Chapter 4

Raon, nestled in Sylvia's arms, left the annex for the first time and headed towards the main hall of Zighart.

'So this is the main hall.'

In the distance, the main hall came into view. It was so tall that it seemed to meet the sky, and so wide that it couldn't be fully seen from this far away.

It was on a scale that could be called a castle rather than a house.

'Fitting for the ruler of the North.'

Zighart, though just one family, possessed more territory and military power than a kingdom. It wasn't for nothing that they were one of the Six Emperors.

'Everyone lives there, right?'

Helen had told him that, except for Sylvia and himself, all the other direct descendants lived around the main hall.

There must be a reason why Sylvia lived separately in the annex, but she didn't tell him.

'The Selection Ceremony...'

Raon glanced at the main hall's central building, the patriarch's hall, and thought about today's Selection Ceremony.

'They really do everything.'

A child's skull, which opens to the sky, begins to close around the age of four, and from that moment on, the child's mana talent doesn't change.

The Selection Ceremony, held today, is an event to determine the level of mana talent in children whose skulls have closed.

'It doesn't matter to me what I become.'

Even if his current talent is mediocre, the 'Ring of Fire' will elevate his body and mana sensitivity to the highest state. Inherited talent was irrelevant to him.

"Raon."

As he slowly rotated the Ring of Fire, Sylvia lifted him slightly. Looking to the side, they had already arrived at the main hall.

"Mom doesn't care what you do. Just grow up healthy."

"Okay, I understand."

He smiled like an innocent child.

"Of course, our son is the cutest!"

She started rubbing her face against his cheek again. This would keep him immobile for five minutes.

"Ahem, Lady Sylvia."

"Ah, sorry!"

Helen's cough snapped Sylvia back to reality. It was fortunate she came along.

"Let's go in. We're a bit late."

"Yes."

She carried him into the patriarch's hall.

'Hmm.'

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the people inside the patriarch's hall.

'They're all high-level.'

Perhaps because it was the main hall, especially the patriarch's hall, there wasn't a single ordinary person inside. Not only the warriors, but even the servants and maids had a sharp, focused gaze.

"We just arrived. Please wait a moment."

"Okay."

Raon walked with Sylvia down the central corridor of the first floor. At the end, a massive iron door, large enough for a giant to pass through, stood. This was the entrance to the audience chamber where today's Selection Ceremony would take place.

"Sylvia Zighart, Raon Zighart, Helen Cabwin. Confirmed."

The guard at the entrance to the audience chamber opened the door.

Creak!

With a heavy sound, as if a chunk of metal was twisting, a different world opened up.

Multicolored light poured down from the ceiling, and priceless decorations lined the golden walls.

This place, where even a glance would cost millions, was the audience chamber where one could meet the patriarch of Zighart, Glen Zighart.

Boom!

As the door closed, the gazes of everyone in the room shot towards Raon like arrows.

"Sylvia? So that child is Sylvia's?"

"What kind of child has such a face..."

"Golden hair and red eyes."

"He's so small. I heard he was sick, is that true?"

"He must have inherited the blood of a loser."

"Not a loser, but a dropout."

Though he didn't know what they meant by 'loser' or 'dropout,' they were openly criticizing Sylvia and himself.

'Hmm...'

Raon clenched his fists. He didn't mind being called small, but hearing insults about Sylvia made his chest tighten.

"It's okay, Raon. Just look at Mom."

Despite hearing words like 'loser' and 'fugitive,' she smiled at him.

'She's really strong.'

Sylvia was a person with a strong heart. Her gentle voice calmed the turmoil in his chest.

'Are these the direct descendants?'

Regaining his composure, Raon's eyes stopped at the dais.

Seven people sat in red chairs.

They exuded an aura different from those below, looking down at the crowd.

'They're on a different level.'

If the collateral descendants were foxes and wolves, the direct descendants on the dais were like dragons that had already ascended to the heavens, radiating an overwhelming presence.

They didn't speak like the collateral descendants, but they looked down at him and Sylvia as if they were trash.

'Are they all enemies?'

