Chapter 69

Thump. Thump.

My heart was pounding.

Why was he suddenly asking this kind of question?

What was I supposed to say in response?

If he was angry about me becoming Darkin’s disciple… it could lead to the worst possible outcome among all the scenarios I could imagine.

To be blunt, if he decided to kill me right here and now, I would just have to die.

Sure, I could resist.

But what meaning would that hold?

With just a flick of his hand, my body would be split in two. That was the power Arkan Winterbell possessed. That was the gap between him and me. The stronger I became, the more I grew, the more I acutely felt the overwhelming difference between us.

That’s why, right now...

“I can hear the sound of you scheming all the way over here.”

My heart almost literally stopped just now.

No, it did stop for a moment.

Seriously.

I’m not joking.

I was certain that if I kept hesitating like this, I’d only provoke Arkan’s anger.

“Because I want to become stronger.”

“Because you want to become stronger?”

“Yes.”

Arkan fell silent.

Did he like the answer? Or was it such a damn pathetic answer that he was now debating whether to kill me?

I hoped it was the former—otherwise, I wouldn’t live.

“You think I asked you this kind of question just to hear that kind of crap?”

“……”

My heart almost stopped again.

No, damn it.

This was unfair.

I became a disciple because I wanted to get stronger. Why else would I have become a disciple? It wasn’t even like I wanted to in the first place. That crazy old man Darkin basically half-kidnapped me and forced me into it…

Rank 1: Arkan Winterbell.

The undisputed king of the Winterbell family, a transcendent who ruled over the entire North.

Rank 2: Darkin Winterbell.

The eternal second-in-command of the Winterbell family and an Elder Councilor.

The gap between Rank 1 and Rank 2 was far greater than I had expected, but what truly mattered might have been the fact that I had become the disciple of Rank 2.

From Arkan’s point of view, the Elder Councilor would be a faction worth keeping in check.

Though, to be honest, I wasn’t sure if he even needed to.

If Arkan went up against the Elder Council’s entire faction by himself, I still thought he would win.

‘Am I completely missing the point here? I can’t figure out what his intention is, so I don’t know how I’m supposed to answer.’

Screw it.

“I wanted to become the Patriarch.”

“Go on.”

“As I mentioned last time, I intend to succeed you and become the next Patriarch. However, I’m also well aware that compared to my other siblings, I’m weak. We’ve lived different lives, with different experiences. Of course I don’t have the same capabilities. I don’t think that’s unfair.”

“……”

“Overcoming even that and seizing the throne myself—that’s what it truly means to be king of the North.”

I paused mid-sentence and glanced at Arkan.

I wanted to check if my words were getting through.

But our great Patriarch, just like his aura, showed absolutely no change in expression.

“Continue.”

“Even more so, I spent a long time secluded in the annex, living as a half-cripple. In many ways, you could say I started from the starting line much later than my other siblings. I became Darkin Winterbell’s disciple to make up for that gap. If I could learn the sword from the man ranked second in the family, I believed I could grow stronger quickly as well.”

“……”

I had no idea what he was thinking.

Did he like what I said or not?

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“!”

What the hell.

What was he saying?

Was he serious right now?

Was he really asking me this?

Why I hadn’t told him?

Of course I hadn’t.

He made it so damn obvious he didn’t like me. How could I go, Please teach me swordsmanship, Patriarch, like that?

There’s no way I could do that.

Besides, even for direct descendants, being granted the Patriarch’s swordsmanship was considered a great honor…

‘Is this… another test?’

“How could I dare? Just having the chance to speak with you alone like this is already a tremendous honor… I’ve shown you nothing, Patriarch. For someone like me to ask you to teach me swordsmanship would have been a grave disrespect.”

Arkan fell into thought.

“……”

I started wondering if I had said the wrong thing, but decided not to dwell on it. Honestly, I had already half given up the moment I opened my mouth earlier.

“You could have at least tried to say something.”

No! I couldn’t even do that!

You crazy man!

“……To be honest, I don’t understand what you mean by that at all. I mean, the Patriarch I know…”

“The Patriarch?”

Ah, that was a mistake.

I shouldn’t have said something like that.

But it was already out of my mouth, and I couldn’t take it back now.

Time to fix it as best I could.

“……is an intimidating person. Far too much so.”

Arkan slowly nodded. He seemed to accept that in his own way. To be honest, there probably wasn’t a single person in the Winterbell family who didn’t find the Patriarch intimidating.

Well.

Maybe one.

His younger sister, Izumi Winterbell?

“I understand what you were trying to say. It was difficult and uncomfortable to speak to me, so you chose Darkin Winterbell as a second option?”

No.

That’s not really it.

“…It was more of a coincidence. To be honest, I can’t really say I had much of a choice. The Elder Councilor took an interest in me, and after I passed the trials he set, I became his disciple.”

