The Second Son of the Marquis Wants to Laze Around-Chapter 78: Deception

’Since when did she get so close to those girls...? Weren’t they avoiding her before...?’

Before Leon could dwell on it too much, one of the knights suddenly spoke up, catching everyone’s attention.

"By the way... has anyone called the young master?"

The group exchanged awkward glances. They had been planning to invite Eren to join them—since he had helped them a lot during the expedition—but none of them had actually gone to fetch him yet.

Luckily, a male servant who had just arrived with a tray of fresh food spoke up.

"The young master is currently resting."

He explained that Marie, Eren’s personal maid, had instructed all the servants not to disturb him, as he was sleeping.

This news made several of the knights blink in surprise.

"Already...? It’s still early evening, isn’t it?"

"Well... I guess it makes sense," Spoke Kristoff as he joined them.

"Fighting a Level 5 monster at his age... that must’ve taken a heavy toll on him."

Hearing their senior’s words, the junior knights couldn’t help but fall in silence. feeling a little bad for the young master.

...

Meanwhile, inside the young master’s tent...

The room was dark, with the lights switched off. Eren sat comfortably on his bed, staring at the glowing screen before him.

He wasn’t sleeping at all. Instead, he was checking the rewards he’d received for completing Leon’s Quest.

---

[Quest Rewards!]

30,000 Coins

20 Stat Points

High-Level Magic Artifact: Mirrorveil Cloak

New Ability Unlocked

---

Eren tapped on the magic artifact to inspect it.

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High-Level Magic Artifact

Name: Mirrorveil Cloak

Rank: Gold

Type: Cloak (Back)

Effect:

[Mirror Reversal] – Automatically reflects a single ranged magic or projectile attack back to its source, no matter how powerful. Activates upon contact.

Usable up to five times per day.

Description:

A light, shimmering cloak that flows like liquid silver. It reacts to danger with sharp instinct, forming a brief magical barrier that redirects an incoming spell or arrow to its original caster. Elegant in form—deadly in timing. Crafted by–

---

Eren skipped the rest of the details and scrolled down to the final reward.

---

[You have acquired a new Ability]

[Ability "Deception" has been unlocked!]

Details:

The act of making others believe something that isn’t true—whether through psychology, illusion, or manipulation. It is the craft of shaping perception, the power to twist minds and deceive senses, and the weaponization of falsehoods for survival or gain. It is the shadow of truth, the mirror that reflects what others want to see, and the mask that hides the blade until it’s too late.

---

Staring at the newly acquired Ability, Eren let out a small scoff of amusement.

"Well, that’s not surprising," he muttered, unimpressed.

Apparently, this was the result of his past actions—deceiving others using his illusion magic. It made sense.

He recalled how Useless had once explained to him that unlike Skills, Abilities were more commonly unlocked by Awakeners. They weren’t something you acquired with points or from leveling up; instead, they were triggered when certain conditions were met.

For example, if someone drank poison every day, they might eventually unlock a poison resistance Ability.

Simple cause and effect.

"Anyway... I need a plan to ditch those knights."

Eren mumbled to himself, yawning soon after. With that, he tossed aside the thoughts and went to sleep.

...

...

Four days later...

Since the expedition, the junior knights hadn’t returned to the Dry Forest for training, just as Commander Gareth had ordered, as he believed they had enough. For the past four days, they remained stationed at camp, going through their training routines there.

Raven, on the other hand, had been busy hunting down monsters with her newly tamed beast, aiming to expand her collection. She had very few monsters under her control before, so this was a big step. Thanks to Eren’s unexpected help in capturing a level 5 monster, along with everyone —a feat she hadn’t even dared dream of—her hunts had become significantly easier.

Meanwhile, Sir Leon, who had officially reached level 4 as an Awakener, spent most of his time sparring with senior knights like Kristoff and the others.

"Man... you’ve really gotten stronger. I don’t think it’ll be long before you surpass me."

Knight Kristoff commented between heavy breaths, glancing at Leon who was now on one knee, catching his breath and clearly exhausted.

Another senior knight, Hector, who had been watching from the sidelines, walked over and handed Leon a towel. Kristoff’s gaze then drifted to Leon’s weapons—his usual longsword and a newer short sword.

It turned out that during these past few days, Leon had changed his fighting style. Instead of wielding a single sword like before, he had switched to dual-wielding.

"To think you’d take up two swords at once. I’m impressed, Junior."