Thinking they were a family of cowards, Sylvia headed not to the dais, but to the end of the lower section.

'This is strange.'

There were many questions.

Generally, there's an unbridgeable gap between the direct and collateral descendants of a family. It's unusual for collateral descendants to openly provoke the direct descendants.

Moreover, Sylvia lived separately and couldn't ascend to the dais. Despite being a direct descendant, she was clearly discriminated against for some reason.

'What's the reason?'

If they called her a 'fugitive' or a 'dropout,' it might be because she lost in a duel or battle.

Boom!

As Sylvia pondered the reason for her discrimination, the guards at the entrance of the audience chamber struck the floor with their spears.

"The rightful master of the North, Patriarch Glen Zighart, has entered!"

With those words, the massive iron door of the audience chamber opened wide.

Rumble!

With a oppressive aura that made the air tremble, Glen Zighart appeared.

His mere presence made the gravity heavier and the heart constrict. A bone-chilling tension filled the room, making it hard to breathe.

"I greet the Patriarch!"

The dragons on the dais and the wolves below simultaneously knelt.

Thud.

That footstep.

Glen Zighart entered with the same firm steps he had heard five years ago. He sat on the golden throne at the center of the dais, radiating an absolute presence that dominated the entire audience chamber.

"Begin."

With a snap of his fingers, a sword rose in the center of the audience chamber. It was a massive stone sword, seemingly too heavy even for a giant to lift.

'Is this the Selection Sword?'

This sword, from a thousand years ago, could determine a person's mana talent when touched.

The Selection Ceremony today was about judging children's talents using the stone sword's ability.

"First, Baren Zighart."

At the announcer's call, a blue-haired boy, about six years old, stood up from the second row of the dais.

"Place your hand on the sword."

As he descended from the dais, the announcer pointed to the stone sword. Baren nodded and placed his hand on it.

Hum!

A green light bloomed from Baren's fingertips, covering the entire stone sword, and a strong wind rose from the hilt.

"Wow!"

"It's wind! Wind!"

"Seeing the light cover the entire sword, his mana quality is top-notch!"

"Indeed, the talent of a child of Lord Karun!"

"Congratulations!"

The collateral descendants, standing below the dais, applauded and cheered for the middle-aged man who had been sitting in front of Baren.

"Good attribute for a swordsman. Focus on feeling the wind from now on."

"Understood!"

Glen nodded, and Baren returned to his seat, beaming like a sunflower facing the sun.

"Next, Lunan Slieron of the vassal family Slieron."

"Yes."

A silver-haired girl quietly stood up from the far right of the dais.

'The vassal family Slieron.'

The vassal families, like nobles who follow the king, were prestigious families of the North who followed Zighart.

Lunan, as a representative of the vassal family, was seated on the dais with the direct descendants.

Hum.

The girl, called Lunan, approached the stone sword with a calm gaze and placed her hand on it.

Sizzle!

As her hand touched the stone sword, a silver light, like melted moonlight, shot up from the blunt tip of the blade.

The light filled the blade and even rose to the hilt, creating a layer of frost over the entire sword.

"Frost? And it covers the entire sword!"

"Is his talent on par with Lord Baren's...?"

"No wonder it's Slieron."

"Another genius has emerged from the Slieron family."

Unlike when Baren was tested, the applause and cheers were not as loud. It seemed there was a competitive relationship between the vassal families and the collateral descendants.

"Good attribute. If you hone it like a sharp blade, you can pierce through any aura."

Glen Zighart also nodded at Lunan.

"Thank you."

Lunan bowed without much change in expression and leaped back to her seat like a cat.

After that, two direct descendants, many collateral descendants, and vassal family children placed their hands on the stone sword, but none had the same level of talent as Baren and Lunan.

'I understand now.'

Raon snapped his fingers. Watching others' Selection Ceremonies helped him grasp what was good and bad.

'The purity of mana is determined by how far the light on the blade reaches, and the attribute of mana is shown at the hilt.'

If the mana quality was excellent, like Lunan and Baren, the entire sword would glow, and special mana attributes could be seen at the hilt.

