Silence fell over the area after Joker One outright threatened me. He just crossed the line. Everything he and his companions had said before this could be excused one way or another. Threatening a member of House Sturm's main family? There was no coming back from that. From the worried expressions on their faces, Joker One's companions knew this.

I, on the other hand, felt ecstatic. Joker One just gave me the justification I needed to beat the ever loving shit out of him. It truly was a beautiful day. The sky was clear, the morning sun was shining, and we were surrounded by the splendor of nature.

Leroy tried to walk over to Joker One, but Joker Two and Joker Three blocked his path. Despite everything, they remained loyal to their companion. I didn't know whether to commend them for their solidarity, or shake my head at their stupidity.

"You go too far, Timothy." Leroy said in a grim tone. "Lord Gabriel is a part of the main family. Not even you can get away with making threats against him."

Timothy? Oh! He was Timothy Jeffers. That was why I found him familiar. It also explained his arrogance. The Jeffers family was one of House Sturm's highest ranking vassals. They had served us for centuries, and many of their members were powerful wizards in their own right. In fact, if they wanted to, they could have broken off and formed their own House a while ago. However, they chose not to.

The head of the Jeffers family, Trent Jeffers, was my father's bodyguard, while his wife, Aleah Jeffers, was the captain of House Sturm's retainers. I wondered how Timothy was related to them. Not that it mattered. It wasn't going to save him.

Timothy Jeffers… No, I was going to keep calling him Joker One in my mind. Joker One ignored Leroy's words and focused on me.

"Well, Lord Gabriel?" He asked. "What will it be?"

Did he really think he could get away with threatening me like this? Or did he plan on silencing Leroy and I? The Northern Annex was the perfect place to attempt a murder. It was a fair distance away from the rest of Sturm Manor, and few people ever came this way. Of course, I wasn't going to stand by and do nothing.

I sized Joker One up. He was shorter than me, but bulkier. He outweighed me by a significant margin, and all of it was muscle. In a fight between the two of us, most people would bet on him. And that wasn't even taking his magic into account.

Wizards measured their general power by the quality, or the rank, of their magic circle, starting at the First Circle and going all the way up to the Ninth Circle. Each rank was exponentially more powerful than the previous one.

I sensed that Joker One was only at the First Circle. In most cases, that would have been more than enough to deal with someone like me, who didn't even have a magic circle. However, I was confident in my ability to deal with a First Circle wizard, even in my current condition. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten involved in this matter at all.

Based on his physique, I guessed that Joker One practiced internal magic. It was a form of magic where wizards used mana to reinforce their bodies and increase their physical prowess. Strength, endurance, speed, and so on. Any wizard could use internal magic, regardless of their elemental affinities. In many ways, it was similar to the basic body enhancement techniques that martial artists used. However, internal magic was weaker and less effective.

Likewise, wizards who practiced internal magic also used fighting styles that took advantage of their reinforced physiques. While these fighting styles resembled martial arts on the surface, I refused to acknowledge them as such. They were crude imitations at best.

"I'm going to hit you in the face." I said.

With that, I swung my right arm at Joker One. He blocked me with ease and smirked.

"Did you really think-" He started to say, but I interrupted him with a swift kick between the legs. This caught him off guard, and he let out a pained groan. He didn't even have time to use internal magic. Leroy and Joker Three winced and made sympathetic noises.

Using magic required concentration and focus, internal magic included. Kicking a wizard between the legs, male or female, was a good way to distract them. Was it underhanded? Yes. Did I care? No. I was at a severe disadvantage here. If I wanted to win, I needed to fight dirty.

While Joker One was reeling from my kick, I took the rock I picked up earlier, the one in my left hand, and swung it at his face. I put all of my strength into my attack. He tried to avoid it, but reacted too late. I slammed the rock into his jaw. His head snapped back and blood sprayed from his mouth. Some of it splashed onto me, but the rest missed.

I swung the rock at him again, this time hitting him in the square in the face. I heard a crack as I broke his nose. More blood sprayed from his face. This time, most of it landed on my clothes. Joker One stumbled backwards, before falling to one knee. However, instead of stopping, I bashed him in the face again and again. I couldn't afford to let up. Otherwise, Joker One would recover and kick my ass. I needed to end this fight now, while I still had the advantage.

