My prediction was spot on.
Standing in my path with despicable expressions were the triplets.
The fourth-born, Tony de Strange, who would later become one of the continent’s five generals.
The fifth, Johnny de Strange, who would rise as his loyal right-hand man and hunting dog.
And the sixth, Ronnie de Strange, who would become the master of the slums, cleaning up their dirty deeds.
In the future, these trash would form a gang called “Big Gang” and rebel against the family.
Was it from this time?
That those guys started tormenting me.
The three of them were legitimate offspring of the main family. Unlike me, born of a concubine, their bloodline was slightly different.
That said, they weren’t more talented than me. They simply had access to better education because their mother wielded influence in the capital.
Still, among the seven direct siblings of the Strange family, these three couldn’t be ignored.
“Hey, Verdin, why are you so quiet like a mute who swallowed honey?”
“Quiet like a mute?”
“Quiet like a mute?”
Even after all this time, their voices were still insufferable.
How could brats only six years old make such faces?
Well…
When I was five in my past life, I endured their bullying.
I thought causing trouble with my older brothers would complicate things. Back then, I was intimidated by their group behavior.
No matter how exceptional my talent was, I wasn’t sure I could beat them.
Well, when my talent began to show more prominently at the age of nine, those three quieted down.
But even after graduating from the academy, they occasionally targeted me, making them lifelong enemies.
I’ll crush them now.
Things are different this time around.
I am stronger now. Stronger than the three of them combined.
I know this for a fact.
And even if I beat them senseless now, it wouldn’t cause a major issue.
My father doesn’t concern himself with trivial matters like this.
To him, it doesn’t matter whether someone is legitimate or a concubine’s child, a direct descendant or a collateral branch.
He only keeps those who can survive in a world of survival of the fittest close to him.
I know this well from experience—what he thinks and what drives him.
If, by any chance, he intervenes in a fight between siblings, there’s only one reason.
To observe the victor.
Anyway, by threatening me now, those three have provided the justification for their own demise.
They started this fight.
I responded without any change in my expression.
“Shut up.”
The eldest of the triplets, Tony, tilted his head in disbelief.
“Huh? What did you just say?”
“What did you just say?”
“What did you just say!!”
Ronnie and Johnny echoed his words like a refrain.
I shrugged slightly and pointed a finger at Tony.
“I said, shut up.”
Tony looked visibly startled by my reaction.
It was understandable. Even the adults in the estate—nannies and knights alike—were intimidated by them.
Seeing their younger brother, just a year younger, standing up to them so boldly must have left him dumbfounded.
“…Have you lost your mind? Did you just tell your older brother to shut up?”
“Hey, I think this punk’s lost it. We need to teach him a lesson.”
“Yeah, how about we break his fingers? Or better yet, pull out all his teeth so he can’t talk nonsense again!”
Could this really be the conversation of six-year-olds? They were truly asking to be put in their place.
Tony stepped closer, pressuring me.
“Verdin, aren’t you going to answer me? Have you gone mad? Ah, I get it now. It’s because you don’t have a mother, right? She died giving birth to you. Yeah, I guess being motherless makes you crazy!”
After that, my response didn’t come from my mouth.
It came from my fists.
Tony’s vision went white, and with a dull thud, the sound of my punch echoed. It marked the beginning of a relentless barrage of blows.
Blood dripped from his split lip, and a broken tooth fell to the ground.
“Hurk.”
Tony groaned, his face contorted in pain. Ronnie and Johnny tried to stop me, but their strength wasn’t enough.
I wasn’t just strong—I had combat instincts honed on the battlefield. My experience was on a completely different level.
Far beyond what kids their age could handle.
“I’ll make sure you three never mess with me again.”
In an instant, I struck each of their ribs and stomped on Tony’s chest. Grabbing Ronnie and Johnny by their heads, I smashed them together.
A short, dull thud followed.
“Argh!”
“Argh!”
Ronnie and Johnny clutched their heads in pain.
“Verdin, you bastard!”
Tony let out a scream and lunged at me.
“Uaaaah! You’re dead, I swear!”
In his desperation, he broke one of the family’s cardinal rules.
In the estate, summoning a spiritual guardian without a valid reason was strictly forbidden. It could lead to summary punishment.
This rule was personally established by the head of the family, Royce de Strange, and breaking it was out of the question for anyone who wished to remain in his good graces.
But Tony, in his rage, summoned his spiritual guardian.
Ssssssssss—
A mist formed behind Tony, and a massive figure appeared.
It was Gary, the King of the West, who once roamed the battlefield with a steel body and no armor.
The towering man, with rippling muscles and a beard that reached his chest, glared at me.
“You’re dead!”
Tony wiped the blood from his face with his palm.
Pointing at me with rage-filled eyes, he absorbed his spiritual guardian into his body.
Shhhhk!
In an instant, Tony’s body transformed into a muscular form.
Foolish brat.
He’s digging his own grave.
He knows who my spiritual guardian is, yet he still dared to pull this stunt.
“You summoned your guardian first.”
A tower teeming with monsters so dangerous that even seasoned adventurers couldn’t approach it.
