Originally, it was at Patrick's request that Red had set up a tavern and established a presence in the capital. Patrick, who knew well the importance of gathering information, wanted to keep Red close by to stay informed about what was happening back home, even while in the capital.

And if something truly serious happened, he would drop everything, the academy and all, and rush back immediately.

"First, the latest information."

"Speak."

“It is said that an absurd scoundrel has appeared in the academy's knight faculty.”

"Is that so?"

"Yes.

They say that as soon as he showed up, he hit the son of the House of Marquis Panola, who was training diligently, with a double flying kick.”

“...”

“And after that, I hear he rounded up the third son of the House of Marquis Panola and all his friends and beat them to a pulp. It's said the scene of the assault was so cruel and wicked that onlookers shuddered in disgust.”

“...”

"To make such a violent, good-for-nothing scoundrel a knight would bring nothing but misfortune and tragedy to the entire continent... Whoa, whoa. Let's calm down. Calm down."

"Hehehe. Calm down? Fine. Let's see you calm down and take a beating."

“Next is news from the Schneider Fief in the east.”

Before Patrick's fist could move, Red's tongue moved first.

"It seems the number of Eastern nobles wishing to build a friendship with Baron Schneider has increased."

"... Why?"

"Isn't it obvious? Didn't you openly display the skill of your soldiers in the last subjugation campaign?"

"Ahhh... Right."

He understood at once. Originally, the Schneider family's stubbornness could have been seen as a weakness by the surrounding nobles.

"The fortunate thing is that the baroness is compensating for it well."

"My mother?"

"Yes. She has suddenly become a celebrity among the noble ladies of the east."

"How did my mother do that?"

Ava was a baroness of commoner origin. Normally, she should have been shunned by the nobles. But everything made sense with Red's next words.

"Well, the lady's beauty is so....”

"Ahhh. Right. That's true."

He understood in a flash.

“...”

Ava had always been hidden away within the fief and had not engaged in external activities. But things change when she begins to move in the outside world. A woman's beauty can be a powerful weapon in diplomacy.

If she were an unmarried maiden, it could be a cause for conflict, but a beautiful noble lady is in a very different position. On top of that, she was wise. She maintained appropriate boundaries depending on the other party's objective and status, dealing with the Eastern nobles and building friendships.

By the time Patrick returned home, the House of Schneider that was treated like an outcast at banquets would be no more.

"I never thought my mother would step forward."

"Hmph, a woman's beauty is a powerful weapon. Why would she not use it?"

As she said this, Red nonchalantly swept her hair back and put on a haughty expression.

Seeing that...

"This is infuriating."

"Pardon?"

"Never mind. If Mother has stepped up, then I can rest easy to some extent."

"I think so too. She's such a sharp person."

"Of course. She's my mother."

As Patrick proudly puffed out his chest, Red let out a soft chuckle. What a strange man. Red was the master of the thieves' guild.

She had grown up in a harsh environment and had seen all sorts of people. But she had never met anyone like Patrick.

Usually, he was just a rotten-natured scoundrel, but sometimes he showed the proficiency of a veteran mercenary with vast experience, and at times like this, he seemed like a child who had not yet had his coming-of-age ceremony. Watching Patrick, who showed various faces from moment to moment, was certainly never boring. Where would this man go?

What would he accomplish? She wanted to see it through to the end. That was why she had gone so far as to accept Patrick's request and personally come up to the capital to open a tavern.

"How are the boys? Are they slacking off in their training just because I'm not there?"

"I heard them crying that they were dying."

At those words, Patrick's expression crumpled.

"Those slackers."

"Pardon?"

To Red, who was asking what he meant, Patrick scowled and said, "It means they still have enough energy left to cry about dying, doesn't it?"

“...”

"If you train them properly, they should be unable to lift a single finger for anything other than breathing. To think they have energy left over."

"Ha... haha...."

"Tsk, Sanson is too soft. If it were me, I'd just... you know, right? I even went easy on you, specially."

"As if I could ever forget!"

Red recalled the past few years with a nauseated expression. A few times a year, Patrick would call her over, saying he would train her, and then put her through the wringer.

When she asked why she had to do this, he said she was too weak and might die, so they should just do some minimal training, but as he put her through it... 'I should have known what this bastard considered a minimum.' She really thought she was going to die.

No joke, she meant it. It was strange that she didn't die when she thought she would, and it was even stranger that the torture disguised as training was effective. As a result, thanks to Patrick's guidance, Red had reached the four-star level.

But she was not grateful at all. Patrick spoke as if he had just remembered something.

“...”

"Are you still four-star?"

