Chapter 5: Days at Storm Castle (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 5: Days at Storm Castle (4)
Jin’s third sister was Mary Runcandel.
Now nineteen years old, the world knew her as "Mary of the Gale."
In the family’s thousand-year history, no one had ever failed to become a 1-star knight by the age of thirteen. By sixteen, they were 3-star, and reaching 5-star before twenty was considered merely average for a pure-blooded Runcandel.
Mary was a far cry from the Jin of his previous life.
She slightly exceeded even the Runcandel average. While Jin had only reached the 1-star realm at twenty-five, she had achieved it at twelve and reached 5-star by sixteen.
She was currently a 6-star knight.
Before even reaching adulthood, she had attained a level that most people in the world could only look up to with awe. To exceed the Runcandel average meant she was superior even to those the general public hailed as "geniuses."
After all, Runcandel was a place where being a genius was the baseline.
Furthermore, she was one of the few people who had shown Jin kindness for a relatively long time in his past life.
‘My sister is definitely a bit crazy, but this is a good gift. I was getting frustrated with how slow my growth felt.’
A month had passed since Cyron’s departure.
Throughout that time, the scent of the simmering Phoenix Heart permeated the interior of Storm Castle. The unique heat radiating from the heart was so intense that one side of the castle’s corridors felt perpetually warm.
Mary had handed it over as if it were a trivial gift before she left.
Generally speaking, a Phoenix Heart was a legendary elixir, a medicine so rare that even the kings of powerful nations struggled to obtain one.
Its texture was softer than veal.
Its aroma was richer than truffles.
And its efficacy was beyond comparison to any ordinary tonic.
“Young Master, in just a couple of hours, you will finally be able to taste the Lady’s gift. You’ve waited a long time. Congratulations.”
Jin nodded, his eyes sparkling.
He had waited a full month for the gift Mary had left behind to be fully rendered. Gilly hadn't been able to sleep properly that entire month, diligently tending to it.
Despite her exhaustion, she felt nothing but joy. What was good for Jin was good for Gilly. The lives of Runcandel nannies were defined by how magnificently the children they were responsible for grew.
In that sense, Jin felt a slight pang of guilt toward Gilly. After he was exiled in his previous life, Gilly’s own life had collapsed to a point that was too painful to recall.
“You might not know this, Young Master, but the Phoenix Heart is an especially potent medicine for children. It only grants resistance to fire if consumed at a young age. Lady Mary has given you something truly precious.”
“Really?”
Jin knew this fact twenty thousand times better than Gilly did, but he feigned fascination.
He had studied the Phoenix Heart countless times back when he was learning magic.
‘Back then, I wasn't studying it to find and eat one, but to understand the characteristics of a phoenix as a mage.’
It was only natural, as summoning a phoenix was one of the ultimate dreams for any mage. He had died just before becoming a 6-star mage, the rank capable of performing such a summoning.
“Of course! I covered your eyes at first because it was so bloody, but even the Imperial Family of the Viment Empire is desperate to get their hands on one…”
While Gilly explained, Jin’s thoughts drifted to phoenixes.
He was filled with the expectation that he might be able to summon one in this life. Although learning magic was strictly forbidden in Runcandel, Jin had no intention of giving it up.
It was fine as long as he didn't get caught.
Besides, even if he were caught, he just needed to become strong enough not to be killed, wield enough influence, or have a justifiable cause.
Martial arts and magic.
There was a path that encompassed both: the path of the Magic Swordsman. He was more than willing to endure any hardship to walk it.
‘If it were me, I would never let my enemies feast on my phoenix.’
Of course, as its name suggested, a phoenix was a summoned beast that never truly died. Even if it perished after losing its heart, it would naturally be resurrected after about a hundred years.
But what use was that? In a hundred years, the phoenix’s master would already be dead and gone.
“Make sure to thank Lady Mary properly next time you see her.”
“Yeah, I definitely will.”
The Phoenix Heart was finally ready. A thick, savory aroma filled the castle.
“I’ll prepare the meal. Please come down in a moment, Young Master!”
Gilly left the room with light, hurried steps, humming to herself. As soon as she was gone, Jin let out a low sigh.
“Stop hesitating and just come in. It’s distracting.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Yeah…”
It was the Tona brothers, who had been lurking near his door for some time. The moment Gilly left, they had sidled up to the doorway, trying to gauge his reaction.
Watching his older brothers practically drool, Jin smirked.
‘Ha, look at these cute little punks.’
When Jin beckoned with his finger, the Tona brothers rushed into the room.
“Why are you hanging around?” Jin asked in a deliberately sharp voice, though he knew perfectly well it was because of the Phoenix Heart.
The Tona brothers squirmed like puppies that desperately needed to go outside. They wanted to ask him to share the Phoenix Heart, but they were afraid. The memory of being beaten by Jin a month ago, and then being scolded by their father, was destined to remain a trauma for them.
The situation felt absurd. In his previous life, the Tona brothers had snatched his belongings whenever they felt like it. It was unimaginable for them to be walking on eggshells around him like this.
‘Emma probably sent them. Told them to persuade me and get a taste of the Phoenix Heart somehow.’
Emma Niltro.
She was the Runcandel nanny who looked after the Tona brothers at Storm Castle, just as Gilly looked after him. Unlike Gilly, who had met a miserable end in his previous life, Emma had lived in luxury thanks to the successful Tona brothers.
