Chapter 6

"Speaking the name of Sieghart? Do you know how heavy that is?"

A small aura filled Glen Sieghart's eyes.

"Ugh!"

Raon bit his lip until it bled.

'It feels like my flesh is being pressed down.'

Glen had only emitted a tiny aura, as if scooping a cup of seawater from a vast ocean, but it felt like his heart was being squeezed.

He could feel his clothes sticking to his back from the cold sweat. If he hadn't tempered the Ring of Fire, he might have fainted just now.

'Is this what they call the Warrior who Conquered the North...?'

To be intimidated just by his gaze, it's a level of power beyond Delus Robert. He couldn't even lift his head.

"Say it again. Can you take responsibility for what you just said?"

"Head of the family. Raon is still young. He didn't know what he was saying."

"That's right! Raon has only stayed in the annex, so he doesn't know about Sieghart..."

Sylvia and Helen rushed over and knelt down.

"Head of the family. He's just a child who doesn't know anything. Please withdraw your aura."

Denier Sieghart stood up and blocked the aura.

"Lord Denier!"

"Even to take care of such a brat, you're truly Lord Denier."

"He's more broad-minded than powerful."

The collateral members praised Denier's actions.

"I'm talking now."

"Ugh!"

"Kuh..."

Glen's domineering voice made Denier and Sylvia retreat simultaneously. They didn't move on their own; Glen had pushed them back with his voice alone.

"I'm sorry."

Denier bowed his head. But Sylvia was different.

"F-Father..."

She approached him, enduring Glen's aura even without any aura of her own.

"Raon isn't ready for training yet..."

Her eyes were filled with concern for him.

His heart ached.

'I don't know.'

He couldn't tell if this aching feeling was sympathy, worry, or something else.

He just wanted her to always smile happily, without showing such a look.

'I was an assassin.'

An assassin lives in the shadows, familiar with death rather than life, and never reveals themselves.

'But not anymore.'

He wouldn't live as an assassin anymore.

He vowed to return Sylvia to her rightful place, not as the assassin Raon, but as Raon Sieghart.

Clang!

At that moment, a sound like a chain around his neck falling off echoed.

"I don't know."

Raon forced himself to lift his head, not fleeing from Glen's intimidating gaze. He suppressed the urge to close his eyes and continued speaking.

"I grew up in the annex, not the main hall. I don't know how high or great Sieghart is."

"R-Raon!"

Sylvia called out urgently, but he didn't look back.

"So I want to participate in the training to understand what Sieghart is like."

When Raon finished speaking, everyone held their breath and looked at Glen.

"..."

One of Glen's eyebrows slightly lowered.

"Are you saying you'll judge Sieghart's level through basic training?"

"That's the only way I can understand Sieghart now."

"Then I'll have to instruct the instructor to prepare thoroughly. I won't let you down."

The flames in Glen's red eyes made the audience hall deathly silent.

"Ugh..."

Raon couldn't hold it in and finally bowed his head. He was only twelve years old. He was still a child who couldn't withstand even a fraction of Glen's pressure.

But he wasn't submitting.

If he consistently tempered the Ring of Fire and mastered an excellent aura cultivation method, he could stand tall before him one day.

Raon clenched his teeth, vowing to show him through actions, not words.

'Someday.'

* * *

After everyone left, the audience hall fell silent, with only Glen and his butler Roen remaining.

"Did you see?"

"Yes, I saw clearly."

Roen nodded vigorously in response to Glen's question.

"That boy is a gem."

Glen's lips, unlike before, curved slightly upward.

"A twelve-year-old standing firm and speaking boldly under my pressure, I've never seen such a boy before."

"Neither have I."

Roen, smoothing his fallen hair, smiled.

"Not just his appearance, but his aura also closely resembles the young Head of the family."

"Don't say such strange things."

Glen snorted as if dismissing nonsense, but the corners of his mouth rose a bit more.

"Do you plan to increase the difficulty of the basic training?"

"There are many ears, so I should."

"Can Lord Raon pass the training?"

"It will be difficult for him to even participate in the basic training."

Glen shook his head without hesitation.

"Thanks to the elixir, his condition has improved, but his physique and stamina are still poor. Perhaps if he recovers more, but now it's too much."

"Then why..."

"I told you. There's no discrimination for those who bear the name Sieghart."

"Hmm."

Roen smacked his lips.

'You're still not being honest.'

He knew this because they had been together for decades. Glen didn't call Raon out to pressure him but to show others that he treated everyone equally, indirectly protecting him.

If Raon fails the training, he'll likely give him an elixir as if rewarding a disliked child.

Of course, Glen wouldn't know that Raon had taken the initiative.

"I like Lord Raon's character, but I have one concern."

"It's about the direct and collateral children, right?"

"Yes. They won't react strongly, but he'll receive more attention than before. Even a small amount of your aura is significant. We should take precautions..."

"No, just watch. There's no need to provoke them."

"Understood."

Roen nodded immediately, despite his own thoughts. To him, Glen was like a god.

"Head of the family, may I ask one thing?"

"Hmm?"

