Its been three weeks since that day and the "princess" has been learning it quite well. To Ran's surprise, Layla hadn't just kept her end of the deal; she was actively busting her ass.
Now that she was actually putting in the effort, Ran was starting to realize just how deeply the Auditore family had misjudged her.
The girl's defensive instincts were flawless. Her agility was light-years ahead of kids her age, and above all, her natural mana circulation was smooth as silk which in this world, was the needed to ignite a powerful sword aura.
Sure, her offensive output was quite pathetic. When she swung, it felt like being hit with a wet noodle.
But that was a mechanical flaw, something easily fixed with proper weight distribution and a bit of aggression.
If she actually gave a shit about swordsmanship, she had the foundation to become an absolute monster.
What a waste of potential, Ran thought, walking down the pristine corridors of the manor, his wooden practice sword resting on his shoulder.
She was built for the blade, but her heart belonged to magic.
To keep her hooked, Ran had been doling out a tiny crumb of magical theory at the end of every session.
For three weeks, it had worked perfectly. He kept her balanced right on the edge of exhaustion and curiosity.
"Ah, Ran! Just the boy I wanted to see."
Ran pulled out of his thoughts and instinctively masked his face into a polite, neutral expression.
Walking toward him was the patriarch himself, Simon Auditore. The burly man looked disgustingly cheerful, a wide, booming grin splitting his rugged face.
"I don't know what kind of black magic you used on that stubborn brat but she's actually swinging a sword. My men tell me she hasn't missed a single session for three weeks."
Simon laughed, clapping his hand onto Ran's shoulder.
"To be completely honest with you, kid, I was severely regretting bringing a you into my house at first. I thought it was a wasted gamble. But you proved me wrong."
Ran forced his lips into a flawless, perfectly rehearsed noble smile and bowed deeply.
"The pleasure is entirely mine, Lord Simon. I am merely exceptionally grateful for the opportunity to serve such a powerful and venerable ally of my family."
Simon threw his head back and roared with laughter, clearly loving the sycophancy. He patted the little boy's head with a heavy thud.
"Good lad! You've earned your keep, and you've earned my respect. No more eating solitary meals in your room. Tonight, you dine at the main table. You're coming to the dining hall."
"I would be deeply honored, Lord Simon," Ran replied, keeping his posture perfectly humble until the man turned on his heel and walked away.
The second Simon was out of sight, Ran's smile dropped into a flat, irritated scowl.
Great. A seat at the big boy table. But it would be interesting to see how the family works. Though I would prefer if they left me alone.
He then changed his focus to Layla. Despite three weeks of daily training, their relationship was completely stagnant.
It was entirely transactional. She would show up, endure several hours of intense training without a word, absorb his tiny nugget of magic, bow, and vanish.
Its not going anywhere, Ran mused, tapping his chin.
He needed to actually befriend the brat. The problem? He had absolutely no clue what excited an eight-year-old girl.
* * * * * * * *
The grand dining hall of the Auditore estate was exactly what you'd expect from a family of aristocrats: massive stone pillars, countless servants, and a long mahogany table loaded with exquisite meats and wines.
Ran arrived exactly on time, slipping into the room like a shadow. Simon, sitting at the head of the table, spotted him instantly.
"Sit, Ran! Right there."
Ran sat down without a single trace of hesitation, pulling out the chair.
Now that he was sitting with them, he could see the entire core cast of the Auditore family clearly.
To his left sat Diana, the fifteen-year-old eldest sister; she looked completely bored out of her mind, delicately cutting her steak as if the rest of the world didn't exist.
Across from her was Adrian, the eldest son, who looked utterly worn out and physically depleted likely from training, meaning he barely had the energy to acknowledge Ran's existence.
But then there was Lancer.
The youngest son and third sibling was practically drilling holes into Ran's forehead with a venomous, bloodshot glare.
And it wasn't just him. Ran could feel the piercing, hateful eyes of the senior servants hovering near the walls.
A Bloodrune bastard sitting at the master's table was an absolute insult to their tradition. Ran did his best to ignore it, focusing on his plate.
He glanced toward the end of the table. Layla was sitting there quietly.
She wasn't looking at him with her usual blatant disdain anymore, which was a relief, but she had become incredibly distant and reserved.
She went out of her way to avoid any direct eye contact, staring intensely at her soup.
Simon raised his silver goblet, his deep voice echoing through the hall.
"Let's raise a toast! Ran here has done the impossible for the family. From now on, Ran eats here every day. He is a part of this family now whether it's temporary or not."
SLAM!
The wooden table rattled as a fist crashed down onto the wood.
"I highly object, Father!" Lancer snapped, his voice cracking with rage.
Simon didn't even flinch. He just lazily shifted his gaze toward his youngest son.
Lancer stood up, pointing a trembling finger at Ran.
"He is a half-blood! He is not a part of this family, hell he isn't even the part of bloodrunes, and he doesn't deserve a seat at this table! What's next? Are we going to start seating the stable boys and the kitchen maids here too? This is a private family gathering! It's bad enough that he's an outsider, but the guy is a goddamn half-blood! He's literally lower than a typical commoner!"
Diana didn't stop cutting her meat. She let out a soft, elegant sigh.
"Calm down, Lancer. You're ruining the ambiance. Him being here makes absolutely no difference. Just treat him like a repulsive decorative object and ignore him."
"Both of you shut the fuck up." Adrian groaned, rubbing his temples, his voice thick with exhaustion.
"I've been training for twelve hours. I just want to eat my fucking dinner in peace."
In a split second, the table erupted into a chaotic, screaming argument between the siblings, insults flying back and forth over the expensive silver platters.
Wow, Ran thought, casually chewing on a piece of roasted duck while watching the fireworks. This family is incredibly fragile. Nobody gives a single shit about anyone else here. Has it always been this much of a toxic dumpster fire?
