When we reached the balcony, I understood why.
Several people stood there.
Some sat on elegant chairs, posture relaxed yet dignified. Others stood with hands behind their backs, eyes sharp and observant. Their clothing was refined. Their presence unmistakably noble.
The moment Mother and I stepped onto the balcony—
Every single person stood up.
At once.
The sound of chairs scraping softly echoed like thunder in my ears.
I froze for half a second.
"Why… are they standing?"
Mother greeted them gracefully.
"Your Majesties. Your Highnesses. Thank you for honoring us with your presence."
Majesties.
Plural.
My brain stumbled.
My brain took a moment to catch up.
Father stepped forward, resting a hand on my shoulder and said calmly,
"Solaris, this is the King of Eldrathis."
I looked up.
The man standing before me had sharp golden eyes and an aura that felt both warm and terrifying. His presence alone made the air feel heavier, like standing before a roaring flame that chose not to burn you.
I straightened instinctively and bowed politely.
"I'm Solaris Void. It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness."
Inside my mind, chaos tried—and failed—to break through.
"Why is a king here?
Ah… right. Nobles. Kings. Normal."
"Yes," I nodded mentally.
"This is normal."
Father continued,
"This is Queen Seraphina of Eldrathis.
The queen smiled gently, her silver-blonde hair shimmering under the light. Her gaze was kind, observant, and oddly comforting.
And these are their children," Father added.
"The Crown Prince, Leonhart Dravenhart—and he is ten years old. Two years older than you."
A boy stepped forward.
He had confident posture, sharp eyes, and an expression that clearly said he was used to being the center of attention.
"I-It is an honor to meet you," I said.
The queen chuckled softly.
"My, my. What a sweet little boy. So mature for his age. Happy birthday, my dear. May the gods bless you."
The king laughed heartily.
"Your father is right. You are something else, boy. I can already see a bright future ahead of you."
I smiled politely, though my mind was busy screaming.
"Please stop looking at me like that."
Then—
"This is boring."
The voice came from the prince.
Leonhart crossed his arms.
"All this polite talk makes me sleepy. Rumors say you practice swordsmanship, Solaris Void. Care to prove it?"
I blinked.
He grinned.
"Let's duel outside."
The hall went silent.
The queen's smile disappeared instantly.
"Leonhart! Where are your manners?"
Father waved a hand calmly.
"It's fine. Children should have their own fun."
The king frowned slightly.
"Are you sure? Leonhart is an elite swordsman. And… as you can see, he's a little arrogant."
Father leaned closer to the king and whispered, low enough that only he could hear.
"Solaris is a master swordsman."
The king laughed loudly.
"Alistair, you always say the funniest things—HA HA HA—"
He stopped.
Looked at Father again.
"…You're joking. Right?"
Father's expression did not change.
"No. I'm not."
Silence.
The king's smile dimmed gradually. His eyes sparkled with a new intensity as he spoke,
"In that case… I, Aurelius Dravenhart, as a Sword King, personally want to witness this duel."
Gasps erupted across the hall.
"Did he just say—"
"A duel like it's nothing?"
Father sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"You really know how to create a fuss, don't you, Aurelius?"
I stood there quietly.
Inside my head, I nodded firmly.
"It's fine", I told myself.
"I'm just an ordinary eight-year-old boy.
This is all… completely normal."
---
Sometime later, we were now inside the training hall
But this time, the atmosphere was completely different.
Earlier, this hall was a place where only Father and I trained—silent, disciplined, almost sacred. Now, it felt like a festival ground. Every corner was filled with people. Nobles stood shoulder to shoulder. Guards lined the walls. Maids whispered behind their hands, and even some high-ranking knights leaned forward with open curiosity.
This time, my opponent wasn't my father.
And we were definitely not alone.
At the center of the hall, two figures stood facing each other.
One was Leonhart Dravenhart, the Crown Prince of Eldrathis—confident, sharp-eyed, holding a wooden sword as if it were a real blade.
The other was me.
An eight-year-old boy holding a wooden sword that I had already broken too many times.
This is just a friendly duel, I reminded myself. Totally normal.
