on urgent business.

  Timed Misha's errand so the vampire (whose patterns he'd memorized) would abduct her.

  Loosened the annex's security to encourage my escape, ensuring I'd bump into Schneizel at the perfect moment.

  That's how Nichos orchestrated everything.

  The foresight was terrifying.

  But the real horror wasn't the foresight—it was the improvisation.

  Norwin's change and Misha's presence were coincidences. Unpnned variables.

  Meaning Nichos had adapted his existing scheme on the fly to paint this new picture.

  Just how sharp is this guy?!

  I'd never seen a mind like this—not in Japan, not even in Alcue.

  And this monster had been right beside me all along.

  The thought alone sent chills down my spine.

  "Hah..."

  I couldn't stop trembling.

  From the cold? No.

  I was excited.

  Today, I witnessed Schneizel's pure strength.

  And through Nichos, I learned of a power beyond brute force.

  Now, I had two role models.

  (Though knowing Nichos, even this realization was probably part of his pn. Annoying, but whatever.)

  If I devoured everything they had to offer—if I grew beyond Nichos' own expectations—then without a doubt, I'd reach the top.

  I'd never die.

  I'd never lose Misha.

  I'd never let Crescenzia perish.

  —Heh. Fine. Let's do this.