Chapter 29: Successor Trial [1]
Indeed, the Successor Trial in the North was nothing like what we had in the West.
Back home, inheritance was simple—boring, even. The firstborn gets everything. The land, the title, the headaches. If the firstborn dies unexpectedly, then sure, the second takes over. But that’s about as dramatic as it gets.
Take my own family, for instance—the Evans family. Barons of the western countryside.
I’m the third child. A noble, yes, but not the heir. Not even considered.
No trials. No fights to prove I was worthy. It wasn’t about merit. It was about birth order.
I was the third son, which meant I had no claim. No expectations.
And honestly, I was fine with that.
Being the heir meant responsibility. Politics. Managing land disputes and crop reports and trade agreements. I wasn’t cut out for any of that.
No trials.
No monster hunts.
No blood spilled to prove you’re worthy of your own name.
Just books, etiquette, and the occasional family dinner where no one asks what you’ve been up to because no one really cares.
But here?
Here in the North, your bloodline isn’t enough. Your birth order doesn’t guarantee anything.
You fight for the right to inherit.
Literally.
You go out there and slay something that could kill you twice before breakfast—and if you survive, congrats, you’re one step closer to being called "lord" or "lady."
And Alice—Lady Alice—was about to do just that.
And I was going with her.
Still not sure if that made me brave, stupid, or just cursed.
Probably all three.
Anyway, the reason I was surprised by this so called ’Successor Trial’ because there wasn’t any history of this mentioned in the game when I was playing.
That’s why it took me by surprise.
Normally, In Successor Trial, you hunt monster or beast alone.
And even Alice Draken knows that much and that’s why she’s complaining at the moment.
"This is not the Successor Trial."
She muttered beside me, her voice low but sharp—like she was trying not to draw attention, but couldn’t help the frustration leaking out.
I glanced at her, unsure if she was actually talking to me or just venting to the wind. Her eyes were fixed ahead, jaw clenched, fingers twitching at her side like they wanted to grab something—her sword, maybe. Or the neck of whoever was behind this mess.
"You’re talking to me My Lady, or...?" I asked, cautiously.
She finally turned to look at me. "Who else would I be talking to, idiot?"
Right. That answered that.
"This isn’t how the Trial works," she said, voice dropping to a hiss. "The heir is supposed to go in alone. No support. No teams. No... audience."
I nodded slowly, even though none of this was in the game. "So this isn’t normal, then?"
"Not even close."
She looked ahead again. A cold wind whipped through the trees, rustling the thick furs draped over our shoulders. The sky was gray, the kind of gray that promised snow or worse. And the group of heavily armed knights standing a few paces ahead of us didn’t help the mood.
They weren’t supposed to be here either, apparently.
"Hans, call off all the knights. Right now."
Alice’s voice was cold, sharp as steel. She turned to the head butler with an expression that could freeze fire.
"That’s not possible, My Lady," Hans replied calmly.
"What?" Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Did you just disobey my order?"
"I did, My Lady."
Wow. I had to admit—Hans was one hell of a head butler.
Disobeying a direct order from your master and responding with such composure? That wasn’t something just anyone could do.
Alice Draken’s gaze sharpened. "As you already know, the northern Successor Trial has always been faced alone. Besides, these knights are valuable assets. They need to remain vigilant for demon activity. I won’t have them wasting time here."
She had a point—both from a historical standpoint and a practical one.
Still, Hans didn’t budge. "Even so, I can’t let you go alone."
Of course.
As expected, my superior firmly rejected her demand.
"Monsters don’t care about the color of your blood, My Lady. We can’t afford to let our guard down."
I silently nodded in agreement. I still remembered that damn Snow Lion—the beast that tore apart one of my knights and nearly killed me during our retreat from the north.
If Alice fell out there, if even a scratch came to her... the Duke’s fury would shake the very foundations of the region.
But despite Hans’s firm reasoning, Alice didn’t waver.
"I said, I will go alone."
Her voice dropped another octave, and her sword trembled ever so slightly, a faint shimmer of mana dancing along its edge.
"Don’t make me repeat myself. Your duty, as Head Butler, is to follow your master’s will. Not to question it."
She wasn’t just pushing her authority—she was commanding it. And for a moment, even the Duke’s most trusted man hesitated.
But Hans held his ground, his expression pained yet resolute.
"I’m sorry, My Lady."
"You dare disobey me again?"
"Your life doesn’t belong to you alone," he said quietly. "Don’t forget your engagement to the Crown Prince. The future of House Draken rests on your shoulders."
I watched silently, almost in awe.
The way Hans spoke—with such conviction, without raising his voice—he didn’t need force to stand his ground. Just words. And the weight behind them.
Alice flinched—just barely—but it was there. At the mention of her family, her defiance faltered.
She didn’t say another word.
And in that silence, her loyalty to her house burned brighter than any display of power ever could.
The tension in the air didn’t vanish. It just... changed.
Alice stood perfectly still, staring at Hans with unreadable eyes. The wind brushed against us again, colder this time, like the land itself was holding its breath. I didn’t know whether to step in or stay silent.
So I chose the third option: I stayed still and hoped I’d become invisible.
After a long moment, Alice exhaled slowly—controlled, sharp, like a blade sliding back into its sheath.
"...Fine," she said at last, the word bitter on her tongue. "They can come but they will not interfere."
Hans bowed slightly, clearly relieved. "Understood, My Lady."
With the decision made, the surrounding knights subtly adjusted their stances. A few unclenched their grips on weapons, others exchanged quick glances. No one said a word, but the collective sigh of tension was almost audible.
I, on the other hand, didn’t hide mine. "Well, that went better than expected."
Alice shot me a look.
I raised my hands in mock surrender. "What? I thought he was about to get sliced in half."
"If I wanted him dead, he’d be dead," she muttered, and started walking again.
Was that... a joke?
I wasn’t sure. And I wasn’t brave enough to ask.
We moved forward along the snowy path, just the two of us now, with the knights remaining behind as ordered. The landscape changed subtly with every step—less patrol-worn, more wild. The trees grew taller, the silence heavier.
"You really don’t like being followed, huh?" I asked after a while, just to break the quiet.
Alice didn’t respond immediately. Her eyes scanned the woods as we walked, her hand occasionally brushing against the hilt of her sword.
"In the North, if you can’t do it alone, you don’t deserve to do it at all," she finally said. "That’s what my father taught me."
"...He sounds fun."
She smiled faintly—just barely. "You’d get along. He has that same annoying habit of speaking when silence would do just fine."
I gave a low chuckle. "I’ll take that as a compliment."
At the same time I thought about Snow Lion and couldn’t help but chinch my fist in anger.
...And glanced at Alice.
’Look’s like it’s payback time you damn snow lion.’
A crazy plan began to stir in my head and with that plan i turned towards Alice with an innocent smile like an angel.
"Lady Alice, since I’m new here and don’t know much, is the Successor Trial better when you hunt bigger and stronger monsters?"
Let’s give Alice an unforgettable coming-of-age ceremony.
And at the same time I will get my revenge.
I may not looks like it but I’m petty and very big one at that.
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Author Note:- Sorry, only one Chapter today. I’m very busy right now.