‘Is this really all right……?’
Knight Commander Daryan was so dumbfounded that he was at a loss for words.
He had never seen a trainee negotiate with the parents like that before.
Shuren truly was beyond imagination.
The Knight Commander thought for a moment.
‘Hmm. If I had to find something similar…….’
There had occasionally been cases where parents paid the family of a capable trainee to have their child form a team with them and receive help passing the exam.
‘This is the exact opposite.’
There was no precedent for what was happening now, so he had to judge it carefully.
His duty was to ensure that as little backlash as possible fell on the training center.
If someone raised an issue over this incident, it could cause an uproar.
But who would dare do that?
The parents being negotiated with?
There was no chance of that.
Those people were more than willing to pretend today's events had never happened as long as their own children passed.
Then perhaps the parents of the other trainees?
They understood the nature of the Pellantz Family better than anyone.
If they filed a complaint over this matter and their identities were exposed, marking them for retaliation, would they be able to survive?
They would rather let the matter pass quietly.
‘……Good. I'll turn a blind eye.’
After finishing his calculations, the Knight Commander made his decision.
‘More than anything, it's entertaining.’
In all his years at the training center, he had never seen such an audacious trainee.
From the very first time he met Shuren, the boy had been anything but ordinary, and he continued to make his presence felt beyond all expectations.
Meanwhile, the parents of the trainees involved in the negotiation had yet to reach a consensus.
“H-how dare that lowly thing……!”
“Who does he think he is, trying to negotiate with us?”
“That boy should be arrested and thrown in prison for his insolence!”
Some were furious.
Others had yet to speak, choosing instead to assess the situation.
The angry parents simply did not want to acknowledge reality yet.
After all, this was essentially openly paying money to buy the result of an exam.
While the uproar continued—
Shuren acted to give them a warning.
SLASH—!
He cut down one of the trainees lying on the ground.
The Ring's defensive magic immediately activated, and the trainee was eliminated.
“Helen!”
“You……! What are you doing?! You said you'd make them pass!”
The newly eliminated trainee's parents screamed almost desperately.
[That was if we reached an agreement. And I forgot to mention that there's a time limit. If you don't decide quickly, I'll eliminate them one by one.]
“You bastard……! Do you think you'll get away with this?!”
[You're going to raise hell even if I stay still, so I'll just do whatever I want.]
Shuren wore a sly smile.
One child had already been eliminated, yet the remaining parents were still hesitating.
So Shuren decided to eliminate another as an example.
“S-stop! I'll pay! Please, spare my son!”
The parent of the trainee Shuren's sword was heading toward shouted urgently.
[Really? This child, right?]
Shuren confirmed the trainee's identity.
“Yes! I will pay you more than enough, so please make sure he passes!”
Shuren grabbed the boy roughly by the back of the neck and hurled him toward the destination.
“Aaaaaah!”
CRASH!
The trainee's scream and the sound of impact mixed chaotically together.
“O-our son came in first!”
Whether this was really something to celebrate was another question.
Perhaps that became the trigger.
“Wait! We'll pay too!”
“……Us as well!”
“One chest of gold coins! One chest is enough, right?”
One after another, the parents rushed to accept the terms Shuren had offered.
[Good. That's how you should be acting.]
Looking satisfied, Shuren grabbed each child one by one, confirmed who they were, and threw them into the destination.
[Now, there's only one left…….]
Atun, however, still had not spoken.
He clenched his fists, his lips trembling.
“……Do you really think I'll let myself be played by your tricks?”
Atun's voice was packed with restrained rage.
Part of it was wounded pride.
But he also had something he was relying on.
‘Jake. Use the poisoned needle! The distance is perfect right now……!’
There was still one trump card left.
If that worked, he could somehow overturn the entire situation.
As a bonus, his son could pass through his own ability while he mocked the other children for buying their way through.
“Jake! What are you doing?! Do you think you can call yourself a proud member of the Pellantz direct line after this?!”
Atun roared at his son.
His words meant for Jake to hurry and use the poisoned needle.
