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Chapter 25
“I kept messing up, clumsy, and doing nothing but foolish things… and yet you still won like that?”
“Ruin, you can be honest with your mother. Tell me properly.”
Father Kavel and Mother Daisy sat before Ruin with very serious faces, questioning him as if they were holding a tribunal.
“What on earth were you thinking when you said you’d have a duel?”
“But you did somehow manage to guess the sword’s direction, didn’t you?”
Of course, the intent behind their questions was quite different.
Daisy’s tone was one of reproach, scolding him for acting recklessly on his own.
Kavel, on the other hand, seemed far more curious about how—whether by accident or fluke—things had turned out the way they did.
And to both their questions, Ruin answered calmly, with a soft smile.
“As I said earlier… I just swung wildly and charged in thinking, ‘oh, whatever happens, happens’… and that’s how…”
Trailing off, Ruin’s expression grew uncertain for a moment, then he quickly straightened and spoke firmly, with conviction.
“I’m sorry for acting on my own. But since Mother didn’t want to go to the main family, I thought the only way to grant her wish was to duel. That’s why I did it.”
“What? Haah, Ruin… what are you…”
Daisy’s face briefly showed surprise at his words, then softened into a sigh as she added,
“Ruin, I appreciate your heart, but you didn’t need to go that far. There are plenty of other ways to avoid going there.”
“Daisy, wait.”
Kavel cut her off with his voice, lower and more serious than usual. His eyes sank deep, his expression stern.
“So, Ruin… you acted because you wanted to fulfill your mother’s wish. Is that right?”
“…Yes. I’m sorry.”
Ruin bowed his head with a contrite expression. Kavel shook his head with a faint smile.
“No, there’s no need to apologize, Ruin.”
“Honey?”
Daisy blinked at him wide-eyed, but Kavel only reached out, gently stroking Ruin’s hair as he spoke.
“Daisy, this was our child acting for his parents. Even if it was reckless and dangerous, isn’t the heart behind it admirable?”
“No, Kavel!”
Though Daisy clearly understood, she still glared at him firmly. Kavel chuckled awkwardly and nodded.
“Of course, he has to remember never to act so rashly again. You understand what I mean, right, Ruin?”
“Yes, I understand.”
Ruin nodded lightly to his father’s somewhat stern tone. Kavel smiled with satisfaction.
“Good. Then I think that’s the end of this talk…”
Glancing carefully at Daisy, he added slyly,
“Anyway… what matters is that our son actually defeated Kaphtalen’s divine heir. And with a sword, no less!”
“Kavel, enough!”
“No, Daisy. Ruin carries the blood of the Lynegrime. You saw it yourself—how he defeated that Palton boy! Sure, with the aid of a fine sword and a few coincidences, but still…”
“Sorry to burst your bubble, Kavel. But Ruin also carries Kaphtalen blood. And didn’t that Palton child himself say it? That Ruin has talent in magic.”
“Of course he does! He’s our child, carrying both our blood.”
“Then why don’t we have him properly learn magic too?”
“No, absolutely not. It must be swordsmanship. Ruin already passed the Sword Ceremony.”
“And what does that matter?”
“Because Ruin has already defeated magic with the sword!”
And so, the topic suddenly veered off into an unexpected direction.
‘Uh… hmm…’
Watching his parents bicker so passionately, Ruin couldn’t help but mutter inwardly,
‘Why are they so intent on pushing bread on me when I never even said I wanted bread?’
Whether magic or swordsmanship—
For Ruin, who had mastered Heavenly Flawless Form (Cheonui Muboong), either could be learned quickly if he so desired.
‘Why are they even fighting all of a sudden?’
It was the first time since opening his eyes as Ruin that he witnessed Kavel and Daisy’s marital quarrel—and it was over his education. He couldn’t help but smile.
“Ruin is a Lynegrime. My son! He must learn the sword!”
“If that’s how we’re arguing, then he’s the child I carried and birthed! So of course he must learn magic from his mother!”
Their voices rose, faces flushed red, yet both stemmed from nothing but love and devotion for Ruin.
‘So this is what a real family feels like?’
