As everyone at the banquet smiled brightly, engaging in lively conversation and enjoying themselves, there was one boy whose expression remained sour throughout the event.
And then:
"Get your head on straight, Andrei! No matter how foolish and pathetic you are, you're still my son."
"…Yes, Father."
Andrei, the eldest son of Philip Linegrim, the fourth in line, known for his fiery temper, stood out. Just before the banquet began, he had been relentlessly berated by his father, pushed to the brink of madness, all because he had drawn a mere dagger from the Sword Vault.
But it wasn't just his father, Philip, who singled him out.
Everyone who knew Andrei, or was even remotely connected to him, mocked or dismissed him with cutting remarks.
"How does someone manage to pull a dagger from the Sword Vault?"
"Is there some famous assassin in the main family's history?"
"A dagger? What can a swordsman do with just a dagger?"
Like those around him, his father, Philip, was no different.
"You useless fool, pathetic son!"
He hurled insults at his eldest son, consumed by blind rage.
"Damn it, they don't know anything!"
But Andrei paid no heed to his father's reactions or the surrounding ridicule.
"This sword isn't just any dagger."
Carefully, he drew the blade hidden in his breast pocket.
A small dagger, wrapped delicately in purple silk.
"Just wait a little longer. I'll definitely…"
"Andrei, what are you doing over there? Get over here now!"
"Yes, yes, Father."
With a curt nod, he strode confidently toward his father, Philip.
And as he did:
"Tch, tch, the dagger's master is on the move."
"A dagger from the Linegrim family, haha."
"Wasn't Philip's nickname 'The Little Giant'? Looks like his son's just as small."
"Should we start calling him the Tiny Little Giant?"
Despite the barrage of mockery, Andrei's expression remained largely unchanged.
Only a flicker of irritation glinted in his eyes.
"Go ahead, keep running your mouths."
The reason he remained unshaken by external judgment was simple.
The secret of the dagger he had encountered in the Sword Vault was far more profound and extraordinary than anyone could imagine.
How could a family that had reigned supreme for over a thousand years be bathed only in light?
Naturally, there were unseen shadows and darkness as well.
Just like the shadows secretly nurtured by Duke Seric, and the legendary figure of Number 1872 who stood tall among them…
The culmination of the northern darkness was held in Andrei Linegrim's hand—a small dagger.
"The Bloodsword."
This small blade, known as the Bloodsword, was said to literally drink blood.
As such, it was said to grow in size and turn crimson with each battle it endured.
The legend held that when the Bloodsword absorbed all the blood it needed and revealed its true form, its wielder would gain unimaginable power.
"Of course, I don't fully believe it."
After all, everything he knew came from the sword's spirit, which had tested him during their encounter.
Even now, Andrei remained skeptical of the whispers the sword's spirit had delivered in that illusory moment.
In that sense, Andrei felt a strange gratitude toward the ghost—or perhaps spirit—that had appeared in the Sword Vault.
Thanks to it, he had stumbled upon the Bloodsword in the nick of time.
"One day, I'll fully awaken this sword and seize ultimate power."
With his ambitions kept secret, Andrei quietly harbored grand dreams alone.
Of course:
"Hurry up, you idiot!"
"I'm coming, Father."
For the time being, it seemed he'd have to endure his father Philip Linegrim's infuriating treatment.
After Heinz and Meirin, the father-daughter duo, caused a massive stir, they were led away somewhere by Freon, the Grandmaster of Snowshade.
Left alone for a moment, Ruin savored the prepared dishes while quietly observing his surroundings.
"It's the same everywhere."
Even in his past life as Number 1872, he hadn't been a stranger to such banquets.
In fact, as the leader of the shadows, he had been invited to countless such events.
But:
"…There's always someone spewing petty gossip, whether it's in Seric or the Northern Heavens. It's all the same."
Ruin recalled how, back then, he had faced subtle disdain and contempt simply for being a shadow, tasked with dirty and covert deeds.
Now, as the son of Kabel, he heard similarly negative and hostile remarks.
"Well, I've got them all memorized."
Nodding to himself, Ruin muttered under his breath.
He had already committed to memory the faces of those who had insulted him and his parents earlier, along with their names and detailed information, gleaned from the snippets of conversation around him.
