SSS-Rank Hunter Reborn: Private Tutor to the Count's Bastard Son

"Wow, really?"

Silvan opened his eyes wide as if surprised.

He was staring into space, having a conversation with someone.

"So that happened. I didn't know that."

But there couldn't be anyone outside.

This was the 3rd floor.

Ferda narrowed his eyes and looked out the window.

Then he saw something whitish. Ferda knew what it was.

'Specter.'

Ever since awakening as a necromancer.

Every night, several specters from nearby cemeteries came to visit Silvan.

Like moths drawn to flame.

At first, he'd thought about driving them away.

But seeing Silvan's unique skill changed his mind.

'They won't attack first, and they actually gain favor toward him.'

So he decided to just leave them be.

Also, recently they'd been staying by his side until Silvan fell asleep.

If worse came to worst, he could step in and blow them away.

With that thought, Ferda took out a book.

"Silvan."

"Haha, I see. Huh?"

Silvan, who had been talking with the specter, turned his head.

Ferda gestured toward him.

"Come here for a moment."

"Why?"

"I have something to teach you."

At those words, Silvan obediently approached.

Several specters followed, but when Silvan raised his hand, they all stopped in place.

Soon Silvan approached right in front of Ferda.

"What are you going to teach me?"

"About curses."

The field of necromancy was largely divided into four areas.

The most famous summoning of the dead.

And necromancy, spiritualism, and finally curses.

Usually, ordinary necromancers only learned one of the four fields.

The reason was simple. Lack of talent.

But Silvan was different.

In the original, he learned all four fields.

And even that wasn't lacking, so he wasn't called a mythical-grade necromancer for nothing.

So it didn't matter what he taught.

It was just a difference between learning it earlier or later anyway.

"Hmm, curses..."

Then Silvan showed interest.

His eyes sparkling like stars were proof.

"But didn't you say you don't know necromancy, Ferda?"

So how are you going to teach me?

Silvan looked at Ferda with such eyes.

At that gaze, Ferda chuckled as if to say not to worry.

"It's fine. I'm going to teach while looking at this book."

"A book?"

Only then did Silvan notice the book in Ferda's hand.

After a moment, he tilted his head and asked.

"If you're going to teach by looking at a book, couldn't I just read it alone?"

Since Ferda didn't know necromancy anyway.

He knew he'd say that. But Ferda's face was relaxed.

"You wouldn't understand it anyway even if you read it."

Why?

Skill books obtained on Earth are written in the original acquirer's language.

"The language is completely different."

In other words, this skill book was written in English.

"Well, I only know Elvish and the Kingdom language..."

Silvan nodded as if convinced.

But the curiosity in his eyes didn't diminish.

"Then can I take a quick look?"

"That much is fine."

It might be interesting to see a language for the first time.

Ferda readily handed over the book. Silvan flipped through the pages with sparkling eyes.

Then suddenly, a system message appeared.

=====

[Notification]: Affection level has reached (30).

*Educational effects increase.

*Language comprehension is shared.

=====

"What?"

Language comprehension is shared?

What did that suddenly mean? As he was tilting his head curiously.

"Ferda."

Suddenly Silvan called him.

Pointing at the book with a slightly awkward face, he said.

"This is written in Elvish?"

"...Really?"

"Yeah. It says 'Understanding Curses.'"

He took the skill book back, but sure enough, only English was written there.

However, Silvan had accurately read the skill book's name.

'So sharing language comprehension means...'

Who would've thought it meant this.

Ferda made a deflated expression. Meanwhile, Silvan seemed satisfied that he could read the book and hugged it tightly.

"Hehe, I think I can read this alone."

"Y-yeah, I guess so."

Ferda answered with an awkward face.

He'd tried to play the teacher role for once. But it's fine since he's happy about it, right?

Ferda chuckled.

Just then, Silvan opened his mouth again.

"You know."

"Yeah?"

"I've been curious about something since earlier."

Silvan closed his mouth.

His gaze turned toward under the sofa.

"What's that?"

"What are you talking about..."

The moment he looked where Silvan's finger was pointing.

Ferda's face hardened.

What was there was none other than the curse doll.

He quickly snatched up the doll, but it was already too late.

"Did Ferda bring that?"

Silvan showing interest in the doll.

Ferda made a troubled expression. How should he cover this up?

