Sitting on the couch, Charles cleared his throat and forced himself to not cover his eyes while cursing inwardly.
'This damned guy is just too dazzling.'
Wearing a white rolled-sleeved T-shirt with unbuttoned top buttons, exposing a well-defined muscular chest along with a series of abs, the man took a puff of cigar while slumping down on his seat covered by a layer of mist.
Though his face looked haggard and tired, the sharpness behind those eyes can't be hidden and it pierce through the layer of mist.
After a few seconds of Charles staring at him blankly, the man appearing on the virtual screen grinned.
"Uh, Charles? Did you want something?"
Charles flinched and covered his eyes.
"Can't you wear your clothes properly? Why are you showing off your skin so much?"
Charles really wanted to hit this guy.
He was the Duke, a person who stands above others and should keep a dignified appearance but he always dresses like a hoodlum.
Charles had even heard the rumours of his grandpa thinking of adopting an orphan to pass the title instead of this guy. Fortunately, his father was a master swordsman otherwise he would have been kicked out.
"It's called manliness, my son. Manliness is not something that can be hidden by a mere piece of fibre."
Seeing Charles frowning, Duke Kai, his esteemed father clicked his tongue.
"Why do you frown so much as if you stepped on some kind of shit? From whom did you inherit that cold lifeless shitty rotten gaze? Just look at my face, every time I smile, spring blooms inside a girl's heart."
"Dad, please stop it."Charles requested with a serious gaze. For a moment, Charles felt that this guy called him ugly in several languages.
"That look, that look is exactly the reason you are single till now."Kai took a puff of the cigar and then blew the air gracefully as if he was practising a piece of art.
"When I was your age, the academy became a tourist place for girls just because of my presence. Girls from all over the world lined outside the Academy just for a mere glance of mine. That old foxy Josh bastard seeing the opportunity opened a business and allowed the girls to have a look at my godly face in exchange for five copper coins."
Charles facepalmed and wanted to hit him hard.
If there is a world record for being a narcissist then his father would be at the top.
"My mother is blind for marrying someone like you."
"Blind, yeah you are right. She became blind after seeing my face and crying pitifully, she begged me to marry her. She even threatened me with her death..."
BANG!
A loud explosion occurred and within the blink of an eye, something hit Kai and he crashed onto the ground.
The table on which Kai put his legs collapsed.
A layer of dust covered Charles's screen and as the smoke disappeared, a woman with green hair fluttering in the air appeared stepping over Kai.
"Kaiiii, do you think I will not kill you? Do you want to die?"
"Do you dare?"
"Sorry, forgive me my beloved Senorita. I was just teaching Charles about manl…. argh."
A crunching sound echoed.
"What did you say? Just wait! I will deal with you later. Hey, take him out."
A group of people came and lifted him, and ran back hurriedly in fear of the crisis that was about to come.
"Kheum...I...wAs just...joKin, "Kai screamed in fear but his lips were closed by the gag. The servants weren't unfazed as it was just a daily routine for them.
"And you?"
Charles's body flinched seeing her mother staring at him with a deep venomous gaze.
"Why did your rank fall?"
A sense of dreariness washed over him as soon as he heard his mom's icy voice.
"I am sorry. It's my fault."Charles bowed his head, feeling ashamed.
Unlike his carefree father, his mother was strict, way stricter than others. His education started early and his mother repeatedly warned him not to taint their reputation.
The previous mistake that he committed during the Dungeon Test almost made Kia tear him apart.
Seeing Charles's apologetic look, Kia's expression softened a bit but it was replaced quickly as soon as it appeared.
"Charles, listen to me."
"Yes, mother."Charles lifted his pale expression.
"Listen, Charles, I know I am being too much of a nuisance but I am doing all of this for you. Falling in rank is a grave matter however it's alright if it's not your mistake. If you are lazing around and doing nothing, I would punish you but if your rank is falling because others are better than you, then it is alright. Just work hard and take care of your health and yeah don't do shady things behind us. This is my final warning."