His companions stood there with horrified expressions on their faces. I doubt they had ever been in a serious fight. This might have been their first exposure to the brutality of battle. Even Leroy, who was on my side(?), seemed shocked by my viciousness.

Joker One's companions snapped out of their daze after I bashed him in the face for the fifth time. Or maybe it was the sixth? I wasn't keeping track.

"Stop it!" Joker Two screamed. "You're killing him!"

I ignored her and hit him in the face for the sixth(seventh?) time.

Joker Three skipped words and went straight to attacking me. He recited an incantation and formed a series of mudras with his hands.

Wizards just needed to focus and concentrate on the spell they wanted in order to cast it. However, using tools helped them focus their minds, increased the power of their spells, and let them cast those same spells while using less mana. Incantations and mudras, symbolic hand gestures, were two such tools.

A small mote of fire sparked to life in the air right in front of Joker Three. In less than a second, it grew to the size of a fist. Fire Bolt, one of the most basic Fire spells in existence. If that hit me, it would burn a hole right through me. Even if I survived it, a big if, I'd be in a world of hurt.

However, just as I was about to throw the rock at Joker Three, Leroy hit him with a vicious punch to the side. Joker Three stumbled to the side. His Fire Bolt dissipated into nothing and the mana he used to cast the spell sublimated into the environment.

Despite this, I couldn't relax. Joker Two decided to follow her companion's example and started casting a spell. However, instead of a Fire Bolt, I saw a blade made of compressed air form in front of her. Wind Blade, a basic Wind spell.

I threw the rock at her face. She was too focused on casting her spell that she couldn't dodge. The rock hit her right in the nose. Bull's-eye! Her head snapped and she fell to the ground, screaming. Blood streamed from her nose.

"My face! You hit my face!"

I took a moment to glance at Leroy and Joker Three. However, I needn't have worried. Leroy had already subdued his opponent. Joker Three laid in a heap on the ground, unconscious. I blinked in surprise. That was quick. I appraised Leroy with new eyes. Like Joker One, it seemed he practiced internal magic. It appeared that he was pretty adept at it too. A shame. Leroy would have made for a great martial artist.

I glanced at Joker One. He laid unmoving on the ground, his face a bloody mess. I didn't know if he was unconscious or not. He was still alive, I knew that much. His chest moved up and down in a steady rhythm. Good. I hadn't held back when I hit him, I couldn't afford to, so I feared that I had killed him. Thankfully, it hadn't come to that. I wanted to give him a beating, not kill him.

With Joker One and Joker Three out of the fight, that just left Joker Two. She struggled to get on her feet, glaring at me through tear-filled eyes.

"I suggest you surrender while you're still ahead." I said in a cold voice. "Keep going, and you'll only make things worse for yourself."

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Joker Two paused while halfway off the ground, a conflicted expression on her face. Fear and uncertainty mingled with anger and hate.

"Right now-" I kicked Joker One's prone form. He groaned, but otherwise didn't react. "-this idiot is the only one who will face serious punishment. He threatened a member of House Sturm's main family. You and your companion? You two were just defending your friend. At least, that's the argument you'll make when we report this to my father." I walked over and crouched in front of Joker Two. "However, if you make the wrong choice, you won't even get that chance."

Joker Two swallowed and stared at me with wide eyes. Blood flowed from her nose in a stream. For the next several seconds, no one said or did anything. After a while, Joker Two bowed her head.

"I… I surrender, Lord Gabriel." She said in a wavering voice.

"Good. Maybe you're not a hopeless cause after all."

With that, I stood up and stretched. My body ached in several places. Despite my bravado, this fight had strained my body. If it had gone on any longer, I might have pushed myself too far and suffered a serious injury. Ugh. I needed to get into shape as soon as possible.

I noticed movement from the corner of my eye. Leroy regarded me with a wary expression on his face, as if I were a wild animal. I found his wariness both amusing, and disheartening.

