“What? Why?”

“It’s, uh…….”

At Lumen’s innocent question, Korver hesitated for a moment. Lumen, who was staring at him, cautiously opened his mouth.

“Father told me to be a sword, so I’m training every day to be a great sword. ……I thought he would be happy to know that I have what it takes. Am I wrong, Sir Korver?”

Apparently, the first voice Cadel heard was Lumen’s father.

The current head of the Dominic family. Cadel fell into a strange feeling, remembering his dry and cold voice. And that seemed to be the case for Korver as well.

“People don’t want a sword that’s better than its owner, because it’s going to hurt the owner somehow.”

“……Does that mean I’m going to hurt Older Brother?”

“No. That’s not what I mean, Young Master. I just mean that someone might think so, so let’s keep it between us for now.”

Korver tried to divert his words, as if he was worried about hurting Lumen’s feelings. Lumen played roughly in tune for a desperate Korver, but it was obvious that his mind was elsewhere.

‘What the hell?’

And from their conversation, Cadel could guess Lumen’s place in the family.

‘So, Lumen’s father was so fond of the firstborn to carry on the family name that he wanted to raise Lumen as a sword to protect the firstborn so that no one could threaten the position? Judging by the way he avoids highlighting Lumen’s abilities, it seems like he was trying to raise him to be a thorough second-in-command.’

A father instilling obedience to the older brother in his younger son. Though he had never met the man before, Cadel felt a deep contempt for him.

In the meantime, Lumen spoke with a serious face, as if he had gathered his thoughts.

“Sir Korver. In that case, I will not train my sword energy. If this power has the potential to harm Older Brother, I should not have learned it in the first place.”

“Pardon……?”

“Even if I don’t have sword energy, I can still become a great swordsman.”

“Young, Young Master.”

Korver was stunned by the conclusion. Cadel, too, was taken aback by Lumen’s almost naïve demeanor.

‘What’s with all the goodness? Is it Lumen? Is he doing this because of a bastard called his father?’

Don’t be greedy for anything, and remember your place.

The dull brainwashing must have been deeply ingrained in young Lumen. The sight of a parent ruining a child is always unbearably unpleasant.

“……Young Master. Listen to me carefully.”

Korver got down to eye level with the docile Lumen and spoke in a clear voice to make sure he could hear.

“That power is Young Master’s power. It is your power that you must cultivate and make it your own. It does not belong to anyone, and it is a power that should not be allowed to be wielded by anyone. So don’t get discouraged already. A good swordsman doesn’t quit, doesn’t give up, and doesn’t back down.”

“However…….”

“Be strong. The priority is to train your body and mind and distinguish between right and wrong for yourself. Put aside all other worries and focus only on your growth.”

Korver cared for Lumen like his own younger brother, so he felt sorry for Lumen for trying to kill the bud before it even bloomed. He tried to save Lumen, even though he knew it was far beyond his authority.

Did Lumen recognize Korver’s will? Lumen hesitated for a moment and eventually nodded his head.

‘……Good thing he has someone like that next to him.’

Without Korver, Lumen would have given up on his talent. At the very least, his childhood would have been ruined.

Because someone like Korver helped Lumen, did Lumen also become greedy for the patriarch position to live up to his expectations?

Cadel’s vague guess was shattered by the change of scene.

“Kor, Korver…… Sir Korver…….”

Korver, who had been alive and well and giving Lumen advice just moments before, was now a cold, dead corpse lying in the dirt.

Tracking rain fell in the dark, cloudy sky. Lumen stood without an umbrella, soaked to the skin, his face whiter than a corpse, as he stared at Korver. With a sword pierced through his chest, Korver’s corpse was cooling without even closing his eyes.

Lumen shook his head in disbelief and turned to walk away, but someone standing behind him stopped him.

Cadel, who was equally shocked by Korver’s sudden death, recognized the identity of the other man blocking Lumen.

‘Is this Lumen’s father? Why is he here?’

The only outward resemblance was the jet-black hair, but his demeanor was very much like Lumen as an adult. A stiff expression and emotionless eyes, devoid of emotion.

He remained blunt, even in the presence of his son, who had seen the body. He even pushed the terrified Lumen’s back, pushing him toward the corpse.

“Take a good look. This is the one who tried to slander your older brother.”

“Don’t, don’t be ridiculous, Father. Sir Korver couldn’t have done that!”

“Later, you’ll have to deal with it yourself. If someone wants to hurt your older brother, you’ll have to make the first move. Now, Lumen. Look at how this man died.”

“No……. You’ve got it all wrong, Father. Sir Korver, Sir Korver is…….”

Lumen was in a state of near panic. It was traumatizing enough to see a corpse at such a young age, but to think it was someone so close to him. It was strange not to go crazy.

Cadel was desperate to get the anguished Lumen out of his damned father’s grasp. He couldn’t stand the ridiculousness of his father grabbing Lumen by the nape of his neck and forcing him to look down at the corpse.

