Instructor Katen.
After going to supervise Shuren's qualification exam, he headed straight back to the Knight Training Center.
“Knight Katen, reporting back.”
“Good work.”
The Knight Commander's office.
Katen reported his return to Daryan, the Knight Commander.
Though Daryan was the commander in charge of this training center, he was also a formidable knight in his own right.
“How did it go? Well, I suppose the result is obvious.”
Daryan asked about Shuren's examination result.
He was not expecting much.
As the person overseeing the training center, he simply had a duty to hear the result so he could submit the report.
Katen told him that Shuren had passed.
“……What? Is that true?”
Disbelief spread across Daryan's face.
“But those people cannot learn mana when they are young, can they? No matter how talented he is, he should not be able to pass if he cannot use mana at all.”
“It seems…… he learned mana somehow.”
“Did Lord Canyon teach him? Would that not violate the agreement?”
“I looked into it. But it does not seem that Lord Canyon or anyone around him taught the boy.”
“Huh. Then are you saying he awakened mana on his own?”
“That seems to be the case. On top of that, he shattered a Stage 5 mana stone in one go.”
“…….”
Daryan fell silent.
His expression turned serious.
He had not only awakened mana by himself, but had also broken the strongest mana stone used in the examination?
The implication was obvious.
‘A genius has appeared.’
And from a branch family, at that.
“There is something else I should tell you.”
Katen explained the commotion that had taken place during the qualification exam.
“So that bastard Jervan tried to make a fool of him and ended up getting humiliated instead? Hahaha!”
Daryan slapped his knee.
The more he heard, the more remarkable this boy named Shuren seemed.
‘That sly bastard is especially skilled at tormenting the weak, yet he was the one who got played instead.’
It seemed Shuren had been born not only with talent for mana, but also with a sharp tongue and an imposing presence.
“What do you think? Do you think the boy can make it through the training center?”
“Hmm.”
Katen considered the question.
“There are many outstanding children in this class. He has talent, but if he fails to properly hone it, he will be eliminated.”
“Our Pellantz Knight Training Center certainly is not an easy place.”
Daryan chuckled softly.
Katen's answer was perfectly reasonable.
At least when speaking purely in terms of a knight's qualifications.
‘We claim to value ability on the surface, but this place is rife with politics too.’
Daryan found himself curious whether Shuren would manage to graduate from the training center.
“Normally, his score would have been calculated immediately, but since the mana stone broke, I believe it will take some time.”
“Still, he is the first one to ever shatter a Stage 5 mana stone, is he not?”
“Yes.”
“Then…….”
There was no need to see the final scores.
Shuren had placed first in this year's admissions.
“Understood. I will organize the matter and report it to the family head myself. He is currently away on a mission.”
“Yes, sir.”
Katen saluted and left the commander's office.
Daryan mulled over the report.
‘A genius from a branch family.’
As a knight, he was interested in seeing how far the boy would grow.
But would Shuren ultimately benefit the Pellantz Family, or become a liability?
It was too early to tell.
Even so, it seemed certain that some unknown upheaval would sweep through the family within the next few years.
Whether it would leave the Pellantz Family in ruins,
or instead turn misfortune into fortune and bring about a good outcome—
‘That is for the higher-ups of the family to worry about.’
The Knight Commander decided to focus on his own duties.
***
Shuren's daily routine did not change even after taking the qualification exam.
He continued training his body and cultivating mana.
He did not recklessly pick up a sword.
Building his body came first.
A solid physique.
A vast reserve of mana.
He could not begin swinging a sword until he possessed both.
Because in this life, he intended to become the very best.
‘My revenge will require at least ten years of honing myself.’
His opponent was the Pellantz Family, one of the continent's foremost powers.
If he wanted to crush them, he could not afford to be careless about even a single thing.
His parents trusted Shuren's talent, so they did not interfere.
If anything, despite their poor circumstances, they did everything they could to take care of him.
