“Huh?”

A boy with curly blond locks, light blue eyes and light armor was walking through the mansion when he noticed something that stopped him dead in his tracks.

This boy was Babel von Agnus, a tanned fourteen-year-old boy with handsome looks that many said he had inherited from the Duke. He was also the only legitimate son of the Duke.

His reputation made him seem even more attractive, considering that he had become a C-Class Knight at the young age of fourteen.

“Why is that garbage here?” Babel rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was hallucinating. He then furrowed his brows.

 On the first floor of the mansion stood a small boy that resembled his father. It was clear from the first glance that the boy would grow up to be even more handsome, and would not resemble his mother.

“Joshua—!” he grunted. Ignoring his growing irritation, he slowly approached Joshua. As the distance closed, his sharp eyes shone and his lips curled into a smirk.

“Hey!” Babel shouted out.

Joshua stared blankly at the wall despite Babel’s call, making the blond boy seethe in anger and his brows further crease together.

“How dare you ignore me!” Babel raised his fist at Joshua’s back like a madman. Joshua, however, was oblivious to the incoming danger.

From the moment Joshua was born, Babel had despised him. At best, he considered Joshua the byproduct of his father’s idle lust, the illegitimate son of a lowly maid. It infuriated him that Joshua resembled his idol, the Duke.

“Let’s see how long you can keep that act up.” Babel moved with a glint flashing across his eyes.

Whik!

Babel’s fists snapped forward with an audible boom. His speed was unbelievable for a child of his age—the sound alone was proof enough of his prowess.

However, what happened next was even harder to believe.

Whoosh!

“...!”

Babel’s eyes widened in disbelief.

***

As soon as Joshua entered the mansion, his eyes were glued to the wall. A wall of huge portraits lined the stairs toward the second floor. One of them was a portrait of someone Joshua could never forget: a middle-aged man with dazzling blond hair, rare golden eyes, and a smile as bright as his hair, rendered on luxurious canvas.

“Kai-ser von Bri-tten…” Joshua spat out every syllable like rotten food.

He knew the portrait was not of Kaiser, even if the portrait looked exactly like he was in Joshua’s memory.

The potrait was probably that of the previous emperor before Kaiser, or rather, the current emperor of Avalon.

Rationale, however, could not suppress the anger swelling in Joshua’s stomach. He felt like he would go crazy if he couldn’t release the anger instantly.

‘If only I hadn’t seen that face…’

Whik!

Just then, he felt a presence approaching from behind. Instinct kicked in and he swiftly turned around.

Thwack!

“...!”

A small fist was caught in his hand. The other boy stared wide-eyed at the unexpected sight.

“Ugh…!” Babel’s fist was crushed in Joshua’s hand, drawing a pained groan. Joshua looked at the fist in front of him. The killing intent triggered within him upon seeing the portrait gradually increased and he subconsciously squeezed the fist tighter. The boy made a sound like a dying cat.

Who was this boy? Joshua couldn’t be bothered to recall. He was just grateful to have someone to vent his anger on.

Crack.

Babel broke into a cold sweat as he started hearing eerie bone-cracking sounds from his fist.

“Crazy motherf…” he swore.

Joshua’s grip on his fist was nowhere near weak or pleasant.

Of course, he had heard the rumors of Joshua beating up three centurions. Of course, he had snorted in disbelief at the news. A kid who only shoveled horse dung had knocked down three of the Duke’s elite centurions? It was more plausible for a dragon to mate with an orc. And yet…

‘Could it really be true?’ Babel clenched his teeth. His instincts told him to draw mana from his hall into his fist.

“Stop!” From the top of the stairs, a shout resounded across the house.

“Ah! Father!” Startled, Babel turned towards the speaker. It was his father and the lord of the Dukedom, Aden von Agnus.

“What are you doing?” Duke Agnus asked, eyes cold as he slowly descended the stairs. 

Babel, realizing his fist was already free from Joshua’s death grip, quickly collected himself.

“I greet the Duke.”

Place your right fist lightly over your left breast, and, keeping your right leg straight, kneel with your left leg.

Babel recited a knight’s standard greeting for the umpteenth time in his head. The Duke only nodded slightly without replying.

‘Ah.’ Chiffon, at the Duke’s heels, admired Babel’s reaction to the Duke’s unexpected appearance. It was a knight’s pride and honor to maintain a dignified appearance regardless of the circumstances.

“I asked what you were doing.” Duke Agnus glanced at Joshua, who did not move, before addressing Babel again.

“We were just greeting each other.”

“Greeting?” Duke Agnus frowned.

“It’s been a long time since I saw him, so I went to greet him, Your Grace, and unknowingly….”

“...”

“I just wanted to give him a handshake.”

Seemingly trusting Babel’s words, Duke Agnus looked at Joshua.

“...” Joshua nodded silently.

Of course, Chiffon would not be Chiffon if he could silently endure Joshua’s nonchalance towards the Duke.

‘How dare he respond with just a nod to the Grand Duke? Is he insane?’

Chiffon’s hand reached for the hilt of his sword, awaiting the order to punish the insolent child. However, the order never came.

Instead, the Duke gestured for him to hold. Chiffon gave a slight nod and took a step back.

“Your eyes… are full of viciousness,” Duke Agnus murmured in a low voice.

To the Duke, seeing Joshua’s face was like looking into a mirror. However, Joshua’s face was awash with a frightening mixture of anger, resentment, and anguish.

Damn it… Joshua muttered inwardly and chewed his lip. This should not be happening. Joshua had a cold personality and an iron-fisted mentality, yet the portrait broke his composure.

And the Duke of Agnus he remembered would never suffer a display of hostility. Even if it was from his own offspring.

Then Duke Agnus broke the silence.

“Come closer.”

Joshua’s eyes widened.

“I must verify it myself. Is it true that you used mana?” Duke Argus asked Joshua.

“What—!” Babel had been silently listening, but his eyes widened at the question. 

How could that lowly bastard use mana? He found it impossible. Furthermore, Joshua was just the son of a servant and even much younger than him!

“Come closer.”

If it had not been the Duke who posed the question, Babel's fist would have smacked him right in the face.

“Duke, what are you—?”

Duke Agnus’s heavy gaze shut Chiffon’s mouth immediately.

“Come.” Duke Agnus instructed again with a tinge of solemness in his tone.

Joshua chewed his lip. Duke Agnus was one of the few Masters in the entirety of the Empire. Even more, he was one of the Nine Stars, the strongest people in the continent. He was also highly sensitive to mana. If the Duke were to discover an abnormality in his body…

Sussuk!

While Joshua was drowning in his doubts, Duke Agnus suddenly appeared before him, in the blink of an eye. His movement was eerily silent.

Bump!

As the Duke grabbed his wrist, Joshua’s eyes widened in surprise. Facing his father's unexpected approach, Joshua could not produce an appropriate reaction.

“This—!” Duke Agnus exclaimed in surprise. His normally emotionless face twisted. An instant, a second, a minute passed and his face remained colored with astonishment.