“……”

“Of course. I follow him with sincerity. A master, once taken, is a master for life.”

Silence again.

This uncomfortable silence always kept me on edge.

Arkan finally spoke again.

“There was a time when I also learned the sword from him.”

“…Excuse me?”

I raised my voice without meaning to.

His words had genuinely shocked me.

The Rank 1 Arkan had learned swordsmanship from the Rank 2 Darkin…?

Well, it wasn’t impossible.

Considering the age difference between the two, that might even be the more natural scenario.

Still, it felt strange.

That Arkan had learned swordsmanship from someone—and that someone happened to be Darkin Winterbell, who was more competitive than anyone else… was just fascinating.

“He was quite an excellent teacher. But that was as far as it went. It only took me a week to learn everything I needed from his sword. I had no need to learn more, so I began honing my own sword.”

“……”

“That may have been the turning point. He ended up reaching a level far beyond what I had known him capable of. Honestly, I never imagined he’d become the Elder Councilor. My very existence became a source of stimulation for him. Enough for him to rise to Rank 2 of Winterbell.”

If what Arkan said was true, then Darkin Winterbell in the past had been far weaker than he was now. So weak that Arkan hadn’t even seen any potential in him. And yet, that very man had climbed to Rank 2 in the family driven by nothing but the obsession to surpass Arkan. Realizing that sent a chill down my spine.

‘What an astounding man. To think one man’s obsession could be that powerful. He’s someone who would’ve succeeded at anything, not just the sword.’

“I’m well aware that he holds a sense of inferiority toward me. But he is not the type to betray me. He is not the type to betray Winterbell. He is someone who knows how to turn his inferiority complex into strength. All he wants is to defeat me as a pure swordsman. I respect him for that.”

To think the word respect would come out of Arkan’s mouth.

Contrary to my expectations, Arkan truly valued him. To openly say that he respected someone ranked beneath him—it wasn’t something easily done. Especially not for someone of Arkan’s stature.

‘I was a damn fool to think he was trying to keep Darkin in check.’

It was a moment that made me truly realize just how large Arkan’s vessel was… and how foolish and narrow-minded my own thoughts had been.

“He’s the kind of man who’s never taken a disciple in his life. So when I heard that he chose you, I couldn’t help but be curious.”

“It’s an honor. For me.”

“An honor, huh… Ran Winterbell. Do you truly believe you can become Patriarch?”

“Yes.”

“You truly believe you can defeat Lux Winterbell, Ryan Winterbell, and all your other siblings?”

“Yes.”

“You said it yourself. There’s nothing you can do about the gap in experience built by birth order. I’m not talking about twenty or thirty years into the future. The succession will be decided soon. You don’t have much time left. And yet, you still believe, without a doubt, that you’ll become the Patriarch?”

“Yes.”

I would become the Patriarch.

No matter what, I will become the Patriarch.

Whether this was self-hypnosis or brainwashing didn’t matter.

Because it would happen.

“Good.”

Huh?

…Did I just imagine it, or did Arkan actually give a faint smile?

“This recent Ranking Battle was truly excellent. Showing such remarkable growth in such a short period of time deserves praise.”

Now where did that compliment come from? That’s unsettling.

[You're getting worked up over nothing. You’re way too scared of Arkan Winterbell, aren’t you? Sure, the guy’s strong, but at the end of the day, he’s still human. Unlike me…]

Behemoth.

[?]

Be honest with me.

Do you really think you could beat Arkan Winterbell even if you got all your power back? Seriously? Do you honestly believe that?

[You think I’d lose to some mere human...?]

Weren’t you defeated by the First Patriarch and sealed into a sword?

[...Th-That! That was... there were circumstances! Circumstances!]

But Arkan Winterbell is someone who might be evaluated as even stronger than the First Patriarch. On top of that, he’s still got plenty of years left to live. He’s still growing even now, and he’ll keep growing in the future…

And you’re saying you could beat someone like that?

That monster?

[...Ahem.]

What. Why’d you go quiet?

[You don’t know until you measure it.]

You’re scared.

“I suppose I ought to give you a reward.”

“……”

“It’s a bit regrettable that Darkin took your first teacher’s spot, but this time, not as Patriarch, but as your father, I will teach you swordsmanship.”

Not as Patriarch, but as my father?

“You remember the sparring match I mentioned before, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Until then, I’ll instruct you in the sword. I’ll choose the time and inform you, so make sure to clear your schedule accordingly. Also, make sure to properly sort out the ones you brought with you and report soon. The time is drawing near.”

“Ah, understood.”

“Then go.”

I rose from my seat and left the room, still dazed. I had never imagined—even in my wildest dreams—that he would say he would teach me swordsmanship, not as the Patriarch, but as my father.

‘What the hell… Did I hear that right?’

[You heard right, so quit freaking out.]