To be ho, I wasn’t that nervous. Just like the rest of the family didn’t think mue, I didn’t think much of them either… thanks to having given me half of his blood, Rayner had granted me a retively easy life, so perhaps I had some obligations to the family, but I wasn’t willing to trade the remaining of it for no reason. He could ask me to pay for the rent and food one day and I would return with i, but I won't use my freedom as currency.

  ‘Let’s see… if he kept me here until now, it is hard to believe that he will kick me out if I don’t follow his orders. He is distant towards me, but he is fih the others. I would guess that is because of his wives. Anyway, he probably wants to talk about that thing. I o repay my debt, but I am not willing to follow in his footsteps. There is no p nobility or in the army for someone like me.’

  The house had bee a bit more empty and less noisy tely. Gerald also joihe knights' academy and the eldest daughter also went to school where she could learn a lot of subjects, diplomacy, ey, magic, etiquette, and so on. Thanks to my research, I learhat mages were pretty valuable, but only when they reached some crazy levels where they could even alter the weather. Even in that stage, they be easily killed, which is why fighting at cle seems like the only option for nobles. Hiring a bunch of powerful bodyguards also seems a good option, they had deep pockets, after all.

  Aside from the active skills granted by the csses, others could be learned by training and even studying books. The only exceptiohe passive skills, the parameters granted by those csses, and their bonuses, and the requirements to make them gain experienaturally, fighting and killing others also grant experience, but it isn’t the only option.

  Speaking of the parameters bonuses, I learhat some csses grahe same parameters. So, if someoaiwo csses that gave them the prove their health, they would gain a multiplier instead of having the same parameter duplicated. For example, a warrior increase their health with enough experieained by training, by ten points per level, but with two csses that increase health, the parameter would increase by eleven points per level. With three csses, the multiplier would be 1.3, with four, 1.6, and so on.

  At the same time, the bonuses would be applied no matter the level of the parameter… so, if someone’s health parameter was at level ten and they got another css that grahem the extra health, they would immediately receive 11 points of health. It was retroactive, which made things pretty iing. I bet that I could abuse that and I probably wasn't the only one.

  While I was thinking along those lines, I arrived at Rayner’s offid then took a deep breath before knog on the door. The atmosphere around the area was tense and that was how it usually was when he was w. He probably was trying to intimidate me. He didn’t talk with me that often, so he would probably act like I had no say iter.

  “Enter.”

  It felt like the first time I heard his voice, he had this energy in his voice that anded respect. I khat the system had that kind of influeh some skills, but it was still impressive how it could affect me. Once I opehe door, I found him writing something on a piece of paper. He didn’t seem like the type who would pretend that he was w to look more impressive, but he seemed more than a bit busy with the tired expression on his face.

  “Sit.”

  There was a chair in front of his table, so I sat on it and then I waited for him to start. He slowed down his writing and stopped a few times, maybe he was writing a serious dot or he was thinking about something else.

  “Regulus… you have done some growing sihe st time I saw you.”

  “Is that so?”

  Rayner finally looked at me and then he said the weirdest thing. I had noticed that too… I was already as tall as Ulric, even though he was three years older. Maybe it was because I was a dhampir. I heard in some tales that they age fast, but they remain youthful for a long time after they stopped aging. I couldn’t tell if that was the case since I only noticed the demerits of being ohe only merit that I noticed was that I could stay awake at night without feeling tired at all. When m es, though, it feels like I spent days without sleeping.

  “You are already five years old aend to let our boys choose their first css at this age. The girls choose a bit ter ohey develop their is. We have no saying here, we all bee knights and then try to climb the ranks.”

  It retty obvious that such a thing wasn’t possible for me, but there was always a ce that Rayner would make me folloath in order to prove my loyalty to my human side. I would refuse that si would be a hassle with close to no bes.

  “I was informed that you read a lot of books in my office, and while looking at you, I tell in your eyes that you are a bit more mature than your actual age. So, I won’t hide anything from you. It is in your best i for you to bee a soldier. Even if you don’t bee a knight, as long as you have my name, you will be protected.”

  I didn’t say anything… even if I don’t achieve a high rank or receive promotions, the name of the family would grant me some bes. For one, I wouldn’t be treated like a regur soldier and for another, my officials would be cautious around me sihey will fear being punished for my death. Staying on the good side of the head of the family would be pretty good for them. Perhaps it would grant them some promotions.

