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Chapter 10
The Dragon Heart was the source of magic and an indispensable element for Dragon Word Magic.
Rian, though not a dragon himself, had naturally learned the breathing technique according to Seifried’s arrangement. Since understanding the dragon’s breathing was essential to continue using Dragon Word Magic, Seifried had prepared it in advance.
For whatever reason, this allowed Rian to use the dragon’s breathing technique unconsciously—whether while breathing normally, walking, or even sleeping.
Thanks to it, his body grew stronger with each passing day, and he rarely felt fatigue.
Looking back, Rian thought that even surviving the shock of receiving Dragon Word Magic and regaining consciousness five days later might have been thanks to the breathing technique.
Now, on the opposite side of his heart—on the right side of his chest—another heart had taken its place, a product of the breathing technique.
Should it be called a Mana Heart? The mana that entered Rian’s body through his breathing had settled there naturally.
It felt as if the space were filled with air. Vague as it was, there was no other way to describe it.
Although the amount of mana accumulated was still small—enough only to mimic a fireball or lightning ball the size of a pebble—Rian knew that time would allow it to grow.
“Lord, Madam is looking for you.”
Hearing the butler Alman’s voice from outside, Rian quickly withdrew the sparks flying from his hands.
Since he hadn’t told anyone about magic yet, and especially about the Rare, he had to be particularly cautious.
“Tell her I’ll be there soon.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Listening to Alman’s footsteps fade, Rian slowly rose to his feet. Sitting for so long had made his waist stiff.
To get some fresh air, he walked to the window and opened it wide. Since it wasn’t yet sunset, it didn’t feel as refreshing as he had hoped.
Just as he was about to turn away, he saw Flynn’s large figure below the window. Beside him was a burly man, which made Rian’s eyes widen.
‘That’s…’
It was none other than the very man who had joined as a butler after Alman’s death through the recommendation of the estate managers.
“Has time really passed this much?”
Rian couldn’t remember the exact date, but it seemed like Alman had died around this time. He vaguely recalled the funeral on that day, the sunlight striking unusually bright.
But had this man been coming to the estate even before Alman’s death?
Rian first saw him the day after Alman’s funeral, when he came with the estate managers to pay their respects to the new master. He had learned accounting under someone else and had expressed awe at the beauty of the estate, claiming it was his first time seeing such a magnificent place.
“…”
A sudden, inexplicable unease gripped Rian. Something about them felt suspicious.
After a brief pause, seemingly deep in thought, Rian hurriedly descended to the lower floor. He followed the two silently, doing his best to remain unnoticed.
Fortunately, they were heading toward the back of the inner estate rather than outside. During the pursuit, Rian passed several servants, but by simply pretending to pass by, the servants bowed their heads and went about their duties.
Soon, it seemed they reached their destination and entered the stables. Normally bustling with working servants, the stables appeared unusually quiet today.
Rian glanced around and quietly approached a small side gate he had secretly used during his servant days. As he often handled the estate’s horses as part of his duties, he was familiar with this route.
With a creak, the door opened. The stables were vast, and the sounds of the horses echoed, leaving no worry of being caught.
“They call me Syde,” a deep voice said.
Hiding under a pile of hay meant for feeding the horses, Rian couldn’t mistake the voice. The name was that of the butler who had succeeded Alman.
“It’s an honor. I’m Bertram, in charge of the stables.”
‘Uncle Bertram?’
Rian had suspected someone else might be involved besides Flynn and Syde, but the appearance of Bertram surprised him.
‘Why is he here…?’
“At a similar time, he joined the Count’s estate. When he was young, he was quite close to Alman, but after Alman became a butler, their relationship became strained. Considering his work, he’s the ideal person we were looking for.”
Flynn spoke boastfully, as if proud, without being asked.
“Seeing him so arrogant, as if he were a noble…”
Bertram, perhaps out of politeness in front of Flynn and Syde, did not continue, but Rian could sense his hatred toward Alman in that brief comment.
“If I become the butler, I’ll make sure you benefit handsomely.”
“Thank you, Butler Syde.”
Already wanting to curry favor, Bertram addressed Syde as “butler,” without hesitation, despite the age and social differences.
“Remember this. Everything depends on you. If you do your part correctly, we all succeed.”
“This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. Just trust me!”
Usually, Flynn’s voice had sounded sly to Rian, but at this moment, Bertram’s resolute tone felt far more sinister and vile.
It occurred to him: why hadn’t he realized it sooner?
