Chapter 3: The Young Master Of The Heroic Lineage (2)
Dawn Castle.
The castle of the Prient family, which had a history that lasted 500 years, emanated an old-fashioned atmosphere.
This place, known as the home of the ‘Descendants of the Sword God,’ was one of the many locations in the game and was the setting for one of the game’s later stages. It was also one of the critical turning points in the plot.
“One, two, three, four… and five?”
At this place, Shiron had died a total of five times. What was interesting was that he never died the same way twice.
Walking through the corridor, Shiron pondered the possible events of the future.
Knowing every incident that was going to occur was a tremendous advantage.
What should he do to survive in this harsh world as a little kid who neither knew swordsmanship nor magic?
The answer to that was to establish a territory of his own that no one could violate.
He would prepare for the future by doing his best. Given the current circumstances, he wouldn’t hesitate to use the overwhelming advantages given to him. He reincarnated into the body of a boy filled with death flags and had yet to find a way out of this place.Suddenly, he felt a presence.
Turning his head, what caught his eye was a girl with red hair.
“……”
Short hair hung down her face, and golden eyes glared at him from between the strands.
‘Lucia.’
Fire-like red hair and fierce eyes gazed up at him. Just like the image he had seen in the game, she was alive and breathing right before him.
‘When did she start following me?’
It was disconcerting. It might even be called awkward. Shiron wasn’t ready yet to face her alone.
He clearly hadn’t forgotten about yesterday’s events. Maybe he never would. But for now, any thoughts of addressing or resolving the conflict weren’t there.
If he were being himself, he would’ve blurted out, “What are you looking at?” But engaging her again would be a losing battle.
Wondering how to respond to Lucia, his recently recognized half-sister, Shiron pondered for a moment.
“Hello.”
With a friendly-looking smile, Shiron waved his right hand.
Then, he quickly turned his head and continued on his way.
There was an old saying, “A gentleman takes revenge even if it takes ten years.” It meant that it was never too late for a nobleman to seek vengeance.
With that saying in mind, Shiron smiled satisfactorily.
Unfortunately, what Shiron wanted didn’t come to pass.
Thud-thud. Light steps.
‘Why is she following me?’
Shiron had certainly greeted Lucia. But it wasn’t a conventional greeting.
‘Maybe I should have just ignored her.’
They made eye contact, so he had just greeted her casually. He could’ve ignored her without a word but chose not to.
‘Yes, greeting was the right choice. If I had walked past her without greeting, it would’ve looked like I was a sulky child due to yesterday’s events. I did my best.’
Walking aimlessly, they reached a spacious field.
“……”
“……”
Both stopped walking simultaneously.
The place they had arrived at was the training ground on the outskirts of Dawn Castle. Just like Shiron, Lucia had business at this training ground, which was why she had followed him.
Shiron gathered up the nerves that had been concentrated on the back of his head.
‘I was unnecessarily worried.’
He wasted mental energy for no reason. Now wasn’t the time. With a slightly brisk pace, Shiron entered the armory. There were many things he wanted to verify.
The sound of swinging polearms echoed throughout the training ground covered in snow.
It must have snowed last night. Lucia guessed as much.
Clank- Clank-
As she swung the sword, she lightly sprung to the left, then right, forward, and backward.
The tip of her blade was unwavering. Even though it was a wooden sword, its form had an overwhelming presence.
‘Is this the extent?’
Although it was a short period, she felt quite accomplished. It had been a week since she last swung a sword.
Even though Lucia hadn’t held a sword for 8 years since her reincarnation, she felt satisfied with her rapid progress.
Before becoming a hero, she had prided herself on mastering the way of the sword as the Swordsmaster Kyrie. Following her instincts while swinging was the right, best, and optimal way.
“Haah.”
After practicing for about two hours, Lucia caught her breath and slowly exhaled white steam.
‘It’s been so long since I swung a sword without any thoughts.’
Lucia looked up at the hazy sky.
‘Reincarnation, huh.’
500 years ago, she had died.
