ACT I

ACT I

Colored light from the stained glass windows flooded painting the hall in shades of crimson and gold. At the center of it all, A man knelt before the king’s throne

Kneeling there was a man with long bright-blue hair and sharp eyes that could cut down any opponent he faced. His athletic frame remained perfectly still, a shining sword resting at his side.

“Your Majesty,” he said humbly.

“Sir Aldis Alderman, you have done well in the recent war,” the king said. “As the King of the Sylidian Kingdom, I, King Ælfric Oswald the Fourth, shall reward you. What do you desire?”

The king waited patiently.

Sir Aldis kept his gaze on the ground for a few seconds before speaking.

“Your Majesty, forgive me in advance. But I ask that you grant your reward to someone else.”

King Ælfric pondered this, intrigued by what would come next.

The king rested his chin on his hand, studying the kneeling knight.
“Speak.”

“Your Majesty, my son Eldric will reach adulthood in a matter of days,” Sir Aldis continued. “As proud as I am of him, despite being among the few titled Paladins with Seven-Tier Swordsmanship by your grace… I have failed to pass down these skills to my son.”

Sir Aldis smiled faintly, keeping a hand over his chest.

“However, he is a knowledgeable boy. He spent his childhood in our library, and I am confident that he will serve you well if given the opportunity.”

King Ælfric stared at Sir Aldis for a long moment.

Then he leaned back on his throne and burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! That boy has grown up, I see.”

His laughter slowly faded as his eyes sharpened.

“Very well, Sir Aldis.” -

“As a reward,” the king began, “I will grant him authority over one of my barren lands that I choose. However, there are three rules he must follow.”

He raised one finger.

“Rule one: he must make the land flourish to a standard acceptable to me within three hundred days.”

A second finger followed.

“Rule two: he must not receive financial or political support from either of his parents.”

King Ælfric glanced at Sir Aldis with a faintly menacing smile.

Then a third finger.

“Rule three: I will lend him three hundred gold as starting capital. It will be a loan. By the end of those three hundred days, he must repay ten times that amount.”

The king leaned forward slightly on his throne, smirking before his voice hardened.

“Should he fail any of these conditions… I shall strip you of your title.”

The throne hall fell silent.

“And the Alderman family will serve the royal castle as domestic servants for three years.”

Sir Aldis did not hesitate.

Instead, he smiled calmly, confidence clear in his posture.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your generosity. I shall deliver this good news to him at once.”

He rose slowly and walked across the grand hall.

Behind him, the massive doors of the throne room closed with a heavy thud.

Back at the Alderman estate, the library lights flickered softly.

Towering stacks of books surrounded a young man with ember-brown long tied hair.

Eldric Alderman rested his chin on one hand as his silver eyes scanned the lines of a thick tome. With a quiet sigh, he turned another page—almost as if out of habit rather than interest.

Knock knock.

A gentle voice came from behind the door.

“Big brother, Mom says lunch is ready!”

Eldric closed the book halfway.

“I’ll be there in a second,” he replied.

At the dinner table, Eldric leaned back in his chair and called out to his little sister.

“Cecilia, make a heart with your arms, circle the table, and bring me a plate.”

Lady Cecilia did not hesitate. She raised her arms and formed the most adorable heart the kingdom had ever seen, spun around the table, and proudly delivered a plate to her beloved brother.

“Mission complete!” she declared proudly.

Eldric nodded seriously.

“Excellent work, my trusted assistant.”

Cecilia puffed up with pride.

Their mother, Lady Merilda—a beautiful woman with amber-red hair and a small mole beneath her left eye—watched the scene and shook her head, placing her hands on her hips.

“Honestly, Eldric. I can’t believe you’re still teasing her like that.”

Eldric shrugged.

“Eh, I can’t help it. I made a bet with her. If I could guess a coin flip ten times in a row, she’d be my maid for a week.. If I lost, I’d become her butler. Fair deal.”

He calmly cut into a sausage and took a large bite.

“You probably tricked her into it,” Lady Merilda said with a sigh. She gently patted Cecilia’s head.
“Cecilia, you don’t have to listen to your brother’s nonsense.”

Cecilia puffed her cheeks.

“But big brother somehow guessed correctly every time…”

Lady Merilda narrowed her eyes slightly.

“Eldric…”

Eldric sighed and pulled the coin from his pocket, placing it on the table.

Both sides showed the same face.

Cecilia blinked.

“…Big brother!”

She immediately began hitting him with a flurry of tiny punches that dealt absolutely zero damage, her eyes already watery with frustration.

Eldric smiled innocently.

“I never said the coin was fair.”

He knelt down to Cecilia’s level.

“In negotiations,” Eldric said calmly, “always check the coin first.”

Cecilia sniffled.

“But we weren’t negotiating…”

Eldric smiled.

“Exactly.”

Then he gently pinched her cheeks.

Lady Merilda rubbed her forehead.

Just then, the loud neigh of a horse echoed outside the Alderman estate.

From the main road, a horse galloped into the estate courtyard at full speed., the horses struggling to slow it down as the wheels rattled wildly along the stone path.

Moments later, hurried footsteps thundered through the kitchen doors.

Sir Aldis burst into the room.

“Honeeey!!”

His face was pale and drenched in sweat. After catching his breath, he spoke in a strained voice.

“…We are doomed.”

Hello Readers, this is Sir Shuusaku. Thank you for reading this chapter. I am excited to bring you into this world and hope that you enjoy the many adventure to comes.

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