Shimmering silver hair and violet eyes.
A slightly arrogant bridge of the nose and a jawline that made them nearly indistinguishable.
The only difference was that one possessed a slender, girlish body, while the other, despite his youth, was huge like a bear.
The shadows looming over Kun belonged to a pair of youths who resembled mirror reflections.
Brother and sister?
Kun sifted through fragments of memory and parted his lips.
“Do you have some business with me?”
In response, the girl — apparently the elder — placed her hands on her hips and answered:
“Nothing special. We simply have a proposal for you.”
Her tone was utterly discourteous: she did not even introduce herself, as though Kun were obligated to recognize them by sight, and immediately went to the point. Kun frowned slightly, sensing arrogance in their manner equal to their upturned noses.
“A proposal?”
Ignoring — or pretending to ignore — his displeasure, the girl snorted lightly.
“Exactly.”
She nodded as if granting him a great favor.
“The first stage of the Lion Trial. We wondered if you’d like to clear it in the same group as us.”
It was called a proposal, but her voice clearly carried no possibility of refusal. Kun lowered his head, hiding a cold smile behind the motion.
They’re not merely oblivious — they’re utterly conceited.
Typical insolent nobility. Meanwhile the girl continued, unconcerned with what her listener thought:
“As you surely understand…”
While listening to their rambling about their own “extraordinary” talents, Kun sank fully into thought. Specific information surfaced in memory.
The Silver family.
Not vassals, but considered a solid lineage of hereditary swordsmen under the wing of House Zoldic. Their former glory, however, lay in the past — recently their position had reportedly grown unstable.
Before him stood the eldest daughter and eldest son of that family. If rumors were true, they had come to Lion’s Moat to restore their house’s prestige. And their skills truly were not bad.
The girl herself ranked among the best trainees of the Third Moat, while her younger brother — the bear-sized one — could enter the top five purely by strength. He was perhaps even stronger than Barison.
And such people approach me first with an offer…
That meant only one thing: the changes happening to him had become too noticeable. While the older sister continued listing the advantages of alliance, a rough voice interrupted her.
“What’s with the long talk? Hmph!”
With a loud snort, the giant cut into the conversation. In his violet eyes sat boredom mixed with arrogance and utter stupidity.
“H-hey, wait, I haven’t—!”
The sister faltered at the sudden intrusion, but he was already speaking freely:
“Listen. Joining our group is an offer that benefits you first and foremost.”
“…?”
“There are many of us, but if three strong fighters like us unite, we’ll clear the trial instantly.”
Up to that point the words sounded logical. The problem was what followed.
“Besides… chances like this don’t come often for a worthless upstart like you. Understand?”
“A worthless upstart?”
Kun could not help a quiet laugh. The boy did not know his true origin, of course, yet suppressing the ironic smile was impossible. Immediately the sister, who had spoken with pride before, tried to smooth over the harshness — though not much better.
“M-my brother expressed himself a bit bluntly, but… he isn’t entirely wrong, don’t you think?”
Her thinking itself was fundamentally mistaken.
“You should be considering what will happen after you leave Lion’s Moat.”
“After I leave Lion’s Moat?”
Kun repeated her words meaningfully and, meeting their eyes, asked:
“You plan to become my patrons?”
There was nothing unusual in noble houses supporting promising knights. With sufficient capital, families even sponsored famous warriors. The reason for such generosity toward talented commoners was simple:
It created connections — and raised the house’s name alongside the knight’s fame.
The patron family shared the knight’s glory and achievements. For a fighter without ties or title, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement. A symbiosis.
The girl nodded confidently.
“Y-yes. If you prove your strength, that is entirely possible. As you know, our Silver lineage…”
And then came an endless stream of boasting no one had asked for: that a Sword Master once existed in their line, that they ranked among the top hundred under the Zoldics. Kun let it pass by his ears while thinking:
Typical noble arrogance — merely lacking in scale.
She made no clear promise, only evasive phrasing: if you prove your strength.
In other words — use you while useful, then discard you.
Kun mentally repeated the name of their house.
The Silver family.
All the information he possessed was merely fragments of this body’s memory. Being from the South, he himself had never even heard of them.
To begin with, northern affairs never interested me…
Even if half their words were true, the Silvers were a solid house. However…
That was all.
Being “not bad” did not mean he needed their charity. Especially since he had already decided to take the trial alone. Therefore Kun answered calmly:
“Thank you for the offer, but… I refuse.”
“Good. You should also join wi— what?!”
Apparently they had never even considered refusal. The bear-brother exploded first. His nostrils flared with rage.
“You… you seriously refused us?”
How dare you, worm? was written plainly in his eyes. The giant clenched the hilt of his wooden sword in his massive hand.
“You’ll regret that.”
There was no cold calculation in his face — only blind fury from wounded pride.
Such a reaction to a simple refusal?
It became perfectly clear what pampered, unpunished life this youth had led. Kun calmly met his killing intent and smirked again — openly and provocatively this time. It became the last straw.
“How dare you laugh at—!!”
The enraged boy was about to draw his sword when—
Whoosh!
His movements froze abruptly. At the same instant, his sister’s face turned deathly pale.
Natural enemy.
Literally. It felt like thrusting one’s head into the jaws of a colossal white serpent. The sensation sent a herd of goosebumps racing down her spine, and the girl trembled uncontrollably.
“W-what is this?”
Her brother tried to hide his terror as well, but failed.
“W-why won’t… my body move?”
The mana of Supernatural Power and Divine Madness, far stronger after months of training than during the battle with Barison, flooded over them.
Considering how much poison I’ve absorbed, that’s only natural.
The girl’s lips shook.
“U-ugh…”
Perhaps due to temperament, she was more sensitive to the pressure than her crude brother. Of course, if they truly forced themselves, they could move. But…
Despite all the hardships of Lion’s Moat, they had never shed their childishness.
They had no chance. The trembling that began in her body soon reached her legs, which shook like leaves. Confirming the effect, Kun turned away indifferently.
He looked toward the dense forest and spoke quietly:
“Isn’t it time you came out as well?”
.
.
“W-we’ll meet again…!!”
They ran off shouting clichés exactly like third-rate villains from books. Watching their backs with a faint smile, Kun said:
“You came with a similar proposal too, didn’t you?”
A boy stood beside him, appearing about two years younger — roughly the same age as the Silver brute.
Neatly combed blond hair and bright sapphire eyes.
Traces of forest leaves marked his clothes — he had clearly just come from the thicket. It was Taylor Rosetta.
Hearing the question, Taylor gently shook his head.
“I would say my proposal is similar, but still different.”
“…?”
“My proposal will be far more balanced and polite.”
He introduced himself with a restrained bow.
“I am Taylor Rosetta, second son of House Rosetta.”
Determination shone in his gaze, and his voice carried dignity and warmth. Kun involuntarily shook his head inwardly.
Which of those families truly deserves to be called noble?