The Villainous Son Loves His Mother - Chapter 54

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It hadn’t been long since Hein Sera Aster secured victory at the sword tournament, even after suffering a grievous chest wound.
Well, technically, it was Azel who took the championship, and that alone was enough to stir talk. But the fact that it was a match between the heirs of two of the Twelve Noble Houses… and that both of them ran each other through with their blades—that was something else entirely. A spectacle that couldn’t help but send shockwaves through the Empire.
Sword tournaments, needless to say, were serious competitions, but they weren’t meant to be death matches.
There are two types of magic that use magical power: magic and celestial arts, and the sword-fighting tournament is a tournament where you can show your training in celestial arts.

And people have aptitude.
The Duke Aster’s House and Duke Sarion’s House were renowned for their mastery of Magic. Their focus was expected to be on the Magic Competition, where they are expected to show their results.
Therefore, no one would have batted an eye if Hein had lost in the first round of the swordsmanship tournament.
Yet, Hein had inexplicably pierced Esmeralda’s abdomen, and Esmeralda had, in turn, pierced Hein’s chest.
As a result, many who witnessed this feared that the relationship between the two families was on shaky ground.

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Hein’s first day back at school after recovering from his injuries.
As he opened the door, the students who had been chatting moments before fell silent and held their breath.
Their gazes darted around nervously.
Hein maintained his usual expressionless demeanor and walked to his seat as if nothing had happened.
The entire class sat ramrod straight, like disciplined knights or soldiers, observing Hein’s every move.
The scene resembled small animals frozen in terror before a man-eating tiger, holding their breath in fear.

“……”

Hein himself found the surrounding reactions neither irritating nor amusing.
There was no reason for him to be interested.
Would a dragon soaring through the sky take any notice of an insect crawling in the shadow of a weed growing on the ground?
Hein looked down on everyone but a select few close to him.
Despite his extreme arrogance, he surprisingly maintained a perfect record as a model student at the Academy.

He took his studies very seriously and never caused trouble.
Well, he might occasionally deliver a rather… forceful reprimand if side conversations during lectures exceeded a certain level, but the teachers found this quite helpful.
After all, the noble sons and daughters attending the lectures were, well, nobles.
While the teachers were also nobles, the inherent power dynamics of their shared status still came into play.
The Academy officially forbade exploiting social status within its walls, but such rules were ultimately just a facade.
Even teachers found it difficult to discipline the children of the high-ranking Nobles.
That’s why they were so grateful to Hein for speaking his mind so bluntly, especially since he was an exemplary student himself.
Hein settled into his desk, casually flipped open his textbook, and then froze, motionless.

This was his daily routine.
He would read his textbook like this until homeroom.
His ramrod-straight posture and unnaturally proper reading style, combined with his handsome appearance, drew the fervent gazes of many noble daughters.
However, Hein’s mind wasn’t occupied with those “inferior females” at all. Instead, he was thinking about his mother Helga’s condition, the ominous political currents swirling in the Imperial Capital, and his plans to raid the Dalkheim Fortress on the Maristella Continent during the next break.
Should he completely obliterate the Maristella Continent, or focus solely on the Dalkheim Fortress?
Which would be more spectacular? Which would make his achievement greater?
But he had no intention of revealing his plans.
Whether his classmates feared or resented him, Hein couldn’t care less.

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The tense atmosphere was slightly disrupted by Azel Sera Alphaid’s voice.

“Hey Hein! Good morning!”

Azel approached Hein’s desk with a light step, flashing a dazzling smile that showed off his pearly white teeth.
Serena stood behind him, and the two of them seemed to stand out from the rest of the class.
After all, most of Hein’s classmates hesitated even to exchange words with him, let alone approach him.
Azel, however, paid no heed to this.
He casually sat down in the seat diagonally in front of Hein and opened his mouth.

“Hein, is your chest wound alright?”

“It’s fine. No problem.”

Hein replied without even glancing at Azel, his gaze fixed on the lines of his textbook.
Azel studied Hein’s profile and murmured, “I see…” He let out a faint sigh of relief.

“Still, Emmy… did you hold some kind of grudge against Esmeralda? The way you stabbed her makes me think I was overthinking it.”

Azel had once received the full inheritance of the Sword Saint’s techniques. He could discern the perpetrator’s intent from the very way they wielded their blade.

“No grudge. It’ll heal quickly. That’s how I stabbed her.”

Hein’s tone was brusque, but there was no irritation in his voice, only a detached calm.
Serena hurried to Hein’s side, forcing a cheerful tone.

“Um… that’s good. It seems Lady Esmeralda will be able to return to school soon, too. And I’m so glad you’re feeling better, Lord Hein!”

Hein stared at Serena, his gaze akin to that of someone observing a peculiar insect.

(Who is this? Ah, Fafnirmes.)

