Chapter 71

Because of the effects of using the Blood God, the blood coursing through my body boiled like molten lava. And it didn’t stop there—red mana surged up from every inch of my body.

Fwoooosh!

It looked as though my entire body had been set ablaze.

My heart pounded rapidly as the mana dwelling in my blood rampaged all at once. Controlling that was the basic method of using the Blood God.

With accelerated cognition, I observed the world.

“……”

I steeled my resolve, knowing that I had to struggle with everything I had just to survive.

‘Just once. I only need to land a single clean hit.’

Tap, tap, tap.

Kicking off the ground, I dashed toward Arkan Winterbell at the fastest speed I could muster. The sound of slicing wind rang in my ears. Accompanied by the sharp sound of air bursting, the Behemoth slashed toward Arkan’s side.

No—it only felt like it did.

I had thought I’d sensed something catch at my fingertips, but even that had been a lie.

Staring at Arkan as he vanished like an afterimage, I blanked out for a moment—until a voice rang out behind me.

“Is that your best?”

“……”

A chilling sensation.

An alarm bell blared, warning me of danger.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Without looking back, I hurled myself to the left. I rolled across the ground as the sound of a sharp wind explosion echoed in my ears. Judging by how the tearing sound of the air came a beat later, it seemed that the branch Arkan had swung had just ripped through the air where I’d been.

‘Damn it. Is he really trying to kill me? He said he’d teach me swordsmanship!’

From far away, I heard Izumi’s voice.

“Oppa! Don’t you think that’s a bit much? Sure, Ran is talented, but how could you actually injure him?!”

“I cut the previous patriarch’s arm when I was twelve.”

“That’s because you’re you! Do you think that kind of thing is normal? That’s completely insane!”

“……”

“Stop thinking from your standards! You said you came here as a father, not as a patriarch, right? Then instead of beating him down, you should at least be teaching him something. What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Don’t concern yourself—”

“How can I not? It’s frustrating just watching! Look at him. He’s moving like his life depends on it, and that’s all he can manage. Do you really think he’ll ever succeed like this? Unless you change your mind, he won’t manage it even after ten years. You know that too. So just stop and actually teach him properly.”

Well, that was unexpected.

Miraculous support came from someone I’d never hoped for. Arkan was as stubborn as they came, but it seemed he listened to his little sister at least a bit.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Arkan spoke.

“I understand.”

‘Finally, it’s over!’

“It doesn’t seem like you’ll be able to land even a scratch on me. Then I’ll change the condition.”

No. Just teach me already! Don’t change the conditions!

“From this moment on, I will not take a single step from this spot. Ran Winterbell.”

---

I lay sprawled out on the training ground floor, staring up at the sky, breathing heavily.

“Haa… Haa…”

“Disappointing.”

To get straight to the point: in the nine hours I spent swinging my sword, I never once touched Arkan Winterbell. More precisely, I hadn’t even brushed the hem of his clothes.

‘Is that even possible, realistically?’

He hadn’t taken a single step from where he stood, just as he had promised. The fact that I couldn’t even graze a stationary target was quite a shock to me.

‘If it had been me in my past life…’

If I were still Van Descartes, I might have been able to reach him. But even when I tried to picture it in my mind, the image didn’t come easily.

A crushing sense of helplessness.

This wasn’t just a difference in strength—it felt like a difference in species. Something was fundamentally wrong.

“Ran Winterbell.”

At Arkan’s call, I sat up.

“…Yes.”

“Do you know why this happened?”

“I don’t.”

“Think again.”

After a brief pause, I replied.

“…Because I am wea— No. Because I’m weaker than you, Father.”

Arkan raised an eyebrow.

“Weaker. Right. You’re weaker than me. That’s a fundamental reason. But using that as the only excuse for not even scratching a stationary opponent? That doesn’t make sense.”

“Please tell me the answer.”

“Because you believed it was impossible.”

“…What do you mean?”

“You accepted the gap between us, and judged your own limits. It means your mindset was flawed from the start.”

His words hit me hard.

‘I definitely thought… I couldn’t beat Arkan Winterbell. Could it be… that on some unconscious level, I believed I couldn’t even touch him while he stood still? Had I built that wall myself?’

As all of this played out, Izumi Winterbell, who had been spectating the entire time, burst out laughing and said,

“No need to look so shocked. You’re not the weird one—he is. Even the strongest people would feel that way if they stood in front of that monster, you know?”

“…Haha.”

She had a point, but it didn’t make me feel any better. My current goal was to become the Patriarch of the Winterbell family. It might not be my ultimate goal, but it was a necessary stepping stone toward the one that was. I was born into a fortunate background—there was no reason not to make use of it.

