Request Refused

In a small office room, Mikael sat quietly, listening as Raziel voiced his request to end the engagement. Raziel admitted that he no longer harbored any feelings of love for Sylfi.

To persuade his father, Raziel explained that their marriage would bring no advantage to the family.

The Valternorths were in a difficult position and seemed poised to drag the Harvesteads into a contentious political conflict in the future.

After Raziel finished speaking, Mikael sighed softly. He was well aware of the Valternorths' troubled situation.

However, the marriage presented two significant advantages: establishing ties with the royal family and securing reduced taxes, both of which could potentially elevate the Harvesteads to nobility within the empire.

Nobles in Gravantia receive special treatment on many occasions, such as invitations to royal parties, favorable land deals, business priority, and perhaps most beneficially, they enjoy very low tax payments to the imperial house.

Currently, the Harvestead family pays nearly thirty percent in taxes, leaving them and other bourgeois families struggling to maintain their businesses without resorting to some form of tax evasion.

Yet, this approach carried great risk. If any family were caught by the Imperial Tax Collection (ITC), they would be branded as traitors, and all their property would be confiscated in the emperor's name.

Though Mikael and Jasir were experts in money laundering and bribing politicians through their businesses outside the capital city, a single misstep could bring everything to ruin.

"Raziel, did you eat shit today? Are you really that stupid?" Mikael asked, his expression serious as he tried to understand his son's reasoning.

"What?" Raziel blurted out, startled by the sudden question.

"Look, I don't care if you love that Valternorth girl or not. The only thing I want from them are the contacts and the benefits of having a noble family entangled through matrimony," Mikael said firmly.

"So stop with your bullshit and act like a real man. You should have already made her your bitch."

Raziel's jaw dropped at his father's response, and he soon realized that breaking off the engagement wouldn't be as easy as he'd initially thought.

With his father rejecting the breakup of the engagement and Anya targeting him, the only thing going well for Raziel was improving his image in Clarice's eyes.

Altought she wasn't as troublesome as the other heroines, Raziel still planned to send her away after her mother was healed, unwilling to take any risks.

Moreover, the complexity of his background was already more than enough trouble on its own.

Mikael was a ruthless, calculating sociopath, Jasir was a loyal lackey who'd done his fair share of shady things, and his two mothers, both High-Class A adventurers, had their names tainted by controversies involving manslaughter.

Eventually, when he finally assumed control of the family business, Raziel would be able to correct every wrongdoing they had been involved in.

So his priority was to avoid people who brought trouble and focus on getting stronger.

As he searched for a way to respond to his father, Raziel took a deep breath and said, "I understand. I'll stop acting like a spoiled brat and start doing something useful."

"Good to hear, but I'll be keeping a close eye on you from now on. If you don't change, you know what's going to happen," Mikael threatened, unleashing his mana pressure.

Raziel gulped, feeling intimidated by his father's display of power, but he still bowed in respect for his mercy.

Moments later, Mikael exited the room, mentioning that he would return to the main house. After pulling his flying mage robe from an golden storage ring, he soared into the sky.

The sudden appearance of his father wasn't entirely unwelcome, but it certainly wasn't good news either.

Breaking off the marriage was off the table for now, so Raziel resolved to begin training and carefully plan his next moves.

Since Erick had lost to Nozomi, he feared the drastic plot changes could lead to something bad later. Raziel only needed to survive through episode three without dying and see what would unfold.

'I need to take a bath first, then I'll read some training books,' Raziel thought, determined despite the bruises on his face.

* * *

Two days had passed, and Raziel remained at home, meticulously crafting his training routine. He aimed to find the most efficient method to enhance both mana and aura simultaneously without complications.

In his office, Raziel lay asleep on the floor, surrounded by piles of books on mana theory, aura theory, and essence theory, all obtained by a servant at his request.

While he was lost in a deep, comfortable dream, someone entered the room quietly, careful not to wake him.

But then, as the person approached him, they suddenly shouted, "WAKE UP, LITTLE MASTER!"

Startled by the sudden shout, Raziel jumped to his feet, clutching a book in his hand, ready to throw it at the person who had disturbed his sleep.

Before he could make a move, Raziel stood still, glaring at the person responsible for the interruption, who was giggling at his reaction.

The culprit in question had long, flowing orange hair that gracefully draped over her left eye. Her flawless, delicate skin resembled freshly fallen snow, radiating a pristine beauty.

She wore a well-tailored butler suit that exuded professionalism while subtly accentuating her feminine contours, giving her a captivating and alluring presence.

"Ah, it's you, Eve," Raziel said, putting on a poker face as he looked at the beautiful girl in the butler outfit.

"In flesh and blood, partner," Eve replied with a mischievous grin.

The girl standing before him was Eve O'Donnelly, a powerful Medium-Class B Fighter skilled in ranged weapons like bows, crossbows, and tomahawks.

She was relatively famous in her guild for her exceptional stealth and deadly accuracy, earning the nickname Whisperwind.

Additionally, she was Raziel's childhood friend and bodyguard, with her parents having served the Harvesteads since she was a child.

Raziel had remembered her just a day ago, and to his surprise, she ended up appearing. From his memories of Eve, she was definitely tomboy material.

Except for the fact that she was an assassin who would commit war crimes with a grin on her face.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on a mission for at least a month?" Raziel asked, his curiosity piqued by her sudden appearance.

"I already finished, though I almost got caught by those ugly insectoid monsters. But you know, I'm built different," Eve said, striking a pose and flexing her muscles.

Eve then began explaining how, in such a difficult situation, Raziel's mother, Cyntia Harvestead, had come to their rescue, effortlessly slaying the monsters and saving her along with the other servants.

"Mom?" Raziel asked, surprised.

"Yes! She was stunning as ever and shocked every other adventurer when she cleared that Medium-Level monster zone almost single-handedly," Eve said, jumping with excitement, her eyes sparkling.

It was early in the morning, and Raziel, energized by the girl's infectious enthusiasm, felt his hunger grow. He invited her to the kitchen, eager to share a meal.

When they arrived, Clarice was just finishing up a meal on an antique oven, powered by fire stones.

She noticed their mouths watering from the aroma of the food and smiled, saying, "It's ready. If you want to eat, I can serve it."

However, before Clarice could do anything, Eve had already grabbed two plates. She swiftly served one to Raziel and kept the other for herself.

The two enjoyed the meal, giving a thumbs-up to Clarice, who watched them with a neutral smile.

Once he finished his meal, Raziel went to the backyard to train his mana control, and with nothing better to do, Eve followed him, humming a peculiar tune.

Already in the backyard, Raziel focused, trying to recall some basic Earth spells. When he tried to recite one of the spells, something very unexpected happened.

"<For the Goddess of Earth I->"

*BOOM

Before he could finish the incantation, a one-meter stone orb materialized and shot toward a nearby tree, obliterating it with a deafening crash.

"What the hell!" Raziel exclaimed, not knowing what had just happened.

Eve, who was watching and munching on some cookies Clarice had given her, was equally stunned.

She couldn't understand how Raziel had managed to launch a spell without fully reciting it. Even top-tier mages required complete a brief recitation to make it work.

What Raziel didn't realize was that his body, now able to handle two types of energy, had adapted to cast magic without needing to recite anything.

His heart, now supporting an Aura Core and carrying a single Mana Circle spinning around it, was an impossible anomaly, holding more potential than he could ever imagine.