[3]

After finishing his bath, Ethan returned to his room.

'It's ridiculously spacious.'

Was this supposed to be just an annex How wealthy could they be to have an annex this size merely for house arrest?

It was absurd, but for Ethan, it was a fortunate situation. No matter what he did, it wouldn't arouse suspicion or draw unwanted attention. So, at least for Ethan, it was the perfect place.

Ethan sat on the bed and began organizing his thoughts.

Although he had roughly sorted out his thoughts on the way to the annex, it wasn't completely done.

He had entered the world of a novel.

And as an extra villain, no less.

It was a reality hard to believe, making it even harder to process.

'Should I leave the family first?'

The knowledge Ethan possessed was of little use within the family.

Novels are always from the protagonist's perspective.

But it wasn't something to conclude hastily. The Blante family was significant. Not just a prestigious family, but a formidable power on the continent, commanding respect as a powerful military group. Ryu knew well the advantages of power.

Therefore, leaving the family hastily wasn't a good choice.

'Even though much of the information is not immediately useful.'

He knew the knowledge the protagonist would gain and the events that would unfold with the protagonist's involvement, but not much about the specific situations within the Blante family.

'The family's downfall and other trivial matters….'

However, the Blante family's demise happens in the mid-to-late part of the story.

And even then, the mastermind behind it remains unknown.

Thus, until the event, Ethan must proceed based on his own judgment.

'I don't need to worry about leaving the family.'

In the storyline, Ethan inevitably meets the protagonist.

The meeting place is the continent's academy.

Before going to the academy, he first encounters the protagonist in a city, picks a fight, and gets thoroughly beaten.

Then, when the protagonist is assigned a mission to another region, Ethan tries some petty tricks and eventually loses his life to the protagonist.

In a way, it was the protagonist's first kill.

Until then, the protagonist was a character who hesitated and wavered.

'I don't plan on dying like that.'

He had no intention of dying pathetically.

Nor did Ethan want to become the protagonist.

He knew well how troublesome it was to be in the spotlight.

'No need to hog everything.'

Just enough.

Enough to protect himself and avoid being humiliated.

Ethan held the flow of events.

He couldn't predict every variable, but the main storyline wouldn't change.

"Excuse me for a moment."

Before Ethan could respond, an elderly man opened the door and entered.

"…I haven't even answered yet."

"Pardon my intrusion. I was worried since you haven't eaten yet."

Ethan chuckled at the butler's calm response.

"Then, shall we eat?"

Naid was holding a tray with one hand and two chairs with the other.

"Not hiding your strength anymore?"

In the original story, Naid pretended to be an ordinary butler.

Naid's strength was revealed in the mid-part of the original novel.

But now, Naid showed no intention of hiding his strength.

"Strength? What strength could an old man like me have?"

Naid smiled brightly as he said this, leaving Ethan speechless.

So, that's how he wanted to play it?

"Fair enough. But why are there two chairs?"

"I haven't eaten either."

"…Isn't that a bit too much?"

***

The meal prepared by Naid was quite excellent.

For Ryu, it felt exotic, but he wasn't picky about food.

Since he had exerted himself excessively on the first day, he needed proper nutrition.

In that sense, the meal Naid prepared was nutritionally perfect.

The balance of meat and vegetables was just right, and it wasn't overly greasy.

"How long is the confinement period?"

"There was no specific answer. It seems the family head is quite upset about this incident."

"Should I think it will be about a month or two?"

That duration was just right.

Enough time for Ethan to get his body in shape.

"Well, I'm just a butler, so I don't know the family head's intentions."

Naid smiled as he spoke, and Ethan replied firmly.

"It doesn't matter. I'll be staying here for two months anyway."

Naid tilted his head at Ethan's words.

"May I ask why?"

"I need to lose weight."

Right now, losing this flab was the priority.

***

After that, Ethan's lifestyle became extremely simple.

He ate a light breakfast, went out to exercise in the morning, and only returned in the evening.

The attendants were worried about Ethan skipping lunch, but he didn't care.

With a body carrying this much fat, skipping one meal wouldn't cause any problems.

But he didn't take meals lightly.

After exercising, he made sure to have proper nutrition.

Since he engaged in intense exercise, adequate nutrition was necessary to avoid harming his body.

Ethan's body had a talent for exercise.

Once he started moving properly, the fat quickly diminished, and muscle grew rapidly.

It hadn't even been a month since he started exercising, but his hefty body had visibly slimmed down.

'At least my body isn't useless.'

Ethan's body wasn't inherently weak.

It was just that he had been neglecting a good physique; his reflexes, dynamic vision, muscle strength, and elasticity were all above average.

Considering it hadn't even been a month since he started, his potential for growth was limitless.

