Chapter 60

Darkin stared at his torn sleeve.

His expression made it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

“Hmph… I didn’t think you’d actually pull it off.”

I looked at him in disbelief.

“Then why did you make me do this?”

“Well… because I felt like it.”

“…What?”

Seriously, what kind of ridiculous old man was this?

“Fix your face. I can see exactly what you’re thinking.”

“……”

It wasn’t just that he was strong—I wondered if he had learned mind reading too.

Darkin spoke with a faint smile.

“Still, since you completed a mission I thought was impossible, I’ll grant you a reward.”

“……You’re not about to make me do something weird again, are you?”

“You brat!”

He smacked me on the head with his wooden sword.

“Argh!”

It was so fast that even though I had half-expected it and was somewhat prepared, I couldn’t react at all. If he’d added just a bit more strength, my skull would’ve been shattered.

“When I tell you to do something, just do it. Got it?”

“I’m genuinely curious—why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said? I told you not to talk back, you blockheaded fool!”

“This is too frustrating. I really can’t take it! I got dragged here without knowing why, got beaten within an inch of my life, and forced to swing a sword. Don’t I at least get to ask that much?”

Honestly, even this much was an absurd thing to say. But the emotional distance between us had narrowed over the past few days, and with my mental strength pushed to the edge, I ended up just blurting it out.

He wasn’t just some random old man passing by—he was the second most powerful figure in the North, in the Winterbell Ducal Family.

If Arkan was the king of the North, then this man was the viceroy. He often said as a matter of habit that he could kill someone like me at any time.

And I knew that was true. Darkin definitely had the ability—and the personality—to do it. If he made up his mind, I would die right here.

A way to survive? Is there really such a thing? Maybe I could exploit an opening using Makina, but honestly, the difference in level was so huge that I doubted even that would work.

Either way, if I couldn’t kill him in one strike, the one who’d die would be me.

In the past, there were countless cases of young Deuses who couldn’t fully control Makina getting killed.

To the powerful, a Deus who couldn’t wield Makina properly was no different from a walking golden goblin. That was one of the reasons I hadn’t revealed I was a Deus.

It was true that simply being able to wield the power of Makina was a tremendous privilege…

But that didn’t mean I was invincible.

Unless I could defend myself with my own strength, I should never reveal the truth. To be blunt, if the old man in front of me found out I was a Deus, would he really let me live?

No. He would absolutely kill me.

He’d kill me, steal Makina, and try to seize control of Winterbell’s power all over again.

At least, that’s the kind of person Darkin appeared to be in my eyes.

Maybe even the other brothers—or Arkan himself—might come after me. That’s how terrifying great power can be.

Bestia and Malero Saladin, who were closer than family to me, betrayed me. So why would these people be any different?

‘Yeah. There’s no one you can really trust.’

Darkin’s serious voice rang in my ears.

“Why’s a brat got such a grim face? You look like a seventy-year-old man.”

Well, maybe not seventy…

But if you included my previous life, I definitely didn’t belong in this age group.

“You said you were curious why I dragged you out here and made you do all this, right?”

“Yes.”

“It’s for revenge.”

“…Revenge?”

“Yeah. To take revenge on that bastard Arkan.”

“……”

I shut my mouth.

Something told me that if I said anything carelessly here, I wouldn’t be able to take it back.

No matter how strong this man was, he was still the second-in-command.

This was Arkan’s kingdom. Arkan’s land.

And yet he was saying things like this?

Revenge—so openly?

That was practically asking to be killed.

Was he so sure this wouldn’t reach Arkan’s ears?

“There you go again, spinning things in that little head of yours. You fool. How can someone so small act so damn sly? Don’t worry. The kind of revenge I’m talking about isn’t what you’re thinking.”

“…Then what is it?”

“I’ve never once beaten Arkan. So I want to win through you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Become my disciple.”

“…What? D-Disciple?”

“Yes. That’s my revenge. The disciple I trained with my own hands becomes the next ruler of the North. Even if I never beat him with the sword, I taught his bloodline and made him the Patriarch. That means I won the succession war, doesn’t it? It’s not like Arkan plans on backing you to be Patriarch anyway, does he?”

“……”

“I wonder what kind of face Arkan would make if the guy I trained became the Patriarch! Hahaha!”

To think that was what he had in mind.

Darkin wanted to take me in as his disciple? Was he serious? The second-in-command of the Winterbell Ducal Family offering to train me personally was an incredible opportunity.

Darkin Winterbell—one of the top ten swordsmen in the world.

The Sword Demon, Darkin.

If I could learn his sword techniques, I could grow stronger at a pace that couldn’t even be compared to now.

