"Thank you. I will never forget this kindness."
"Remember this well. Abandoning a friend is the same as abandoning another version of yourself. Do not even think of doing it half-heartedly."
"Yes!"
Rian nodded vigorously, fastened his sword to his waist, and dashed toward the mansion.
Kite's eyes held a trace of longing.
'My role here is done.'
Though the time for farewell had come a little sooner than expected, he was glad they could part ways like men.
May fortune favor my disciple's future.
The atmosphere inside the mansion was icy.
All work had come to a halt, and the butlers and maids stood frozen in place, barely daring to breathe.
Behind the sofa where the direct family members sat, Head Butler Louis adjusted his glasses. Beside him, Deputy Butler Temuran glared at Shirone with a rigid, disapproving stare.
And there, kneeling under the weight of hostility and scorn, was Shirone.
It felt like standing in the center of the Colosseum.
"Head Butler, report."
"Yes, Lord Head. Temuran has accused Shirone, who has resided here for a year and six months, of damaging the Ozent family's prestige. Numerous servants have witnessed the youngest young master associating with Shirone, and I myself have overheard Shirone speaking casually to him. The detailed evidence, including testimonies compiled by Temuran, is attached."
Bishop silently motioned for the documents, and Louis handed them over without delay.
Tap. Tap.
As the pages were roughly flipped through, Reina quietly approached Shirone.
"Shirone, don't worry too much. I'll try to persuade Father. Nothing will happen to you."
Shirone slowly raised his head.
Contrary to expectations, his expression was unnervingly calm—so much so that Reina felt a chill run down her spine. There was not a trace of fear in his eyes.
He's not pretending to be composed. He's genuinely assessing the situation with cold clarity.
Shirone was not afraid.
The future was nothing but an illusion; nothing had been decided yet.
After skimming through the documents, Bishop finally spoke.
True to his black-haired lineage, his voice carried a frost that could freeze a man's blood.
"Arian Shirone, is the content of these documents true?"
"Father, Shirone and Rian—"
"Reina, I was not asking you. I will give him a chance to speak. Stay silent for now."
Reina knew it wouldn't be easy.
Bishop, who upheld principles and cold logic as the foundation of his authority, was not a man swayed by emotions.
Shirone spoke.
"May I ask one thing first?"
His unnerving composure surprised the watching servants, but Bishop remained unmoved.
"Speak."
"If I am indeed friends with the youngest young master… what will happen to him?"
Even in this perilous situation, Shirone's first concern was for his friend. Reina's eyes softened with affection.
"It will have no effect. This gathering is solely to interrogate you, a commoner. No matter what crime Rian may have committed, as long as it concerns the family, we will protect and shield him."
Though Bishop's words carried venom, Shirone found solace in them.
Now free of his last shred of worry, Shirone smiled brightly and confessed.
"Then that's a relief. Rian and I are indeed friends. We've built a friendship over the past year, and we intend to continue doing so."
Though no one dared to react visibly, Shirone's words sent shockwaves through the room.
The servants who had lived alongside them were particularly stunned—what had once been mere suspicion was now confirmed as fact.
'Foolish brat. Doesn't know how terrifying the world can be.'
A noble's child and a hunter's son, friends for over a year?
What had once been nothing more than an idealistic fairy tale had become reality.
"It seems the Ozent name means little to you. Shirone, as the Head of this house, I sentence you to execution. You entered under such a contract, so I assume you were prepared for this."
Reina stepped forward.
"Father! Please, just listen for a moment! You said you'd give him a chance to speak!"
"That was when there was still room for judgment. He has already confessed. Dragging this out further is pointless. Head Butler."
"Yes, Lord Head."
"Proceed with the matter. And ensure this does not leave these walls."
"Understood."
Reina grew desperate. Even now, Shirone's calm demeanor frustrated her.
But how could she stop this?
Never once had Bishop reversed a decision made in the name of the Head.
"Who gave you the right?!"
Rian burst through the mansion doors.
His mere presence seemed to ignite the air.
"Who dares execute my friend without my permission?!"
Bishop cut in sharply.
"I do."
"Why?! What crime has he committed? All he did was become my friend!"
