Sword Tomb Ceremony.
It was a traditional rite of the Linegrime family in the northern skies.
When the family's children turned ten years old, they all gathered at [Vanafen] for a single ceremony.
In the Sword Tomb located north of [Vanafen], the swords used by those who had achieved great feats from the ancestors of the past up to the present were collected to honor them.
The children entered there and spent a day receiving the selection of a sword.
Countless swords existed in that place, but they couldn't just grab and pull one out recklessly.
Because the moment the children grasped any sword, they would undergo a kind of trial.
And through that trial, the swords in the Sword Tomb would assess the children's current abilities, potential, mental state, mindset, and even their actions within the Sword Tomb before making a separate 'selection.'
Would it be pulled out? Or not?
Of course, even if they succeeded in pulling out a sword, they weren't necessarily obligated to use only that one.
Whether they used the sword they obtained, stored it away, or discarded it—that was entirely up to the children's free will.
There was no particular compulsion.
However, the ancestors hoped that through this Sword Tomb Ceremony, they would reflect on the achievements they had established and also set guidelines for the young talents to determine their path forward.
Well, it had such noble meanings, and the history and tradition were all fine, but...
"Whoa, it's freaking dark in here."
The interior of the Sword Tomb, which they had instantly teleported to via portal, showed not a single speck of light.
Of course, for him, having lived as a shadow for such a long time, he could adapt to this darkness with great ease.
"W-what? I can't see anything."
"Torch? Isn't there a torch?!"
The children, who were only ten years old, were feeling deep fear in the sudden darkness.
Moreover, there were no adults here to give them instructions or help.
'Well, they'll figure it out on their own.'
Having already completed his dark adaptation, Ruin slowly concealed his body, synchronizing with the darkness as if becoming one with it.
Indeed, as befitting the name "sword's grave," the Linegrime family had dug deep into the entire back mountain.
Just roughly estimating the area, it seemed large enough to fit a decent-sized castle.
Altars and statues appeared here and there.
And naturally, swords were thrust into them.
However.
"Ah, don't push. There's someone here."
"Aah, my foot. Who is it!? Don't step on it! Ow, come on, that hurts!"
"...I, I want to get out. Let me ouuut."
The entrance area was still filled with the cries of children plunged into fear and confusion.
Among them, the ones who calmly assessed the situation and started moving were...
'Just those two, huh.'
The boy named Seron began moving quickly, adapting as if he felt no fear of the darkness at all.
The blonde girl Meirin had a slightly frightened expression, but she soon gritted her teeth and slowly adapted to the darkness.
The other thirteen children were still at the entrance, screaming, sitting down in hesitation, or spewing curses.
They couldn't escape their panicked state.
'Shall I start my revenge now?'
Looking for the four guys he had targeted in advance, they too were stuck at the entrance.
Of course, among them, one person.
Andrei, the eldest son of Philip, the fourth son of the current family head, was acting as their representative.
"Everyone, snap out of it. Making noise won't change anything. First, stay calm and adapt your vision to the darkness."
He was exerting leadership, trying to stabilize the children.
"Start with breathing, deep breaths."
And as if his efforts were paying off, the children who had been in constant confusion began to gradually regain their composure.
"Hoo, huup."
"It's just dark, that's all. If we wait a bit, we'll start seeing things little by little."
"Yeah, there are no traps or monsters or anything. No need to be afraid."
Following that, Andrei made another suggestion to the children who were starting to calm down.
"Let's all hold hands. That should make it better."
"Okay. Grab the hand of the person next to you!"
Following his words, the thirteen children began grabbing the hands of those beside them.
The effect took hold quite quickly.
"Hoo, now I feel like I can breathe."
"It kinda seems like I can see a little. Still not clear though."
"We can adapt slowly. We have plenty of time anyway."
Soon, praises directed at Andrei began among the stabilizing children.
"As expected of Andrei-sama. You never lose by listening to him."
"Of course. He's direct lineage for a reason."
"If Andrei-sama wasn't here, we'd have been in real trouble. Thank you, Andrei-sama."
Especially the other three guys, who had been following Andrei from the start, immediately chimed in and continued the compliments.
As those three shaped the opinion, the other kids got swept up in it.
"Th-thank you, Andrei-sama."
"Thanks."
"...Thanks."
In response to the children's successive reactions, Andrei scratched the back of his head, seeming a bit embarrassed.
"It's nothing. Anyone from the Linegrime family would have done the same. You all just got flustered and confused for a moment, that's all. It's something anyone could do."
Watching his rather humble response, Ruin quietly smiled.
'These punks, their antics are pretty cute.'
But that didn't mean he intended to delay his revenge.
For not bestowing death upon those who had insulted his people, Ruin was already showing more than enough mercy.
Therefore.
Tap, thump!
"Oh my, what was that?"
"Huh? Why?"
"S-someone just stroked my shoulder?"
At one girl's urgent cry, those nearby exclaimed in confusion.
"What?!"
"Who is it? Who's playing pranks right now?"
As the atmosphere seemed about to descend into chaos again, Andrei quickly shouted.
"Everyone, check the hands you're holding—anyone let go?"
"No? I'm still holding."
"I've got both sides."
"Me too."
"..."
