Chapter 18

Chapter 9: What Exactly Is the Eye of the Heart? (1)

Four years have passed since Jin came to the main house, and it is early summer of 1794.

"Today's training for the youngest young master ends here. Well done."

"Huh, Garon. It's already that time?"

Garon Altemiro.

This young 7-star knight is the one who teaches the basics of swordsmanship in the Sword Garden.

Runkandel, who left Storm Castle and entered the main house like Jin, as well as the young relatives who will become guardian knights in the future, all must receive basic training from Garon without exception.

"Haha, it's not 'already,' young master. Look at the guardian knight cadets beside you. Aren't they all looking like they're about to die?"

Jin looked around. He saw boys and girls of about his age, who had just turned fourteen. As Garon said, they were all drenched in sweat and barely catching their breath.

'Well, it was tough for me too.'

Garon's training, which started two years ago, was known for its intensity.

Among those who became Runkandel's guardian knight cadets through fierce competition, many could not endure Garon's training and dropped out.

Jin in his previous life was the same. Jin could not keep up with Garon's training and received private tutoring from his brothers. At first glance, it seemed like he was enjoying a privilege, but for Runkandel, it was an incredibly shameful matter.

Not being able to do what everyone else could and only receiving private tutoring was the shame of all shames. Of course, even that private tutoring eventually became a complete failure and was abandoned.

Jin shook his head, recalling those days.

"Besides, young master, you also have to handle Lady Luna's training in the afternoon, don't you?"

Jin nodded as Garon continued.

Currently, Jin is receiving training from Garon and guidance from his eldest sister, Luna Runkandel.

However, it's not a shameful private tutoring like in his previous life. Luna, recognizing Jin's terrifying growth rate, took the initiative to teach him. This time, it's an honorable achievement, not a shame.

He receives envy and admiration from the guardian knight cadets and jealousy and envy from his brothers.

"That's right. Then, I should go eat."

"Will you eat with the cadets again today? Sir Rossa always seems disappointed..."

"I want to eat with these friends who roll around with me every day, not with my brothers who always compete with me at the dinner table."

"Understood, young master."

Servants started bringing meals to the training ground.

Large iron pots filled with rice, vegetables, and chunks of meat. It was a simple meal, but all the ingredients were of the highest quality.

The guardian knight cadets lined up to receive their portions. A boy named 'Velop' was the one who brought Jin's share.

"Thank you."

"No, young master."

"Nothing is nothing. Sit down, let's eat."

Velop Schmitz. He is thirteen, a year younger than Jin, and of commoner origin.

And if things went as they should, he would have dropped out of training soon, lost his cadet status, and been expelled from the Sword Garden.

This was the life of Velop that Jin had seen before the regression.

"Is it good?"

"Of course. I am always grateful to Runkandel for providing me with such meat, and to the youngest young master for always sharing your portion with me..."

"Stop, stop. Seriously, how can you always give the same answer without a single mistake? Do you memorize it?"

Velop coughed and blushed.

"Sometimes you need to act more straightforwardly, Velop. If you always talk like that, the other kids will keep ignoring you."

"Is... is that so..."

"Stand up straight too. Have some pride as a Runkandel guardian knight cadet."

"But my grades are at the bottom. I haven't even reached 1-star yet..."

"Please. Becoming a Runkandel cadet isn't something just anyone can do, you know?"

Velop is full of shame, lacks confidence, and is incredibly gentle. This is the personality Jin observed in Velop.

So Jin was even more puzzled.

'Well, given his personality, it's not surprising that the family didn't notice him. How did this gentle kid become a notorious royal guard of the Viment Empire?'

Before the regression, Velop's life after being expelled from Runkandel had a significant twist.

After barely passing the guardian knight cadet exam and always ranking at the bottom of the training class, Velop Schmitz... was later noticed by another famous swordsmanship family, the 'Hailan' family.

Hailan is the empire's top swordsmanship family.

And one of the largest noble families in Viment. Velop's talent bloomed there, and he became a royal guard, earning the nickname 'Viment's Faithful Dog.'

Viment's Faithful Dog.

Jin doesn't know what Velop experienced in the Hailan family to earn this nickname.

But the Velop who earned this nickname was no longer the timid boy Jin knew. He led the royal guard at the emperor's command and massacred countless people without showing any mercy.

And a year before Jin's sudden death in the Akin Kingdom, Velop ended his bloodstained, unhappy life by his own hand, leaving behind a letter of repentance that could not be made public.

'When I heard that this kid became a royal guard, I was shocked, and when I heard he committed suicide, I felt bitter.'

Jin subtly checked his surroundings. Once he confirmed that no one was looking at him, he gave all the remaining meat to Velop.

"Ah, young master."

"Shh. I don't have an appetite."

Jin pretended to eat until the meal ended while staring at Velop.

'Velop Schmitz... This time, I need to take good care of him so he doesn't drop out and get expelled.'

It's not just to avoid losing a talent.

Jin felt a bit of kinship with Velop. Both discovered their talents late but ended up with unhappy lives.

'A kid with the potential to become a royal guard would be useful to have around. Besides, I'll need to use the guardian knights a lot in the future.'