"One does not need to commit a capital crime to die. Nobility is far more complicated than you think. It is only because this family shoulders those complexities that you, as a noble's son, have enjoyed privilege."
"If maintaining that privilege means abandoning my friend, then I refuse it."
"You are naive, Rian. Friendship is only possible between equals. Can you truly believe that boy sees you as a friend? How can you be sure? What if he approached you for money? You'd never know—yet you still trust him?"
"Shirone would never do that."
"That's precisely my point. Prove it. Show me evidence that Shirone is not that kind of person."
Reina bit her lip.
'He's trapped him.'
No one could read another's heart—there was no way to prove a friendship was genuine.
Feeling the chill in his father's words, Rian silently gripped the hilt of his sword.
A fire burned in his chest.
'I see, Master.'
Understanding Kite's words at last, Rian burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
This was no place for a battle of pride between father and son. This was a duel with live steel.
"As expected, I can't win against you, Father. I almost fell for it. Proof of friendship? I believe in it. Even if Shirone doesn't consider me a friend, as long as I believe in him, he is my friend. That is proof enough!"
Now it was Bishop's turn to feel his head grow hot.
Rian's words, after all, held truth.
"So you would defy the Head's decree? This is not a matter between father and son. Countless nobles are falling as we speak, and I bear the responsibility of leading Ozent. Even my own flesh and blood can be disowned."
Bishop had drawn his line in the sand.
To disown his own son—
Not only the servants but even the family members were taken aback.
Yet Rian did not flinch.
Instead, he responded with unprecedented formality, as if erecting a wall between himself and Bishop.
"If that is the only way to protect my friend, I will leave with a smile."
BANG!
Bishop slammed his heel against the floor.
Unacceptable. A mere sixteen-year-old, willing to be disowned?
This was insolence. A disrespectful act. A child exploiting his parents' weakness.
"Then draw your sword. If you are willing to be disowned, you must be prepared to forsake even family. If you truly stand for your friend, stake your life here and now."
Rian silently unsheathed his sword. The action only enraged Bishop further.
"You would truly raise your blade against your own father?"
"Not against you. But since you refuse to believe my sincerity, I have no choice. I draw my sword to uphold my conviction."
"Since when have you valued friendship? You never mingled with noble peers—because they outshone you. You sought comfort in a commoner beneath you."
"This time, Father, you are wrong. Shirone is a friend who shines brighter than I. I wish to help him rise even higher."
Bishop was at a loss.
What kind of bewitching words could have swayed his simple-minded son so completely?
"Was it you? Did you make Rian like this? Did you convince him a commoner and noble could be friends?"
Shirone spoke.
"I never persuaded him, but if that's what he believes, then I must have said something like that."
Rian stepped between them.
"Shirone, stay back. I'll handle this. No matter what happens, I won't let—"
"Rian."
The cold tone—one he had never heard before—made Rian turn. Shirone was staring ahead, perfectly composed.
"Take responsibility for what you must."
The words were so icy they sent a chill through even Rian, matching Bishop's own severity.
"Huh? O-Of course. Naturally."
"But you need not take responsibility for what isn't yours. This situation was created by both of us. We'll face it together from now on."
Shirone turned to Rian and smiled.
"Even if I die here today, I will never regret becoming your friend."
Silence fell.
Not only the servants but even the Ozent family could not help but be solemn in that moment.
And for Rian, it was like pouring fuel onto an already blazing fire.
"Exactly! That's what I mean! Even if I'm disowned, we're still friends!"
The servants murmured among themselves.
Even those who had initially sneered now found themselves unsure whose side to take.
Reina, resting her chin on her hand, smiled.
'Incredible, Shirone.'
With undeniable logic, he had silenced the adults.
The reason no one could refute Shirone's words was simple—because they were all human, with emotions.
'Once, everyone had such a friend… or wished they could.'
Even the ironclad logic of the Ozent family was reduced to mere human affairs.
'Clever. In a way, he might be just like Father.'
Yet the reason Shirone didn't seem detestable was that his sincerity outweighed any calculation.
'Well… truthfully, I can't know for sure. But he has a way of making you want to believe him. That's the kind of power he has.'
Perhaps that was Shirone's greatest weapon.