Horr…!

The Black Lark chirped.

Kyle let out a light laugh.

“Why? Are you feeling uneasy about just letting them go?”

Horr…

The Black Lark’s cries softened.

As if it truly thought so.

“I know, too. I understand what you’re worried about.”

Horr?

“But since I granted the Heart-Sword previously, up until now, you’ve seen it, haven’t you? What kind of person he is.”

…

The Black Lark’s chirping finally ceased.

“So I thought it would be alright to watch a little longer. Is there really a need to take hope away from a child who is just about to start? Besides…”

One corner of Kyle's mouth twisted up significantly.

“There needs to be someone chasing from below for those kids to feel tense, doesn’t it? There’s nothing more stimulating than the emergence of a talented rival. Lately, everyone has become too dull. It’s just the right time for new stimulation.”

The Black Lark scratched its head with its wings.

Those kids. Referring to the inheritors currently known as the ‘Five Candidates.’

Each one possessed exceptional capabilities that could easily make them the next branch leader if born in a different generation.

However, Kyle was not satisfied with that.

Bigger.

Fiercer.

He was trying to drive his own children into an even more grueling competition.

Through Theo.

The Black Lark considered mentioning the potential side effects of this but decided against it.

Kyle couldn’t be unaware of such facts.

Horr…!

Still, it pointed out a few concerns,

“If you’re that worried, why don’t you take matters into your own hands?”

Horr?

The Black Lark tilted its head at Kyle’s counter-question.

“I’m talking about the upcoming designation ceremony. Why don’t you personally take Theo there?”

…!

In an instant, the Black Lark’s eyes widened.

And a moment later.

Horrurr…

After a moment of deep contemplation, the Black Lark flapped its small wings and soared into the sky.

Watching that, Kyle smiled.

“Things are going to get interesting again.”

It seemed that the somewhat dull life in the clan was about to become exciting again.

All because of the appearance of a new child.

---

* * *

Buzzing—

A week ago, the front of the Central Government Office, where the first awakening ceremony was held, was bustling with a large crowd once again.

“Sure enough, there are many people.”

“There’s no way there wouldn’t be. They say it was the best awakening ceremony in history; it’s no wonder everyone is so excited.”

“Haah…! I hope we can find a good talent this time.”

“Yeah, I’m afraid it won’t be easy. But we have to try somehow.”

The designation ceremony.

It was an event where the graduates would select the troops and organizations they would join after all the awakening ceremonies were completed.

Naturally, all the troops and organizations had no choice but to engage in fierce competition to recruit the best talents,

And all the residents and officials of Winterra watched this with interest.

However,

The interest of the people during this awakening ceremony was solely focused on one thing.

—Who will take Theo Ragnar?

Having graduated at the top through all three rounds of tests and set a new record rivaling Torquel, he was a genius.

The unit or organization that could recruit him would undoubtedly gain wings.

“But isn’t it strange?”

“What is?”

“The top graduate this time. Didn’t the lord declare he wouldn’t take him? That’s why it’s so competitive.”

“Ah, right. That did happen.”

“What could be the reason he didn’t take him? In fact, all five candidates have passed through the lord’s hands at least once.”

“How would we know the lord’s thoughts? He must have his reasons.”

“Is that so?”

“And if you think about it, you can’t really say he hasn’t gone through the lord’s hands at all. He has already granted him the Heart-Sword.”

“Hm…! It’s complicated.”

Amid the tangled expectations, questions, and curiosities of the crowd.

Kirrk—

A carriage pulled up in front of the office.

Decorated with various ornaments, the carriage exuded an aura of elegance rather than vulgarity.

As the door opened, someone slowly descended.

Clop—

“Is this where my son is? I hope he is alright.”

Cecilia raised her head to look at the Central Government Office.

The place where Theo would soon appear.

Was he hurt? Did his handsome face bear any scars? She felt more anxious than during the first awakening ceremony.

“Who says he’s not alright? Is it that monstrous boy? Worrying is just going to bring trouble.” 

Kirson, following behind, chuckled while holding his pipe.

Huff—

With every laugh, smoke billowed thickly.

Cecilia shot a glare at her mother.

“A monster? Where can you find someone as gentle as our son…!”

“Gentle? Has the meaning of ‘gentle’ changed since I last knew it?”

