Reborn as a Useless Noble with my SSS-Class Innate Talent-Chapter 27: Ch : Weight of a Mistake- Part 1

A stunned silence blanketed the training grounds.

The soldiers, who had been jeering and laughing at Kyle earlier, now stood frozen, their eyes wide with disbelief. The weight of what had just occurred pressed down on them like an invisible force.

But no one was more shocked than Bruce himself.

He lay sprawled on the ground, his sword lying a few feet away from his trembling fingers. His breath came in short gasps, and his heart pounded violently in his chest.

His mind reeled, desperately trying to piece together what had happened.

'I used my internal energy... I should have been faster... stronger...'

Yet, all he remembered was darkness.

One moment, he had been lunging at Kyle, confident that he had secured victory.

The next, he had woken up on the ground, staring up at the sky.

Bruce's face twisted in horror and humiliation.

He had been defeated—not just in battle, but in reputation. The murmurs of disbelief and hushed whispers from the other soldiers felt like daggers to his pride.

The 'useless' young master had utterly crushed him.

Kyle, standing over him, exhaled as if he had just finished a chore. His expression remained unreadable, his tone calm and indifferent as he spoke:

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"The match is over."

That was it.

No gloating, no insults, no unnecessary words.

Just a simple declaration that Bruce's fate had already been sealed.

The guard captain, Lancelot Aiden, finally shook off his shock. His brows furrowed as he stepped forward and looked down at Bruce, his voice firm but tinged with regret.

"Bruce. Do you wish to continue this fight?"

Bruce's hands clenched into tight fists. His entire body trembled—not from exhaustion, but from crippling shame.

'Continue?'

He could barely lift his head, let alone his sword.

The weight of his failure bore down on him, suffocating him like an iron chain.

In the eyes of his fellow soldiers, he was no longer a prodigy. He was a fool who had challenged the weak young master and lost spectacularly.

His ego was shattered. His pride was in ruins.

He couldn't answer.

His silence was more damning than any words.

Captain Lancelot felt a pang of sorrow. Bruce had been one of the most promising young men in the guards. His strength, dedication, and talent had set him apart from the rest.

But now?

Lancelot wasn't sure he could protect Bruce anymore.

Bruce had broken the rules by using his internal energy against the young master. That alone was a grave offense.

But losing despite it?

That made it worse.

'This child has such a bright future in front of him. To think that it all might get destroyed in a second because of what happened.'

It wasn't just his strength that had failed him—it was his very reputation.

He would never live this down.

A voice broke the silence.

"This is disgraceful."

It was Butler Bernard.

His sharp, unforgiving gaze was fixed on Bruce.

"For a soldier of the Armstrong family to show such terrible conduct against his lord... You should be dismissed at once."

Lancelot hesitated.

He wanted to defend Bruce, but what could he even say?

The young man had already sealed his own fate the moment he broke the rules.

And Young Master Kyle... had punished him for it without even trying.

Seeing the conflicted look on Lancelot's face, Bruce suddenly laughed bitterly.

A self-deprecating, hollow sound.

He knew.

No matter what happened now, he would never be able to raise his head in this training ground again.

His fellow soldiers wouldn't respect him.

The captain wouldn't protect him.

The butler wanted him gone.

And worst of all... he had lost to someone who had been labeled a cripple.

Bruce's face twisted in something between desperation and acceptance.

He slowly pushed himself up, dusted off his uniform, and looked at Lancelot with dull, defeated eyes.

"There's no need to dismiss me, Captain. I have made a grave mistake and my actions cannot be pardoned. As such, I will make the decision that needs to be made."

His voice was empty, lifeless.

"I resign."

Murmurs spread through the soldiers.

Lancelot sighed as soon as he heard those words.

He had expected as much.

Bruce had nowhere to go from here.

Kyle simply watched, expression unreadable, as Bruce turned and walked away from the training grounds—his once proud posture now slumped and broken.

A heavy silence hung over the training grounds.

Bruce had already resigned. His pride was shattered, and his once-bright future within the Armstrong guards had been torn away in an instant.

Guard Captain Lancelot watched the young man's retreating back with a complicated expression.

He had known Bruce for years, trained him personally, and had once believed he would become a pillar of the guards.

But now...

"Butler Bernard, there's no need to hold a grudge against Bruce. He's already suffered enough."

Lancelot spoke, turning toward the butler.

Bernard narrowed his eyes.

"Suffered enough? He broke the rules. He insulted my young master. And he tried to harm him using his internal energy. Are we just supposed to ignore all of that?"

He repeated, his voice cold.

The butler's wrath was justifiable. But at the same time, Lancelot knew that holding onto it wouldn't help anyone.

"What more could you do to him? He has lost his standing. His reputation is in ruins. Even if he wanted to, he could never return here again."

Lancelot sighed, rubbing his temple.

Bernard clenched his fists. He wanted to argue, to demand harsher punishment.

But deep down, he knew that Lancelot was right.

If he kept pushing for Bruce's suffering, it would only reflect poorly on Kyle.

People would start seeing his young master as petty and vindictive, a noble who crushed his enemies without mercy—a tyrant in the making.

Bernard clicked his tongue, clearly reluctant, but he backed off with a stiff nod.

Lancelot let out a relieved sigh.

But then, Kyle stepped forward.

"I don't want to forgive him."

Kyle spoke up before anyone else could dismiss the situation.