But:
"[Khehe, it's been a while since I tasted something this good. Eat more! Yeah, that one!]"
Ruin's eyebrow twitched at the loud, incessant commentary from the Sword Soul, critiquing the food he was eating.
"You can taste the food I'm eating?"
"[Of course. Since you and I are bound by soul, we share your sense of taste as well…]"
"Ptooey!"
"[W-What are you doing? Why'd you spit out the food?]"
"It just feels weird knowing we're sharing the taste. Made me want to spit it out."
Ruin grimaced as he muttered.
The idea of sharing his sense of taste with a grizzled middle-aged man he'd met face-to-face wasn't exactly pleasant.
Of course:
"[That's a misconception, Ruin. Since we've made a contract, our souls are inevitably linked. So stop doing pointless things and hurry up and enjoy some delicious food…]"
"Shh, enough."
Shaking his head to silence the Sword Soul, Ruin curled one corner of his mouth into a smirk.
"I'll decide whether to eat or not based on how you behave from now on."
"[What? How dare you speak to your master like that…!]"
"If you listen to me, I'll eat plenty of tasty things. But if you keep ignoring me or acting up…"
Ruin was half-tempted to shove nothing but soldiers' combat rations into his mouth.
After all, as a shadow, he had long since stopped caring about the taste of food.
"[…]"
The Sword Soul fell silent, unable to respond to Ruin's thinly veiled threat.
At that moment:
"Ruin Linegrim."
A unfamiliar voice called out, and Ruin turned to see an unexpected face.
"Hm, this guy…?"
He recalled the moment before the Sword Vault ceremony, when everyone had gathered for the family assembly, and he had sensed presences through Thousand Seamless Shadows.
Among them, one had stood out the most.
"Serron?"
"You know my name. Well, I suppose that's natural. Yes, I'm Serron. Your cousin."
After a light greeting, the boy continued in a cold tone.
"I was wondering why things were so noisy around here, and it turns out it's because of you."
"What?"
Ruin's eyebrow twitched at Serron's sudden, confrontational approach.
"I have no intention of badmouthing Uncle Kabel. Everyone has their circumstances and reasons."
"…"
"But your presence is disrupting the order of this banquet."
At Serron's unexpectedly serious expression for a child, Ruin's gaze grew darker.
"Disrupting the order?"
"Your existence, as an outsider, is lowering the value of this banquet and the dignity of our family."
Serron gestured toward the others who had been badmouthing Ruin.
Ruin let out a scoff, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Look, I've just been standing here, and they're the ones talking trash. If you're going to point fingers, point them at those guys, not me…"
"Of course, I don't think their behavior is justified either, but the root of the issue is you being here in the first place."
"What?"
"So, I have a proposition for you."
"…?"
With a cold, arrogant glint in his eyes, Serron muttered:
"After the banquet, let's have a duel."
"Huh?"
"I'll see for myself whether you're worthy of wielding a Linegrim sword."
"What's with this kid?"
Ruin paused, staring at Serron, who had come out of nowhere to pick a fight and challenge him to a duel.
Serron's lips curled slightly as he continued:
"What's with that look? Are you scared or something?"
"…"
At Serron's continued provocation, Ruin's gaze turned icy.
And then:
"Ha."
Letting out a mocking chuckle, Ruin smirked and muttered:
"Hey, Serron."
"…?"
"Do you ever get scared of someone weaker than you?"
"What?"
Serron's confident, haughty expression faltered at Ruin's casual question.
Ruin's voice continued:
"Serron, you've mastered all seven forms of the Linegrim basic swordsmanship, right?"
"Of course. I mastered them ages ago. And now I'm…"
But before Serron could finish, Ruin cut him off.
"Oh, the Yeonseong Resolution?"
"What? You know about it?"
"Does it matter if I know? What matters is whether you've mastered and completed the Yeonseong Resolution."
"What?"
"[Ho, so you're saying you've completed the Yeonseong Resolution?]"
Not only Serron but the Sword Soul reacted as well.
Ignoring the Sword Soul, Ruin continued in a cold tone:
"Those who've mastered all the basic Linegrim sword forms can learn the Yeonseong Resolution. So, Serron, have you completed it?"
