Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Kyle Ragnar (4)
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Horrr…!
The black lark let out a low cry.
Kyle let out a light chuckle.
“What’s wrong? Does letting him go just like that bother you?”
Horrr….
The black lark’s cry grew even quieter.
As if it truly felt that way.
“I know. What you’re worried about.”
Horrr?
“But from the time I granted him the One Sword until now, you saw it too. How he was.”
….
For the first time, the black lark’s cry came to a complete stop.
“That’s why I thought it wouldn’t hurt to watch a little longer. Does a child just about to set off really need the hope taken away? Besides….”
One corner of Kyle’s mouth twisted up sharply.
“Don’t you need someone chasing from below to make those kids tense up? Nothing stimulates people quite like the emergence of a talented rival. Everyone’s gotten too complacent lately. Perfect timing for some fresh stimulus.”
The black lark scratched at its head with a wing.
Those kids. He was referring to the current ‘Five Great Candidates,’ the succession right holders.
Children each possessing talents so outstanding that they could have easily become vice family heads if born in different generations.
But Kyle wasn’t satisfied with even that.
Bigger.
Fiercer.
He was driving his children into even more grueling competition.
Through the emergence of a new rival named Theo.
The black lark considered speaking up about the potential side effects but held back.
Kyle couldn’t possibly be unaware of it.
Horrr…!
Still, it pointed out a few concerns,
“Then if you’re so worried, why don’t you step in yourself?”
Horrr?
The black lark tilted its head at Kyle’s retort.
“I mean the upcoming Designation Ceremony. Why not take Theo there yourself?”
…!
In an instant, the black lark’s eyes widened.
And after a moment.
Horrrrr….
The black lark pondered deeply for a while before flapping its small wings and soaring into the sky.
Watching it go, Kyle smiled.
“It’s about to get fun again.”
His somewhat boring family life seemed poised to grow interesting once more.
Thanks to the arrival of this new child.
* * *
Murmur murmur—
The plaza in front of the Central Hall, site of the First Awakening Ceremony half a month ago, was once again bustling with crowds.
“Quite the turnout, as expected.”
“Of course it is. They say it was the greatest Awakening Ceremony in history—no wonder everyone’s going wild.”
“Sigh…! I hope we snag some real talent this time.”
“Tell me about it. Won’t be easy, but we’ve got to try.”
The Designation Ceremony.
Held after all Awakening Ceremonies concluded, it was the event where graduates were assigned to their units and organizations.
Naturally, each unit and organization engaged in fierce competition to recruit the finest talents,
And all the residents and affiliates of Wintera watched with keen interest.
But this time, people’s attention was focused on just one thing.
—Who would take Theo Ragnar?
Not only had he graduated at the top of all three rounds of tests, but this genius had also set a near-record performance rivaling Torkel’s.
The unit or organization that secured him would essentially sprout wings.
“But isn’t it strange?”
“What?”
“This top graduate. The Family Head publicly declared he wouldn’t take him. That’s why the competition’s even fiercer.”
“Oh, right. Yeah, he did.”
“Wonder why he didn’t. Actually, all the Five Great Candidates passed through the Family Head’s hands for at least a year.”
“Who are we to know the Family Head’s thoughts? He must have his reasons.”
“Guess so?”
“And technically, you could say he did pass through the Family Head’s hands. He already received the One Sword.”
“Hmm…! Tricky business.”
Amid the tangled web of expectations, questions, and curiosity from the crowd.
Creak—
A carriage pulled up in front of the Central Hall.
It was adorned with a lavish array of decorations that felt more elegant than gaudy.
The door opened, and someone stepped down slowly.
Click—
“Is this the place where my son is? He’d better be all right.”
Cecilia looked up at the Central Hall.
The spot where Theo would soon appear.
She was even more tense than at the First Awakening Ceremony, worried if he was hurt, if that handsome face had any scars.
“Who’s not all right? That monster? You’re worrying over nothing.”
Kirson, who had followed her down, burst into laughter while clutching her pipe.
Whoosh—
Thick tobacco smoke billowed out with every laugh.
Cecilia shot her mother a glare with dagger eyes.
“Monster? Where in the world is anyone as delicate as my son…!”