Even Naid, who was initially skeptical, completely dropped his doubts after seeing Ethan sweat in the training yard every day.

'I must report this to the family head.'

That the family's scoundrel had changed.

A smile formed on Naid's lips.

***

"...Is that really true?" Vincent Blante, the head of the Blante family, asked again.

Known as the iron-blooded knight famous for never losing his composure, even he found it hard to believe what he was hearing.

"Yes, it's true. Ethan has changed."

"Hmm..." Vincent trailed off.

Ethan had changed...

How much trouble had Ethan caused as the family's scoundrel? Vincent hadn't expected him to excel in swordsmanship. He only hoped to curb Ethan's arrogance and violent tendencies through strict discipline. Yet, Ethan had only grown worse.

Recently, his misconduct had escalated to the point where the estate's residents were complaining, prompting Vincent to place Ethan under house arrest.

He hadn't expected such a minor punishment to change Ethan. Similar punishments had been given many times before. But Naid was insisting that Ethan had changed.

Naid was one of the few people Vincent trusted completely.

"Can I trust your words?"

"You don't need to doubt me," Naid said with a small, confident smile, and Vincent's doubts began to fade.

"Even so, I need to see for myself. Bring Ethan to me."

"Yes, I will."

"I hope I won't be disappointed," Vincent said, staring at Naid with somber eyes.

Naid met Vincent's gaze without flinching.

"You won't be," Naid said, bowing lightly before leaving the room. As he exited, he muttered to himself, "I'm surprised too."

***

After finishing his usual training, Ethan returned to his room and lay on the bed.

"It's complicated," he muttered, staring at the ceiling.

He was growing. Feeling impatience was a luxury, but a bit of it was building up inside him. No, it wasn't quite impatience.

'Am I excited?' he wondered.

He felt a thrill he hadn't even felt when wearing the championship belt around his waist.

'And there's Naid.'

They were people who ignited a long-lost fighting spirit in him. Even if he fought them now, he didn't think he would win.

'Even with my original body, I wouldn't stand a chance.'

The foundation was fundamentally different. No matter how much Ryu trained as a champion, he was still human. But this was a novel's fantasy world. Here, 'normal' wasn't enough to survive. Ironically, that's why Ethan felt excited now.

"May I come in for a moment?" A familiar voice came from outside the door.

"Come in."

At Ethan's response, Naid entered the room, wearing his usual wrinkled smile.

"You're empty-handed today?"

"I have something to say before the meal."

"What is it?"

"I have a question."

"What are you curious about?"

"From when exactly... or rather, since the day you were placed under house arrest, you've seemed like a different person. Can you tell me why?"

Ethan was silent for a moment at Naid's sharp question. It was a sensitive inquiry. Right now, Ethan's body was occupied by someone completely different. After some hesitation, Ethan finally spoke.

"I can't live like this forever."

It wasn't a lie. For some reason, he felt that lying to this old man would be immediately seen through. Naid's wisdom was not to be underestimated.

Naid's wrinkled eyes widened slightly at Ethan's answer.

"I see."

"So, is that all you wanted to ask?"

"Of course not. The family head wishes to see you. I'm here to deliver that message."

"The head... no, my father?" Ethan was taken aback. Was he being summoned already? This was unexpected.

***

The next day, as the sun rose, Ethan got ready. Instead of his usual workout clothes, he dressed in a more formal attire.

"Oh my... this isn't right. I'm sorry..." The attendant adjusting Ethan's clothes couldn't hide his confusion. The clothes tailored for Ethan no longer fit—they were too loose, practically falling off.

It wasn't surprising that the attendant was bewildered.

"You've lost a lot of weight," Naid remarked, his voice filled with admiration.

'Of course, I have. I've been working out like crazy,' Ethan thought. He had spent every day running and training, and it would have been unfair if his body hadn't changed.

The attendant hurried around and soon found suitable clothes for Ethan.

'I still have a long way to go,' Ethan thought, looking himself up and down in the mirror. He had lost a lot of weight compared to the beginning, but there was still much to do. He wasn't going to settle yet.

'Maybe I won't need the full two months.'

Judging by how his condition was improving, he thought he could burn off all the remaining fat in about a month if he increased his workout intensity. Normally, losing fat this rapidly would be hard on the body, but this body was robust enough not to worry about such minor issues.

Ethan felt blessed with this body and had no intention of sparing it. He planned to push this soft body to its limits.

'What a hassle.'

But now, the family head had summoned him. For someone like Ethan, who felt every day was precious, the thought of wasting time was maddening.

'It can't be helped.'

At least for now, he had to bend a little. There were things he had done and things he was planning to do. For now, he needed the protection that the Blante name provided.