What followed was enough to shock both Lumen and Cadel at the same time.

“He hid the fact that you could wield the sword energy from me, trying to increase your power in secret, knowing full well that it would threaten your older brother’s position.”

“Fa, Father, that—”

“He wanted you to take your older brother’s position, so he could profit from you being the head of the family, that shameless bastard. A traitor deserves to die.”

Korver didn’t seem like the kind of person who would slander someone. Apparently, Cadel’s instincts were right. Lumen’s father was furious that Lumen had been cultivating special power without his knowledge, and in a fit of senseless paranoia, he had killed a stranger.

It was a fact that neither Cadel, who knew only fragments of the situation, nor Lumen, who was still very young, could have known.

‘Isn’t this bastard completely crazy as hell……?’

Lumen was beyond shocked, beyond horrified. His breathing was ragged, his cheeks chilled by the rain and his jaw trembling. His father, oblivious to his son’s precarious position, knelt down in front of the corpse.

“Reflect on yourself for not being able to see through his shallow schemes. Don’t come back until you reflect on everything.”

It was obvious abuse. The sight of Lumen trembling convulsively made Cadel feel sick to his stomach. He wanted to beat the crap out of this maniac right now, but the inability to do so was driving him insane.

Even after his father left, Lumen didn’t move. Sobbing uncontrollably, he reached out a pale hand and closed Korver’s eyes.

‘Lumen…….’

What must be going through a young boy’s mind in this harsh rain, with the corpse of a loved one in front of him? Cadel dared not imagine. He could only sit beside Lumen, unable to breathe, clenching his teeth, and silently rage on his behalf.

The scene transitioned slowly.

Lumen was standing quietly next to the tightly closed door. His face, hidden by the shadowy wall, was dark, and Cadel soon realized the cause.

Beyond the door, his parents were arguing loudly.

“Lumen is your son, Froch! Not a child to be sacrificed for Joseph!”

“Who said anything about sacrifice? It’s only natural for the second son to support the eldest son, who will be the head of the family in the future. I’m not sure why Madam is so upset.”

“Are you serious……? You’re trying to control and suppress everything around him, and when you see something he’s better than Joseph, you run out and trample it, and you hurt anyone who shows interest in him……. Please stop it!”

“Joseph is a child with a weak body and a delicate nature. What would such a child think when he sees his little brother growing up healthy and bright? I’m not trampling on Lumen. I’m trying to protect Joseph.”

Their arguments only escalated. A servant might have come running to take Lumen away, defenselessly exposed to all this bickering, but there was no one around him.

Cadel nervously overheard the story, suffering from the urge to cover Lumen’s ears.

“Why are you so obsessed with Joseph? Joseph’s your son, but he’s also my child. He’s too weak to be a patriarch, and if you put that kind of pressure on him, he could get sick at any moment.”

“……So. Are you saying that Lumen is better suited to be the head of the family than Joseph, who might collapse at any moment? It seems like you want to put Lumen in the position of patriarch, right? As if my eldest son, who is alive and well, is not there!”

“When did I ever say that……!”

The sharp noise of something breaking was accompanied by a woman’s scream. Lumen gasped and clenched his fists. Unsteady, trembling eyes stared at the door.

“Kkyahh! Froch!”

“It’s not about obsession, it’s about following proper rules! You are the ones using Lumen. Not me!”

Unable to stand by and watch the horrific argument, Lumen opened the door and stepped inside. Inside, a woman who looked exactly like Lumen lay on the floor in a disheveled heap.

Her blue eyes, exposed beneath her scattered hair, widened as she quickly composed herself and rushed to Lumen’s side.

“Lumen, what are you doing here when you should be sleeping? Go back quickly.”

“Mother…….”

“Now.”

She pushed Lumen out of the room with force in her trembling hands and smiled, trying to reassure her anxious son.

“I’m fine. It’s none of your business.”

His father had turned his back on Lumen and his wife altogether. Lumen pursed his lips as he took in their contrasting images.

The scene switched again. In a different setting, Lumen’s mother stood in front of a carriage, her face pale, as what Cadel assumed to be her luggage was being loaded into another large carriage. Amidst the bustle of laborers, she stroked Lumen’s head affectionately as he looked up at her.

“Are you sure you want to stay here? Come with this mother. I may not be as powerful as your father, but my family is strong. I can protect you.”

She had decided to separate from her husband. Apparently, Lumen had rejected her offer to leave with her, and her gaze was filled with concern and worry.

Lumen meekly accepted his mother’s touch but shook his head slightly in refusal. From the look of resignation in his young eyes, Cadel could tell what had caused him to reject his mother’s offer.

‘He’s worried. He’s afraid that his mother will be harmed like Korver.’

He was afraid that his mother, who took him away, might get hurt. He chose to remain in the family. The Lumen of the past still looked quite young.

After saying goodbye to his mother, even when he couldn’t see the carriage that had moved away. Lumen stood there, frozen in place.

One by one, the people who cared for him left.