Kristoff couldn’t help but offer praise. Dual-wielding wasn’t easy—it demanded precise control and balance.

Hearing the compliment, Leon offered a humble smile.

"It was all thanks to the young master."

He was deeply grateful to Eren for helping him discover this path. He now firmly believed that the path of a dual-wielding knight was the one he was meant to walk.

"Now that I think about it... how’s the young master doing these days?"

Kristoff and Leon turned toward Hector, who blinked as if caught off guard by the question. Since he was closest to the maid Marie—the only person allowed to enter Eren’s tent—Hector was usually the go-to guy for updates about the young master.

Scratching his cheek, Hector gave a somewhat awkward answer.

"Well... it’s still the same."

For the past four days, Eren hadn’t left his tent. According to Marie, not only had he stopped going outside again, but he’d also started eating less and sleeping way more than usual. He barely moved, spending most of his time lying in bed.

Naturally, this raised concern among the knights and servants. They feared that Eren’s mysterious illness—Sloth—had returned, especially after he exerted himself during the Thunderclaw fight.

Their worries seemed reasonable. It explained why Eren was always holed up in his tent, barely interacting with others, and rarely going out. Similar when he was back in the Valmont mansion. This even has caused those who had doubt about Eren’s illness is real, to believe in it.

As for how such a rumor had spread so quickly and thoroughly among the camp... well, let’s just say Eren’s unique Skill might have had something to do with it.

...

...

...

The next morning... fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

It was the final day of their trip, and with a full month now passed, the knights and servants of House Valmont were busily packing up everything, preparing to return home.

"Young master? The carriage is ready."

Maid Marie called out gently as she stepped into the tent. Inside, Eren was already dressed in his usual noble casualwear and standing. He was scrolling through the System Shop with a bored lazy expression until her voice caught his attention.

"Alright," he replied with a nod. He finished his purchase from the shop and turned to leave.

As he walked out of the tent and made his way toward the carriage, passing by the bustling servants and knights, Useless voice echoed inside his mind.

[...Master?]

’What is it?’ Eren responded mentally, casually climbing into the carriage and sitting down.

[Are you really sure about this plan...?]

Useless asked with an uncharacteristically hesitant and worried tone.

To that, Eren answered calmly.

’I’m sure. I have confidence it won’t fail.’

With that, he pulled out his gaming console and began playing as if it were any normal day.

But even as he relaxed, Useless couldn’t shake its unease.

Its concern wasn’t about whether the plan would succeed...

It was about what might happen after.

...

Meanwhile, deep within the shadowy depths of the forest, a group of mysterious figures—about ten in total—stood silently among the trees. Each was cloaked in a dark hood, their faces hidden from view, blending seamlessly with the shadows as if they were part of the forest itself. Their presence was tense, filled with anticipation, as though they were waiting for something—or someone.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" one of them asked nervously, glancing around the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Umm... yes, I think? Maybe?" another replied uncertainly, squinting at the crumpled map he held in his gloved hands. His voice betrayed his lack of confidence.

Suddenly, a much larger figure stepped forward from the group and yanked the map from his hands with a grunt.

"Give me that," the big man growled. He unfolded the map and examined it closely under the faint light peeking through the trees. After a few moments, he gave a firm nod.

"Yes. This is the place."

Satisfied, he folded the map and tucked it into his pocket before turning toward the others.

"Spread the word. Tell everyone to get into position and wait for the signal. Remind them—we only have one shot at this."

"Yes, Boss!" Six of the cloaked figures responded immediately before vanishing into the forest in different directions, leaving behind only the leader and two others.

One of the remaining men stepped forward, concern evident in his voice.

"Boss... are you absolutely sure about this plan? We’re targeting a major noble family, after all. If we fail—"

"You don’t need to be scared," the boss interrupted, his tone calm but firm.

"We’ve already received enough support and assistance. With what we have, I believe we can finish the Job."

The second man hesitated before speaking up. "Still... I don’t trust that client of ours. What if he’s planning to betray us?"

The leader chuckled darkly, then let out a low, amused laugh.

"Don’t worry. I’ve met enough liars in my life to tell when someone’s serious. That man isn’t bluffing. He wants this done."

However, his expression changed slightly. A wicked grin spread across his face as he raised his hand, revealing a golden scroll glowing faintly with a magical symbol.

"But just because we’re working with him now... doesn’t mean we’ll let him go so easily once this is all over."

....

....