Chapter 72: Advice from Someone Who’s Been There

“The real Demon Swordsmanship? But you don’t even know swordsmanship.”

“Well… not knowing swordsmanship doesn’t mean I can’t teach it.”

Will scratched his head, fully aware of how unconvincing he sounded.

“I’ll start by correcting your flawed basic techniques, and then… I’ll teach you how to truly learn Demon Swordsmanship.”

“Hmm… but Sister Eugenie said it came from a retired royal swordsman…”

“You see? That’s just another one of her lies.”

“Angry.”

Treya clenched her fists tightly.

“When’s your birthday?”

—A detail that should’ve been written into her character profile.

In mobile games, birthdays were important for coordinating in-game events, sending players gifts, letters, and special illustrations.

But…

Will’s memory wasn’t that great, and since the three “loser heroines” weren’t even the main heroines of the original story, he had completely forgotten this detail the moment he woke up in this world.

“Why are you asking?”

“Because at fifteen, every royal member has their coronation ceremony, right?”

“Yes.”

Treya seemed to have just remembered this herself and nodded.

The coronation ceremony.

It was a significant royal tradition held at the age of fifteen.

And…

It was a key event mentioned in Task 88, which was supposed to take place around that time.

“When is yours?”

“In… two weeks.”

“Two weeks… Hmm, that gives us some time… Wait…”

“What’s wrong?”

Will tilted his head slightly, looking up at the half-elf who was just a bit taller than him.

“You’re actually a few days younger than me?”

“Hmm?”

“My fifteenth birthday is next week… How are you taller than me? I thought I could call you my older sister.”

“Will, why do you sound so disappointed?”

“It’s nothing. I just feel like I’m missing an older sister figure in my life.”

For a brief moment, he thought of sweet Eir and his petite, loli-like teacher Leah.

That kind of…

That kind of warm, comforting older sister you could bury your head into?!

“If you want to call me that, I wouldn’t mind.”

Treya tilted her head, reaching out to pat the top of Will’s head. Her action was curious and playful, like a cat pawing at something high up.

“Hmm… Little Brother Will?”

“Stop. Just… just stick to calling me Will.”

It felt awkward.

That kind of little sister-cat hybrid calling him “little brother” felt so weird.

But strangely satisfying.

“Alright then, this weekend, we’ll start training.”

—

As Will re-entered the banquet hall, holding his now-empty orange juice glass, he heard a familiar voice behind him:

“Hmm, not bad. The engagement was just announced today, and you’re already sneaking off to have a private moment with a girl. I must say… you’ve inherited the Hysterm bloodline quite well.”

“Carver—!”

This guy.

He had essentially canceled—well, postponed—the engagement.

He was like the kind of guy who stood on the sidelines watching everything unfold, only to step in at the most chaotic moment to stir the pot.

“With the Hysterm family’s reputation, I’d rather not have this bloodline.”

“Ah, boys. You’ll understand when you grow up.”

“I… am a gentleman.”

Uh…

Will thought about it for a moment. He had a beast-girl maid who called herself “Young Master’s dog,” a witch teacher who looked like she belonged in a sketchy magic academy, and now a half-elf fiancée…

“…Probably.”

“You did well today. Impressive.”

Carver actually complimented him.

And it wasn’t just a surface-level, perfunctory compliment—it felt genuine.

“What do you mean, ‘did well’? I don’t understand.”

“You went to see Treya in advance, baited Eugenie step by step, and when Treya finally saw through Eugenie’s schemes, you gave her a smooth way to exit gracefully…”

Carver swirled his wine glass as he summarized.

“For a fourteen-year-old son of mine, you did well.”

Carver leaned closer, pouring a bit of his red wine into Will’s empty glass before clinking their glasses together.

“I have high hopes for you.”

“You knew? Including the fact that Eugenie was the mastermind behind it all?”

“My poor son was injured by a witch. How could I not investigate further?”

Will stared at the red wine in his glass, unsure whether to drink it.

He wasn’t of drinking age.

But it was clear…

Carver wasn’t the type to follow rules. By sharing his wine, was he signaling approval?

Was this his way of acknowledging him?

Or was drinking this wine a way of agreeing to stand with him?

Will downed the wine decisively and looked up at Carver.

“Then why did you suggest… postponing all actions related to the engagement and collaboration with the royal family? You saw how much I did.”

Carver stopped swirling his glass.

“That was indeed a last-minute decision. Perhaps… I was suddenly disappointed in the royal family and thought relying on ourselves might be better. Or perhaps…”

He didn’t look at Will, instead gazing out toward the banquet’s exterior.

“When you saved Princess Treya, you reminded me of myself. And Treya… reminded me of her.”

“Ugh, do you have to play the ‘tragic romantic’ card in front of your son?”

Hearing Carver’s words, Will couldn’t shake the feeling that some thread of fate was tying Carver to this story like a puppet.

After all, a “former engagement but not anymore” relationship seemed to hold significant weight in the original story’s trajectory.

But…

Carver’s expression was unusually sincere, his usual playful demeanor replaced by genuine emotion.

For the first time, Will felt like this was Carver’s true self.

“Ah… you really don’t trust me at all.”

Carver chuckled, bending slightly so they were at eye level.

“By the way, your recent behavior has been quite interesting. Whether at the estate or at school. Hmm, whether it’s the maid or the witch…”

Will understood what Carver meant.

He had been keeping an eye on him all along.

Whether through magic or informants, Carver had indeed been paying close attention to him, just as the steward had said.

“But let me give you some advice from someone who’s been there…”

“Don’t overdo it. If you end up getting burned, I’ll be happy to clean up your mess.”

Carver’s eyes narrowed, and he seemed almost… amused as he said this.

“Don’t underestimate me. I know what I’m doing—though, is that really something a father should say?”

“If I weren’t your father, I wouldn’t let you play around and would certainly not be willing to clean up after you.”

“Your understanding of fatherhood is… unique.”

“Haha, and your understanding of being a son isn’t exactly conventional either.”

—This was the longest conversation between father and son in fourteen years.

If the banquet’s biggest achievement was nudging Treya toward awakening, then the second biggest achievement…

Was being able to have a normal conversation with Carver.

Before coming here, Will had seen very little about the Hysterm family in the original story. But some of the subtle hints and reader speculation suggested that this family held some major secrets.

Perhaps, this wasn’t such a bad thing?