[Lord Atun. It seems you want your son to use what he's hiding…… but you'd better not. Your son is actually being smart by staying still.]
“……What?”
[If he used that, something irreversible would happen.]
Atun swallowed hard.
‘That bastard…… knows about the poisoned needle.’
He saw Shuren's gaze shift toward Jake's sleeve.
There was no way Shuren would look there unless he knew the poisoned needle was hidden inside.
“Something he's hiding?”
“What is it?”
The surrounding parents began murmuring.
‘Damn it……!’
If this dragged on any longer, there was no telling what kind of explosive statement Shuren might make.
“……Fine. I will prepare one chest of gold coins as well.”
Atun finally accepted Shuren's terms.
[No. That's not enough.]
This time, Shuren was the one who refused.
“What kind of bullshit is this?”
[You know prices change according to supply and demand, right? I've already sent the other children through and received plenty of gold.]
“You bastard……!”
[So I'll have to raise the price a little. Add one more chest of gold coins, and throw in an elixir too. The one your son took looked pretty effective.]
“……!”
Atun sucked in a startled breath.
How had Shuren even noticed that Jake had taken an elixir?
Only Atun, the private tutor, and Jake knew about that.
‘Does that bastard even know how valuable that elixir is……?!’
It had been brewed from the horn of the rare White Deer.
The money was one thing, but the White Deer was a spirit beast on the continent.
It was not something one could simply obtain because one wanted it.
Even Atun had only managed to acquire it after searching everywhere.
And now Shuren was casually demanding one.
“The elixir is difficult. I would rather add another chest of gold coins and give you three chests in total.”
[You're trying to bargain with me instead? I don't think you're in a position to do that…….]
Shuren let out a low laugh.
Atun was really going to remain stubborn until the very end.
Then Shuren simply had to stop him from thinking.
SWISH—!
Shuren raised his sword.
“W-wait! Fine! Two chests of gold coins and an elixir! We'll settle it at that!”
[You should've said that from the start.]
Shuren's sword stopped in front of Jake's throat.
It was a bluff he could make precisely because he understood a man like Atun.
‘He cares deeply about his family's prestige. A man who'd order his own son to use a concealed weapon just to pass wouldn't refuse over stakes like this.’
WHOOSH—!
Finally, Shuren threw Jake into the destination.
Then, before entering himself, Shuren spoke toward the crystal sphere.
[Knight Commander. I know this is a rude request, but would you be willing to act as guarantor? Of course, I trust everyone here will send the gold as promised……. Still, just in case.]
The Knight Commander thought for a moment.
‘Well. We've come this far. I can at least guarantee the agreement.’
He liked Shuren, so he decided to add a word on the boy's behalf.
In any case, those who had agreed to pay the gold had enough sense of shame that they were unlikely to go back on their word.
“I, Daryan, Knight Commander of the training center, will serve as guarantor for the agreement with Shuren.”
[Thank you, Commander.]
Shuren entered the destination with a satisfied expression.
‘Good grief.’
The Knight Commander repeatedly stroked his chin.
Shuren had given him quite the spectacle, but the thought of writing the report and dealing with the aftermath from this point onward was already making his head ache.
***
The exam for promotion to formal trainee came to an end.
Although there had been quite an upheaval this time, the number of trainees who passed was similar to previous years.
Shuren and Jake's group.
And the trainees who reached the destination after the commotion ended.
“You all worked hard.”
The Knight Commander addressed the trainees who had passed.
“But this is not the end. The formal trainee curriculum will begin in two months. Prepare yourselves accordingly!”
With those words, the day's schedule came to an end.
Neither the dismissed trainees nor their parents looked particularly pleased.
Most of them had passed only because they had paid Shuren.
Jake and his parents were no exception.
“……I'm sorry.”
Jake lowered his eyes and bowed his head.
SLAP—!
As if his son's apology meant nothing, Atun struck him hard across the face.
“Useless fool.”
“…….”
Jake could say nothing.
“Do you know why I accepted that bastard's absurd negotiation? Because I could not allow our family to have someone fail this exam. You are a disgrace to the family.”
