The Variable
It wasn't as if I'd ever craved my father's undivided love or his affectionate attention. Still, I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
Was his treatment of me truly based only on my martial achievements? Or was it because of the expectations that came with my changed behavior—my former indulgence in drink and women? Either way, the bitterness lingered on my tongue.
I never wanted blind affection. It would have been a burden anyway.
Even so, wasn't his reaction far too different from the past?
“The martial tournament will be suspended for now.”
At the Sword Sovereign's thunderous command, the gathered heroes could only nod, though none understood the reason. I wasn't the only one who sensed the fury in my father's voice. The heads of the other families glanced at him warily before quietly slipping away. Father turned his back and strode toward the Geomhonjeon.
A short while later, a man appeared and slipped unnoticed among the crowd. No one else recognized him, but I knew exactly who he was.
Ju Tae-hak, my uncle.
Father's cousin and the commander of the Seungryongdae. Ju Tae-hak went straight to the leader of the Baekryongdae, exchanged a few words, then headed for the Geomhonjeon. The Baekryongdae leader followed behind him, his face blank with despair.
“Hey.”
I walked toward Ju Sang-jin, who was still fuming, my own anger barely contained.
“Why do you always look at me like you want to tear me apart?”
“Hey? How dare you—”
“If you'd ever acted like a proper elder brother even once, I might have used the proper form of address.”
I reached out as if to help him up, then grabbed him by the collar when no one was looking. Pulling his face close, I let a thread of killing intent leak out.
“I was planning to break you properly, but you went and made a fool of yourself first.”
“What?”
Ju Sang-jin's face twisted. He looked genuinely confused.
What?
The moment I saw that blank expression, everything clicked into place.
“You really don't know anything, do you?”
“……What the hell are you talking about?”
Then it was Namgung I-hwa after all. When it came to politics, she was far more capable than this idiot.
“What do you think you're doing?”
Someone stepped onto the platform and seized my wrist. It was Elder Ju Tae-geon, a staunch supporter of Ju Sang-jin.
“I was just helping him up.”
I smiled faintly and released Ju Sang-jin's meridians.
“How dare you practice some nameless martial art and defile this sacred tournament? I won't let this slide.”
“Hmm……? A nameless martial art, you say?”
“I've never seen or heard of such crude, murderous techniques. Where did you learn that sloppy style? It reeks of the unorthodox path.”
“Your words are strange, Elder. Are you saying my second brother was defeated by such crude techniques without even putting up a fight?”
“……”
Ju Tae-geon's face flushed crimson. Even he seemed to realize the contradiction in his own words.
“How dare you talk back? When an elder speaks—”
“Brother, that's enough.”
At that moment, my ally appeared. Fifth Elder Ju Tae-hwi, my uncle.
“Woo-jin's right, isn't he? Why do you always look at him like you want to devour him alive?”
“What? If you keep coddling him, that arrogant brat will never learn his place—”
“Brother. Aren't you going too far?”
Ju Tae-hwi's brow furrowed as he snapped back.
“They are both my nephews. Let's not ruin the family's grand festival, which only happens once a year.”
“Y-you……!”
Ju Tae-geon was left speechless. Ju Tae-hwi's words were undeniably correct, and he had acted on impulse himself. There was no further pretext to scold anyone.
“I will take my leave, Brother.”
Ju Tae-hwi offered a respectful salute to the end, then grabbed me and led me out of the training grounds.
“Hahaha.”
Once we reached a secluded spot, Ju Tae-hwi suddenly burst into laughter.
“You scheming little rascal. When did you grow up so much?”
His gaze, filled with pride, was almost unbearably burdensome.
“What happens to the tournament now?”
This wasn't how the martial competition was supposed to end. There was still a chance my eldest brother might appear. I had been waiting for Ju Seung-hyeok to rise again. But if it ended like this? That was unacceptable.
“Well, I doubt the family head will let it end here. I'll go speak with him briefly. It seems…… Ju Tae-san is involved.”
Ju Tae-san was the name of the Baekryongdae leader—the man who had just helped Ju Sang-jin against me.
Something's off.
Honestly, the situation was strange. The Sword Sovereign was present, along with other renowned masters of the martial world. Did they really think they could get away with it?
Hmm.
What was even stranger was how similar yet different this was from my memories of my past life. Back then, Ju Sang-jin had beaten me senseless. I only learned later that it was the Namgung family's sword technique. At the time, I had simply assumed I collapsed from fear, as usual.
Even then, they used a paralyzing needle on me…… and the family head let it pass?
At first I had thought so, but that didn't make sense either. It wasn't a gathering of only Ju family members. Countless heroes and heads of other families had been present. Yet the family head's reaction now was different from before, which meant……
In my past life, they never used the needle on me.
That was the only conclusion.
“Don't tell me…… Namgung I-hwa is trying to keep me in check?”
Namgung I-hwa was nothing if not thorough. She intended to eliminate anyone who might obstruct her son Ju Sang-jin's path to becoming the heir. In my previous life, Ju Sang-jin had indeed become the most likely candidate.
“No. That won't do.”
It was a shortcut to destroying the family. I had experienced it firsthand in my past life. This time, I would place my eldest brother in that position no matter what.
I could work on persuading him slowly……
But first, I need to deal with the rest.
The elders and Namgung I-hwa. There really was no time to rest.
