Chapter6: Selection of the five young masters(2)
_______________
Sunlight pierced through the crystal glass. Lying on his bed, Dillon slowly opened his eyes.
Unlike usual, the silence felt heavier. Back at his home, his maid Amanda would wake him up every day and prepare everything for him.
Dillon moved on instinct. After bathing and changing his clothes, he found his meal already in his room—he had instructed the servant to deliver it there. He hated gatherings.
He sat down, eating his breakfast while thinking.
"The test begins today and will last for three days and nights. I've already completed my preparations. As for Arthur and Nersia…"
The corners of his lips lifted slightly.
"Arthur… that boy is dangerous. Trying to use or manipulate him would be truly foolish. As for Nersia…"
He paused before continuing.
"Fear is a good start… but fear alone isn't enough. Terror… yes, terror is what breaks a person from the inside."
"I may have already become her terror, but that alone is still meaningless. She no longer sees me as a person… and for now, that's enough."
Even though he had completed his first stage—instilling fear in Nersia—it wasn't sufficient for him. To complete his plans, he needed something far greater.
Dillon opened his door and walked down the corridor toward the training hall, where they were supposed to prepare before heading to the first test.
"Hm… I should head straight to the training hall, then I'll proceed to the test…"
While thinking, a voice called out from ahead.
"Oh? And who do we have here? Aren't you Katia's son?"
He recognized the voice instantly. A slow smile spread across his face before he replied.
"Yes, that's me. And you… oh! Aren't you the second wife?"
He spoke provocatively on purpose.
Her teeth clenched, veins appearing on her forehead, but she took a deep breath to calm herself.
"No… I have already become the first wife. Didn't you know? Perhaps because you've been living in a rural palace all this time."
She returned his provocation with another, yet Dillon remained completely unfazed.
"The first wife now? Ah, I remember. After the king's first wife died, you took her place… or 'first' at least in your eyes."
He paused slightly, his smile widening as he tilted his head.
"But don't you think that's… rather pathetic?"
That pushed her to the limit. Her teeth ground audibly, her face flushed, looking as if she might explode at any moment.
"You—!"
She raised her hand in anger to slap him.
Dillon's smile only grew wider.
A slender hand suddenly grabbed her wrist—it was her personal maid.
Dillon's smile disappeared instantly.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Lady Celia, do you understand the consequences of assaulting a candidate for the position of young master?"
Exactly. Dillon intended to use it as a pretext—to deliberately create a problem out of it.
The red-haired, green-eyed maid was an unexpected variable for Dillon—and on top of that, she was intelligent.
Despite being only a few years older than him, she had already seen through his plan.
Dillon shot her a killing glare.
Celia wiped her forehead. Her gray hair swayed slightly as her green eyes calmed.
"Anyway, your name is Dillon, right? Did you receive my little gift at your residence?" she said with a sly smile.
"Oh? Look at that… she's not even trying to hide it."
"A gift? Unfortunately, I never received anything like that."
Her expression shifted, her smile fading.
"Anyway, it was nice meeting you. I should be going."
"You're heading to the test, right? Don't worry… I'll be cheering for you."
Despite her words, her teeth were clenched tightly.
Dillon didn't respond. As he passed by the maid, their eyes met briefly.
"Hm… that girl is smart. And I know nothing about her… I'll think about how to deal with her later."
He continued toward the training hall. Along the way, a soldier walked past him. Dillon glanced at him, then recognized him.
"Isn't that Celia's guard?"
A tall knight with red hair and red eyes. From Dillon's memories, he was always by Celia's side.
"Red hair… huh…"
A strange idea suddenly struck him.
"What? That can't be right… but if it is…"
That eerie smile returned to his face.
---
He arrived at the training hall. Opening the door, he found five people waiting—the trio from yesterday, a girl he didn't recognize but felt a strange déjà vu toward, and an adult who appeared to be a palace guard.
"Now that everyone is here, I'll explain everything in detail."
"As you all know, in the selection of young masters, only three out of five will succeed. These three will receive rewards, in addition to the opportunity to compete for the throne and carry the title of heir."
He paused before continuing.
"As for those who fail… they will be exiled from the palace after completing their academic lives."
"What?!"
Everyone's faces paled in shock and anger. Even Arthur's expression changed—only Dillon remained calm.
