There was clearly something off.
Ever since Julius had woken from his afternoon nap, his behavior had been strange. Running away from home was nothing new, he had done so countless times as a child, but this was different.
This time, he had severed his engagement with the woman he had been obsessed with, secured her family's independence from being swallowed by the Schneider group, suddenly declared he would take up the sword, and even rushed headlong into a fight.
Julius was never the type to do any of that.
After giving his statement to the military police and filing the incident report, Gabriel finally returned to the car where Julius was waiting in the backseat.
"Did you wait long?" Gabriel asked.
"No. What did you tell them?"
"Exactly what you said," Gabriel replied. "That it was the Young Master who subdued and killed the rampaging Glassheart."
"Good. Now drive."
Gabriel nodded and pulled out of the lot. According to Julius, the official story would be that he had singlehandedly put the Glassheart down. A convenient boost to his reputation.
But Julius had admitted it wasn't just for appearances. It was, in his words, to pad his résumé for the Revenant Knight application. At first, Gabriel thought he was joking.
But the more he watched him, the more he realized he wasn't.
"But that aside," Gabriel said after a moment, "you do know you'll need the Master's permission, right?"
"I'll deal with that when the time comes."
Gabriel glanced at Julius through the rearview mirror. Julius sat with his chin propped against his hand, staring blankly out the window at the passing lights.
"Are you rebelling?" Gabriel asked. "Or is this your second puberty? You're a little old for that—"
"Gabriel."
The seriousness of Julius's tone silenced him at once.
"Where does your loyalty lie?" Julius asked.
"Where else? To House Schneider."
"Then are you willing to abandon that loyalty?"
"…."
The question made little sense to Gabriel. Julius was rarely this serious when they were alone. Was he really going through another puberty?
"I was born and raised under House Schneider," Gabriel said after a pause. "To turn my back on that loyalty would be no different than erasing the very reason I exist."
"I'm asking as a friend. Not as your employer."
Gabriel said nothing.
"If my ambitions clash with the family's beliefs," Julius pressed, "will you still follow me?"
Gabriel's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"You're supposed to say yes, man…"
* * *
Days passed after the incident, and the media was set ablaze. Headlines flooded every screen and paper.
[Schneider Group's Youngest Son Subjugates Glassheart!]
[Public in Awe of Julius Schneider's Display of Power!]
[House Schneider's "Sleeping Lion" Awakens!]
Yet with the praise came doubt. Debates occurred over the truth of what had really happened.
Alongside the triumphant headlines, old acquaintances of Julius began to speak up.
[Wagner Heir Challenges Schneider's Youngest?!]
——I doubt it. I knew Julius during our academy days. He was never the type to show such bravery. In written exams, yes, he excelled. But when it came to physical training, he was usually among the bottom. If anything, it was probably that butler, Gabriel, who was always with him.
The statements spread as quickly as the headlines. Some accused the Schneider Group of staging the incident to bolster their reputation.
"Max, huh? That fucking snake."
Julius frowned as he scrolled through his phone. The speculations and reactions were one thing, but what irritated him most was seeing names he recognized.
After all, they were people who used to fawn over him back in their academy days.
"Well, I shouldn't be surprised."
Max Wagner, heir to the Wagner Family, had always been a snake, both in this life and the last.
"I shouldn't care either."
"You definitely do care," Gabriel added from the side.
"Of course I do! This guy was the reason—" Julius paused. Right then and there, he nearly spat out an event that had yet to happen.
"Hm?"
"Nothing. Anyway, have you processed my application?"
"Yes, it's currently under review. Have you informed the Master?"
"He called me first."
It was no small matter, and both of them knew that. The Schneider Patriarch had long since turned his back on his youngest son.
"And he acknowledged me."
It was for this very reason that, in his previous life, Julius had poured everything into earning his father's acknowledgment.
That desperate pursuit had, in the end, become one of the driving forces behind the very advance of the industrial magic revolution.
"He said I was finally living up to my name."
"…Is that so? Congratulations, then. But…" Gabriel's eyes turned toward the retractable photon saber on the nearby bench. "The Revenant Knights course doesn't cover the fundamentals. Do you even know what the basics are?"
"Swing here, swing there."
"It's not that simple."
"Then show me."
Gabriel studied him for a moment, then sighed and stepped forward. He picked up the saber. With a single motion, he extended the blade.
As he was about to demonstrate, Julius interrupted. "No, spar with me."
"Ah?" Gabriel blinked.
"Put it on safety mode."
The sabers sold in armories came with safety mechanisms that dulled the edge and reduced impact. It was designed for training and allowed soldiers to spar without fear of fatal wounds.
Gabriel frowned. "You've barely even held a saber, and now you want to spar?"
"Well, we live in an era where a blade is lighter than a bottle of liquor. I can manage."
"Show me your swing—"
Swoosh——
Before Gabriel could even finish, Julius extended the saber and lashed out in a blur.
In that fraction of a second, the blade cut through the air toward Gabriel with blinding speed, phasing right through him.
"…."
Gabriel was genuinely taken aback. Julius's swinging speed was equivalent to that of a seasoned knight.
No, it was even faster than that, enough to catch any trained swordsman off guard.
At point-blank range, it would have been a certain kill. And Gabriel was certain of that.
If not for the saber's safety mode, he would have lost his life right then and there.
Gabriel's eyes widened, and he swallowed hard before finally speaking.
"You know, I've been wondering this whole time…"
"…."
"But who are you, really?"