Chapter 7: When Everyone Starts Thinking Too Much
Lucian Valemont noticed the change in the mansion before anyone said anything.
The guards on the eastern corridor had doubled.
Not openly. Not all at once. One additional guard near the corner in the morning. Another near the stairwell by noon. By evening, the rotation pattern itself had shifted.
It was subtle.
Which meant it was intentional.
Lucian adjusted his steps slightly as he walked, not because he felt threatened, but because it was easier to confirm things that way. When he passed the corridor a second time, the same guard avoided eye contact.
So they were observing him now.
Lucian found the development… expected.
He returned to his room and closed the door behind him. Aria was already there, standing near the window, gaze outward, posture relaxed but alert.
"They've begun watching properly," she said without turning around.
"Yes," Lucian replied. "It would have been stranger if they hadn't."
Aria was silent for a moment.
"There is no killing intent," she added. "Not yet."
"That means they're still deciding," Lucian said calmly.
He moved to the table and poured himself a cup of water. His expression didn't change.
Decisions took time in noble families. Especially ones that preferred clean outcomes.
Lucian sat down and began circulating mana slowly. Not to cultivate seriously—just enough to maintain rhythm. There was no reason to rush.
That was when the familiar interface surfaced, quietly, like a ledger opening.
[Narrative Observation Updated.]
[Multiple Characters Reassessing Host Role.]
[Story Deviation: Ongoing.]
Lucian glanced at it briefly.
"…So it's reached that stage."
The system did not warn him. It never did.
It merely recorded.
That was fine.
Lucian dismissed the interface and continued breathing evenly.
Elsewhere in the mansion, Cassius Valemont was doing the same thing—thinking.
Cassius sat in his study, a thin document resting on his desk. He had already read it twice, yet his fingers still hovered over the seal.
Lucian's face lingered in his mind.
Calm.
Not cautious. Not arrogant.
Correct.
That was what bothered Cassius most.
Lucian had not tried to prove anything during breakfast. He had not pushed. Had not defended himself excessively. He had simply answered questions and allowed others to react.
That was not the behavior of someone acting on impulse.
Cassius tapped the document lightly.
"A personal maid," he murmured.
Too convenient.
Lucian had never trusted people before. He had avoided attachment as carefully as he had avoided cultivation.
Yet now, he had brought someone into his inner space immediately after revealing strength.
That meant the order mattered.
Protection first.
Exposure second.
Cassius leaned back.
If Lucian had truly begun cultivating only recently, then this sequence made no sense.
Which meant either Lucian was hiding something—
Or Lucian had always been preparing for this moment.
Cassius disliked both possibilities.
He sealed the document.
The gift would be sent.
Not as a threat.
Not as a challenge.
But as courtesy.
If Lucian accepted it casually, Cassius would learn one thing.
If Lucian hesitated—or worse, modified it—he would learn something far more troubling.
Cassius smiled faintly.
"Let's see how you react," he said quietly.
Meanwhile, in a different wing of the estate, the Marquis Valemont stood by his window, hands clasped behind his back.
He had not dismissed the morning lightly.
He had not questioned Lucian further at breakfast for a reason.
Pressure too early ruined useful material.
Lucian's behavior troubled him—not because of the strength displayed, but because of the absence of urgency.
Most sons who suddenly gained power became eager. Impatient. Loud.
Lucian had become… measured.
That suggested forethought.
The Marquis turned slightly as an attendant entered.
"My lord," the attendant said carefully, "Lord Cassius has prepared a support gift for Young Master Lucian."
The Marquis did not turn around.
"Approved," he said after a moment.
The attendant hesitated. "My lord… do you believe this is wise?"
The Marquis's voice remained calm.
"Wisdom is irrelevant," he replied. "Observation is not."
The attendant bowed and withdrew.
The Marquis continued looking out the window.
If Lucian was reckless, the gift would expose him.
If Lucian was cautious, the reaction would be delayed.
If Lucian was calculating—
The Marquis's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then this would become interesting.
Back in his room, Lucian opened the small wooden box that had arrived earlier than expected.
Inside was a vial.
Clear glass. High-grade sealing. A faint aura that suggested quality.
A cultivation tonic.
Aria stepped closer, eyes narrowing slightly.
"It's adjusted," she said after a brief pause.
Lucian nodded.
"I expected as much."
He examined the vial without touching it directly.
It wasn't poison.
It wasn't overtly harmful.
It was… specialized.
Tuned for orthodox cultivation paths.
For someone following a single-track progression.
Lucian set the vial down.
"They're testing," Aria said.
"Yes."
"Do you intend to use it?"
Lucian considered the question for a moment.
Then—
"Yes," he replied.
Aria turned sharply.
Lucian raised a hand slightly.
"Not as intended."
That satisfied her.
Lucian returned to his seat and let the interface surface again.
[Item Detected: High-Grade Cultivation Aid.]
[Compatibility: Partial.]
[Narrative Impact Potential: Moderate.]
Lucian exhaled slowly.
"…So this is how they want to measure me."
He adjusted the mana flow within his body, carefully altering the circulation pattern. Not forcing it. Not suppressing it.
Just enough.
The vial cracked open.
Lucian consumed the tonic calmly.
There was pressure.
Then resistance.
Then—nothing.
No backlash.
No surge.
The mana settled, reshaped, absorbed into a different flow entirely.
Lucian opened his eyes.
"…Inconvenient," he muttered.
Elsewhere, Cassius received the report.
"The tonic was consumed," the aide said.
Cassius's smile faded slightly.
"And?"
"No immediate reaction."
Cassius frowned.
That was unexpected.
He dismissed the aide and leaned back in his chair.
No backlash meant Lucian had either endured it—
Or neutralized it.
Cassius preferred neither explanation.
At the same time, the Marquis felt a faint disturbance ripple through the estate.
Not dangerous.
Not explosive.
But altered.
He closed his eyes briefly.
"So you chose to step on it," he murmured.
That night, Lucian stood by the window of his room, watching the lights of the estate below.
"They'll think more now," Aria said quietly.
"Yes."
"And after that?"
Lucian's gaze remained steady.
"Then they'll make mistakes."
The system updated silently.
[Story Deviation: Expanded.]
[New Branches Forming.]
Lucian ignored it.
For now, that was enough.