Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Moon White Sword (4)
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The entrance to the Central Bureau's main office was bustling with crowds of people.
“This isn't something you see every day. When it comes to this item...!”
“Amulets for passing the exam, only 10 gold each...!”
“Our son, fighting! Just do it like always, got it?”
“Just like you were taught. Stick to what you learned! You can do it!”
Merchants who had set up stalls at the crack of dawn,
Parents praying for their children's success,
Fifteen-year-old boys and girls clutching their swords as they entered,
Pickpockets mingling in the crowds trying to steal,
And Law Swordsmen deployed to maintain order.
Though each had different purposes and appearances,
There was one single reason they had all gathered.
The Awakening Ceremony.
A grand ritual where the fifteen heirs of prestigious northern families, including the Ragnars, gathered to take the exam.
Naturally, it drew the attention of countless people.
Especially since.
This Awakening Ceremony was known to feature an unprecedented number of exceptional geniuses.
People were busy scrutinizing the examinees passing through the gates.
Discussions about who would claim the top spot were lively.
-Who will take the top spot in this Awakening Ceremony?
-Exactly. There are too many candidates.
-Since none of them have awakened their mana yet, wouldn't the bigger, stronger ones have the advantage?
-Then Holkus of the Ranke family?
-Don't talk nonsense! Have you forgotten how Holkus lost to Ray two or three years ago? Obviously, our Ray will take top spot!
-But what about Holkus's twin sister, Erika?
-She's all rumors, though. Not much is known about her yet...
-You can't leave out Wellington of the Narsio family either. He's already being called the Lion.
-Ugh, you idiots. Has Ragnar ever lost the top spot at an Awakening Ceremony? It has to be from Ragnar, of course. Our Axion...
The names mentioned in the discussions were mostly the Northern Four Prodigies or those of similar renown.
That was when it happened.
“Holkus! It's Holkus Ranke!”
At someone's shout, the crowd stopped chatting and turned their gazes in unison to one side.
Thud, thud...!
Holkus Ranke was approaching, parting the crowd.
Towering a full head or two above ordinary people, he was clearly visible even from afar as he moved.
-Oooo!
-Look at those forearms. Thicker than my calves.
-Wow... I'd heard rumors he was big, but not this big.
-Is he really fifteen? How much taller will he get when he's an adult?
-The nickname 'Bear' suits him perfectly.
‘Heh heh heh...! Yeah, this is it. This is why I train in swordsmanship.’
Holkus Ranke smirked inwardly as he felt the barrage of gazes upon him.
He absolutely loved drawing eyes and attention from others.
That was the very reason he'd grown passionate about sword training from a young age.
The better he performed, the more applause he received from those around him.
So this time, too, he planned to monopolize the cheers.
He strode confidently toward the gates.
-But when it comes to top candidates, you can't leave out 'Islet Tiger,' right?
His steps halted abruptly at a voice from somewhere.
-Oh yeah, a few days ago, Islet Tiger beat Black Bear...!
-Hey, hey! Watch your mouth!
The two men talking about Islet Tiger hurriedly shut up.
Holkus's terrifying glare was fixed on them.
But his gaze didn't waver.
Hic!
The men, pale with fright, even started hiccuping in shock.
-It's the Clearfrost Palace carriage!
-Frost Ice Sword! Ray Ragnar has arrived!
-As expected, she's as beautiful as the rumors.
The carriage door, adorned with patterns like clear frost flowers, opened, and Ray slowly stepped down.
As the aloof, icy beauty who seemed sculpted from ice moved, the crowd's gazes followed her every step.
Holkus's face twisted in frustration as all attention was stolen from him in an instant.
But the procession of carriages didn't end there.
Creak—
-Axion!
-I heard he moved to the Rose Palace, but he's still using the Camellia Palace carriage.
-He looks so valiant. His eyes are like a beast's.
Axion, halfway out of his carriage, met Ray's eyes and flashed a light smile.
“......”
“What is it? Something you want to say to me?”
Ray glared silently at Axion before abruptly turning and heading for the gates.
Axion shrugged slightly and followed behind.
-Already a battle of nerves between them.
The crowd buzzed excitedly at the clash between the Northern Four Prodigies.
Holkus was annoyed.
Those two had stolen everyone's focus, leaving him irritated for no reason.
He resented Ray, too.
If she was going to engage in mind games, show it to her rival—him—not Axion of all people.
How could he regain the spotlight?