‘I have to seize this chance! No matter what!’

I looked at him with a serious face, then immediately dropped to the ground and bowed. At that, Darkin Winterbell shouted in surprise.

“W-What do you think you’re doing?!”

It was the first time I’d seen him flustered.

Even someone like him hadn’t expected me to act like this. Knowing I had caught him off guard secretly made me feel good.

“Didn’t you just say you’d take me in as your disciple? Then from this moment on, I will serve you as my teacher. Please accept my bow.”

“…You’re really insane. Puhahaha! How did Arkan end up with a brat like this? Fine! Let’s see what you’ve got!”

The Nine-Bow Rite.

I bowed nine times. I’d heard it somewhere before—when serving someone as your true teacher, you must bow nine times to show proper respect.

I wasn’t sure if this was the right way to do it, but that didn’t matter. The only reason I performed the act was to show that I truly intended to become his disciple.

“I already knew you were a cunning brat, but I didn’t expect you to act this quickly. Still, not bad. Even if you reach a high level, it’s meaningless if you’ve got a dumb head. In that sense, you pass.”

“Ha ha, thank you.”

“But whether you can actually become the Patriarch… that, I’m not so sure about, Ran Winterbell. Do you really think you can beat your other siblings?”

“……”

After a brief moment of thought, I answered with conviction.

“Yes. I will definitely become the Patriarch. Even if you hadn’t agreed to be my teacher, my future wouldn’t have changed. I’m certain of it.”

“Arrogant bastard. Your confidence could pierce the heavens. What makes you so sure?”

“Myself.”

“I’m asking what you’re hiding.”

“That’s a secret. Doesn’t everyone keep at least one card up their sleeve?”

Darkin’s eyes flashed like a wolf’s.

Eyes of a predator sizing up its prey.

He was trying to figure out what I was hiding.

But just this once, I couldn’t back down.

“Interesting. Very interesting. Yeah. It’s important to have that kind of cunning. I was the same. That’s the only reason I survived this long. That’s how a wolf who lost the succession war managed to cling to life for this long.”

“……”

“Fine. From this day forward, I’ll truly accept you as my disciple. I, the Sword Demon, Darkin Winterbell, hereby take you as my student. You’ll be my first disciple—I’ve never taken one before. Consider it an honor.”

“…It’s an honor, Teacher.”

“Training begins immediately.”

Surprised, I asked,

“Huh? Already?”

We’d just gone through hell, and now we were starting training right away?

“Already? You really don’t get it, do you… you stupid disciple. Who do you think your competitors are?”

“My competitors… are my siblings.”

“That’s right, you dumb bastard. So can you beat Ryan Winterbell? Lux Winterbell? Lin Winterbell? Marian Winterbell? And the rest of your siblings? Are you stronger than them?”

To be honest, I thought I could beat at least a few of them. But I wasn’t foolish enough to say that out loud.

“…It’ll be difficult.”

“To become the Patriarch, you have to be stronger than all of them. Time isn’t fair. Do you think those bastards are going to sit around and wait for you to catch up? Of course not. They’ll trample your sprout before it becomes a tree. You’ll be cut down before you even grow. That’s the fate of the Winterbells. So all you can do is work like a madman. When others are resting, when others are sleeping—you pick up your sword and swing it one more time. That’s your job.”

He was right.

To become the Patriarch, I had to be stronger than my siblings.

Lux Winterbell and Ryan Winterbell already stood at the top. They were ones trying to rise even beyond the sky. Their talent and effort were such that even I—armed with memories and experiences from a previous life—would have to push myself relentlessly just to barely catch up. No, even if I spent my whole life trying, I might never reach them.

They were the ones who, even within the blessed Winterbell family, were called true geniuses.

That’s why I—

“I’ll give it my all.”

—had to work even harder.

There wasn’t much time left until the exhibition match Arkan had mentioned. I didn’t think I would lose in my current state. But I wasn’t training like this to defeat nobodies. The place I was aiming for was the summit of this world.

Malero Saladin. Arkan.

Becoming a transcendent like them—that was my goal.

No—my goal was to rise even higher than them.

‘No matter what, I’ll forge the Ninth Star before time runs out.’

I strengthened my resolve.

“Please make me strong.”

“If you’re going to run, say so now. Once it starts, there’s no running away. I’ll ask you one last time—do you have the resolve to follow my guidance?”

“Yes. I’ll endure whatever it takes.”

“Good. That kind of stubbornness is what it takes to become Patriarch. Ran Winterbell. My disciple. I’ll make you the next Patriarch with my own hands.”

And so, I became the one and only disciple of Elder Darkin Winterbell.