The Young Master I Carefully Raised Became Obsessive

His arm—I had seen it before. It shimmered with an array of colors, as if all the lights of the world had gathered to dance upon it. I was momentarily entranced. Ardion quickly pulled down his sleeve. But I was faster and instinctively reached out for his arm. He blinked in surprise, his eyes wide in confusion.

“Wh-what are you doing?” he stammered, his voice betraying his shock.

“Why are you hiding your arm?” I asked, suddenly aware of the same concealment he had displayed when he came out of the bathroom earlier.

“Everyone dislikes it,” he said, his voice tinged with resignation.

“That’s not true. It’s beautiful,” I replied.

“R-really?”

“Yes.”

A pang of envy struck me then. If only I had such powerful mana like him, I would have escaped from this hell a long time ago.

“Please, don’t hide it from me, Young Master. There’s no need to.”

Ardion merely stared at me in silence. I assured him with a smile and continued to explain how to conceal his mana. As I spoke, I noticed something peculiar in his green eyes—a gaze that felt unusually piercing and intense.

“… What’s the matter?” I asked, sensing the change.

Ardion quickly averted his gaze. “It’s nothing.”

I observed him for a moment longer. His ears had turned faintly pink, and he hastily opened a book and began reading, trying to focus intently. So I continued with the explanation without hesitation.

Ardion listened calmly to my voice. As the night deepened, the light emanating from his arm gradually diminished. The method I discovered was working.

“Young Master, if you put in a bit more effort, I believe you’ll be able to hide this light completely.” 

Duke Orchid and Rowell would assess whether Ardion’s mana had truly vanished by observing the light on his arm. For now, the presence of the light indicated the substantial amount of mana he possessed, so removing it would get them to believe his mana had been drained.

“It’s working,” he said, marveling as he examined his arm from various angles.

“We have plenty of time, Young Master. For now, let’s leave it like that.” I tidied up the books and prepared to leave.

Ardion nodded in agreement. “Alright, see you tomorrow.”

With a contented heart, I left his room. Although there was still plenty of time left, I was relieved that my efforts from the previous day had paid off. I hadn't expected that concealing mana on Ardion’s arm would be resolved so quickly. 

I thought it would take years… Could I have a natural talent for mana research?

Feeling somewhat pleased with myself, I returned to my room and discovered it was already late at night. The moment I lay down on the bed, I almost immediately drifted to sleep.

❋ ❋ ❋

[Third-Person POV]

Meanwhile, in the quiet of his room, Ardion stared intently at his arm. A faint light lingered around it, dancing softly against the dimness. Upon clenching his fist, all traces of light from his arm vanished in an instant.

He was already familiar with the method of concealing mana, yet Laila’s enthusiastic teaching and high expectations motivated him to excel.

He relaxed his arm again, and the familiar brilliance of mana enveloped it once more. Normally, he would have been anxious to hide it. But now, he found himself frequently enthralled at the glowing mana on his arm with an odd sense of fascination.

This light… It’s beautiful.

With that thought in mind, he recalled the admiration within Laila’s eyes. Never once in his life had he thought his mana to be beautiful because it was an unnecessary ability for him.

But Laila had called the light beautiful. Not only that, but she had even insisted that he not bother to hide it.

Ardion reflected on Laila’s words as he gazed intently at his arm, lost in his thoughts.

❋ ❋ ❋

[First-Person POV]

Months had passed since then. At first, concealing Ardion’s mana seemed to be a simple task. But oddly, it became increasingly difficult over time. The once easily hidden mana now resisted every attempt to conceal it. Due to that issue, I found myself visiting him early each day, spending nearly the entire day teaching him new methods. But despite my relentless efforts, the results remained unchanged.

“Why is this happening?” I asked, frustration creeping into my voice.

Ardion shook his head, just as perplexed as I was.

I buried my face in my hands, overwhelmed. This is driving me crazy.

Lately, Duke Orchid had been threatening me. He had promised to visit soon and had ominously warned that if Ardion’s mana was still visible when he arrived, not only would my life be in danger, but my mother’s would be as well.

My mother was already dead, so her fate was irrelevant, but the threat to my own life was a pressing concern.

“It seems he’ll come any day now…”

“Who?” Ardion asked, his brow furrowed.

“Duke Orchid. He’s been quiet for a while, but I have a hunch he’ll come soon.”

Ardion’s face instantly hardened. “What about you?”

“Me?” I replied, a touch of nervousness in my voice.

“Since you’re responsible for me, doesn’t that put you at risk?”

“Probably… Yes. But don’t worry. I’ll find a way to handle it.”

Before I could say more, the door swung open with a sudden bang. Startled, I jumped around to find the duke’s butler standing there. I quickly lowered the book under the table to avoid drawing attention.

“What’s going on?” I asked, trying to keep my composure.