Ruin knew it better than anyone—and in his previous life, he had never felt anything like it.
On the contrary—
‘Back then, everyone just fought to snatch the easiest missions.’
He thought of the endless squabbles among his shadow comrades and seniors, who were the closest thing to “family” he ever had. He shook his head, dismissing the memory.
Then—
“Mom. Dad.”
He called softly.
“Anyway, the sword is best… oh? Yes, Ruin, did you call me?”
“What? Are you dismissing magic—hm? Ruin, what is it?”
Both parents turned to him at once.
Ruin reached out his hands.
“Oh my, Ruin?”
“Huh? Hohohoho.”
He grasped both their hands at once, smiling warmly.
“Thank you both. So… don’t fight anymore.”
“Fight? No, this was just a difference of opinion.”
“Exactly. Why would Mom and Dad fight, with our lovely Ruin right here?”
Seeing them reply with such tender expressions, Ruin recalled his own act—something 1872 wouldn’t have ever done in his past life. He smiled contentedly.
‘…Well, it doesn’t feel bad at all.’
For some reason, warmth filled his heart.
Of course, there was still that tactless sword spirit voice, utterly blind to the mood, clicking his tongue and chiming in—
[Tsk tsk, what nonsense. Who’s teaching whom here? They can’t even handle themselves. Forget it, Ruin. Don’t worry. Now that you’ve met me, your fate is sealed. You’ve stumbled into a once-in-ten-thousand-lifetimes opportunity. From now on, you’ll learn under my guidance—]
‘What is he even going on about now?’
Naturally, Ruin just ignored him.
The heart of Lynegrime, [Vanafen].
Ruin’s life after returning home hadn’t changed much. Sometimes he accompanied his father on hunts, but mostly he helped his mother at home or trained in Heavenly Flawless Form.
As for the dispute over his education, it had ended in compromise thanks to Ruin’s hug attack.
‘We’ll teach him what he wants, when he wants it.’
Though since then, both his parents had slyly tried to bring up swordsmanship or magic, Ruin crushed their hopes with a simple innocent smile:
“I’m not interested yet. I’ll let you know if I want to learn later.”
Even the sword spirit butted in at once.
[When exactly will you accept my teachings? We have no time! Even if you start now, there’s a mountain of things to learn!]
‘Later.’
[Later? When later? Why waste time? Even starting right this moment, you’re already late! Too late!]
‘It’s fine.’
[Fine? It’s not fine! At your age, Belion had already mastered the Seven-Star Sword Forms and was moving on to the next stage! Why are you so stubborn?!]
Hearing that the first patriarch had mastered the Seven-Star Sword Forms at barely ten years old, Ruin could only think, As expected, the founder of Lynegrime was extraordinary.
But still—he wasn’t the least bit anxious.
‘It’s not time yet. First, I must complete Heavenly Flawless Form. Only after that will I learn other martial arts or magic.’
His parents might think differently, especially after the Kaphtalen incident. But Ruin’s will was firm.
Then one day—
“Ruin, starting today, you’ll spend at least two hours a day on basic education.”
“Education?”
“Yes. You’re of noble blood. We can’t have people calling you ignorant.”
Daisy’s stern face made Ruin chuckle inwardly.
‘So Mother will be teaching me herself?’
It was clear she worried about her child now exposed to other noble families since the Sword Ceremony.
[Ignorant? This sly brat? If she only knew what kind of scheming mind her son really has… tsk.]
Ignoring the sword spirit’s grumbles, Ruin nodded brightly.
“Alright, basic education!”
“Good! Then let’s begin properly.”
Rolling up her sleeves with determination, Daisy quickly found herself surprised.
“What? You already know about the Four Skies and Nine Pillars?”
“Yes. Four Skies, Nine Pillars—the current strongest on the continent, right?”
“Then you know about the empire that once ruled the continent?”
“Yes. The Elation Empire. Now their imperial family is one of the Four Skies—the Southern Emperor.”
“Oh my, impressive. Let’s see how far you can keep up, shall we?”
For Ruin, who still held all of 1872’s memories, this “basic education” was child’s play.
