Chapter 2

2. Days in Storm Castle (1)

Six years had passed since Jin chose Barisada.

Jin no longer endured the shame of having a nanny change his diaper, but pretending to be a child was still a struggle.

'I want to get out of this Storm Castle as soon as possible.'

Storm Castle.

A branch of Runkandel. Runkandel's children are not allowed to step outside this Storm Castle until they turn ten.

It was due to assassination threats.

'Who in their right mind would assassinate Runkandel's children? Zip wouldn't do such a crazy thing.'

However, about 200 years ago, such an incident did occur.

Another renowned swordsmanship family, Kungen, attacked Runkandel, resulting in the deaths of nine young Runkandels.

Kungen, along with their servants and distant relatives, were completely annihilated the next day, disappearing from history.

In any case, the tradition and rule that Runkandel's children cannot leave Storm Castle until they turn ten, after undergoing the selection ceremony, has been passed down.

It's boring.

Storm Castle is a castle that lives up to its name.

Located at the summit of Mount Murakan, known as the highest mountain in the world, it is constantly battered by storms and thunder throughout the year.

'It's not a place that's good for children's emotional well-being. No wonder my brothers were all so ruthless, having spent their childhoods here.'

Currently, only two of Jin's brothers remained in Storm Castle. The other ten were no longer of the age to stay.

Jin and his two brothers.

And the five elite guardian knights, nannies, and about a dozen servants who lived in this vast Storm Castle.

"Jin!"

The moment he heard his name being called, his irritation flared up.

The boy who called Jin's name in a nervous tone was Deitona Runkandel, Jin's older brother by two years.

"Where did you put that great Barisada, and why are you alone? Hahaha."

The next to mock him was Heitona Runkandel, Deitona's identical twin brother, as his name suggests.

The Runkandel Tona brothers.

Those who had experienced these brothers in their previous life all said the same thing.

They were devilish brats.

'Annoying bastards.'

Jin turned around.

He had no good memories of the Tona brothers.

Jin had been particularly bullied by these brothers since he was young, and the reason was that he chose Barisada when he was one year old.

However, it would be a mistake to think that it was just a case of nine-year-old brothers bullying a seven-year-old.

The first action the Tona brothers took after leaving Storm Castle a year later was murder. They were that inherently problematic.

When Jin didn't respond, the Tona brothers continued to provoke him.

Today was the day when Jin's nanny, Gilly, was away from Storm Castle. The Tona brothers had been eagerly waiting for this day and had no intention of leaving Jin alone.

"Hey, I'm asking you. Where did you put Barisada?"

The bullying by the Tona brothers began a year ago in this life.

At first, it was subtle enough that the nanny, Gilly, didn't notice. They would lock the bathroom door when Jin went in or sprinkle a lot of salt in his soup.

Next, they would hang a dead bird on Jin's door or secretly release a venomous scorpion they caught in the Storm Castle courtyard into his bed. The bullying gradually became more severe.

And Jin silently endured it all.

The two brothers walked toward Jin with confident strides.

As Jin looked at them indifferently, a smile began to spread across his lips.

"Who knows, where did I put it? Maybe I shoved it up your ass?"

The Tona brothers stopped in their tracks and looked at each other and then at Jin. The reaction they imagined from Jin was not this.

Ass...

Even if the Tona brothers were born killers, the vocabulary was too extreme for a nine-year-old. However, they seemed to recognize it as a very unpleasant word, and their faces quickly turned bright red.

"What did you just say... Jin, are you crazy?"

"Snap out of it. There's no nanny around, got it?"

Jin let out a small laugh and took a step toward the brothers.

Waiting for the nanny to be away wasn't just the Tona brothers' plan. Jin had been even more eager to wait.

To beat up these devilish brats he didn't even want to call brothers.

'In my previous life, at seven, I wouldn't have even imagined standing up to the Tona brothers.'

But not now.

Even if the Tona brothers were nineteen instead of nine, he was confident he could kill one of them.

The Tona brothers, still unable to grasp the situation, glared at him.

"If you beg now, I'll just break your nose and be done with it."

"Or I'll make you like the bird I hung on your door yesterday."

About five steps, in a seven-year-old's pace. The distance between Jin and the Tona brothers in the current Storm Castle corridor.

"Aah!"

Suddenly, Heitona let out a short scream and fell to the ground. Deitona, startled, turned his head to see Jin already pressing his foot on his fallen brother's back.

Jin had closed the distance in the blink of an eye and punched Heitona in the stomach.

"Huh?"

Crack.

Next, Deitona was hit in the jaw by Jin's fist and fell to the ground. It was the first time the brothers had ever been hit like this, and Jin's seven-year-old fists were as cold and hard as ice.

'What is this?'

In that moment, Deitona saw a dark aura surrounding Jin's fist.

