The Weight of a Single Letter
Julius couldn't find the words to continue, and he accepted the letter Kyle handed him.
'It's heavy...?'
It was just an envelope with a few sheets of paper, yet strangely, it felt heavy. Of course, it was merely an illusion. The letter wasn't heavy at all.
What felt heavy was Julius's heart. He had many children, and even before Kyle came along, he already had four grandchildren.
This wasn't the first time he'd received such a 'letter.' Every year on Julius's birthday, his children had handwritten letters for him when they were young, and his grandchildren had done the same.
But receiving a letter like this on a day that wasn't his birthday—this was a first.
Julius Alastor. Before he was a father or grandfather, he was the head of the Alastor family, and before that, a warrior.
Dignity and decorum flowed from him naturally, without effort, and his children and grandchildren treated him accordingly.
Julius acknowledged it himself. He wasn't particularly taciturn, but he valued dignity greatly. As a result, he rarely showed open affection to his children and grandchildren, and they all approached him with a sense of awe.
"..."
With a stiffened expression, Julius examined the letter. It wasn't even sealed with wax—just slipped into an envelope. He swallowed dryly and opened it.
There was only a single sheet of paper inside. Julius felt a touch of absurdity. The letters his children and grandchildren had given him on past birthdays had all been thick stacks.
"You can't read it now."
As Julius pulled out the letter to read, Kyle quickly spoke up.
"Why not now?"
"Because it'd embarrass me."
Kyle meant it sincerely. He'd written it to thank him for the lavish elixirs, to cheer up his seemingly lonely grandfather, and to earn even more favor in the future. But no matter what, having it read right in front of him was too much to bear.
"...I understand."
He wanted to read it right then and there, but with his grandson speaking so earnestly, Julius had no choice but to tuck the letter into his bosom.
"What do you want to do for fun today?"
"Like yesterday."
Yesterday had been hectic with various events, and it was late, leaving him fatigued. But now, with the elixirs boosting him, energy surged through his body.
"Thanks to Grandfather's gift, my body's stronger. We can have even more fun than yesterday."
Julius smiled faintly at that. Any regret over not reading the letter vanished cleanly. He nodded, picking up the wooden sword from yesterday that hadn't been put away, and handed it to Kyle.
[Grrr...]
The mutt pup growled again, but Kyle didn't spare a glance at Fenris embedded in the Sword Apex Hall. Gripping the wooden sword, he faced Julius.
*
The drugs work too damn well.
He revised his impression from clashing with Bruno earlier.
They work way too well.
In the Sword Apex Hall after Kyle left, Julius chuckled softly as he returned to his jade throne.
Outside, the sun was already setting. The elixir-fueled, vigorous grandson had played with him nonstop for half a day. It only stopped because Julius had other matters to attend to—if not, he'd probably still be swinging that wooden sword.
His senses are exceptional. And his mental fortitude too.
Just like yesterday, they faced off with wooden swords, Julius blocking Kyle's attacks in their game. He'd even mixed in some pressure with his presence, but Kyle didn't flinch once.
Even when he infused hostility, Kyle didn't cry or scream. Instead, he laughed as if it were fun and charged in.
Dante and Serros were bold and aggressive as kids too, but not to Kyle's level.
Far from being intimidated by the older, larger Bruno, he'd dominated the atmosphere single-handedly. Even the cunning Bekiuss couldn't overpower him. In Julius's judgment, Kyle's spirit was innately powerful—there was no other explanation.
He's not all talk. He's a born genius in combat. Thirst for the sword, yearning for strength—he has it all.
His grandson was only five years old, yet Julius couldn't find a single flaw. Quick-witted, adaptable, even socially savvy. Chuckling to himself, Julius pulled the letter from his bosom.
To Grandfather.
Hello, Grandfather. It's me, Kyle.
Thank you for the awesome gift.
It's the first gift like this I've ever gotten, so I'm super happy.
Please send me more gifts from now on.
Later, when I get stronger than Grandfather, I'll definitely pay you back.
Stay healthy for a long, long time.
"..."
Short.
He'd thought his grandson had no flaws, but this handwriting revealed one immediately.
"His writing is abysmal."
Julius muttered with a hollow chuckle. And the content was downright cheeky.
When I get stronger later?
I'll pay you back then?
Absurdity washed over him as he reread the letter. It was so short, it took mere seconds. No hidden meanings—just the brazen words as they were. He flipped it over just in case, but there were no additional lines.
"What an outrageous brat..."
A mere five-year-old, declaring to the Alastor family head that he'd surpass him someday. A bold proclamation he'd never heard from his own children, now from his young grandson. Julius laughed again, carefully folding the letter and slipping it back into the envelope.
"..."
He pulled it out again and reread it.
Over and over.
*
Kyle returned to Rose Mansion utterly drained. Family dinners with everyone together weren't common, so tonight was planned at the mansion.
"Kyle!"
The moment he opened the door, Arian rushed over. From her startled expression, Kyle guessed immediately.
'One of the uncles must've thrown a fit.'
Probably not Kartan—likely Barkas, the bear's father. Even so, Kyle stood tall. No reason to cower.
"I'm home, Mom. Did Uncle Barkas stop by?"
"Uh... yeah?"
Arian's eyes widened at his preemptive question. She hesitated, then nodded slightly.
"Yeah."
"What'd he say?"
"Spouted nonsense not worth responding to."
"Do you think I was wrong, Mom?"
Kyle blinked innocently. Arian blinked back, then burst out laughing.
"Bruno tried to hit you first."
"Right."
"He even used aura, from what I heard? And then he comes complaining? No wonder he got divorced—with a temper like that."