An awkward silence fell over the unexpected situation.
Then.
Thwack!
"Ahh!"
Thud!
"Argh, who is it!"
Sudden sounds of impact rang out.
"W-what? What's going on?"
"Ugh, damn. Who is it? Who hit me on the back of the head. Ow, that hurts."
"I got hit too. Who the hell is it! You wanna die?"
The two boys who had been unexpectedly attacked immediately let go of the hands they were holding and started raging.
Andrei hurriedly tried to shout.
"Don't let go of the hands. Hurry and adapt to the darkness, then we can find the culpri—urk!"
Andrei stopped mid-sentence, unable to continue properly due to the sudden pain.
"A-Andrei-sama?"
"Who is it, who attacked Andrei-sama?!"
With even Andrei, who had been stabilizing and leading the situation until now, attacked, the children's anxiety began to amplify further.
And soon after.
Smack!
"Aaargh."
Thud! Whack!
"Urk!"
Four children were attacked in succession, and among them, one...
"Urk!"
Thump!
Unable to withstand the intense impact, he lost consciousness and collapsed on the spot.
"G-ghost?"
"What, ghost? Kyaaaah!"
"Damn, run!"
The hard-won stability crumbled like sand, turning into utter pandemonium in an instant.
The children let go of each other's hands and began madly fleeing or running in some direction.
"Urk, damn. No. Everyone, hold han—argh!"
Andrei, trying to stop them, finally exploded in anger at the renewed impact on the back of his head.
"Damn it, who the hell is it?!"
Whoosh!
Andrei started wildly swinging his fists into the empty air.
But in the unseen darkness, such behavior was far from wise.
Thwack!
"Aaah!"
"You?!"
"A-Andrei-sama. It's me. Sheldon."
"What? Sheldon? Ah, sorry. I couldn't see well—urk!"
Whack!
A stinging pain struck the back of Andrei's head again as he tried to apologize.
"Aaaargh!"
Finally losing his reason, Andrei went berserk.
And Ruin, watching from the darkness, merely chuckled.
'That's what you get for messing with my people.'
Those four would probably spend the rest of the Sword Tomb Ceremony in pain and fear.
And it was obvious that the swords granted to them would be of very low quality.
"Hoo."
Meirin, taking a deep breath, moved her eyes adapted to the darkness, searching for a sword drawn to her energy as she walked.
At that moment.
"Kyaaaah!"
A scream suddenly came from behind.
"W-what...?"
Meirin cautiously turned her head, looking toward the direction of the sound.
She hadn't yet escaped the fundamental fear of darkness, so she couldn't help but tense up greatly in this situation where she had no information.
"Did something happen?"
Of course, the Sword Tomb Ceremony was a traditional rite of the Linegrime family, so the likelihood of any accident or problem occurring here was extremely low.
It was probably just one of the kids like her, who hadn't adapted to the darkness, screaming out of fear...
But at that moment.
"It's a ghoooost!"
Feeling someone shouting loudly and seeming to run toward where she stood, Meirin froze in place.
"W-what, ghost?"
There were exactly two things she feared most in this world.
First was disappointing her father, who always sent her infinite trust and faith.
The second was ghosts.
Especially encountering a ghost while alone in a dark space...
"Urk."
Meirin bit her lower lip hard without realizing it, then shook her head firmly.
'Get a grip, Meirin. Now's not the time to be afraid of that.'
This was the site of a very important rite that would determine the future of the Linegrime descendants.
She didn't know the exact principle, but within the Sword Tomb, one's actions, mental state, and inherent potential combined to conduct a fitting trial.
If she showed weakness or wavered here.
'The trial itself would become much harder.'
That meant the chances of receiving a good sword's selection would decrease.
Having mentally armored herself as best she could, however.
Overcoming an instinctively ingrained fear was no easy task.
"..."
For a while, she stood in place without speaking or moving, just warily scanning her surroundings.
After some time passed like that, the very noisy screams and shouts from the children ceased.
Her heart was still pounding madly, but.
"Hoo, calm down. Now I just need to move slowly."
Muttering to herself as if reciting a mantra, she steadied her breathing and slowly circulated the mana within her body.
As the warm energy gradually spread throughout her body, her racing heart began to settle.
'Okay, this should be...'
Thinking her body had regained stability to some extent, she finally took a step forward.
"Huh?"
Stagger.
Her legs, weakened from prolonged fear, trembled ridiculously, causing her to lose balance entirely.
And then.
Surge!
The mana circulating within her body suddenly lost control and began to rampage.
'Oh no, this is bad.'
If she fell to the ground like this and took an external impact in this state, there was a high chance the rampaging mana would explode outright.
If that happened, it could go beyond simple internal injuries and even threaten her life.
'No. If this continues...'
As the word "death" truly flashed before her eyes.
Thump!
"...?"
Someone grabbed her arm, preventing her from falling.
When she turned her head to look that way.
"Be careful, you could get seriously hurt like that."
The person who had grabbed her arm and supported her was the boy who had arrived last at the family head's hall before entering the Sword Tomb Ceremony.
The son of the one who had been banished, the boy who had been whispered about and pointed at.
And the guy who had locked eyes with her for quite a long time.
It was none other than Ruin Linegrime.
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T/N:
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