I slowly opened my eyes. My vision was still blurry, but gradually everything came into focus. Once again, I was staring up at Naoki's bedroom ceiling.
"Ugh... I must have passed out after yesterday's fight." I muttered, recalling my last memory before blacking out.
"Ah... Lyra, Freya! Are they alright?! Ow, ow..." I tried to sit up, only to realize my body was still wrapped in bandages from the wounds I took fighting that Berserker Troll King.
"Hey there, Sleeping Princess... Finally awake, huh? Geez, you're such a slacker!" Envi suddenly appeared, grinning as he mocked me.
"You... seriously, can you not? I just woke up; the last thing I need is you irritating me," I shot him an annoyed glare.
"Alright, alright... But do you realize how annoyed I am with *you*?! You got to sleep on the laps of two beautiful girls! This is just unfair! I want that too!" Envi suddenly threw a tantrum, his expression a mix of exaggerated pouting and a sulky emoji.
"Hey, it's not like I chose to faint there. I was just exhausted after that fight..." I defended myself.
"Excuses, excuses!" Envi huffed, crossing his arms.
"Besides, if you wanted it that bad, you could've taken control of my body when I was out cold. Why didn't you do that?"
"I wanted to, obviously... BUT I CAN'T! When you pass out, I pass out too, remember?" he grumbled, looking even more frustrated. I couldn't help but laugh a little now that I understood why he was so mad.
"Look, just think about it for a second! If you ever acted out, Naoki's reputation would be in shambles—worse than it already is! Seriously, why does a system like you want things like this? You're acting like a creepy old man! Should I start calling you Mr. Perverted System or something?" I lectured him thoroughly.
"Ugh… that's not it... but, well, you're not wrong either... *sniff*." Envi looked genuinely sad now.
"Alright, alright. When the time comes, I'll let you take over and say hi to a few girls. But you'd better behave!" I sighed, giving him a begrudging promise.
"Really?! YEAY! Thank you!" Envi was practically glowing with a happy emoji now.
What a handful of a system.
"Anyway, putting that aside… What about Lyra and Freya? Are they safe?" I asked Envi, my worry for them creeping back in.
"I have no idea. I only woke up when you did, so I don't know what happened afterward," he replied.
"Hmm... In that case, I'll ask the maids or someone from Naoki's family. They're bound to know." I resolved, dressing myself before heading out of my room.
As I opened the door, I saw three familiar maids waiting outside, all standing neatly in a row. As usual, they were Vivin, Rosan, and Elan, the maids responsible for looking after Naoki.
"Ah, young master Naoki, you're awake," Rosan greeted me.
"Thank goodness, young master. It seems your injuries are beginning to heal," Vivin said with relief.
"I'll inform the Patriarch right away," Elan excused herself and hurried toward the Patriarch's room. Looks like I'll have to face that old lion soon.
"By the way, Vivin, Rosan, do you know how I got back here? The last thing I remember was passing out after the boss fight," I asked, genuinely curious.
"Oh, well… two young ladies, both knights, brought you home. You all looked pretty roughed up. They said you'd just fought a boss monster and that you'd saved them," Rosan explained with some detail.
"Good thing you gave them your name, or they wouldn't have been able to bring you to the Blackmore mansion," Vivin added.
"After making sure you were safe, they took their leave. We urged them to treat their own wounds, but they insisted they had to report the incident to the kingdom and see to their fallen comrade," Rosan continued.
"I see… they must be heartbroken about losing a friend and couldn't bear to leave them behind." I felt a little relieved knowing they were safe, though a hint of sorrow lingered.
"Don't look so down! You'll have a chance to see them again and make sure they're okay," Envi encouraged, sensing my worry.
"That's right. And young master Naoki, we, your personal maids, are truly proud to know you helped those knights in their time of need," Rosan praised me warmly.
"Yes, exactly, young master Naoki. You must be stronger than ever! And we're grateful your injuries weren't worse—it only took you two days to wake up," Vivin said, her eyes glistening.
"W-what?! I was unconscious for two days!" I couldn't believe it. All that precious training time… gone.
"Yes, sir... But this is much better than last time. For a full recovery, you might need another two days of rest," Vivin advised, her expression laced with worry.
