Damned life

Chapter 4

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Episode 1 - Behringer family [4]

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I had left the training field, returning to the mansion and leaving Ashly unconscious.

On the way, I came across the room where my mother was talking to someone.

At that moment, Elisa diverted her gaze toward me as I passed in front of the door.

"Did you finish today's training, Lucius?"

Looking toward the room, I entered and nodded.

"Yes."

Elisa then extended her hand toward a man with white hair and blue eyes who was sitting in front of her and said,

"Let me introduce you to Grey Sephir, my guest I told you about."

I looked at the man called Grey Sephir and was slightly surprised.

'So, this is a Sephir? Quite impressive.'

Even in my past life, meeting a man like Grey was a rarity.

'It seems the title of Heroic Lineage suits this family well.'

At the same time, I slightly bowed formally and said,

"My name is Lucius Behringer."

"Grey Sephir. Although you already know, I am your uncle. Please, feel comfortable with me."

I slightly widened my eyes and asked,

"What exactly do you mean by being comfortable?"

"What do you mean?"

Grey answered my question.

"I carry the blood of the Sephir family, but I am not a Sephir."

Grey seemed somewhat surprised.

Although I had crossed a certain line by ignoring the Sephir family, it wasn't really of much importance.

Grey's gaze sharpened as Elisa said,

"This fool is terrible with his words, Grey."

Grey Sephir.

The second highest-ranking member of the Sephir family, right behind the family head.

Normally, a child my age would be delighted to address him as their uncle in a "comfortable" manner.

However, despite the blood ties, I knew it was more of a formality than a genuine family connection due to the strict family laws of the Sephir lineage.

That's why Elisa didn't introduce Grey as my uncle.

"I cannot publicly address you as my nephew,"

Grey said with a sigh and a smile.

"No problem."

Grey let out a laugh at my direct response.

"You are definitely not your mother's son."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Elisa glared at Grey, gritting her teeth.

Shortly after, Elisa turned to me and said,

"By the way, Lucius, have you seen a girl your age?"

I think she's referring to Ashly.

"Yes, why?"

"She is Ashly Sephir, your twin sister."

"....."

At that moment, I looked toward the door of the room, where some maids were carrying Ashly, still unconscious.

"Oh, my lady!"

Someone shouted loudly.

"What the hell happened?"

Grey jumped to his feet.

"Sir Erick, what's going on?"

Grey demanded an explanation from the knight who had been with Ashly earlier.

Erick proceeded to recount the events at the training field.

Grey shook his head upon hearing the details.

The reason for Ashly's defeat was clear to him.

At that moment, he looked at me and said,

"Defeating Ashly was quite a feat."

It seemed that Grey was praising me, but I shook my head and said,

"She underestimated me."

Grey nodded with a smile and replied,

"Indeed. Was there any agreement between you and Ashly?"

"Yes. We made a bet. If I won, she would serve me for the entire week."

"What?!"

One of the Sephir knights, visibly displeased, said,

"How can you think that's appropriate?"

"A member of the Sephir family becoming a assistant ?"

All the knights of the Sephir family present looked at me as if I were a criminal.

To their stares, I simply smiled and said,

"I don't believe the Sephir family fails to keep its promises, right?"

I could see Elisa smiling at that moment.

I suppose it's because she didn't expect me to say this in front of Grey without a second thought.

"Ashly is a Sephir. Members of the Sephir family cannot serve anyone. Instead, perhaps I could offer you a different reward for the bet, something like…"

Grey stroked his beard as his expression turned thoughtful.

A few seconds later, he finally lowered his gaze, looked at me, and said,

"... How about permission to learn the Sephir family's Black Aura? What do you think?"

With a sigh, I said,

"I refuse."

"What?"

"This bet was between Ashly and me."

I said as I turned toward the unconscious Ashly.

"She is recognized as a Sephir, isn't she? If she bears the name of a heroic lineage, she must keep her promises."

I turned toward Grey, looking him directly in the eyes with a smile.

"It is a decision Ashly and I must make, taking your opinion into account as well. And..."

I paused, heightening the atmosphere.

"I don't think it's worth accepting the Black Aura if it's only used as an excuse to protect my 'Sister.'"

He could see over his shoulder that all the knights of the Sephir family were offended.

"We cannot accept this disrespect!"

"How dare you insult Sephir's honor!"

All the knights shouted, clearly enraged.

Erick, disgusted by the scene unfolding before him, reprimanded them.

"What is all this commotion?"

"B-but, sir!"

Observing the scene, Elisa shook her head with a vacant expression.

"Oh, dear. It seems the family's standards have dropped significantly since I left."

The knights glared at Elisa, and one of them shouted,

"Regardless of your former Sephir status, you have crossed the line!"

Erick's eyes gleamed intensely.

"How dare you?!"

Just as Erick was about to unleash his fury, Elisa intervened, raising her hand to signal him to calm down.

She then stepped forward to address the knights.

"Crossed the line? Let me ask you this: who are you to recklessly interfere in a conversation about family matters?"

Her direct question left the knights in complete silence, staring at the ground.

"Well, uh..."

One of them tried to refute, but Elisa continued.

"Even though I am no longer part of the family, I am still proud of the honor carried by the Sephir name. That is why I believe it is my duty to speak on this matter."