‘Just endure a little longer. No…… please endure.’
He vowed that the miserable circumstances of his descendants would end with his generation.
Knock, knock.
While Shuren was in the middle of training, someone knocked on his door.
“It is Deon.”
“What is it?”
Deon was Shuren's personal butler.
“Someone has come from the main family. They are asking for you, Lord Shuren.”
“From the main family?”
“Yes. They said they brought the results regarding your qualification exam. They are waiting in the reception room.”
Shuren was puzzled.
The result was obviously that he had passed.
The knight had already told him as much at the time.
So what did they mean by bringing the results?
“All right. I'll be there soon.”
For now, he decided to go.
A short while later, Shuren arrived at the reception room.
His father was already receiving the guests.
There were three of them.
Shuren examined their faces.
‘That's the instructor I saw last time, and Jervan.’
The two stood to the side.
The instructor was expressionless, while Jervan looked deeply troubled.
‘I've never seen that man before.’
The moment Shuren looked at him, the man spoke first.
“Are you Shuren?”
“Yes. I am Shuren Fla…… Pellantz.”
He had nearly said Flamer.
“Haha, you must be nervous. My name is Daryan. I am the Knight Commander of the Pellantz Knight Training Center.”
Fortunately, Daryan mistook the slip for nervousness.
‘The Knight Commander of the training center.’
Why had someone like him come all the way here personally?
Shuren turned toward his father.
Canyon looked both surprised and confused.
‘Father doesn't know either?’
When Shuren waited for Daryan to continue, the man took a rolled-up sheet of paper from inside his clothes.
“Congratulations.”
Shuren accepted the paper Daryan handed him.
‘They give you something like this just for passing the training center exam?’
Shuren inwardly thought that the Knight Commander must have far too much time on his hands.
“You look as though you think you are simply receiving something you were already guaranteed.”
“I was already told by the instructor behind you that I passed.”
“What? Hahaha!”
Daryan laughed heartily at Shuren's response.
“It seems you do not understand why I came here personally.”
Of course he didn't.
He was not truly a member of the Pellantz Family.
“Shuren. You placed first in this year's admissions.”
“I did?”
“Yes. I doubt there is anyone else your age who could shatter a Stage 5 mana stone.”
Shuren had only used a little extra strength to knock Jervan down a peg.
“But you know, it seems you were thinking I came all this way because I had nothing better to do.”
Shuren flinched.
Had the Knight Commander learned how to read minds?
“……No, sir.”
“I am joking. I look forward to seeing what you can do, top-ranked trainee.”
Daryan patted Shuren on the shoulder and rose from his seat.
“Then we will be leaving, Lord Canyon.”
“Have a safe journey.”
“You have a fine son.”
Leaving those words behind, Daryan departed with the knight and instructor.
“Shuren, I am truly proud of you…….”
Canyon could not finish his sentence.
His eyes had reddened slightly.
“Well, that's how it turned out.”
“Our youngest placed first……! No, this will not do. We must have a celebration today.”
Canyon was genuinely delighted.
Watching his father, Shuren felt pleased as well.
‘There will only be more things to celebrate from now on.’
He had no intention of stopping until the Flamer Family was restored.
Not until his descendants could proudly step onto the continent as members of the Fire Dragon Family once more.
Not until the Pellantz Family and the other two families paid the price they deserved.
Shuren intended to keep moving forward.
***
Several months passed.
Shuren did not neglect his training during that time.
He expected the training center to be rife not only with contests of strength, but with power struggles as well.
To leave all those people behind and advance far beyond them, he needed a strong body.
That was why Shuren pushed himself mercilessly until the day of his enrollment.
At last, the day came for him to leave for the training center.
Shuren finished preparing and stepped out of the building he had grown attached to.
His parents and the siblings who still remained there came out to see him off.
“Shuren. Becoming a knight is good, but always put your own well-being first.”
