I was tempted to turn around and find some place else to train. After all, if there were people here, then the Northern Annex wasn’t as private as I hoped. However, in the end, I decided to continue forward and see what was going on. Maybe I could drive these people out. While I was the embarrassment of House Sturm, I was still a member of the main family. Other than my parents, I held the highest status in the entirety of Sturm Manor.

The Northern Annex was a large rectangular building that stood three stories tall. Like the main building, its architecture and design were simple but elegant. A waist-high wrought iron fence surrounded the building, separating it from the forest beyond. The narrow paved stone path led to a small gate in the fence, before leading to the entrance of the annex itself. The voices sounded like they came from off to the side, just out of sight from the small gate.

As I headed towards the voices, I used mana to enhance my senses, allowing me to hear what they were saying. I also kept my steps light, to avoid alerting the voices to my presence.

“I’m warning you for the last time, commoner.” One of the voices said. It belonged to a man. “Drop out of the trials now. Someone like you doesn’t deserve to become the vice captain’s apprentice.”

“And why is that?” Another voice replied. This one also belonged to a man.

I heard snickering.

“Do we really need to spell it out for you?” A third voice said. In contrast, this one belonged to a woman.

“You’re a commoner.” A fourth voice said. This one belonged to a man as well. “That alone disqualifies you.”

When I drew close enough, I stopped moving to continue eavesdropping instead of revealing myself.

“Besides, even if you weren’t a commoner, you wouldn’t deserve it.” The first voice said. “Our families have served House Sturm for generations. You? You’re an outsider. The only reason why you were allowed to join House Sturm’s retainers in the first place is because of your mother. However, instead of feeling grateful, you covet what isn’t yours.”

I heard a snort.

“Oh?” The second voice asked. “Does this mean the position of the vice captain’s apprentice belongs to you?”

“Exactly,” the first voice said, “And I don’t appreciate an interloper like you trying to take what’s mine.”

Alright, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on. Retainers were a step above servants. They were the elite soldiers of a House’s private army, similar to knights. Many would kill to become a retainer, especially for a House as old and prestigious as House Sturm. However, not just anyone could become a retainer. There were strict requirements, though the exact details differed from House to House. It was rare for a commoner to become one.

In House Sturm’s case, most of our retainers came from our vassals, minor noble families that had served our House for generations. This meant that while we didn’t have a lot of retainers, they were all quite powerful. Most importantly, their loyalty to House Sturm was beyond question.

It sounded like these four were talking about the trials to become the apprentice of the vice captain of House Sturm’s retainers. It was an honor that most people could only dream of. Becoming the vice captain’s apprentice meant becoming their successor. When the old vice captain retired or died, their apprentice became the new vice captain. It worked the same for the captain.

So three of House Sturm’s retainers, who all belonged to House Sturm’s vassals, were picking on another retainer, one who was a commoner. Perhaps they felt threatened by his strength and wanted to deal with the competition ahead of time. Or maybe it was just plain old prejudice. In the end, I didn’t care. I just wanted these people to leave and take their argument somewhere else.

Just in case things devolved into violence, I picked up a nearby rock with my left hand, before hiding both hands behind my back. Now armed with the simplest of weapons, I turned a corner and revealed myself.

As expected, I saw four people standing nearby, right next to the wrought iron fence. They all wore the blue and silver uniforms of House Sturm’s retainers. All four of them looked to be my age, if not younger. New recruits, I guessed. They were practically children. I doubted any of them had participated in a real battle.

Three of the retainers surrounded the fourth, making it clear who the commoner was. Even if that weren’t the case, the commoner’s appearance made him stand out. He stood head and shoulders above the others. I was tall myself, but he still had a good few inches on me. The commoner had a muscular physique, tanned skin, and short brown hair. I couldn’t see his face from my current position. However, what surprised me most was that I recognized this man, even without seeing his face.

“Leroy?” I asked. “Is that you?”

All four of them turned towards me with surprised expressions on their faces. The commoner had brown eyes. His rough features gave him a brutish appearance. He looked more like a thug than a retainer. However, I was right. This man was Leroy.

We had known each other since childhood, though he was a few years older than me. We weren’t friends, but we were acquainted. His mother, Caitlyn, was my mother’s bodyguard. Like Joanne, House Sturm’s healer, she used to serve my mother’s House. When my mother joined House Sturm, Caitlyn followed her and brought Leroy along.

I hadn’t seen Leroy in years, which was why I hadn’t recognized his voice. It was a minor miracle that I recognized him by his appearance.

“Lord Gabriel?” Leroy asked. “What are you doing here?”

