「Naban! Have you lost your mind?! Do you even know where you’re meddling?!」 

A frantic voice from his family’s bodyguard echoed in Naban's ear.

After all, this was a Ragnar operation, involving accusations of treason. No matter how influential the Ceres Company was in the North, if Ragnar decided to, they could turn it to ash in a single day.

Staying out of this would have been the logical choice for the Bacchus family.

But—

「You know only one side of things. Are you really that clueless?」 

Naban deflected Clébé’s blade, his scoffing laughter escaping as he parried her attack.

「What nonsense…!」

「Don’t you care about money?」

「That’s none of your concern. If we get caught up in treason, we’ll lose not only the family but our lives!」

「And if Ceres gets convicted of treason? You think Bacchus will be left alone? With our ties to them, no one will take chances. Not only will debt collectors demand immediate payment, but Ragnar itself might come in to investigate. You’re telling me you’re ready for that kind of scrutiny?」

「…!」

「Judging by your silence, you clearly understand.」

The bodyguard’s face finally reflected the gravity of the situation.

Everyone in the North already knew about the Bacchus-Ceres alliance. Bacchus couldn’t escape suspicion. And, as the bodyguard well knew, the family had its own dark secrets—many that Ragnar wouldn’t take lightly.

「Our fates are already bound to the Ceres Company’s.」

「…Even so, better that than treason.」

It was evident that the bodyguard was still fearful of Ragnar. Naban sighed in exasperation.

「We only need to hold them off this one time.」

「What?」

「Don’t you get it? Ragnar isn’t even certain of our guilt. If they had real proof, they’d have come with a larger force.」

「Oh.」

「Whether they’re rushed or just probing, we just need to fend them off once. Ceres will clean up any incriminating evidence afterward.」

「Of course…!」

「And you seem to have forgotten who's supporting Ceres. Central Intelligence’s director doesn’t leave his people hanging. He’ll make sure things are handled.」

By now, the bodyguard’s face had transformed, fully convinced by Naban’s argument.

「Looks like this is some political battle between the Black Snow and the Anti-Dragon factions. No reason we need to become collateral damage.」

「Yes, quite true. I was already thinking along similar lines, but the situation caught me off guard.」

「Of course, naturally. Now, why don’t you get the men moving before you mess things up even further?」

The bodyguard disliked Naban’s impertinence but decided to let it slide just this once.

With hopes that, if they navigated this situation, they could secure a greater stake from the Ceres alliance, he shouted, “Bacchus swordsmen, protect the Ceres head and his followers!”

“Understood!”

“Understood!”

The Bacchus swordsmen, previously hesitant, now turned toward Theo’s party, weapons drawn and deadly intent in their eyes.

‘Fools.’

Naban couldn’t help but chuckle internally at the sight.

“...So, this is the stance of the Bacchus family?”

Clébé’s eyes went cold as she scanned the group. Hazel and Evelyn shared the same unyielding expression.

As Ragnar’s enforcers, they couldn’t accept such an insult.

Despite their trembling eyes, the Bacchus swordsmen stood their ground.

"Stand firm! Ceres is an innocent victim of slander! It would be wise for the Ragnar family to gather more solid evidence before paying us another visit."

Though politely worded, the implication was clear—they were ordering Ragnar to leave.

“I had heard Bacchus was in poor shape, but I didn’t expect its leader to have completely lost his mind.”

Clébé’s expression hardened as she issued a new order.

"Apply the same charges to Bacchus. Anyone who obstructs us will be executed without exception."

"Understood."

"Understood."

Evelyn and Hazel split off to the sides, their swords flashing as they prepared to strike. Outnumbered or not, there was no chance they’d back down.

-Resistance to rebels must never be broken.

In the North, it was a deeply ingrained creed.

Instantly, the courtyard became a flurry of clashing blades.

"Seize them all!"

Quadrak had initially expected the Bacchus family to withdraw, but their decision to stand alongside Ceres reminded him of his daughter’s words. Maybe Naban’s show of affection wasn’t an act after all.

‘Many of them bear the blessings of the Nine Apostles of the Holy Demon Sect. They’ll crush any ordinary swordsman!’

The soldiers of Ceres and the Bacchus family’s swordsmen, many of whom were disguised Blood Priests, tangled with Theo’s party.

In the midst of it all, Naban laughed.

“Hahaha!”

How hilarious it was to see these fools fall into a grave, all because he’d stirred them up with a few choice words. Bacchus had crossed the point of no return now.

‘I’ll get to see Bacchus fall even sooner than I thought.’

Just as he was considering how to further fan the flames, a sharp telepathic voice pierced his mind.

「You think this will really burn? Wouldn’t it be more effective to take a few enforcers’ heads?」

‘Who…!’

