the three men quietly made their way back into the mansion.
The heat and smoke lingering in the training hall cut off the instant they stepped into the corridor.
Perhaps it was the thick walls and carpet swallowing sound—only the sensation of their footsteps remained sharp.
Waiting for them was the old butler.
The elderly man approached and, carefully, addressed Lord Stailer.
“My lord, are you well?
- ··A rather loud commotion carried from the training hall.”
He lowered his voice at the end.
His expression stayed courteous, but his eyes didn’t hide it—an “in case” already hanging on his face.
“Mr. Urs was with you, so I did not rush to confirm, but…
Have you suffered any injury?”
Stailer gave a short laugh and waved a hand lightly.
The gesture itself was unhurried, as if there was nothing to worry about.
“I’m fine, butler.
I simply had something to confirm. It was nothing.”
Only then did the old butler bow, as if letting out a breath of relief.
Then he turned to Rynel.
“Dinner has been prepared.
After you wash, please come to the dining room.”
“Ah… yes. Thank you.”
Rynel answered briefly, but his mind was still unsettled.
At the very end of the match, the commands he’d given had landed too smoothly.
Was that his own skill—or had something else mixed in? He couldn’t tell.
The butler continued.
“Your companions are already dining.
When you are ready, we will set a separate place for you as well.”
Rynel hesitated, glanced around, then asked carefully,
“Um… are these two not eating?”
At that, Stailer looked at him.
A brief silence.
When their eyes met, Rynel found himself straightening without meaning to.
Stailer’s voice remained calm.
“We have something to sort out for a moment.
Don’t burden yourself—wash up and eat first.”
Urs only nodded.
That response, if anything, made it clearer: there was something to discuss in private.
“…Understood.”
Rynel bowed quietly and headed toward the dining room.
It felt like he should hear a door closing behind him, but the corridor stayed silent to the end.
◇
Lord Stailer’s study.
When the heavy door shut, a deep stillness settled over the room.
Shelves of richly scented wood, neatly stacked documents, old books lining the walls—
it all looked like a monument built out of money and time.
Stailer sat at his desk,
and Urs stood silently before him.
Stailer spoke first.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“Mr. Urs.
Now that you’ve crossed hands with him—how was it?”
Urs released a slow breath.
He wasn’t the type whose tension vanished just because the match was over.
A beat later, he answered.
“…It was extremely heavy.”
“Heavy?”
“Yes. To the point it didn’t feel like a human’s power—
solid… and heavy.”
Urs’s tone wasn’t admiration so much as a judgment.
He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.
“I’ve traveled the country and met many skilled fighters.
But… I’ve never met anyone who uses power like that.”
Stailer lowered his gaze and nodded.
The hand that had been turning pages stopped, fingertips pressing slowly against the desk’s edge.
“…I see.
Then Pyrug’s letter wasn’t false.”
He rested a hand at his chin, continuing as if thinking aloud.
“Telekinesis…
A force outside the established system.”
“…It’s even questionable whether we should call it ‘magic.’”
His eyes slid across empty air.
It was as if the capital’s records and reports were being sorted in his head at speed.
‘In the capital, I’ve occasionally seen people who claim to use telekinesis.
Lifting small objects, hovering for a moment—parlor tricks at best.’
Stailer thinned his lips, setting the memory aside.
“…But this is different.”
His gaze deepened.
Not the light of simple curiosity, but something calculated.
‘Someone who can handle it at that level…
could become an immense asset to my house.’
He didn’t say it aloud, yet the silence in the study spoke for him.
Urs nodded as well.
“However…”
He continued carefully.
“There are still areas where his handling is immature.”
Stailer looked up at him and smiled faintly.
“For example…
the strike you raised from beneath the floor?”
“Yes.”
Urs answered evenly.
“He seems to rely on sight for most of the exchange.”
Stailer said nothing, only flexing his fingers once—an unspoken prompt to continue.
“Of course, he likely has some degree of mana sensing,
but from what I felt, his overall responses were closer to instinct and reflex.”
Urs chose his words slowly as he went on.
“Both offense and defense… are primal.
Rather than a finely ‘trained’ form,
it’s closer to having power so great he simply presses down with it as-is.”
“…For now, he’s an uncut stone.”
For a while, Stailer didn’t speak.
But his expression didn’t darken—if anything, it was the opposite.
“Immature” sounded like “room to grow” on his face.
He nodded slowly and spoke.
“Good. You’ve done well. Go and rest.”
“Yes, my lord. I will take my leave.”
Urs turned and left in silence.
When the door closed, the study was left with a complete hush.
Alone, Stailer stared down at the papers on his desk.
Documents that could change meaning line by line.
Rules that kept the estate running.
And on top of them—one new name, added today.
‘Telekinesis…’
‘This… may become a new beginning.’
