Reborn As Noble

"Do not let yourselves be blind. Blinded by pride, by flattery, or by the illusion of strength. Those who cannot see clearly will stumble, and those who stumble will be trampled."

The steam shifted as his gaze hardened, moving from son to son.

"Do not let yourselves be deaf. Deaf to counsel, deaf to the whispers of danger, deaf to the cries of your people. A ruler who refuses to listen will one day find himself alone."

"And above all… do not let yourselves be careless. For the careless man dies not by the enemy's blade, but by his own negligence."

Garius's voice faded, the steam curling around him like a veil. After the long lecture, he rose from the hot bath and stepped toward the door. Pausing, he glanced back at his sons.

"Finish your bath. And prepare."

With that, he left.

The moment the door shut behind him, silence lingered. None of them spoke.

Because they knew.

What their father said was true.

Every warning, every lesson, carried the weight of his life.

Garius had already been stabbed once in betrayal. His entire family cut down by the Klimbert household when he was only a boy. He had endured loss, clawed his way back from despair, and built Armand into what it was now.

His words weren't merely the cautions of a ruler, they were the scars of a survivor.

Heres sighed first, shoulders slumping as he stepped out of the steam.

Marcellus and Cedric joined in, their breaths escaping in unison, a chorus of weariness.

Aelius, however, pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing it as though to clear the weight of Father's words from his mind. Javier only exhaled quietly, keeping his thoughts to himself.

Then Aelius lowered his hand, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Since Father said to bring one personal maid… I suppose I won't bring my maid at all. I'll bring Athine instead."

Marcellus raised a brow, smirking faintly.

"You really can't be separated from Athine, huh, Aelius?"

"Not really," Aelius answered simply, his smile calm, without shame.

"It's just… I worry that she'll worry about me."

Cedric let out a low chuckle, shaking his head.

"Heh… wonder with you two…"

"Alright, let's go prepare. Since our Pekko are fast, I'm sure we can arrive quickly," Marcellus said as he adjusted his robe.

"Yeah… if we go with full Pekko speed…" Cedric replied, rolling his shoulders.

Javier smirked faintly, arms crossed.

"Heh… Buddy is fast, but Father's Giddie is too fast. Wonder if we can even catch up."

"Hm?" Aelius tilted his head.

"You didn't know? Giddie can buff all the Pekko to match his speed."

Javier blinked. "Eh? That Pekko can use buff skills too?"

Marcellus and Cedric both stared at him. "You don't know?"

"Eh? No! I've never seen Buddy use any buff. I didn't even know Pekko had skills."

Aelius sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose again.

"Your Pekko, little brother. Buddy. He can always find you, no matter where you go. Right?"

Javier paused, blinking as the thought clicked.

"…Now that you mention it, yeah. He can always find me easily. But… I never questioned why."

Marcellus chuckled, shaking his head.

"That's because Pekko aren't ordinary beasts. Each of them shares a bond with their rider. The stronger your bond, the more skills they awaken."

Cedric smirked. "Heh… figures. Our 'genius' little brother never even noticed the most obvious part of his own mount."

"Damn it!! Buddy never showed his skill to me!!" Javier growled, running a hand through his hair.

Marcellus chuckled, his grin wide.

"Heh… despite being the first among us to own a Pekko, you didn't notice at all? Come on, you've been with that bird since you were… err… ten or eleven, right, Cedric?"

Cedric shrugged, leaning back with a careless expression. "Yeah.."

"You didn't notice?" Aelius pressed, raising a brow. "Despite running at that speed, Pekko can stop instantly and change course?"

Javier blinked, his lips parting slightly.

"That kind of movement… you know it's a skill in fighting, right?" Marcellus added, smirking faintly.

"Even seasoned knights can't pull off a stop-and-turn that sharp without breaking their stance."

Cedric gave a short chuckle. "And yet you thought it was just… what? Good balance?"

"And surely you've seen it, right?" Marcellus leaned forward, grinning. "When Pekko fight monsters, they rarely use their beak. They fight with their talons."

Javier frowned, recalling the times Buddy had kicked wolves and boars off their path.

"Do you think an oversized bird like that can just leap and kill a monster in one slash of its talon?" Aelius asked, his tone sharp. "Ever notice the wounds?"

Javier blinked, his eyes narrowing as the memories came clearer.

"You've seen it, haven't you?" Cedric smirked.

"When their talons strike, it's not just brute force. You never saw them stabbing their claws straight through a body, except for a kick. Instead… the monsters were slashed, as if cut by a blade."

Marcellus chuckled, snapping his fingers.

"That's the Pekko's wind skill. When they strike, their talons release a compressed wind blade. That's how they cut down monsters in one move. Not just muscle, but magic."

"There's a lot you still need to learn about Pekko, Javier," Marcellus chuckled, shaking his head.

"Heh… despite being with that birdy-birdy of yours all this time, you never really checked him, never really observed him. Other than feeding him and listening to him squawk like—"

Marcellus puffed out his chest and let out a loud, mocking call. "Cuquawked!"

Javier's brow twitched. "Hey! All Pekko sound like that!"

Cedric smirked, crossing his arms. "Yeah, but only your birdy-birdy gets that excited. Hopping around, flapping like he just won a battle. Ahahaha!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Javier waved them off, his lips twitching. "But… everyone agrees on one thing. Father's golden Pekko, Giddie, is the scariest."

All of them went quiet for a moment, then nodded.

"Yeah…" Cedric muttered. "The way he stares at us and puffs his chest."

Aelius crossed his arms, shivering faintly.

"Not only that. He only gets excited when he's around Father. The rest of the time… he's all serious. Like he's judging us."

"Judging?" Heres snorted, though his eyes darted away.

"Feels more like he's wanting to eat us."

Marcellus chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah… every time he looks our way, it's like he's saying, 'Stay away, or I'll bite your head off.'"

"Heh… like he's copying Father," Cedric muttered with a crooked grin.

"Yeah… maybe," Aelius agreed with a small shrug.

Heres gave a low hum.

"But we all know… Pekko follow how their master is."

The brothers all turned their eyes toward Javier, smirks tugging at their lips.

"Just like your mischievous Buddy, little brother," Marcellus teased.

Javier twitched.

"Oi… don't compare me to that squawking furball with feathers."

Cedric snorted. "Featherball, not furball, genius."

The laughter that followed echoed through the corridor, lightening the air after their heavy talk with Father.

( End Of Chapter )