He had no time to think about what it was. As his eyes rolled back, another punch came.

Smack!

"Ugh!"

His throat felt blocked, and he couldn't scream properly. Tears streamed down his eyes in response to the pain, and the only thought that filled Deitona's mind was that something was wrong.

There was no one in this corridor.

They had chosen this place to bully Jin, but the Tona brothers never imagined it would backfire.

"I buried the poor bird you trampled to death properly."

Thud, thud, crack.

While speaking in a monotone, Jin continued to punch the two fallen figures, alternating between them.

'But they're just kids, isn't this too much?'

This thought briefly crossed Jin's mind but quickly disappeared. In his previous life, the nine-year-old Tona brothers had even fed Jin something like horse dung.

If Jin had just endured it today, something similar would have happened.

"Huff."

Shudder, shudder!

After a while, the brothers, who had been beaten for a long time, lay on the ground, trembling. Jin stood up and looked down at them indifferently.

"I prefer it if you brothers don't draw attention to me in the family. If you want to live, that is."

"Master!"

A guardian knight, sensing the unusual atmosphere, ran down the corridor.

He was a top-tier guardian knight. Even for Runkandel, it was unusual to be surprised by a children's fight.

However, the knight couldn't help but widen his eyes when he saw the fallen Tona brothers and the standing Jin.

'Is it true that seven-year-old Jin beat up two nine-year-old boys?'

It was impossible. There was a significant difference in physical development between seven and nine years old, and the Tona brothers had already started learning Runkandel's combat techniques.

In contrast, Jin had not learned any combat techniques or anything else, at least as far as the knight knew.

"Ugh."

"Master Jin, what exactly...?"

Deitona groaned, and the knight asked.

"They suddenly started fighting."

"Huh?"

"They started fighting, that's all."

The knight immediately realized it was a lie but couldn't press the issue. Jin, with a smirk, seemed to have already calculated how things would unfold.

The knight's role was to protect the children from external threats, not to mediate internal conflicts within Storm Castle.

'I knew it, but even the Runkandel kids are ruthless... I need to report this to the head of the family.'

Snap.

The knight bowed deeply. Despite being only seven, Jin was a pure-blooded Runkandel.

"Yes, I will take the Tona brothers to the doctor."

"No. The Tona brothers have somewhere else to go."

"Somewhere else? Where?"

"The grave."

"The... grave?"

"Listen to me, brothers."

As Jin changed his tone, the knight had no choice but to pick up the Tona brothers and place them on his shoulders.

"Let's go."

The knight awkwardly followed Jin, who walked to a small mound in the backyard of Storm Castle, where the rain was pouring down.

It was where Jin had buried the bird the Tona brothers had killed yesterday.

The mound had not been washed away by the rain.

"Put them down here."

"But, Master Jin, the storm...?"

The fierce storm seemed to want to engulf Jin, the knight, and the Tona brothers.

Jin didn't answer but stared at the knight intently.

It was a command. The knight soon understood Jin's attitude, which was typical of a Runkandel giving an order.

I never thought a seven-year-old kid could show such a regal attitude.

The knight had no right to refuse. Even if it harmed another Runkandel, the Tona brothers were in no position to give orders.

Therefore, he had to follow the order of the Runkandel who gave it.

Whatever happened afterward would be a matter for the head of the family and the elders to judge, not the knight. If the Tona brothers died of hypothermia, the family would not hold the knight responsible.

Struggles among blood relatives were common in Runkandel.

"As you wish, Master."

The knight placed the Tona brothers in front of the mound. The brothers only shuddered intermittently and could not express any resistance.

About two hours later, the Tona brothers were found and rescued by Gilly, who had just returned.

They suffered from severe pneumonia for several days and did not dare to meet Jin's eyes until they left Storm Castle.

* * *

On the eastern continent, in the unprotected area, commonly known as the Black Sea.

Shiron Runkandel was meditating in this demon-infested realm for several days.

He just sat there, but the house-sized demons nearby dared not approach him.

A man, covered in blood from fighting numerous demons, finally made his way to him.

"Head of the family. It's Kan."

Ten days ago, this was the guardian knight who left the Tona brothers in the storm at Jin's command.

"What is it?"

Shiron slowly opened his eyes and asked.

"I have come to report on the conflict between the young masters in Storm Castle."

"You wouldn't interrupt my training for a trivial children's fight. Speak."

As Kan explained the fight between Jin and the Tona brothers, Shiron smiled.

"So, did the Tona brothers die?"

"They did get pneumonia, but their lives are not in danger."

"Then they must have learned a lot. Understood. You may leave."

"Yes."

Kan had fought demons for four days to report these few words. However, he showed no resentment and silently returned the way he came.

'I should meet the youngest once.'

Shiron visited Storm Castle a month later.