Her last memory was of feeling emptiness when her physical body, which she had pushed to its limits after defeating the demon lord, gave out on her way home.
‘Should I be glad?’
She thought everything had come to an end. She never expected any rewards for her efforts, only wanting to drink with her companions and vent her frustrations.
‘But to be reincarnated so unexpectedly…’
Sure, crawling around in a humble shack in a quiet countryside was nice.
Although she had no father, the idyllic life with her mother was the peaceful daily life she had always dreamed of in her previous life. Instead of hearing screams, she heard laughter. Instead of burning villages, she played in flower fields.
But that, too, was fleeting.
“Damn it.”
As unpleasant thoughts surfaced, Lucia vigorously shook her head and shifted her gaze.
What she saw was a boy named Shiron. Rumor had it he was her half-brother.
Whirr-
She had been in a trance until she put down the sword, and only then did Shiron catch her eye.
Whirr-
“Catch her eye” was quite a fitting phrase.
From Lucia’s perspective, everything Shiron did seemed sloppy and annoying.
‘What is that guy doing?’
Scattered around Shiron were numerous polearms. There were swords, spears, maces, daggers, shields, and even a staff with a large magic stone attached to the end.
Whirr- Whirr-
Shiron constantly changed the type of weapon he wielded. All he did was swing them forcefully from top to bottom.
Lucia couldn’t understand the meaning behind that action.
It seemed nothing more than the strikes of a mere child.
“…Ah.”
A sudden exclamation escaped from her lips.
‘Could he possibly be aware of what he’s doing?’
“Wow. This actually works?”
“…”
Now, he was chuckling and muttering nonsensical words. To top it off, he picked up a piece of ice and shoved it into his mouth.
Ice? Why was he putting that in his mouth?
‘Is he insane?’
Even when she had first met him, she considered him just a slightly shy child.
Lucia recalled the moment she was led here by the man who claimed to be her father.
‘This child is your younger sibling.’
These words were not directed at Lucia but to the boy.
Although there were some resemblances when Lucia saw the red-haired man, she did not feel he was her father. Appearing out of nowhere and claiming to be one’s father, wasn’t that laughable?
‘There’s no evidence.’
The unfamiliar situation weighed on her heart, and she felt overwhelmed.
Lucia tried to recall her memories. The man who called himself her father had shared several shocking stories during their journey from the hut where she lived with her mother.
His name was Glen Prient.
The duty of the Prients.
The story of the Prients.
Her mother’s story.
The tale of her half-brother.
Although she, being a reincarnator, found these stories to sound like nonsense, the most unbelievable thing was that the entire Prient lineage were descendants of the hero Kyrie.
She felt a visceral rejection at the idea that this boy, in his previous life, was her descendant, the descendant of the hero Kyrie.
‘That kid as my descendant? That’s ridiculous.’
She pressed her eyelids in frustration.
‘That strange-acting kid is my descendant?’
Maybe that was why Lucia had found it hard to accept the existence of Shiron from a very visceral level. She thought everything was over, but the reality that remnants of her unresolved past persisted even after 500 years felt disgusting and heavy.
She had hoped they would at least get along, but now she felt it would be a relief if they just didn’t fight.
And then…
She took the first swing. Embarrassingly, she couldn’t control her excitement at the child’s provocation.
“Status window! Ah, it doesn’t work.”
‘Or maybe….’
Seeing Shiron shouting strange words into the void, she suddenly came to a realization.
‘Did I break him? Did he hit his head when he fell…?’
Lucia clenched her teeth.
She had just disciplined him a bit due to his cocky attitude. Even in a mock fight between siblings, if you lagged behind, it would become tedious… She intended to provide a bit of education to the 10-year-old kid who claimed to be from the line of a great warrior.
However, this was never the outcome she desired. She felt regret for not being more careful.
‘I was too sincere in a childish way. Regardless of being the descendent of a great warrior, he’s just ten years old.’
With gritted teeth, Lucia approached Shiron, who was still shouting incoherently. With each step, her fists tightened.