The Family's Heirloom Sword, 『Imperial Gaz』

I whistled a lazy tune as I headed downstairs.

Even along the way, the servants kept shooting me nervous glances.

“She tore Jerome young master apart?”

“Grabbed him by the hair from the start and beat the hell out of him?”

“He’s half-crippled now, they say. Haaah…”

“So she’s been hiding her strength all this time? But why?!”

Speculation ran wild, and I welcomed it.

This was exactly the atmosphere I wanted.

I hoped the family would fall into even greater chaos.

‘A doomed house deserves to collapse. Honestly, besides the current head, there isn’t a single useful person here.’

The fact that an outsider’s child was being treated like a young master and allowed to strut around unchecked was proof enough. This family was practically in a state of anarchy. I felt sorry for the head, who was buried in work, but a house destined to fall should just fall.

‘If this place collapses, then the protagonist…’

Thud, thud, step.

I arrived at the storeroom in the basement of the main mansion.

Carefully, I opened the door.

A barrier that only allowed entry to those with the family’s blood appeared.

Click, creeeak.

I stepped inside and lit the lamps.

Dust had gathered in patches, and it looked like few people had come here recently.

I let out a deep sigh, and fine white dust scattered in every direction.

‘Look at the state of the underground storeroom in a prestigious house.’

Still, there was a good reason to come here.

An opportunity, a stroke of fortune that would bring me tremendous gain.

Now was the time.

I needed to build my strength in earnest, but for now, monopolizing what I could obtain immediately was better than waiting for my abilities to grow. Everyone would agree.

There was only one thing I was after.

‘The heirloom sword, Imperial Gaz—the family treasure and symbol that only the future head of the house may claim!’

Origin Divine Art worked fine with bare-handed techniques, but it became truly terrifying when paired with a weapon. Swordsmanship, spear techniques, staff arts, even archery and firearms—the skill set simply pulled the best parts from every discipline and weapon type.

“Ugh, look at all this dust.”

As expected of a prestigious family’s heirloom, no one had been able to claim it until now.

That included my younger brother and rival, Holan.

‘He received every kind of education from a young age and flaunted his talent. Even the one who completed the Akashic Academy in record time couldn’t take it. I know exactly why!’

I smirked and stepped forward.

After looking around the underground storeroom, I carefully stomped on the floor.

Thud, thud, thump.

There was a hollow spot.

I went straight to it and found the handle—a foldable metal one, just as I expected.

I lifted the entrance upward.

A staircase leading down appeared.

‘In the original story, the protagonist’s rival stole it this way.’

I shrugged as I descended.

‘Now it’s mine.’

At the bottom sat a single golden chest, placed all alone.

It was the size of a treasure chest pirates might find on an island.

It was old and covered in dust, of course.

‘So no one but the current head, Blaken, has touched it.’

Heirlooms were usually presented during the succession ceremony or when someone proved they could become the head. While its performance was excellent, its symbolic value was greater, so even the head rarely used it as a main weapon.

But I was different. I had already announced I would be leaving the estate.

Tap, tap, tap.

I gently brushed the dust off the chest. Soon, letters appeared in the air.

Bring it on. I’m confident!

Even those who had desperately tried to become head had failed to find the answers to these quizzes.

But I knew them all.

[First question: What is the incantation to dispel the fog?]

The author of this novel played Age of Empires 3 a lot. This one’s easy.

‘The answer is X marks the spot.’

The chest glowed faintly and vibrated.

[Second question: How does one become rich?]

‘Simple. Show me the money.’

The chest glowed again. Now for the final question.

[Third question: What grants the qualification to become the dragon’s master?]

‘This one’s from HimaMae. 32167!’

The chest shook violently, glowing as if it were about to explode.

After trembling so wildly, it suddenly opened wide.

Click, kiiieeeek!

I peered inside. There it was.

A blade glowing with a pale sky-blue light, broad enough to sit between a longsword and a greatsword.

Well, the classification said greatsword.

‘It’s big, sure, but still better than those oversized greatswords with massive attack delay.’

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

It was funny, though. This wasn’t even a game—it was a novel—yet it still had classifications like greatsword and oversized greatsword.

When I gripped it with both hands and lifted it, the specs appeared.

As expected, there were still many things left to unlock. If I unlocked them all, it would become an incredible artifact.

Well, I could just think of it as growing alongside me.

“Hah, this is it. This is what I wanted… haaah…!”

I was filled with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment greater than anything I had felt before.

My body trembled with a thrill so intense it made my lower body tingle.

I stroked Imperial Gaz as if I were a woman in love with it.

I wanted to kiss it, but I had no hobby of doing that to a lump of metal.

