"So, Lucas," Edmond said, his voice taking on a formal tone. "From today onward you'll be working for me."
"Doing what, If I may ask."
"What do you think?" Edmond replied, picking up a golden ball with a small button on top and started to fiddle with it.
"Chores maybe? I'm not good at cooking or cleaning but I'm sure it'll be a quick study, Master."
"Watch yourself Lucas. People have been killed for saying less. You're too full of yourself for a boy who has nothing. You do realize that you're at my mercy don't you? Tell me, do you see yourself as an equal or maybe better than me by any chance?"
"How can someone like me even compare to you?"
"That's what I want to know. Anyway as I was saying from now on you'll be serving me. I think you have potential, Lucas. Work for me and you can have all you'll ever desire. Though I can force you, I prefer you commit to me willingly, it'll save me the trouble of disciplining you, so what do you say Lucas, will you work for me willingly?"
Damien didn't need to consider Edmond's request; he knew exactly what his answer would be. His earlier comments were nothing but a silly game to amuse himself before getting serious.
"If you'll have me, I'll be more than happy to work with you, Sir Edmond," Damien said, bowing his head politely.
"Good." Edmond pressed the button on the golden ball he had been fiddling with, and it emitted a small chime like a bell.
"Do you remember what I told you about the world needing more quick-witted people like you? What I really meant is that I need more quick-witted people like you. I need a capable knight—one that can jump right over the battlefield and sleight a king in his own castle. That's what I see in you, Lucas: someone who moves so erratically that it's hard for others to predict them."
Moments later the door opened behind Damien.
Victor entered the room along with a man who appeared to be quite old.
"Meet Victor and Dunken. They'll be your teachers from now on. Victor has a vast amount of knowledge about the world; he'll teach you everything you need to know. As for Dunken, he is very proficient with a sword, and since you don't have any magic, it's your only option. Officially, you'll just be another attendant for me but in reality, you'll be my knight.."
Knowledge was exactly what Damien needed to find his brother and to rise to the top of this world. With it he could grab this world by the hair and fuck it like a $2 whore. To do that, he first needed to gain a solid understanding of this world, and working with Edmond could provide just that.
"Victor, please show Lucas to one of the available rooms in the servants' quarters," Edmond instructed.
With a bow, the three of them excused themselves from Edmond's office. Dunken, a short man with a slight mustache, was the first to speak as they exited the room.
"Your training will begin at dawn tomorrow morning. I expect you to be up by then," he said before separating himself from them.
Afterward, Victor brought him to the room where he would be staying. The room itself wasn't very spacious, featuring only a bed and a small desk. Yet it was still far better than the shed he had been staying in before.
"The young master seems to have taken a liking to you, Lucas," Victor commented, his tone implying something more.
"He has? I hadn't noticed. The young master has such a gentle heart, taking pity on a commoner like me."
"Are you mocking me, boy?!"
"Not at all… old man."
"You're a sly one, aren't you? Well, a sharp tongue won't get you very far around here. Just be warned, you're in for a hell of a time. Just know this…"
Victor tapped Damien on the back of his head, and within seconds, He doubled over, visibly in pain. Agony shot through every inch of his body, it felt like he was being torn apart from the inside out. He cursed at Victor in between gasps who was peering down at him. The world seemed but a daze to him as his mind drift away from the agony he was enduring. The pain was too much for his brain to handle, sending him into a seizure.
Meanwhile, Victor stood over him with a blank expression, though a coldness remained in his eyes. "This is where you belong; on the floor. You're no better than a cockroach. Consider this your first and only warning: If you ever do anything to harm the young master in any way, I'll end you. And next time, know your place before running your mouth."
With a simple touch to the same spot as before, Damien returned to normal, the pain dissipating immediately.
"...What the hell did you do to me?!" Damien roared, foam and saliva covering his mouth from the seizure.
"Just a warning. Now get to your feet," Victor commanded.
Victor was what's known as a white mage, a mage with an affinity for healing magic. By channeling his mana into Damien's body, he had activated all the pain receptors in his brain.
Victor had meant to scare him, but in reality, it had the opposite effect. Damien was seething with rage—so much rage that he felt he could kill anything that crossed his path. Yet, you couldn't tell that by looking at him; he was smiling from ear to ear while covered in his own saliva. A deplorable piece of human trash.
He had no power against Victor, and he knew it. Even after experiencing the worst pain imaginable, he could do nothing but smile. He understood that the worst thing a weak person could do is show their weakness; only the strong have that privilege.
The only weapon Damien had at his disposal was spite. Even though this would only annoy Victor, he would still gladly do it for the pleasure of getting on his nerves.
Victor looked down at the boy he considered no better than a cockroach, smiling at him—mocking him. An unrelenting urge to kill him surged within him, but he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to go against Edmond's wishes. Even though he wanted to, he was powerless, just as helpless as the cockroach he was looking at.
Even though he was far superior to Damien, Victor couldn't shake the feeling that he had lost in this entire confrontation. The fact that he felt powerless in the face of one little smile seemed to confirm it. Damien's smile was like a challenge, daring him to wipe it off his face. The question was whether he would accept that challenge.
"Meet me in the library when you're done with your swordsmanship training tomorrow," Victor said, leaving the room, clearly irritated. But as of right now, he too was powerless. He knew it with just one glance, fear wouldn't work on a madman.
With just a simple smile, Damien had managed to change the dynamic of the entire situation.