William swallowed down the insult that nearly slipped from his lips.
Too late to learn swordsmanship at twenty-five?
Then what did that make him in his previous life?
He had learned sword techniques long after twenty, yet he had carved his way through battlefields teeming with knights.
And that was just his own experience. History was full of warriors who had begun late and still left their mark on the world.
For Hendrick to claim sixteen was too late, there were only two possibilities.
Either the knight was completely ignorant…
Or he was deliberately lying.
William quickly ruled out the first option. No knight would be this uninford about the very foundation of their craft.
Which left only the second.
The question was—why?
Even if commoners were unaware, this was basic knowledge among knights. Even if Hendrick sohow managed to deceive William, the truth would co out eventually.
And yet, he continued to push this blatant falsehood.
William's gaze sharpened.
"Our knowledge seems to differ, Sir Hendrick."
"What do you an, my lord? This is common knowledge. If you do not believe , you may ask the second young master himself."
"The second young master…? You an my brother?"
Jordi Hern.
In his previous life, Jordi had been locked in a brutal succession struggle with their eldest brother. William hadn't interacted with him much, but he had witnessed enough to know the kind of man he was—calculating and ruthless.
He had a habit of hiring outsiders to do his dirty work and then discarding them without compensation.
William rembered well.
As a city guard, one of his duties had been dealing with those discarded rcenaries—n who had followed orders to the letter, only to be told to leave empty-handed.
Noble or not, that kind of betrayal made n see red.
William had been the one forced to stand between them and the Hern estate, taking the brunt of their fury while Jordi had watched from a safe distance, smirking.
So of those rcenaries had been stronger than even seasoned knights, which only made things worse.
"Yes, my lord. Surely, you wouldn't claim the second young master is mistaken?"
Hendrick's lips curled into a smirk, mistaking William's silence for hesitation.
And in that mont, William understood.
They were trying to make a fool of him.
Feed him false information, let him repeat it in public, then mock him for his ignorance.
And if he refused to believe it? They would dangle his brother's na over him, using fear to silence him.
And should Jordi catch wind of it, he would simply deny everything, acting as if it had never happened.
And in the end, the only thing left would be the foolish third young master who didn't even know the basics of swordsmanship.
How pathetic.
William almost laughed at how childish it all was.
Even more absurd was that they thought he would be an easy target.
For a re knight to sche against the son of his lord…
There had to be soone backing him.
Not that it mattered.
"If what you say is true, then I must admit I'm shocked." William exhaled dramatically, shaking his head. "Are you telling my brother, the esteed second young master, is so ignorant that even a child knows better?"
Hendrick's smirk froze.
He had expected William to fumble or back down, not… this.
William's tone was light, almost careless, but the words themselves—They were anything but.
Silence blanketed the training grounds.
Even the knights in the middle of their drills had stopped to stare.
Hendrick looked as though he had misheard.
"…Pardon, my lord?"
"I asked if my brother is an idiot. Because from what you're saying, he must be." William's voice remained calm, but his next words were sharp. "Sixteen is too late for swordsmanship? And a noble said this?"
"Are you questioning the second young master's words?" Hendrick's eyes flashed with warning.
William didn't so much as blink. Instead, he let out a dramatic sigh, rubbing his face as if devastated.
"Oh, this is terrible! To think my own brother—the great second young master of House Hern—is a fool! How shaful!"
His voice grew louder with each word, his distress exaggerated to the point of mockery.
Hendrick's jaw clenched.
He hadn't expected William to turn the tables so effortlessly.
For a while, William continued his little performance, lanting the tragedy of his family's disgrace. Then, as if struck by sudden realization, he turned to Hendrick, his gaze piercing.
"Wait. Sothing doesn't add up."
"…What do you an, my lord?"
"Could it be… that you were trying to deceive ?"
"D-Deceive you? I would never—"
"Were you attempting to slander my brother? Or worse, acting on behalf of another house to spread falsehoods?"
Hendrick paled.
"This is ridiculous! How dare you accuse of such things? Are you mocking , my lord?!"
William smiled.
Mocking him?
No.
He had already done much worse than that.
"An insult? You'd best choose your words carefully!" William slamd his staff against the ground with a sharp crack. "Tell , Hendrick—who exactly called my brother an idiot? Was it my brother himself, or are these your own words? Which is it?"
Hendrick looked as though he was about to lose his mind.
If he doubled down, he would be calling the second young master a fool.
If he backed down, he would be admitting that he was lying.
And if he brushed it off as a joke, he would be a knight caught mocking his lord's son.
There was no way out.
What the hell is happening?
The third young master was supposed to be an easy target. A coward who cowered at the re ntion of his brother's na. So why was he suddenly pressing the attack like this?
Hendrick's eyes darted around, desperate for an escape.
Before William could press him further, a new voice cut through the tension.
"What's going on here?"
The mont the words reached his ears, Hendrick visibly flinched.
"I-It's the second young master!"
His entire deanor changed in an instant. Just monts ago, he had spoken with mockery dripping from his voice. Now, he bowed his head deeply, radiating nothing but obedience.
William turned, already knowing who it was.
Jordi Hern.
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