At Ruin's resolute question, Serron's gaze wavered as he looked at him.
Then, in a slightly quieter voice, he muttered:
"My father said it's too much for someone our age to master it. So…"
"Oh, so you haven't completed it?"
"W-Well…"
"What's this? You're weak after all."
"…?!"
"I had some expectations since they called you a genius, but you haven't even completed that, and you're challenging me to a duel? Kid, go drink some more of your mother's milk."
Ruin unleashed the sharp-tongued banter he'd honed in the rough back alleys.
Serron, raised in refinement, was left speechless, his face flushing red with a dumbfounded expression.
At that moment:
"Is there a problem?"
The cold voice of Freon, the Grandmaster of Snowshade, rang out as he approached.
Despite Freon's question, standing as Ruin's guardian, Serron only stared at Ruin, biting his lower lip hard.
Crunch.
Then, in a voice filled with fury, he shouted:
"What about you?!"
"…"
"Have you even learned the Yeonseong Resolution?!"
With Serron's loud outburst, the attention of those around them began to shift toward the scene.
At that moment:
"The Yeonseong Resolution consists of sixteen forms. The first five forms of the opening, six forms of the middle, and five forms of the closing."
"…!"
"They begin with Jinryu Explosion, followed by Pajin Flash, Gwanghyeop Shift, and end the opening with Jungwhoi Half-Flash. The middle section starts with Gyeokjo Whirl…"
Ruin's explanation flowed smoothly, like a clear stream, without a single hitch, causing Serron's eyes to widen in shock.
And then:
"…And the final closing form, Ryuseong Flash. That's what completes the Yeonseong Resolution. So, is that enough for you?"
"H-How do you…?"
"Why? Can't someone from the countryside be a direct Linegrim descendant?"
"…!"
Serron stood speechless, his expression blank.
"Ruin, that's enough."
Freon, who had been watching the situation unfold and decided it had gone far enough, stepped in.
"Come with me. And Serron, calm down. Your father's watching right now."
"Ah…"
At the mention of his father, Serron's expression completely deflated.
Freon, stepping between the two, quickly led Ruin out of the banquet hall, away from prying eyes.
"Ruin, what happened? Explain properly."
Kneeling to meet Ruin's gaze, Freon asked in a gentle tone.
Ruin smiled lightly and replied:
"Serron challenged me to a duel, so I turned him down."
"What?"
Freon pressed further, confused by Ruin's blunt summary.
"A duel? What's that about? And how do you know about the Yeonseong Resolution?"
"Oh, that?"
How did he know?
It was knowledge and information he had picked up in his past life as Number 1872.
At the very least, the Linegrim family's basic swordsmanship system was something other factions had partially figured out as well.
In truth, Ruin hadn't even properly learned the Yeonseong Resolution or the basic sword forms yet.
"My father told me about it. And that kid came up to me first, picking a fight. Said I was lowering the value of this place or something. Wanted to check if I was worthy of wielding a Linegrim sword."
"…"
Freon, listening to Ruin's explanation, began to piece together what had happened.
And so:
"Ruin."
Calling his name softly, Freon continued with a serious expression and tone.
"That boy is Serron, the son of Oswell, the Lord of Bicheon…"
"I know, he's some super important young master."
But Ruin cut him off before he could finish.
With a faint smile, he continued:
"Don't worry. Today was just a childish spat between kids. I don't hold any grudges or bad feelings toward him."
"…If you say so, that's enough."
Having observed Ruin up to this point, Freon believed the boy wouldn't speak carelessly.
It seemed Ruin was fully aware of his and Serron's positions and was speaking accordingly.
"For some reason, it leaves a bitter taste."
Freon couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness at how quickly this young boy seemed to understand the ways of the world.
At that moment:
"Guess we can't go back in there now, huh? There was still so much good food left…"
Ruin's slightly sulky, childlike tone prompted a faint smile from Freon, who replied:
"Don't worry. I'll have food sent to your quarters."
"Really? You promise?"
"Yes, so go rest well tonight."
Freon, known for his cold demeanor and rarely showing emotion, was, for the first time, openly revealing his feelings in front of this boy named Ruin.
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T/N:
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