  “Those who are half-humans aren’t treated that well anywhere aside from Talimor. As if that isn’t enough, you are a half-vampire. Some people will try tet you for many reasons, and being killed will be just one of your lesser worries. With your appearance, you ’t hide who you are.”

  “I dye my hair.”

  Rayopped for a moment since he didn’t expect that kind of idea… he never sidered it since he was a warrior through and through. His style was to deal with a problem head-on, not to find turn arounds to deal with issues like that.

  “It won’t work. There are some magic tools and skills that help identify the information of others. Eventually, you will be noticed by one of those.”

  “There are also tools that ter those skills and implements.”

  Rayner went silent again. I couldn’t do mu the st five years, so I learned as much as I could. I couldn’t erase my name, but I could hide it. That would make me look suspicious, but at least it would decrease the number of potential threats. There was also the most advanced option, faking my information. Still, that would be pretty difficult since such implements cost a fortune.

  “... I ’t allow you to take such risks. I promised your mother that I would keep you safe.”

  You treated me like a stra your home… I wasn’t on the level of the servants, but at least the servants weren’t looked at in disgust. I khat he did what he could to keep his remaining family intad kept me alive and protected inside his home, but everything pretty much celed each other. Still, I was adult enough to not let that bother me. I wasn’t his real son, anyway.

  “I will save money aually buy a tool that will allow me to remain hidden and live an unsuspeg life. That is all I want.”

  “I won’t allow it. Tomorrow, the captain will take you to the dungeon and then you will obtain your warrior css. Then you will follow in the footsteps of your brothers. Once you graduate from the Knights Academy. You will be able to protect yourself a bit. If you work hard enough, then you bee a squire of one of my friends.”

  “I won’t serve a try or the people that see me like an eyesore.”

  Rayner gred at me with a dangerous glint in his eyes… he robably thinking that I might be pnning to join the Nocturath, the try of the vampires. If I behaved like them, theainly they would see me as their equal with more ease… they only see the other species as cattle, after all.

  I just wao live a normal life and have some fun… I had so many ideas of what I wao do and what I could do that I didn’t even know where to begin with. The idea of being a warrior wasn’t that annoying, I just didn’t want to take the first step to bee someone else’s minion. That was why I felt more eager to get the archer or the mage css.

  I studied the world for years and with the teology there, there were a lot of things that I could aplish by myself than oh, I would he assistance of who knows hoeople. Still, I was a bit of a loner, so I preferred to do things at my own pad at my own leisure rather than rely on others. That was clear after spending five years without talking with anyone most of the days.

  If people didn’t like me for something that I couldn’t ge, then it would be fine by me. I could just follow my own path without any major restraints or letting others slow me down. That could be something lonely for most, but I was a believer that if life gives you lemons, then you o make a lemonade. pining and bitg won’t do anything, and I was already thankful enough for having a sed ce at life. I wouldn’t let minor stuff get me.

  Those were my thoughts, but I couldn’t share them with Rayner, for obvious reasons. He kept studying me for a while… as a marquis and military ander, he had a duty to the Bastion empire. If someone from his family could bee a problem, then he might have to deal with it before it escates too much. I could only stare at him bad hope that he would uand my point of view. It was also a bit of a bother to expin all that, nothing also says that he would accept my reasoning.

  “... You have your orders, if you want to make your life harder, then don’t regret your choices ter. Tomorrow, you will go to the dungeon with the captain and from the day onward, you will be trained by him on how to handle a sword. You leave.”

  I nodded and thehe room. I could tell that he issed, but at least he didn’t try to shout to intimidate me. I could tell that he was flicted in his positioained a lot thanks to his hard work, his family, his fame, and his position. He probably received a lot of scrutiny for keeping me around. During the years, he was barely at home, like one or two weeks every year and he even missed the birthdays of his other kids, even though they adored him. Perhaps, he was w hard to make people uand that he was still on their side.

  He had a point though… being traio fight with a sword without the warrior css will be difficult. Moreover, I won’t gain any experience if I decide to be stubborn. However, what other option do I have… in a fantasy world where teology walked hand in hand with magic, being a simple warrior would be to. My first goal was to make something like a railgun. Perhaps I shouldn't, though. It would be a waste if my best creation in that world were to be a on of mass destru.