Scarlet

My first instinct upon the doors to the study opening is to gape. But I hold myself back. Mostly because of the middle-aged man sitting in the middle of the massive room with a book held open in one hand as he sits on a couch.

The study itself is massive, spanning the size of an entire library for some reason. And everywhere I look, all I can see are books, bookshelves, some comfortable areas to sit, and a single desk at the very far back of the study.

How is this a study? It’s a freaking library!

But putting that aside… Tar? Are you seeing this too?

“Yes, I am,” Tar mutters, sounding stupefied himself.

Is this my grandfather? I thought my grandfather wasn’t a Guardian?

“You’re right,” Tar says, sounding like he’s having difficulty believing his own words. “That man is not a Guardian. He is not contracted with anyone and is not initialized into the System.”

Then why the hell does he have mana?! Mana on the level of a Class III Guardian at that?!

Tar doesn’t say anything as I walk into the study alongside Amelia and Aria, the butlers and maids all staying outside and closing the door behind us. And almost immediately, the hall fills with nothing but silence. The man doesn’t even look at us. He just continues reading his book.

I glance at Amelia to find her scowling at him before she says, “We’re not going to wait for you to finish your chapter. Either speak now or we’re leaving.”

Are you kidding me?

I turn a frown towards the man.

Was he seriously just sitting there finishing whatever chapter he was on as we stood here waiting for him? I mean, I understand not wanting to be interrupted in the middle of something, but he’s the one who asked us to come, and he’s the one who was apparently ‘ready to see us’ according to his maids.

There is something seriously wrong with this guy. And that’s not considering the fact that he’s a non-Guardian with mana.

“Amelia Knight do not interrupt me,” he says without looking up from his book, making me frown at the usage of his own last name on her despite it not legally being hers.

“Old man, you know my name isn’t Amelia Knight,” she says, the anger on her face growing fiercer. But the man just ignores her to continue reading for several more seconds until I’m assuming he finishes whatever chapter he was on and places a bookmark in the book before closing it. Then he turns to finally look at us, making me notice a strange light shining in the middle of his pupil. A tiny little pin prick of a white and golden light.

The man has black irises around his pupil, with short black hair and a tall build. One that I’m guessing didn’t get passed onto Amelia considering that me and Amelia are the same height and we’re not as tall as him by a longshot.

He is wearing a fancy suit absolutely brimming with mana, showcasing just how powerful whatever magi-tech he’s wearing is. And it’s not just the armor. It’s everything on him. Literally everything he has on his person is magi-tech. High class magi-tech for that matter. But despite that, none of it looks overly gaudy or anything.

His gaze turns to me after passing over Amelia and Aria without much interest before his eyes narrow ever so slightly and he turns to Amelia again to say, “So this is the child?” And without letting her say anything, he turns back to me and says, “She has potential.”

Amelia’s eyes widen in shock at his words, as if what we just heard was a once in a lifetime thing or something. And she’s not the only one as Aria looks shocked as well.

Okay, what’s going on with this guy?

“If I had to guess, he is someone who has ascended without the help of the System guiding him,” Tar answers, shocking me again.

I had considered that a possibility after seeing his mana, but he’s clearly Class III by his mana level! How could someone reach Class III without the assistance of the System?!

“I don’t know,” Tar answers rather bluntly.

Amelia quickly glances at me before looking at Isaac Knight – not calling him Grandfather – again as he says, “Bring her back here when she reaches Class VI.”

Everyone, including myself, stares at him in shock, letting absolute silence fill the entire study.

He looks between us and sighs. And without a hint of hesitation, he turns back to his book and says, “Leave. That was all I wished to speak about.”

The door to the study opens once more, making me turn around to find the maids standing at the entrance without the butlers this time.

“Just as usual, you may stay in the mansion so long as you pay for rent,” Isaac says. And when I turn around to face him again, he’s not even bothering to look at us while clearly having begun reading again. “Do whatever you please but stay out of my study unless invited. That is the only rule.”

Amelia quite literally growls at him before turning around and walking out of the room, and Aria does the same thing, just without the growling part. She even takes my hand and pulls me with her, only to cling onto me after the door to the study shuts behind us.

“Please make use of us as you please, Young Misses,” the maids all say with a collective bow. Then one of them, an older looking lady, walks up to the front and says, “If you wish to stay here, then we will bring you to your rooms and instruct you on how much the rent costs.”

I blink at that before immediately answering, “No thanks, I’ll be heading back to the frontlines.”

The woman blinks in surprise before nodding her head and answering, “Very well, Young Miss. You will be provided with a magi-tech teleport item to bring you back to the frontlines when you leave.”

I nod my head in appreciation as I try to parse everything that just happened.

Isaac Knight reached Class III without the System, he’s an asshole, and he wants me to come back after I reach Class VI… very little of that makes any sense.

Except him being an asshole.

That I expected.