The real difficulty was pretending not to know too much.
‘Ugh, this part’s actually harder.’
Feigning ignorance convincingly enough not to raise suspicion—that was tricky.
Yet Daisy only grew more amazed, pushing the pace. With each answer, Ruin showed he could grasp ten, a hundred, even a thousand from just one lesson.
“…As expected. My Ruin really is a genius!”
That night, she and Kavel gushed endlessly with pride.
“Honey, did you hear? Our Ruin is a true genius. Teach him one thing, and he understands a hundred—no, a thousand!”
“Of course. Whose son do you think he is?”
“He’s my son.”
“Our son!”
Though sparks of rivalry remained after their earlier clash over education, their love was unchanged.
“Dinner tastes so good today.”
“That’s because the meat you hunted was such good quality. Thank you, Kavel.”
“No, thank you, Daisy.”
As the couple laughed and exchanged affection, Ruin tried to hide his blushing face.
[Well, well, aren’t you the great genius.]
‘Quiet.’
With an adult’s mind trapped in a child’s body, being praised for solving “kid’s homework” was just embarrassing.
[Speaking of geniuses… Belion, that brat, was once the talk of the whole land too…]
As the sword spirit rambled on about the past, Ruin shook his head and shut him out.
Months passed.
Then one day, Daisy burst in with a radiant smile.
“Ruin, it’s done! Finally!”
“Huh? What is it?”
“Look, Ruin!”
She proudly handed him a long letter. Skimming it, Ruin found it contained a simple message:
‘I was planning to visit that region soon for research. But since I hear my former pupil’s child is so exceptional, I’d like to test him personally.’
The name at the end was what froze Ruin’s eyes.
[Renovan Versaten of the Tower of Wisdom, one of the Three Stars.]
‘What—Renovan Versaten?!’
Completely caught off guard, Ruin stared blankly at his mother. Daisy smiled knowingly.
“What’s with that look? Surprised your mother has such a great connection?”
“Uh… yes.”
Renovan Versaten.
If 1872’s memory was right, he was one of the Nine Pillars, an honorary elder of the Cerion Magic Tower, called one of the “Three Stars.”
The Magic Tower’s martial strength was low compared to other powers, but their knowledge and research were unrivaled. They opened whole new frontiers like magitech.
The title of “Star” was reserved only for those who reached the absolute peak of research and knowledge.
And Renovan Versaten had held that title for over thirty years.
Some called him Sage. But to Ruin, remembering his past life—
‘This old monster was my mother’s teacher?’
And with his power at the 8th Circle, “monster” was hardly exaggeration.
“He’ll probably be here tomorrow to test you.”
“A… test?”
“Yes. I realized I’ve reached my limits in teaching you. So I thought—why not give you the sort of normal education that other children get from proper teachers?”
‘Normal education? From Renovan Versaten?’
What twisted definition of “normal” was this? Ruin was speechless. But seeing Daisy’s proud smile, he couldn’t object.
And so the next day, Ruin found himself face-to-face with a wiry old man.
“This is your child?”
“Yes, Master Renovan.”
[Who is this old man? What kind of presence is this?]
Even the sword spirit was stirred by the man’s overwhelming aura. Ruin dared not speak.
Renovan sighed deeply.
“Haah… I was planning a sabbatical for once…”
“Oh come now, Master. This is the child of your once-beloved pupil. Won’t you help?”
“Beloved pupil? More like a curse!”
“Please, Master. You said you’d be visiting anyway for research. Just one year. Please watch over him for a year. He really is a genius!”
“Hmph. I’ve seen countless so-called geniuses, and they were all shallow tricksters. Not one was real.”
“Ours will be different.”
“We’ll see. I’ll judge for myself whether this boy is worth teaching—or not.”
The wiry old man, stubborn and sharp-tongued, turned to Ruin.
“You. Come with me!”
“…Yes.”
Suddenly set to be taught by one of the continent’s greatest sages, Ruin bowed politely, hiding his unease.
And from behind—
“Good luck, Ruin!”
Blissfully unaware of the gravity of it all, Daisy cheered her son with a bright smile.