The boy who subdued the Heart-Sword with one hand and blew the roof off the forge with a single strike couldn’t be called gentle; no child in the world would fit that description.

“If you keep nagging like this, how about going back to the forge, Mother?”

“…Ha, hahaha! I was just joking, joking.”

“Maybe you should stop with those unfunny jokes?”

“Oh dear! More and more people are gathering. At this rate, there won’t be any seats left. Let’s hurry inside.”

Kirson hastily linked his arm with Cecilia’s and led the way.

Only direct family members and one accompanying guest could attend the designation ceremony.

If Cecilia left Kirson behind like this, her plan to promote the Bask Forge again during the ceremony could fall apart.

‘How many gold coins have I spent on this wicked girl to get in here! I absolutely cannot let that happen!’

Considering the money and time spent to create this functional prosthetic arm for the first time, she absolutely could not be chased away!

This designation ceremony would undoubtedly be a stage for Theo, just like the awakening ceremony.

Kirson’s eyes were already fixed on the mountain of jewels and gold piled high.

Sparkling!

Shaking his head—

Cecilia was led toward the office by that insufferable arm.

---

Meeting Theo wasn’t difficult.

The graduates were waiting for their families in front of the office.

A family reunion after a fortnight.

Parents and mentors could be seen everywhere, grabbing their children who were either injured or had grown more dignified.

Cecilia was one of them.

“My son, what on earth happened! It’s only been a fortnight, and you look so haggard! Your once beautiful skin and hair are so dull now…!”

Cecilia jumped at the sight of Theo, whose features had become sharper.

“It’s just a bit sunburned, calm down. If anything, it looks even better now, so what…?”

Kirson shook his head in disbelief from behind, but Cecilia didn’t hear a word.

“I’m fine, so please calm down, Mother.”

“How can I calm down! Look at your appearance! Who did this? Who made my son unhappy!”

“Weren’t all those guys dead?”

“I’ll grab those bastards by the scruff of their necks right now…!”

“The Jordan River is noisy because of all those caps.”

“Mother, please be quiet!”

Cecilia had grown fed up with Kirson, who kept nitpicking since earlier.

However, Kirson had already entered the office as a family member of Theo.

There was no need to pay attention to her adopted daughter anymore.

“Even if your mother is making a fuss today, understand that she has suffered for the past fortnight. If you knew how much she has worried for you, you wouldn’t say a word. Moreover, the ‘gift’ she prepared for you…!”

‘Gift?’

As Theo tilted his head, Cecilia yelled angrily.

“Mother!”

“Cough! Cough! Well, you should know how hard it was for me to watch from the side, so just keep that in mind.”

Kirson laughed heartily, his pipe in his mouth.

Theo felt a strange mix of emotions.

Cecilia’s boundless love still tickled him, but… he was also incredibly grateful.

“I really had a good time. I made many friends.”

“Friends…?” 

Cecilia’s eyes widened slightly.

Theo had never had friends since he was a child.

He was always a loner who enjoyed playing alone and reading books.

Though he was kind to the servants and maids, they could never be considered ‘friends.’

He had always kept a wall around his heart, worrying everyone.

But now it seemed he was opening his heart to others as well.

“Yes. I’ll introduce them to you next time.”

For now, everyone was busy meeting their families and chatting.

“That sounds great. If they are your friends, they will always be welcome. Just let me know in advance. This mother will show off her skills.”

Finally relieved of her worries about Theo, a smile spread across Cecilia’s face.

At that moment, Kirson quickly threw out bait.

Her real purpose for following her adopted daughter was different.

“By the way, dear daughter, is it okay not to unwrap what you worked so hard to bring?”

“Oh!”

Cecilia clapped her hands as if recalling something.

“Oh dear… I had a graduation gift for my son, but I must have been too absorbed in our conversation.”

“A gift?”

Theo looked slightly surprised as Cecilia clapped lightly.

Then, servants waiting nearby

 brought forth a box and opened the lid to present it to Theo.

Inside was a male formal attire of deep blue, shimmering like a sapphire.

And resting atop it was a red brooch.

It featured a clean yet beautiful design, adorned with small gems throughout.

“Since you’re now officially making your debut as a training swordsman, you cannot dress carelessly.”