Even after they became homicidal maniacs, the Tona brothers never forgot Emma and took good care of her, all thanks to her shrewdness.
If Gilly was the type to raise a child with love and affection, Emma was the type to raise them solely with carrots and sticks. She didn't bother teaching the children things like morality or altruism.
Then again, perhaps those were emotions one didn't particularly need in Runcandel.
Emma was the person who had the greatest influence on the Tona brothers’ personalities.
“That… the phoenix…”
“That… isn’t it… too much for you to eat alone?”
“What? I can’t hear you.”
“The Phoenix Heart soup! Could you share just one bowl? Nanny Emma will scold us otherwise.”
“Please, Youngest.”
I guess these two are still more afraid of Emma than me, Jin thought to himself and snorted.
“I don’t want to.”
“Ah, please.”
“Please!”
The Tona brothers looked like they were about to cry. Not a shred of sympathy welled up inside Jin.
He had already considered that the Tona brothers were children accustomed to carrots and sticks. Therefore, he planned to use the Phoenix Heart to make them do something quite tedious for him.
“If you guys are going to go that far, I guess I have no choice. But there’s a condition.”
“Oh! What is it? What is it?”
“You know that grave I made back then?”
The moment the word "grave" came out, the color drained from the Tona brothers' faces. They remembered being beaten and left in front of that grave in the middle of a storm.
“If you look closely behind that grave, there’s a small tunnel.”
“A tunnel?”
“Yeah. It’s a shallow one. Dig it deeper. Until tonight. Without resting.”
What Jin demanded of his nine-year-old brothers was pure shovel work.
“Why… are we digging there?”
“To rebury the birds you killed even deeper.”
For a moment, the Tona brothers felt the strength leave their legs.
However, if such a simple task was all it took to get a share of the Phoenix Heart from their terrifying younger brother, it was a bargain.
“How deep do we have to dig?”
“I said without resting, until tonight.”
“Got it. Then, once we’re done digging, you’ll share the Phoenix Heart, right?”
“Of course. But you have to dig hard. If I don’t like the depth, the deal is off. For your information, there are plenty of shovels in the underground warehouse. Go get them from there.”
“Okay!”
“And you know you have to do it yourselves, without making anyone else do it, right?”
Nodding their heads, the Tona brothers immediately left to start shoveling.
*
While the Tona brothers went off to dig, Jin sat at the dining table and ate the soup made from the Phoenix Heart.
“Young Master, is it that delicious?” Gilly asked, seeing Jin grinning from ear to ear. She thought his good mood was because of the food.
“Yes, it’s truly delicious.”
“There’s enough to eat for about three days, so let me know whenever you want more.”
With every spoonful, he could feel his bones and flesh growing stronger. Eating it for three days straight would surely increase his fire resistance and affinity.
However, the reason Jin wore such a wide smile wasn't just because of that.
‘In a few days, I’ll be able to see the secret manuals…!’
The tunnel behind the birds' grave, where the Tona brothers were now diligently shoveling.
Though they were only nine, as pure-blooded Runcandels, they possessed physical stamina that far exceeded the world’s norm. It was a blessing of the unique physique all Runcandels shared.
With that stamina, if they shoveled hard until nightfall, the "underground wall" connected to the tunnel would surely be revealed.
‘Those two won’t be able to tell if it’s a wall or just a rock, though.’
Hidden within that secret underground space of Storm Castle were some of the "vices" Runcandel had accumulated over the centuries.
Specifically, the secret manuals of other families.
They were techniques stolen from clans that Runcandel had either subjugated or destroyed over the years.
Of course, just because the Tona brothers dug until the wall appeared didn't mean one could enter easily. Two secret mechanisms had to be solved to open the vault.
Naturally, Jin knew how. Even if he had been treated worse than a servant, he had nonetheless survived for twenty-five years in the Runcandel family, being pushed and shoved around.
‘I’ll spend my time studying those until I leave Storm Castle.’
Jin finished two bowls of soup completely.
“Nanny Gilly.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“When night falls, could you give the Tona brothers some of the phoenix soup?”
“Ah, how much should I give them?”
“One spoonful each.”
“One… spoonful? In that case, it might be better for you to just eat it all yourself.”
“I have to keep my promise. If they ask for more, tell them exactly this: I’ll show them who’s scarier, Emma or me.”
Gilly bowed her head with an awkward smile.
‘Young Master Jin… has he already been tainted by this cold-hearted family? He’s far too young for that.’
Just as a hint of bitterness was about to spread across her face, Jin buried himself in Gilly’s arms.
“Sister Mary gave it to me, and you stayed by the fire for a month to make it for me. I just don’t want to share it with those idiots.”
“Young Master…”
Thud, thud.
The Tona brothers' shovels were doing a fine job digging out the rain-soaked tunnel.
It was around midnight when their shovels were finally blocked by a solid wall.
“One spoonful?!”
“You said one spoonful?! That’s too much! We dug all day!”
The Tona brothers, realizing too late that the promise hadn't specified an "amount," were furious. But there was nothing they could do.
It was because Jin glared at them, his eyes telling them to be grateful they got even that much.
‘If people could get even a single spoonful of Phoenix Heart soup just by shoveling for half a day, every person in the world would come running. You brats.’
Therefore, it was a hundred times more correct for the Tona brothers to be profoundly grateful for even that single spoonful.
That was what Jin thought.