IBRIP l CH 95

Chapter 95

***

Late at night… or rather, early morning.

“How did it get this late…?”

Winter and I had landed on the balcony of the room where Oscar was locked up around 9 p.m., but now it was almost 1 a.m.

The reason it took so long was because Oscar wasn’t left alone for quite a while.

Since it was the night before the duel, the Duke and Duchess of Tradi took turns scolding Oscar loudly enough for their voices to echo through the windows.

Some of what they yelled:

– “Just because you’re good with a sword, your pride has shot through the roof! Maybe we spoiled you too much!”

– “You embarrassed us in front of the Emperor! If your sword is that great, why don’t you try using it on me? Can’t do it, can you?”

– “Oscar, stop it already! How many times are you going to repeat the same thing?!”

– “You were just lucky to be born into the Tradi family. You shouldn’t act like you own the place!”

– “Did you give a handkerchief, gifted to you with care by Lady Noah, to another lady just because she spilled tea? That’s rude and thoughtless!”

– “Be humble, son! Honestly, when I was your age, I was better-looking than you. Have you seen Winter Orsheus standing next to Lady Izana? Are you still proud after that?”

To be honest, the Tradi couple was a bit much.

Oscar, objectively speaking, had everything: status, looks, talent. He was more than just decent—he was impressive.

Maybe because of that, his parents seemed terrified he’d get arrogant, so they regularly “crushed” him emotionally.

From the window, I could even hear them yelling things like:

– “Stop acting so high and mighty! You’re ruining my appetite!”

– “You don’t even like bitter tea, but you drink the most bitter one in front of noble ladies. That’s so annoying!”

But the ultimate line?

– “If I were a young woman, I wouldn’t marry you! You ruin my appetite!”

From outside, I honestly started to worry Oscar might cry.

But instead, he answered back confidently:

– “Even if you keep yelling, it’s not like the tea party invitations I get every day will stop coming.”

– “Dear, what are we going to do with this kid?! He’s so annoying—even though he’s our own!”

– “I agree! Let’s ask Lord Rad to increase his training until he can’t even walk!”

– “I’m already training harder than most knights. I’m the only one who can still stand on two feet after practice. It’s getting boring, honestly.”

– “Unbelievable! What is this boy even saying?! Our family’s future is doomed!”

– “Watch me. I’ll become the youngest Sword Master ever!”

Now I kind of understood why his parents were so hard on him.

Oscar knew he was amazing—and he was pretty arrogant about it too.

Some of the stories his mother shared made him sound pretty full of himself.

I mean, bored with training? I’d seen him crash to the ground like a missile. He even cried a little!

– “So you’re really going to crush Boris Rohia tomorrow, huh?”

– “Watch me. I’ll avenge Love, and this time, even you two won’t stop me. Just give up now.”

– “You better prepare yourself when you return! I never imagined you could be so reckless!”

SLAM!

A familiar sound of a door slamming—or maybe breaking—finally ended the noise.

Once the room quieted down, we waited for Oscar to fall asleep.

Then we heard something again.

– “One, two, three, four… one hundred and one, one hundred and two…”

Apparently, Oscar was doing push-ups.

So yes—he might be arrogant, but he was no slacker. He was both hardworking and a genius.

After more than an hour of working out, he took a loud shower and finally went to bed.

It was nearly 1 a.m. by the time everything calmed down.

I looked at the window with a tired expression and asked,

“How do we open this?”

Instead of answering, Winter snapped his fingers, and the window opened silently.

Magic sure was convenient.

‘Should I learn magic too?’

…No, bad idea.

One thing at a time. I should focus on becoming a Sword Master first.

If you chase too many goals at once, you end up achieving none.

The current plan is Sword Master first.

We carefully entered through the window. As soon as we were in, the window closed again on its own.

The room was spacious and clean. I didn’t know if it reflected Oscar’s taste, but it was surprisingly plain.

Just a desk, a bed, and a fireplace.

No sofa—odd, considering how big the room was.

But one thing stood out: beside the fireplace, a huge pile of letters sat with the firewood.

Inside the fireplace, some letters were burning.

Was he using all those tea party invitations as firewood?

Oscar suddenly looked even more annoying.

Winter and I slowly walked to the bed.

Oscar was lying perfectly straight, sleeping calmly. His posture was so stiff it felt like he had a sleep-related OCD.

What? Youngest Sword Master?

‘You’re my rival now.’

Clenching my fists with determination, I looked up at Winter.

He sat next to Oscar’s bed and patted his lap.

“Lean on me.”

Without realizing it, I ended up leaning into Winter’s chest. His body was ice-cold, and I froze for a moment.

“Do you remember the warning I gave you?” he asked.

“Of course. My memory is excellent, thank you.”

I always thought the ability to remember well was probably why I was chosen to possess someone in the first place.

If you couldn’t remember the original story, what was the point of being here?

And anyway, I’d always had a pretty good memory.

“If you stay in Oscar’s mind too long, it means you’ve lost your way,” Winter said. “It means his consciousness is overtaking yours. I’ve explained this before.”

Basically, if I stayed too long, Oscar’s thoughts would swallow mine.

Winter gently placed my head on his shoulder and whispered,

“I won’t stop you from trying. But if I feel you’re lost in there, I’ll come in myself and bring you back.”

“…Huh? But didn’t you say that might drive Oscar insane?”

“Yes.”

Wait—what?

“No! Please don’t do that. Just wait patiently—!”

“[Luté du sang].”

In an instant, my vision went completely black.

And I remembered something important:

Winter wasn’t some gentle gentleman.

Before I returned to the past, he had always been arrogant and intense.

I had forgotten that.

Let’s rewind a bit.

Before going into Oscar’s mind, I tried to practice.

This was magic I’d never used before. I had to fight alone in an unknown mental space. Jumping into it without practice would be stupid.

So I looked for someone to practice on.

“I need someone to help with this because the Duke has an urgent situation.”

Three pairs of eyes stared at me.

“I need someone willing to let me enter their mind, even if it risks revealing some embarrassing secrets, just to show how strong our bond is. Raise your hand if you’re in!”

“……”

“……”

“……”

“…I’m disappointed in all of you.”

Finally, Rena lowered her gaze and hesitated.

“I’d give you my whole life, miss. But my past… I already buried it. I can’t dig it up.”

“Can’t you try?”

“It’s rotten. It was already rotten before I buried it. It’s gross.”

I then turned to the easiest target—Alfred.

He scratched the back of his head with an awkward laugh.

“Miss, I don’t mind. But I don’t wear much because I’m always hot… so I’m not sure you want to see what’s in my head.”

Just then, Loti squeezed her eyes shut and raised her hand.

“Everyone has their role, right? I can’t beat Rena in brains, so I’ll just offer my body and heart like always.”

“My holy treasure!”

I clapped like a seal and hugged her.

“Awww~”

“NO!”

But Rena suddenly jumped up and pulled me away from Loti.

Pointing at her like a judge, she shouted,

“Loti’s past is not safe for underage audiences! I swear, there’s barely anything in there you’d want to see!”