The Spirit King's Revelation
The great Soul Spring of Valenos glowed on its own. The frost mana flowing from Rowen, who served as a stepping stone connecting to the spirit realm, proved his Valenos bloodline. Thanks to that, even the noisy spirits fell silent. The spring water swirled, and something rose from its depths. It had to be the family founder. But his form was not human. A spirit. Having once reached the realm of transcendence, he had contracted with mana in his final moments to become a spirit. In that form, he had guarded the North for hundreds, thousands of years. In life, he had roamed the North with his soul companion, the ice dragon. Now, he passed on his power to his descendants. And now, that being had awakened from a long slumber, opening his eyes to the present world for the first time in thirty years. A form shrouded in blue light. His outward appearance was merely that of a tall, elderly man, but his body was an ethereal spirit without physical substance. Identical to the form Rowen had seen a thousand years ago. Rowen smiled at the complex yet welcoming sight.
Will he recognize me?
That thought was fleeting.
Hey, kid. You're mixed.
...Again. He wanted to punch this guy in the face for spouting the same "mixed" bullshit. But before the overwhelming energy emanating from him, Rowen was powerless. The bastard's illegitimate son talk. The bastard child nonsense. The lone wolf crap. He was sick of it. Hadn't he heard it long enough? Rowen forcibly suppressed the twitch in his brow. It was infuriating that this guy didn't recognize him. He wanted to shout, I'm Rian Rose from a thousand years ago! But the words from the Spirit King Valenos stopped him cold.
The mix is Dragnik blood.
"...What the hell is that bullshit?"
Why the fuck was Dragnik coming up here?
Excuse me for a moment.
Stab...!
"...Guh."
Sorry. Can you bear with it just a bit?
Valenos's blue finger pierced Rowen's shoulder. It tore through muscle and flesh, ripping blood vessels. Fresh blood flowed profusely onto Valenos's finger. As the finger withdrew, Rowen scooped water from the Soul Spring and poured it over his left shoulder. The life-filled holy water healed the wound. Valenos analyzed the blood. The blood naturally seeped in and broke down within him. All Valenos children had received his blessing before him. Thus, their essences were etched into his memory. At this time, it should have been Kadan's child. But what he sensed from this one was not Kadan. So he had pressed for blood.
...I see.
"What is it? Spit it out."
You've got your mother's cheeky attitude too. That's why I hate Dragnik. Every kid from that worthless woman is missing a few screws without fail.
"I'm Valenos. Your descendant. If you're talking about Lucius, you might have the wrong guy?"
...No. You are Dragnik. Precisely, a collaboration between Valenos and Dragnik. In short, a half-blood between the Spirit King's lineage and the dragon clan's heir.
Rowen stared at Valenos in stunned silence for a moment. In other words, his mother was from the imperial family? ...For real? Valenos asked Rowen.
Kid. When you were born, didn't the heavens open?
"...Oh. Come to think of it."
They had. Many people had said so. For an illegitimate son to be born under an open heaven was shocking even within the family. It was surprising enough, but it hadn't hit Rowen that hard. It didn't matter who his biological mother was. He had been shocked, sure, but so what? There was no doubt he was Kadan's son and the inheritor of this power.
No. You're wrong.
"What?"
You're not Kadan's son.
What the hell. At this point, nothing coming out of this guy's mouth would surprise him. His mother from the imperial family, and now Kadan wasn't his father?
Your father is Cassian. The Cassian who died on the northern expedition. Kid, why do you think you're Kadan's son?
Cassian Valenos. Rowen had heard the name from Kadan once. If his brother hadn't died, the North's governance would have gone to him. The head of Valenos would have been Cassian, not him. His uncle, known only in stories, was his real father? He regretted saying he wouldn't be surprised. He was genuinely shocked. That meant Kadan was his uncle, not his real father. ...He had lived his whole life believing Kadan was his father. From infancy. From when his eyes couldn't see. From when his ears weren't fully open. He had believed it was his father. A faint ache stirred deep in his heart. Not betrayal. Just... the sudden collapse of what he'd always believed left him a bit complicated. Even so, Rowen steadied his mind. Regardless, Kadan had raised him. Could he call a father whose face he didn't even know "father"?
Valenos children receive blessings. Normally, they hold a coming-of-age rite. The family children compete, inheriting power accordingly. But Rowen was different. Cain, who should have done it with him, was in Kalia Rune. Only Rowen remained in Snowfall. Inheriting power basically required over a week in the cave. The family head had to watch over them for that week, but Rowen had no father to guard him now. So Mio and Arahan were with him.
"...So in other words."
"Young master, you're saying he's not the family head's son?"
Yes.
Even if Kadan was his uncle, family didn't change. He would call the man who had embraced him with love from the depths of his heart "father" until the end. That's what humans are. Does straight blood make a father? The one who raises you with love becomes the parent. That's the human heart.
"Kadan raised me. So I can't call some father I don't even know 'father.'"