"Finally, Raon Zighart. Please come forward."

"Let's go, Raon."

"Okay."

Nodding, Sylvia smiled brightly and lifted him up.

"Did you see what the other kids did? Just do the same."

Sylvia placed him in front of the stone sword and extended her hand as if to demonstrate.

"Okay."

He briefly replied and looked at the stone sword.

'It won't go well.'

Although the Ring of Fire had reached two stars, the cold in his mana circuits was still overwhelming.

Given his current condition, he wouldn't be able to emit the brilliant light like the other children.

"Hmm."

He slowly exhaled and extended his hand towards the stone sword.

Thud.

As his hand touched the stone sword, a ripple spread through his heart like a pebble dropped in a pond. The small pulse grew and resonated throughout his body.

'What is this?'

As he tried to pull his hand away from the strange sensation, a bright light flashed before his eyes.

A golden-haired man in silver armor appeared.

In front of him, countless monsters surged like a wave.

What is this...?

Even though it was clearly an illusion, the sensation was so vivid that cold sweat dripped from his forehead.

Unable to breathe properly and trembling, the man raised his sword.

A golden flame burned on the blade, beautiful and intense.

He swung the flame-enshrouded sword like lightning.

At that moment.

A golden flame shot up from the ground, covering the world.

Closing his eyes to avoid the golden flames that filled his vision, he opened them again to find the world had changed, and a message floated before him.

[Acquiring the Ring of Fire (2 Stars).]

[Failed to acquire ???.]

[Insufficient achievements.]

Confused by the mysterious message, he looked up as the stone sword began to glow.

Hum.

The light rose sharply but lost its strength and stopped at the center of the blade.

Unlike others, he had no special abilities or high purity. His talent was far below even the collateral descendants.

"Is it already over?"

"Didn't even reach the middle?"

"Ha ha ha! I've never seen such a low result!"

"His mana quality is poor, and he has no abilities, just white light."

"Nothing to see except his appearance."

"Seems even the gods have abandoned the child of a fugitive."

The direct descendants frowned in disappointment, and the collateral descendants burst into open laughter.

"..."

Glen, who usually gave short advice to the direct and collateral descendants, remained silent.

"It's okay, Raon. You did well."

Sylvia, always smiling, hugged him, and Helen, who had approached, bit her lip and covered her ears.

"Hmm."

Raon exhaled softly.

He was used to being ignored. Raised and brainwashed like a dog, he had long abandoned emotions. He could accept any insults and humiliations.

He planned to leave after getting what he needed, so he didn't care about what happened here.

Sylvia and the maids treated him like a real family, but his resolve didn't waver.

However, he felt unusually down.

Seeing the direct and collateral descendants mock not only him but also Sylvia and Helen, a sharp pain shot through his chest.

'Fine.'

Raon clenched his teeth. Sylvia and the maids were the first to treat him like a human.

He resolved to show the direct and collateral descendants how insignificant innate talent was.

"I've seen many Selection Ceremonies, but never at this level."

"Is he really a Zighart?"

"Sylvia's talent is gone. There's nothing to see except his golden hair and red eyes."

He remembered the faces of those who spoke without thinking.

"Enough."

Glen's cold words froze the entire audience chamber.

"The Selection Ceremony is over. Everyone, leave."

"Patriarch?"

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

"Everyone, disperse."

As Karun Zighart, Glen's second son, stood up, the others glanced at each other and left the audience chamber, muttering insults about Raon and Sylvia under their breaths.

Before five minutes passed, only the room's owner, Glen Zighart, and his chief butler, Roen, remained in the audience chamber.

"It couldn't be helped."

Glen nodded matter-of-factly, looking at the Selection Sword in the center.

"Patriarch..."

As Roen approached him,

Crack!

A light shot up from the lower part of the Selection Sword, rising over the blade to the hilt.

Whoosh!

The light was a deep golden color, like the sun, and a burning flame erupted from the hilt.

"Golden flames?"

A storm of emotions swept through Glen's eyes for the first time.