"Lord Gordon is here to see you, my lord. Truly, you are a remarkable young man."
"You flatter me."
Unaware of Sylas's true feelings, Gordon greeted him with admiration. Once their introductions concluded, Gordon looked toward the sunset sky and spoke.
"It would be appropriate to inform the Countess of your arrival, but it has already grown dark. You must be tired from your journey, so how about resting well and meeting tomorrow instead?"
"I would be happy to do so. Thank you for your consideration."
Sylas readily accepted Gordon's suggestion. In fact, the mention of the sunset was somewhat of an excuse. If it were an important matter, he could easily find the time. However, delaying for a day had another reason.
'He must be telling me to prepare myself a bit.'
It also served as a chance for the count to mentally prepare before meeting his son. For Sylas, it was a proposal that had no downsides. No matter how good his looks and demeanor were, a shabby appearance would diminish his charm by half.
Considering the importance of their first meeting, it was rather a proposal he would prefer to ask for himself.
"The servants will guide you to the bath. After that, we will escort you to your guest room."
"Very well, I'll see you later then."
Maintaining a polite demeanor until the end, Sylas turned away. Gordon watched him with sparkling eyes, stroking his beard.
'Truly extraordinary. This young man raised among commoners is even more impressive than other noble youths… Oh dear, that's not right.'
To break the chain of thought, he shook his head. What he needed to focus on now was not comparing him to others, but rather the information he had to relay to his lord.
Gordon turned his attention to Roderick, who had returned from completing his mission.
"Thank you for your hard work, Sir Roderick. It must have been quite a struggle."
"How could I fear hardship when carrying out my lord's mission? It was simply my duty."
Gordon nodded at Roderick's dignified response. Although he was a young knight, Roderick was deeply loyal and sincere. Therefore, one could trust that his words were not false.
"You must have observed him closely while bringing him here. What kind of person is he?"
"He was an extraordinary individual! Without a doubt, he carries the blood of a dragon!"
"Is that so?"
Gordon replied somewhat dubiously to Roderick's words. A knight who had been so composed until now was suddenly so excited. It was as if he had met a hero straight out of an epic.
Once Roderick started talking, he continued with excitement.
"The journey was an adventure. Everything began when I arrived in that remote village."
"Hmmm, that sounds intriguing. Could you elaborate?"
"Yes, I entered the village without sensing anything amiss. But I was ambushed by those vile villagers…"
A bitter smile formed on Gordon's lips. Roderick was a good knight, but he had a tendency to romanticize chivalry and epic tales. Such knights often exaggerated even the smallest of adventures into something grand.
'It seems something noteworthy must have happened.'
With this thought, Gordon listened to the story with a light heart. But by the time Roderick finished his tale, Gordon's eyes were shaken with disbelief and confusion.
***
"Ah, this feels good."
Sylas's face relaxed as he sank into the warm bathwater. It had been ages since he had taken up the entire large tub by himself. In fact, ever since he left his family before his regression, he hadn't experienced such luxury even once.
'Thinking about all the hardships I endured makes my teeth grind even now.'
This world had extreme disparities in living standards based on wealth. When he boldly left his family, he thought, "Since I've come this far, I might as well enjoy the adventure." It wasn't until several days later that he realized that was all a foolish thought. With the discomfort of living, he felt like he was going insane.
'The food was disgustingly bad, bugs swarmed like crazy, and if you neglected your weapons, they'd become useless in no time.'
Just recalling that time still made his body tremble. He had no intention of living in such squalor again. Having suffered so much before his regression, he planned to rise as high as possible in this life and live comfortably in his old age.
'To do that, I need a good first impression.'
That's how people are. If they don't have anything particularly special, they think, "I'll just support them normally."
But what if that person is a genius? What if, by pouring support into them, they might become a figure that goes down in history?
Curiosity would naturally push them to support him. Sylas planned to appeal to his extraordinary qualities and gain as much support from the Count's family as possible.
'Well, I've already laid out the bait.'
Thanks to the foolish Gaiden, he had more than enough opportunities to shine. The rest would be conveyed to his father through Roderick. Now, all he needed was to make a solid first impression.
"Young master, I will wash your body for you."
"Understood."
At the maid's words, Sylas rose from the water. Although it was a bit embarrassing, it was customary for nobles in this world to leave such tasks to their servants. Remaining composed in such situations was also a sign of noble dignity. If he expressed embarrassment, he might just hear something like, "I guess the blood of a commoner can't be helped."
" Then, please excuse me... Oh my."
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
The maids paused for a moment but soon began to carefully wash Sylas's body. After drying off, Sylas smiled with refreshment and left the bath. Moments later, in the now-empty bath, the maids whispered among themselves.
"My goodness, he's still not even of age, yet he's so sturdy."
"Is it true that even a small piece of nobility is still noble?"
Unbeknownst to him, Sylas was already displaying the dignity of nobility.