My mother, and perhaps my father as well, already suspected me. This incident would just make things worse. It was out of character for the Gabriel Sturm that everyone else knew. Perhaps I should have just left when I had the chance.

Oh well. Nothing to do about it now except strive forward and handle things as they came. Maybe this was for the best. Hiding the truth from my parents never sat well with me. This way, I could be honest with them.

"Well then," I said, "Come along, Leroy. Let's go."

He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Go where, Lord Gabriel?"

I snorted.

"To report this to my father. We might as well get the inevitable out of the way."

My father's office was larger and more spacious than my bedroom. It was furnished with centuries old antiques, maintained and kept in good repair by various enchantments. The dark color scheme gave the office a somber atmosphere. The smell of sandalwood lingered in the air, though I couldn't locate the source.

The desk, a massive wooden monstrosity, sat near the far end of the room. Tall glass windows lined the wall behind him, providing a great view of Sturm Manor's grounds. Unlit glowstone lamps hung from the walls. Tall wooden bookshelves, filled with books and arcane memorabilia. The hardwood floors remained bare. In the corner, near the office's entrance, was a little sitting area. It consisted of leather chairs surrounding a small wooden coffee table.

On any other day, I would have looked around with curiosity. I hadn't been in my father's office in decades. Even before that, I could count the number of times I had been in here with one hand. I didn't have much of an impression of this place, so it felt like new territory to me.

It was a little past noon now, several hours after our encounter with the three jokers at the Northern Annex. Leroy and I sat before my father's desk as he regarded us with a stern expression on his face. Trent Jeffers, my father's bodyguard, stood behind him. Meanwhile, the captain and vice captain of House Sturm's retainers stood next to us. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.

After Leroy and I left the three jokers behind, we headed to my father's office to report what happened. I strode about, as if I didn't have a care in the world. Meanwhile, Leroy wore a grim expression on his face, like a guard escorting a prisoner. I wondered if he would have tried to stop me if I attempted to run away. A part of me wanted to find out. However, I refrained.

Along the way, I grabbed a random servant and told him that three of House Sturm's retainers were at the Northern Annex, injured and in need of help. The servant stared at me with wide eyes. Rather, he stared at the blood on my clothes. However, in the end, he nodded and ran off to get help.

When Leroy and I arrived at my father's office, we found him busy with his duties. Ruling a House as large as House Sturm required a lot of work. My father spent more time behind his desk than not. He had several aides, which lightened his burden, but he handled the most important work himself.

Despite this, my father didn't admonish me for barging into his office uninvited and interrupting his work. In fact, he seemed happy to see me. At least, I think he was happy to see me. His stern expression made it difficult to tell. Regardless, he certainly wasn't happy to see the blood on my clothes. Nor was he happy after I finished telling him how I ended up looking like that.

I made sure to emphasize that I took full responsibility for what happened. This was for Leroy's sake. I didn't want him to face punishment for my actions.

At first, my father didn't believe me. I didn't blame him. After all, I didn't have a magic circle and yet I defeated two of House Sturm's retainers. However, when Leroy backed me up, my father realized that this wasn't a joke or a prank. He summoned several of House Sturm's retainers and ordered them to investigate the matter.

Over the next several hours, plenty of people came and went from my father's office. The first was Joanne, House Sturm's healer, who showed up at my father's behest. The blood on my clothes worried him more than I realized. She examined Leroy and I, before using her magic to heal us. Not that there was much to heal. A pulled muscle at worst. When she finished, she scolded me for straining my body so soon after my recovery, before leaving.

Soon after Joanne left, Aleah Jeffers, the captain of House Sturm's retainers, and Jacob Coombs, the vice captain arrived. The former was a slender woman with long blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. The latter, also fair-skinned, was a burly man with brown hair and brown eyes. They accompanied the retainers that my father had ordered to investigate the matter. They also brought Joker Two with them. She must have seen a healer, since her face was clean and bandaged.

The retainers reported their findings, before my father dismissed them. Afterwards, Joker Two explained what happened in a halting voice. To my surprise, she told nothing but the truth. She didn't try to shift the blame to me, nor try to excuse her actions.

