Chapter 4: Days at the Storm Castle (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 4: Days at the Storm Castle (3)
“I am not entirely sure myself,” Jin replied in a calm, steady voice.
“You do not know?”
Cyron tilted his head slightly. He hadn’t expected such an answer from his youngest son, who had been so articulate until this point.
“Yes, Father. This power isn’t Aura, so I don’t know what to call it.”
This, however, was a calculated move—just like the childlike innocence he had feigned moments before.
Whoosh.
With a sound like a flickering flame, a handful of dark energy manifested above Jin’s palm. It was the same power he had used to beat the Tona brothers.
It was Spirit Power, the strength obtained through a contract with Solderet, the God of Shadows. Though he claimed not to know, Jin understood this power better than anyone.
He also knew that his father, Cyron, was just as knowledgeable.
“If it’s alright, Father, could you give it a name?” Jin asked, his eyes wide and sparkling.
Cyron, who had reached the realm of a demigod and become a Creation Knight, found himself unable to close his gaping mouth for the first time in his life.
‘Solderet…!’
Cyron swallowed hard as he stared at Jin’s hand.
A sentimental thought flickered through his mind. Is this child truly the reincarnation of the First Patriarch?
Solderet. The God of Shadows. A being that every mage in the world yearned for.
But Cyron and Jin both knew the truth.
They knew that Solderet was actually closer to a God of Swords than a God of Magic. They also knew that a thousand years ago, Solderet had protected Runcandel through a contract with the First Patriarch.
‘I thought he had abandoned Runcandel after the First Patriarch passed away. It seems he has taken an interest in the youngest.’
Was this the signal for Runcandel to leap forward and prosper once more? Or was a god who had once departed simply acting on a whim? Cyron remained lost in thought for a long time, watching the mass of shadows flickering in his youngest son’s small palm.
‘It is certain that a formal contract has not been established yet. If this were power from a contract, the boy couldn’t possibly be ignorant of it.’
Jin saw right through Cyron’s thoughts.
The situation was unfolding so perfectly according to his expectations that it was almost unsettling. He had braced himself for at least one crisis born of suspicion, but it seemed seven was the perfect age for spinning lies.
“Youngest,” Cyron said, having organized his thoughts.
“Yes, Father.”
“That is the power of a god named Solderet. It is not something I can name. He is one of our family’s oldest secrets.”
“Solderet…”
“The one who casts shadows upon the world. Even with your brilliance, it will be difficult for you to understand just yet.”
“Is he—”
As Jin began to ask a question, Cyron nodded.
“Is the god named Solderet stronger than you, Father?”
“Haha.”
Cyron let out a dry laugh, as if admitting defeat. Since reaching the realm of a demigod, he’d had no reason to laugh like this.
For the first time in years, a ripple formed in Cyron’s hardened inner self, which had been forged solely through training and discipline.
“I wonder… This father of yours has never dared to test himself against a god, so I do not know.”
It was a truly arrogant answer—that he didn't know because he hadn't tried.
But the one who said it was none other than Cyron Runcandel. A momentary shiver ran down Jin’s spine upon hearing his father’s response.
He was truly the strongest on earth.
Even Kelliark Zipple, the Patriarch of the Zipple family, likely couldn't best this man.
Grin.
Cyron smiled, baring his teeth.
“Youngest. I am glad I came to see you today. Your innocent question has given me another great koan to ponder. Thank you. Come closer.”
The question of whether he could win against a god—Cyron had called it a “koan.”
As Jin approached, Cyron stroked his head. Even then, Jin kept the swirling Spirit Power manifested on his palm.
“How do you wish to use this power?”
“I want to use it for the family, Father.”
I want to use it for myself.
There was no need for such an honest confession. In his previous life, Jin had received nothing but contempt and disdain from the family. He hadn't experienced any familial warmth since he was seven. For someone like him, there was no will left to sacrifice himself for the sake of the clan.
Unless, perhaps, the day came when he became the Patriarch himself—after surpassing his monstrous siblings.
“Hahahaha!”
Suddenly, Cyron burst into laughter. His booming voice sent a slight tremor through the entire Storm Castle.
Cyron’s other children, waiting outside, couldn't help but be startled. They hadn't heard their father laugh so heartily in years.
After laughing for a while, Cyron wiped the expression from his face and leaned in close to Jin.
“That is an amusing lie. You may be a bit more honest with your father.”
This was an unexpected turn. Jin suppressed his flustered heart and opened his mouth.
“I…”
“‘I want to use it for myself,’” Cyron finished the sentence for him.
“Indeed. Having used that power to beat your brothers and leave them in the rain, claiming it was for the family could only be a lie. I shall be watching you from now on.”
Cyron walked past Jin and exited the central hall. Long after his father’s footsteps had faded, Jin felt cold sweat trickling down his spine.
