Leo advanced toward the grand main gate of the Dainhart Estate with calm, measured strides. Towering stone walls stretched high into the sky, radiating the dignity and ancient prestige of one of the empire's greatest noble houses. Two guards stood at the entrance, their vigilant eyes fixed upon every soul who dared approach.
The moment Leo stepped within speaking distance...
Two gleaming blades crossed before him in perfect unison, barring his path.
One of the guards raised his voice with unquestionable authority.
"Stop right there!"
"Who are you?"
"And what gives you the audacity to enter the Dainhart Estate without permission?"
Leo halted.
He neither answered nor showed the slightest reaction.
He simply regarded the two men with a cold, indifferent gaze, as though their challenge was beneath the value of a response.
Silence lingered for several seconds.
Then one guard leaned toward the other and whispered, though not quietly enough to escape Leo's ears.
"...Wait."
"Isn't that... the youngest son of the family?"
"Leo Dainhart?"
The second guard blinked in disbelief before replying with poorly concealed contempt.
"What?"
"That useless failure who ran away from the estate?"
The first guard nodded confidently.
"I'm certain."
"He's grown a little taller..."
"But there's no mistaking him."
Once again...
Silence settled over the gate.
Leo continued staring at them, his expression completely unreadable.
Yet beneath that tranquil exterior...
Something cold began to awaken.
A pair of gatekeepers...
Nothing more.
And yet they dare slander the young master of the house to his face without the slightest restraint.
Astonishing.
It seems they've forgotten where they stand...
Very well.
A small lesson should remind them.
His eyes slowly rose to meet theirs.
There was no visible anger within them.
No blazing fury.
Only an eerie calm.
A calm so absolute that it inspired far greater terror than rage ever could.
Within those silent crimson eyes lurked an overwhelming killing intent.
In an instant...
The blood drained from both guards' faces.
Their breathing froze.
Their muscles locked in place as though invisible chains had wrapped themselves around every limb.
Neither of them could move.
Neither could even summon the courage to blink.
It no longer felt as though a young noble stood before them.
It felt...
As if an ancient predator had fixed its gaze upon insignificant prey.
Then...
Leo slowly raised one hand.
A delicate magic circle blossomed beneath his fingertips.
The next moment—
An overwhelming gravitational force descended upon the two guards.
BOOM!
Their knees slammed violently against the stone pavement.
The impact echoed through the entrance hall.
The crushing pressure forced them onto their knees, pinning them so completely that resistance became impossible.
Bones groaned beneath the unbearable weight.
Blood seeped from their shattered knees, staining the white stone beneath them crimson.
Their entire bodies trembled uncontrollably as the relentless gravity threatened to crush every joint in their bodies.
Leo looked down upon them from above.
His voice remained quiet.
Measured.
Yet every syllable carried an authority heavier than the spell itself.
"Do you understand..."
"...what your mistake was?"
The guards shivered violently.
Despite the agony threatening to break their bones, they lowered their heads even further.
Their voices quivered with terror.
"This... this pair of worthless servants dared to insult the Young Master..."
"We beg the Young Master to punish us however he sees fit..."
Sweat poured from their faces without end, mixing with the blood gathering beneath their knees.
Leo remained silent.
Several long moments passed.
Then he finally spoke.
"Good."
"If you understand your offense..."
"I won't prolong this."
He paused.
Then delivered his judgment with chilling indifference.
"Each of you..."
"Cut off your left ear."
"Now."
The world seemed to stop.
The guards' eyes widened so far they nearly burst from their sockets.
"W... what...?"
Leo's expression never changed.
"You heard me."
Silence returned.
Both men swallowed painfully.
Their hands shook so violently they could barely grasp the hilts of their swords.
Cold sweat soaked their uniforms.
Fear had completely devoured whatever dignity remained within them.
Leo simply stood there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Neither urging them onward...
Nor offering them mercy.
Only silence.
An eternity seemed to pass.
Then—
Two muffled cries echoed through the estate.
Steel flashed.
Moments later...
Two severed ears fell upon the stone floor.
Blood splattered across the entrance as both guards bit down on their screams, refusing to utter another sound.
Leo gave a faint, satisfied nod.
"Good."
Without sparing them another glance...
He walked past them and entered the estate.
Behind him remained two men who would remember this day for the rest of their lives.