Naban’s spine tingled.

It felt as though someone had peeled back his mind, exposing every hidden thought.

*Clang!*

He deflected a blade that sliced through the air toward him. His opponent was a young boy, around the same age as his fiancée Lily, yet his deep, somber eyes suggested a maturity far beyond his years.

‘Theo Ragnar!’

It took only a moment to identify him.

Suppressing his trembling lips, Naban spoke, “What… What are you trying to say?”

“Are you nervous?”

“What?”

But Theo’s knowing smirk suggested he understood Naban’s thoughts all too well.

And then came another whisper.

「Despite what you claim, you know this family killed your mother, the woman who bore and raised you.」

「...!」

Naban’s eyes widened.

「Knowing you were born with a disease, they withheld treatment to make you a prisoner of your own fate. Your own father.」

“What are you talking about…?”

「Naban Bacchus. Illegitimate son of the current Bacchus head, born on foreign soil. Overshadowed by Thorkel, the Iron Cavalry Captain, but hailed as a tragic genius of Bacchus who scored the highest marks in the Opening Ceremony.」

“...!!”

「But shackled by your family, you wasted ten years accomplishing nothing. So, you’ve no intention of saving this family. Instead, you’ve spent your remaining five years plotting its downfall, carefully placing each move like a chess piece.」

“…”

「You’ve nearly bankrupted them, introduced dangerous figures like the Anti-Dragon into their ranks, and just now, with your latest choice, Bacchus has sealed its fate as a house of traitors. Congratulations.」

For a brief moment, all emotion drained from Naban’s face, leaving him as blank and impassive as a doll.

“…Who are you, and how do you know all this?”

“Does it matter?”

Theo’s smirk widened.

“What matters now is how useful I might be to you.”

“…!”

“I can help treat your incurable disease. I’ll even ensure Bacchus’s downfall. But in return…”

Theo’s eyes gleamed with intensity.

“Become my second sword.”

Naban couldn’t decide how to respond to Theo’s proposal.

Here was a boy who not only knew his entire past but was offering him exactly what he needed.

It was as if he were dealing with a ghost.

But Theo didn’t seem like the kind to play anyone’s pawn.

Years of being an outsider had given Naban a knack for reading people, and Theo, he could tell, was serious.

“Decide quickly. As you can see, there isn’t much time.”

Theo smiled.

---

**-Ten Blades.**

When Theo first awoke after his return, he had counted ten people he’d need to reach the throne.

The first was Evelyn; the second was Naban.

Both had immense talent and skill, but they had been born into the wrong era, never given the chance to realize their full potential.

-Just like Theo himself.

“You can cure my illness? How can I believe that?”

Naban’s skepticism only lasted a moment before his tone turned even.

The cynicism he had shown earlier seemed almost like a mask.

‘Of course, he’s cautious. I expected this.’

Naban had spent his life distrusting others. He had steered the Bacchus family toward ruin, a brilliant schemer who wouldn’t easily trust anyone.

Theo shrugged.

“Stick around, watch, and then decide. Whether or not you become my sword.”

Naban’s mind buzzed with a hope he hadn’t known in years.

The chance to survive—and to find someone who might actually see him for who he was.

Finally, Naban frowned, nodding slowly.

“Fine. I’ll trust you, but you’ll explain how you know all this about me.”

“I will.”

“And…”

“...?”

“I think I’m quite a bit older than you. Show some respect. I’m a peer of Thorkel, the Iron Cavalry

 Captain.”

“That depends on you.”

“You want to test my mettle?”

In an instant, Naban’s expression cooled, and he spun around.

*Swoosh!*

*Slash!*

A lightning-fast blade arced through the air, grazing the neck of the bodyguard fighting Evelyn.

“You… What…?”

The bodyguard’s eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at Naban.

Hadn’t he just been urging them to support Ceres, and now he was betraying them?

Naban’s mocking grin returned.

“A traitor’s head seems like the perfect way to preserve my own life, don’t you think?”

“...!”

“You should have chosen your side more carefully.”

The bodyguard wanted to shout in protest, but he only managed a soft gasp as his head separated from his body.

*Thunk!*

With a fierce shove off the ground, Naban charged toward the Bacchus swordsmen.

“Sir!”

“Why are you attacking us?”

“Because you’re all guilty.”

After all, these were the same men who had driven his mother to her death.

No mercy.

*Swoosh! Swoosh!*

In a matter of seconds, Naban’s blade was slicing through the “former” Bacchus swordsmen, erasing them from the battlefield.

「You told me to be your second sword, right?」

His voice echoed sharply in Theo’s mind.

「That means there’s already a first. I think it’s time I change that order.」