My Level Zero System

Chapter 331 - 331: The Resilience of a Genius

At that moment, the high-class Magus of the Bethel Family finally spoke up to intervene."Come now, Budot. How old are you that you're still picking on children like this? Isn't it just three years?"

"It is none of your business," Budot said coldly. The Bethel Family could afford to mock him so freely only because they had reaped massive profits; if they were in the same situation as the Sword Family right now, anyone would be driven to madness.

Nonetheless, Budot's hand left the hilt of his sword. After all, Faith was still a student of Kanzax Academy; it was inconvenient to touch him. However, a small punishment was inevitable.

"Faith, kneel."

Budot's voice echoed. Today, the Sword Family was humiliated, but today, the Sword Family also had to establish its authority.

Of course, no one dared to prevent this from happening, not even the high-class Magus of the Bethel Family who had just spoken derisively. Everyone knew the Sword Family was a pack of lunatics; there was no benefit in provoking them once they were angered.

The air seemed to freeze. However, Faith remained standing still, seemingly disregarding Budot's command entirely.

"Faith, kneel."

Budot's stern voice rang out again, yet Faith remained unmoved.

Once more, the rage simmering in Budot's chest was fanned into a blaze by Faith's stubborn behavior. He felt his majesty was being seriously challenged, completely unconcerned that in the eyes of others, he was merely acting irrationally out of embarrassment and rage.

To the side, Kain frowned slightly.

The progression of this matter was a bit off.

Faith had gone to the trouble of creating such a grand plan specifically to shift all the "guilt" of losing the Sword Family's resources onto other factors, so that he wouldn't be punished by the family at the highest level. Yet, it seemed Faith was intentionally provoking the Sword Family.

From the outside, it looked like a proud young genius refusing to submit to the family's imposition. But Kain knew well that a person like Faith didn't care for that kind of "foolish pride."

To achieve his goal, a little submission wouldn't have mattered; after all, Faith had proven his usefulness so that the Sword Family could use him in the future, plus he had the protection of his status as a Kanzax Academy student. The reason Budot hadn't decided to strike Faith down despite his fury over the failure was because of that.

But Faith's plan didn't seem to be over yet.

Besides Kain, there was one other person who vaguely realized Faith had other intentions: Cyrus.

"Interesting. He displayed such insane plotting abilities in the game, yet he's intentionally acting like an impulsive youth?"

Returning to the conflict between Faith and Budot—this time, Budot was no longer making idle threats. That invisible pressure turned tangible, pressing directly down on Faith, forcing him to kneel.

This was not something that will alone could resist, not even for Faith, who was currently a mid-class Magus. Consequently, his knees buckled, pressing so hard into the ground that the paving stones cracked. Despite this, Faith's spine remained straight. He looked up at Budot, a smile appearing on his face.

"Uncle..."

"Just kill me..."

"Go ahead and do whatever this god-forsaken family likes..."

"And then you will remember this humiliation today forever. Remember that you killed your own descendant simply because you essentially lacked competence..."

With every sentence spoken, blood trickled from the corners of Faith's mouth. With every mocking laugh, blood surged from his throat. Frost appeared on his body, slowly freezing the falling blood.

This was Faith's magic, a rare variant of [Water Magic]: [Ice Magic].

However, it was of no help in this situation. Faith was being pushed to his limit.

As for Budot, he seemed to see the image of his own sister—the woman who had stood up against the Sword Family's orders and was subsequently executed by him on the spot. Ten years had passed, and this scene seemed poised to repeat itself once more.

Finally, the coldness in Budot's eyes turned into apathy, where extreme anger transformed into nothingness.

"Very well."

"If you want to die that badly, I will grant your wish."

Saying that, he drew his sword, intending to deliver a single slash to end Faith's life.

Suddenly, a somewhat panicked voice rang out from a distance.

"Lord Budot!"

Hearing this voice, the others felt nothing, but Kain was shocked.

Because that was Cecilia's voice.

Why was Cecilia here?

He turned his head and saw Cecilia, still in her familiar appearance, rushing frantically toward Budot, who was about to execute Faith. Her small figure collapsed onto the ground, kneeling toward Budot as she spoke desperately.

"I apologize, Lord Budot! Please give Faith one more chance! The boy was just momentarily muddled because he lost the game, that's why he did that!"

"Please spare Faith's life!"

Cecilia's pleas echoed, but Budot's expression didn't shift in the slightest. He spoke impassively.

"You two siblings certainly calculated well. Do you intend to provoke me in front of all the families and then force me to forgive you?"

"Sister..."

Faith rasped, his stiff fingers trembling as if reaching toward his twin sister. However, the only thing that reached him was Budot's blade cutting through.

"I will grant you a death just like your mother's."

With a long sliding sound, a crimson line slashed diagonally from Faith's left shoulder to his right hip. Blood gushed out violently.

Only, Budot's expression shifted slightly, as if he had encountered something unbelievable.

As for Cecilia...

Her gaze hardened, and the entire world seemed to vanish. Reflected in her pupils was only the image of her twin brother, Faith, being slashed to death. This image awakened something that had been buried deep within her heart for a long time.

The day her mother was executed.

The day this family finally died.

The father who became silent in his alcoholism, the younger brother who became cold in his hatred, and the older sister who was trained and brainwashed to become a living weapon.

This was the rule of the Sword Family: every household must "tribute" the descendant with the highest talent to be trained into an absolutely loyal living weapon, to maintain the peak power of the Sword Family.

The only family that does not use a surname as its name, but takes "The Sword" as its title.