Chapter 74: About That Birthday

School days always seemed to fly by. With each class crossed off the schedule, the weekend would arrive, fleeting yet welcome.

But…

This Saturday was anything but ordinary for Will.

Waking up early, Will glanced at the clock. There was about an hour left before his meeting with Treya.

His desk was a chaotic mess of draft papers, book pages, and stacks of notes exchanged with Mr. S.

After rummaging through the pile, Will finally unearthed his red-covered Task System notebook.

He opened it, revealing pages that were thoroughly marked up and scribbled over—no matter. A good planner, after all, must be prepared to revise their drafts countless times.

[Task 88: Teach Treya how to gain the Demon’s Favor during her coronation ceremony.]

You might ask, what about Task 87?

Well, Task 87 had been scrapped because Treya had skipped ahead, directly asking to learn. That’s right, his system was as capricious as ever, tolerating no objections.

“The Demon’s Favor…”

Will hadn’t forgotten about this.

This was a revelation that, in the original story, came much later—long after Treya had become a “loser heroine.” It was meant to give her a significant power boost, allowing her to reappear in the story’s later arcs.

But for the current Treya, it might already be too late.

The earlier she earned this recognition, the sooner she could master the true Entark Demon Swordsmanship. Otherwise, she’d forever be stuck scratching the surface.

Closing the Task System, Will began shifting through the materials on Demon Swordsmanship inheritors.

The Entark family was vast, and beyond the main bloodline, even some branches were permitted to learn Demon Swordsmanship.

However, since it was a closely guarded royal secret, the true details about these inheritors were hard to come by. They could only be pieced together from dungeon exploration logs, which often read like mundane records.

Some of the more detailed accounts had even been classified as banned books.

But their secrets… Will already knew them from “outside this world.”

The Entark family’s “Demon Swordsmanship” was, in truth, only partially legitimate. While the first eleven techniques were practical for normal swordsmen, everything beyond that was pure heresy.

The advanced techniques, including the ones that earned Eugenie her title as the “Red Demon Sword,” and the ones she loved to flaunt in her adventuring party…

Were actually achieved through the Demon’s Favor, a temporary spiritual possession that enhanced her swordsmanship.

The Entark royal family, at its core, was far from noble.

Three hundred years ago, the founding king—once an adventurer—had acquired the Demon’s Spirit Jar on the final floor of a dungeon. From it, he received the Demon’s blessing.

This power wasn’t limited to swordsmanship. It had a myriad of uses:

Hypnosis, mind control, psychological manipulation, curses, plagues—you name it.

Swordsmanship, among these, was arguably the simplest and most straightforward application.

This was the secret behind the Entark royal family’s strength.

In an era where power ruled and dungeon exploration was grueling, the Entark royal family had used this strength to unearth treasures and eliminate rivals.

Of course, dungeon exploration had become much easier in modern times. Will would bet that Carver, that old schemer, probably had a stash of similarly powerful artifacts.

Oh…

But the Demon’s Favor wasn’t something all Entark bloodline members could receive.

The Demon, lacking a defined gender or personality, was more like a chaotic collective consciousness.

However, it was still a “consciousness” rather than a “rule.”

Like a whimsical individual—a trait fitting for a demon—it chose whom to bestow its blessing upon based on its preferences.

“Huff… Thanks to Mr. S for helping me organize this. I think I have a good idea of what the Demon wants.”

Will took a deep breath and pulled out a treasured item from his drawer.

“Young Master! The carriage is ready!”

—And then Eir’s voice interrupted him.

Will quickly crumpled the item into a ball and stuffed it into his pocket.

“Ahem, w-well then… let’s head out.”

“Um… Young Master, were you hiding something just now?”

“Don’t worry about it. Just something perfectly normal.”

Will waved dismissively.

“And… um… also… today… today is… is… Young Master’s…”

Eir normally wouldn’t barge in without knocking.

But…

While practicing her usual door-crack peeking in the morning, she had noticed her young master engrossed in his studies, looking so serious and focused—no, that wasn’t the point!

He seemed so deep in thought and so earnest.

It made Eir wonder if he had forgotten that today was his birthday.

Back at the Hysterm estate, his birthdays had always been grand celebrations, complete with fireworks prepared just for him. Yet, he never seemed particularly happy.

In fourteen years, as Eir had heard, Carver had only returned for Will’s first birthday.

After that, his birthdays were mostly organized by the servants, with Will blowing out the candles on his cake alone.

He had no friends, having been homeschooled by private tutors until recently.

This was his first birthday away from the estate.

Eir didn’t want him to miss it. She had planned to prepare a surprise, even with limited resources.

But last night, just as she had brewed coffee to stay awake and began baking a cake after confirming through the door crack that Will’s lights were off…

He caught her!

And told her they’d be visiting Treya’s place the next day, so she should get some rest and prepare.

With their daytime plans, there wasn’t enough time to finish the cake she had worked so hard to learn how to bake.

—Could it be that her meticulous and observant young master had really forgotten his own birthday?

“Hmm? Eir, aren’t you coming? Even though we didn’t set an exact time with Treya, I’d rather not keep her waiting.”

“N-no, it’s nothing.”

—See? He definitely forgot!

“Alright, alright, let’s head out then.”

—But he still seems so happy today.

This time, the carriage sent to pick up Will was directly from the royal family.

It was supposedly known for its absolute discretion.

But its exterior was extravagantly decorated, drawing 100% attention as it passed through the streets.

It was said to guarantee absolute secrecy about its passengers’ itinerary.

Yet its roof bore the royal emblem of a rose with a missing petal.

It was claimed to be absolutely secure.

But honestly, it wasn’t as sturdy as the armored car Will had originally prepared for himself.

The royal family!

Do they even realize why they’re on the decline?

Look at these fatal details!

It’s like they’re begging everyone to notice: “A distinguished guest is traveling from the city to the royal palace!”

Sitting in the carriage, Will felt a bit uncomfortable.

Eir, on the other hand, was thrilled. This was her first time venturing so far from the capital since arriving.

“I never expected… Young Master would actually bring me along.”

“Hmm… for private gatherings, it’s normal to bring a trusted personal servant, isn’t it?”

“Is… is that so? Trusted… personal… personal…”

“And besides, bringing you along… isn’t just about having a servant.”

“Huh?”

“Treya still needs some resistance to completely overturn her previous worldview and start learning from scratch with me.”