“Delicate? You sure the meaning of ‘delicate’ hasn’t changed on me?”
If the guy who subdued Moonwhite Sword with one hand and blew the forge roof off with a single strike was delicate, then there’d be no tough kids left in this world.
“If you’re going to keep sniping like this, why not head back to the workshop now, Mother?”
“…Ha, hahaha! Just a joke to lighten the mood, a joke.”
“How about dropping those unfunny jokes altogether?”
“Whoa! Look at the crowds piling up. We’ll lose our seats at this rate. Let’s hurry in.”
Kirson hurriedly linked arms with Cecilia’s left and took the lead.
Only direct family members of graduates and one companion could attend the Designation Ceremony.
If Cecilia ditched Kirson now, her plan to advertise the Vasco Workshop again during the event would fall apart.
‘I shelled out how much gold just to get in with this wretched girl! No way I’m letting that happen! Absolutely not!’
Considering the gold and time she’d poured into making that prosthetic for artisans for the first time… she absolutely couldn’t get booted now!
This Designation Ceremony was sure to be another stage for Theo, just like the Awakening.
Kirson’s eyes were already gleaming at visions of mountains of jewels and gold coins.
Sparkle sparkle!
Shake shake—
Cecilia headed into the Central Hall, dragged along by her displeased mother’s hand.
* * *
Meeting Theo was easy.
The graduates were waiting for their families out front.
Family reunions after half a month.
Parents and masters everywhere clutched their injured or grown children.
Cecilia was one of them.
“My son, what in the world happened! It’s only been half a month, and you’ve gotten so haggard! Your lovely skin and hair are all dry…!”
Cecilia jumped in shock at Theo, whose face had sharpened even more.
“Just a bit tanned from the sun—why the fuss? Looks better, if anything.”
Kirson shook her head in disbelief from behind, but Cecilia’s ears were deaf to it.
“I’m fine, so calm down, Mother.”
“How can I calm down when my son looks like this! Who was it? Who dared upset my son!”
“Didn’t all those guys croak?”
“I’ll grab them by the hair right now…!”
“The Jordan River’s getting noisy enough with all the ghosts.”
“Mother, please be quiet!”
Cecilia was about to die of annoyance at Kirson, who’d been picking at her nonstop since earlier.
But Kirson had already entered the Central Hall as family.
No need to mind her adopted daughter anymore.
“Cut your mother some slack for being extra fussy today. Once you know how much she agonized over the past half month, you won’t have a word to say. Plus, the ‘gift’ she prepared for you…!”
“Gift?”
As Theo tilted his head, Cecilia bellowed.
“Mother!”
“…Ahem! Anyway, even I felt exhausted just watching from the sidelines, so keep that in mind.”
Kirson chuckled deeply, pipe in mouth.
Theo felt a strange sensation.
Cecilia’s boundless love still tickled him… but he was deeply grateful all the same.
“I really did fine. Even made a lot of friends.”
“Friends… you say?”
Cecilia’s eyes widened slightly.
Theo had never known how to make friends since childhood.
Always playing alone, preferring books. A total loner.
Kind to servants and maids, but they couldn’t be ‘friends.’
She’d always worried about the walls he kept around his heart.
Yet now, it seemed he was opening up to others.
“Yes. I’ll introduce you next time.”
Everyone was busy chatting with family now.
“Wonderful. Any friends of my son are always welcome. Just give me advance notice—I’ll show off my skills too.”
With her worries about Theo eased at last, a smile spread across Cecilia’s lips.
That was when Kirson swiftly cast her bait.
She hadn’t followed her adopted daughter for nothing.
“More importantly, you rotten girl, aren’t you going to unpack the thing I went to such lengths to bring?”
“Oh!”
Cecilia clapped as if just remembering.
“Oh no… I had a graduation gift for my son, but I got too caught up talking.”
“A gift?”
As Theo looked mildly surprised, Cecilia clapped lightly.
Servants waiting nearby brought over a wooden box, opened the lid, and presented it to Theo.
Inside lay a navy men’s formal suit with a sapphire-like hue.
Atop it rested a delicate red brooch.