As he pondered briefly, another carriage arrived.
-Is there a carriage like that in Winterer? It's so pretty.
Two pure white horses, evoking the northern winter, pulled the carriage.
The intricate patterns and decorations were flashy yet understated, naturally drawing the eye.
Even nobles with refined tastes were impressed.
But.
The figure who stepped out from the wide-open carriage door drew even greater attention.
-Wow...!
His appearance elicited gasps of admiration from all around.
A slender yet solidly built frame that didn't look weak at all,
A white uniform that accentuated his physique,
Ruby-like crimson eyes that gleamed brilliantly,
Long black hair reminiscent of the night sky,
And a poised gait.
He evoked the image of a fairy-tale prince or a legendary statue so lifelike it seemed alive.
Among all the examinees who had appeared so far, he stood out the most.
Holkus, Ray, Axion, and the other examinees all stopped in their tracks to stare.
-Islet Tiger! It's Islet Tiger!
-That's the one who beat the Northern Four Prodigies...?
-No way! He's that handsome?
-He looks taller, and his features are sharper.
-His mother was once counted among the north's top beauties, and the son takes after her.
-When he grows up, he'll have plenty of women crying over him.
It was Theo.
* * *
‘Has Well not arrived yet?’
Theo scanned the surroundings and tilted his head.
Lately, he'd felt like Wellington was avoiding him.
He hadn't seen his face in the past five days, and he'd even refused the offer to come to the Central Bureau together.
Maybe he was sorting out his troubled mind with the ceremony approaching.
Still, it was a bit surprising that he hadn't shown up yet.
As far as Theo knew, Wellington always arrived earlier than anyone else when there was an appointment.
He could just greet him after the ceremony started.
With that thought, he started to move—
‘...There are way too many people.’
Theo belatedly realized that the entire crowd and all the examinees were staring at him.
It was obvious this was all because of his appearance.
He'd wondered if he should dress up this much himself.
But what could he do?
It was hard to resist Cecilia's insistence that her son had to shine the brightest.
This would probably happen often at big events from now on.
Deciding he needed to get used to it, he accepted it calmly.
His mind felt much more at ease.
He could feel the sharp gazes directed his way.
Ray, who had been watching him from afar for the past few days.
Holkus, looking sullenly at him for some reason.
And
‘Axion.’
Axion, still wearing the mischievous grin of a playful rascal.
But murder lurked in the curve of his eyes.
‘Same as ever.’
Strangely, Theo didn't find the sight very threatening.
Perhaps because he'd already crossed swords with the Anti-Dragon, or faced his father in a duel.
Axion, who had once felt like an insurmountable wall in his previous life, now seemed manageable.
It even sparked his competitive spirit.
-Between him and Axion, who was stronger now?
Even in his previous life, Axion had boasted the highest skill among the Northern Four Prodigies.
Theo suddenly wondered how much he'd closed the gap with the rapid growth he'd achieved in recent months.
So, he smiled lightly at Axion as he passed through the gates.
Was he hoping for a sign of fear?
He caught Axion's face twist slightly but ignored it.
“Hey.”
“......”
“Hey!”
A sudden shout from behind.
Since it wasn't Axion's voice, Theo assumed it wasn't for him.
But then someone grabbed his shoulder firmly from behind.
He turned his head.
Holkus was looking down at him with a strange expression.
‘This guy... how does a body like that have this much power?’
At that moment, Holkus was greatly shocked.
Like with Ray, he'd reached out to stop Theo—who had ignored him to engage Axion—on a whim.
But it felt like touching a solid boulder.
“What?”
“Uh, uh, yeah? Th-that's...!”
“Trying to get revenge from last time?”
Snapping to attention, Holkus scowled.
“Revenge? Hey! I'm not that petty, okay? Last time was a spar, and I can accept win or loss. If you want revenge, prove it with skill at the Awakening Ceremony!”
Theo looked surprised.
The Holkus he'd known hated losing more than anyone—a true competitor.
“Then?”
“...Teach me.”
“What?”
“...Teach me.”
“...?”
The hesitation from such a massive frame looked utterly odd.
“Say it properly.”
“It's...!”
“If you don't say it, I'm leaving.”
Holkus's face soon turned beet red.
“T-teach me! H-how to get handsome...!”
“......”
“I-is that no good?”
Holkus felt mortified to his bones but held it in.
If he could just learn Theo's secret, he could steal all the attention.
