Even though the sun was high in the sky, there was no single ray of light inside the house. The only light came from a flickering candle in the corner.
"Why hasn't that Kyle kid come yet?"
In a cold voice, Berto let out a weak, meaningless laugh.
"I was turned away at the door! He said, 'Do I have to go out because Berto is calling for me?'"
"I hope you didn't tell him that I was the one looking for him."
"Of course not! Do you think I don't know Han-ya?"
Han-ya was feeling disgusted, his chin arrogantly resting on the table. His younger brother, who was born with the same blood as him, was out of his mind, and the person who made him that way didn't even show his face.
'If it weren't for those rotten fish heads.'
He wouldn't have left the training center yesterday. He would have tortured Kyle in any way he could to find out everything about him. If not, he would have brought him here by using his name. 'Seed' signifies an immature state but also serves as a kind of protective mechanism.
A novice who hasn't even removed his Chains left a mark on the Redwood? He would understand if it was the first wife clan, which is the strongest in the core branch, or the second wife clan, which has sharp qi. But it's not something a guy who suddenly appeared from a rural village could do.
Even though he is still a Seed, his potential is unknown.
Above all, he doesn't know how the current head of Lutentus, Zahar, who is obsessed with strong descendants and commits eccentric acts, will react.
"He said he was from Nava, Berto. How did such a guy come out of a place with nothing? Do you have any guesses?"
"No. The woman who serves as the messenger was a bit outstanding when she was active, but she isn't worth your attention. I guarantee it as her colleague! There are no other special circumstances!"
"At his level······ there must be something. Don't miss even a small thing and investigate it properly."
"Hehehe. I understand! I will investigate it thoroughly!"
In front of Han-ya, Miley stood like a sinner, listening to the conversations. Miley spoke with her head bowed low.
"Brother······ He's just a lowly person born from the indirect branch······ There's no need to go that far······."
"Miley. Look at yourself, being humiliated by the seed from the indirect branch. You're pathetic."
"Brother······."
Han-ya tapped the broken sword fragment in front of him. It was something that Kyle had broken and brought back.
"It's too neat for someone who hasn't learned it."
The sword had been cleanly sliced in half before it broke. It was like seeing the flow of qi in a textbook. He thought of the annoying face.
"Edwin······!"
The second wife's eldest son, a rude man who tries to act refined in Lutentus. He was also higher in rank than Han-ya in the family hierarchy, which is determined by duels. Han-ya was always dissatisfied with this system. Duels are about fighting head-on, so he, who is skilled in assassinations and ambushes, is at a disadvantage.
"I can't believe I'm thinking about that guy's face because of just one brat."
On the other hand, his brother was sobbing with a stupid face. He felt like his guts were being turned inside out.
"Miley. Recite the Tabas family's tradition."
"······The weak are to be ruled over with an iron fist, and the strong are to be eliminated by any means necessary······ That is the Tabas family tradition."
"That's right. That's why I didn't scold you even when you were doing all sorts of trash things and delaying your liberation. Edwin's sister was also delayed in her liberation, so I thought you would eventually overcome it. But to think that you would be beaten by a country bumpkin, you idiot."
Suddenly, Han-ya's eyes flashed like fire, and Miley felt a sense of foreboding. It was a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. Miley tried to back away, but he bumped into something and stumbled. He looked up and saw Berto, his eyes narrowed.
"Heh heh. Miley. Where do you think you're going? Han-ya is going to educate you, you know."
"Ed, education is over······?"
Han-ya stood up and slowly approached Miley. His hands were filled with a swirling black ki.
"Don't resent it. This flame will always make you stronger."
"That, that's the only thing..."
Berto grabbed Miley's body, who was trying to shake him off, and Han-ya's hand landed on Miley's crown.
*Crackle!*
"Ugh··· ugh···!"
As the black ki spread throughout Miley's body, he felt pain, like his bones were burning to ashes. He furrowed his brow, but he dared not scream. He had been conditioned from a young age that screaming during this "education" would only lead to more pain.
Han-ya smiled as he watched Miley writhing in pain. When he removed his hand from Miley's head, Miley gasped like someone about to faint.
"My brother, Miley. Never forget the bloodline you come from."
"Uh... Yes, yes, brother..."
"Berto, take Miley to the incubator. Call the guy standing outside too."
"Yes, sir!"
Berto picked up the fallen Miley and went outside.