"What? In my previous life, such a rule never existed. What is this variable? What's going on?"
Though composed, he couldn't help but feel surprised inside.
"I understand your shock, young masters. This is the king's decision. I am merely the messenger—so do not blame me."
"Now, young masters… proceed to your first test."
A massive gate opened, blinding light pouring through. The five stepped out to a grand arena filled with hundreds—perhaps thousands—mostly nobles from the kingdom and neighboring lands.
They moved forward as the crowd's noise nearly pierced their ears. The children grew tense, but Arthur and Dillon remained steady.
"Now, young masters… let us begin the first test."
A man floated in the air using a magical amplifier—it was a mage. Just as swordsmen existed in the kingdom, so did mages, though it was rare for one to appear within the Narsel lineage.
Distracted by the atmosphere, Nersia stumbled into someone.
"Ah—!"
She raised her head slightly. The moment she saw who it was, her expression froze. Sweat formed, her heart raced.
"You… what do you think you're doing?"
Dillon looked at her with empty eyes.
"I—I'm sorry… I didn't mean—"
She stuttered, remembering what happened the day before. Her hand moved to her neck, her eyes reddening as tears formed.
"Get out of my sight."
Hearing that, she quickly regained her senses and hurried away.
"You will be called by name. Step forward, drink this enhancer to awaken your aura core, then strike the wall with your sword as instructed."
"First—Lana Narsel. Step forward."
Hearing her name, the calm girl stepped up. She drank the enhancer, grabbed the sword, and struck. Her aura manifested, and the blade pierced the wall.
"Yellow aura, mid-rank! Damage: 69%! What a great start!"
Lana exhaled, satisfied with her result.
Aura types varied. Yellow was common—not the strongest, but easy to control. There were five types: red (lowest), yellow (common), green (good), gray (rare), and sky-blue—extremely rare, with only a handful of users recorded.
"Next—Nersia Narsel."
She stepped forward nervously, unlike her usual self. After drinking the enhancer, she struck.
"Green aura, high rank! Damage: 76%! Incredible!"
Aura type didn't determine absolute strength—experience and skill mattered too. But between equal fighters, the one with a stronger aura had the advantage due to greater energy reserves.
"Next—Yumir Narsel."
"Yumir?" Dillon recognized the name—the youngest daughter of the first wife, whose mother died when she was two.
"My goodness! Another green aura, peak rank! Damage: 82%! How many talents will we see today?!"
As expected, she was talented. In his previous life, she hadn't participated.
"Next—Arthur Narsel."
As he stepped forward, whispers spread.
"That's Celia's son, right? I've seen his talent myself!"
"I've heard about him too—now we'll see it."
Unfazed, Arthur proceeded. After his strike—
"W-what?! Gray aura, high rank! Damage: 93%! Such talent hasn't been seen in decades!"
The crowd erupted. Even the king widened his eyes.
Arthur was a true genius.
"I don't think we'll see anything beyond this… but let's continue. Dillon Narsel, step forward."
Dillon walked forward calmly, faintly smiling at the crowd's chatter.
"Isn't that Katia's son? They say he's a heavenly talent."
"Don't be ridiculous—we've only heard talk so far."
Ignoring them, he stepped forward, drank the enhancer, adjusted his stance—
—but before he could throw the sword, it shattered in his hand.
"…?"
"Ah… I'm not sure what happened. Try again."
But every attempt ended the same—the sword broke each time.
"What's going on?"
"I've never seen this before."
Confusion spread. Even Dillon didn't understand.
He considered using his own sword—but rejected it. It might expose him, and besides, it was in his room.
Then—
"Boy. Take this sword."
Edgar had thrown his personal sword, embedding it into the ground before Dillon.
Dillon looked at it briefly, unsure of his father's intent, then picked it up.
"…Heavy."
Yet he managed to wield it.
The audience watched in anticipation.
"Alright… continue!"
Dillon adjusted his stance again, closed his eyes—and threw the sword with full force.
"…" "…" "…"
Silence fell.
Then someone screamed—
"W-WHAT?! A SKY-BLUE AURA?!"
After his shout, the arena erupted into collective shock, and a suffocating roar surged upward as if it intended to tear the very air apart.
__