Chapter 58
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Weight of a Name
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Demian Belkain.
The moment he recalled the name his father had spoken, his spear faltered.
He had never once thought of himself as a Belkain. He was just Demian.
But now, his father had personally acknowledged him as a Belkain. He had even entrusted him with the family spear.
“Your spear shows hesitation.”
Kyle, who had been observing Demian’s training, spoke up.
Demian lowered his spear and looked at Kyle.
Kyle crossed his arms and continued.
“It seems you’re trying to imitate your father, but it’s not working out, is it?”
Demian couldn't deny it. He had been trying to emulate the movements his father had shown him, but his body wouldn't follow.
“Of course, it won’t. You are not your father.”
Kyle’s words were sharp, but they held a certain truth.
“I am a Belkain.”
“And what does that mean?”
Kyle asked, a slight smile on his lips.
“Does being a Belkain mean you have to be exactly like your father? Does it mean you must wield the spear in the same way?”
Demian was silent. He had never considered it that deeply.
To him, being a Belkain meant following in his father’s footsteps. It meant becoming a great warrior like him.
“Listen, Demian. The name Belkain is not a mold you must fit into. It’s a foundation upon which you build.”
Kyle walked over to Demian and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Your father is a great warrior. There’s no denying that. But you are not him. You have your own strengths, your own way of thinking.”
Demian looked at his hands. He had always thought his hands were too small, too weak to wield a spear like his father.
“You’re quick on your feet and even quicker in your head. You see things others miss. That’s your weapon.”
Kyle’s words were a revelation to Demian. He had always seen his analytical nature as a weakness, a sign of hesitation.
“Don’t try to be a copy of your father. Find your own way to be a Belkain.”
Kyle patted his shoulder once more before stepping back.
“The spear your father gave you is not a burden. It’s a tool. How you use it is up to you.”
With those words, Kyle turned and walked away, leaving Demian alone with his thoughts.
Demian stood there for a long time, the weight of the spear in his hands feeling different now.
It was no longer just his father’s spear.
It was his.
He looked down at the spear, then up at the training grounds.
A small smile formed on his lips.
He finally understood.
He didn't have to be Leonhard Belkain.
He just had to be Demian Belkain.
With a renewed sense of purpose, he gripped the spear tightly.
This time, when he moved, there was no hesitation.
His movements were not his father’s.
They were his own.
Fluid, precise, and born from his own understanding.
He was no longer chasing a shadow.
He was forging his own path.
And on that path, he would become a Belkain in his own right.