Jake endured his father's insults without resisting.
“Trash like you is useless. Once we return home, you will be put up for expulsion from the family.”
Shuren, standing nearby, saw the entire scene without missing a thing.
‘Tsk, tsk. What kind of family is that?’
He clicked his tongue inwardly as he watched.
The sight of them treating their child as nothing more than a tool disgusted him.
“Lord Atun.”
“……Shuren Pellantz.”
When Shuren approached and addressed him, Atun made no effort whatsoever to hide his displeasure.
“It isn't anything else. Please send the gold and the elixir you promised to my home as soon as possible.”
“You need not concern yourself with that.”
“Of course. You're a distinguished member of the Pellantz direct line, after all. And there are plenty of witnesses, so don't try anything strange.”
Shuren left after saying only that.
Atun was almost sickened by how unlike a child the boy was.
“Shuren!”
At last, Shuren was able to reunite with his parents.
“Congratulations on becoming a formal trainee.”
His parents pulled him into a tight embrace.
“We watched everything you did in the dungeon. How could you be so brave……?”
Canyon looked at Shuren with complicated emotions in his eyes.
“As you saw, several chests of gold coins should arrive at our home soon. Please use them to help with the household finances. And let my older brothers and sisters do all the things they couldn't because we didn't have the money.”
At Shuren's words, his parents' eyes reddened with emotion.
“How can you be so thoughtful……!”
“To owe so much to you when you're still so young…… We are sorry.”
To them, Shuren's existence was nothing short of a great blessing.
‘If history had gone the way it should have, these are things you descendants should've enjoyed from the beginning.’
Shuren also carried guilt.
If he had held on to life just a little longer and managed to pass the solution to the Calamity Flame on to his family, the devastation that had nearly wiped them out could have been prevented.
The gold he would receive from those people was only a tiny fraction of what was owed.
‘I will slowly reclaim everything you were always meant to have.’
Looking at his distant descendants—his own parents—Shuren made that vow.
***
Armored soldiers.
Knights equipped with luxurious gear.
And nobles bearing the Pellantz name.
They were all lined up before the castle gate, waiting for a single person.
The Iron-Blooded Martial Extremity.
The pinnacle of the Pellantz Family.
Family Head Theon Pellantz.
He was returning from his expedition today.
CLOP-CLOP-CLOP!
Theon Pellantz appeared on horseback, leading his soldiers.
SNAP!
Everyone standing in formation saluted him.
Theon swept his gaze across them.
He was not radiating any particular aura, yet the light in his eyes alone carried enough force to make people shrink back.
“I will hear the reports from my absence. Blood relatives, follow me.”
“Yes!”
The direct-line descendants answered the Family Head's order in booming voices.
A short while later—
The Family Head and the direct-line descendants entered the Family Head's Hall.
Theon sat in the seat of honor, and his children took their places according to order.
The Family Head examined how much they had grown.
But not a single one satisfied him.
“I was away for quite a long time. And yet somehow, not one of you is to my liking.”
At those words from the Family Head, everyone could only lower their heads.
“My goal is to destroy the other two Dragon Families in this generation. At this rate, I cannot even imagine when that will be accomplished.”
Those among his children who had children of their own then began reporting on their growth.
Theon's expression improved slightly.
There were several promising children among the third generation.
“And recently, several children became formal trainees at the family's Knight Training Center.”
Theon listened quietly to the explanation.
“Wait. Shuren Pellantz?”
“Yes. He is the branch-family boy who caused an upheaval during this exam. Especially during the final test…….”
Theon heard how Shuren had negotiated with the other children and their parents.
“Hah.”
The corner of Theon's mouth moved ever so slightly.
The descendants who noticed the change in his expression grew tense.
That was the face the Family Head made when something truly caught his interest.
“You said the boy's name was Shuren Pellantz?”
“Yes. He is a child of the Flamer Family that we absorbed long ago.”
“……Hahaha!”
Unable to keep his trembling lips under control any longer, Theon burst into laughter.
‘So, it's that boy…….’
Theon engraved the name into his memory with clear interest.