I stored it in my ring and smiled.

‘In the original story, the rival relied on this single sword to compete with the protagonist. I’m not going to use it right away, though. If I have to, I will—but I should save it for a more spectacular moment!’

I went back upstairs. I wanted to rest in the annex mansion.

Then I ran into Holan. Great.

He approached me with a stiff expression.

“Sis, you were pretty impressive back there…”

“Why? Feeling nervous?”

“Hey, I know it wasn’t some trick like the others are saying. That’s why I’m curious. Tell me—how did a sis who couldn’t even handle mana and was a total loser manage to beat Jerome?”

This was why, even though he looked like a completed genius on the surface, he still seemed lacking.

He had no insight. Even if he graduated at the top of the academy, his lack of real combat experience made his ability to read the flow of battle pathetic.

I deliberately put on an arrogant smile.

“Well, it’s not exactly an industry secret.”

“Then you’ll tell me?”

“No. It’s not a secret—it’s something you can figure out just by looking, so I don’t feel like explaining.”

“So it is a trick?”

“Wow, you really have no backbone, do you?”

“…Wouldn’t anyone suspect the same? The family’s weakest loser suddenly defeated a third-circle mage?”

Holan sneered, like a Joseon-era noble mocking a competent slave.

“No matter how arrogant and full of openings he was, does it make sense that you beat someone like that?”

“Why? You couldn’t do it?”

“Eheh, come on. You know the answer.”

Anyway, I had to give the right answer here. I clicked my tongue.

Let’s see how you react, you little brat.

“Whether you’re stupid or just impatient, the answer lies in the medicine.”

“Medicine? That poison Alonzo supposedly gave you?”

I nodded. I might as well use that dead guy one more time.

After all, the dead can’t talk.

“Even if it was poison, it had some effect. That’s why I didn’t notice it either. I don’t know why Alonzo did it, but after drinking it, I started feeling strangely strong.”

“Strong, huh…”

“It wasn’t mana, but something similar. Well, I got lucky.”

“…So it’s qi? But it didn’t look like qi to me.”

“If you’ve got what you wanted, move. We’re not close enough to keep chatting like this.”

I walked past Holan. His voice came from behind me.

“I’ll be watching. You seem to have a lot of secrets, sis.”

“Are you a stalker with a voyeurism fetish? I didn’t know you had that hobby.”

“You should watch your ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠words. I’m the next head of the house. There shouldn’t be secrets between family members. Don’t you even know that basic courtesy?”

Family, my ass. More like family from hell.

“There’s a saying that secrets make a woman womanly. That’s why you’re still a virgin.”

“…What?!”

I laughed lightly and left. I entered my room in the annex mansion.

I took a deep breath.

“Ugh, just looking at that guy makes it hard to breathe. How does a kid have such an oppressive presence?”

Call him inexperienced or a fool all you want.

Holan had inherited the most blood from our father, the current head.

That was why facing him alone was so difficult—his mere presence was overwhelming.

If Jerome was a brat who only had talent, Holan felt like facing a completed monster from the very beginning.

Well, I’d deal with Holan someday.

‘It’s about time to move ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into that phase. Sorry, Holan, but I won’t be taking you down the straightforward way.’

A laugh escaped me. Everyone believed Holan would become the next head.

They even called him the next head already.

So what if I shattered their expectations?

What if I turned Holan into a half-cripple like Jerome and put on a show?

Just imagining it made my lower body tingle.

I opened the window and looked down.

I could hear the family members arguing.

“Queen, that girl is a fraud! We should expel her!”

“If her skills are real, we’re all doomed. Watch what you say.”

“Looking at the succession line, Queen is…”

“When is that Miranda girl going to disappear? I can’t stand the sight of her!”

Their reactions were all over the place. This was more entertaining than a comedy show.

Well then, time to start planning for the future.

After all, this was only the beginning.

Evening had come. Beneath the dark night sky, only moonlight poured through the broken window.

“Aah, haa… ang, haaang♥”

Winz, wearing only lingerie, was breathing heavily.

Her pointed ears were flushed red as she bit her lower lip.

“Nngh, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠haah, my lady… aaah, Lady Queen Wednesday’s figure. I want to see it again. It’s exactly the image I’ve always imagined…!”

She rocked her body slowly back and forth. This was the head maid’s room, given only to her.

The atmosphere in the room was strangely sticky.

Winz recalled the moment Queen Wednesday delivered the finishing blow to Jerome.

A look of ecstasy passed over her flushed face.

“Haaah, heh, haaah…! Aaah, my lady. That insane look you get at the slightest provocation—I love it so much! I want to have it forever…!”

Shedding tears of joy, Winz slowly collapsed onto the bed.