* * *
“Have you studied magic formulas before, by any chance?”
Eren shook his head.
In that instant, Elyrion’s expression changed—oddly intense.
His eyes blazed like they might literally burst into flames, and Eren flinched at the force of his gaze.
He had never attended university in this world, but he knew—this was exactly the look a professor would give after spotting a prodigious graduate student.
Elyrion’s face filled with solemn resolve.
His determination was palpable.
Without hesitation, he strode toward Eren, seized his hand, and—
“Y-Your Highness?!”
—dropped to his knees and looked up at Eren.
“Please, be my teacher, Count!”
The royal pride that had stopped Elyrion from apologizing for anything crumbled before sheer genius.
He wouldn’t hesitate to offer his hand—or even sever his wrist—if that’s what it took.
Eren was thoroughly flustered as Elyrion clung to him with bright, sparkling eyes, devoid of any sense of caution.
Even when Eren tried to pull away, Elyrion’s grip was firm.
“That’s enough. I don’t know what stunt you’re trying to pull, but I won’t tolerate further contact, even from you, Elyrion.”
Ashard’s sharp voice rang out, his glare fierce enough to make Elyrion flinch.
But even so, he didn’t let go of Eren’s hand.
‘…Why is my brother acting like this?’
Melody, who had been observing everything, looked at the two of them with disbelief.
Ashard was the only one capable of reigning in Elyrion’s wild antics.
She knew how strict Ashard was; even Elyrion wouldn’t casually go against him.
Yet here Elyrion was, openly defying his brother’s warning.
Melody couldn’t make sense of it—until she glanced at the solution Eren had written.
‘He… solved that?’
She’d already suspected she couldn’t keep up with Eren’s lessons using ordinary knowledge.
But this was different—this was a whole other level.
A flawless, error-free unraveling of the most complex formula.
Without thinking, Melody shouted:
“Brother! That’s cheating!”
“Stay out of this, Melody. I’m doing the most important thing of my life right now.”
“Count Nefendis is my teacher! Don’t you dare steal your little sister’s mentor!”
Unlike her brother, Melody wasn’t particularly passionate about magic.
She only used what tools she had to survive.
But this was different.
Anyone with eyes could see—they’d never get another chance like this.
“……”
Thrust into the middle of a sibling fight, Eren was completely speechless.
He could almost understand Elyrion, but Melody too?
He had no idea what was happening.
“Let go of his hand right now!”
“Get lost! Don’t interrupt!”
“Brother, you’re the one interrupting! Count’s been my teacher from the start!”
“W-Wait! Both of you, stop!”
Eren hastily tried to intervene.
Both pairs of eyes turned to him simultaneously—their gazes practically demanding, “Who are you choosing?”
Teaching them was easy.
It wasn’t as if he had some incredible secret worth protecting.
He still didn’t understand why they were so desperate to learn this stuff, but… they clearly were.
‘…In that case.’
What mattered wasn’t which one he taught, but who would win the hunting tournament’s grand prize.
Conveniently, the royals standing before him were both skilled magicians.
It wasn’t every day that such valuable gems walked right up to him.
Eren was sure Ashard would win, but there was no harm in having backup.
“By the way… are either of you any good at hunting?”
“F*ck, Carlyle Firentium! Are you insane?”
“A mere viscount getting cocky enough to lay hands on someone’s body.”
“Oh really? Is that so? Looks like His Grace the mighty Duke wanted to wear a dog collar that badly?”
Helid tapped the thick artifact wrapped around Carlyle’s neck as he spoke.
But it wasn’t just Carlyle.
The same artifact was clasped tightly around Helid and Julius’s necks as well.
No matter what they tried, the damn thing wouldn’t come off.
The restraints were that powerful.
And it was all thanks to that bastard.
Helid glared at Carlyle with eyes full of hatred.
Always so smug, flaunting his title as Duke, and now he’d finally gone too far.
“If you wanted to wear it so bad, you should’ve done it alone! Why the hell drag me into this shit, f*ck!”
“It’s not just you, Viscount. I’m included in this mess too.”
Julius muttered from the side, but Helid dismissed him completely.
He grabbed Carlyle by the collar, grinding his teeth furiously.
“If you’ve got a mouth, you can talk, can’t you? Huh? Why the hell did you pull this crazy stunt?”
“You lot were the ones who broke the agreement first.”
“Agreement? You’re making this whole mess over breaking that pathetic deal?”
The agreement they made before crossing into the Trovien Empire—
Specifically, the terms under which Carlyle would cooperate with the annexation of Epentel into Trovien.
“I won’t interfere with your dealings with Eren. But don’t you dare lay a scratch on him.”
But of course, that promise hadn’t been kept.
Carlyle narrowed his eyes, glaring at Helid’s brazen attitude.
“It was just a minor promise, right? That’s what you said. So after breaking even that, what exactly are you so proud of, Helid?”
“F*ck, it’s not like Eren died. His ankle’s just busted ‘cause he tried to run. Why are you making such a fuss?”
At the mention of Eren’s name, Carlyle’s face twisted with fury.
The tension escalated, and Julius stepped between them, wearing a smile devoid of emotion.
He looked back and forth at the two men.
“Let’s calm down, gentlemen. This won’t solve anything, will it?”
Carlyle harshly smacked Julius’s arm off his shoulder.
“You’re no different. You think I don’t see the filth hiding behind that pretty face of yours?”
“I’m not sure what you mean by that.”
Carlyle’s fake ignorance was repulsive.
Though he knew full well, he acted oblivious.
Carlyle shoved past Julius and left.
“Son of a bitch!”
Helid cursed under his breath, fuming with rage.
He didn’t even consider his own actions, just simmered with anger at Carlyle’s words.
His clenched fists trembled violently.
“Relax. His Grace wasn’t exactly wrong, was he?”
Julius fanned the flames with a sly grin, leaning forward as if to provoke Helid further.
“You were the first to stir things up, yet you’re playing innocent now?”
“…Huh?”
Could he have known?
There’s no way this clueless bastard figured it out himself… someone must’ve told him.
Julius shrugged with a blank expression, as if he didn’t understand.
“F*ck, acting like you don’t know—”
“Well, yeah. If you were gonna stir shit up, you should’ve done it as cleanly as me. Who do you have to blame after getting caught like an idiot?”
Even though he was speaking formally, the sarcasm was blatant.
Having finished taunting, Julius casually walked away.
Helid raked a hand through his hair, glaring at the space the two men had vacated.
There wasn’t a single damn thing he liked about this situation.
But someone was watching him.
‘One little push, and they start tearing each other apart on their own.’
Melody, freshly returned from the Fridit estate, immediately checked the artifacts.
She had only meant to see if they’d caused any trouble—turns out, the three of them were gathered together at just the right time.
Through the eavesdropping spell embedded in the artifacts, she listened to their entire conversation.
Looked like Elyrion had agitated them properly.
Thanks to that, not only were they ripping each other apart, but surveillance became effortless.
Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
Things were going exactly according to plan, yet Melody’s expression was grim.
For her, the faction’s inner conflict wasn’t the real concern right now.
Her biggest issue was… ‘How to win the Hunting Tournament.’
‘My brother’s swordsmanship is superior.’
* * *
