As Adrian moved down the stairs, something along the wall caught his attention.A portrait.He slowed slightly, turning his head just enough to take it in.
It showed a man and a woman standing side by side. Both carried themselves with a quiet kind of composure, the kind that didn't need to be announced. Their features were older, but the resemblance was obvious—light gray hair, similar structure in the face.
'Their parents,' Adrian thought.
That part was easy.What held his attention a little longer were their eyes.The woman's were gold.The man's were blue.Adrian's gaze lingered for a moment.
'Archer has gold… Theodosia has blue.'
He paused on that thought, then let it go.
'Probably just how it turned out.'
He continued down the stairs.At the bottom, he stopped in front of Theodosia.
"Thanks for the clothes," he said.
She looked at him, confusion showing before she could hide it.
"I didn't give you any clothes."
Adrian didn't answer right away.The silence stretched for a second.
'Then it wasn't her.'
That only left one option.
'Archer.'
He replayed it in his head.No sound. No presence. No shift in the air.Nothing.Adrian's eyes narrowed slightly, though his expression didn't change.
'So he can move like that… without leaving anything behind.'
He didn't comment on it.
"Alright," he said instead, tone unchanged.
Theodosia watched him for a moment longer, like she was expecting a reaction that didn't come.Then she turned.
"Follow me."
They walked through the estate in silence.Adrian's gaze moved as they went, not lingering too long on anything, but not missing anything either.Dust along the edges of the walls. Floorboards that shifted slightly under weight. Doors that hadn't been opened in a while.
'Same as yesterday,' he thought. 'Nothing's been maintained properly.'
But when they stepped into the dining hall, something changed.
The room itself still carried that same neglect, but the table didn't.It had been cleaned.Not perfectly—but enough.Utensils were laid out properly. Plates arranged with some care. It stood out against everything else.
'So they choose what matters,' Adrian noted.
Theodosia gestured toward a chair.
"Sit," she said.
Adrian didn't hesitate. He took the seat and looked at the food in front of him.
Simple.No effort put into presentation beyond what was necessary.He picked up the utensils and started eating.The first bite was rough. Not bad, just… basic.
'Not great,' he thought. 'But it's food.'
Compared to what he'd been eating for the past six months, this wasn't even worth complaining about.He kept eating.Steady. No rush.After a few bites, he felt it.Her gaze.He didn't look up immediately.
'She's been watching this whole time,' he thought.
Then she spoke.
"So… you claim to be a villain."
Adrian choked.It wasn't dramatic, just sudden. He coughed, setting the utensil down for a second as he cleared his throat.
'Of all the ways to start a conversation…'
He exhaled once and picked the utensil back up.
"Ah… so Archer told you," he said.
He didn't look at her yet. Just kept eating.Theodosia's expression tightened slightly.She didn't like that answer.Adrian could feel it before anything changed.Then her mana spread.It wasn't subtle.
It filled the room fast, pressing in from every direction. The air grew heavier, harder to breathe, like something was pushing down on his chest.Adrian paused for half a second.
'Yeah… that's not normal.'
But he didn't react beyond that.No flinch. No shift in posture.He just kept eating.Her voice came through the pressure.
"Then answer me properly," she said. "Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you right now."
Adrian finally looked up.Not at her face.At her hands.Clean.No scars. No signs of use.
'She doesn't fight directly,' he noted. 'Or she doesn't need to.'
The pressure increased.It pushed harder against him, testing.Adrian leaned back slightly in his chair, still calm.
"What did I do?" he asked. "To make you want to kill me?"
Theodosia didn't hesitate.
"A person who calls himself a villain doesn't get the benefit of doubt," she said.
Adrian held her gaze now.There was no tension in his expression. No defensiveness.Just thought.
'So that's how she sees it,' he noted. 'Simple. Straight to the point.'
He set the utensil down properly this time.
Then he spoke.
"If that's all it takes," he said, "then you were already looking for a reason."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Or you just don't like not knowing what someone will do."
His tone stayed even.No challenge.No fear.Just an observation.
'Let's see which one it is,' he thought.
Her gaze did not waver as she looked at him.
"For the sake of my family, I will kill you—even if your hands are clean."
The pressure in the room didn't lessen. If anything, it settled deeper, pressing in from every direction until even breathing started to take effort.Adrian sat there, still, his posture unchanged.
'This isn't something I can push through,' he thought, measuring the weight of her mana as it bore down on him. 'Not like this.'
He understood it clearly. There was no opening here, no angle he could exploit with strength alone. She didn't need a weapon, and she didn't need to get close. If this turned into a fight, it would end quickly.
'And not in my favor.'
Outwardly, he remained calm, but his breathing had already started to grow tighter under the pressure.
'If this keeps going, I'm going to pass out… or worse.'
The thought didn't come with panic, only clarity.He needed to stop this before it reached that point.
"I am under Archer's employment," Adrian said, keeping his voice steady despite the strain in his chest. "I won't harm this family. Not under any circumstance."
Theodosia didn't respond immediately.She watched him.Her eyes searched his face, his posture, the way he spoke, looking for anything out of place.
'No hesitation… no shift in his breathing beyond what my mana is forcing,' she noted. 'He's not lying. Or he's very good at it.'
The silence stretched for several seconds before she made a decision.The pressure eased.Not completely, but enough.Adrian felt it immediately as the weight lifted just slightly off his chest, allowing him to breathe a little easier.
'That was close,' he thought, exhaling slowly through his nose. 'Another few seconds and this would've gone differently.'
Theodosia withdrew her mana fully a moment later.The room returned to what it had been—quiet, still, untouched. Dust settled back into place, and the faint tension in the air disappeared as if it had never been there.She continued to watch him.
'He didn't flinch,' she thought. 'Not once.'
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
'Brother wasn't exaggerating.'
