Six months later, Cyan was training in the forest as usual.
At this point, he seemed to have fully grown accustomed to his new sword.
Cyan moved with fluid grace, continuously swinging the blade through the air.
Each slash he executed generated terrifying force against the atmosphere itself.
-Woosh... Woosh Woosh....Woosh Woosh Woosh
Advancing toward the trees ahead, Cyan swiftly cut three trunks clean in half.
-Slash….Slash.....slash!!
Fixing his gaze on a boulder in front of him, Cyan infused his sword with intermediate-level enhancement magic, then unleashed an incredibly fast strike, cleaving the massive rock before his eyes in two.
-Slash!!!!
Cyan looked at the results of his six months of training with clear satisfaction.
"It seems I've gotten used to fighting with a sword, I'm even doing quite well"
"In this life, I'm following the Black Sword style"
"As a noble by blood in this life, I can't learn the Ironblood Sword style"
"Even though I was only taught a bit of it in my previous life, I feel like I've learned it pretty well"
With a bit of confidence, Cyan even thought he might be comparable to a Black Saint Swordsman, despite lacking sufficient mana.
"No… that's probably still too far off"
"I need to keep training!"
At that moment, the figure of a woman came running toward where Cyan stood.
That person was none other than Sitri, and she called out loudly.
-Young master, I have something important to report
Stopping his sword, Cyan turned to look at her and asked.
-What is it?
-Have you forgotten what day it is? In about two hours, Lady Serafina will arrive at the family estate!
Cyan realized he had completely forgotten something important due to his intense training, and replied.
-Oh, I almost forgot haha
-Aaa, what would you do without me!
-That's exactly why I need you
-I've prepared a towel, a fresh set of formal clothes, you need to bathe immediately.
-You're really thoughtful, Sitri!
Cyan chuckled to himself.
"Sitri's mood has completely changed compared to before"
"She now speaks to me more naturally, no longer forcing polite formalities"
"I like the way she sulks naturally like this, before, no matter what happened, she only wore a fake smile"
Suddenly, Sitri looked a bit worried and spoke.
-But… young master, are you really alright?
Cyan looked at her, puzzled.
-Is something wrong?
-Recently, there have been some bad rumors about you spreading within the family.
-Aren't those already a given? Rumors about me being lazy, incompetent, a useless waste, or even cheating in exams.
Sitri forced a smile as she replied.
-It… it's not that bad!
-If you lie even a little, I'll dock your pay.
-Actually… I have heard those rumors, and they really are quite bad!
-Is there something even worse than that?
Sitri blushed, scratching her cheek shyly before speaking.
-There's also a rumor that the reason you kept me as your maid… is because you like me.
Cyan was utterly stunned. He tightened his grip on his sword, his face turning slightly red.
"I didn't expect I'd actually feel embarrassed like this in a game"
He quickly responded.
-Sorry for dragging you into this.
Sitri, however, didn't seem to mind at all.
-Not at all, I'm more worried those rumors might affect you, your fiancée might hear them.
-It's fine, it's not entirely wrong anyway. Just ignore them like always.
Sitri became flustered, her face turning as red as a tomato, and she spoke softly.
-But there's also a rumor that you're a playboy… that you look at your maids with perverted eyes…
-Tch… what kind of nonsense are they thinking about six-year-old kids? Just ignore those rumors. I'm still me.
-I also need to ask you something. Later, I want you to receive them and bring them to the guest room. I want to meet them before Konan.
"Because of what happened last time, I want to meet Serafina before Konan"
"Even though I know he cares about the family's strength, he really goes too far"
"I don't want him interfering with my fiancée. I want to be the first to meet her"
Sitri puffed her cheeks slightly.
-Why me? You could do it yourself or ask someone else.
-No! I only trust you with this. Besides, I'm just the useless third son, I can't personally go out to welcome them!
-You really hold grudges, young master!
-Fine! I'll go prepare!
-Yes, understood!
Sitri was left with many thoughts.
"Young master is really too much, as always"
After thinking for a while, she smiled to herself.
"But he does care about me more than he shows, he doesn't even mind those romantic rumors about me"
"So maybe… those rumors existing isn't so bad"
Thinking that, Sitri giggled quietly.
Her loyal nature made her trust Cyan in every way.
Two hours later, at the main gate of the Velton family's auxiliary residence, a luxurious carriage came to a stop.
