Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

A man standing there, with nothing but his presence, exuded an intense and bold aura.

His thick, bold eyebrows and sharp features were unmistakable, giving off an impression of strength even at a glance.

With piercing eyes, a strong jawline, and a beast-like, towering physique.

A tiger. A ferocious beast.

Kaizan, who took immense pride in his own bloodline, compared to the Count, he was nothing more than a mere puppy.

‘The aura he gave off earlier… it was no joke.’

To exaggerate just a little, it reminded him of the feeling when Evelyn’s life-threatening energy had frozen his body.

After all, the nobles who had settled directly in the Labyrinth City, even though they were under the Empire’s rule, probably surpassed any potential opponent in strength, strategy, or even financial power.

Alfredo, the butler, was the first to greet him.

“Master, you’ve arrived.”

“The regular meeting ended sooner than expected. But what’s going on here? Looks like a massive ruckus happened.”

“I’ll explain everything. Please follow me.”

“No, I’ll hear it right here. Explain everything. Every single detail.”

The Count glanced around the sparring hall with a deep, penetrating gaze.

“The sparring hall is in disarray, being repaired, and the noble who frequently appeared recently is now sprawled out, completely wrecked.”

A chill ran through me.

I never thought I’d end up facing this situation at such a moment.

I was too focused on the fight to pay attention behind me. When did they even start watching?

‘Did I overdo it with the punches? Should’ve held back on the slap. This is embarrassing.’

“The last one… Oh? You’ve caught the attention of my one and only daughter, haven’t you? You’re exactly as Alfredo described.”

“Father! What do you mean, ‘caught my attention’? Don’t say such strange things!”

“Ahahaha! You’re pretending, huh?”

The Count continued with a subtle tone.

“Despite the list I handpicked for you, you suddenly choose a man I’ve never seen before to be your partner? Is there anything more to think about?”

“Well, the list you gave me was full of men who didn’t meet my expectations…”

At Leesia’s mumbling, the Count scratched his head awkwardly.

“Yeah, most of them were nothing special. The notable ones were all tied to other families or had already made public engagements, so I couldn’t include them.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying!”

“However, there were some among them who had the right class, dignity, and strength – the qualities that our noble circle holds dear.”

“…But I still don’t like it.”

Then came the affectionate reprimands.

“Didn’t I always tell you? You’re young and beautiful, yet you seem more focused on martial arts than anything else.”

“…”

“You won’t be able to focus on training and fighting forever. That’s how I was able to fall in love with your mother, a gem of a woman.”

The Count lamented that his grown-up daughter had never even held a man’s hand, solely focused on training and the labyrinth. As a parent, it was heartbreaking.

Looks like issues like arranged marriage weren’t even a concern for him.

With a playful slap on his chest, Leesia covered her face and protested.

“I-I’ve told you I’ll handle it myself!”

Snap!

Leesia emphasized her point, spreading out her fingers one by one.

“I believe in fateful meetings, true connections, and kindness! Those are the things that really matter to me!”

“And is this man someone who fulfills all of that?”

…Me?

“How did we end up here… It’s similar, but…”

If you agree with that, it’d get awkward.

[Chaos says that what you were pretending to wrap up was all a lie.]

‘A lie? When did I learn that?’

[Chaos sticks her tongue out instead of responding.]

I feel like giving her a smack.

“Hahaha! I didn’t trust him before, but now that I see the man you chose, I can rest easy. I won’t meddle in my daughter’s private affairs any longer!”

“Ah, it’s not like that! Please stop, it’s embarrassing!”

Sigh─

Leesia’s cheeks flushed red like a ripe persimmon, her hands covering her face in embarrassment as if steam might come out.

Through this exchange, I could see that her family relationships were very positive.

It was reassuring to know that not all noble families are cold or rigid, but for a moment, I couldn’t help but think about the contrasting image of Scarlett and Leesia.

Past histories, parents, upbringing, and family environments.

If you compare both as noble ladies, it felt like comparing black and white.

“Your name is Ahren, right? Can I call you that casually?”

“Yes, of course. Please call me however you prefer.”

“Good. Don’t stand on ceremony with me.”

The Count came closer and patted me on the shoulder.

“Leonhardt Yuzfel. That’s me. Remember it.”

Seems like a name more suited for a lion than a tiger.

“Now, let’s have the parties involved explain what’s going on.”

Leesia began to recount in detail how Kaizan had been bothering her for the past two months.

Then I explained how I had immediately asked which family he belonged to and shot out impolite remarks.

He had arrogantly disregarded me, casually dismissing both me and Leesia.

He had even mocked us, bringing some unknown person along to laugh at us.

After that, well…

“Leesia, I’m sorry. I may have caused you distress with my misguided ambition. Please know that my feelings for you are sincere.”

