=====
[Notification]: Affection increased by (20).
*Current affection: -10
=====
Affection had gone up by 20 in just 2 hours.
This was definitely a profitable deal.
'Just a little more and...'
He should be able to bring the affection up to 0.
Just as he was smiling with satisfaction.
"Ferda is amazing."
Silvan suddenly muttered.
His voice sounded somehow weak.
"You have lots of mercenary experience and you're even great at swordsmanship."
Among those, being 'great at swordsmanship' was a truth Silvan had witnessed himself. He'd so easily subdued Casher, the swordsmanship genius everyone praised.
"Compared to Ferda, I'm really worthless."
Silvan buried his head between his knees with a darkened expression.
"My swordsmanship is terrible too."
It was true.
In the original story, Silvan had a seriously poor understanding of swordsmanship.
More than anything, he was seriously clumsy.
Regardless of talent for swordsmanship, he was someone who shouldn't be holding a sword in the first place.
"I've never succeeded at spirit magic either."
Dark elves are born with spirit affinity.
Even with half-blood, he should normally inherit some of it.
But Silvan Arcdute had no talent for spirit magic either. His affinity was actually lower than ordinary humans.
"Why am I like this?"
"..."
"If I was good at something, then I wouldn't have had to come to a place like this..."
That was wrong.
Even if Silvan had talent for swordsmanship, he would have come to the Count's estate.
No, he had to come. Because that was the 'promise.'
But it was too early to talk about that now.
"Silvan."
Ferda, who had been quietly listening, opened his mouth.
When Silvan peeked his head up, he placed his hand on his chest.
"Living as a mercenary all these years, I've learned many things. And among them is the ability to roughly figure out what someone's talent is."
It was a lie.
How could he figure out someone's talent just from seeing them a few times?
Ferda didn't have that ability.
Instead, he had read all of "The Savior."
So he could say with confidence.
"I know what talent you have."
"My talent?"
"Yeah. Though I can't tell you right now."
Distrust gathered in Silvan's eyes.
His fingers gripping his arms tightened.
"If you're just making something up..."
"It's not a lie. I just can't say it right now."
Ferda met Silvan's eyes.
"But I'm certain of this."
Eyes filled with sincerity.
Then a voice full of conviction struck Silvan's ears.
"Only I can awaken your talent."
"..."
"If you receive my guidance."
He paused for a moment.
Then he said with strength in his voice.
"You can become stronger than anyone."
"St-stronger than anyone?"
"Yeah. No one will be able to look down on you."
As soon as Ferda finished speaking, the room became quiet for a moment.
By the time the moonlight that had been at the edge of the table moved to the center.
Silvan, who had been silent, raised his head.
Then he asked in a voice that trembled as much as his eyes.
"...More than Casher, that bastard?"
Silvan clenched his fist while saying Casher's name.
He must have been really bitter about it.
Ferda smiled silently without a word. After a moment, he opened his mouth again.
To give an answer far more perfect than what Silvan wanted.
"Even Count Arcdute won't be able to treat you carelessly."
The Count was one of only five Sword Masters in the kingdom.
Even so, this was by no means empty words.
However, the trace of doubt in Silvan's eyes didn't disappear.
Well, of course. Anyone could say words like that.
But not just anyone could say something like this.
"I'll swear on the spirit of Cardiranto."
"...!"
Cardiranto, the god of truth.
Oaths made before him were absolute.
If you told lies, it was said that curses would befall you.
It was dismissed as superstition among humans, but he'd read that it was quite effective for other races.
'It doesn't matter if it's not superstition though.'
Silvan definitely becomes stronger than the Count.
He clearly remembered how he got stronger too. So Ferda could make bold promises.
Meanwhile, from the moment Ferda mentioned 'Cardiranto,' Silvan's eyes had become wide.
"Silvan."
Ferda looked at Silvan like that and raised the corners of his mouth.
A gentle arc resembling a crescent moon.
He continued with a smiling face.
"Become my disciple."
With that sweet whisper, a system message appeared.
=====
[Notification]: Affection increased by (10).
*Current affection: 0
=====
People naturally develop affection when you say nice things to them.
Especially when they know it's not just empty words, but the truth.
=====
[Notification]: Affection level zero (0) achieved.
*Special reward will be given.
*Reward: [Information Unlock]
=====
Silvan Arcdute has no talent for swordsmanship.
Archery, magic, sorcery, hunting, assassination techniques too.
He even lacks talent for spirit magic, which is a racial trait.
Truly talentless.
This was the setting for 'Silvan Arcdute' that appeared in the early part of "The Savior."
