“Do you understand how serious it is to mention the name Zieghart?”
Glenn Zieghart employed a small amount of pressure into his gaze.
“Kuh!”
Raon bit his lip so hard that it nearly bled.
‘ It feels like my flesh is being crushed. ’
The pressure that Glenn was exerting was a small amount, a cup of water against the vast ocean. However, it felt as though his heart was being squeezed.
He could feel his clothes become sticky because of the cold sweat he broke into. If he hadn’t practiced the ‘Ring of Fire’, he might have fainted already.
‘ Is this the warrior, the Destructive King of the North…? ’
Considering his gaze alone held such pressure, his prowess surpassed Derus Robert. It was impossible to raise his head.
“Try saying it again. Can you take responsibility for what you’ve just said?”
“My… my lord! Raon is still young. He doesn’t know what he is talking about.”
“That’s true! Raon has lived in the annex building all this time, so he doesn’t know about the name of Zieghart…”
Sylvia and Helen ran next to him and knelt.
“My lord, he is just a child who doesn’t know anything. Please withdraw your pressure.”
Denier Zieghart stood up and defended them against the pressure.
“Sir Denier!”
“As expected of Sir Denier, he would even care for an insolent kid like him.”
“The broadness of his mind is even greater than his might.”
The collaterals praised Denier’s behavior.
“I am speaking right now.”
“Ugh!”
“Kuh…”
Denier and Sylvia both stepped back at once, hearing Glenn’s mighty voice. They didn’t move on their own; Glenn pushed them back with his voice alone.
“I’m s-sorry.”
Denier lowered his head, but Sylvia was different.
“F-father…”
She approached Glenn, enduring his pressure with her frail body, which didn’t even possess aura.
“Raon is not yet ready to train…”
Sylvia’s eyes reflected that she was solely worried about him.
It pulled at Raon’s heartstrings.
‘ I don’t understand. ’
He was choked up, but he couldn’t tell if that emotion meant compassion, or worry, or something else.
He just wished that she would always smile happily, instead of being in that state.
‘ I was an assassin. ’
An assassin was a being that lived in the darkness. Being closer to death than life, they would never show themselves.
‘ However, I no longer am one. ’
‘ I’m not going to live as an assassin anymore. ’
As Raon Zieghart, and not as Raon the assassin, he resolved that he would return Sylvia to her original place.
Crash!
At that moment, he could hear a sound similar to one of the chains around his neck falling.
“I do not know.”
Raon forced himself to raise his head, facing Glenn’s overbearing gaze directly. Suppressing the urge to close his eyes, he continued.
“I’ve been raised in the annex building, and not in the main building. I don’t know how high and mighty Zieghart is.”
“R-Raon!”
Sylvia desperately called for him, but he didn’t look back.
“That’s why I want to see for myself what kind of place is Zieghart, by participating in training.”
Once Raon finished talking, everyone held their breath and looked at Glenn.
“…”
One of Glenn’s eyebrows raised slightly.
“Do you mean that you will judge Zieghart from basic training?”
“That is the only way I can learn about Zieghart right now.”
“Then I will have to make sure that the instructor is fully prepared, so that you won’t be disappointed.”
The room of audience became as quiet as a mouse, as Glenn’s red eyes blazed.
“Kuh…”
Being unable to withstand it any further, Raon finally bowed his head. He was only twelve years old, a child who couldn’t endure a thousandth of Glenn’s pressure.
Yet he didn’t give in.
If he kept cultivating the ‘Ring of Fire’, and learned an efficient way of handling aura, he would be able to properly stand in front of him one day.
Deciding that he would show that with action instead of word, he clenched his teeth.
‘ One day. ’
***
Once everyone had left, only Glenn and his butler Roenn remained in the silent audience chamber.
“Did you see?”
“Yes, I saw it clearly.”
Roenn nodded his head firmly in response to Glenn’s question.
“That boy sure is something.”
The corners of Glenn’s mouth lifted.
“A twelve-year-old child that confidently talks back while withstanding my pressure. I have never seen something like that.”
“It's my first time seeing it, as well.”
Roenn smiled, tidying his hair.
“Not only his appearance, but his spirit is also just like my lord’s in his childhood.”
“Don’t say strange things.”
Glenn snorted, as if telling him to stop spouting nonsense, but the corners of his mouth lifted even more—like a leaf blowing in the wind.
“Are you going to increase the difficulty of basic training?”
“I shall, because many people have heard.”
“Can young master Raon really pass?”
“Participating would already be difficult.”
Glenn shook his head without hesitation.
“His condition is better thanks to the elixir, but neither his constitution nor his health is good enough. Maybe he can once he recovers a bit more, but it’s impossible for now.”
“Then why…?”
“I’ve already mentioned it. There are no exceptions for those inheriting the name of Zieghart.”
“Hm.”
Roen licked his lips.
‘ He is still not honest. ’
He could tell, as he had been with him for several dozen years. The reason Glenn called for Raon wasn’t to pressure him, but to protect him by showing others that he didn’t discriminate against him.
Once Raon failed the training, he would probably give him an elixir and pretend to spare the rod and spoil the child.
Although even Glenn shouldn’t have expected Raon to come forth.
“I like young master Raon’s personality, but one thing worries me.”
“It must be about the collateral and direct line’s children.”
“Yes. They won’t have a considerable reaction, but he will be noticed in a way he hasn’t been before. He withstood my lord’s pressure, albeit a small amount. Measures should be…”
“There is no need to provoke them. Just watch over him.”
“Understood.”
Roenn nodded immediately, despite his opinion being different, because Glenn was like a god to him.
“My lord, may I ask a question?”
“Hm?”
“If, by some chance, Raon manages to pass the basic training… What are you going to do?”
“Pass?”
