Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The Special Boy
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The Valenhardt Family was a name that stood out even among those within the Empire.
A lineage that had received the title of duchy directly from the Emperor, erecting walls on the front lines to fend off monstrous invasions and proving their existence as a shield in and of itself.
A name known across the continent, beyond even the Empire.
The legend of the holy sword.
And the descendants of the founding hero who had left that legend behind.
That was why the Valenhardt Family was no ordinary noble house.
A knightly family, a bloodline destined to bear the sword.
Regardless of gender, age, or status, every descendant had to wield a sword and forge "their own blade" in their own way.
That was the Valenhardt way, the reason the family had endured.
Of course, thousands of years had passed since the founding hero's death, diluting the bloodline and weakening the holy sword's power.
Even so, they had managed to pass it down, albeit unstably.
At the very least, they had never failed to produce one.
But then.
From some point on, there was one descendant.
Just one who could not forge a holy sword at all.
Elysia.
She was thus the first child in Valenhardt history to be called a "failure."
In a noble society where bloodlines held special powers, the meaning of such an existence was clear.
A fate that would normally have led to being discarded without a second thought.
Yes.
If it had been an ordinary noble house, that is.
"Elysia. The important thing isn't power."
A gentle voice settled over her young head.
"A sword may break someday, but the heart does not."
"What's truly important is a strong spirit within."
Were those words mere comfort?
Or were they another form of resolve chosen by the Valenhardts?
But one thing was certain.
Though it might have seemed lax for nobles, she grew up in a family embrace that was endlessly warm.
And because of that, Elysia—despite being a Valenhardt who could not forge a holy sword—never went astray.
A proper lady who excelled in socializing, academics, etiquette, refinement, speech, and judgment, lacking in nothing.
As a result, no one in noble society dared to look down on her.
But.
The heart nurtured in love and proper values was, in a way, a double-edged sword for Elysia.
Her drew many supporters, but it also left room for anyone to reach out to her.
After losing his terminally ill wife, Duke Joseph and the duchy's key retainers worried most about that very point.
Yet that worry ultimately led to another fateful encounter.
"Hey, want to come with me?"
It started as nothing more than pure curiosity and a touch of sympathy.
A boy around her own age.
Locked in an iron cage, waiting only to be sold.
To Elysia's eyes, he seemed strangely unfamiliar in many ways.
His Eastern features that didn't fit the Empire, yet his oddly clear gaze.
Above all, he seemed so pitiful.
So she bought him.
It was just a good deed from a good girl doing another good thing today.
At least, that's all it was to Elysia that day.
But from that day forward, the boy began to slowly melt into her daily life.
In a way no one noticed, in a manner unknown to all.
Kim Jinwoo.
First off, the boy was exceptionally bright.
Calling him clever wasn't enough; even "shrewd" didn't quite fit.
He was more like an adult wearing a child's skin.
At first, she hadn't expected much.
He couldn't even read properly, and he just seemed curious about everything.
So she casually handed him a few books she'd left half-read.
Books on letters and arithmetic that noble children studied, basics of math and record-keeping—things a slave would never normally encounter.
Yet.
Before even a few months had passed, he had mastered them all on his own.
No, it was as if he had known them from the start.
What was even stranger came next.
At some point, Jinwoo began solving problems in his own way, bypassing the formulas in the books.
"You don't have to memorize this. Once you see the structure, the rest follows naturally."
What he scribbled on the paper was a slightly different calculation from the standard ones—but strangely, it was far quicker and clearer.
Before she knew it, she was the one being taught, not the other way around.
The tutors who usually taught young ladies were typically stern women from other noble houses.
Their speech was strict, and they always carried switches.
They'd harden their expressions at the slightest mistake.
Even if it hurt, her father could hardly intervene.
That was just how educating young noble ladies worked.
But Jinwoo was different.
No switch, no scolding.
Instead, he always explained the reasons first.
"Why this is wrong."
"Where you got confused."
"What to look for next time."
Each time he pointed them out, it sank into her mind perfectly, like magic.
Above all, his demeanor was kind.
Not teaching, but thinking alongside her.
