Chapter 28: Don't Take the Bait

Zeldryn stared at Kera for several moments. The man still wore that strange smile, as though what he had just said wasn't worth making a problem over. Zeldryn narrowed his eyes slightly.

“You dare insult the son of a Marquis?”

He didn't sound openly angry. Instead, Zeldryn deliberately phrased it as a question because he wanted to see how Kera would react. Would the man apologize, deny what he had meant, or simply claim that he had been joking?

The answer he received was nowhere close to any of those possibilities.

Kera raised one eyebrow. “So what?”

Zeldryn fell silent.

Kera's smile became more obvious. “You are a bastard, aren't you? Trash?”

Zeldryn's expression began to darken, but Kera only tilted his head slightly, as though another amusing thought had suddenly occurred to him.

“Oh. Or perhaps I should start calling you Young Lord Idiot from now on?”

The muscles in Zeldryn's face immediately tightened, and one of his hands slowly clenched into a fist.

'What the hell is wrong with this guy?'

Zeldryn might not have been the original owner of this body. He was Reka, a man from another world who had suddenly awakened as Zeldryn Giorry. However, from the moment he accepted that reality, Reka had also made a decision. He was Zeldryn now. This body belonged to him, this name belonged to him, and this life would be his as well.

So when someone he had never met before stood directly in front of him and casually called him a bastard, trash, and an idiot, of course he was going to get angry.

Who wouldn't?

Zeldryn glared sharply at Kera. “What the hell do you want, bastard?”

His voice rose as his fist tightened even further.

“You want me to hit you?”

Several veins around Zeldryn's face and neck became slightly visible as he held back his anger. He was so focused on Kera that he still hadn't realized he had been standing there shirtless the entire time.

Kera, on the other hand, looked even more pleased. Instead of backing away, he opened both arms slightly while keeping his staff in one hand.

“You want to hit me?” Kera asked provocatively.

He curled several fingers toward Zeldryn, beckoning him forward.

“Come on, Young Lord Idiot.”

Zeldryn's eyes widened.

His fist tightened even harder, and for a moment, his body nearly moved forward.

Then he stopped.

Zeldryn didn't attack.

The anger that had risen so quickly began to fade, not because Kera's words irritated him any less, but because the man's behavior was becoming far too obvious.

Zeldryn examined him more carefully. There was the smile, the mocking tone, and the way Kera kept adding another insult whenever Zeldryn became angrier. Now he had gone even further and was openly asking Zeldryn to attack him.

Slowly, Zeldryn opened his fist.

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'Wait. Something is wrong.'

If Kera simply disliked him, the man could have insulted him once and left it at that. Instead, he had continued provoking him little by little, moving from idiot to bastard, then trash, and finally Young Lord Idiot before directly inviting Zeldryn to throw a punch.

It felt as though Kera were waiting for something.

Zeldryn studied the man again. Kera was a Level 3 Manholer, a healer from the main residence, and someone who had arrived at a remote border mansion with an excuse that made little sense. He had entered the private room of a Marquis's son and immediately begun provoking its owner.

Then Zeldryn noticed something he had overlooked earlier.

The door.

His eyes briefly shifted toward the bedroom entrance. Kera had simply opened it and walked inside. There had been no knock, no request for permission, and no servant coming beforehand to announce that someone wished to see him.

The man had simply entered the private room of a Marquis's son as if the rules didn't apply to him.

Zeldryn returned his gaze to Kera.

'This guy is completely insane.'

Even Hera, his own personal maid, had been terrified of entering his room without permission. Kera, however, had walked in without hesitation, insulted him almost immediately, and was now asking to be punched.

It was too deliberate to ignore.

'He's doing this on purpose.'

The conclusion settled clearly in Zeldryn's mind. Kera wanted him angry. More specifically, the man wanted him to lose control.

Zeldryn still had no idea why, but if that was what Kera wanted, giving it to him would be foolish.

He drew in a long breath and slowly exhaled. His fist completely relaxed, and the anger on his face gradually disappeared before he finally turned away.

Kera, who had been smiling the entire time, raised one eyebrow slightly.

“Hm?”

For the first time, his expression changed. The shift was subtle, but there was unmistakable confusion there.

Zeldryn ignored him.

After all, the person inside this body wasn't actually a twelve-year-old child. It was Reka, a man who had already lived for more than thirty years, and that wasn't even counting the bizarre looping experience he had just endured.

If a few insults were still enough to make him immediately throw a punch at someone who was obviously trying to provoke him, then he really would deserve to be called an idiot.

Zeldryn walked toward the clothes he had removed earlier. Just as he was about to pick them up, his eyes accidentally met his reflection in the mirror.

He stopped.

His bare upper body was clearly visible.

Only then did he finally realize what he had been doing.

'For fuck's sake.'

He had spent the entire argument with Kera standing there shirtless.

Zeldryn picked up his clothes and calmly began putting them back on. Kera remained near the door without saying anything, his eyes following every movement.

Once he was dressed, Zeldryn adjusted the front of his clothes, straightened his sleeves, and then walked toward the window.

It was the same window he had opened on his first day after waking up in this world. Zeldryn placed one hand against it and pushed it farther open.

Whoosh.

Morning wind immediately rushed into the room, stirring his black hair as cool air brushed across his face. The lingering heat inside the room quickly faded, and Zeldryn took a deep breath as fresh air filled his lungs.

His gaze moved outside.

The village remained visible in the distance, where simple houses stood among stretches of land and trees. Several people moved between them, appearing tiny from where Zeldryn stood, while a clear blue morning sky stretched endlessly overhead.

There were no tall buildings, no vehicle exhaust, and no constant sound of engines. The scenery still felt foreign to him, yet somehow it always managed to capture his attention whenever he looked at it.

Despite all the strange things that had happened since he arrived in this world, the view was still beautiful.

Zeldryn closed his eyes briefly and allowed the morning wind to brush across his face. The anger that had risen only moments earlier finally disappeared completely.

Behind him, Kera remained silent.

The smile that had seemingly never left his face now looked slightly different. There was confusion in it, and his gaze remained fixed on Zeldryn.

Kera had expected a reaction, but not this one.

Based on everything he knew about Zeldryn Giorry, the boy should have become furious. He should have attacked immediately after being insulted, especially after being challenged so openly.

Instead, Zeldryn had stopped himself, regained control, turned away, put his clothes back on, and walked toward the window as though nothing had happened.

Kera narrowed his eyes slightly.

'This wasn't part of the plan.'

Meanwhile, Zeldryn opened his eyes again and stared at the village for several more moments before turning slightly. He rested his lower back casually against the edge of the window and let both hands settle comfortably at his sides as the morning breeze continued moving through his hair.

When he faced Kera again, there was no anger left on his face, though caution remained clearly visible in his eyes.

The corner of Zeldryn's mouth rose slightly.

“All right,” he said in a much calmer tone. “Then let's talk properly...”

His gaze locked directly onto Kera.

“Mr. Messenger.”

Kera didn't answer immediately.

The two simply stared at each other from opposite sides of the room. Kera's strange smile eventually returned, but this time, Zeldryn didn't take the bait at all.