* * *
Inside the Ju family's Geomhonjeon, Ju Tae-sung dismissed the other elders and faced the Baekryongdae leader alone.
“What were you thinking?”
“……”
The Baekryongdae leader offered no answer. He simply kept his head lowered, unable to speak.
“The Ju family was humiliated in front of everyone.”
“……I am deeply sorry, my lord.”
“Hand over all your duties to the vice-commander. You are to remain in seclusion until further notice. We will discuss your punishment later.”
It was an indefinite confinement. The Baekryongdae leader bit his lip, hesitated, then finally lowered his head in resignation.
“I accept the family head's command.”
“……”
After watching him until the very end, Ju Tae-sung let out a quiet sigh. The moment Namgung I-hwa returned, the family's atmosphere had shifted dramatically. This wasn't what he had wanted, but it had been necessary. For now, he would let it pass at this level. More than anything, he was curious to see what choice his sons would make in this situation.
* * *
The martial tournament resumed. After I defeated both Ju Seung-gyeong and Ju Sang-jin in succession, the atmosphere grew fiercely heated. The heroes were excited. The Ju family's notorious wastrel, Ju Woo-jin—who had never drawn anyone's interest, let alone expectations—was now causing a massive upheaval.
Following the direct-line matches, the branch family members also took the stage. Even the elders' children and the unit commanders joined in, heightening the excitement. The heroes praised the Ju family, calling this the most spectacular festival in history. Even at this point, the Ju Family Heavenly Tournament had already achieved tremendous success.
“So…… it's over after all.”
I was disappointed. There had been no sign of my eldest brother. He had only appeared at the head table to watch the matches before disappearing again. It seemed he had no intention of participating.
In the end, he couldn't overcome it.
My eldest brother carried a heavy burden. During the Anak Blood Incident, he had been consumed by the power of his sword and cut down innocents along with his enemies. Even after the investigation proved it wasn't his fault, he had never been able to move past that guilt.
Those resentful gazes still haunt him.
That was what he had confessed in my past life. The sight of him trembling the moment he picked up a sword was something I could never forget—the image of a once-promising genius reduced to someone who could do nothing.
I couldn't just sit and watch any longer.
How foolish.
I rose from my seat with firm resolve. Even if I had to threaten him, I would drag my brother onto the stage.
But it turned out I didn't need to.
“Huh?”
“W-wait, who is that?”
“It's the young master! The Sword Dragon, Ju Seung-hyeok!”
The heroes' cheers were on an unprecedented scale—far louder than anything we had received. Every gaze from the family heads, elders, and even Father at the head table turned toward the center of the training grounds.
The figure walking slowly from the entrance was none other than my eldest brother, Ju Seung-hyeok.
“Impressive.”
I finally let out a sigh of relief and sat back down. A faint smile formed on my lips. I had been worried, but he had finally made his decision. He had resolved to overcome it—to cast off the inner demon that had bound him.
Wearing a black hero's headband embroidered with a dragon and set with a large red jade, his black robes billowing, Ju Seung-hyeok stepped onto the training grounds like a dragon ascending to the heavens. The title Sword Dragon suited him perfectly.
“Sword Dragon! Sword Dragon! Sword Dragon!”
The heroes rose to their feet as one. The ruler of Gangseo, the eldest son of the Ju family—he offered them a warm smile and clasped his hands in greeting.
“Waaaaah!”
A thunderous roar swept across the entire Ju estate. Only I noticed that Ju Tae-sung's expression at the head table had finally softened.
As expected, Father wanted to make him the heir.
It made sense. There was no one more suited. My brother possessed the patience and compassion to embrace everyone—qualities Father lacked.
“The Ju family's eldest son, Ju Seung-hyeok, enters the path of martial arts.”
With a respectful salute, Ju Seung-hyeok drew his sword. He demonstrated the techniques he had mastered, satisfying every onlooker.
“Hah.”
Namgung Yeom let out an admiring breath. The eldest son's realm far exceeded imagination.
“It seems he never truly set his sword aside.”
“Indeed. Seung-hyeok takes after the family head in talent, after all.”
Even the elders who supported Ju Sang-jin were shaken by Ju Seung-hyeok's appearance.
He's grown even stronger.
I watched my brother's swordplay in awe. I had known he wouldn't abandon the sword, but I never imagined he had reached this level.
After completing his demonstration, Ju Seung-hyeok stood tall in the center of the grounds. His gaze flicked toward me, a subtle smile on his lips—as if thanking me. Then his eyes swept across the head table before he offered a deep, respectful salute to one particular figure.
“The Ju family's eldest son, Ju Seung-hyeok.”
The opponent he chose for his match was unexpected.
“I humbly request instruction from the Ju family head.”
It was unprecedented. Never before had anyone challenged the family head during the Heavenly Tournament.
With heavy footsteps, the Sword Sovereign descended from the platform. As the head of the Ju family walked toward the center of the grounds, an overwhelming tension filled the air—so thick that no one dared to breathe.
“The Ju family head, Ju Tae-sung.”
He returned Ju Seung-hyeok's salute.
“I accept the eldest son's request and will face him in combat.”
Everyone fell silent, as if holding their breath. Then, a moment later—
“Waaaaaaaah!”
An enormous cheer erupted.
“That's my brother, all right.”
It was an unexpected move. Who would have thought he would challenge Father directly? In the end, my brother had decided to prove himself.