**Chapter 6**
—
Ian raised a question.
“Isn’t that a bit of a leap in logic?”
“You think so too?”
“Even if the mute was at the center of the incident, he’s still a mute.”
“What about the youngest getting beaten up?”
“That’s not exactly unexpected. He may be a mute… but the youngest has been beaten by him once before, hasn’t he?”
Cain let out a soft chuckle.
Just as Ian said, the youngest—Bill—had indeed been beaten once by the mute noble five years ago.
*‘The young lord… before his condition worsened.’*
Taking that into consideration, Cain had to admit his speculation had been an overreach.
*‘Then… is there a third party involved?’*
Nodding to himself, Cain accepted the new hypothesis.
For now, it seemed the most plausible.
An unknown third party—someone who saw through Sebastian’s identity and intervened in the incident. That explanation fit best.
Of course, it was just one possibility among many.
Everything was still shrouded in mystery, so it was best to keep it as a tentative assumption.
Having sorted his thoughts, Cain gave Ian an order.
“From this moment on, do not act rashly toward Bayern.”
“…Father?”
“Is something wrong?”
“You’re going to give up on Bayern over something like this?”
Cain shrugged.
“Is Bayern our ultimate goal?”
“…?”
“Our true target lies higher, doesn’t it?”
“My apologies.”
“To reach higher, we must be even more thorough than now—eliminate all variables so the grand undertaking can succeed.”
With Cain’s response, Ian bowed and stepped back.
Watching him leave, Cain turned his gaze.
The grand Imperial Palace filled his view.
“In the end, we’ll be the ones laughing. No need to rush. Slowly and surely… removing every variable along the way.”
With those words, Cain rose from his seat.
He summoned a subordinate and gave an order:
Observe Arthur Bayern.
Watch for any changes in that boy.
—
—
Six months had passed since Sebastian had become an invalid.
Much had changed during that time, and Arthur viewed those changes with great satisfaction.
*‘The present is diverging drastically from the past I once knew.’*
Most noticeably—his mother.
Yonel Bayern had begun facing her responsibilities as Duchess with newfound determination.
In her previous life, she had struggled greatly with the title of Duke.
Having lived far removed from the world of power, it was no surprise.
But after the poisoning incident, she had visibly changed.
Though she still found the title burdensome, she no longer ran from it.
This change had a stabilizing effect on the wavering Bayern family.
*‘The number of people openly disrespecting Mother has clearly decreased.’*
And that wasn’t the only change.
With Sebastian incapacitated, Arthur gained significantly more freedom.
He devoted himself entirely to healing his body—and the results were astonishing.
In the previous timeline, he had only recovered at age 27. But now, at just 15, his body was fully restored.
> \[Arthur, finally…!]
> \[…!!!]
Hearing the spirits cheer, Arthur nodded.
A refreshing sensation—one he had never felt before—rushed through him.
To mages, it was mana.
To knights, it was called “ki.”
A mystical force he could never sense in his broken body—but now, Arthur smiled as it surged within him.
*‘Feeling this means… I can finally form a circle.’*
A “circle”—the mark of a swordsman’s level.
With a formed circle, he could wield a sword once more.
And that meant one thing.
*‘The traitors rooted in the family… It’s almost time to start purging them.’*
As he murmured to himself and his eyes glinted, a voice called out.
The new steward—Anna.
“Young master. Her Grace requests your presence.”
“Mother?”
“Yes. She invites you to dinner.”
Arthur nodded and rose from his seat.
He stepped out of his room and headed to the dining hall.
“My son!”
Yonel greeted him with a beaming smile—it had been a week since they last met.
Her face looked a bit thinner than before.
“Mother, are you unwell?”
“Hmm? Me? Sick?”
“Your face looks pale!”
Yonel gently patted Arthur’s head with a deeply moved expression.
“No, I’ve just been busy lately.”
“You should take it easy!”
“You’re right. For your sake, I’ll make sure to rest. But…”
She trailed off, looking up at him with admiration.
“You’ve grown again. Soon I’ll have to look up at you.”
Irene chimed in from nearby.
“Brother, did you grow again?”
“Hm? Did I?”
“Again!? But I’m not growing at all!”
Everyone around them burst into laughter at her outcry.
Yonel raised her spoon with a smile.
“Only good things seem to be happening these days. I hope it stays this way.”
The three of them had dinner together and moved on to tea time.
As they laughed at Irene’s antics, the family physician entered and bowed.
“Your Grace. You summoned me.”
Arthur turned to Yonel.
There could only be one reason for the physician to appear during family tea time.
*‘She wants him to check my condition again.’*
He was right.
“My son. You had a check-up two weeks ago, but let’s have another look, just in case.”
“Yes, Mother!”
Arthur sat in front of the physician, who began examining him thoroughly.
Before long, the physician gasped in amazement.
“His pulse and vitals are indistinguishable from a perfectly healthy person!”
Yonel asked quickly, clearly startled.
“Are you certain?”
“Absolutely, Your Grace. His rapid recovery was impressive before, but these past few months… it’s nothing short of a divine miracle.”
Hearing that, Yonel covered her forehead and slumped into her seat.
Startled, Arthur rushed to her, and she pulled him into an embrace.
“Thank you, my son…”
Even the physician smiled and gave advice.
“Now would be a good time to begin light exercise. At your age, if the body isn’t used properly, the muscles may not develop as they should.”