As if... this was what having an older brother might feel like.
Maybe that's why.
At some point, she began looking forward to study time.
And then.
Having him by her side became so natural.
Their bond started taking on a shade that simple friendship couldn't capture, around the time she entered the academy.
The Imperial Academy.
True to its name, it was where all nobles gathered before adulthood.
A place where status, bloodlines, families, and fame mingled to form connections, rivalries, and social ties—the Empire's premier stage.
There was one rule there.
Enrolling ladies and young lords could each bring one butler and one maid.
So she began academy life with Jinwoo and Miya.
And the people she met there.
Men so dazzling the word fit perfectly—handsome, silver-tongued.
Noble heirs renowned across the continent, successors from promising families, even the Imperial Crown Prince.
She was at the age when her eyes were just opening to love, and though she couldn't forge a holy sword, the Valenhardts were still one of the Empire's premier ducal houses.
So that must have been why.
"Milady, you're radiant as ever today."
"Would you care for a cup of tea?"
"After the ball, perhaps—"
"Milady, just hear my story a little..."
Countless voices poured toward her.
Each time, she felt a bit giddy, like a princess in a fairy tale, and would cautiously nod.
But every time, one person always appeared.
"No."
It was Jinwoo.
He stepped forward with a perfectly composed face.
"Milady has the next class to prepare for. Please leave."
"W-what?! I'm a prince of a sovereign duchy—"
"Yes, yes, I know."
Jinwoo even smiled.
"That's all the more reason to make the most of your time. Safe travels."
"I am of the Imperial—!"
"Ah, yes. The line's long."
Just like that, he effortlessly severed those glamorous moments.
"You're too much! They gave me flowers and gifts, all for me!"
Back then, she was honestly a little upset.
A woman's romantic dreams.
Not that she was swept away by the thrill of being surrounded and adored by brilliant noble heirs, but she was of marriageable age, after all.
The Imperial Academy was practically where engagements were decided, and every noble was expected to experience love at least once.
Maybe that's why.
For the first time, she started resenting Jinwoo's constant interference.
She deliberately stuck Miya by her side and avoided him.
There were times she didn't even see his face for over a week, spending her days laughing with the young lords who offered their company.
...But.
She was a fool.
The reason Jinwoo kept pulling those flashy, brilliant men away was that they were all show—hollow inside.
The academy's practical classes included magic and swordsmanship.
Called basic noble education, but the format was quite combat-oriented.
A forest enclosed by barriers.
A survival drill stocked only with low-threat monsters.
Of course, with only key noble heirs from across the Empire, real danger was unlikely.
...Until that day.
Due to an anti-imperial group rebelling against the noble system, a beast that should have been sealed broke free.
An orc lord of overwhelming presence.
The training ground turned to chaos in an instant, students scattering in panic.
She tripped while trying to help someone, and when she came to, the monster's roar was right in her face.
In that moment, she looked around.
The crown prince who always smiled at her, the young lord who offered flowers and chatted her up, those who promised "I'll protect you if danger comes"—
Not a single one remained.
Their vows to "fight by your side in danger."
In the end, it was all just self-preservation first.
Only then did she realize.
What illusion had she been seeing?
And it was in that instant.
"Uwooooooh!"
Someone charged forward, cutting through the monster's roar.
"Miss Elysia!"
A face covered in blood.
Disheveled hair.
"Jinwoo...!"
"Run! Hurry!!"
She shoved him desperately.
Please, just go.
But he didn't back down.
Jinwoo climbed atop the massive orc, gripped a rock, and smashed down like a madman.
With nothing but human strength—no sword, no magic.
By the time the instructors arrived, he was half-dead.
He had protected her to that extent.
...She couldn't look at him.
Tears welled up.
Her heart pounded too fiercely.
And from that day on.
Whenever she saw Jinwoo, her heart began to race strangely.
Not for flowery words or handsome smiles, but for the boy who had always stayed by her side.
Only then did she truly see him.
"Milady, you can't do this. I...!"
"Jinwoo, you said it before. The closer we get, the stronger the weapons you make become. So... let's just sleep together like this."