"Yes. Well...."

“...”

"Tsk tsk, so weak."

“...”

"Should I go easy on you one more time? You need to be at least six-star to live without getting beaten up wherever you go. Don't you think?"

At Patrick's words, Red grit her teeth and said.

Gnash.

"Four-star is enough."

"Hey, you'll still get beaten up with that."

"Is a four-star some neighborhood thug?"

"It's true. A four-star can get beaten up. Should I show you?"

"If you're my opponent, I'd get beaten up even if I were stronger than I am now, wouldn't I?"

"Tch, not taking the bait."

Seeing Patrick's disappointed expression at not being able to beat her up, Red ground her teeth. What kind of person has a personality like this? You be the thief.

I'll be the knight.

"Ahem, in the first place, is a level something you can just raise like that? It takes time and it needs to mature. Will everyone get stronger just because you're in charge?"

"No. If you do it, you can do it. I recently helped someone get to seven-star."

"That's a lie...."

"Wow, look at this brat. She doesn't believe me."

"You have to trust someone trustworthy."

Patrick had nonchalantly leaked a top-tier secret, but Red couldn't receive it. 'Well, that's her luck.' Thus, Patrick got a fair amount of information about his hometown from Red, arranged a method for future contact, and after getting plenty of free drinks, they parted ways.

For someone under confinement, he sure had it good.

"O... OOO."

A man was huddled in the corner of a room, shivering with a blanket pulled over his head. It was Roist Panola, who had recently tried to get revenge on Patrick only to be shattered instead. In fact, the wounds on his body had already healed.

Patrick had carefully shattered both his arms, but in this world, something called holy power existed, and as long as you paid, it could provide a clean recovery. So, for physical trauma, an almost perfect cure was possible.

But....

"Ugh... Uwaaaaaaah!"

Mental problems were a different story. The fear Patrick had engraved in Roist's mind was lodged deep within him. That absolute terror.

The misery of being ravaged by an overwhelming being. Roist, born as the son of a prestigious noble family and raised gently, had never experienced anything like it. A flower in a greenhouse went outside for the first time and was hit by a cold, cutting wind.

Even if you hastily move it back into the greenhouse, the chill has already seeped through the stem to the roots. Can it ever return to how it was before?

Absolutely not.

If it could overcome that, it wouldn't have been a greenhouse flower in the first place. Roist was broken. He couldn't take a single step out of his room, just holing himself up, occasionally screaming and rampaging.

It would probably be impossible for him to return to the academy even after his confinement period was over.

"Who is it?"

A blond man with a dignified mustache said, grinding his teeth. He was past middle age and approaching his senior years, but his muscles, which seemed to bulge as if to tear through his clothes, made his age seem meaningless. This man was none other than Marquis Antonio Panola, one of the kingdom's foremost knights and a man of power.

A six-star knight. The commander of the Royal Knight Order. The head of the House of Marquis Panola.

He, one of the most powerful men in the Atronia Kingdom, was now enraged to the core. How could he not be, when his youngest son had been broken into such a state? The butler of the Panola family approached him and laid out the information he had gathered beforehand.

"He is a student who transferred into the first year. His name is Patrick Schneider, son of a barony, and he is from the east."

"Transferred in?"

"Yes. He was admitted on the recommendation of the Count of the Eastern Marches, Count Parmas."

"So that brat is the one who turned my son into this mess?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"What is the academy's internal response?"

"It seems they plan to resolve it with confinement for both parties. We tried to apply pressure on the professors who are influenced by our family, but..."

"Hmph, it's obvious that brat Leit opposed it, isn't it?"

“...”

The butler silently bowed his head. His master, Marquis Panola, and Professor Leit of the academy were famously at odds with each other in the kingdom.

"As long as that brat objects, it will be impossible to deal with that young punk through the academy's punishment."

"Yes, that is correct."

No matter how powerful Marquis Panola was, there was a limit to the influence he could exert within the academy. That meant he would have to wait until Patrick graduated from the academy... 'I can't let that happen.'

For the impatient Marquis Panola, that was an impossible option. So he chose another way.

"Where is Jordic right now?"

"He happens to be staying at home."

"Excellent. Bring him here at once."

"Yes, my lord."

A short while later, the butler returned with a young man. Blond hair, a square face, and a muscular body. This young man, clearly the son of Marquis Panola by anyone's standards, was named Jordic Panola.

He was the second son of the House of Marquis Panola and a third-year student at the academy.

"I heard you summoned me, Father."

"Yes. Have you heard about your brother?"

"Yes. I am aware."

"You are aware, but you didn't pay it any mind, I see."