"Ugh, fine… Thanks, Vivin, Rosan. I'll focus on healing up," I assured them.
Vivin and Rosan exchanged surprised looks but then smiled at me warmly.
"Please recover quickly, young master Naoki." Their voices were in unison, and somehow, hearing them made my injuries feel a bit lighter.
…
…
Elan returned, informing me that the Patriarch wanted to see me to discuss the monster incident. I followed her, with Rosan and Vivin by my side.
As always, his office exuded a chilling aura. I steeled myself and stepped inside.
The Patriarch sat at his desk, flanked by the Blackmore family's knights. Among them stood William, the head of Blackmore's forces—a middle-aged man with entirely white hair, clad in black armor, armed with a sword and shield. He seemed to be the Patriarch's trusted right hand, close in age as well.
"Ah, Naoki. You're awake. Now, tell me everything that happened." The Patriarch's voice was firm as he requested my account.
I recounted the events—starting from the mini-boss battles to the shocking transformation of the Troll King into a Berserker Troll King, as well as the strange sense of demonic influence.
Hearing this, both the Patriarch and William looked troubled.
"That shouldn't be possible. How could demons manipulate a mini-boss and turn it into such a powerful monster?" The Patriarch mused, deep in thought.
"True. But we need to investigate immediately. If there's any truth to this demonic involvement, we can't sit idly by. We must inform King Leonhart," William declared firmly.
"Very well… Even if I can't be entirely sure of Naoki's report, William, go to the northern forest and examine the place where Naoki fought the boss. Perhaps we can find some clues." The Patriarch ordered with resolve.
William and his knights left swiftly, heading for the royal forest to the north.
The Patriarch fixed his gaze on me and asked pointedly, "Naoki, are your wounds healing well?"
"Most of them are, Patriarch. With two more days of rest, I'll be fully recovered," I replied earnestly.
"Good. And don't forget, in five days, you'll duel Mark," he reminded me sternly.
"Of course, I haven't forgotten. I'm preparing," I responded confidently.
"Very well. You may go and rest," the Patriarch concluded.
I left his office, noticing my maids waiting for me outside. But Milly was also there, looking concerned.
"Brother Naoki, are you alright?" Milly asked softly.
"Yeah, don't worry. It's nothing serious," I replied with a reassuring smile.
"Nothing serious? You were out for two days! It's not that I was worried or anything, but you keep getting hurt too often!" Milly's tsundere side showed as she chided me.
"Ugh... I'll be more careful next time. Now, will you join me for lunch before I head back to rest?" I said, patting her head to calm her down.
…
…
After lunch with Milly, I learned that Mark and others who disliked me in the Blackmore family were spreading rumors that I'd run from the monster fight in defeat. I felt a flash of anger but held it back. My priority was recovery—I'd set things right in the duel.
Returning to my room, I collapsed onto my bed. Then, I remembered something.
"Status, open."
My status screen appeared, revealing that I'd leveled up twice after defeating the Berserker Troll King. I decided to boost my STR and AGI for stronger attacks. Then, I saw something surprising...
----------------------------------------------------------
Name: Naoki von Blackmore
Level: 32
Title: Failed Hero
Condition: Need Recovery
HP (Hit Points): 3,500
MP (Mana Points): 2,000
Strength (STR): 45
Vitality (VIT): 35
Agility (AGL): 55
Intelligence (INT): 25
Skills:
1. Swordsmanship Lvl 3:
Blackmore swordsmanship, Iaido style Technique, and katana style skills are combined, forming exclusive skills..
Blackmore Katana Style:
-Kazekiri
-Inazuma
-Yanagi Uke
2. Resonance Lvl 1:
-Karyuu no Issen
3. ??? (Locked)
Goddess Points: 70
----------------------------------------------------------
I was stunned by the evolution of my skills. Now, I had an exclusive skill: Blackmore Katana Style. This is definitely going to shock the Blackmore family when they find out—haha.
I also noticed that Resonance had become one of my skills. With this, I could wield both sword techniques and magic in my attacks. But first, I'd need to learn magic.
Alright, for now, I'll focus on resting. Maybe the day after tomorrow, I'll try to find Lyra and Freya.
...
...
---Continued to the next chapter---