The design was sleek yet beautiful overall, studded with tiny gems.
“As a trainee swordsman making your official debut to the world, you can’t just go out looking sloppy.”
Theo carefully lifted the suit and stroked it with his hand.
Cecilia’s heart was poured into it, once again.
Only the brooch gave him pause.
“This doesn’t seem like your taste, Mother.”
“Ohoho! You can even spot your mother’s taste now? My lessons in discernment paid off.”
Cecilia laughed lightly before shooting Kirson a side-eye.
Kirson grinned.
“We acquired a fine jeweler at our workshop this time. Thought it’d suit you perfectly, so we made it sp-ec-ial-ly. No pressure—think of it as a graduation gift from your grandma.”
Theo examined the brooch closely from every angle.
“I’ll keep gifting you pretty accessories whenever Grandma gets her hands on them. They’ll suit you just as well as they do Cecilia…!”
“Kanaka Archipelago mine shares, 2%.”
“Hm?”
An out-of-left-field remark.
Kirson tilted her head.
Theo smiled as he spoke.
“Sponsorship for all major products from the Vasco Workshop going forward.”
“…!”
In that instant, Theo’s smile looked like a devil’s to Kirson.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
“H-Hahaha… Ah, y-you must have seriously mis-under-stood something. This is purely a goodwill gift for my grandson…!”
“Oh, is that so? Sorry. I didn’t realize Grandma’s heart was that de-ep.”
“N-No, it’s fine. Happens…!”
“Since it’s your first gift, I can’t just use it carelessly. Better keep it safe for now.”
As Theo pulled out just the suit and tried to close the box, Kirson frantically waved her hand.
“W-Wait! Stoooop!”
“What’s wrong?”
“S-Still, it’s a g-gift, so wouldn’t it be better to w-wear it well…?”
Theo’s eyes curved into crescents.
“But with the Designation Ceremony so unpredictable, I can’t just pull it out casually. I’ll save it for the right moment.”
Polite words, for sure.
Yet somehow, to Kirson’s ears, it sounded like ‘I’ll bury it forever.’
‘Damn brat’s sharp as his damn mother!’
Just a little probe, and same result as always.
Just like with Moonwhite Sword.
No wonder he topped the damn Awakening Ceremony!
“Gold! I’ll give gold coins. Or don’t you need another treasure sword? You’ve tried them, but even the Nine Dragons have to wait years for my Ironclad Gate treasure swords…!”
“Drake blades and Moonwhite Sword satisfy me plenty. Kanaka Archipelago mine shares would be nice.”
“…Then how about the Deanan region mines? The iron ingots from there are top quality.”
“Kanaka.”
“Or the jeweler shares from that brooch earlier?”
“Kanaka.”
“Don’t shut it down so quick. We’ve got master artisans, as you see. I could go up to 5%…!”
“If you don’t like it, oh well. Heard Turkan Merchant House and Georg Workshop are doing well lately—maybe them?”
Infuriating!
Kirson wanted to smack that shameless face with her pipe right then.
‘How the hell does he know about that place! I was so careful even the Black Snow guys wouldn’t find out!’
The Kanaka Archipelago mines were among Kirson’s most treasured assets.
Adamantite was mined there, no less.
And he’d zeroed in on it…!
‘2%? How much is that even worth?’
Kirson quickly calculated in her head.
No point negotiating—this bandit grandson who’d only learned the bad from Cecilia wouldn’t budge.
The mine’s value meant a massive concession, but… she had to weigh Theo’s own value.
She’d swallowed bitter tears making the Drake blades, but the results were a flower garden.
Her conclusion:
‘…Profitable, even if it takes time.’
Still, it hurt too much to hand over!
Meeting this mother-son duo always left her feeling skinned alive, eyes wide open.
But what could she do?
Crunch!
She ground her teeth.
“…C-Call.”
Seemed awfully hard to get that ‘call’ out.
“Thank you, Grandma. I’ll put it to good use.”
Theo’s bright, smiling greeting couldn’t have been more loathsome.
“As expected of my son—no more for this mother to teach. Feel free to head down the mountain anytime? Ohoho!”
Cecilia nodded from the side.
Deeply satisfied with her prized disciple.