Resting his chin on his hand, Glenn recalled the Judgment Ceremony from seven years ago.
‘ Golden flame. ’
He wasn’t sure if it was a coincidence or an accident, but Raon set ablaze the golden flame that only the first head of Zieghart could use.
“That’s impossible. However, if there is a one in ten thousandth chance that it could happen…”
He smirked and stood from the throne.
“I will have to reward him accordingly.”
* * *
* * *
Upon entering the annex building, Raon was immediately dragged into Sylvia’s room.
“Raon.”
Sylvia firmly grasped Raon’s shoulders.
“Why did you do that?”
“Hm…”
“Zieghart’s training doesn’t go easy on children. Your current health won’t be able to handle it. You will just get hurt.”
Sylvia’s voice was faint. Her worries for him made her hands tremble.
“I couldn’t bear it.”
“What?”
“I’m not sure what emotion made me act like that.”
Raon closed his eyes. It was true. Despite living with Sylvia and Helen for twelve years, his emotions were still light, like a pastel blue color.
“But my chest tightens whenever Mom gets scorned in the main building. That’s why I wanted to say something.”
Because he didn’t want to lie to Sylvia and Helen, Raon replied honestly.
“Ah…”
“Young master Raon.”
Sylvia’s lips parted, and Helen’s lips trembled.
“Sigh.”
Sylvia released his shoulders and slowly closed, then opened, her eyes.
“Raon, thank you for your consideration. However, you are still young. You don’t need to be so thoughtful, not when you are at an age where you should be pampered.”
“But—”
“You might not know, but Mommy is pretty strong. I can endure a lot more.”
Sylvia bit her tongue to stop her tears from spilling over.
‘ To such a child… ’
Raon was too kind to her. As if he noticed the atmosphere in the household, he didn’t act like a spoiled child. He endured by himself, even while sick.
Because he was such a kind and considerate child, she couldn’t let him bring hardship upon himself.
“Mommy will talk to Grandfather. If I ask him to postpone the training for just a single year, even he would…”
“I will try… No, I can do it.”
Raon shook his head. He did stand up for Sylvia, but there was also another reason.
Basic training was an opportunity for him to train without being considerate to Sylvia and Helen. It would’ve been absurd to throw away this chance.
“It’s true. I can do it, so trust me.”
“Whether you can do it or not isn’t important! The problem is that your health can get worse.”
“Hm…”
Raon narrowed his eyes, seeing Sylvia’s worried gaze.
‘ That’s what she meant. ’
Their point of view was different.
He was talking about being able to handle the training, and Sylvia was worrying about his health.
Because only the results were important when he was an assassin, he didn’t understand Sylvia’s heart.
“Then I will give up as soon as my health becomes worse.”
In order to lessen Sylvia’s worries, he gave her a new answer.
“You don’t even say anything when you are sick. How am I supposed to trust you?”
“I promise.”
“Haah…”
Sylvia grabbed her head and sighed.
“Lady Sylvia, how about trying to believe in young master Raon for once?”
“Helen, you should also know what kind of child Raon is…”
“It’s true that the training is harsh, but the current head instructor has the best insight in Zieghart. He should be aware of the young master’s condition, so he will stop him before it gets any worse.”
“Haah…”
Sylvia sighed at Helen’s words, and gently looked down at him.
“Raon, can you really promise? You must tell me as soon as anything feels weird in your body, okay?”
“Okay.”
Raon nodded firmly.
“I will believe you this once.”
“Thank you.”
“However, I can’t sit here doing nothing.”
“What?”
“I’ll visit the fifth training ground. I need to give them a warning, at least.”
After saying that, she ran from the room.
“Young master Raon.”
Once Sylvia left, Helen knelt and met his eyes.
“Never, never push yourself! If it becomes difficult, you must give up immediately. Do you understand me?”
“I understand. You’ve already said it multiple times.”
“It isn’t enough, even if I say several thousands of times, let alone multiple times. Young master must remember that you are weaker than other children and abandon your overconfidence.”
“I understand.”
Because Helen was just as worried as Sylvia, he simply nodded.
‘ I’m sorry, but I’m never going to be the one to give up first. ’
Even if he died from his lungs exploding, he wasn’t going to stop. The higher the difficulty, the higher the level the ‘Ring of Fire’ would grow. It would make both his mind and body stronger.
***
Raon headed to the small garden behind the annex building.
“It feels so empty after visiting the main building.”
Unlike the main building, which had multiple facilities—including an expansive training ground and a fashionable garden—the annex building only had a small garden and a lake.
It was so small that it was impossible to train without being noticed by Sylvia, but it was still an elegant place.
Raon sat down on the chair in the garden.
‘ The training should be quite difficult. ’
Just as Sylvia and Helen worried, his body was still not perfect. Coldness remained in his mana circuit, his development was slow, and his stamina was lacking.
Considering how widespread the notorious Zieghart training was, it was safe to assume that even a child’s basic training was going to be difficult.
However, he had the memories from his past life, where he went through a hell worse than that. With that memory, he was never going to crumble.
‘ This is the real beginning. ’
If learning the ‘Ring of Fire’ was the preparation of the land, then the training he’d begin next month was the foundation work to build a house.
In order to construct a tall building later, the foundation needed to be solid.
“I will show them.”
‘ I will accomplish a greater achievement than anyone else from the direct line, so that everyone who laughed at us will shut their mouth. ’
‘ And that bastard, Derus Robert. ’
His revenge would be delayed a little, but his real objective was Derus Robert, the Sky Sword Saint.
Until the day he unmasked him and cut his throat, he would never stop.
“Haaaah…”
After looking at the golden sun setting down to the western mountain, he closed his eyes and took the mana into his body.
The ‘Ring of Fire’ surrounding his heart started spinning violently.