I shrugged.

“I recovered from my injuries today, so I decided to celebrate by taking a walk around the grounds.” I looked at the three retainers that surrounded Leroy. “Imagine my surprise when I came upon this scene.”

I recognized the three retainers since I had seen them around from time to time, though I couldn’t recall their names. All three gazed at me with undisguised disdain in their eyes. This wasn’t new for me. While I was a member of House Sturm’s main family, I was also an embarrassment. Due to my lack of talent for magic, many of House Sturm’s retainers, vassals, and collateral families looked down upon me.

“Leave, Lord Gabriel.” One of the men said, sneering at me. The first voice belonged to him. He was the one who said that the position of the vice captain’s apprentice didn’t belong to Leroy. I pegged him as the leader of the group. “This doesn’t concern you.”

His companions snickered. Oh, so that’s how they were going to do this. I had been tempted to leave well enough alone, since I knew that Leroy didn’t need my help. I had seen his mother in action once. If he had even half of her skill, he could handle these jokers by himself. However, their attitudes annoyed me.

In the past, I would have slinked away. My lack of magical talent, and the disrespect I received from the rest of House Sturm, had made it difficult for me to stand up for myself. However, I wasn’t the same Gabriel Sturm as before. Spending twenty five years as Brandon Norwood had given me a backbone.

“Oh?” I asked, giving the three retainers a grin. “And what if I don’t?”

The three of them glanced at one another. I couldn’t be bothered to remember their names, so I decided to call them Joker One, Joker Two, and Joker Three.

“You’ll regret it.” The leader, Joker One, said.

My grin widened and I walked forward until I was just a few feet away from the group.

“My, are you threatening me?” I chuckled. “How ominous. I’m quaking in my boats.”

The three jokers glanced at each other with confused expressions on their faces. I understood why. By this point, I would have already run off. They hadn’t expected me to stick around, let alone provoke them. Meanwhile, Leroy watched me with a frown on his face.

“We weren’t threatening you, Lord Gabriel,” the woman, Joker Two, said in a condescending tone, “There’s just no reason for you to involve yourself in this matter.”

“Why don’t you run along now and be on your way?” the other man, Joker Three, said with a smirk on his face.

I shrugged.

“Well, since I’m already here, I might as well involve myself in this matter.” I nodded towards Leroy. “Especially since it concerns someone I know.”

Leroy’s frown deepened.

“You don’t need to trouble yourself on my behalf, Lord Gabriel.” He said. “I’m more than capable of handling myself.”

Unlike the three jokers, I didn’t notice any contempt or derision in Leroy’s attitude towards me. My opinion of him went up a notch.

“Leave, Lord Gabriel,” Joker One said. “I won’t tell you again.”

My grin faded away and I regarded him with a cold expression on my face.

“And who are you to tell me what to do?” I asked. “I’ve tolerated your insolence thus far because it amused me. However, keep pushing your luck and I’ll see you punished.”

Joker One’s expression darkened. Meanwhile, his companions looked concerned. Despite my lack of magical talent, and my now-shattered magic circle, I was still a member of House Sturm’s main family. The disrespect they showed me thus far was enough to warrant punishment, assuming I reported this matter to my father.

However, why would I let my father punish them when I was more than capable of doing it myself? That said, I figured I should at least give them a chance to make the smart choice and apologize. I know, I know. I was too merciful for my own good.

“Now, I’m in a good mood.” I said. “So, how about this? If you apologize and leave this place, I’ll forgive you.”

Joker One scoffed.

“Unbelievable. You must have damaged your head when you shattered your magic circle.” He spat on the ground. “I am not apologizing to a talentless cripple like you.”

I looked at his companions.

“Does he speak for all of you?”

Joker Two and Joker Three shared a look, before they faced me and smirked.

“He does.” Joker Two said.

“Go ahead,” Joker Three said, “Tell Lord Sturm about this. It won’t make a difference. We’ll just deny it. I doubt he’ll believe you over us.”

Oh, well. I gave them a chance. They had only themselves to blame for what happened next.

“Why would I tell my father anything?” I asked. “I’d rather just punish you myself.”

This caught the jokers and Leroy off guard. A moment later, Joker Two and Joker Three burst out into laughter. Meanwhile, Joker One sneered at me.

“You?” he asked. “What can you do? You don’t have a magic circle anymore. Even if you had, it wouldn’t have made a difference. Everyone knows you’re a useless piece of trash.” He walked closer to me, until he was less than a foot away. “Why don’t you apologize to us for wasting our time? If you do, I’ll let you walk away with your body intact."