Valenos gazed into Rowen's eyes, firm with resolve. Chills ran down his spine. Such steadfast spirit was rare once in a thousand years. Didn't it resemble Rian Rose, who had come to him in the past? Not just the eyes? The pressure, aura, and dignity he felt were identical. In this moment, Valenos sensed the return of the hero after a millennium!
...Impressive. Such dignity at your young age. What kind of life have you lived!
"What's impressive? I've just seen a lot. You're seeing me for the first time too, right? I'm the same as a thousand years ago—my will hasn't changed."
...What are you talking about?
Rowen chuckled softly. He was looking right at the guy with his own eyes.
"...Do you still remember the name Rian Rose?"
The moment the great knight and the great Valenos faced each other. Two heroes meeting.
*
Rian Rose. Who was he? The man called the strongest of the five heroes, right? A genius of sword and magic who fought by imbuing the holy sword, which surged with light, with all sorts of magical attributes. His pitiful figure, forcing mana he wasn't good at using, moved people to sympathy and frenzy. They didn't know how dark his past was or how he burned with vengeance. To them, his history didn't matter. To the people, heroes were just tools who killed demons and protected them, sacrificing their lives. They only welcomed them after the war ended; before that, no one cared how hard they fought. Arkanthia, blinded by technology, allied with demons. That's how magitech was born from demon tech. People cheered, calling him the demon slayer for simply executing demons. And now, that man stood before Valenos in the form of a boy. As a descendant and kin of Valenos. To fulfill the unachieved vow of his past life? That's what Spirit King Valenos thought.
...For real?
"For real."
Does this make any sense? Kid, if you're trying to mess with me, you'd better prepare yourself. I don't like jokes that aren't funny—
"Right? It doesn't make sense. But who cares. I'm not curious who reincarnated me, and I don't want to know. I'm just glad I can kill demons with these hands again."
Wait, hold on. Son of Cassian. Are you truly that 'Rian Rose'?
"Yeah. Can't you tell from the one next to me? It's Mio."
...That little one is Mio Lizfeldt, huh.
"Little one? Rude! Where on my body do I look like a kid?!"
I'm not talking about physical age. I've lived more than three times your life, kiddo.
Valenos laughed at Mio's outburst. Now that he thought about it, there was no way he would have recognized Mio. Mio had told him about the Soul Spring's existence, but only Uba knew the exact location. In short, Valenos and Mio had never met.
Hmm... The aura from the soul does match exactly, though.
"Jeez, so chatty. Whoever I was in my past life doesn't matter now anyway."
Ho ho?
"I'm your descendant now. I came to you as the king of the North."
In short.
You're all grown up, so hand over the power, huh.
"You get it."
Hahaha! Brazen as ever, a thousand years ago or now.
"People don't change easily."
That's right. People don't change easily. Just like Rian was Rowen then and now, and Rowen is Rian. Changing bodies doesn't alter a person's essence. A villain remains a villain to the end. Even if they repent midway, past sins don't vanish. That's why Rowen sought to eradicate evil and take revenge on the demon kings at its root. And now, he stood before the bonds of his past life. The Soul Spring, where Rowen's body was immersed, reacted. Beautiful frost flower vines from its depths wrapped around his body.
...Shall we begin?
"Yeah. Though a thousand years ago, you pushed me to my limit and threw me out."
You were an outsider then! You're still just a snot-nosed kid to me now, too.
"Fine. I did show up out of nowhere back then."
Good you know. Rowen. More importantly, why did you bring those two? If not Cassian, shouldn't Kadan be here?
Ah. Having stayed only in the spirit realm, he must not have heard of Kadan and Cassian's deaths. No, he probably knew. He was just confirming. Perhaps because blood connected them to the Spirit King before him. His wavering heart was clear as day.
"You know."
...I have to confirm. Why the link with me broke.
Those killed by demons can't go to heaven. Valenos children flow into the Soul Spring. Saints exist to guide their souls to heaven. Indeed, a thousand years ago, the great saintess Lea had clasped her hands and prayed before the dead. Their souls weren't in the spring. The Spirit King's form trembled. He knew, but demanded confirmation from Rowen to face the truth.
"Magitech."
...!
"The things we destroyed a thousand years ago are coming back. You get the gist, right?"
...Pandemonium is moving!
"Yeah. Seems like all the demon king souls are stirring too. The demon cult is moving to resurrect them, and demonkin numbers are growing."
At those words, the great Valenos—the ancestral spirit—was enraged. At the same time, he demanded something other than power inheritance. It was necessary. No Valenos child had ever died to demons. The system was made to kill demons from the start, Valenos's plan to create superhumans through inheritance. So he extended his hand to Rowen, bound by mana flower vines. ...His past life nagged at him, but it couldn't be helped. Since he had reincarnated as his descendant anyway, Valenos decided to support him this time. Of course, there were various other reasons too. Above all, with demons trying to emerge into the world again, a peaceful world needed a hero soon.
A contract.
"What?"
Rowen. Make a contract with me.