Stailer narrowed his eyes and smiled, just for a moment.
Not a happy smile, but something closer to certainty.
◇
“Rynel~ what took you so long? Who were you fighting?”
Aira leaned her face out from beyond the dining room door, grinning brightly.
A light voice.
And yet, Rynel found that lightness oddly enviable.
Rynel hesitated, then shook his head.
“N-no.
I just had something to check.”
“Hm~ you don’t look hurt, so whatever.”
Aira waved it off and beckoned.
“Come eat already.
The side dishes are super fancy again!
I… love it here~”
Monero was already at the table, shoveling food into his mouth.
He opened his mouth like he had something to say, but only nonsense spilled out.
“Ry… nel… this is so… good… mmph…”
Rynel blinked at him, then let out a small laugh.
“Finish chewing before you talk, Monero.
You think someone’s going to steal it?”
Monero kept his mouth moving and shook his head with one hand.
It was hard to tell whether it meant “no way” or “don’t talk to me.”
Rynel clicked his tongue lightly and sat down.
A savory smell rose from the dishes on silver plates,
but before he picked up his chopsticks, he released one more slow breath.
And then—
the sparring flashed through his mind.
The strike that had surged up from underground.
The instant his abdomen had been hit.
He’d softened the impact with a telekinetic screen…
but it hadn’t felt like “blocking” so much as “getting through it.”
‘If another attack had come in at the same time…
I might not have been able to get up.’
Rynel swallowed the thought before it could leave him.
He calculated again, quietly.
‘One-on-one is one thing…
but if it’s a group fight—’
“Hm? What’d you say?”
Aira tilted her head, asking.
Rynel shook his head.
“…Nothing.
Let’s just eat.”
Then Aira shifted her tone, turning to him with a face full of anticipation.
“But hey, Rynel~
Monero said… the capital’s packed even at night?”
“Later… wanna go out together?”
The question caught him off guard.
Since arriving, he’d been repeating “be careful” to himself,
but Aira was saying the opposite—“let’s go out.”
“…Would that be okay?”
This time Monero answered calmly.
He swallowed first, then continued.
“The capital’s not like other cities…
the nights are long.”
“There’s good street food, too.
People from everywhere… lots to see, y’know.”
“No idea how long we’ll be staying in the capital,
but taking a look around once, as a kind of recon?
Not a bad idea, y’know!”
Rynel nodded.
“…I see.
That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”
Monero suddenly cleared his throat and sat up straighter.
“Ahem!
And— since this Monero here has capital living experience,
I can give you two a little tour, y’know!”
“Wah~ our Monero is so reliable!”
Aira lifted both thumbs, eyes shining.
Her face was so earnest that Rynel almost laughed.
Rynel gave an awkward smile.
“Haha…
Then we’ll tell the lord, and take a look around later.”
“Yeah! Great~!”
Aira clapped with a bright grin,
and Monero rubbed his nose, murmuring under his breath.
“…It’s been a while. I’m actually looking forward to it.”
Rynel turned his gaze toward the edge of the dining room table.
After confirming the old butler was nearby, he spoke carefully.
“Butler.”
The old butler bowed politely.
“Yes, Mr. Rynel.”
“We’d like to go out for a bit… would that be all right?”
The old butler blinked, choosing his words.
Too cautious to grant permission instantly, too awkward to forbid guests outright.
He answered carefully.
“Of course, however,
first-time visitors often lose their way in the capital.”
“Hm-hm.”
Then—
Monero coughed loudly on purpose, stepping forward with pride.
“Someone with capital life experience—
this Monero will be the guide.”
The old butler smiled faintly and nodded.
“I see.
In that case, there should be no issue.”
Hands folded, he added,
“Still, I will provide a small map.
And… please do return before it grows too late.”
“Alright~ a brand-new adventure begins!”
Aira stretched, threw the door open, and stepped out.
Her face was full of excitement as she hurried down the corridor.
Rynel and Monero followed naturally behind her.
Laughing and trading light remarks,
the three of them disappeared around the far end of the corridor, as if heading out of the estate.
“Ah— one moment, Mr. Rynel.”
The old butler spoke carefully, but—
Thud.
The door was already closed.
“…They’ve gone already.”
He murmured to himself, turning his head toward the door.
“…There was something I needed to tell him…”
The old butler sighed softly, stroking his mustache.
A faint smile still sat at the corner of his mouth as always,
yet his eyes refused to settle into ease.
“Nothing troublesome, I hope…”
He walked slowly to the window
and looked out toward the road in front of the estate.
The afternoon sunlight lay gently over everything.
And still, the old butler’s gaze lingered, drawn outside.
“Today…
the capital streets feel unusually complicated.”
He rested his fingertips lightly on the window frame.
Then, very quietly—as if speaking only to himself—he left a single line behind.
“…May you return safely.”