“Kuk!”
With a face covered in scars, his arms were tied.
The one standing in front of him had emerald-coloured hair, which didn’t go well with the dark background.
It was Count Welton.
He lifted the chin of Alpeman, the tied man.
He was the boss of Lival, the largest criminal organization in Haiss.
“I didn’t touch you people because it didn’t concern me. Besides, it had a positive effect on the place, so I left you alone.”
He knew about Lival.
He is the lord of the estate. How could he not know?
At first, he wanted to destroy it, but then left them alone as they were helpful to some extent in commercial development.
As long as he was the lord, he thought that they wouldn’t commit bigger crimes. He thought that they at least valued their lives.
However, they were intending to practice human trafficking, of children nonetheless.
It was unthought of, unless they had gone crazy.
Although human trafficking wasn’t that rare of a crime, it was suicide in the estate of the Sword Master, especially in Haiss.
“I won’t ask why.”
The Count looked at Alpeman.
The man was already having a hard time breathing.
He looked more like an ordinary person than the boss of Lival. Compared to the Sword Master, he wasn’t even like a fly.
However, now he was looking at the face of the Sword Master.
“Hang him by the neck tomorrow.”
The Count ordered his men.
He didn’t care why they were doing it. Since he wiped out the entire organization without leaving a trace, he didn’t even need to know the reason.
“Yes, sir!”
The soldiers nodded, and the Count went out of the prison.
It took quite some time to clean up the estate.
Even if he left right away, he would be there only at dawn.
“Get the carriage ready. We will leave right away.”
The Count left for Regen.
Some time has passed since then. Someone was watching the members of Lival being arrested.
He chuckled and spoke into a communicator.
“Lival failed. Prepare plan B.”
Chck!
The device was broken.
“Why are you following me?”
“Just… like that.”
Jamie glared at Ash, who was following him.
He wanted to spend some time alone, but this one kept following him like gum. When he asked to stop, she would stop for a moment, but she would come close the next moment.
“It is a relationship between my father and yours. You and I have nothing to do with it.”
“Even… then.”
Another thing that bothered him was the way she was talking in pieces.
Jamie got tired of talking to her and started walking.
The two of them walked until they arrived at the ballroom.
“You go in.”
“I’ll come with you!”
“I mean it, stop!”
As Jamie shouted, she flinched and then smiled.
A deep sigh.
“Shouldn’t you at least have a reason? A Reason!”
“It’s just like that. It’s really just like that.”
“Stop this now! If you are going to talk, say it out clearly. If not, be quiet.”
“Then let me… huh?”
What more could she say?
Jamie shook his head and turned away. It only hurt his mouth trying to talk with her.
“Hehe.”
Now she was openly following him.
And then, she opened her mouth.
“It is just that it is my first time.”
“What?”
“My sister attended the ball several times, but this is my first time… I’ve never had a friend the same age as me.”
Jamie didn’t know how to react to her.
Same as her, Jamie didn’t have someone he could call a friend in his estate. He didn’t even need a friend in the first place. If there was one, it would only be an interference. Maybe a competent subordinate, not a friend.
‘Well, maybe it is important for a child.’
Inside Jamie was a Dark Magician who lived for aeons. He only looked young, but he was an old fashioned man.
Ash, on the other hand, was really an 8-year-old girl. And hungry for friends.
It wasn’t sad because such feelings didn’t exist in Jamie.
“Find someone else. I am not interested in friends.”
Jamie turned away.
He needed strength to regain his power. He didn’t have time to play with friends.
“J-Jamie!”
Ash called, but he ignored her.
Ash looked at his back with a sullen face.
Friend.
It seemed funny to make a friend at his age. He was aware of just how much of a stumbling block a friend could be and how much it would cost if he betrayed him.
He didn’t want to.
If he had one, he would lose his objective.
If he knew this in the past, he would have never taken a friend. He would have stayed away and would have never been defeated.
Jamie’s expression darkened at the thought of his past.
A past he had forgotten, something he didn’t want to remember.
And now he was offended.
He stepped into the main ball hall.
People were dancing.
They danced to the heavy sound and moved lightly.
Where was Sears? For once, he thought that he would be more comfortable by her side.
It was then.
“Jamie Welton.”
Someone called his name.
This time, he knew someone was coming.
When he turned, he saw boys who were four to five years older than him.
Among them, the one in the middle had blood red hair, like Count Simon.
Why can’t he just be left alone?
“Why?”
“What?”
Perhaps he didn’t like the short question from Jamie, Alf shook his head.
Jamie frowned at Alf and said.
“What do you want?”
“Ha! Look at this one, he is younger, yet he speaks like that to his elders?”
“Don’t you know who this brother is?”
