Secrets of the Sword Tower
"..."
Compared to how she'd begged to see it, the reaction was underwhelming. Lucia swallowed hard and glanced at Kyle.
Before manifesting her aura, her golden eyes had sparkled like pure gold. Now, they barely glimmered. Her expression was the same. Her mouth hung open wide, but... it didn't feel like wonder or awe.
What the...?
Lucia's proud expression began to waver. She flicked her gaze up to the aura swirling around her raised hand.
Red aura. No different from her usual training sessions.
"Wow."
Finally, the exclamation she'd been waiting for rang out. Lucia whipped her eyes back to Kyle. For someone who'd just gasped like that, his expression was oddly subtle.
Then, suddenly, Kyle's eyes began to sparkle. He was genuinely thrilled that he'd reincarnated into this body, imagining battles against the world's countless powerhouses. But Lucia couldn't possibly guess the Sword Ghost's inner thoughts lurking within him.
"Uh, does it... fade?"
Lucia asked cautiously. Only then did Kyle snap back to reality and clap his hands together.
"Awesome! Incredible! So that's aura! Wow!"
Kyle shouted out reactions fitting a five-year-old seeing aura for the first time.
But it's unstable.
He still had to give his honest assessment. Whether you could even call Lucia's power "aura" was debatable. In any case, it felt shaky. Still, for an eight-year-old, it was impressive.
"Thank you."
Feeling a swell of pride, Lucia dismissed her aura. Even for a demon hybrid, sustaining it long-term was exhausting. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and said,
"Since you've been acknowledged by the family head, you can now learn the mana cultivation method anytime."
"Wow!"
Kyle let out another exclamation. This one was genuine, not for show.
Good thing I won't have to go through the same hell as in my past life.
With his memories intact, he wouldn't suffer as much as before. But there was no reason to pass up a systematic education.
Looking back, in his past life, he'd never received proper instruction in mana or swordsmanship. As a kid, before his father died and the mercenary corps fell apart, he'd picked up a few things from the adults.
After that, it was all trial by fire.
All he knew was swinging a sword, surrounded by other orphans of mercenaries. Circumstances and personal grudges led him to form the Crow Mercenary Corps, wandering battlefields to survive, fight, and exact revenge.
"The third floor of the Sword Tower houses the barracks of the Elegy Knight Order."
Gladiheim had numerous armed forces, but the knight orders numbered five.
Black Iron Knight Order, White Night Knight Order, Red Snow Knight Order, Aurora Knight Order.
And the Elegy Knight Order.
"The Elegy Knight Order is the family head's personal guard. Gladiheim's elite unit of just thirteen knights. They stay near the family head and patrol the Sword Tower, protecting the purebloods."
"So protecting Grandpa means they're stronger than him?"
"Pardon? No, not at all. The first rule of the Alastor code is respect for the strong. That means the family head is the strongest."
Lucia explained earnestly in a mature tone, simplifying it for the three-years-younger Kyle.
In truth, this was the limit of her own understanding.
"The fourth floor is where the purebloods reside. You'll be staying there from now on, Master Kyle. The fifth floor houses the elders."
"Elders?"
"Those of higher seniority than the family head."
"Higher than Grandpa?"
"Pardon? No."
"But you said higher seniority."
"That's... I'll explain later. In the Alastor family, the family head is supreme."
Lucia's eyes wavered. Kyle hadn't asked out of ignorance—he just found her reaction amusing.
"Are the elders strong?"
"They are strong, but the family head is stronger."
There was an old battlefield saying: beware the veterans.
Surviving the fields meant strength, but refusing to retire at their age meant they were half-mad.
"You said you train under the elders, right?"
"Yes, fortunately."
Pride shone on Lucia's face again as she answered.
"Not just the elders—Aunt Katarina guides me too."
"Aunt Katarina?"
"Yes."
Kyle recalled the tall woman from the corridor earlier. Unforgettable crimson hair and golden eyes. If Arian's red was rose-colored with amber eyes, Katarina's was blood-red with beastly gold.
In short, Katarina resembled family head Julius the most. To Kyle, she seemed stronger than the bearish Barkas.
"Floors six through nine are the Layers of the Capital."
"What's that?"
"A place of trials. I don't know much, so you should ask someone else."
They've got all kinds of stuff here.
Made by the Dragon King himself as a gift, apparently. It really had everything.
"The tenth floor is where the family head resides alone, and the eleventh is—the holiest, highest place in the Sword Tower, no, in all Vigrid: the Ascension Platform."
"Ascension Platform..."
Kyle clenched his fist unconsciously.
Where Ruin Alastor ascended.
He'd heard about ascension from Arian many times, but Kyle couldn't shake his doubts.
What even was ascension? Different from death? Records said Ruin ended the 40-year dark age, lived 50 more years, then ascended from the tower's pinnacle.
Ascension...
The Blade Mountains trembled, lightning pierced the heavens from the top. Descendants rushed up to find the founder's body intact, but his soul gone to distant realms.
Sounds just like dying...
If leaving the body behind and vanishing was ascension, then the Sword Ghost of 500 years ago had ascended too.
Though I came back.
Kyle smacked his lips and glanced at the ceiling needlessly.
Even as a pureblood, he couldn't access everywhere in the Sword Tower.
He could visit floors one, two, and three without permission.