Meanwhile, Theo let out a hollow chuckle.
He'd expected something like a rematch or questions about training methods—what was this?
“Ah, damn... If you don't wanna teach me, just say so...!”
“I don't know either.”
“...What?”
“I don't know.”
“......”
“I was just born like this. What method is there to teach?”
‘So damn lucky!’
Holkus swallowed the curse threatening to escape.
It basically meant, 'You're ugly because that's how you were born—no way to fix it.'
“Five minutes until the gates close. All remaining examinees, please proceed to the Central Bureau—!”
The announcer's closing declaration rang out.
Theo checked the clock tower and turned around.
“No more questions? I'm going ahead.”
Theo and the other examinees exchanged final goodbyes with their families and surged toward the gates.
“Ah, damn, that's not it. Whatever. I'll ask everything next time!”
Holkus scratched his head and followed behind.
Bang...!
With the gates firmly shut and Law Swordsmen strictly guarding the perimeter,
Theo and the examinees arrived at the vast plaza in front of the office.
The plaza had a unique setup.
At the center's end stood a platform with dozens or hundreds of swords thrust haphazardly into it.
Seating for spectators to watch the examinees flanked both sides.
Those in the seats were mostly high-ranking swordsmen radiating intense auras.
All Nine Dragons except those on missions, leaders and executives from various combat units and organizations, retired elders and seniors.
And.
In the dead center sat a middle-aged man leisurely.
The examinees gulped nervously upon seeing him.
The Family Head, Kyle, smiled as he surveyed the dozens of examinees.
He even gave Theo a light wave when their eyes met.
Examinees and high-ranking swordsmen alike stared at Theo in shock at the rare sight of the Family Head.
Theo nodded slightly in thanks, but his gaze remained fixed beside the Family Head's seat.
-A woman sprawled lazily, yawning indifferently.
At most in her thirties?
The woman with long black hair symbolizing Ragnar exuded no particular presence compared to the other swordsmen.
She seemed almost nonexistent.
But Theo's eyes were deeply sunken.
‘As expected, she came again this time, just like in my previous life.’
The reason Theo absolutely had to claim top spot in this Awakening Ceremony.
Beyond the Family Head and other swordsmen watching him, the biggest goal was to catch that woman's eye.
She possessed power equal to the Family Head's.
The former former Family Head, Hilda Ragnar.
A demigod said to rank among the strongest Family Heads Ragnar had ever produced.
A monster over 152 years old—that was her true identity.
“We will now begin the Awakening Ceremony—!”
Dong! Dooong—!
The deep toll of war drums signaling the start.
At the referee's shout, Theo's gaze shifted back to the central platform.
‘I was pretty surprised when this person broke long seclusion to oversee the ceremony. Is it because of Lady Hilda?’
The referee was one of the legendary elder masters with a status rivaling Hilda's.
“The first stage of the Awakening Ceremony is to draw one of the iron swords from the platform and scratch the distant iron wall.”
Someone raised a hand then.
The referee nodded.
“Speak.”
“Thank you. I'm Reton of the Hanabi family. That iron wall looks mixed with Frostwhite Ore, while the iron swords on the platform seem forged from ordinary steel. How are we supposed to even scratch it...?”
“You're correct. That's why we're now distributing elixirs to awaken your mana. Examiners, distribute them.”
At the referee's words, waiting examiners began handing out small glass vials to the examinees.
The examinees' hands trembled faintly as they received them.
Inside the transparent lid was a round pill the size of a fingernail.
-Soma.
A miracle drug said to grant over ten years' worth of mana with just one pill.
For them, unable to awaken mana for the past fifteen years, this was a dream come true.
“Swallow the Soma to open the Aura Hall in your dantian, then use that power to see how deep a sword mark you can leave on the Frostwhite Ore wall—that will be the key.”
Adaptability to sudden mana surge,
Talent of the opened Aura Hall,
Understanding of the sword,
Swordsmanship level—all combined into the first stage.
Fail to score decisively here, and top spot was out of reach.
“Now, called examinees, take your Soma and ascend the platform.”
The referee's gaze turned to one side.
“First examinee, Theo Ragnar of the Camellia Palace! Step forward!”
All eyes hurriedly turned to Theo.
Step, step—
Theo walked toward the platform as if it were natural.
“......”
“......”
Gulp!
A dry tension filled the testing grounds.
How the Illegitimate Son of the Regression Sword Family Survives