T/N: Are you guys ready for this? If I hadn’t known better, I’d have thought this was a competition to see who has the most tragic past *sigh*

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“Live like a sword, Lumen. You will live quietly, protecting your older brother, who will carry on the family name.”

Before Cadel’s vision brightened, he heard a voice. It was a gravelly male voice, dry and forceful in tone as if he were lecturing someone on the way of life.

“Don’t be greedy for anything. Remember your place.”

With those last warning words, his vision brightened. In the middle of the hallway of a spacious mansion, a boy, clearly Lumen’s childhood self, was walking down the hall.

‘Wow, this egoistic jerk. Is he really just a kid?’

Cadel stuck out his tongue as he studied the young Lumen’s face. His luxurious black hair and elegant blue eyes were a constant presence. But there was an air of innocence about the boy, who was smaller and thinner than he was now. To Lumen, innocent was a label that didn’t seem to fit him at all.

The white skin that contrasted with the black hair and the delicate features that filled the small face were, as Van sarcastically put it, the very image of ‘an aristocratic boy who grew up without hardships’.

Even when Van was young, he was an absurdly handsome boy with a lot of anger, but Lumen was different. A gentle face with no trace of its current indifference or coldness. He was so gentle that even if someone tapped him on the shoulder, he would respond with a polite smile and say it was okay.

Cadel let out an exclamation that bordered on anger as he scrutinized the young Lumen’s form.

‘He’s about 14, I think, and his face is about that age, but he’s tall…….’

His elongated height, which seemed to be in the midst of growth, made it difficult to estimate his age.

Anyway, where was Lumen headed? When Cadel opened his eyes, he thought he would see the owner of the voice, but he saw no one else in the hallway except Lumen.

The place Lumen arrived after leaving the mansion with his long legs was a training ground located in the spacious back garden. Intoxicated by the grandeur and luxury of Dominic’s mansion, Cadel looked around like a tourist, until a voice brought him back to reality.

“Ah, Young Master Lumen. You’re here again today, aren’t you?”

“I can’t skip practice, so if you’re busy, I’ll be practicing on my own until the end of the day.”

“Haha! No, Young Master. Nothing is more important than your training. Now, then, bring your sword in.”

Was this a knight of the Dominic family? It was a man who looked to be in his late twenties. He led Lumen through the training grounds with a happy smile on his face as if he were pleased with the diligence.

“Today we’ll be practicing the basic stance of the ‘stab’, which is the foundation of swordsmanship, and we’ll work on it until we get it perfect.”

“Yes. Please take care of me, Sir Korver.”

With a stern greeting from Lumen, the training began. They practiced the ‘stab’ until it was perfect, and then they practiced the same stance over and over again until Cadel got tired of watching.

‘Lean forward with all of your weight on your back foot in one motion, keeping your arms straight, and pak! Ah, pak, do it, pak! Lumen! Are you going to practice stabbing here for the rest of your life? Why is there no strength in your body?’

By now, Cadel had memorized the teachings of the man called Korver, and he endured the tedious training sessions with the mindset of a fan at a sporting event, walking from place to place.

How many hours had passed like that? Lumen, showered with sweat, mustered the last of his strength and threw down his sword. In an instant, a flash of blue light appeared and disappeared from the blunt tip of the sword.

‘……Huh? That’s it.’

Sword energy. Cadel recognized it at once. Lumen’s sword drawing technique always left behind a blue flash of sword energy, and this must have been the first manifestation of the sword energy he would use in the future.

The appearance of the tiny sword energy was a cute discovery for Cadel, but not for young Lumen and Korver. Lumen stiffened at the sight of his tiny sword energy, and Korver’s eyes widened as if they were going to pop out of his head.

Still, elders being elders, Korver came to his senses first.

“You’ve manifested the sword energy, Young Master! You are amazing.”

“My sword energy…….”

“Manifesting sword energy at the age of 13 is a sign of immense talent. The youngest current 7-star swordsman manifested his first sword energy on his 14th birthday, so Young Master, you beat him by a year.”

Korver squeezed Lumen’s shoulder, trying to stifle the growing excitement in his voice. Lumen was still a little shaky but soon smiled expectantly at Korver’s continued praise.

“I’ll have to tell Father. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled, right?”

His blue eyes sparkled with delight. But when he turned to face him, a shallow crack spread across Korver’s face. Lumen didn’t seem to notice, but Cadel did.

“As for informing the Marquis…… Why not put that off until later?”