The fourth required an elder council invitation; the underground Sword Tomb and Layers of the Capital needed the family head's approval. Same for the tenth.
The eleventh was family head only. Kyle couldn't even pay respects to Ruin Alastor's corpse yet.
Purebloods have their restrictions too.
But those only applied inside the tower. No place in Gladiheim was off-limits to purebloods outside.
"I can only guide you on the first floor. I'll show you around now."
Lucia replied maturely.
He figured the first floor couldn't be that big—but it exceeded imagination. From outside, it didn't look this vast. The spatial sense was off.
"Way bigger than it looks from outside, huh?"
"It is. The Sword Tower is an artifact from the Dragon King. Permanent space magic is at work inside."
They arrived at a massive dining hall from the conference room.
"This is where purebloods dine, but it's rarely used except for honored guests."
"Why?"
"They eat separately on the fourth floor."
"Where do you eat?"
"In the servants' dining hall on the first floor."
"Can't you eat with me?"
"Pardon? N-no, that's not allowed. You'll reside on the fourth floor and eat there."
"No servants on four?"
"Tower servants handle it collectively."
"Then you could come eat with me."
"I'm not a servant. I'm going to be a knight."
Lucia replied with flushed indignation.
"I didn't mean as a servant. If I invite you?"
"..."
Her indignation faltered into hesitation, then a shake of her head.
"Thank you, but no. On to the next place."
Her reaction said not to pry further. But it wasn't hard to guess.
Because she's a demon hybrid.
Those jealous of her hair and eyes wouldn't coddle a demon mix-blood. Not all relatives, though.
The family head and Kartan showed no displeasure; Katarina and the elders taught her personally.
After wandering the vast first floor with Lucia, they opened a door to the next area.
"Huh?"
Arian stood in the central conference hall they'd passed earlier.
Lucia startled briefly but composed herself, turned to Kyle, and bowed.
"This ends the tour. Until next time, Master Kyle."
She stepped aside from the door. Kyle blinked in confusion but waved as he entered.
"See ya!"
The door shut. Curious, Kyle reopened it—no Lucia. Another space magic trick, apparently.
"Mom, the door's weird."
Kyle trotted to Arian.
"The tower's too big, so various magics connect paths. I linked your door here to the hall."
"Can I do it?"
"Adults control the whole thing, but once registered, you can open doors to places you want."
Only in common first-floor areas, but no more hunting locations—convenient.
Not that I'd use it much otherwise.
As Lucia said, purebloods spent most time in fourth-floor residences. First floor saw little use outside meetings.
"How'd it go with Grandpa?"
"Great. He really likes you."
"Knew he would."
No reason not to. Kyle grinned. Only Arian in the hall—no other relatives.
"What about uncles and aunts?"
"Talking with Grandpa in the Sword Apex Hall."
"About me?"
"Yeah."
"Grandpa likes me—do uncles and aunts hate me?"
Sharp for a kid, but children sense rejection keenly.
"Some might."
Arian sighed, knelt, and hugged him tight.
"But don't worry. You..."
"I'm not. Grandpa likes me."
A plain fact.
He hadn't spoken to all relatives, so friend or foe was unknown.
No need to care. Family head Julius liking him was ironclad—and Kyle was sure it would grow.
"Pfft... Right, Grandpa likes you. In the tower, that's what matters most."
Arian giggled, stroking his back.
"Kyle, we'll live in the tower now."
"What about Rose Mansion?"
"We can't go back... Hmm, how to explain. The whole mansion's coming inside the tower."
What the hell is this tower? Curiosity about the unseen fourth floor surged.
"Will I see Seril and the maids?"
Five years at Rose Mansion with them. At their mention, Arian smiled and shook her head.
"No, they'll be here. They were tower servants originally. Think of it as everyone moving in together. Okay?"
"Awesome."
Why wouldn't it be?
The massive artifact tower—and Gladiheim fortress—were a giant playground to Kyle.
Landscapes from the carriage, tower interiors from Lucia. Where to start?
First, the second floor.
Alastor sword books. Time to study mana cultivation methods.
"Kyle, Mom has a question."
"What?"
"Swordsmanship or spirit arts—which do you want to learn?"
"Swordsmanship."
"What?"
Arian's voice rose at the instant reply.
"Swordsmanship? Not spirit arts?"
"Not that I hate it—just prefer swords."
"But Kyle, your spirit talent's genius-level! You saw it—the wolf of Fenris! That goblin!"
"Yeah."
"Don't you wanna be its master?"
"If I master swordsmanship, I can."
"That's... different? You need spirit arts to contract spirits."
She said it, but Arian wasn't certain. High elemental affinity, but none for goblins.
Most spiritists lacked it. Unlike elemental spirits born from nature over eons, goblins weren't pure. Independent, harder to bond.
"..."
Arian hoped Kyle would learn both sword and spirits—but knew it was her bias as a spiritist.
No forcing it. Self-reproach for pushing, she hugged him tighter.
"Sorry, Mom said something weird. No need for spirit arts. Learn what you want."
"Might want spirit arts later."
Kyle caught the self-blame in her voice.
"I'll ask you then."
Five hundred years passed. Demon hybrids pulled mana and aura at eight.
Maybe modern swordsmen spew fire or water from blades too.
If it aided swordsmanship, spirit arts would be worthwhile.