Around us, voices rose like waves.
"I heard the Crown Prince is a prodigy, just like his sister."
"There's no way some random noble child can defeat him."
"Betting ten gold coins on His Highness Leonhart!"
Someone actually laughed. Someone else nodded seriously.
My father stood between us, acting as the referee. His expression was calm, but I could tell—he heard every word. He simply chose to ignore them.
Father raised his voice.
"Remember, this is a friendly duel. No dangerous techniques."
Leonhart smirked arrogantly and rested his sword on his shoulder.
"Don't worry," he said confidently. "I'll take it easy on you."
I nodded politely.
"That's very kind."
Father took a step back.
"Begin."
The moment the signal was given, Leonhart moved.
Fast.
At least, fast by normal standards.
He rushed toward me with surprising explosiveness for his age. His wooden sword sliced through the air with a sharp whistle as he yelled,
"You're wide open, Solaris!"
Wide open?
I tilted my head slightly.
The sword came toward me in a clean diagonal slash.
I stepped aside.
Just a little.
The blade passed harmlessly through empty air.
Dot.
Dot.
Dot.
For a split second, the hall went silent.
Then—
"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!"
"Did he just dodge that?!"
Leonhart's eyes widened.
"Lucky dodge," he muttered.
He tightened his grip and rushed again—this time faster, sharper, more aggressive. His sword swung again and again, strikes chaining together smoothly.
Slash.
Thrust.
Horizontal cut.
I dodged all of them.
Barely moving.
In my mind, I frowned slightly.
'Why his movements are slow… and very predictable.
Below normal level, I think.
But then I corrected myself quickly.
No, no. I can't think like that. I'm just an ordinary child. I can't defeat the Crown Prince. Best solution is to just keep dodging."
Leonhart's breathing grew heavier.
"AAA—! What's going on?!" he shouted. "I can read your movements! I can see them! But why can't I hit you?!"
The crowd was in chaos.
"How is this even possible?!"
"That's the Crown Prince!"
"Lord Alistair's son hasn't even attacked once!"
Our household's guards whispered among themselves.
"We… we can see their movements?"
"If this is His Highness's full speed, then…"
The maids exchanged worried looks.
Even through the noise, whispers found their way to my ears.
"That's bad", I thought.
"They're staring at me like I'm something extraordinary.
This was supposed to be a child's duel.
So why did it feel like a public execution of common sense?
I need to fix this."
Slowly, deliberately, I lowered my sword.
Then I stopped moving altogether.
The king stood up slightly.
"What happened?"
Father stiffened.
"Why did he stop?"
Leonhart's eyes lit up with frustration and pride.
"Already tired?!" he yelled.
He raised his sword high.
"Try dodging this time!"
Leonhart swung.
The wooden sword cut through the air, creating a sharp gust of wind as it rushed toward me. I could feel it—its speed, its angle, its intent.
It was coming closer.
Closer.
Closer—
I could avoid this.
Easily.
But I didn't.
The sword landed on my shoulder with a dull thump, sending a small wave of wind rippling through my clothes.
The maids gasped.
Some of them closed their eyes.
"Young Master—!"
The hall froze.
Complete silence.
Then the crowd erupted into cheers.
"He landed a hit!"
"Our Crown Prince did it!"
Leonhart stood there, chest heaving, eyes wide.
"I… I hit you?"
Cheers erupted from part of the crowd.
King Aurelius laughed loudly, clapping his hands.
"Well done, Leonhart!"
Then he turned to my father, eyes sharp with amusement.
"I thought my son was arrogant. But yours?"
He laughed even harder.
"He just stood there and took the hit to prove Leonhart is no match for him! HA HA HA!"
Father dropped into a chair, covering his face with both hands.
"My boy…" he muttered weakly. "I just wanted a normal, cute baby boy."
He peeked through his fingers toward me.
"But look at him…"
He sighed deeply.
"If I were in Leonhart's place," he whispered, "I might've peed myself."
The scene shifted back to me.
Leonhart stood proudly, chest puffed out, confidence overflowing from every movement.
"A direct hit," he said loudly. "I knew it. I'm an unbeatable prodigy. No one at my age can come close to my talent."