“I understand.”
“Little brother, there will be some direct-lineage brats there who'll try to lord it over you. Don't let them intimidate you. Just work hard.”
“Of course, Brother.”
After saying goodbye to his family, Shuren climbed into the carriage.
His family could barely afford even the cost of hiring one.
Fortunately, the training center had sent a carriage for him.
Clop, clop.
The carriage carrying Shuren set off toward the city where the main family was located.
***
The carriage arrived in time for the enrollment ceremony.
‘So this is Rebellon.’
The city where the Pellantz main family was located.
As expected of a family renowned across the continent, the grounds of the main estate were enormous.
They were large enough to contain the Knight Training Center within the estate itself.
“I wish you good fortune, Young Master.”
“You've worked hard on the long journey.”
After sending the coachman away, Shuren looked around.
Many people had already gathered at the site of the enrollment ceremony.
The Pellantz Family was enormous and had numerous branch families under its authority.
Some had split off from the main family.
Others, like Shuren's family, had been absorbed.
‘Still, there are quite a lot of people here.’
The reason so many had gathered was none other than Shuren himself.
He could feel the hostile stares being directed at him in real time.
‘I can guess why.’
Among branch families, absorbed families were considered the lowest of the low.
And his had once been the family that guarded the Fire Dragon.
For someone from such a family to place first had naturally displeased many people.
“The enrollment ceremony will begin shortly! Everyone, line up!”
A knight shouted from the front.
The children who were soon to become trainees began moving.
Shuren also found a suitable place and joined the formation.
Once the lines were more or less arranged, the enrollment ceremony began.
“Welcome, everyone.”
Standing atop the platform was Knight Commander Daryan, whom Shuren had met before.
He began explaining the training program they would undergo from this point onward, one step at a time.
“……Next, we will have the oath. Trainee representative Shuren Pellantz, step forward!”
Shuren's name was called.
‘So I have to do something like this too.’
No one had told him beforehand.
‘Well, I can just play along.’
Shuren strode up onto the platform.
Unfriendly gazes poured toward him.
Striking red hair and golden eyes.
His appearance was extremely foreign among members of the Pellantz Family.
“That's Shuren?”
“How is someone like him the top-ranked trainee? He doesn't look like much.”
The children whispered among themselves.
The instructors could have stopped the commotion, but they did not.
They were also on the side of the main family.
“Tch.”
Among that crowd was one boy who hated Shuren more than anyone else.
Jake Pellantz.
He had been talented enough to light a Stage 5 mana stone during his qualification exam.
Everyone around him had naturally assumed Jake would place first in this year's class.
But Shuren's appearance had shattered those expectations.
“Is that the bastard who stole your top spot, Lord Jake?”
A boy standing beside him whispered.
“But they say he broke a Stage 5 mana stone. If that's true, isn't he actually really strong?”
Another child standing behind the first boy added his own comment.
The two were what one might call Jake's lackeys, always sticking close to him.
“Hey! Does that even make sense? He's never learned mana!”
As he said that, the first boy stepped on the other child's foot.
“Ow! You didn't have to step on me!”
“You there! Quiet!”
At the knight's rebuke, they fell silent for a moment.
But soon they began whispering again in lowered voices.
“That mana stone must have been defective.”
“Maybe……? Then if he gets caught by our boss, he'll just get beaten to death! A guy like that dares stand on the platform?”
“Both of you, quiet.”
At Jake's words, the two boys shut their mouths.
“First place has already been decided. And the Pellantz Family, which upholds justice and proper order, would not have mishandled the qualification exam.”
Of course, Jake himself was the angriest of them all.
He was merely forcing himself to appear calm.
“……But if that bastard used some kind of underhanded trick, it will be exposed soon enough. We can act then.”
Jake muttered while glaring at Shuren.
More than anyone else there, Jake wanted to see Shuren fall flat on his face.