“Exercise, huh…”
Yonel considered the suggestion, then turned to Arthur.
“Would you like to train with your mother?”
“What kind of training?”
Yonel smiled.
“Target practice. It’s not strenuous and quite comfortable… just shooting practice.”
—
Yonel Bayern explained further.
“You may not know this, but Bayern traditionally hosts a hunting competition. It’s just a few days away.”
“……”
“We didn’t hold it last year… but we should start reviving such traditions. For the sake of our children.”
Arthur was quietly amazed.
*‘Wow… Has Mother changed even more than I have?’*
He had expected some change, but seeing her actively take part in family affairs was still surprising.
She had always felt crushed by her responsibilities.
That’s why Arthur saw no reason to decline.
After all, he needed to adapt to the 15-year-old body of Arthur Bayern.
Light exercise was welcome.
As the promised day arrived, Arthur and Yonel, accompanied by the Bayern retainers, headed to the backyard.
There, targets and firearms were neatly arranged.
Arthur glanced around and spotted a rugged-looking man with a gentle smile.
“Your Grace, you should lower your stance.”
**Cadillac Rynen**.
One of the traitors Sebastian had mentioned—and a knight of Bayern.
“You see, firearms must be used from a well-balanced posture to hit accurately. But your current form is off, Your Grace.”
Arthur quietly observed him and stroked his chin.
*‘Huh… A traitor acting as a teacher.’*
Had he not known the truth, he might’ve thought the man was a loyal knight.
Playing the role of the humble tutor to Yonel—he seemed like the picture of loyalty.
*‘Which makes him harder to deal with… If only he’d slip up, I could use that as an excuse to cut him down.’*
Not just Cadillac—every traitor was the same.
Outwardly, they acted as faithful servants, deceiving the household.
*‘It’s about time to start rooting them out… but that’s easier said than done.’*
Arthur knew who they were—but he lacked evidence.
Even if he had proof, he didn’t yet have the power to remove them.
Frustrated, Arthur clicked his tongue and muttered,
*‘Now that I’m healed, should I just assassinate them all?’*
He seriously considered it—then shook his head.
Cadillac was a 5th-circle knight.
Arthur, who hadn’t even formed his first circle, was no match.
So, he held back, watching and waiting.
Until one weekend morning…
Arthur, heading to breakfast with his family, froze at the sight before him.
“…?”
Besides Irene and Yonel, another person sat at the table.
And that face was all too familiar.
Arthur tilted his head and muttered.
*‘Why is a Swordmaster here?’*
—
—
Seated in a room reserved for blood relatives of House Bayern, the elderly man spoke.
“Oh ho… You’ve changed quite a bit. Are you really Arthur Bayern?”
Yonel smiled brightly beside him.
“Heaven must be watching over us. He’s improving day by day.”
“…So it seems, Your Grace. What a relief to be free of such a burden.”
The elder turned back to Arthur with a probing gaze.
Arthur ignored it and took his seat—then remembered.
*‘Marquis Holan Leverkusen. Supreme Commander of the Empire’s North and a Swordmaster. But why is he here?’*
In the future, there were seven Swordmasters in the Empire.
One of them—Holan Leverkusen.
The sword and shield defending the Empire’s north from the brutal barbarians beyond the snowy wastes.
Even in his fifties, he remained an active soldier.
Which made Arthur all the more puzzled.
Why was such a man visiting Bayern early in the morning?
Just as Arthur picked up his spoon, Yonel spoke.
“Irene, Arthur. Greet him. Marquis Holan Leverkusen has long maintained close ties with our house.”
Arthur blinked.
This was news—even to someone with knowledge of the future.
Holan, with his dashing mustache, chimed in.
“More accurately, I had a deep friendship with your late father. From your perspective… you could say I’m your godfather.”
A comment both distancing and familiar—skirting the line.
Yonel offered a faint smile, not reacting further, and attempted to steer the conversation.
Fortunately, Holan followed her lead, chatting amiably.
Irene showed little interest and clung to Arthur.
Arthur gently soothed her while keeping his eyes on Holan.
“…In any case, thank you, Lord Holan, for gracing our family’s hunting festival with your presence.”
“Your Grace made a noble decision. I couldn’t help but offer what little support I could.”
“No need to downplay it. I understand now what your visit truly means.”
Holan raised his teacup instead of replying.
Yonel clapped lightly.
“Well then, shall we move to the backyard for another cup? After sending the children off, we can share some light conversation.”
At her suggestion, Holan stroked his beard, then glanced at Arthur.
He paused, then made a request.
“Before that, may I speak with young Arthur for a moment?”
“…With Arthur?”
“He’s the son of an old friend. And I’d like to confirm his condition myself.”
Yonel beamed.
“By all means. Please keep my son company in the meantime. I’ll bring some tea and sweets.”
She left with Irene in tow, and the servants quickly followed.
Now alone with Holan, Arthur stood and greeted him.
“Greetings, Lord Holan Leverkusen!”
Holan’s eyes narrowed.
“Lord, hmm? Your act is quite something.”
“…?”
“Don’t bother pretending. I already know.”
**Holan Leverkusen**.
The Swordmaster’s sharp eyes bore into Arthur.
“I know the poison in your body is completely gone. You’re no longer stuttering.”
A heavy silence fell after his words.
Arthur blinked.
“….”
Just as Holan was about to speak again, Arthur raised the corners of his lips and broke the silence.
“Oh? How did you know I was acting?”
