“Come with me. I’ll teach you magic.”
How kind. If I actually took that hand and followed him, I’d be treated with the utmost care. So well that I’d never think of the cabin where I lived with my grandfather again. How do I know? Because I tried it. And failed. I’m god-awful at magic.
“Duke Helleim. Please take me as your adopted son.”
That was why I politely ignored the hand offered in kindness—and walked right past it. W-Wait, you’re just leaving?! I stopped in front of the man who had been awkwardly watching the scene from a distance.
“Duke Helleim.” “W-What is it?”
A cold-blooded man who looked like he had neither blood nor tears in him. Even in my previous life, I’d never managed to grow close to him. If anything, he must have considered me a future threat, because he glared at me time and again. Even right up until the moment he met his death at the hands of the Demon King.
—Cough. You’re still only Fourth Circle? Useless brat. You should have taken up a sword like your master. No, then would you have been murdered too? Crack!
That final look overlapped with the present, making me hesitate for a moment, but this had to be done.
“Please take me as your adopted son.” “M-Me? Not Lord Frost?” “I have no talent for magic. If you accept me, I’ll become the sharpest sword in House Helleim.”
The Duke’s eyes flashed. They were the greedy eyes of a man unable to resist what he wanted.
“What an eight-year-old’s way with words.” “I’ll be good with a sword too. Probably.” “I killed your only blood relative. Don’t you want revenge?”
Revenge. I had already tied up such petty emotions in my previous life. To prevent the kingdom’s destruction, I needed both the one who gave the orders and the one who carried them out. Still, if I simply let it go, he would be the one left feeling uneasy. I glanced at my grandfather’s corpse. Then I picked up the sword that had fallen to the ground.
“Instead of revenge, I’ll take this.” “What an intriguing little brat. Very well. You have my interest.” “Thank you.”
Done. At least I’d managed to get the first button fastened properly.
“But while you may be the sharpest sword, you must not be the brightest. Do you understand what I mean?”
I nodded and answered.
“I’ll live like a shadow.” “Ha-ha-ha! Like grandfather, like grandson. You’re an unusual one.” “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Once the conversation had more or less come to an end, the Duke personally buried my grandfather, Arthur. Each of them paid their respects to the man they had killed with their own hands. I did the same. Grandfather, I’ll bury your death in my heart. For the greater good.
Vmmm—.
Arthur’s sword rang out as if in response.
“Your Grace, I’m relieved you returned safely. Hmm? Who is that child?”
When we returned to House Helleim, the butler came out to greet us. More precisely, he greeted the Duke. I stepped forward to introduce myself first, but—
“He’s my son. Wash him, feed him, and put him to bed.”
The Duke beat me to it. But his son? Even the kind Lord Frost from my previous life had treated me as little more than his master’s grandson.
“Y-Your son? This child?”
Exactly what I was thinking.
“He’s the First Young Master. Treat him as you would me.”
Huh?
“Yes. Understood, Your Grace. You must be exhausted, so please get some rest.” “Very well. At dawn tomorrow, teach him the sword. Only the fundamentals. Do not teach him House Helleim’s swordsmanship.” “Ah, yes.”
Thump, thump.
The Duke’s attitude toward me was unexpectedly nice. Just hearing the word swordsmanship made my heart tremble.
Click.
Without realizing it, I had clenched my fist around my grandfather’s sword. This life would be different. I had a good feeling about it.
And so, six years passed before I knew it.
Knock, knock.
“First Young Master, His Grace has sent you this armor.” “Ah, thanks. But isn’t it a little flashy?”
Knock, knock.
“First Young Master, His Grace has sent you this fine sword.” “……Thanks, but don’t you think it’s excessively flashy? Besides, I have my grandfather’s sword, so I’ll use this one.”
Knock, knock.
“Tell him no more gifts!”
The door flew open.
“What, you don’t like them?” “Ah, Your Grace. Did you sleep well last night?” “Yes. As expected, it suits you perfectly.” “But isn’t it a little too flashy?” “Of course it should be. You’re entering the academy. How could the son of such-and-such a house be made to look unimpressive?”
……What is this son-obsessed man doing? He told me not to become the brightest sword. Now he was trying to turn me into a golden man.
“Then shall we see how skilled you are before you enroll? Butler, put your administrative work on hold for a moment.” “Yes, Your Grace.”
Without a word, I took my grandfather’s sword and headed for the training ground. ……The Duke gave me a wounded look, but that fine sword was far too flashy.
Click. Shing—.
The sword emerged with a smooth sound, revealing its elegant form. The calluses I hadn’t had in my previous life kept the sword firmly from slipping out of my hand.
“Your body is fully developed now.”
The Duke smiled with satisfaction. A smile from a cold-blooded man. Even after all these years, I still wasn’t used to it, but it was better than having him look at me with some lecherous expression. I took a deep breath, stepped back with my rear foot, and assumed a stance.
“You’d better brace yourself.”
The Duke nodded and took the same stance.
Of course, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down either. Because my opponent was strong? No. I simply found it impossible to gauge the limits of my own talent.
Clang!
Krrrk.
Sparks flew from our locked blades. Once they met, neither sword showed any intention of pulling away easily.
‘So I was right.’
William Helleim smiled with satisfaction. If the boy had pulled his sword away to launch a new attack, William would have driven forward and cut him down on the spot. Perhaps the boy knew that, because he was using his limited strength to close the gap.
Krrrk, clack.
The boy’s face was visible between the two crossed blades. Calm. Anyone watching might have thought they were pressing baguettes together instead of swords.
‘Even his expression?’
Perhaps he could afford to yield one move for the sake of his admirable son. The Duke withdrew his sword first.
Krrrk.
As expected, the boy followed.
When I cut this way, he cut that way. When I thrust this way, he thrust back.
Wasn’t it almost like facing a commander? Every one of his actions appeared exactly where it needed to be. It felt less like a duel between swords and more like a war between armies.
But—
Clang!
The Duke shifted his center of gravity to the right and spun once. The boy couldn’t overcome the momentum and staggered.
“!” “You’re still inexperienced, Arthur Graham.”
His fundamentals were superb, but his sword was too straightforward. Sometimes, you had to know how to catch someone off guard like this. Real combat wasn’t a sparring match governed by rules.
The Duke slashed down at Arthur Graham’s exposed side. It was an attack meant to end the match.
“As expected.”
Clang!
“What?”
In that brief opening, he regained his balance and knocked the Duke’s sword aside. It was impossible to believe that strength had come from a fourteen-year-old boy’s attack. And he didn’t stop there—he followed with a thrust. The sharp tip of his sword flew toward the Duke’s neck.
‘Incredible.’
Even seeing it again, his talent was monstrous. The composure to never panic, no matter the moment, and instead turn it into an opportunity. Wasn’t he like a veteran mercenary who had fought countless battles? He had clearly only picked up a sword for the first time six years ago. Yet now he wielded it like an extension of his own limbs.
‘Even after dying, a monster leaves behind another monster, Master.’
There was little time left to marvel. Arthur’s thrust was faster than expected. The Duke smiled with satisfaction and released his aura.
Kraaaash!
An enormous mass of light surged from the Duke’s body like a flood and enveloped his sword.