“I am the eldest son of Count Simon and the heir. I am brother Alf!”
He wasn’t sure if the two boys were friends or subordinates, but they seemed to be helping Alf out.
Jamie felt like his head was heavy.
First, he had to make Alf’s companions go silent.
[Silence]
“…?!”
“…?!?!”
The two, whose names weren’t even known, were shocked to see their voices disappear.
“Wh-what?”
Alf asked his subordinates, who seemed flustered and shocked.
“So, why did you call me?”
“Did you turn them like this?”
“Why? Should I do that to you too?”
“This child! I’m older than you…!”
Alf, who was about to lash out, flinched at the small palm which stopped in front of him.
It was a warning that if the voice was raised once more, even his voice would be taken.
He coughed and looked at the two.
“I didn’t come here to fight.”
“If you have something to say, do it quickly. I am not in a good mood right now, so don’t drag it.”
‘This kid!’
Alf was perplexed at the sight of a little boy talking to an older kid like that. He heard that Jamie was just 7 years old.
He had a feeling that it wasn’t going to be easy.
“Nothing. I am here to talk.”
Alf pretended to be relaxed and smiled as he sat down next to Jamie.
Jamie was taken aback by the brazen act. When he showed that magic, he thought that he would stay back, but now Alf was pretending like it didn’t happen.
“By the way, you learned magic? Silence magic, is that 2nd class?”
“I would like you to leave if you have no business with me.”
“No business. I just wanted to greet a younger sibling.”
He called Jamie child and kid. Now he was a young sibling.
“I am not your sibling, and I have no intention of becoming one either, so go away.”
“… do you not know who I am?”
“Count Simon’s son?”
“You are the son of Count Welton. So talking should be fine.”
Why talk? Jamie couldn’t figure it out.
“Well, I didn’t come here to say anything bad to you. It is shocking to see the young friend I met today act like this. But if this is how you usually act, I don’t mind.”
It was disgusting to see the kid act all cool.
Jamie didn’t even answer.
“In the future, you and I will rule the eastern nobles, so wouldn’t it be better to know each other at a young age? This brother of yours is already holding the second generation close. You need to join too.”
So, he was the boss of the second generation nobles and was asking Jamie to be under him.
And he was spinning the words.
Jamie sighed at it.
He lost some of his precious time just to listen to this kid.
Even though this wasn’t something that would come out of a kid’s mouth.
But he couldn’t get angry at a kid, so he refused.
“I will not.”
“… what?”
“I will not.”
Alf was speechless at Jamie’s refusal.
He looked at Jamie and frowned.
“You know what that means?”
“I don’t know. And I am not interested. I don’t even want to. So stop it.”
“You bastard!”
Alf couldn’t hold his anger any longer and took the wand out of his hand.
The eldest son of Count Simon. Despite growing up with an indifferent father, he was gifted in magic since Simon family blood flowed in his.
As proof, Alf Simon was already a 3rd class.
He was on the same level as Hanni of Lival. No, his range of using magic could be even wider.
“I’ll crush you and your stupid magic! And from now on, you will refer to me as brother.”
“Haha. If the conversation wasn’t going to work, you were planning on using magic?”
“No. I had no intention. But I changed my mind after seeing that you know how to use magic. You should have been respectful when you had the chance.”
Jamie knew from first sight what kind of kid Alf was.
Jamie looked around.
The ball was still going on. There weren’t many people around, but it wasn’t just them either.
If magic was used in such a place, then everyone would notice.
“Will the adults leave you alone?”
“You don’t have to worry about that.”
Alf said that and pulled a small silver ball from his arms.
The fact that the marble contained large Mana meant that it was an artefact.
“As long as I have this, no one will see you struggling in pain.”
If invisibility magic was used in this place, it would stand out even more.
If so, one thing came to his mind.
“Illusion magic artefact.”
“You have an eye for magic. Sure, soon enough, you’ll piss yourself. You two! What are you doing!”
Alf swung his wand, and the silence magic used on them was cancelled.
“Haa! I thought I was going to die because of that fucker!”
“Do you want to die? Your eyes don’t seem to fall on us because you belong to Welton.”
Jamie looked at them with a grin. He thought that things were boring, but suddenly things were turning into fun.
Although he was a child, his mood changed.
“Are you laughing?”
Alf lifted his wand.
The silver marbles were activated, and to other people, it would look like the kids were talking.
The corners of Alf’s lips rose.
“Your Welton family will follow the Simon family in my generation.”
“If you don’t want to look ugly, don’t turn off that artefact.”
“What?”
“From now on, you will be screaming in pain.”
Jamie snapped his finger.
[Curse Magic: Pain]
Alf and the other two began to writhe on the floor, screaming.
Seeing them move like worms, Jamie burst into laughter.
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