The coachman hurried to open the door. Two children stepped out—a blond-haired boy supporting a white-haired young lady whose hair carried a faint pink hue within it.
They were Lucian De Borgia and Serafina De Borgia, having arrived after nearly a full day of travel.
The sky was nearing dusk. Sitri stood waiting and bowed politely.
-Thank you both for your long journey, please follow me this way.
They were led into the guest room of the auxiliary building. Cyan, now dressed in noble attire, was already seated there. The two sides faced each other, each harboring their own intentions.
Lucian thought to himself.
"So this is the lazy bastard I've heard so much about"
Meanwhile, Cyan felt somewhat satisfied.
"She really is just as pretty as when I saw her on screen, but seeing her in person makes her feel far more vivid"
Cyan extended his hand and introduced himself.
-Greetings, I am Cyan Von Velton, third young master of the great lightning mage family Velton, and the one engaged to Lady Serafina.
Serafina shyly responded.
-I am Serafina De Borgia, third young lady of the earth mage family Borgia. I hope for your guidance in the future, young master Cyan.
Seeing his sister act like that made Lucian somewhat irritated.
-And I am Lucian De Borgia, second young master and Serafina's older brother.
Cyan was slightly surprised, thinking to himself.
"Would the Serafina I know really show this many emotions from just a greeting?"
"Has she changed that much after puberty? Or is this just her rebellious phase before becoming cold later?"
Sensing that something felt off about the girl before him, Cyan still spoke.
-You must be tired from your long journey. I've arranged food and suitable rooms for you both. We can discuss everything else in detail tomorrow.
-Lord Konan will arrive shortly to receive you.
Just as Cyan finished speaking and was about to leave, Lucian slammed his hand on the table.
-Hey, I have something important to discuss with you right now.
Cyan turned back, surprised.
-What is it, brother?
-Tomorrow morning, I want a sworn duel with you, Cyan Von Velton.
At that moment, the door suddenly burst open, and a man fell straight to the ground—it was Konan.
After an awkward silence, Konan cheerfully spoke.
-Sounds good! I'll act as the referee and make sure no violations occur.
Lucian looked slightly confused.
-And you are?
-Ah, I haven't introduced myself? I'm Konan Von Velton, the one who invited you here. My reputation should be more than enough to oversee this match.
-I didn't mean that. More importantly, does that young master have the courage to accept?
All eyes in the room turned toward Cyan, who remained deep in thought.
"Why is he suddenly doing this right after meeting me?"
"I can guess that the rumors probably led to this"
"Does he want to defeat me and force me to break the engagement?"
"Weighing the pros and cons… I want to win this match, to rightfully protect the engagement and prove my strength to Lady Serafina"
"Making a strong impression on my fiancée—who will become incredibly powerful in the future—isn't a bad thing at all"
Cyan released a surge of lightning energy and spoke decisively.
-Fine, I accept your challenge, brother.
Lucian grew even more irritated.
-Who are you calling brother? You're not even officially married to my sister yet.
-That day will come eventually. You can rest easy, brother.
Their gazes locked, clashing fiercely as if competing over a single woman.
That night, Serafina found herself deep in thought about what had just happened.
"Why are those two fighting like that? We could just get along better…"
"But honestly, he's nothing like the rumors. He doesn't seem like some useless person who just sleeps all day"
"He seemed very confident. I don't know how things will turn out, but my brother is a saint-level mage after all"
"Cyan Von Velton… his name is actually kind of cute"
"And… he's quite handsome too, polite and friendly as well"
Thinking this, Serafina blushed slightly, holding her cheeks in her hands.
"But I've heard rumors that he has feelings for his personal maid… and that he's a playboy"
"I don't feel that at all… I want to ask him about it"
"Sigh… if my brother hadn't made that proposal, I would've had more time to talk with Cyan"
"Actually, I've heard a lot of talk about him. Most people don't seem to approve of him being my future husband"
Serafina let out a soft sigh.
-Haizz
"Maybe things won't be resolved without tomorrow's duel"
"People are all the same… spreading whatever rumors they find interesting without caring whether they're true or not"
Serafina felt a sense of sympathy for Cyan—after all, she too was a victim of baseless rumors.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing how Cyan performs tomorrow. I also hope my brother will go easy on him, he is two years older after all"
With anticipation in her heart, Serafina smiled gently and drifted off to sleep.