Chapter 3
Cain was the disgrace of the Balenos Family.
Who would dare say that the second son of any noble family was worse than a bastard child? Yet, among all the children of the Balenos Family, Cain was the biggest fool.
At just fifteen, he was the type to sneak women into his room.
And that wasn’t even the worst of it.
He didn’t put in any effort at all.
He skipped literature and magic classes and would just roll around with women.
He didn’t even obtain a basic magic certificate and had no talent for swordsmanship.
Was he smart, then?
Not at all.
His head was filled only with thoughts of beds, food, and women.
Cain didn’t even bother to learn the most basic history that everyone knew.
Because of this, Butler Biden, who was in charge of education, often found himself with a headache.
Biden would look at the empty seat left by Kadan, who had left the North and gone to the Imperial Capital.
It had been eight years now.
Eight years since the report came in about strange movements in the southern Arcanxia.
Kadan would occasionally visit Snowfall to show his face to the children, but—
“It’s already been two years since then.”
Biden thought.
Before leaving Snowfall, Kadan asked him to look after the children.
“Protecting the Young Masters and Lady is my duty.”
That’s why he was troubled.
No matter how many letters he sent, there was no reply, and there had been no word from Kadan.
The last message came last summer.
It was a brief note saying not to worry, that he was doing fine.
But the ominous feeling wouldn’t go away.
It settled deep within his chest.
With each passing day, the sense of foreboding grew, and now he could no longer ignore it.
“Trade hasn’t been going well recently.”
Kadan would’ve managed the finances of Wintera from the Imperial Capital.
Even so, the fact that he was hearing complaints from merchants meant—
“…Something has happened to Master Kadan in the Imperial Capital.”
Should he go meet with him directly?
Or should he remain at Snowfall and stay by the children’s side?
That was his dilemma.
“If something happened in the Imperial Capital, word would have reached us. But why hasn’t he returned?”
Biden stroked his white beard as he pondered.
Many things were moving away from Wintera.
He couldn’t let the children, who knew nothing yet, worry.
In that case, he had to stay by their side.
But he couldn’t just remain still forever.
He needed to see the Master with his own eyes and hear from him directly.
“If something happens while I’m away…”
There was no great concern since the former top-class adventurer, Arahan, was here.
Kael, who had become the Deputy Commander of the Frost Knight Order, had gone to investigate the ice region.
Disturbing rumours had reached here as well, making Biden even more troubled.
There were only about 150 knights stationed in Snowfall.
It was far too few to defend the territory.
Most of the knights had headed to the far northern edge and had likely joined forces with the wildlings.
Right now, Snowfall was practically an empty house.
And amidst all this, Cain was sneaking women in.
‘I wish he’d at least learn to use a basic spell to bolster our strength.’
Biden looked at the white snow.
Even in summer, snow fell in Wintera.
It was warmer than last year, but still far from not being cold.
He closed the window and straightened the wrinkles in his clothes.
The more dire the situation, the sharper his mind needed to be.
Biden kept a smile on his face, as he always did.
So the children wouldn’t worry.
With a clap of his hands, he set the attendants in motion.
“It’s time to work. Everyone, to your positions.”
* * *
“Hey, bastard.”
I heard a fool’s voice and ignored it.
Rowen, as usual, was closing his eyes and sensing his mana.
Infusing both arms with attributes and creating weapons was something he could now do freely.
“Are you ignoring me right now? Huh?”
“…”
I had no idea when he rolled into this building that housed the library.
Rowen’s concentration was disrupted by Cain’s voice.
He had been stabilizing his core, circulating it through his body.
It had been a long time since he trained.
Today was a rare holiday, as Arahan had given him the day off.
So, he had started focusing on mana stabilization, which he hadn’t been able to do for a while.
Just as he was calming down his absurdly immense mana, Cain ruined the flow.
Cold Frost Mana circulated around Rowen.
Rowen sighed and ground his teeth.
“Did you just grind your teeth at me?”
“Can you please just leave me alone?”
Rowen answered Cain’s question with another question.
He hadn’t intended to get on Cain’s nerves, but Cain’s face was already scrunched up in annoyance.
But what could he do?
Words spoken sincerely always had weight behind them.
“What do you think you’re saying to your older brother?”