Theo carefully picked up the formal attire and felt it with his hands.

Once again, it bore the imprint of Cecilia’s heart.

However, he was bothered by the brooch.

“This doesn’t seem to match your taste, Mother.”

“Oh ho! Can you see this mother’s taste now? It seems the time spent teaching you about aesthetics was worth it.”

Cecilia smiled lightly and shot a glance at Kirson.

Kirson grinned.

“This time, we acquired a pretty decent jeweler at our forge. I had it made just for you, so don’t feel burdened. Just think of it as a graduation gift from this grandmother to her grandson.”

Theo examined the brooch carefully.

“In the future, if this grandmother has any pretty accessories, I’ll make sure to give them to you as well. It would suit you just as well as Cecilia…!”

“2% stake in the mines of the Kanaka Archipelago.”

“Hmm?”

A sudden, unexpected statement.

Kirson tilted his head in confusion.

Theo smiled as he replied.

“That will cover the sponsorship costs for all major products coming out of the Bask Forge in the future.”

“…!”

In an instant, Kirson saw Theo’s smile as that of a devil.

Cold sweat broke out on his face.

“Hahaha… Ah, it seems you’ve got something all wrong. This is merely a gift given out of goodwill for my grandson…!”

“Oh, was that so? I’m sorry. I didn’t understand the depth of your grandmother’s feelings.”

“No, that’s not true! That could happen…!”

“Since this is the first gift given to me by my grandmother, I should keep it safe and not use it carelessly.”

As Theo pulled out only the formal attire and tried to close the box again, Kirson hastily waved his hands.

“W-wait! Stoooop!”

“Why is that?”

“Well, it’s still a gift, so it would be best to use it well…?”

The corners of Theo’s eyes twitched.

“But I can’t take it out carelessly at the designation ceremony, where anything could happen. I’ll keep it safe and use it when the time comes.”

Though he spoke politely,

For some reason, Kirson heard it as ‘I’ll bury it forever.’

‘This kid is just as clever as his mother!’ 

It seemed this time, too, the cautious poke was similar to before.

Just like with the Heart-Sword!

Well, he must have been the top graduate at that dreadful awakening ceremony!

“Gold! I’ll give you gold. Or do you need another sword? You’ve used it, but you know, the sword made by this grandmother’s Tocheolmun takes even the 9 Dragons years to get…!”

“I’m more than satisfied with Drake’s blade and the Heart-Sword. I think the shares from the Kanaka Archipelago’s mines would be nice.”

“…Then how about the mines in the Daeanan region? The iron bars coming from there are of exceptional quality.”

“Kanaka.”

“Or how about the shares from the jeweler who made the brooch we just saw?”

“Kanaka.”

“Don’t be so blunt. As you can see, there are some truly skilled craftsmen there. I could give you up to 5%...!”

“If you don’t want to, then it can’t be helped. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Turkan Guild and the Georg Forge these days; I wonder if they’ll be okay.”

He was infuriated!

Kirson felt like hitting that shameless face of Theo’s with the pipe in his hand.

‘How the hell did he find out about that! I was so careful not to let those black snow monsters know!’

The Kanaka Archipelago mines were one of Kirson’s most prized treasures.

A place where adamantite was mined.

But when he pinpointed that location…!

‘2%? How much would that be?’

Kirson quickly calculated in his mind.

Given that trying to negotiate with that brigand of a grandson would yield nothing good from Cecilia, he would have no choice but to concede.

Thinking about the value of the mines, he would have to concede an enormous profit… but he had to consider the value Theo himself possessed.

When he created Drake’s blade, he had swallowed blood and tears, but the result was a flower garden.

So, the conclusion he reached was,

‘…It will take some time, but it will be profitable.’

Of course, even so, it was too precious to put on the table!

Having met these people, he felt like he was constantly being bled dry with wide-open eyes.

But what could he do?

Crack!

His teeth clenched tightly.

“…Co, all.”

Was it that hard to complete the word ‘call’?

“Thank you, Grandma. I’ll make good use of it.”

The bright smile mixed with Theo’s greeting was unbearable.

“Indeed, my son, I think I have nothing left to teach you. You could descend now, couldn’t you? Oh ho ho!”

Cecilia nodded beside him.

Her prized disciple looked extremely pleased.