‘Besides, I need to take revenge on the man who did that to my mother and my body.’

And yet, here I was—someone aspiring to be Patriarch—unable to leave a scratch on Arkan as he stood still. The frustration was unbearable.

After a moment of thought, I stood up and said,

“I’d like to try again.”

Arkan shook his head.

‘Has he given up on teaching me because he’s disappointed?’

Having lost the rare chance I’d finally obtained, I couldn’t hide the hollow feeling that washed over me.

But then, Arkan continued.

“For now, let’s eat first.”

---

I stared blankly at the dining table.

“Mm. Chomp chomp. Not bad. Chomp chomp. Pretty edible? Chomp chomp.”

“…Izumi. Could you please shut that mouth of yours, at least while eating?”

“Ugh! They say even dogs aren’t bothered while eating, so why are you nagging me so much?”

“……”

Even seeing it with my own eyes, I could hardly believe it.

Arkan Winterbell and Izumi Winterbell were sitting at the same table as me, eating a meal together. And not just anywhere—this was the annex where I lived.

So how did this even happen…?

“Ran Winterbell. Have you lost your appetite? Why are you just sitting there?”

“N-No, sir.”

“Maintaining a balanced diet is also a virtue of a swordsman. If you want to grow stronger, you must not neglect your meals.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Arkan Winterbell had said we’d eat, and naturally, I assumed we’d head to the main residence for the meal… but instead, he had gone straight to the annex where I was staying.

Everything happened so quickly that I ended up sitting at the table without even thinking, still bewildered.

‘To think Arkan Winterbell and Izumi Winterbell would eat at my residence… I guess if you live long enough, anything can happen.’

It was something I couldn’t have even imagined before. I used to think they hated even setting foot in the annex. What wind had blown them here?

My head spun with a flurry of questions, but Arkan Winterbell remained as composed as ever, calmly focused on his meal.

Thanks to that, the maids in the annex, Cecil, and even the mercenaries all burst into chaos. After all, the Patriarch himself had come in person. There was no way they wouldn’t be on edge.

“You look troubled. Is my being here bothering you that much?”

Arkan hit the mark as if reading my mind. I was left speechless, like a mute with a mouthful of honey.

Seeing that, Izumi burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! Oh my, look at you. Your face gives everything away. Sometimes you act like a sly old man in his seventies, and then the next moment you’re just a baby. A total baby. Well, I guess you are a baby—by age and everything else~”

Arkan continued.

“Don’t assign meaning to trivial matters. I came here simply because this was the closest place to the training grounds. I despise wasting time on useless things.”

Izumi muttered under her breath.

“So honest, aren’t we?”

“Silence.”

“Yes, yes.”

At least the food seemed to be spared from criticism. Both Izumi and Arkan didn’t seem to have any complaints about the dishes Cecil had prepared. In fact, Izumi showered them with praise and even asked who had made them—likely intending to recruit the cook to her own residence.

‘I feel like I’m going to get indigestion.’

I never knew a meal could feel this uncomfortable. But still, this was a rare opportunity—I couldn’t let it go to waste.

If I wanted to become Patriarch, I had to gain the trust of the current one no matter what.

There was so much I wanted to say.

Why had he abandoned me like that?

Why was he now suddenly trying to act like a father?

Did he really have to be the one to strike down my mother with his own hand?

The countless “why”s wouldn’t leave my mind.

Regret, hatred, anger, confusion, disgust, contempt, fear, and a sliver of affection.

What could I even call this feeling?

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

What if the one who fed me the poison that left me half-crippled for life was actually Arkan Winterbell?

Then what would I do?

There was no need to even think about it.

‘I’d kill him.’

That would be the natural course.

Even if he was the man who fathered me—he would be unforgivable.

Just like the tradition of the Winterbell family.

“Ran Winterbell.”

Arkan called out to me suddenly in the middle of our meal.

“Yes.”

“Did you learn how to handle the madness from the chieftain of the Halla Clan?”

“…Yes.”

I was caught off guard by the sudden and completely unrelated question.

But of course, as the Patriarch of Winterbell, Arkan would naturally know where I’d gone and what I’d been doing. After all, the Winterbell family had its own independent intelligence network.

Still, why ask about it now, after saying nothing all this time?

“How was it? Even if the chieftain taught you himself, it can’t be easy to completely master the madness.”

“…There’s nothing particularly wrong at the moment.”

“Ran Winterbell. Madness runs in your blood. If you fail to overcome it, no matter how strong you become, you’ll eventually die a butcher’s death, as a blood-crazed killer.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t try to wield power while being consumed by madness. Use your power to suppress the madness—make it yours. Trample over everything and rise up—become the predator.”