“Brother, my ass. When have you ever acted like an older brother? Just because you were born a bit earlier.”
“Regardless, I’m still your brother!”
“Oh? But didn’t you say just yesterday that you’re not the brother of a bastard?”
“That was…”
“You’re such a hypocrite. Just go away and stop giving Uncle Biden a headache.”
Rowen closed his eyes again and began rotating his core.
Why did he need to control his overflowing mana, you ask?
The more stable the flow of mana, the stronger it becomes.
If the mana is as unstable as it is now when the core spins, it can cause an uncomfortable reaction in the spell.
It can even interfere with the rune language, leading to the spell being destroyed mid-cast.
But if the flow of mana is stable?
At least there would be no stray mana running amok throughout the body.
It would all circulate within the body along the proper paths, increasing physical stability.
Increasing the success rate of spells meant better control over mana, and it was a shortcut to becoming a top-tier mage.
Ignoring the screeching disgrace of the family behind him, Rowen began to control the cold frost once more.
Closing his eyes meant he couldn’t see the outside, but he could see within.
He took deep, steady breaths.
With each breath, his mind calmed, allowing him to focus on his mana.
‘The number of weapons I’ve created so far is ten.’
It wasn’t a large number, considering he had been creating them for years.
But the Ice Blade was a spell that Rowen had developed himself.
Unlike ordinary weapons that were consumables, it was a permanent substance that could be manifested anywhere.
So, ten weapons were not a small number.
He looked deep into the mana core that formed the foundation of his being.
The flower of mana was on the verge of blooming.
Three years until the coming-of-age ceremony.
He would hold his coming-of-age ceremony at eighteen.
Deep within Snowfall.
It was said that the Balenos Family had held traditional coming-of-age ceremonies for generations.
He had seen it in his past life as well and could never forget that sight.
Somewhere deep within the underground cavern lay the Fountain of Souls, which emitted its own light.
The dark ice cavern had no source of light from the outside.
The reason the ice cave could radiate a transparent glow was because of the fountain.
The Fountain of Souls contained the souls of the Balenos Family’s guardians.
In other words, it was filled with the spirits of the ancestors.
When a person dies, their body should be buried in the ground, and their soul should ascend to the heavenly realm.
But these spirits did not go to the side of the gods and instead remained to directly bless their descendants.
In his past life, Rowen witnessed that sight and saw countless spirits.
Among them, he saw the spirits of his ancestors and the first head of the family.
He was mighty, benevolent, and the King of Spirits.
As the generations of the Balenos Family passed, the children were born with immense mana due to his presence.
Blessed ones gave birth to blessed ones, and they, in turn, received blessings anew, accumulating power.
This process continued over tens and hundreds of years.
Gradually, the mana grew stronger, reaching the point it has today.
Even Rowen, whose Mana Flower had yet to bloom, possessed mana that exceeded the boundaries of ordinary people.
The children of the Balenos Family were born bearing the accumulated blessings of the King of Spirits and were blessed again.
That’s why they were able to survive in such a harsh region.
In his previous life, Rowen was not a member of the Balenos Family, but he had visited the Fountain of Souls.
‘Uba Calia Run.’
A warrior with the name of a great warrior and a companion from his previous life.
With Uba’s help, he was able to visit this place.
‘I really tried everything back then.’
Rowen, who lacked mana, had used every means possible.
Even so, his mana didn’t increase, and his core remained as small as a walnut.
That’s why he ended up visiting the Fountain of Souls, the residence of the Spirit King.
But the result was a complete failure.
The ancestor did not grant his blessing to Rowen’s past self.
In other words, he did not bless Lian.
No matter how kind he was to his descendants, it didn’t work on me.
Of course, Lian’s Mana Flower had already fully bloomed, and even if I received the blessing, it wouldn’t have had much of an effect.
But isn’t even a 1% increase still something?
That same King of Spirits would personally bloom my flower in three years.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of seeing his face again.
‘Didn’t I swear I’d never come back while yelling at him?’
“I’m looking forward to it.”
But that didn’t matter at all.
There’s no way the King of Spirits would remember me, and besides, I look completely different.
Right now, I was just looking forward to a future where I’d be stronger than the me of my past life.
Whirrr—
At some point, the rotation of the core had stabilized.
