Chapter 251: The Family’s New Genius

"Wait, wait, wait!" Lloyd shouted at his guards, his handsome, noble appearance ruined by an ugly expression of disbelief.

Ravian remained calm as he watched a young man his own age, perhaps even older, fall apart so miserably. It was a tacit surrender to what was happening rather than an attempt to salvage what he still had.

’I really can’t blame Earl Patrick for his choice,’ Ravian thought, looking at House Viola’s current heir.

"Why are you calling him young master and kneeling before him?! Have you gone mad?!" Lloyd grabbed both guards by their clothes and shook them, forcing them to turn toward him instead of Ravian.

"Calm down, Young Master Lloyd," the male guard said, taking him by the shoulders.

"Calm down? You’re bowing to a stranger instead of my father, and you’re telling me to calm down?"

"He isn’t a stranger, Young Master Lloyd," the woman said this time. "Besides, these are direct orders from the head of the family. If you dislike them, you’re free to complain to him yourself."

Lloyd’s expression grew darker with every word from the guards who were supposed to be among the people most loyal and devoted to him in the family.

His eyes shifted to Ravian, who stood there without showing any interest in the commotion, as though he were merely waiting for Lloyd to finish so he could return to where he had come from.

"You!" Lloyd shouted, rushing toward him. "I was wondering why my father wouldn’t let me come home from the academy these past few days. So you were the reason!"

Just as Lloyd was about to reach Ravian, who remained calmly in place, a large figure appeared in front of him, blocking Ravian from view.

"Caleb? You..."

Lloyd’s voice faltered as he looked at his guard, who now stood before him with a cold look in his eyes.

"Stop what you’re doing immediately, young master, so we don’t have to restrain you by force," Caleb said.

"Take him and leave, Caleb," Ravian suddenly said from behind the guard, as though he had known him for some time. "Leave the lady here to deliver her message. You can take the young master away before he causes any more embarrassment."

Caleb’s eyes widened slightly at the orders coming from Ravian, but he quickly obeyed.

"As you command, sir."

Immediately—

Thump!

He brought the edge of his hand down on the back of Lloyd’s neck, knocking him unconscious in an instant, then slung him over his shoulder and vanished.

The mage looked at the spot where they had just been standing, then glanced in a particular direction and nodded before turning back to Ravian.

With her closer now and the distractions gone, Ravian finally got a clear look at her.

She had blond hair and beautiful brown eyes and wore a loose mage’s robe, with a belt of tools fastened around her waist. Several strange magical vials hung from it, reminding Ravian of the ones he had seen in fantasy films back on Earth.

Following his earlier instructions, she did not bow this time, but laid a hand diagonally across her chest in a gesture of respect as she introduced herself.

"I’m Aurora Viola," she said with a captivating smile. "I belong to one of House Viola’s branches. It’s an honor to meet you, Young Master Rayan, and I sincerely apologize for Young Master Lloyd’s embarrassing behavior just now. Please forgive us."

Ravian looked at her wearily. All of this was strange and new to him.

"You know this is going to cause me trouble, don’t you?" he said, glancing at his squadmates, Layla Augus, and her guards behind him.

Aurora gave him a flirtatious smile and slowly approached, then leaned down to whisper in his ear, drawing several gasps from behind them.

"Forgive me, Young Master Rayan, but we were so excited to meet the family’s new genius that we couldn’t contain ourselves earlier."

She drew back, expecting admiration, or at least some appreciation of her beauty, only to find Ravian looking at her with complete coldness.

"Miss Aurora," he said in a voice that allowed no argument.

"Y-yes, young master," Aurora stammered, finding that everything had gone against her expectations.

Weren’t young men his age supposed to enjoy this sort of thing?

Although she had never behaved this way toward Lloyd, she had seen something in Ravian that prompted her to try it, even if doing so diminished her dignity as a Sixth-Rank guard and one of the family’s most respected members.

It seemed she should have asked about Ravian’s preferences and habits before attempting anything so foolish.

"This is the last time you come this close to me, Miss Aurora," Ravian said icily. "The next time you approach me like that without permission, you’ll find a dagger buried in the middle of your neck. Is that understood?"

His tone this time sent a shiver through the Sixth-Rank woman’s body.

’How—how can he have such an oppressive aura when he’s still Tenth Rank?!’

Aurora was utterly bewildered. She did not yet know that Ravian had reached Ninth Rank, or that his mental power had surpassed even that rank by a considerable margin.

From Ravian’s perspective, however, she had heard his instruction and still hadn’t answered.

"Didn’t you hear me, Aurora?" This time, he addressed her by her name alone. "Should I inform Lord Patrick that you’re unhappy serving near me?"

Aurora snapped out of her daze at the sound of his voice.

"No! It’s quite all right, young master. My mind merely wandered for a moment. Please forgive this servant’s rudeness."

She bowed, forgetting the instructions she had received only minutes earlier.

Ravian pinched the bridge of his nose, irritated by the woman’s poor memory.

"Leave now, and tell Earl Patrick I’ll be coming soon. He needn’t worry," he said, waving her away as he turned back toward his squad.

Only then did Aurora remember that she had yet to deliver the message Earl Patrick had instructed whichever of them happened to encounter Ravian to pass on.

"Young Master Rayan, there’s still—"

"I know," Ravian interrupted. "Just tell him I’ll be there soon. Sooner than he expects."

Faced with his firm order, Aurora said nothing further and left after bowing once again.