Instead of turning him into Viment's killing machine, leading him to become a Runkandel guardian knight would be a better outcome for both Jin and Velop.

When the meal ended and Jin stood up, Garon came over.

"I'll see you tomorrow, young master. Oh, and we have a sparring training session planned for tomorrow."

"Understood, Garon. Good work."

"Yes, sir."

When Jin returned to his room, Gilli was waiting with bathwater and a change of clothes prepared.

"You worked hard in the morning training, young master. The eldest lady's training starts in three hours."

"Right, strawberry pie..."

Jin stopped in his tracks.

"Damn it, I called him 'strawberry pie' so much that it stuck in my mouth..."

"Hey, kid."

Turning his head, he saw Murakan lying on the sofa, flipping through an erotic book.

"You crazy dragon, what are you looking at in broad daylight?"

"This? It's a limited edition erotic collection I managed to get recently. Haha, if you need it, just say so. You're fourteen, right, the age when you start getting excited..."

"Also, try to maintain your cat form at home as much as possible, okay? What if someone sees you?"

"Don't worry, don't worry. I have the right to enjoy my freedom, you know? Come here and take a look at this. The guy who drew this makes me consider kidnapping him."

Watching Murakan focus on the erotic book with a chuckle, Jin felt an urge to punch him.

But no matter what, he couldn't hit a dragon who had lived for thousands of years more than him. Jin sighed and leaned against Murakan.

"Well, it is excellent. How much did you pay for it?"

"A hundred gold coins, I think..."

"Really? A hundred gold coins. A hundred... gold coins. Where did you get the money?"

"I borrowed it from Strawberry Pie. Man, the Runkandel nanny's salary is huge."

When Jin looked at Gilli, she only coughed.

"From now on, if you need money, ask me, not Gilli."

"Okay? Then I'll ask for a thousand gold coins first."

"I'll give you a thousand gold coins if you write a report on why you need them. Gilli, and get me a simple meal, please."

Murakan quickly covered the erotic book and started writing the report, muttering to himself, which made Jin roll his eyes.

"Didn't you eat?"

"I did, but I'm still growing."

"What would you like?"

"A sandwich will do."

"Strawberry Pie, I'll have a strawberry pie, please."

An hour passed after eating.

Before Luna's training started, Jin practiced Spirit Release in one corner of the room for two hours.

'Spirit Release is almost at 2-star... Magic is at 4-star, and swordsmanship is at 2-star.'

These are the results of the past four years since leaving Storm Castle.

Spirit Release is showing surprisingly fast progress, even surprising Murakan, but magic is developing too slowly for Jin. Since magic cannot be used in the Sword Garden, it's inevitable.

Still, being able to use 4-star level magic at fourteen is a consolation, even compared to the geniuses of Zep.

Swordsmanship, if it continues like this, will reach 3-star by sixteen, surpassing the 'Runkandel average' by more than a year.

Jin's growth is progressing smoothly.

* * *

Feeling himself getting stronger every day is incomparable.

Garon's harsh training, reviewing the vision book every day, and strengthening his spirit whenever he has time...

For Jin, all of these are more enjoyable than resting or playing.

However, for Jin... Luna's training is a torment in itself.

'If my jealous brothers experience direct training from the eldest sister, their jealousy will surely disappear.'

Jin swallowed a bitter smile and looked up at Luna.

"Beloved brother."

"Yes, sister."

"Today's training will be the same as yesterday."

"I understand."

"But you must approach this same training differently every day."

"Understood."

Luna approached Jin and closed her eyes. Jin followed her and closed his eyes as well.

The lines he had heard every day for the past few months were about to start.

"Brother."

"With the... Eye of the Heart."

"With the Eye of the Heart... see."

This is the torment.

Luna never gave systematic, intuitive, or physically painful training like Garon.

Always.

With the... Eye of the Heart!

Just telling him to see.

'Drives me crazy.'

Jin had heard many times about the 'Heart Sword' realm that 8-star knights talk about.

But usually, Heart Sword is something you start preparing for from 7-star. It's not a static training like this... but a feeling of naturally spreading aura in all directions.

'Why does sister just tell me to open the Eye of the Heart without doing anything?'

This kind of training is unheard of.

"For those who wield blades and move forward, obtaining the Heart Eye is the most important thing. Absolutely, do not open your eyes."

Still, the reason Jin grudgingly closes his eyes and follows his eldest sister's words is that he knows her character. Luna is the strongest among the 13 Runkandel siblings, recognized by all.

If another sibling had given this training, he would have considered it a trick to hinder his growth or thought they had fallen into a cult.

'Someday, I will understand sister's training.'

The two stood facing each other with their eyes closed until evening. When the training ended, Luna smiled and said,

"You did well today. You can go now, brother."

Jin didn't know what he had done well, but he could only nod.

However, as Luna watched Jin leave, she thought,

'With the astonishing concentration he shows when his eyes are closed and the ability to maintain it for hours... I will recognize Jin's potential within a few years. Keep growing, Jin.'

Luna smiled contentedly and closed her eyes again.

The Heart Eye was a realm that even she, who had already reached 9-star, needed to further understand.