To perform powerful magic, the source of magic desired the Frost Magic Core.
It was a shape where the family’s DNA and mana were mixed, forming a circular ring.
Due to the presence of the bloodline, the bond between the user and mana became stronger, allowing for a deeper draw of power.
Instead of a raging storm, it spun quietly like a calm lake, as always.
The mana didn’t scatter any fragments but gently caressed his entire body with a natural touch.
The mana circulating throughout his body was cold.
‘The fact that mana feels colder means it’s stable to perfection.’
The family’s attribute itself exuded frost, so this was a good sign.
“Tsk…”
“Hm?”
A heat that contrasted sharply with the cold felt inside his body came from behind him.
Cain, with a teary face, held up a wooden sword.
Seeing that sight, Rowen couldn’t help but shake his head in disbelief.
He was going to charge at him again, claiming to teach him a lesson, like always.
This was the problem.
The image of being a bastard child led to discrimination.
At times like these, he resented Kadan.
‘It’s nice that he let me be born with a blessed body, but…’
“I wish I had been born normally.”
If his mother really was involved in something dishonourable—
Even if he didn’t want to think about it, it was a shameful thought.
If I weren’t a bastard but a legitimate heir, there’d be no reason to be belittled by this guy.
A guy weaker than me, stubborn, and unwilling to put in any effort.
Rowen sighed, looking at Cain holding the wooden sword awkwardly.
“You’ve been ignoring me since earlier…”
“You need to learn how to wait when someone is in the middle of something.”
“A bastard child dares to talk back! I can’t stand it!”
“A dog is barking.”
“Yes, that’s it! That’s the attitude I can’t stand!”
“Does our house’s dog not even know the command ‘wait’? We might need to hire a trainer soon.”
“You…!”
Cain shouted and swung the wooden sword.
Rowen dodged it lightly.
“You’re just here to pick a fight out of boredom anyway.”
“…So what?”
“Got tired of women? You premature brat?”
“What?”
“See, that’s why I ignore you.”
“You’re just a bastard…”
Cain trembled.
Anyone would think he was the most tragic figure in the world.
Watching Cain, Rowen smirked.
“Do you need to pee?”
“N-no, I don’t!”
“Then why are you shaking?”
Rowen raised his hand simultaneously.
Some might say it was a sign for a mountain.
A simple gesture, yet one that could instantly break the opponent’s spirit.
When executed properly, nothing else compares to it.
Rowen raised his middle finger.
“You bastard!”
Cain frowned at the vulgar yet brilliant gesture.
“Bastard this, bastard that. Aren’t you tired of it by now?”
“Shut up. You should just stay quietly beneath me…”
“The real issue is that you’re rated lower than me. You’re the family’s disgrace. When will you ever grow up?”
“Shut up! You don’t even have a mother!”
Oh…
He’s crossed the line.
This isn’t going to end the usual way.
Usually, I’d just snatch his wooden sword and send him away, but I don’t think this idiot will wake up if I let it go like this.
‘How dare he talk about my non-existent mother?’
Today, I’m going to give him a scare.
I think I’ve endured long enough.
Well, I’d been planning to put him in his place someday anyway.
He’s already fifteen and still hasn’t learned his lesson.
“Back in my day, if you insulted someone’s mother, you’d find your head on the wall the next morning.”
It’s already painful not even knowing who she was, and he dares to touch that wound?
That guy is a demon.
A demon with the face of a boy.
“It’s only natural for demons to be the enemy of heroes, right?”
“What nonsense are you spouting now? Are you insane?”
“That’s right, isn’t it?”
“You’ve completely lost it!”
“How dare you insult my non-existent mother?”
Cain knew that Rowen could use magic.
But he had never used it on him even once.
Maybe he thought Rowen was bluffing.
That assumption was a careless one.
Rowen grinned as he infused attributes into both his arms.
Crack!
In an instant.
Ten weapons swirled in the air as Cain blinked.
He grabbed one of the longswords among them.
The blue sword exuded a chilling aura, emitting a presence of death.
“Never insult a non-existent mother.”
“I-it doesn’t matter if she doesn’t exist!”
“What did you say? Say it again.”
Rowen sneered as he looked at Cain.
“Hiccup!”
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
-> MAKE ACCOUNT AND GET [50] COINS FREE!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Comment