"If, by any chance, Lord Raon passes the basic training, what will you do?"

"Pass?"

Glen rested his chin, recalling the selection ceremony seven years ago.

'Golden flames.'

Whether by chance or some anomaly, Raon had produced the golden flames used only by the first Head of the family.

"It won't happen. But if it does, even by a millionth chance..."

He chuckled and stood up from his jade throne.

"I'll have to give him a fitting reward."

* * *

As soon as Raon returned to the annex, he was dragged to Sylvia's room.

"Raon."

Sylvia tightly gripped Raon's shoulders.

"What were you thinking?"

"Um..."

"Sieghart's training doesn't treat children differently. With your current stamina, you can't endure it. You'll only get hurt."

Sylvia's voice sank, her hands trembling with worry.

"I couldn't stand it."

"What?"

"I don't know exactly what emotion drove me."

Raon closed his eyes. It was true. He had lived with Sylvia and Helen for twelve years, but his emotions were still as soft as a pastel sky.

"But every time I see you being ignored in the main hall, my chest feels tight. I wanted to say something."

He wanted to be honest with Sylvia and Helen, so he spoke from the heart.

"Ah..."

"Lord Raon."

Sylvia's mouth opened, and Helen's eyes trembled.

"Phew."

Sylvia released his shoulders, slowly closed her eyes, and then opened them.

"Raon. I appreciate that you're thinking of me, but you're still young. You're at an age where you should be pampered, not worrying about your mother."

"But..."

"You don't know, but I'm quite strong. I can endure it."

Sylvia bit her tongue to hold back tears.

'Such a child...'

Raon was a child kinder than he deserved. He had understood the family's atmosphere, never acted spoiled like other children, and endured his pain alone.

Because he was such a kind and affectionate child, she couldn't let him walk into a difficult situation.

"I'll go to Grandfather. I'll ask him to delay the training for just one year. If I ask, he might..."

"I'll try. No, I can do it."

Raon shook his head. He had stepped forward for Sylvia, but there was another reason.

The basic training was an opportunity to train his body openly without worrying about Sylvia and Helen's reactions. He couldn't let this chance slip away.

"Really. I can do it, so believe in me."

"The issue isn't whether you can or can't, but that your condition might worsen."

"Um..."

Raon narrowed his eyes, looking into Sylvia's trembling eyes.

'That's what you meant.'

Their perspectives were different.

He was saying he could endure the training, while she was worried about his condition.

His time as an assassin, focused only on results, had made him unable to understand her feelings.

"Then I'll quit if my condition worsens."

He gave a new answer to ease her worry.

"You never say when you're in pain, how can I trust you!"

"I promise."

"Ha..."

Sylvia grabbed her head and sighed.

"Lord Raon, why don't you trust him once?"

"Helen, you know what kind of person Lord Raon is..."

"The training is intense, but the new chief instructor has the best eyes in Sieghart. He'll know your condition and stop you before it gets worse."

"Ha..."

Sylvia sighed, looking down at him.

"Raon, can you really promise? You must tell me immediately if anything is wrong, understand?"

"Okay."

Raon nodded calmly.

"I'll trust you this once."

"Thank you."

"Still, I can't just sit by."

"Huh?"

"I'll go to the 5th training ground. I need to talk to them."

She said this and immediately ran out of the room.

"Lord Raon."

As soon as Sylvia left, Helen knelt and met his eyes.

"Absolutely, absolutely don't overdo it! If you feel any strain, you must quit immediately. Understand?"

"Got it. How many times do you have to say it?"

"Not just a few times, even a hundred times isn't enough. Remember, you're weaker than other children, and you must give up your stubbornness."

"Okay."

Helen, as worried as Sylvia, only nodded.

'Sorry, but I won't give up first.'

Even if his lungs burst, he wouldn't stop. The harder it got, the higher the Ring of Fire's realm would rise, strengthening his body and mind.

* * *

Raon headed to the small garden behind the annex.

"Coming back from the main hall, it feels so empty here."

The main hall had a wide training ground, a sophisticated garden, and many other facilities, but the annex only had a small garden and a lake.

It was too small to train without Sylvia noticing, but it had its own charm.

Raon sat on a chair in the garden.

'The training will be quite tough.'

As Sylvia and Helen worried, his body was still not perfect. There was still cold in his mana channels, his growth was delayed, and his stamina was lacking.

Sieghart's training was notoriously intense, so even the children's basic training would be challenging.

But he had the experience of a hellish life from his previous life. With that memory, he wouldn't break.

'This is the real start.'

If cultivating the Ring of Fire after birth was the foundation, the training starting next month would be the groundwork for building a house.

He needed to lay this foundation well to build a tall building in the future.

"I have to show them."

He would show achievements surpassing any direct descendant, silencing those who mocked them.

'And that guy, Delus Robert.'

Although this matter would delay his revenge a bit, his true target was Delus Robert of the Thousand Sword City.

He wouldn't stop until he unmasked Delus and cut off his head.

"Phew..."

Raon closed his eyes, looking at the golden sun setting behind the western mountains, and absorbed mana.

The Ring of Fire in his heart began to spin rapidly.