“Of course, I understand. To be honest, the situation escalated because I’ve been so indifferent to the whole men-and-women thing, so I can’t entirely blame you.”

After hearing everything, the Count, now calm and having washed away his anger with a face-washing, gave instructions.

“I’ll make sure to put a debt on this trash to the clan. Alfredo, bring two copies of the best potion and a magic contract right away.”

“Yes, understood.”

It seemed like they were going to formalize the contract we had made informally before the duel.

If I lost, I had promised not to interfere with Leesia again, effectively barring myself from her side.

If Kaizan lost, he had pledged to hand over a flawless B-grade healing potion to me as compensation.

The reason it wasn’t equipment or accessories was because there was no part of my current gear that could be replaced with a B-grade item, except for the cape or facial ornaments.

Since it wasn’t possible to pick from a catalog like at an auction house, consumable items like potions, which are hard to buy with money, were a better option.

I had proof of previous gifts sent from the auction, like Frostfire Grass, Moonlight Spring Water, and Crimson Essence, so I was confident I would receive it.

The delivery method was also secure, as it would be sent to the Silver Cross Knights rather than face-to-face.

Swish.

“I’ve brought it.”

Alfredo returned silently, handing over the blue-glowing contract and the high-grade potion to Leonhardt.

As soon as the potion was in his hands, the Count sprayed half of it onto Kaizan’s body, while the rest was poured into his mouth in a rather brutish fashion.

Ssssss.

The external wounds rapidly healed with a puff of smoke.

“Ugh-ack.”

Kaizan, who had been unconscious and unmoving, finally regained his senses.

“Did I… lose to that kind of guy?”

I never thought that would be the first thing he’d say upon waking up.

Leonhardt, with a stiff expression, spoke to Kaizan.

“Kaizan Rugenberger. Do you recognize who I am?”

“…!”

As soon as he saw the Count, Leesia’s father, the blood drained from Kaizan’s face, his eyes wide open.

“Count!”

“Right. I’m Leonhardt. The father of the woman you’ve been bothering, Leesia.”

Ignoring his cold words, Kaizan, sensing an opportunity, tried to make his appeal.

No, to be more precise, he was going to try.

“My lord, though I may have lost by mistake, my feelings for Lady Leicia are no less than that man’s—”

“Enough.”

Kudduk.

Under the count’s precise manipulation of magic, Kaizan’s body froze in a rigid posture.

The pressure on Kaizan’s body grew tighter from all sides.

“Ugh.”

“Do not, ever approach my daughter again.”

“Ughh…”

“No. That won’t be enough. Never again let any name related to Yuzfel pass through that filthy mouth of yours. Do you understand?”

“I don’t, I—”

As Kaizan struggled to resist and began to speak, a flare ignited.

Fwoosh.

A dark flame, possibly an aura of power or strength, enveloped Leonhardt’s thick fist.

“You both bet something on this duel, right? Let me warn you, whatever it was, it must be paid. Otherwise—”

Crack.

“Whether you’re a pureblood noble or not, my fist will reduce your pitiful body to dust.”

Kaizan, with his face resembling a boiled octopus from blood rushing to it, stammered in fear.

“You… you’ll… regret… this…”

Wow. At this point, it almost seemed like he’d been brainwashed.

In a situation where death could be imminent, he still insisted on relying on his family?

“Regret?”

Hahahaha!

“The only reason I’m showing leniency now is because dealing with your father would be a hassle, not because you’re worth it. You weak and rude fool.”

Behind the laughing Count, the shape of a black tiger flickered for a moment.

A suppressed rage.

A controlled blade.

“So, when I let you go, leave quietly.”

Hiccup.

“Otherwise, I’ll enjoy seeing your shattered skull wrapped up as a gift for the clan leader in the Underworld.”

.

.

.

Unable to stop hiccupping, Kaizan quickly wrote two copies of a contract and then hurriedly left.

Tsk tsk. A man crazed over a woman ends up running away, unable to even glance back.

Why not have some fun with his comrade instead?

One contract was a pledge to send an unblemished B-rank elixir to the 3rd District Silver Cross Knights by the end of next month, in my name.

The other one… well, it was a family-to-family agreement of some sort, though I wasn’t sure of the details.

“Ahren, there’s no need to worry. I guarantee that this duel won’t bring you any trouble.”

It turned out that way.

‘Well, actually, it’s more problematic now than it was when I fought Kaizan.’

It felt so awkward. Too awkward.

I had suddenly found myself at the Count’s dinner table.

And not just with Leicia, but with her parents seated at the main table as well.

Thankfully, the eldest son was away on a trip… But still, the presence of the head of the family and the lady of the house made it an overwhelmingly tense situation.

Especially since the Countess was staring at me so intently that it felt almost awkward.

