I had done nothing but train all this time, sharpening my dual-sword style again and again.
Honestly, I was starting to feel like Arthur Dayne from Game of Thrones.
Heh.
I chuckled to myself quietly.
"What are you laughing at on your own?"
I jolted and turned. Sir Tev was standing right behind me.
"Sir–Sir Tev!? How did I not notice you? I didn't even hear your footsteps!"
My words were messy at first, but I forced myself to speak clearly.
He raised a brow. "When you reach my level, you'll be able to do the same. But you still haven't answered—why were you laughing?"
"Oh, it was nothing, Sir Tev. Just… remembering something from the past."
"Hm. Whatever." He waved it off. "I'm here to tell you that we depart tomorrow morning for Ashford."
"You mean the Ducal City?" I asked.
"Yes. So sleep well tonight, because after tomorrow, I don't know when you'll get a proper night's rest again."
Sleep well?
As if I'd been sleeping well in this freezing servant room.
But I didn't dare say that aloud.
"Yes, sir."
I turned to leave, but he stopped me.
"I have a gift for you."
A gift?
For a moment, I froze. Nobody had ever really given me anything before.
He reached into his spatial ring and pulled out a pair of spectacles.
"Sir, I think there's a misunderstanding," I said.
"My eyesight is perfectly fine."
He cut me off before I could embarrass myself further.
"These aren't normal spectacles. They'll help you hide your red eyes by changing their color. They also allow zooming and enhanced vision beyond normal human limits."
He placed them in my hand and continued,
"I don't want anyone in the Duke's household questioning your eyes or mistaking you for a half-demon—or a spy—and trying to cut you down. If someone asks, simply say you have weak eyesight. I don't have the patience to explain."
And with that, he left.
The weight of the situation finally hit me.
He wasn't exaggerating. One wrong glance, and someone might try to kill me.
I placed the glasses into my system storage and headed back to my room.
After taking a freezing shower, I stood in front of the small cracked mirror.
The boy I saw wasn't the thin kid I used to be. My body had gained muscle, lean but defined—well, as defined as a fourteen-year-old's could be.
My face looked sharper too, my crimson eyes glowing faintly.
My hair had grown long enough to brush against my nose.
I should get a haircut soon…
Then I remembered the "gift."
I summoned the glasses and put them on.
At first, nothing looked different—just me wearing glasses.
But then I looked closer.
My iris color had changed.
Crimson → pitch black.
"...Wow."
This could really save my life. I definitely didn't want anyone mistaking me for a half-demon.
I took the glasses off and laid on my bed.
Tomorrow, I'd be leaving the village.
Tomorrow, my mission would begin.
And the characters I'd once read about in the novel…
I'd finally get to see them—meet them—alive.
Excitement buzzed through me.
Still, I forced myself to sleep.
The last thing I wanted was to make Tev angry.