He smirked.
"But still, this was a good match. At some point, I even started to believe that you were stro—"
His words stopped.
Completely.
Because I was still standing.
Not staggering.
Not wincing.
Not even rubbing my shoulder—simply standing there, calmly.
Not a single trace of pain on my face.
Leonhart jumped back instinctively, his pride cracking into confusion.
"What the faaa—
Is he even human?!"
His thoughts spiraled wildly.
"How is he standing there?! That hit should've hurt! That face—what is that face?! Is it a mask? Is he pretending? No, that's not pretending… That's… nothing!
He felt it, right? He must've felt it! He's just bluffing! Right?!"
Inside my own mind, I sighed.
"Compared to Father's Wind Slash, this really felt like a mosquito bite.
Good though. The crowd's focus has shifted back to the Crown Prince."
But then—
I glanced toward the crowd.
Father was sitting down, covering his face with one hand. Beside him, King Aurelius was laughing loudly, completely relaxed.
My expression changed.
"So that's how it is."
My mind immediately jumped to a conclusion.
"I overthought it. I made a mistake.
Father obviously knows I'm an ordinary boy. He probably told the king that too. This whole thing… they're just trying to teach the arrogant Crown Prince a lesson.
And I… I just took a hit from him.
That must be shameful for Father."
My fingers tightened slightly around the sword.
On the training ground, Leonhart shouted, voice sharp with wounded pride.
"Hey! Solaris or whatever your name is—don't mock me! I know you're holding back!"
The crowd leaned forward.
"I'm the Crown Prince of Eldrathis!" Leonhart roared. "I order you—show me what you really have! Come at me with everything! Don't hold back!"
Slowly, I lifted my head.
My cyan-blue eyes locked onto his.
Cold.
Serious.
"…As you wish."
A faint yellow spark flickered at the edge of my cyan eyes.
My sword remained lowered.
I began walking forward.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The hall echoed with my footsteps.
Leonhart felt it.
Pressure.
"What… who do you think you are—?!"
He swung his sword.
It came closer.
Closer—
And passed through me.
"…WHAT?!"
He attacked again.
And again.
Every strike passed through empty air, as if I wasn't there at all—like I was a shadow, an illusion.
Leonhart jumped back, panic finally surfacing.
"What are you?! Is this—what is this?!"
I kept walking.
Steady. Calm.
Then—
My next foot touched the ground.
And I vanished.
A shadowy aura rippled through the air.
I reappeared behind Leonhart.
In an instant—
Hundreds of strikes landed.
Not seen.
Not heard.
Only felt.
Leonhart collapsed to the floor, still conscious, gasping.
"…What… are you?"
Desperately, he made one last attack, swinging blindly.
I didn't even look back.
I released my sword.
It spun through the air.
The two blades met.
Crack.
Leonhart's sword shattered.
My blade stopped inches from his face.
Silence.
Then applause.
King Aurelius stepped forward, clapping loudly.
"Bravo. Bravo. As expected of Alistair's son."
He turned to Leonhart, his voice calm but heavy.
"Don't you have something to say?"
Leonhart swallowed.
"…I give up. I lost."
Father rushed in, grabbing my shoulder.
"What were you thinking, Solaris?! Why did you beat him like that?! Didn't I say this was a friendly duel?!"
The king laughed.
"Don't yell at him. He did nothing wrong."
Then he leaned closer to me, eyes sharp.
"Did you use Shadow Movement just now?"
"…Yes," I answered honestly. "Father taught me."
The king sighed dramatically.
"If someone needs scolding, it's your father."
He shook his head in disbelief.
"Teaching Shadow Movement to an eight-year-old child… though, looking at you…"
He smiled.
"…it's normal you'd join the Royal Academy."
My eyes widened slightly.
"Normal?"
"Yes. Normal."
"…Hmm. Normal."
I turned to Father.
"Father," I said calmly. "I want to join the Royal Academy."
"I want to be normal."
---
[He smiled, believing he had chosen normal.
The world had already chosen something else for him.]
---
⭐ Author's Note
[ Next time: Beyond the limit of talent ]