Reborn as a Useless Noble with my SSS-Class Innate Talent-Chapter 23: Ch : Punished another way- Part 3

Bernard's brows furrowed.

"You mean Young Master Kyle?"

Lord Armstrong slammed his fist onto the desk.

"Who else would I mean?! He's out of control! First, he destroys a slave house with no regard for the consequences, and now he welcomes a dangerous mission as if it were a game!"

Bernard remained silent, listening intently.

Lord Armstrong leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair.

"I thought... I thought maybe he would grow out of this foolishness. But instead, he's changing into something else—someone else. His attitude, his strength... even his presence feels different."

Bernard's lips pressed together. He had been serving Kyle since the boy was young, watching over him even as others dismissed him as useless.

It was true that Kyle had changed drastically, but Bernard did not find it as alarming as Lord Armstrong did.

"With all due respect, my Lord. I have watched over Young Master Kyle for many years. If he is changing, then I would like to continue watching over him. I do not believe he is beyond our reach just yet"

Bernard said carefully.

Lord Armstrong narrowed his eyes.

"You are too soft, Bernard. This isn't a normal change. It feels... ominous."

Bernard hesitated.

"What do you mean?"

Lord Armstrong leaned forward, voice dropping into a serious tone.

"What if Kyle is no longer himself? What if something else has taken hold of him?"

Bernard stiffened.

"You mean...?"

"We will need to bring in a priest. To confirm whether or not my son is still my son."

Lord Armstrong said grimly.

Bernard felt an unease settle in his stomach. A priest's examination could mean many things, and not all of them ended well for the examined.

But despite his worries, Bernard held onto his belief.

"Young Master Kyle will be just fine. I am sure this is just a phase."

Bernard said firmly.

Lord Armstrong sighed.

"I hope you're right."

____

The next morning, Kyle woke early, just as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the horizon. As usual, he dedicated his early hours to training.

His body, though weaker than it had been in his past life, was steadily growing stronger through rigorous conditioning.

His mana control was also improving, and he pushed himself further every day.

'I will break through the barrier and get to the next class any day. But I really need to increase my mana control and upgrade my system.'

For two hours, he went through his drills—sword swings, footwork, and bursts of mana reinforcement. Every movement was calculated, efficient, and deadly.

Then, his senses picked up a presence approaching.

Someone was coming.

Kyle didn't react immediately, instead allowing the intruder to come closer. His grip tightened around his sword, and when the presence was within striking distance—

Slash!

His blade moved in a blur, stopping just inches away from slicing through the intruder's neck.

A sharp gasp escaped the person's lips as she collapsed onto her knees.

It was Melissa.

Her wide eyes stared at the sharp blade that was mere inches from her throat, her breath coming in shallow bursts. She had never felt such raw, controlled killing intent before.

Kyle lowered his sword, his expression calm as he looked down at her.

"You're slow."

He said bluntly.

Melissa struggled to regain her composure.

"W-What...?"

"I could have killed you three times over before you even realized I was attacking. If you're going to follow me, you need to be faster, stronger, and more aware. Or you'll die."

Kyle continued, voice cold.

Melissa swallowed hard, but she clenched her fists and pushed herself back to her feet.

Kyle nodded approvingly.

"Good. Now pick a wooden sword."

Melissa blinked in confusion.

"What?"

"Training begins today. You accepted my offer, which means you're my trainee now. And that means you have no right to refuse."

Kyle said, motioning toward a set of training weapons.

Melissa hesitated, still shaken from the earlier near-death experience. But then she gritted her teeth and walked over to pick up a wooden sword.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

She tightened her grip on the wooden sword, her fingers trembling slightly. She looked up at Kyle, who stood in front of her with an expression of mild impatience.

"What am I supposed to do?"

She asked hesitantly.

Kyle crossed his arms.

"Swing the sword. Keep swinging until you feel like you can't hold it anymore."

Melissa frowned. That was it? No technique? No instructions?

She wanted to ask him more—about mana, about training methods, about what he expected from her—but she hesitated.

Kyle was her master now, her benefactor, and she felt she had no right to question him.

Biting her lip, she nodded and started swinging.

One.

Two.

Three.

At first, it felt easy. The wooden sword was much lighter than the tools she had been forced to carry back at the slave house. But as the minutes passed, her arms started aching. Sweat dripped down her forehead, and her muscles burned with exhaustion.

She pushed through the pain.

Even as her movements became sluggish.

Even as her breathing became labored.

More than an hour passed before she finally couldn't take it anymore. With one final swing, her grip gave out, and the sword slipped from her hands, landing on the ground with a dull thud.

Panting, Melissa wiped the sweat from her brow and turned to Kyle, expecting at least a hint of approval.

Instead, Kyle sighed.

"Your stamina is terrible, and your mana control is even worse"

He remarked, shaking his head.

Melissa blinked in surprise.

"My... mana control?"

Kyle ignored her confusion.

"Looks like I'll have to teach you from the basics."

Melissa's earlier sense of accomplishment crumbled. She had thought she did well—she had lasted over an hour! But to Kyle, it wasn't even worth praising.

Her chest tightened with doubt.

Could she really keep up with his training?

She was just a former slave, someone who had barely survived each day. Kyle, on the other hand, was strong—dangerously so.

For the first time since swearing herself to him, Melissa wondered if she had made a mistake.