The World Has Become Kinder to Her

“Hrk…”  

Kallian let out a whimper, his voice consumed by fear.  

“Kenneth, you wretch!”  

The Marquis Zahard’s voice raged like that of a betrayed man, but Kenneth only felt his mind and heart grow colder.

Now, he was certain. His past self had been wrong.  

There was no need to feel pain over someone like this. No need to walk down a path he didn’t want, to endure out of guilt, or to carry a burden of remorse for the rest of his life.  

“I stand here not as your son, but as the victor of this battle. You’d do well to choose your words more carefully; it might help your situation, even if just a little. You’ve been on the battlefield—you should know what I mean.”

Kenneth’s features, sculpted like marble, seemed to drip with icy indifference. His blue eyes, once praised for their beauty, were now cold and distant, like a predator lazily contemplating its prey. There was a languid, dangerous allure in his presence, like a half-sated beast deciding whether to finish off its quarry.

“If they knew what you’ve done, everyone would—” Kallian, shaking like a frightened dog, spoke up.

“They’d condemn me, behind my back,” Kenneth interrupted smoothly.

“…”  

“In front of me, however, they’ll stay silent. Even His Majesty would find me more useful than this weak and crumbling House of Zahard. You’ve lived in the capital long enough to understand the psychology of nobles better than I do. After all, I’ve spent most of my time on the battlefield.”

The Marquis had no rebuttal. As a former warrior, he knew the level of skill Kenneth possessed—he had reached the pinnacle, the level of a master, something all swordsmen aspired to but few achieved.

Even if he were the emperor, he would value Kenneth more highly than the Marquisate. Kenneth’s martial prowess was a powerful asset, and he was the legitimate heir of the Zahard bloodline.  

Once the current Marquis and Kallian were gone, the family would naturally fall to Kenneth.

The emperor would likely turn a blind eye to Kenneth’s patricide.  

And with Theodore William, that clever man at Kenneth’s side, they would fabricate some tale to make it seem as though the Marquis and Kallian had met with an unfortunate accident, or been justly punished by Kenneth for some vile conspiracy. The other nobles would be none the wiser.

“So that’s it! You’ve made yourself a puppet of the William family, haven’t you? You’re nothing but a pawn for that snake, Theodore!” the Marquis spat.

“Are you speaking of Lord Theodore? He merely helped gather you all in one place tonight. His role ends there. I don’t hand over my battlefield—or my prey—to anyone else,” Kenneth replied, sheathing his bloodied sword. Despite the battlefield atmosphere, he seemed unusually talkative, perhaps because it was the first time he’d spoken to his family in so long.

“What… what do you want? The title of heir?” Kallian stammered, as if trying to bargain. Kenneth stared at his half-brother with an expression of utter disdain.  

The Marquis at least had a spark of determination, but Kallian? He was utterly unfit for the Zahard family, a man of no ambition or resolve. His poor swordsmanship could be overlooked, but his lack of drive, his inability to make hard decisions—that was why the house had wavered when he had briefly taken charge in the past.

The Marquis knew all of this about Kallian, yet had insisted on passing everything to him simply because he was the son of the woman he loved. He had even been willing to send Kenneth to the battlefield to die, just to preserve Kallian’s position.

In the past, Kenneth had never understood the Marquis’s actions, but in this life, he did.  

Because he would do anything for Lotus.  

He could bear the blood of his kin on his hands, and he could accept the deaths and sacrifices of innocent people if it was for her.  

On the other hand, if Lotus asked it of him, he would be willing to spare their lives, even if it meant going against his own desires.  

Perhaps that was why Kenneth had turned down the chance to go and see her earlier—afraid that meeting her might soften his resolve.

“I want Zahard itself.”

“What?”  

Kenneth’s voice was cold as he explained, “I don’t particularly want it, but I’d rather not let it fall into the hands of an enemy. It’s better to take Zahard and crush it myself than see it used by Gaap.”

Kenneth was recalling the time he had fought against the Zahard family’s soldiers who had been manipulated by the demon Gaap. It was a battle that might not have happened had Kenneth not distanced himself from the family after being granted the Owen surname and independence by the emperor.

Naturally, neither the Marquis Zahard nor Kallian understood what Kenneth meant.  

But it didn’t matter. Dead men didn’t need to understand.

“You wicked child! Are you really so blinded by greed that you plan to kill your father and brother?” the Marquis roared, stepping in front of Kallian, shielding him as if he’d just realized the danger.

Kenneth looked at the scene and felt a strange sense of relief.  

If the Marquis had abandoned his affection for Kallian in the face of death, Kenneth might have felt even more disgusted.

“It’s for the same reason you acted as you did,” Kenneth replied.

“What?”

“You sent me to the battlefield at thirteen so that you could pass the House of Zahard to Kallian without any complications.”

The weight of death Kenneth had encountered as a boy on the battlefield was no less than what they were now about to face.

“I survived using my master’s life as a shield. I lost many comrades and friends. I lost my tears and forgot fear, until only emptiness remained…”

Then Lotus Estelle came into his life.  

She had boldly demanded their first night together. Out of pity, Kenneth had indulged her request, but by the end of that night, she had taken everything—his body, his heart, his emptiness, and his despair.