A few moments later, a shaken-looking Molson entered the room. He swallowed hard. Miley, who was in Berto's arms, was drooling and looked like she was in a daze.
'What on earth happened in this room?'
Han-ya, one of the strongest people in Lutentus, was standing before him. His heart, which had been beating fast even before he entered, beat even faster when he faced him. It was an overwhelming pressure that was incomparable to Miley.
"Han-ya, sir. What did you bring me here for...?"
He couldn't see his face properly due to the dark vision, but he was sure his eyes were looking at him. Han-ya pointed to the chair in the middle of the room in a tense atmosphere.
"Sit down."
The chair was stained with a dark red color. In an instant, Molson was seized by all sorts of bizarre imaginations.
"The Tabas family is said to know all sorts of torture methods...
Will they pull out fingernails from him?!
Will he be stabbed?
Was it possible that his limbs would be severed?
"Ha ha."
The unexpected soft laughter broke the intrusive thoughts.
"Molson. Snap out of it."
Molson, his face pale, turned his head to the front where he was called.
"M, Miley, what happened to her······? Are you going to torture me?"
"Torture? That's ridiculous. Lutentus cannot touch the seed. You know that, don't you?"
"······."
Even though the voice was reassuring, Molson desperately wanted to escape this place.
He instinctively felt that if Han-ya, who was glaring at him with his eyes, was a lion, he was just a rabbit on the prairie.
"T, that means······ what did you call me for?"
"Just because I was curious about what happened yesterday."
"······ You're curious about Kyle, aren't you?"
"Yes. You have a smart side to you, even though you don't look it. What did you think of him? I'm not asking about his skills but about the man himself."
The snake-like gaze in the smooth voice seemed to be digging into Molson himself.
"I······ I think."
Molson swallowed hard. Then he thought.
'What is he hoping to find out by asking...? If it's something that could harm Kyle...'
Even if what he knew was just a glimpse of what he saw yesterday. Molson couldn't speak carelessly.
"Is there a reason for asking?"
"What······? Hahaha."
A chilling laugh came across. After a while, Han-ya spoke in a condescending tone.
"We're both Lutentus, aren't we? It's only natural that I'm curious about a seed that showed such amazing talent for the first time in a long time. You wouldn't understand how boring this place is."
Molson couldn't figure out Han-ya's intentions.
Was it just simple curiosity? Was he testing me? Would Hana lie to someone like me? Or was this all a ploy?
All sorts of thoughts swirled through his head. Han-ya didn't say a word as if he was enjoying the silence.
In a situation where he couldn't find the answer, Molson thought.
'Yeah, if it were Kyle······.'
He wouldn't do any of this calculating. He would say it as it is, with his dignified posture, without hesitation. Molson grabbed his shaking arm. And he finally raised his head and met Han-ya's gaze.
"······He reprimanded Miley, who was throwing a tantrum, with the correct attitude and words. I also thought that his impeccable posture was infinitely correct when he reprimanded Lord Berto."
"Berto? That little boy?"
"Yes. He pointed out his accusatory attitude, which questioned him about the broken sword."
"Tell me more."
Han-ya looked at Molson, who was speaking his mind without hesitation to him. His eyes seemed to waver, as if he was scared, but he didn't seem to be lying to get out of the situation. All Han-ya could feel towards Molson's words was a deep reverence for Kyle.
'In such a short amount of time, he's completely charmed a person.'
He was just thirteen, and it had only been yesterday. He had deliberately tried to relax his mind, but he couldn't help but feel a primal fear of him. But Molson was rambling on like he was Kyle's lawyer.
On top of that, Molson, who seemed to have a natural sense of perception, gave a detailed account of how Kyle pierced the Redwood Doll.
"······At first, I thought he was copying Miley's stance, but it was more aggressive. The speed and power at which the qi condensed and exploded were also faster and more powerful. I could tell because I'm from the same border region. He didn't learn it from anyone. It's instinct."
"That's a very interesting story. You have a good eye for detail, so it's like I'm watching the scene unfold right in front of me. Tell me more."
The more he listened to Molson's story, the more he thought this boy might be a bigger obstacle than he had thought. While trying to keep the authorities of the core family in check, something unexpected emerged from the indirect branch. He wanted to eliminate him or at least send someone after him, but he knew that the Swallowing Darkness wouldn't let him.
'Swallowing light with darkness······· The name itself is arrogant.'