Charles stared at his mother's stern expression and blinked his eyes.
Even though his mother's face was stern, Charles could see a small smile hung over her lips and her eyes for some reason were filled with warmth and love.
"Don't worry Mom, I assure you.No more shady things. I promise you, I will become a better human, you can be proud of."
Kia's eyes widened and for a moment she looked around if the sun rose from the West this time.
'Is this my son or is someone impersonating him?'
"Charles, are you alright?''She asked with concern.
"Mom, I am fine. By the way, what happened to the Dark Church that we attacked? Did you find something?"
"Don't ask, your father and I had a headache dealing with them. There are 12 hideouts of these mongrels in our estate and these guys have sacrificed tons of lives. We also found a place where a live sacrificial ritual was going on where a hundred commons were going to be sacrificed."
"It's way worse than imagined," Charles muttered in disbelief.
"Hmm! By the way, Charles, we have received a request for patents from your friend. We will be entitled to 10% of the profit. I had looked over it. The proposal is good but unbefitting our position. We should receive 40% of the shares as it is gonna operate in our name. However, since you are the future heir and this guy is your friend. I will leave the decision to you."
Charles frowned hearing his mother's voice. While his father lazes around, it's his mother who takes care of the estate.
And his mother is a fierce businessman who always squeezes profits as much as possible.
"Mother, leave it. I am doing this to repay the favour he has shown me. It's better to show goodwill."
"Favour…what favour did he show?"Kia asked in surprise as she didn't know anything about this.
Charles's lips curled upwards and he spoke with a chuckle.
"It is a favour equal to owning my life.''
........
Lucas stretched a bit as he walked towards the gymnasium. Today was the beginning of his real hardcore training session with Sir Harris.
While strolling ahead, he couldn't help but think about his talk with Julian three days ago. The icy cold mask that she had worn had started to melt a bit and her expression had become more soft and gentle.
Those eyes which were always scrutinising him and keeping tabs on his moves, were now conveying warmth and genuine care.
The change and progress in their relationship over the last few days were too much for him to digest.
Though he was fascinated before, there wasn't any odd emotion but now every time she draws near him, those gazes and her sweet fragrance permeating the air around him are making him crazy. His heart would thump wildly now and then when he was with her.
Unless one is gay, there was no way your heart can remain steady.
"I am gonna die if things go further down the lane. Just focus on your goals Lucas, your goals. The difference in our status is quite huge," Lucas slapped his cheek to shake away those unnecessary thoughts and walked into the gymnasium.
....
Inside the gymnasium, Harris stood alone in a ring waiting for Lucas.
Lucas felt the solemn atmosphere that gave him a bad premonition.
"You are here," Harris asked.
"Yes, let's begin the training."
"Before that, I want to ask you. Do you really want to do this?"
"Yes," Lucas answered without any hesitation.
"In that case harden your heart and mind because my training is too harsh for weak ones as you may die."
"I got it," Lucas answered nonchalantly.
How hard can it be? At worst, he will end up with a few broken bones or limbs but all of them can be cured quite easily. There would be no life life-threatening situation.
'He is just exaggerating. He wouldn't cross the limit in the academy otherwise he would be reprimanded.'
Lucas felt pretty relaxed and excited thinking about it, however, the moment he saw Harris's expression his heart beat with panic.
"So, are you ready?"
Lucas's expression changed instantly as he looked at Harris's smile getting wider and wider.
The sudden shift from the initial blank expression to the wide smile gave him deja vu.
"I am ready, I…I guess?"Lucas murmured.
"Good!"Harris nodded and gave a dubious smile.
As soon as his words faded, Harris's image vanished before Lucas's eyes and even before Lucas could react, his mind became blank with a strong influx of pain. His vision became fuzzy as he lost consciousness due to being hit in the head.
Seeing Lucas knocked out on the floor, Harris gave a crooked smile.
"I hope you like this surprise, my disciples."
"These few days. It's gonna be fun.
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