As Joker Two recounted what happened, I watched Trent Jeffers, Captain Aleah, and Vice Captain Jacob to gauge their reactions. Trent wore a dark look on his face, while Captain Aleah imitated a stone statue. Vice Captain Jacob's expression became unsightly. He threw a venomous look in my direction. It appeared and disappeared so fast that I almost missed it. No one else saw it either. Interesting.

After Joker Two finished speaking, my father dismissed her. He placed his elbows on his desk and steepled his fingers together, before studying me with an inscrutable expression on his face. I looked back at him with a nonchalant expression on mine. Neither one of us said anything for several seconds.

"Why did you do it?" My father asked, breaking the silence.

I opened my mouth to respond. However, before I could, Vice Captain Jacob spoke up first.

"Lord Sturm," he said, his voice full of barely restrained anger, "It's clear that this is all a fabrication to cover up…" He gestured to Leroy. "… This one's misdeed." Leroy looked affronted by this, and I didn't blame him. "There's no way that Lord Gabriel could defeat three-"

My father interrupted Vice Captain Jacob with a raised finger.

"I asked my son a question." He said. "Do not speak out of turn again."

Vice Captain Jacob opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when he saw the cold look in my father's eyes. A moment later, he shut his mouth and clenched his jaw. My father turned back to me and gestured for me to speak up.

"First, Timothy Jeffers and his companions insulted me." I said. "In light of his family's service to ours, I was willing to forgive them if they apologized. They refused. Rather than run crying to you, I decided to punish him myself. That was when Trent Jeffers crossed the line and threatened me."

Vice Captain Jacob scoffed.

"There is no way that Timothy or his friends would have hurt you, Lord Gabriel." He said. "They were just trying to scare you, and you overreacted by having Leroy attack them."

My father narrowed his eyes at the vice captain. However, before he said anything, I caught his eye and gave him a subtle shake of the head. After a moment, my father gave me a slight nod.

"Vice Captain Jacob," I said, "Timothy had no business threatening me at all. Regardless of his intentions, he crossed the line." I snorted. "Even if he was just trying to scare me, I couldn't take that risk. When a wizard threatens me, especially one who practices internal magic, I need to take them at their word. Complacency is a luxury I cannot afford, since I no longer have a magic circle."

"And whose fault is that?" Vice Captain Jacob snapped.

The rumbling of thunder filled the office. I looked at my father. The expression on his face took me aback. If looks could kill, Vice Captain Jacob would be dead a thousand times over.

Captain Aleah, who remained silent up to this point, stepped forward and bowed to my father.

"I apologize for my subordinate's actions, Lord Sturm." she said in a respectful tone. "I'll see to it that he is adequately punished for his insolence."

"See that you do," my father said in an ominous voice, "Otherwise, I will follow my son's example and take matters into my own hands."

Vice Captain Jacob seemed surprised by Captain Aleah's words.

"Captain!" He cried out. "Timothy is your nephew! Don't you care that a talentless wretch-"

Captain Aleah backhanded him. Despite her slender build, she sent Vice Captain Jacob stumbling back a few steps. He clutched his face and stared at her in shock.

"You fool!" She said, her eyes blazing with fury. "Lord Gabriel is a member of House Sturm's main family. To disrespect him is to disrespect House Sturm. Regardless of your personal feelings, that is a sin. Timothy may be my nephew, but there is no excusing his actions. Nor is there any excuse for yours." She looked at my father. "May I take my leave now, Lord Sturm?"

My father gestured for her to go. Captain Aleah grabbed Vice Captain Jacob by the ear and marched out of the office. After they left, my father nodded towards Leroy.

"You may go as well. Regardless of what happened, I don't hold you responsible. You won't face any punishment."

Leroy nodded.

"Thank you, Lord Sturm."

With that, he left the office. However, as Leroy walked away, he gave me one last lingering look. After he left, my father looked at Trent.

"Leave us. I wish to speak with my son alone."

Without a word, Trent bowed to my father before leaving the office. Soon, I was alone with my father. I had to admit, I was a little nervous. Time for me to face the consequences of my actions.

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