Skip to content 
𝐁𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠
“Uncle, I have returned.”
ㅤ
Luke, having returned to the Surberry family estate, immediately headed to the study where his uncle Greed was.
ㅤ
“Hmm, you must be tired from the long journey. Rest for a while.”
ㅤ
Greed said indifferently and then, as if Luke no longer existed, turned his face back to his desk.
ㅤ
“. . .Aren’t you going to explain?”
ㅤ
“Explain? What about?”
ㅤ
“Why must I be expelled from the academy? It was also my father’s will that I graduate from there!”
ㅤ
“Is that all?”
ㅤ
Greed raised his face and leaned back in his chair, looking annoyed.
ㅤ
“Our domain is in a tight financial situation. We simply cannot afford the high tuition fees of that academy.”
ㅤ
“That can’t be. . .!”
ㅤ
“Luke.”
ㅤ
Greed interrupted Luke, who was about to protest.
ㅤ
“Is there even a point in continuing at that academy?”
ㅤ
Luke was at a loss for words.
ㅤ
He understood what Greed was trying to say.
ㅤ
“Luke, admit it. You’ve ‘depleted.’ Without magic, you cannot become a magic knight. Then, there’s no point in attending that academy, is there?”
ㅤ
“But. . .”
ㅤ
Still, Luke persisted.
ㅤ
It might be an impossible dream, but he didn’t want to give up.
ㅤ
He wanted to at least understand, even if he had to give up.
ㅤ
He had already accepted that he could no longer use magic.
ㅤ
The reason of lack of funds was plausible.
ㅤ
However, he couldn’t accept being expelled and refunded for fees already paid.
ㅤ
Moreover, the tuition was supposedly paid from the inheritance left by Luke’s father.
ㅤ
“The tuition should be coming from my property. Why are you, uncle. . .”
ㅤ
“Enough!”
ㅤ
Greed raised his voice in anger at Luke’s persistence.
ㅤ
“I am your guardian! It is my duty to prepare the most suitable path for you! This is a promise I made to your late father! I have decided that academy is unnecessary for you!”
ㅤ
Greed, having shouted, thrust a parchment at Luke.
ㅤ
“Luke, you don’t need to become a magic knight. There are many paths you can take. First, acquire an education as a lord. I’ve arranged for you to attend a new academy.”
ㅤ
“What. . . is this?”
ㅤ
Luke was astonished at the content written on the parchment.
ㅤ
It was a small, boarding school located on the outskirts of the country.
ㅤ
Once there, it would take a month to return.
ㅤ
This was essentially an elegant exile.
ㅤ
Not only was he being expelled from the magic knight school, but also being sent away from the domain.
ㅤ
“Surrounded by nature, it’s a tranquil campus. There, you should be able to switch your mindset and focus on your studies. Departure is one week away, so it would be best not to unpack the luggage you brought back.”
ㅤ
Greed, feigning ignorance, said this and then, as if the conversation was over, turned his gaze back to his desk.
ㅤ
His back spoke volumes – he would not accept any protest.
ㅤ
“. . .I understand.”
ㅤ
Clenching his teeth, Luke forced out the words and left the study.
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ
◆
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ
That night, unable to sleep in a different bed, Luke was walking alone in the mansion’s hallway.
ㅤ
The words of Greed earlier were swirling in his mind.
ㅤ
It seemed impossible that the territory governed by the Surberry family could be lacking in funds.
ㅤ
Though a small domain, the land was fertile, and both the lord and the villagers should have been living without shortage.
ㅤ
At least, that was the case when his father was in charge.
ㅤ
Lost in these thoughts, Luke unwittingly found himself walking towards the wing where Greed’s study was located.
ㅤ
At the end of the hallway, light was leaking from the study.
ㅤ
“Uncle. . .?”
ㅤ
Puzzled by the sight of his uncle, whom he rarely saw working, staying up late in the study, Luke knocked on the study door.
ㅤ
He wanted to talk to Greed again.
ㅤ
However, there was no response from inside, and the door was slightly ajar.
ㅤ
“Maybe he’s gone to the bathroom. . .”
ㅤ
Muttering to himself, he peeked into the room and saw a piece of parchment half-written on the desk.
ㅤ
ㅤ
For some reason, he couldn’t take his eyes off that parchment.
ㅤ
There was something about that parchment; he had to see it, something in his head was screaming at Luke.
ㅤ
Quietly entering the study, making no sound, he glanced at the parchment while being cautious of his surroundings. . .
ㅤ
“Wha, what’s this. . .!”
ㅤ
He was at a loss for words at the content written there.
ㅤ
ㅤ
It was a declaration of title transfer.
ㅤ
The document declared that Luke Surberry was to transfer the Count title to his uncle, Greed Surberry, Viscount, complete with Luke’s signature carefully penned.
ㅤ
“Why. . .why would uncle have something like this. . .”
ㅤ
At that moment, Luke realized everything.
ㅤ
Why his uncle suddenly made him leave school; it was because Luke was turning 16 this year.
ㅤ
Upon turning 16, Luke would be recognized as an adult, eligible to inherit the Count title left by his father.
ㅤ
His uncle was scheming to receive the Count title before that.
ㅤ
And for that, he needed to act before Luke turned 16.
ㅤ
If Luke turned 16 while still at school, his uncle could not interfere, hence the forced withdrawal.
ㅤ
A chill ran down Luke’s spine.
ㅤ
He thought he heard footsteps approaching faintly.
ㅤ
ㅤ
The footsteps grew louder and clearer, and soon, Greed appeared from beyond the door.
ㅤ
ㅤ
“Not good, I must have forgotten to lock the door due to a sudden stomachache.”
ㅤ
Muttering, Greed walked towards the desk, then suddenly turned towards the window.
ㅤ
He swung open the double doors of the window, sticking his head outside.
ㅤ
There was nothing but a small balcony and the endless darkness of the night.
ㅤ
“Good grief, forgot to lock the window too. Need to be more careful, especially now that the boy’s back.”
ㅤ
Luke sighed lightly, closed the window, and locked it from the inside.
ㅤ
While gripping the eave under the balcony, Luke kept hiding, even as the light in the study went out, and the presence of people disappeared.
ㅤ
ㅤ
Luke couldn’t remember how he made it back to the bedroom.
ㅤ
ㅤ
Before he knew it, Luke was shivering under the blanket in his bed.
ㅤ
There was no longer any room for doubt.
ㅤ
ㅤ
His uncle was trying to kill him――――