---
Within House Dainhart, every heir who reached the age of eighteen was expected to leave the main manor and reside within a personal residence elsewhere inside the family's vast territory.
It was considered the first step toward independence—and the beginning of the responsibilities that accompanied noble blood.
For that reason...
The main estate no longer bustled with members of the family as it once had.
Most of those who remained were servants, a handful of younger heirs who had yet to come of age, and the family's principal wife, a woman whose rare appearances had become little more than rumor among the servants.
As Leo walked through the magnificent corridors...
Fate displayed its peculiar sense of irony.
The very first member of the Dainhart family he encountered...
Was Lionel Dainhart.
The instant their eyes met—
Lionel froze.
Every trace of color vanished from his face.
His pupils shrank.
His breathing became ragged.
His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
A memory—one he had desperately tried to bury—rose from the depths of his mind.
The Pain Spell.
The nightmare that had shattered both his pride and his spirit.
Even now, the mere sight of Leo was enough to awaken that lingering terror.
He staggered backward.
Then screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking beneath overwhelming panic.
"T-The... Devil...!"
"The Devil has returned!"
Without waiting another heartbeat...
He turned and fled.
He ran with every ounce of strength he possessed, as though remaining within Leo's sight for even a second longer would cost him his life.
Leo watched him disappear around the distant corridor.
A faint smile curved upon his lips.
Good.
It seems...
He truly learned his lesson.
---
Leo continued deeper into the manor.
Before long, an elderly servant stepped gracefully into his path.
His silver hair was neatly combed.
His immaculate uniform reflected decades of unwavering discipline.
Every movement radiated dignity and refinement.
It was Franz...
The head butler of House Dainhart.
The old man bowed respectfully.
"Welcome home..."
"Young Master."
Leo looked at him quietly.
If memory serves me correctly...
He was one of the very few...
Who always treated the original Leo with genuine respect.
Unlike the others, Franz had never mocked him.
Never looked down upon him.
Never allowed the family's prejudice to cloud his own judgment.
Leo gave a slight nod.
"You've done well."
For the briefest moment...
Surprise flickered across Franz's composed expression.
It wasn't the words themselves.
It was the manner in which they had been spoken.
The Young Master's voice had changed.
It possessed confidence.
Weight.
Authority.
Even his eyes no longer belonged to the timid, broken child who had departed months ago.
What exactly happened to him...?
What kind of trials could transform someone so completely?
The questions surfaced naturally within Franz's mind.
Yet his years of service had taught him restraint.
He concealed every trace of curiosity behind another respectful bow.
---
Without another word, Leo made his way toward his old room.
He slowly opened the door.
The familiar darkness welcomed him.
The room remained just as he remembered.
Quiet.
Dim.
Wrapped in silence.
Yet despite his long absence...
Not a speck of dust could be found.
Every piece of furniture had been meticulously cleaned, as though the servants had continued maintaining the room every single day, patiently awaiting the return of its forgotten owner.
Leo stepped inside.
His fingers gently brushed across the edge of an old wooden table.
His eyes slowly wandered across the room.
Everything...
Began here.
These walls had witnessed countless lonely nights.
They had watched over a childhood drowned in silence.
They had listened to tears no one else ever heard.
They had become silent witnesses to a boy abandoned by nearly everyone around him.
And after everything...
I've returned to this place once again.
How strange...
How ironic.
A faint smile appeared upon his lips.
Yet...
For reasons I cannot fully understand...
This room feels strangely familiar.
Almost... comforting.
Alovenus himself could not completely explain that feeling.
It did not belong to him.
It belonged to Leo.
To the lingering emotions that still slept somewhere within this body.
He quietly exhaled.
Then shook his head.
Still...
Now isn't the time to lose myself in sentiment.
Time grows shorter with every passing day.
And the road ahead allows no room for hesitation.
Yet...
For this one night alone...
He permitted himself to stop running.
He sat against the wall that had silently witnessed the original Leo's entire childhood.
Then closed his eyes.
Perhaps it lasted only a few quiet moments.
But within those fleeting moments...
He found something he had not felt for a very long time.
Peace.
A rare, gentle stillness that soothed a heart burdened by countless secrets, relentless responsibilities, and an endless journey.
And so...
The night passed quietly.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Leo's heart found a measure of rest, gathering silent strength before the storms that undoubtedly awaited him in the days to come.