Despite probably being of a certain age, her beauty was such that she hovered somewhere between a young girl and a beautiful woman, almost like she belonged to both categories.

She watched me calmly with a smile that held an unreadable meaning.

‘Please, don’t just stare. Say something… what do I do with this atmosphere?’

Leicia, for some reason, was also silent, which made it even more awkward.

“Ahem. Let’s save the conversation for later. Please, eat comfortably.”

Fortunately, servants entered and began filling the table with food, which allowed me to escape the oppressive air and focus on the meal.

‘Uh… I think the knife and fork are used from the outside in?’

I remembered from some community post I’d seen about Western dining etiquette.

Basic table manners, napkin rules, the arrangement of silverware, and so on.

I was doing my best to act as formally as possible to avoid making any mistakes in front of the Count’s family.

While carefully cutting my steak, I sensed a gaze and looked up.

“…?”

The Countess, still watching me, had a satisfied smile on her lips.

That must be a good sign, right?

After finishing the meal, conversation began under the Count’s lead.

“You already know that Leicia is a mid-level adventurer, right? How about you?”

“I’ve just completed a tower climb and am about to be promoted to a mid-level adventurer.”

“Promotion, huh. That’s good. If you’ve passed the 9th floor, your skill must be sufficient. Is there still a gap in your contribution?”

“I’ve gathered about half of it. I should be able to get promoted in a month or two.”

“Ho! Really?”

Leomhardt nodded with a pleased look and asked about my adventuring career.

Here… there was no need to hide anything.

After all, the other party was an Imperial noble.

If he really wanted, finding my exploration records from the past half year would be easy enough.

Even though the guild leader had taken steps regarding the Tier-A regulations, it wasn’t possible to hide everything.

“I haven’t counted the exact number of days, but it’s been roughly six months.”

As soon as I finished, Leonhardt burst out laughing, but this time, it wasn’t like when he had threatened Kaizan.

“Hahaha! This guy has a great sense of humor. Not just good-looking but also funny? I like you. Very much!”

“…I’m not joking. If you don’t believe me, you can check the guild records.”

It took five seconds for his laughter to die down.

And after another thirty seconds, the Count’s smile disappeared completely.

“Is that true? You swear it?”

“Yes. Even my parents, who live far away, can vouch for it.”

“No, no! There’s no need to be so serious about it.”

It was so easy to earn someone’s trust by claiming things that weren’t true.

“Phew. A disciple of a deep-level adventurer sure is different.”

He raised an eyebrow and added:

“To challenge to become a mid-level adventurer after just six months… If I didn’t know the details, I’d think it was all bragging. You’re more impressive than I thought.”

Thuk.

“Mm?”

“Wait a moment, dear.”

The Count seemed to understand his wife’s faint gesture immediately and leaned down to whisper something in her ear.

I couldn’t hear the exact words because they were too quiet.

“Hahaha! You like him that much? If my wife insists, I’ll do it!”

From the context, it seemed that the Countess had taken a liking to me as well.

“I won’t say much more. Take this.”

Thud!

Leonhardt casually tossed an object to me.

This… was it a black card?

Before I could read any information from it, he spoke.

It was a card-type magical tool linked to the bank’s exclusive account.

He also mentioned that I should prepare for the upcoming banquet with it.

“Don’t worry about the cost. Get the very best! Only the finest that can be obtained within Estevan for Leesia.”

“Y-yes?”

“You won’t be able to stand next to my daughter if you wear something that costs only a few gold coins. I trust you understand what I mean.”

The first reason seemed to be to ensure that Leicia wouldn’t feel overshadowed by me at the grand banquet.

The second reason was likely that he was concerned about my wallet, as I was still just a low-tier adventurer.

‘How much does the Count expect me to spend for the finest outfit?’

Somehow, I had found an opportunity to get a top-quality formal outfit…

…and it was free of charge.

Hello Everyone! I’m VarieTL.
I hope you are all enjoying my work! I only wanted to announce that I have posted a new Novel on the site 🙂

I Became a Scoundrel of a Chaebol Family

Cyberpunk open-world game, Demonic Incheon 2077. I cursed a little and got transmigrated in the game world. But the possessed person is a third-generation chaebol who rules over South Korea? I like it!

Also if you interested I’m also traslating 2 Crossover Fanfic between Oregairu and Classroom of the Elite

There is something wrong with Hikigaya’s classroom of the Elite

Patient: Hikigaya Hachiman, Year 1, Class D, Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School Symptoms: Adolescence Syndrome The patient claims that upon waking up, he found himself transported to a parallel world

Hachiman’s Classroom of Strength’s Supremacy

Due to a car accident, Hachiman Hikigaya missed the opportunity to integrate into his class. After seein the situation Hiratsuka-sensei advised him to attend the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Development High School, which started in May.

(you can find them here or here)