"Huh? But isn't this Ferda's hair?"

What keen eyes. To notice that in such a short time.

After hesitating briefly, Ferda soon sighed.

If he lied for no reason and got caught, that would be troublesome in its own way.

"Sigh, what happened was..."

Eventually, he came clean with the truth.

Of course, only about Ferda's curse doll. He was worried Silvan might be shocked if he told him there was also a curse doll for Silvan.

Ferda honestly told him about the scene he'd witnessed and what kind of curse this was.

Some time later.

"...So."

A completely hardened face.

With an ominous expression, Silvan asked.

"Someone harbored resentment against Ferda and did this?"

"That's right."

"And you don't know who did it?"

He silently nodded.

He actually knew, but there was no need to tell him that much.

Because he planned to handle this himself.

'I can understand targeting me.'

He'd turned her only son into that state.

It was understandable to be angry. If it had been Ferda, he would've done the same as Rianne.

But they shouldn't have done it to Silvan.

'How dare they target my student?'

It was something that had happened several times in previous seasons.

But this time felt a bit different. Should he say anger was surging?

'I'll make them regret it.'

In whatever form, definitely.

Ferda ground his teeth fiercely.

Then something caught his attention.

Silvan with his mouth firmly shut, making a worried expression. Seeing this, Ferda grinned as if to say don't worry.

"It's fine. I removed the hair, so the curse won't activate."

"But..."

"I'll find out who did it."

It was a curse intended to harm people. Of course he'd be concerned.

Ferda tried his best to calm Silvan down. After a moment, when Silvan seemed to regain his composure, he got up from his seat.

It was time to head back. It was already past midnight.

As he was picking up the curse doll he'd placed on the table.

Swish—

Suddenly Silvan snatched the curse doll.

At that action, Ferda tilted his head.

"Why?"

"Oh, I just want to look at it more."

Silvan smiled awkwardly.

He suddenly felt curious, but soon let it pass.

"Well, it doesn't matter..."

Since he'd be studying curses, it was natural to be curious.

Also, since he'd already removed the hair, there wouldn't be any problems. Ferda roughly nodded and handed the doll to Silvan, then turned around.

"Still, don't stay up too late."

"Yeah, got it."

"Then rest well. See you tomorrow."

With farewell greetings.

Thud—

The door closed. Ferda's footsteps gradually grew distant.

Eventually, the footsteps became completely inaudible.

Left alone, he hung his head low. What caught Silvan's gaze was the curse doll.

At that moment, Silvan clenched his fist tightly.

"...How dare they."

His face contorted with anger.

He didn't know the full story. It might be that Ferda was being punished for some past wrongdoing. Then this wasn't something Silvan should interfere with.

It was Ferda's personal matter.

Yet he felt angry for no reason. If it had been him who was targeted, he wouldn't have been this angry. He was used to being treated as a burden.

But not Ferda.

Grr—!

He bit his lip hard.

He felt the metallic taste of blood, but didn't care.

His golden eyes, bathed in moonlight, flashed terrifyingly. If eyes alone could kill people, he would've already killed several.

Bang—

He threw open the window. Cool night air filled the room.

Silvan looked up at the sky and muttered.

"Everyone gather."

As soon as his words ended.

Whitish things gathered from all directions.

Specters. The notable point was that their number was incomparable to before. And unlike other specters, there were those with distinctly formed shapes.

[My King.]

[Have you summoned us?]

They had bizarre appearances.

The specter of a heavily armed knight. A specter with seven eyes.

And even a specter whose entire body was covered in thorns.

They were specters of a different class from the whitish ones.

And they called Silvan 'King.'

Even when asked why, they only answered that they called him King because he was King. So he just let it slide.

"You heard the conversation just now, right?"

The story about curses that he'd had with Ferda.

All three specters nodded in unison. Silvan's eyes lit up as he asked.

"Can you find out who did it?"

[If the King wishes it.]

"Find out. Right now."

In a voice as cold as frost.

Silvan commanded.

[Will that satisfy you?]

[It's a bug that has made the King uncomfortable.]

[Wouldn't it be better to crush and squash it?]

Was it because they resonated with his anger?

The specters also emitted coldness. But Silvan shook his head.

"No, that's something I'll do."

Understanding Curses.

Silvan opened that book.

"...I'll return it the same way."

His face contorted fiercely.