It was a sweat of relief.
“Phew!”
Jin exhaled sharply and pulled his sweat-soaked clothes away from his skin. Even looking back at all twenty-eight years of his previous life, he had never faced his father as boldly as he had today.
‘I did it! It worked!’
As the relief passed, his heart began to thrum like a drum.
Through today’s conversation, Jin had gained the freedom to use Solderet’s power and had planted a seed of expectation in his father.
‘In my past life, I died shortly after making the contract, and I never could have imagined Father expecting anything from me.’
Back then, even after being kicked out of the family, he hadn't had the freedom to use Solderet’s power as he pleased. The Runcandels were a clan that never allowed those who were cast out to hold power.
That was why he had hidden in the Akin Kingdom to train. Akin was a nation under the Lutero Magic Federation, influenced by the Zipples, and Jin’s identity at the time was that of a mage.
The family’s ancient secret, the contract between the First Patriarch and Solderet—he had already known about it in his previous life. Cyron had only described it as an “old secret,” but Jin knew the details more intimately than Cyron did.
It was only natural, as he had heard it directly from Solderet after their contract. For a while after they formed their pact, Solderet used to converse with Jin like a friend.
‘But he never did tell me why he, who was once the God of Swords, left Runcandel to become the god of mages. He didn't intervene when I died, either.’
And now that Jin had regressed, Solderet remained silent.
Jin wondered if his regression was a phenomenon caused by Solderet’s authority, but it was merely a guess.
After regressing, he first realized the power from his contract was still valid when he was one year old. It was right after he had chosen Barisada during The Selection.
That night, a curse from a 9-star Mage—the ‘Delusion of the Blade’—had struck Jin in his cradle. The same event from his previous life had repeated in this one.
[Contractor, it seems you were hated by someone at a very young age. You haven't been able to draw out your strength because of a trivial curse. Perhaps that is why I was drawn to you.]
Those were the words Solderet had spoken to Jin immediately after their contract.
Recalling those words, Jin clearly remembered seeing the crimson shackles of the curse slithering up his cradle. His mind was intact, but his one-year-old body had no way to block the curse.
As he despaired over his helpless infant body, going mad with the inability to resist or call for help as the curse lunged at him—
Suddenly, Solderet’s authority had manifested.
The shackles of the curse failed to touch Jin’s body; instead, they seeped into his shadow and vanished.
Curses do not work on Solderet’s contractor. To borrow the phrasing of his magic teacher from his previous life, it was an “excessively broken” effect.
‘Just wait until I grow a bit more. I will find out exactly who cast that curse on me and kill them.’
He possessed the power to manipulate shadows, the magical knowledge accumulated from his past life, and the martial insights of the sword he had begun to realize late in life.
With his talent no longer lost to a curse and his future no longer leading to exile, a completely different destiny was bound to unfold.
“Young Master.”
“Nanny Gilly.”
Jin turned to see Gilly standing at the entrance of the central hall.
“The Patriarch is about to depart. You should go say your farewells.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“But… are you alright?” Gilly asked with a worried expression.
She asked because she had seen the Tona brothers return to their rooms with faces as pale as ghosts after meeting Cyron.
“I’m fine. Are my older brothers and sisters leaving too?”
“Yes. They came to escort the Patriarch. Also, Lady Mary has left a gift for you.”
“I’ll open the gift from Sister later. Let’s go see Father off first.”
The two hundred Guardian Knights who had arrived, the Runcandel Flagbearers, and Cyron began to leave the Storm Castle. Once they were gone, the castle would return to its lonely, desolate state, and Jin would be able to spend his time in peace without worrying about the Tona brothers.
A time for quiet growth that no one would know about.
“Loyalty!”
“Loyalty!”
The Guardian Knights performed a sword salute toward Cyron as he exited the Storm Castle. Jin and the Tona brothers stood beside them and bowed their heads.
‘The next time I see Father, it won't be at the Storm Castle, but at the main estate.’
Cyron returned straight to the Black Sea.
The commoners, who had expected Cyron’s movements to lead to a bloody war between Runcandel and Zipple, were destined to be disappointed, and the Runcandel Flagbearers and Guardian Knights returned to their respective posts.
After that, Cyron did not visit the castle again before Jin left the Storm Castle. Instead, the Guardian Knight Khan would occasionally visit to report on Jin’s status.
‘Sister Mary isn't exactly sane either. I’m only seven years old… Haha. To think she’d give me something like this!’
Jin thought to himself after returning to his room and opening the gift from his third-oldest sister, Mary. Gilly, who had checked the gift with him, turned pale and covered Jin’s eyes.
The gift Mary had left was the heart of a Zipple family summon she had recently killed in the Southern Continent.
A Phoenix Heart—a precious treasure he had never received in his previous life.
The implied message was for him to prepare it well, eat it, and grow up healthy.