"Enough."
The word wasn't shouted, but the sheer, crushing pressure behind it made the entire room drop below freezing.
Before anyone could even blink, Simon vanished from his seat at the head of the table.
A split second later, he materialized directly behind Lancer, his massive, hulking shadow completely swallowing the young boy.
Simon leaned down, his voice a low, terrifying growl right next to Lancer's ear.
"You wouldn't dream of going against the explicit wishes of your father... would you, boy?"
Lancer went completely pale. Cold sweat poured down his neck, and his entire body started trembling like a leaf. He swallowed hard, his bravado instantly evaporating.
"N-No, Father. Of course not."
Simon patted his shoulder hard enough to make Lancer's knees buckle, and calmly walked back to his seat.
"Good. Eat."
The rest of the meal continued in a dead silence. Nobody said a single word.
As soon as dinner concluded, Ran quickly excused himself, glad to escape the mental asylum.
But as he was navigating the dimly lit corridors heading back to his quarters, a small figure stepped out from the shadows, blocking his path.
It was Lancer.
The ten-year-old kid stood there, chest puffed out, trying his absolute best to look intimidating. But now that Ran was looking at him up close, Lancer looked incredibly small and pathetic.
"Father ordered me to apologize and make formal amendments with you."
He stepped forward and aggressively shoved Ran's shoulder.
"Be ready tomorrow morning at the main entrance. We're going out into the town."
Without waiting for a response, the hot-headed brat turned on his heel and walked away.
Ran stabilized his footing, looking at the boy's retreating back with a smirk.
Well, why the hell not? I need to get a proper hang of the terrain outside the estate anyway.
But the whole thing smelled incredibly fishy. A proud, arrogant brat like Lancer suddenly agreeing to play nice and take him out on a little field trip?
It was suspicious as hell. Either Simon kept his sons in a state of absolute terror or the little bastard had a hidden agenda and wanted to drag him outside to get some petty revenge.
Either way, I'll find out tomorrow. Ran mused, turning the doorknob to his room.
CLANG!
The sharp, piercing screech of metal hitting metal echoed through the private courtyard the next morning.
Since three weeks had passed and Layla's defensive movements had adapted perfectly, Ran had officially retired the wooden sticks a few days ago. They were practicing with actual blades now.
Ran parried a quick, agile thrust from Layla, stepped inside her guard, and lightly tapped the flat of his blade against her hip, sending her skidding back across the dirt.
"That's enough for today."
Ran said, wiping the heavy sweat from his forehead. He leaned on his sword, letting out a rough breath.
"Your footing is still completely sloppy on the transition, and your stance needs to be twice as firm if you're going to block a heavy attack. Your offensive strikes are still weak as hell... but, good work."
Layla stood there, panting heavily, her white hair clinging to her damp forehead.
Ran wasn't just giving empty praise.
Despite her offensive flaws, her rapid adaptation meant she was going to learn how to manifest a proper sword aura much sooner than he had initially anticipated. The kid was a quick study.
"Now, for your reward. This is the final piece of technical theory on the fireball spell.
I've told you pretty much every basic mechanic I could dig up from the library. From this point onward, it's entirely up to you to visualize and figure out the output."
Ran muttered, pulling a small notebook from his pocket.
He gave her a slight, mysterious smirk.
"Don't slack off. I've already started researching a brand-new elemental technique. If your sword work keeps improving, I'll show it to you next week."
Layla stared at the notebook in her hands, her fingers tightening around the paper. She stood up straight, bent her waist, and delivered a rigid, formal noble bow.
"Thank you... Teacher."
Without another word, she turned around and walked out of the courtyard, her head lowered.
Ran watched her leave, his brow furrowing slightly.
She's completely tamed, but she's acting like a ghost.
The brat was completely silent around him now. It made him wonder: was she genuinely terrified of him? Or was she just scared that if she showed even a tiny hint of her hostility, he'd walk away?
Time will tell, Ran sighed, sheathing his sword. He didn't have time to overanalyze her psyche right now; he had a date with a hot-headed noble boy.
Ran made his way through the estate, arriving at the grand stone archway of the main entrance.
Lancer was already waiting there, pacing back and forth next to a lavish carriage.
The second his eyes landed on Ran, the boy stormed forward, grabbed Ran tightly by his collar, and yanked him forward.
"You're late, you little bastard!" Lancer hissed, his face twisting with rage.
Wow. Zero self-control. Ran thought, completely deadpan as he looked at the fist bunching up his shirt.
Ran raised his hands mockingly.
"My deepest apologies, Young Master Lancer. I was heavily occupied with Lady Layla's training. The moment the session concluded, I came straight here."
Lancer glared at him for a few seconds, his breathing heavy, before finally clicking his tongue in pure disgust and throwing Ran backward.
"Tch. If that useless brat didn't look exactly like mother, I would have already ruined her face a long time ago."
Lancer whipped around, gesturing toward the vehicle.
"Hey! Cabbie! Bring the carriage around! Get in, kid."
Ran adjusted his shirt, his eyes narrowing slightly as he climbed up the wooden steps of the carriage.
What a shameless rude little bastard! Ran mused internally. But looking at the broader picture, it made perfect sense.
Growing up in a household completely devoid of real affection, with a dead mother and a terrifying father who ruled through fear?
It was a textbook recipe for turning a kid into a frustrated, toxic bully. Lancer was just lashing out at the easiest target available.
But Ran didn't give a flying fuck about the boy's psychological trauma. Whether Lancer was planning to ambush him, dump him in a ditch, or actually show him the town, it didn't matter.
This was the perfect, unrestricted opportunity to map out the geography of the Auditore domain. He would like to see if the place is exactly like it was in the game.