Lotus had filled the void within him with her very presence.  

“Everyone I’ve ever cared for has died. That’s why I kept her at a distance.”

The deaths of those dear to him had left a thorn lodged in his throat, and Kenneth didn’t want to lose anyone ever again. He suppressed his desire to have her, fortunate in his ability to endure.  

“I thought it would be better to just watch from afar. But I was wrong. Like you, I should have kept her close and dealt with the obstacles one by one.”

Lotus, whom he had deliberately kept distant, had lived miserably and died. Meanwhile, Kallian, who had been protected by the Marquis, had inherited the title and lived well—until Gaap began to manipulate him.

“So this time, I’m going to live differently. To protect her, I’ll grow stronger, and absorbing the Zahard family is just one step toward that.”

The Marquis didn’t fully understand what Kenneth meant by “living differently” this time, but he did grasp one thing: Kenneth was seriously intending to kill both him and Kallian.

A chill crawled down his spine as he realized the gravity of the situation. In a desperate move, the Marquis fell to his knees.

“If it’s the strength of Zahard you want, then take my life—but spare Ellen and Kallian!”

“…”  

“Send them away, banish them from the empire! They don’t need to die!” The proud Marquis knelt, begging for the lives of his beloved wife and son. 

“Father!” came the anguished cry of Kallian beside him.

Even as death loomed over him, for the Marquis, his family still consisted solely of Ellen and Kallian. The sight brought a wave of exhaustion crashing over Kenneth. Perhaps, in the past, he had spared them because he hadn’t wanted to witness such a pitiful scene.

He felt no desire to wield his sword against them. With a mere exertion of focus, he took control of the Marquis’s sword, manipulating it with his own will.

As the two watched in disbelief, Kenneth explained calmly, “One of the reasons you should be cautious of a master on the battlefield is that they can take control of your weapon at any moment. You must pour all your mana and focus into defending against it.”

The Marquis’s sword, now under Kenneth’s command, turned and pierced both its owner and Kallian.  

Kallian died instantly, but the Marquis lingered, his life slowly slipping away.

Blood gushed from the Marquis’s chest as he collapsed, clutching the wound with a hand, his gaze full of hatred as he glared at Kenneth.

“How… how could you kill even Kallian…?”

“He was no real threat,” Kenneth replied coldly. “But leaving him alive to plot in secret would only have caused trouble later. I learned from you—on the battlefield—that the seed of discord must be cut off the moment it appears.”

“Grr…”

“As for Ellen,” Kenneth continued, “she has no claim to the succession. If she stays quiet, I’ll send her outside the empire. That’s the most mercy I can offer you.”

Once Kenneth confirmed that the Marquis had taken his final breath, he left the reception room.  

The killings inside the mansion had been executed with minimal bloodshed, making it easier to clean up the aftermath.  

Tonight’s carnage had been brutal, but he knew he wouldn’t sleep well anyway. Before meeting Lotus, Kenneth would have spent his sleepless nights haunted by the faces of those he had killed. But now, after knowing her, he had something else to think about—someone else to focus on—which brought him a small measure of comfort.

***

Meanwhile, to reach the plaza where Lotus was, the quickest route from the Zahard estate was through the Venuse River.  

For an ordinary person, crossing the river would be impossible, but Theodore, being the contractor of the King of Water Spirits, could manage it—though it would come at the cost of a headache.

Enduring the pain of summoning the Spirit King had become a familiar part of Theodore’s routine.

「Do you think the Marquis and his heir will die?」  

Salia’s soft voice asked, filled with concern.

“Most likely. Lord Kenneth is known for leaving the battlefield in perfect order.”

「If he becomes that twisted, won’t he be dangerous even to you or other magicians?」

Her worry was justified. If a man who could slay his own kin were to go berserk, no one would be safe. Kenneth’s sword was powerful enough to cut through even high-ranking spirits, so her concern about what he might do in a fit of madness was valid.

“A wild beast with a leash can still be tamed, if handled correctly.”

Theodore trusted Kenneth—or rather, trusted in Kenneth’s new purpose: Lotus.  

Lotus, though living in a cruel and unforgiving world, was a kind soul. She appeared fragile, but she had her own principles and an inner strength.

As long as Lotus was safe, Frederick, Kenneth, and even Theodore himself could continue to function, maintaining some semblance of sanity.  

“Let’s hurry, Salia,” Theodore urged.  

Frederick’s magical shield wasn’t perfect—not due to any lack of skill, as he was the most powerful mage of the era, but because of magic’s inherent limitations.  

Shield spells were invulnerable to physical and magical attacks, but they were relatively weak to attacks based on willpower or mental energy, such as sorcery.

There were ways to exploit such vulnerabilities.  

Fortunately, they weren’t too late.

Theodore’s expression twisted slightly as he observed Rikheus pulling Lotus toward him. His violet eyes glinted coldly behind his glasses.

*Salia noticed immediately, recognizing that expression.*  

*‘That’s the face he only makes when his patience is truly tested,’* she thought, her own expression becoming grave.

Theodore pulled a slim booklet from his coat as he strode decisively toward them, his presence cold and commanding.