While Azel and Esmeralda were recognized by Hein as human beings, Serena Ira Fafnir remained nothing more than Fafnirmes in his eyes.

“U-um, Lord Hein? Please don’t look at me like I’m some kind of… thing.”

“…………”

Hein offered no response.
Though he considered himself a remarkably tolerant person, much like his mother, he had no interest in engaging in pleasantries with a crawling caterpillar.
As Azel watched this exchange, he suddenly noticed the surrounding silence.
Azel turned back to Hein, whose classmates remained silent, seemingly intimidated by him.

“Hey, Hein, did you say something to everyone? Like… ‘Don’t talk’?”

“No,”

Hein replied, his gaze fixed on his textbook.
Azel crossed his arms, looking puzzled.

“Everyone seems kind of scared.”

“I don’t know anything about that.”

Hein sighed softly and pointed to the edge of his book.

“The lecture hasn’t started yet. They can talk if they want. That’s how the school rules work.”

Serena quickly chimed in,

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

Hearing this, several students widened their eyes and huddled together, whispering among themselves.
Azel chuckled wryly.

“So, we can talk normally now, right?”

Hein kept his textbook closed and gave a slight shrug.

“Do as you please. Is that the end of the conversation? Then get out of my sight. I’m busy.”

Azel muttered,

“Hey, hey, that’s not fair…”

But sensing Hein’s irritation, he said nothing more and left with Serena.
Just as the two were about to return to their seats, a female student suddenly stood up with a burst of courage.

“…Um, Lord Hein…!”

Tension filled the classroom.
The girl, pale-skinned and slender-faced, approached Hein with a determined look. At first glance, she seemed like a typical demure daughter of the nobility, but there was an air of misfortune about her. This impression might have been reinforced by her slightly pointed ears and the bluish pallor around her eyes.
But Hein didn’t respond. He had no interest in conversing with insects.
However—

“H-Lord Hein… I-I am Kaela Ira Falbloom.”

Kaela’s hands were clenched tightly, trembling as if simply stating her name was all she could manage.
Seeing her distress, Azel instinctively moved to intervene, but Hein cut him off with a curt,

“Speak.”

Kaela flinched, her shoulders jerking, and lowered her head weakly.
Just as Azel began to protest, “Hey, be a little gentler…”, Kaela mustered a sliver of courage and lifted her face.

“U-um… about Lord Hein’s mother, Lady Helga’s, birthplace… the Earl of Eldenbloom’s House… with the revision of the Imperial Law… I-I was wondering if they’ll be alright…”

Her gaze darted nervously, her voice strained, and she seemed on the verge of collapsing from tension.
The tension in the classroom grew thicker.
Hein kept his gaze fixed on his textbook, offering a terse prompt that seemed to say, “So what?”
“Are you… Are you alright? My family—the Viscount Falbloom House—also has some Elphen bl00d… and… well… if Duke Aster’s House ever needs assistance, we’d be happy to offer it…”

A distinct gulp echoed through the room.
Hein’s continued silence left the students holding their breath, like condemned prisoners awaiting their death sentence.
After several agonizing seconds, Hein finally turned to Kaela and said in a low voice,

“…The revision of the Imperial Law—the so-called Racial Hierarchy Act. I’m concerned about it too. My mother’s family, the Earl of Eldenbloom’s House, has already been affected.”

Hein’s words caused Kaela and several other students to gasp.
In one corner of the classroom, children of demi-human descent were looking at Hein with eyes filled with expectation.

“Duke Aster’s House will likely issue an official statement soon. However, it’s impossible to predict how far the Prime Minister’s faction—the one clamoring for demi-humans’ exclusion—will push their agenda…”

Hein paused briefly to catch his breath.
Kaela still wore a frightened expression, while the surrounding students seemed to hang on his every word.

“In any case, I understand your concerns. I’m also aware of Viscount Falbloom’s intentions. I’ll inform my mother about this soon.”

“I-is that so… Thank you…”

Kaela pressed a hand to her chest, exhaling a breath that might have been relief or lingering tension, and bowed deeply.

“Well… I’ll take my leave now.”

“All right, leave.”

As Hein spoke, Kaela bowed once more and scurried back to her seat as if fleeing.

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Duke Aster’s House was one of the Twelve Great Houses, renowned for its ancient lineage.
However, Helga, the current acting head of the family, carried a significant amount of Demi-Human bl00d—a widely known fact.
Moreover, the Aster House actively welcomed Demi-Humans into their household.
This alone made them unpopular among the old-fashioned nobility, especially those with radical ideologies like Imperial Chancellor Digitalis.
Even the most powerful Prime Minister in the Empire couldn’t easily crush Duke Aster’s House, considered the foremost among the Twelve Great Houses.
In this sense, Duke Aster’s House had become a beacon of hope for Demi-Human noble families.
Not that any of this mattered to Hein.