Arian grumbled as she knelt, grabbing Kyle's shoulders firmly.
"You're not hurt, right?"
"I didn't get hit once. Bruno took one from me instead."
"No intention of calling him 'hyung,' huh?"
"If he acted like a big brother, I would. But Bruno doesn't deserve it. Neither does Bekiuss."
Kyle declared confidently, grinning.
"Did Uncle tell me to call him 'hyung'?"
"He yapped at me to raise you properly."
"And you just listened?"
"As if. I told him to teach his own kids right. Who is he to lecture me after getting decked by his little brother's kid and pulling out aura? Mind his own house first."
Arian wasn't one to hold back either. She'd been bullied by Barkas for her spirit arts talent as a kid, but she was no longer that girl.
And if her brother picked on her son Kyle over nothing? She'd never stand for it.
"Grandfather didn't blame me either. He said I did well."
Kyle grinned. Barkas would fume over his son getting beaten and humiliated, but he couldn't escalate beyond complaints.
It wasn't something to brag about. And the family head hadn't faulted Kyle. All Barkas could do was seethe in jealousy.
Gurgle.
His stomach roared from half a day of playing with Grandfather. Arian giggled at the sound and hugged her son tightly.
"Hungry, huh? Let's eat dinner with Aunt Erica tonight."
"With Aunt?"
"Yeah. She said she'd drop by sometime."
It probably didn't mean tonight, but she wouldn't mind. Arian took Kyle's hand and lightly knocked on Rose Mansion's door.
Knock knock.
Thinking of Erica's mansion as he knocked, a response came immediately.
"This is the residence of Lady Erica Alastor. Who is it?"
"Arian Alastor. Here to have dinner with Erica—mind if we visit now?"
"Please wait a moment."
Soon, the servant's calm voice returned.
"Lady Erica is currently training in the mansion's dojo, but she says it's fine to visit."
"Got it. We're coming now."
Arian whispered in Kyle's ear with a chuckle.
"Looks like your aunt wants to show off her sword training to you."
Sword training! Kyle's eyes sparkled like a starry night sky. Five years since reincarnating, and he'd yet to see proper swordsmanship of this era.
What Grandfather and I did was just play.
Even sparring with Lucia hadn't met expectations. Heart pounding, Kyle swallowed hard.
Arian, adoring her excited son, opened the door. It should lead to Rose Mansion's garden, but instead revealed another grand mansion.
Erica's home. Servants stood respectfully beyond the open gates, welcoming Arian and Kyle.
"Shall I escort you to the drawing room?"
"Take us to the dojo. She'll want to show off anyway."
The servants smiled faintly at her teasing remark. Sure enough, Erica had permitted the visit to flaunt her skills.
The dojo was underground. Holding Arian's hand as they descended the stairs, Kyle tilted his head.
What is this?
The air was cold. Underground chill? No, more than that.
A biting frost that pierced the skin. Not just low temperature—something unnatural. As Kyle rubbed his arms thoughtfully, Arian gently kneaded his hand, wrapping him in warm comfort.
"Milady. Your guests have arrived."
The servant opened the underground dojo door.
Whoosh!
White frost erupted like a storm the moment it opened.
"...!"
Kyle flinched and shrank back. The dojo was a frozen wonderland. Floor and walls encased in ice, snowflake crystals glittering in the air.
At the center: Erica.
Flash! Erica swung her sword. Each arc of the pure white blade birthed ice flowers with a clear ring.
Swish...
Gliding like on ice, her steps elegant as a dance. The sword never stopped, weaving through blooming ice flowers.
Whoosh!
Aura burst from the tip, tracing a cross in the air—not an afterimage, but a frozen crystal cross lingering.
"Hoo...!"
Finishing her sword dance, Erica exhaled deeply. Then, with obvious feigned surprise, she whipped around.
"Oh? Sis? When did you get here?"
After blatantly showing off. Yet she acted utterly innocent. Arian laughed and clapped.
"Erica, amazing! Your swordsmanship has improved so much!"
"Heh heh. Well... yeah. It's been six years."
Erica continued, oblivious to her twitching lips.
"Back when you were around, I hadn't awakened my spirit root yet. Ahem, as you see, I've awakened the ice spirit root."
She tried to play it cool, but her expression and voice betrayed her eagerness for praise as she stared at Arian.
"So cool! An ice spirit root—super rare!"
"Ahem, yeah. Makes training tricky, though. Picking a mana cultivation method and sword style was easy enough."
"You're thirteen, right? Reaching the Form Realm just three years after starting serious training... you worked hard!"
"Ahem ahem, nothing special. Our brothers and you hit Form Realm at my age too. You especially, at thirteen..."
"Excuse me."
From the display and conversation, Kyle couldn't hold back.
"Was that swordsmanship Aunt just did?"
"Huh? Of course. It's called the Snow Flower Swordsmanship."
Erica had shown it partly to earn respect from her cheeky nephew. Composing herself, she circulated mana.
Whoosh! She swung again.
"This is—Snow Flower Wild Dance!"
Relentless slashes bloomed dozens of snow flowers. Mana drain hit hard—dizziness, twisting pain inside. She finally stopped, but her face showed no suffering.
Or so she thought. Her lips drooped like she might vomit, brows furrowed. Still, she puffed her chest proudly at Kyle.
"Wh-what do you think?"
Breath ragged, voice strained, but she forced the question.
"..."
Kyle didn't answer, replaying the dozens of ice flowers around her and her slashes.
He was dumbfounded.
This is... what, sword or sorcery?
Guess this is modern swordsmanship.