The Terminally Ill Young Master is the Mad Dog of the Underworld - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Starting with the Family’s Martial Arts

“You want to learn martial arts? Of course! If the young master doesn’t learn the family’s secret martial arts, then who will?”

Peter asked as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“It’s not as simple as that.”

“Huh? Why?”

Peter asked with a completely confused look on his face.

I replied, looking at him blankly.

“To the other young masters and the outsiders, it would look strange if I, who have been living like a dead rat, suddenly started training in martial arts.”

“Oh, I see.”

Seeing Peter speechless, I folded my arms and fell into thought.

Until now, I’ve been living like a recluse, so they’ve left me alone. But once I start taking action, I’m sure I’ll face opposition from all sides.

‘If I’m not careful, I could end up headless, killed by an assassin who shows up without warning.’

Or, if I’m lucky, I’ll end up paralyzed for the rest of my life.

‘That would be terrible.’

It would be so frustrating to die a premature death when I’m already on borrowed time.

‘Oh, Ivan, you bastard.’

Thinking of the faces that annoyed me, I thought about the difficulties I would face in this life, which would surely be as harsh as before.

‘I can’t tell if this is a dukedom or a battlefield.’

However, I don’t think it’s too late yet.

‘I’ll turn eighteen soon and have my coming-of-age ceremony. By then, I’ll have a position.’

I have plenty of time to get stronger until then.

Actually, it was a bit presumptuous of me to worry about assassination or poisoning already. Right now, I’m nothing.

After finishing our conversation, Peter took away the dishes, and I sat down on the hard floor. With food in my stomach, I felt energy returning to my body.

I meditated and observed my body while closing my eyes.

‘My mana is still quite concentrated.’

It was either unfinished or had been stagnant for a long time. I’ll have to check that out later.

But I didn’t want to rush into anything. Everything has its time.

‘The first step is the most important.’

Because I started with cheap, third-rate martial arts and didn’t have the opportunity to take good medicine in my youth, I suffered a lot.

It would be pointless to find a good martial art later.

I couldn’t undo the path I had already created, and if I learned a new method, it would conflict with the old one and lead to my downfall.

‘In a dukedom like this, there must be many advanced mana cultivation techniques hidden in the library.’

Among them would be the clan’s secret techniques.

‘I wonder what level of martial arts I’m allowed to learn.’

I could copy swordsmanship techniques, but it was impossible to learn the complex and subtle cultivation methods that occur within the body.

At what level could I access the martial arts? If it’s restricted, I’ll just have to find a way around it. I’m not afraid to steal.

In any case, as long as I get my hands on it, the rest is easy. Even without a teacher, I have enough talent and experience.

However, while I’ve been in seclusion, intense struggles must have been taking place outside.

Retainers, vassals, and various influential people must have been scheming, bribing, and attacking each other to increase their power.

The Underworld and the noble world operate in the same way. When the head of an organization gets old and needs to choose a successor, the next generation candidates compete fiercely to determine the most suitable one.

‘From the perspective of a successor, my situation is the worst.’

I’m terminally ill, a mixed-blood, and a weak, incompetent boy who has been in seclusion for years. That’s Allenvert.

Despite feeling sorry for him, I have to be cold and objective.

But compared to the time I was an orphan in the slums, this is a much easier fight.

Thinking about that, I didn’t feel bad about being seventeen years old and physically unfit.

“Good.”

I opened my eyes and saw Peter looking at me quietly.

“Who said you could just stand there and watch?”

“You looked so serious, I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Good. You’ve been keeping watch.”

“Keeping watch? What’s that?”

“There’s such a thing.”

I didn’t feel like explaining.

“So, what was good about that?”

“I said there’s such a thing.”

“Yes?.”

“Anyway, let’s go somewhere.”

“Where?”

“I need to go to the library.”

“What?!”

Peter was startled.

“The library is so close to the main castle.”

“So?”

“I’m worried we might run into someone.”

“Am I a traitor? I’m just the neglected young master.”

“If you put it that way, I guess so. Alright, let’s go.”

Peter nodded as if he had understood something.

“It would be disloyal to argue. I’ll do as you say, Young master.”

“Disloyal, my foot.”

I chuckled.

“You don’t have to be so serious. It’s okay to speak your mind.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And don’t be a coward like Marco.”