The light was clearly a symbol of the Lutentus. They were the personal guards of the current leader, Zahar. It was said that even the members of the Phantom Guild did not know who was a part of it. Only the current leader, Zahar, knew, and they only followed his orders.
The Phantom Guild is responsible for overseeing the killing of Lutentus and protecting the seeds from being trampled by other Lutentus. If it becomes publicly known that they have harmed Kyle, the guild will take action to address the situation.
Han-ya once tried to uncover their identity, but he only managed to find out the names of a few members. Even that was enough to tell him that they were powerful figures. When you consider their hidden identities, they were beyond his reach.
Molson was still talking to Han-ya about his feelings for Kyle. He looked like he would keep talking until nightfall if he didn't interrupt him.
"That's enough. Kyle is an interesting kid. I have high hopes for him."
"Yes, that's right."
Han-ya had missed much of what Molson had said in the middle because of the noise, but he still thought he was a pretty good chess piece.
Molson seemed unable to hide his true feelings and would spill out things that he wasn't even asked if you just prodded him a little. Han-ya smiled slyly. Of course, Molson wouldn't be able to see it.
"Can you tell me more about that kid in the future? I'm personally really excited about him."
"Y-yes, I'll do that."
"Oh, and I would like to keep our conversations about him a secret between us."
"A secret...?"
"If it's known that I'm interested in him, some people might try to hold him back. There's no need to put him in danger."
"Oh, I see. I'll do that."
Molson awkwardly laughed along when Han-ya laughed.
* * *
Inside the nursery dormitory, Kyle sat cross-legged in his room, trying to detoxify the poison from his Chains.
"Sigh..."
The pain was like being stabbed with needles every second, but he was used to it. He had been doing this for years. The only unpleasant thing was the sweat running down his spine.
This was a process of releasing ki into his body to activate the poison in the Chains and then detoxifying it to widen the channels through which ki flows. This would allow him to use the same amount of ki more efficiently.
This training required one to understand the properties of ki in detail, strengthen the Chains through mana, and accurately apply it to his own body.
Of course, no seed with Chains could do such a thing. This training was only possible for Kyle, who had the memories of Yuriel.
There was a sense of movement outside the door and the sound of someone turning the doorknob.
"Knock."
"Oh, I'm so sorry!"
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The knock sounded like it was going to break the door down. Kyle had told her that a knock should be gentle and polite. But at least she didn't come in right away, which was an improvement from yesterday.
'Well... let's just keep improving one step at a time.'
Kyle said as he put on a neatly folded shirt next to him and buttoned it up.
"Come in now."
The door opened with a bang, and Tanya came in.
"Kyle! Are you hungry? I brought you some food."
Tanya's tray was filled with barley bread and fruit.
"The bread is enough, so you can eat the fruit."
"Thank you!"
The ugly custom that a maid eats the leftovers was still going on. Tanya smiled brightly, and then suddenly, her complexion turned pale.
"What's wrong?"
"Well, the head maid said that Miley wouldn't just let this go."
"Let me worry about that?"
"What do you mean by 'Let me worry about that'? Isn't worrying just something that happens?"
"Hmm... no. I shouldn't have said that."
Kyle thought about Berto, who had come and gone early in the morning. He was furious that Berto wouldn't tell him where he was going or who had summoned him, so he immediately sent him away. However, he could guess why Berto had come.
'I must have provoked someone.'
Kyle didn't do anything without a reason, but somehow, he ended up getting involved with Miley. He didn't care about that smelly guy, but the problem was Han-ya, who was above him.
'It didn't seem like he was going to let it go. Is there something he can't do directly?'
The look in Han-ya's eyes that he saw yesterday was somehow persistent, but it soon disappeared. It was obvious that the person who called Berto, who finally kept his mouth shut, was Han-ya. Strangely, he was entangled with the person whom Milia had mentioned as the most dangerous in less than a day.
"Tanya. Do you know anything about Han-ya······."
As if the worry she had just had was a lie, Tanya opened her eyes wide and was chewing on a banana with its peel still on.
"Do you have anything to say, sir?"
"······Fine. Finish eating. And bananas are eaten with the peel off."
"I knew it tasted bitter."
Although he was in an environment where he couldn't get help from anyone, Kyle didn't care.
"After you finish eating, bring me about ten extra sets of clothes. I'm going to the training hall immediately."
"Got it, sir!"
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Author's Note
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