The ridiculous carriage accident within the estate that took Alman’s life—Bertram had been the one driving that carriage.
Though skilled and experienced, he had claimed he couldn’t control the horses when they went wild, blaming himself heavily.
Though it was considered an accident, Bertram resigned and was expelled from the estate. Rian had not seen him since.
The man Rian remembered was not this; realizing that Bertram had orchestrated Alman’s death under the guise of an accident shocked him greatly.
“We’ll trust you.”
“See you later.”
“Both of you, be careful.”
It seemed today’s gathering had been organized to secure their schemes. Bertram would obtain a firm promise through the next butler, Syde would support Bertram’s resolve, and Flynn would be pleased watching them.
From the sound of their footsteps leaving the stables, Rian sensed the ugliness of the conspiracy clearly.
He had planned to save Alman from the carriage accident anyway. Since Alman’s death would throw the estate into chaos, Rian could not allow it.
Though only a few months had passed since becoming the lord, Rian knew how diligent, honest, and efficient Alman was.
What seemed like simply preventing a carriage accident had now become a matter of stopping a vile conspiracy—but it wasn’t too difficult.
The enemy did not know him, but he knew them; that alone was a huge advantage.
It took Rian a full fifteen days to discover the dragon’s Rare and return home.
His mother and younger sister nearly fainted upon hearing the news of his disappearance, only to see him return safely.
Thankfully, Rian returned unharmed, so no serious incident occurred, but from then on, the two women checked on him daily.
If Rian had been the previous master, he would have found this tedious. But having experienced family for the first time, he felt no annoyance.
“Mother, I’m home.”
“Welcome back, brother.”
Regina greeted Rian first upon opening the door.
“Lord, welcome back,” another familiar and welcome face appeared—the hero of the recent events.
“Oswald! How’s your body?”
Rushing to him as he rose unsteadily from his seat, Rian checked his condition.
The minor cuts and bruises on his face and limbs had mostly healed. His complexion had returned, and except for a cast on one leg, he looked normal.
‘Phew.’
Thankfully, the injuries were not life-threatening, though his age meant recovery would be slow, causing much worry.
Moreover, he had injured himself searching the mountains for Rian, which made Rian feel guilty.
He had planned to visit after seeing his mother, but Oswald’s recovery seemed advanced.
“Thanks to your concern, Lord, I’ve fully recovered. And again, please, lower your speech. Why do you honor me, your subordinate? Please, stop it.”
The previous master had treated everyone disdainfully, but Rian could not do so with Oswald.
The age difference aside, Oswald was the person who had enabled Rian to find the Rare.
Naturally, without him, Rian would not have faced the cliff accident—but because it happened, the Rare was discovered.
Rian had sometimes seen nobles show respect to older servants.
Oswald had even been directly knighted by the previous lord; there was no reason not to show respect.
For Rian, who had lived as a servant, this was far more comfortable.
“I told you before, Oswald is the knight who served my late father. You have every reason to receive respect from me, so don’t say that anymore, Mother.”
To preempt Oswald’s protest, Rian sought his mother’s support. Her word would compel him to follow.
As expected, when his mother requested it, Oswald blushed and lowered his head, allowing the call to give him time for treatment before departing.
“He’s such a kind person,” Regina murmured, and Rian nodded.
“Yes, without Oswald, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
When Rian had finished with the Rare and emerged from the hidden secret passage, Oswald was still scouring the mountains, exhausted.
Seeing that he alone could not succeed and had called for reinforcements to search for him, Rian was deeply moved by his loyalty.
Though now an old knight with diminished strength, Oswald had been the first person Rian could trust—the one who brought him luck in discovering the dragon’s Rare.
“So, Mother, I think I’ll appoint Oswald as my personal knight.”
“Oswald?”
“Yes. Though he may lack the strength of younger knights, I trust him the most. I can entrust my life to him in any situation.”
“But isn’t he too old?”
Rian shook his head.
“A personal knight doesn’t only need martial skills. Of course, strength is good, but the ideal knight for me is someone I can truly trust. Oswald has experience and skill from many years of life. There’s much I, a young one, can learn from him.”
“But what if real danger comes?”
“That shouldn’t happen. But if it does, I’ll protect myself.”
“By what power, brother?”
“I’ll train in martial arts diligently from now on.”
Of course, he had no intention of doing so. He just couldn’t talk about magic, so he framed it this way.
Still, Regina and Owen’s eyes widened at his words.