Elisa's words left the knights with nothing to say.

"Knights like you meddle in the affairs of the family you serve? Are you truly knights? Or are you just animals barking at anything interesting they see?"

The knights said absolutely nothing after that.

It was then that Grey intervened, looking at the knight Erick and saying,

"Sir Erick."

"Yes, my lord."

"It seems this group still lacks the qualifications to serve as knights of the Sephir family."

"I understand."

The knights' faces turned pale as they could only stand silently with their heads lowered.

Erick left with the knights, his expression stern.

"But isn't it too harsh to disqualify them from their knightly titles?"

Elisa said, looking at Grey.

As a family of such high status, I knew exactly how difficult it was to serve them.

But Grey responded with a soft smile.

"Your points are valid; being a knight should not allow one to behave like an animal."

Grey was the type of leader who showed leniency toward his subordinates' mistakes but could be ruthless if those mistakes persisted.

But the knights had no choice but to retreat after Elisa's warning.

At that moment, Grey approached and said,

"Lucius. You said you would treat a direct descendant of the Sephir bloodline as your assistant and considered that Sephir's Black Aura was worthless. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Don't you think those claims are a bit hasty?"

Grey said in a calm tone while Elisa watched attentively.

I could think that Grey had already confirmed my standards based on my words.

But Grey continued to press me subtly.

Perhaps he thought I didn't meet certain requirements.

Besides, I understood it very well.

"I apologize if this seemed like an insult to the Sephir name, but I do not dismiss the Sephir name at all."

Grey smiled and said calmly,

"How is it not an insult to suggest that a direct descendant of the family should serve you and that the family's Black Aura has no value?"

"The problem with Ashly is that, as I have already said, our deal was made between her and me. I believed that if she were a true Sephir, she would keep her word."

Grey nodded.

"And saying that it's not worth learning it under improper circumstances does not entirely imply that the Sephirs' approach to mistakes lacks value."

Grey raised an eyebrow.

"Then?"

I quickly responded.

"I would have been content if, instead, you had granted me access to the Black Aura in exchange for defeating Ashly."

"But you mentioned offering me an opportunity to cover up Ashly's mistake, correct?"

Nodding, I replied.

"Yes. You believe that Ashly wouldn't have lost to me if she hadn't let her guard down."

Lifting my gaze, I stared intently at Grey.

"But even in a serious fight, I would have won."

"Ha ha, what an intriguing child."

Grey burst into laughter.

Then Grey averted his gaze and looked at Elisa.

"Just as you said."

"....."

I briefly glanced at Elisa in silence.

She returned my look with a smile.

"Take Ashly to the assistants' quarters."

"M-my Lord!"

The servants tending to Ashly on the stretcher looked perplexed.

"It's an order."

The servants carried Ashly to the assistants' quarters.

Grey turned to me with a subtle smile and said,

"Lucius, when I said I wouldn't address you as my nephew in public, I also implied that I would treat you like a nephew in private."

Grey's smile was gentle.

I thought Grey was hinting at my potential for growth.

And precisely because of that, I recognized it easily, nodded, and said,

"Yes, Uncle."

"Yes. You must be tired from training. Go and rest."

I gave a slight bow and then began to leave the room.

"Mother, good night."

I said to Elisa as I waved my hand, and she responded immediately.

"Goodbye, sleep well, Lucius."

***

Grey was impressed by Lucius's personality.

When he finally left, he looked at Elisa and said,

"Sister."

Elisa turned to Grey and asked,

"What is it?"

Grey had a smile.

He knew what to say, and then he said it aloud.

"I will try to get the family head's permission for Lucius to use the Black Aura."

"The Black Aura?"

Elisa had made the proposal.

At first, Grey had said it might be difficult to get the family head's permission for Lucius to use the Black Aura.

The symbol of the Sephir family.

The Black Aura that had built the Sephir family from nothing.

Learning the Black Aura granted considerable power, enough for the family to achieve the status of a hero's lineage.

Therefore, only a select few blood relatives were allowed to learn it.

Elisa was surprised; she hadn't thought it would actually be easy.

In fact, she had thought it would be impossible.

"Yes, though I can't guarantee our brother's approval. But Lucius displays more Sephir traits than anyone else I've seen."

His talent with the sword, evident in his victory over Ashly, was extraordinary.

He possessed potential beyond imagination.

"So I need to find an excuse to persuade my brother."

Elisa raised an eyebrow and quickly asked,

"Do you have one?"

Grey nodded.

"Yes."

Then Grey proceeded to reveal it.

"That Lucius is preparing to go to the Sanctuary of Heroes."

However, Elisa frowned.

"That's risky."

The Sanctuary of Heroes was the dream destination for any aspiring hero.

However, entering required exhaustive preparation.

It was said that all students at the Sanctuary of Heroes were prodigies.

Yet, very few managed to graduate.

Of course, the school refused to expel underperforming students.

Rather, they provided no support for students to continue their studies.

Students who couldn't keep up with the rigorous curriculum were given two options:

Withdrawal or death.

That was the harsh reality of life in the Sanctuary of Heroes.

And the entrance exam was just as dangerous.

Many lost their lives just during the practical entrance exams.

Therefore, Elisa wished for Lucius to receive more training before attempting the entrance exam.