“Oh, of course not.”

Peter looked disgusted as if I had compared him to a dog. Now I was curious about this guy called Marco.

‘Anyway, I need to learn the clan’s martial arts.’

In a noble clan, if you can’t become the heir, you’ll either be demoted or killed without a trace.

If you don’t want that, you should have either submitted long ago or supported another sibling to become the heir.

But I had no intention of doing that.

‘Why would I?’

It doesn’t matter how difficult it is. I intend to gain power and influence and join the fight to become the heir of this family.

And mastering the clan’s martial arts would be the minimum qualification for that fight.

***

The annex was on the outskirts of the dukedom, so we had quite a long way to go to the library.

“The days are getting shorter.”

“Yes, it’s harvest season.”

The once-bright blue sky was gradually turning into a sunset. Soon, the red sun would sink below the horizon, and the pitch-black night would arrive as it had the day before.

Night used to be my time. But now, I was like a small bird that had to hide in its nest to avoid predators.

‘I wonder what the nights in the dukedom are like.’

But I was not yet strong enough to walk those nights. I was impatient, but I also knew the virtue of patience.

“Young Master!”

“What?”

Peter tugged at my sleeve and whispered urgently.

“It’s the Head Butler.”

I had already sensed the presence of the man walking near the annex. He turned to look at me slowly.

“He seems to be coming this way. H-his name is Aiden. He’s a Count and a vassal…”

Peter couldn’t continue. The moment he made eye contact with Aiden, his mouth closed.

Gulp!

Just from the sound of him swallowing, I could tell how much the servants feared this man.

‘He’s tall.’

With his monocle, white hair, well-tailored suit, and tall, slender figure, he was a truly impressive old man.

As the sun slowly set, Aiden walked towards me with his back straight. His stride was peculiar. It was slow and dignified, yet he covered the distance of five steps and was in front of me in no time.

‘He closes the gap so easily.’

If this were a real fight, I would have already lost. I realized that this dignified man was a formidable warrior who had completely mastered his skills.

‘Wow, this is…’

This was the power of the dukedom.

This man was neither the sword nor the shield that protected the dukedom. He was simply the butler who managed the affairs of the dukedom. He was more of an administrator than a warrior, yet he possessed an extraordinary strength and a strange aura.

“Young Master Allenvert, it’s been a long time. What brings you to the main house?”

“So it’s Butler Aiden.”

Butler pushed up his monocle with his finger.

“I remember. I heard you lost your memory due to a fever.”

‘Of course, there’s almost nothing this man doesn’t know about what happens in the castle.’

I muttered to myself. Yet he hasn’t come to see me.

“Of course, I did.”

However, it would be foolish to react emotionally to such a matter. I am not a foolish puppy who would scold a superior and vassal just because I’m the young master of this estate.

I patted Peter on the shoulder and replied.

“Thanks to Peter, I’ve recovered some of my memories. He’s a loyal and quick-witted boy.”

Peter gasped.

“Is that so? That’s good news.”

Aiden said this with a face that didn’t look happy at all. He didn’t seem surprised at all by my different attitude and tone, nor did he criticize me. He was like a man carved from stone.

‘Butler of the dukedom, Count, vassal.’

He was in a position to look down on a sickly young master like me. However, he simply observed me with dry eyes, without any contempt or disdain.

‘…’

I simply remained silent. J

ust like with Peter and Joseph, I didn’t try to get information out of him rashly.

Revealing what information I wanted would mean revealing what I didn’t know.

With my current lack of information and position, it would be suicidal to be reckless with a powerful figure like him. There was a huge gap between us.

“Where are you going?”

Aiden, who had been staring at me intently, finally asked. I replied briefly.

“I’m going to the library.”

“The library? That’s unusual. What do you intend to do there?”

His gaze was direct and sharp.

‘He knew I was coming.’

That meant that while I was walking from the annex to here, Aiden had already been informed of my movements and was waiting for me.

It was a far more plausible explanation than coincidence, and it sent a chill down my spine. And bad assumptions tend to be more accurate than good ones.

As I pondered Aiden’s intentions, I finally opened my mouth.

“Should I report this to you, Mr. Butler?”

I didn’t miss the slight twitch of the Butler’s eyebrows.

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