~Chapter 12~
It was supposed to be a simple review of a contract, and Glenn had acted confident about finding a lawyer. But there was still no news from him, and Riden felt more and more frustrated.
‘He looked like he was working hard… but is he just slacking off?’ she wondered.
Riden thought this was a fair suspicion.
After Riden left, Glenn got to work.
Today, he was visiting another lawyer’s office in the capital. A staff member led him to a reception room, and soon the lawyer appeared.
Glenn stood and offered his hand. “I’m Glenn Mannering.”
“Welcome! Very nice to meet you!” the lawyer said with a big smile.
Glenn felt hopeful, until he noticed the lawyer looking down at the form and asking,
“Your identification is incomplete. May I ask where you’re from?”
“Hmm.”
This was the second lawyer Glenn had visited that day. Earlier, when he introduced himself as being from the McCurry household, the first lawyer had asked him to leave immediately.
“Why…?” Glenn wondered.
This time, he decided to skip introducing the McCurry name for as long as possible. “First, let me tell you why I’m here,” he said.
“Of course, go ahead,” replied the lawyer.
Glenn explained he needed help with an old contract between two noble families. The lawyer smiled.
“Excellent! Noble family disputes are my specialty. So which families are we talking about?”
There was no avoiding it now. Glenn wiped the back of his hand nervously, then spoke.
“The McCurry family and the Kenw–”
“Ah, I’m terribly sorry! I must have misrepresented my area of expertise.”
“What?”
“Truly, I apologize!”
“Wait, what are you talking about?”
“Sir! Please rise and let us walk you out.”
“Wait! At least tell me why you’re doing this!”
But the staff quickly escorted Glenn out, and he found himself on the street. Frustrated, he stepped into a nearby shop, bought a pipe, and started smoking.
A bitter taste filled his mouth. The thought of disappointing Riden stung even more.
Meanwhile, inside the lawyer’s office, an employee asked,
“Should we be turning away a count’s butler like this? What if it damages your reputation?”
The lawyer sighed and handed over a paper.
“Have you seen this?”
It was a notice from the Kenwulf ducal family stating that any request related to the McCurry family must be refused. The wording was simple, but it felt like a threat.
“Three times it says it’s only a request, not a command. But it’s a command. Do you think any lawyer would cross the Kenwulfs?”
As the employee read it aloud, the lawyer looked out the window, seeing Glenn smoking.
“Marick Kenwulf… why does the eldest son of a duke work as a lawyer? It’s madness.”
“He’s the lawyer everyone hates to face in court. Always smiling, and kills you with words.”
“Why would he want to ruin the McCurry family?”
The lawyer shook his head and drew the curtain.
Meanwhile, at the Kenwulf ducal family’s townhouse, the sound of wooden swords rang sharply across the training yard.
“Tap! Tak! Tak!”
The sound stopped suddenly when a trainee tried to stab, only for his teacher to block it.
“Stop charging in like that! Didn’t I tell you? If you miss a stab, you’ll be left wide open!” scolded the teacher.
The trainee lowered his wooden sword, looking like a scolded puppy.
Ethan, leaning lazily on a bench, watched quietly. The teacher was right — a strong attack left too many openings unless you were absolutely certain of the target.
“Hey, you,” said Ethan, calling the trainee over.
The boy came running, trying to hide how downcast he felt. “Yes, sir! Trainee Kimberly, reporting!”
“What’s the basic rule in swordsmanship?”
“Keep your body turned slightly to reduce the area exposed to the enemy!” Kimberly shouted.
That was a good answer, but not the one Ethan was looking for. He waved the boy closer and said calmly, “Knees.”
“What?!”
The teacher had criticized the boy’s timing, but timing wasn’t the issue. The boy’s knees were too stiff, making him slow to move.
“Your knees must be strong. Without strong knees, your attack and defense will always be slow. Learn the basics first. Build strength, then technique. What would’ve happened if your knees had been ready when you spotted that opening?”
The boy’s face lit up as he pictured a successful attack.
Ethan gave a faint smile and nodded. “Exactly.”
The boy’s eyes shone with new understanding.
“Thank you, sir! I’ll practice hard!”
He started to run back to the practice area, then stopped, turned, and asked shyly, “If I work hard on both the basics and techniques… can I become a great knight like you one day, sir?”
Ethan thought for a moment. The boy had potential. If he worked hard, he could certainly become a fine knight.
But to become a knight like him? That was different. Most of what made him strong came from the dark god’s blood that flowed in him, and for that, he had sacrificed countless things. It wasn’t a path worth recommending.
Ethan gave a faint, bitter smile and replied calmly, “Trust yourself. Your talent will shine.”
The boy beamed, energized, and ran off. Ethan watched him quietly until someone came to sit beside him.