“The duke wishes to see you.”

“Alright, I’ll tidy up here and be right with you,” I said, attempting to sound calm.

The butler nodded but then added, “Ardion is to come as well.”

As expected, this was a part of Duke Orchid’s plan to check whether Ardion’s mana had truly been drained.

I let out a faint sigh and nodded in resignation. “Understood.”

As the butler left the room, a wave of exhaustion washed over me. I sank heavily into a chair and cast a worried glance at Ardion.

“Young Master, first…”

“Let’s go.”

“Pardon me?”

“Isn’t it time we head to the duke’s office?”

“Yes, but are you sure you’re alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your mana… seems even more visible than before.” I pointed at Ardion’s arm. 

He no longer bothered to hide it in my presence. A brilliant light flowed and shifted fluidly across his arm.

“It’s fine.”

“Fine? With that display, Duke Orchid might bury me in the wilderness.”

“He won’t do that,” Ardion said with a firmness that left no room for doubt. His gaze was resolute, as if he had some kind of assurance.

“But…”

As I hesitated, Ardion moved to the door. “I won’t let you down.”

His voice carried a weight of determination, and his expression was one of solid confidence.

Does he really have something I can rely on?

Ardion’s confidence was striking. As I wavered, Derol lightly touched my hand. I lowered my head to meet his gaze.

“Master, since Ardion is so adamant, there might be something we’re not aware of.”

Derol’s comment sounded quite convincing, as if he had witnessed something significant.

I nodded and rose from my seat while Derol slipped into my pocket.

Since Ardion was resolute, I could only follow his lead. I was afraid that delaying would do nothing but stoke the duke’s anger.

I had always found the duke’s sharp voice unbearable, so I reluctantly made my way to the office.

Since he says he won’t let me down, I’ll trust him.

Ardion had been reliable so far, so I decided to place my trust in him once again. We climbed up the stairs and walked for a while before soon arriving at the duke’s office. Ardion knocked on the door.

“Enter.”

The door swung open, revealing the familiar opulence. Luxurious paintings, statues, and an array of books that seemed to stretch endlessly were scattered throughout the room.

I covered my nose with the sleeve of my dress. The nauseating stench of cigars wafted through the air.

“Ah, you’re here,” Duke Orchid said, his eyes narrowing like a serpent’s as he scrutinized Ardion and me. His desk had a lit cigar emitting a thick plume of white smoke.

I wish he’d put that out. I glanced at the cigar and then back at Ardion.

He was staring intently at Duke Orchid, seemingly unaffected by the acrid smoke filling the room. It suddenly dawned on me that he had never been affected by the smell since the beginning.

He really can’t smell it.

While I pondered, Duke Orchid abruptly stood up.

“It’s been quite some time,” he said.

Suddenly, the duke approached Ardion and seized his arm. Ardion attempted to shake off his grip, but it was futile. The duke’s hold was firm as he rolled up Ardion’s sleeve.

I moved forward to intervene, but the duke’s expression changed to one of satisfaction.

“You’ve nearly removed it.”

While Duke Orchid was smiling, I could only look at Ardion with a stunned expression. His arm was now completely devoid of any visible light.

To be precise, the light was completely gone.

What’s going on?

Just moments before, Ardion’s arm had been suffused with a brilliant glow.

As I stared at him in disbelief, Duke Orchid’s unpleasant voice cut through my thoughts.

“Laila, this is why I’m covering your mother’s medical expenses.”

“…”

“I don’t have to badger you to get results.”

Despite the duke’s unusual praise, I could only stare blankly at Ardion. How was that possible?

“Laila.”

“...”

“Laila!”

Startled, I turned around to find the duke glaring at me through the cigar clenched between his teeth.

“You dare not listen to what I have to say?”

“I’m just surprised, Your Grace. I can’t believe what I’ve done…” I stammered, my eyes wide with shock.

The duke seemed to accept my explanation and nodded in satisfaction. “I’ll let it slide this time. But next time, I’ll make sure to extract every last bit of mana from him so that he can’t use magic at all.”

The threat was chilling. Was it really appropriate to speak so harshly in front of Ardion?

I cursed the duke silently but nodded firmly. Then I quickly placed a hand on Ardion’s shoulder. He flinched slightly at my sudden touch.

I whispered, “Let’s go, Young Master.”

Ardion nodded.

Duke Orchid watched us with an air of arrogance, the cigar still burning in his mouth. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

As soon as we were outside, I turned to Ardion. “Young Master, what just happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“The light on your arm… It was so bright before that I was starting to think everything I taught you was for nothing…” 

Derol seemed intrigued as well and peeked out of my pocket. “Have you been deceiving us all along?”

Ardion’s expression darkened. His green eyes flashed with a dangerous glint as he glared at Derol. Derol’s accusation seemed to strike a chord within him.