Another thought followed, quieter, more cautious.
'If he ever turns on us… we'll have to deal with it before it gets out of hand.'
She didn't voice it.Adrian, for his part, picked up his utensil again and continued eating as if nothing had happened.When he finished, Theodosia spoke again, her tone composed, controlled.
"Archer has requested you. When you're done, go to his office."
Adrian stood from his seat.
"The food was good," he said.
It wasn't praise. Just acknowledgment.Then he turned and walked out.He moved through the estate without stopping, his steps steady against the worn floorboards as he made his way back toward the stairs.
'So that's his sister,' he thought. 'Strong… but not reckless.'
He climbed without rushing, turning into the corridor he had seen the day before until he reached Archer's office.He paused for a moment before knocking.
"You may enter."
Adrian pushed the door open and stepped inside.Archer stood near the bookshelf, reaching up to pull a book from the higher shelf. The movement looked casual, but there was nothing careless about it.Adrian watched him for a second.
'So he was the one who came into the room last night,' he thought. 'Didn't feel anything at all.'
Archer glanced at him, a faint smile forming.
"The clothes fit you," he said.
Adrian gave a slight nod.
"Yeah. Thanks."
Archer studied him briefly.
'No tension in his posture… so Theodosia didn't push him too far,' Archer thought. 'Good.'
"And the food?" Archer asked. "I know it's not exactly impressive."
Adrian leaned slightly toward the window, letting his gaze drift outside.
"It did what it needed to," he replied.
Which was the truth.
'Archer already knows it wasn't anything special,' Adrian thought. 'No point dressing it up.'
Archer let out a quiet breath, something close to a small laugh.
"That sounds about right."
He closed the book in his hand and set it aside before turning fully toward Adrian.His expression shifted—not cold, but more focused.
'He's steady,' Archer thought. 'Didn't break under pressure, didn't push back either.'
That told him enough.
"I called you here because there's something we need to discuss," Archer said.
The room settled into silence again, but this time it wasn't tense.It was deliberate.
"No questions," Archer said. "When we were in the Gravebloom Forest, you had many. You were going to ask why this place looks abandoned, where the staff is, or why you haven't seen my parents."
He watched Adrian as he spoke, as if the answers were already written in plain sight.
Adrian didn't respond immediately. He stepped forward and took a seat without being offered one, lowering himself into the chair with no hesitation.
'He's testing whether I'd wait to be told,' Adrian thought. 'Or if I'd act on my own.'
Once seated, he spoke.
"I already figured most of it out."
His tone stayed even, not dismissive, not challenging—just stating a fact.Archer's lips curved slightly.
"Then go on," he said. "Let me hear it."
Adrian met his gaze.
"When we were in the forest, you said you were the lowest-ranked noble," he began. "That already tells me your resources are limited."
He leaned back slightly in the chair, relaxed.
"This place isn't maintained properly. No staff. No upkeep. But there are still soldiers outside."
'Not many,' Adrian noted internally. 'Just enough to show presence.'
"You chose where to spend what you have," he continued. "You prioritized defense over comfort."
He paused briefly.
"And your parents… I haven't seen them because they're dead."
The room went quiet for a second.Archer smiled.Then he laughed, low and genuine.
"You're right on all counts," he said.
'No hesitation in his answers,' Archer thought. 'He doesn't guess—he concludes.'
"Analytical, and capable in a fight," Archer added. "Hiring you might've been the best decision I've made in a while."
Adrian didn't react much.
'He's not wrong,' Adrian thought. 'But he's also measuring how far I go.'
Archer straightened slightly.
"Alright," he said. "Your task for today is simple. You'll deliver taxes to Baron Devon Vein."
Adrian's brow furrowed slightly.
'That's it?'
He didn't speak the thought out loud, but it showed just enough.Archer noticed.
"I'd go myself," Archer added, "but I've got work to deal with."
Without warning, a book flew off the shelf.Adrian caught it midair without effort.He glanced at the cover.
"And So: Proper Etiquette and Speech."
He opened it briefly, scanning a few lines.
'Yeah… this is going to be annoying,' he thought. 'Too formal.'
Still, he understood it.The structure was different, but the meaning came naturally.He closed it.Archer watched him.
"You work for me now," he said. "That means you learn what's necessary."
He gestured toward the book.
"You'll read that on the way there. Properly."
His tone shifted slightly—not harsh, but firm.
"You're a commoner here. Nobles won't tolerate how you speak. If you talk to them the way you talk to me…"
He paused.
"They'll kill you."
Adrian held his gaze.There was no reaction on his face.But his mind was already moving.
'So it's exactly that kind of world,' he thought. 'Rank decides everything.'
Stories from his old world came back to him.Not fiction anymore.Just… reality under a different name.He tapped the book lightly against his palm.
'Fine. I'll play along.'
Archer continued.
"From what I've seen, you don't start fights without reason," he said. "But if someone comes for you, you won't hesitate either."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"I can't protect you from anyone above me."
The meaning was clear.Adrian understood it immediately.
'So if it comes down to it… I'm on my own,' he thought.
That didn't bother him.If anything, it made things simpler.A faint smile touched his lips.
"So with your rank," Adrian said, "you can't protect me from anyone above you."
Archer didn't react to the tone.
"Correct."
Adrian nodded once.
'Then I don't rely on you for that,' he thought. 'Good to know early.'
Archer shifted the conversation forward.
"Six soldiers are waiting downstairs," he said. "Carriage is ready. The taxes are already loaded."
Everything had been prepared.No delay. No room to argue.Adrian stood up, the book still in his hand.
'So this is how it starts,' he thought. 'Not a fight… just a delivery.'
He turned toward the door.But before stepping out, one last thought settled in his mind.
'Let's see what kind of people sit above him.'