And those who sought to grow stronger by receiving the blessings of the “god” who ruled this place.
Among them was Lois de Strange. While he was training, a guardian knight from the main estate came to him.
The reason was simple: to report the fight between Verdin and his brothers.
“Verdin fought against three of them alone?”
“Yes.”
“And Tony summoned a spiritual guardian within the estate?”
“…That is correct.”
Lois stroked his chin with an intrigued expression.
“Were there any fatalities?”
“No, sir! Tony, Johnny, and Ronnie all suffered broken arms and legs, but their lives are not in danger.”
“And Verdin?”
“Young Master Verdin is completely unscathed.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. According to the nanny, after the fight, he returned to his room and said, ‘It’s been a while since I’ve had fun. I’m hungry.’”
Lois’s lips curled into a faint smile.
But it was only for a moment. After a brief thought, his expression turned cold, and he spoke to the guardian knight.
“Understood. Then go directly to Valentine and deliver the message.”
“Are you referring to Lady Valentine?”
“Yes. Since my training is not yet complete and I cannot go to the castle, inform her to take care of this matter on my behalf.”
“…I understand.”
“And, if someone attempted to use a spiritual guardian within the castle to harm another, they must face the consequences.”
Lois handed the dagger at his waist to the knight with a meaningful expression.
“Deliver this to Valentine as well.”
A week had passed since the fight with my brother.
As expected, Father showed no interest in the matter.
I thought I might at least receive a warning, but there wasn’t a single response.
Well, he’s someone who believes only the strong survive. To him, this kind of fight is likely nothing more than childish play or a way to learn survival skills.
Those idiots… they could have died if they weren’t careful.
Whoooosh!
While I was lost in thought, my spiritual guardian, Siegfried, erupted into a massive flame, setting his body ablaze.
I knew why he was acting this way. Right now, he and I were not bound by a contract.
Despite that, I had used his power, so this was his way of expressing his dissatisfaction.
I don’t have a choice right now.
It wasn’t the time yet.
There was a reason I hadn’t contracted with him. Contracting with a spiritual guardian comes with restrictions.
Knights cannot learn mana after opening their aura.
Similarly, mages cannot learn aura after opening their mana.
When one contracts with a spiritual guardian, it naturally opens the latent pathway for energy, forcing one to choose between using mana or aura.
At least, that’s how it’s been until now.
I intended to master both mana and aura.
That was why I had postponed my contract with Siegfried. It was a decision I had made, even if it was semi-forced upon him against his will.
No one knows it yet, but soon, a new form of technique will emerge.
A transcendent power that simultaneously utilizes both aura and mana.
Of course, no one in this era possesses such a technique.
It’s a method that can only emerge after the power struggle between our “Strange” family, known for swordsmanship, and the “Glazer” family, renowned for magic, has ended.
Knights contract with spiritual guardians that grant aura after mastering mana.
Mages contract with spiritual guardians that grant mana after mastering aura.
By following this sequence, it becomes possible to house both energies within one body.
In essence, knights and mages must share their awakening methods for it to work.
And yet…
Even if the method is known, only a rare few can simultaneously use aura and mana.
To do so, one must separate the flows of the two energies into the head and the heart.
Failure in this endeavor would result in one of the two bursting, leading to death.
As a result, only those with extraordinary talent and keen senses capable of separating the two energy flows or those who learned the complex separation control techniques devised by the Glazer family’s archmage could achieve it.
Of course, I can do both.
Sssssss.
I focused my mind and gathered energy into my palm. While I hadn’t mastered mana in my past life, I had learned how to release it.
It was a method I had acquired while researching how to more effectively cut down mages.
A faint, crawling blue vapor began to form but was quickly scattered by the breeze blowing in through the window.
It was still far from being called mana. Mana is only considered open when it becomes a sticky liquid with a bluish hue.
“!$!&!!!”
Siegfried roared in protest, opening his mouth wide.
Or rather, he seemed to be smiling broadly. Since I hadn’t contracted with him, I couldn’t hear his voice.
“Not yet. Just a little longer.”
“$^&!!!”
Siegfried, with his fiery temperament.
Even after I briefly explained the reason for not contracting yet, he shoved a lengthy contract sheet in front of my face with a disgruntled expression.
From an outsider’s perspective, it would look like he was about to hit me in the face with it.
“…It’ll be over soon.”
I reignited a seed of mana at my fingertip as I spoke.
Sssssss—
“If it takes long, by dinner. If it’s quick, by lunch. Once I open my mana, I’ll contract immediately, so don’t be so impatient.”
Once I mastered mana, I could simultaneously wield both powers.
If that happened, I would be the only knight and mage on the continent capable of hosting two spiritual guardians.
The first and the last.
Since I had returned, this method would never be revealed to the world again.
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
I quickly concealed my mana and grabbed a random book to pretend I was reading.
Rustle.
“Come in—”
But before I could finish speaking—
“I’m coming in.”
The person outside responded and stepped into the room.
…That voice.
Clink.
Valentine de Strange.
And following her were the three worthless brothers.
Why are they here together?