Zeke said in a sharp voice,
"What is it, Decker?"
Decker adjusted his monocle and said,
"I heard about what happened to you at the Pankration testing ground earlier, young master."
Zeke turned his head, feigning disinterest, and said,
"So what?"
"I heard you beat Leon Conrad and Jakenn Vardec to a pulp. Is that true?"
Zeke scoffed.
"You already know, so why ask?"
Decker stepped closer to Zeke.
"I have been watching over you since the day you were born, young master."
Zeke said as he changed his clothes,
"I know."
Decker had been in charge of Zeke until he was expelled from the family.
His father, the head of the clan, hadn't seen him once since he failed to awaken his aura at the Blessing Ceremony.
His mother had died when he was young, and his father was as good as gone, so Decker was like a parent to him.
Even when he was treated like trash by the family, Decker was the only one who stayed by his side.
Decker looked at Zeke and said,
"May I ask what happened?"
"Those bastards messed with me, and I beat them up. What more do you need?"
Despite Zeke's harsh words, Decker remained silent.
Zeke looked at Decker and said,
"What do you want to say, Decker?"
Decker slowly opened his mouth.
"Young master, may I check your pulse for a moment?"
Checking his pulse meant checking whether he had awakened his aura.
Zeke looked at Decker and then silently held out his hand.
"Please, go ahead."
Decker grabbed Zeke's wrist.
Woooong!
Zeke flinched as Decker's aura flowed through his body.
Decker's aura examined every corner of Zeke's body.
It was then that Zeke realized something he hadn't known in his past life.
'A Blue Knight?'
The way Decker's aura moved freely within Zeke's body was unusual.
'Even if he's a servant from the main family, is a Blue Knight really doing chores for a kid?'
It was absurd.
Even in the knightly orders of small kingdoms, Blue Knights often served as commanders.
As Zeke's suspicions grew, Decker, who had been examining his body, pursed his lips tightly.
Seeing that, Zeke chuckled inwardly.
'No matter how much he checks, he won't sense any aura.'
Opening the ether hall was fundamentally different from opening the lower dantian, and it was a method almost no one knew.
Even Zeke himself had thought it was absurd when he first heard about the ether hall from his master.
Because it was a concept that defied common sense.
Knights who awakened their aura and opened their lower dantian couldn't use mana.
Conversely, mages who awakened their mana and formed a circle in their heart couldn't use aura.
It was impossible to possess both a lower dantian and a circle in one body.
Zeke, who could use Healing, a type of magic, couldn't use aura.
However, by opening his ether hall, he became able to use mana, the source of both magic and aura.
By wielding mana, Zeke could use a different kind of power than aura.
Decker stared at Zeke and said,
"Are you hiding something from me, young master?"
At his serious question, Zeke also stared back at Decker and said,
"Are you hiding anything from me, Decker?"
Decker closed his mouth at Zeke's words.
In his past life, Decker had been a loyal servant who protected him until the very last moment when he was expelled from the family.
But now that Zeke knew Decker was hiding his strength, he couldn't let his guard down.
'Maybe... the other direct descendants deliberately placed him here.'
Decker slowly opened his mouth.
"May I ask why you suddenly changed?"
Just yesterday, Zeke was trying to figure out how to skip the Pankration test.
But in a single day, he had changed drastically.
Zeke turned to look at Decker.
"That's the wrong question."
A strange light flickered in Decker's eyes.
Zeke continued in a chilling voice,
"You should have asked why I didn't change sooner."
Decker didn't answer Zeke's question.
Zeke gestured to Decker as if he hadn't expected an answer.
"You know the test in a week is a swordsmanship duel, right?"
Decker nodded.
"Yes, young master."
"Prepare a sword for me."
"A different one than the one you usually use?"
"How can I duel with that hollow piece of trash?"
Zeke frowned and said,
"Prepare a claymore for me."
Decker replied in a calm voice,
"Claymores are longer and heavier than ordinary swords."
"I know. The heavier the better. I'll adjust it later, so just bring one from the warehouse."
Decker stared intently at Zeke and then nodded.
"As you wish, young master."
"And make a reservation for the personal training room this afternoon. I'll go right after lunch. Leave the sword in the training room."
"As you wish."
After receiving all the instructions, Decker left the room without another word.
Zeke took a deep breath as soon as Decker left.
"Whew... I keep learning things I didn't know in my past life as soon as I regress."
Zeke calmly collected himself and organized his thoughts about the future he knew.
Knowing the future was a powerful weapon.
Over the next 20 years, many events, big and small, would take place on the continent, leading to a time of great change.
He made plans to use the future he knew to his advantage.
'Just you wait, Drakers. This time, unlike my past life, I will use you thoroughly.'
* * *