However, Ferda knew.
What talent Silvan possessed.
=====
[Name]: Silvan Arcdute
[Level]: 7
[Talent]: Necromancy - Mythical Grade
[Strength]: 10/12 [Stamina]: 6/10
[Agility]: 14/21 [Magic Power]: 80/150
[Charm]: 95/99 [Luck]: 45/75
[Affection]: 0
*The higher the affection rating, the better the educational effects.
=====
Talents also have levels.
Great Person grade, Hero grade, Legend grade, World grade, and Mythical grade.
Even the lowest level, Great Person grade, was talent enough to leave your name in history. For reference, 'Casher Arcdute,' who received so much praise in the Count's household, had Great Person grade talent.
Hero grade was talent to become the protagonist of an era.
Legend grade was talent whose name would remain even after hundreds of years.
But Mythical grade.
'He's not the protagonist for nothing.'
Ferda stuck out his tongue.
He'd known it, but seeing it again like this really hit home.
"Ferda?"
That's when Silvan tilted his head.
He must have been concerned about Ferda standing there blankly.
"Ah, I was just thinking about something."
"Thinking?"
"How to teach you."
He'd forgotten while looking at the status window, but Silvan had definitely expressed his agreement.
He'd nodded when asked if it was okay to teach the young master.
"So we're starting tomorrow?"
Excitement, anticipation, and even a strange fear. Silvan looked at Ferda.
But what came back was a negative answer.
"No, starting today."
"What?"
Silvan was shocked.
"But the time..."
"There are things we can do because it's late."
The current time was 10 PM.
As Silvan said, it was late to do anything.
"Don't worry. It's not difficult."
Ferda chuckled.
Then he mentioned 'what Silvan needed to do starting today.'
"First, from today on, don't go to sleep until after 2 AM."
"Huh?"
"When you sleep, keep the window open, and have a servant close it before dawn."
"W-wait."
Confused Silvan stopped Ferda's words.
"Why do I have to sleep so late?"
"Because it's connected to your talent."
There's something called 'nether mana.'
Also called negative energy, this is the energy needed to perform necromancy.
And the time when negative energy is most abundant is from 10 PM to 2 AM.
'Absorbing lots of negative energy increases your maximum magic power.'
There were hunters on Earth who used necromancy too.
That's what he'd heard from them.
There was also a similar story in "The Savior," so it was probably certain.
"But they said it's bad to sleep late."
"Who said such stuffy nonsense?"
"Fath— I mean, the Count..."
"Ignore him. You absolutely must stay awake until 2 AM."
What's so important about some Count?
Meanwhile, Silvan's mouth fell open.
He was surprised by Ferda's boldness in casually ignoring the Count's instructions.
"That's how my talent will awaken?"
"Yeah."
To be precise, there were tons of other things he needed to do besides this.
It was Mythical grade necromancy. Just awakening it would be incredibly difficult.
But there was no need to explain all this in detail.
"...I understand."
Silvan got up from his seat. He walked to the window.
Then he looked at the moon floating proudly in the night sky and muttered.
"I probably wouldn't have been able to sleep tonight anyway."
A lot had happened in one day.
It made sense that he wouldn't be able to sleep.
"I'll tell the servant myself."
He could just tell Aaron appropriately.
With that thought, Ferda left the room.
"Rest comfortably today. We'll start real lessons tomorrow."
At the mention of real lessons, Silvan's eyes sparkled for a moment.
With that as the last thing.
Thud—
The door closed.
As Ferda walked down the empty corridor to the first floor.
He sensed strange signs of life outside the window.
Rustle rustle—
The sound of fallen leaves rustling.
It sounded like the noise small animals like squirrels make when passing by. But if it really was a squirrel, he wouldn't have stopped or paid attention.
"Ah, right."
Ferda's gaze turned toward the window.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked outside.
"Now I remember."
In the mansion where Silvan Arcdute lived, there was one little rat.
A rat whose origins were clear, sent by someone.
"What to do."
The cleanest method would be to catch it and put a hole in its head.
However, Ferda didn't bother doing that.
It wasn't because he feared future troubles or found it bothersome.
"Well, I'll leave it alone for a while longer."
Because he'd thought of a useful way to use the little rat.
With his concern resolved, Ferda went down the stairs again.
Leaving the mansion, he looked up at Silvan's room on the third floor.
Silvan leaning against the window.
As soon as their eyes met, he was startled and hid behind the curtain.
At that sight, Ferda burst into laughter.
"Starting tomorrow, it's going to be busy."
With a voice tinged with laughter.
Ferda turned around, looking forward to tomorrow morning.