"Why should I care if that fool was defeated because he was weak?"

At his second son's somewhat insolent words, Marquis Panola chuckled softly.

'Yes.

This is how a man of the Panola family should be.' Marquis Panola had three sons, but among them, he cherished the second the most. The first born resembled his wife and had a frail constitution, making it impossible for him to live as a knight.

Fortunately, the second and third sons were rather talented, and among them, the second son had more in common with him. Arrogance, confidence, and even tenacity.

"Your point has some merit, but if you wish to lead the family, you must be able to look after not only yourself but also your kin."

"Hmm..."

"Your brother is in that state. If we leave that brat unharmed, what will the world think of the House of Marquis Panola?"

"You mean they might look down on us."

"Precisely."

"... I understand. In that case, I will take care of that first-year brat."

His second son's confident and arrogant demeanor was extremely reliable.

But...

"What is your current level?"

"I am on the verge of reaching four-star."

"So you are still at the three-star level."

“...”

A look of displeasure appeared on Jordic's face. In truth, for his age, being on the verge of four-star was a remarkable achievement. Among the third-year students at the academy, there was only one person above Jordic.

Marquis Panola looked at his son and said, "I am not scolding you for your talent. At your level, it would not be strange to be called a genius anywhere you go."

“...”

"But it is not as if there are no geniuses more outstanding than you. As you know, your brother is at the same three-star level as you."

"Are you saying you see me and Roist as being at the same level?"

"Strictly speaking, yes."

Of course, Marquis Panola knew that his second son was much stronger than his third. Although the third son had reached the three-star level, it was merely a case of forcibly drawing out aura due to the excellence of the family's secret Aura Blessing.

Comparing him to the second son, who was at the very end of the three-star level and looking towards four-star, was like viewing a wildcat and a leopard as the same type of feline. A clear difference existed between the two.

However...

"I heard that the first-year defeated your brother and more than ten other first-year students combined."

In truth, it was a scene that should have been called a one-sided assault rather than a simple victory. But Marquis Panola did not know that part. In any case, from Marquis Panola's perspective, this first-year student named Patrick Schneider was definitively stronger than his third son, and perhaps on par with or even stronger than his second son.

He didn't think it was likely, but wasn't it an adult's habit to prepare for the 'what ifs'?

"Butler. Bring that."

"Yes, my lord."

Following Marquis Panola's words, the butler brought a luxurious wooden box.

"Father, this is?"

"Open it."

When Jordic opened the box, there was a sword inside. A blue sapphire was embedded in its hilt, and its blade was so sharp it looked as if it could cut with a mere touch. It was an item Jordic knew well.

"Father, this is?"

"Take it."

"But Father, this is...."

"I am not giving it to you to deal with a first-year brat. From today, it is yours to keep."

"Really?"

A clear smile spread across Jordic's lips. He was genuinely happy. What Marquis Panola had just given him was one of the finest artifacts in the House of Marquis Panola.

The Ice Sword, Isis. An ancient artifact with an ice spirit sealed within, something that could not be made even if one tried today.

"Ha... hahaha...."

“...”

Was this the expression of a young boy who received the toy he wanted most on his birthday? Jordic held Isis in his hand and gazed at it ecstatically.

"Does it please you?"

"Yes. Of course, Father."

"Good. I trust you know why I am passing Isis down to you?"

"...?"

What reason?

Seeing his second son's questioning gaze, Marquis Panola let out a small sigh inwardly. 'It's good that he's brave, but he's a bit dull... No, this is boldness.'

After putting a positive spin on his son's character, Marquis Panola spoke again.

"It means that you are the only one who can inherit our family from now on."

"Ah...."

"As you know, your older brother is frail. I was thinking that either you or your younger brother would have to inherit the family, but your younger brother is..."

Marquis Panola sighed. It's possible to lose. How can one win all their life?

He himself had reached his current position after tasting the bitterness of defeat several times in his youth.

But...

'If he breaks like that after a single defeat, it means his vessel was small to begin with.' Well, it was a plausible thought to have. That is, if one didn't know the full story that he had run into someone who shatters all vessels equally, big or small.

In the end, thanks to Patrick, it was as good as saying Marquis Panola's choice had been decided on his second son.

"If you wish to inherit the family, you must be able to protect the family's honor and your kin. Can you prove that you can?"

"Yes. I will crush that first-year brat."

"You must not rush in recklessly. I will first make arrangements to create a natural opportunity, so take care of him there."

"Yes, Father."

Thus, Marquis Panola gave his family's treasured sword to his second son, aiming the blade of revenge at Patrick.