Episode 18
Chapter 9. What Exactly Is the Eye of the Mind? (Part 1)
Four years had passed since Jin returned to his family estate. It was early summer of 1794.
“That’s it for today’s training, Young Master. Well done.”
Phew, Garon. Has it already come to this?
Garon Artemiro.
This young seven-star knight was the instructor at the Sword Garden, responsible for teaching the basics of swordsmanship.
Every trainee destined to become a Guardian Knight—whether they had just arrived from Stormhold like Jin or were younger wards—had to undergo foundational training under Garon’s watchful eye.
“Ha ha, it’s not over yet, Young Master. Look at the Guardian Knight cadets beside you. Don’t they all look like they’re about to drop dead?”
Jin glanced around. Boys and girls his age, just turning fourteen, were there, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, just as Garon said.
‘No wonder I found it tough myself.’
Garon, who had taken over two years ago, was notorious for his grueling training regimen.
Even among those who had beaten fierce competition to become Guardian Knight cadets, many had dropped out, unable to keep up with Garon’s demands.
Jin’s previous life was no different. He had struggled to keep pace and ended up receiving private lessons from his brothers. It might have seemed like a privilege, but to a Runcandel, it was a deep humiliation.
He couldn’t even manage the standard training, so he was singled out for extra tutoring—a mark of shame above all else. And even that tutoring yielded poor results, eventually leading to him being completely neglected.
Recalling those days, Jin shook his head.
“Besides, Young Master, you still have Miss Luna’s training this afternoon, don’t you?”
Garon continued, and Jin nodded.
Currently, in addition to Garon’s training, Jin was receiving instruction from his eldest sister, Luna Runcandel, the White Light.
But unlike before, this wasn’t humiliating private tutoring. Luna had personally taken charge, recognizing Jin’s rapid growth. This time, it was an honor, not a disgrace.
Though he was envied and admired by the cadets, and resented and envied by his brothers.
“That’s right. Well then, let’s grab some food before moving on.”
“You’re dining with the cadets again today? Lady Rosa always seems a bit disappointed about that…”
“I want to eat with these kids who roll around with me every day, not with my brothers who turn every meal into a contest.”
“Understood, Young Master.”
The servants began bringing food to the training grounds.
Rice, vegetables, and chunks of meat were served in large iron pots. The meal was simple but made from the finest ingredients.
The cadets lined up to receive their portions. A boy named Bellop was in charge of fetching Jin’s share.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, Young Master.”
“Don’t be so formal. Sit down and eat.”
Bellop Schmitz. He was thirteen, a year younger than Jin, and of commoner origin.
By all rights, he was supposed to be on the verge of dropping out, stripped of his cadet status, and expelled from the Sword Garden.
That had been Bellop’s fate before Jin’s return.
“Is it good?”
“Of course. I’m always grateful to Runcandel for letting me eat such meat, and to you, Young Master, for always sharing your portion with me…”
“Enough, enough. Seriously, how do you manage to give the exact same answer every time? Have you memorized it?”
Bellop cleared his throat, blushing.
“You need to learn to act a little more casually, Bellop. If you keep going on like that, the others will keep looking down on you.”
“Is that so…”
“Stand up straighter. Be proud that you’re a Runcandel Guardian Knight cadet.”
“But my grades are the lowest, and I haven’t even reached first star yet…”
“Please. Becoming a Runcandel cadet isn’t something just anyone can do.”
Bellop was shy, lacking confidence, and gentle to a fault. That was how Jin saw him.
Which made Jin all the more puzzled.
‘No wonder his family overlooked him with that personality. How did such a meek kid become part of the infamous imperial royal guard of the Biment Empire?’
Before Jin’s return, Bellop’s life after being expelled from Runcandel had taken a dramatic turn.
Barely passing the Guardian Knight cadet exam and always near the bottom of the training class, Bellop Schmitz was eventually expelled—but then caught the eye of another renowned swordsmanship family, the Hailan clan.
Hailan was the empire’s top swordsmanship house and one of Biment’s greatest noble families. Bellop’s talent blossomed there, and he became a royal guard, earning the nickname “Biment’s Loyal Hound.”
Biment’s Loyal Hound.
Jin didn’t know what Bellop had endured at Hailan, but the nickname marked a transformation. He was no longer the timid boy Jin had known. Under the emperor’s orders, he led the royal guard in countless massacres, showing no mercy.
And a year before Jin’s sudden death in the Akin Kingdom, Bellop ended his bloodstained, tragic life by his own hand, leaving behind a confession that could never be made public.
‘Hearing that he became a royal guard was a shock, and learning of his suicide left a bitter taste.’
Jin glanced around cautiously. Seeing no one looking his way, he quietly handed all his remaining meat to Bellop.
“Uh, Young Master…”
“Shh. I’m not hungry.”
Jin pretended to eat until mealtime was over, watching Bellop intently.
‘Bellop Schmitz… This time, I’ll make sure he doesn’t drop out or get expelled. I’ll look after him properly.’
Not just to avoid losing talent.
Jin felt a kinship with Bellop—both had discovered their potential late but ended up with unhappy lives.
‘If he has the potential to become a royal guard, there’s no harm in keeping him close. Besides, I’ll need to have Guardian Knights around me to command anyway.’
Better to guide Bellop as a Runcandel Guardian Knight than let him become a killing machine for Biment.
After the meal, as Jin stood, Garon approached.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Young Master. Also, we’ll be doing sparring training.”
“Understood, Garon. Thank you.”
“Yes, sir.”
Back in his room, Gilly was waiting with bathwater and fresh clothes.
“Good work this morning, Young Master. Miss Luna’s training starts in three hours.”
“Right, Strawberry Pie…”
Jin stopped mid-sentence.
“Damn it, Murakan keeps calling me Strawberry Pie. Now it’s stuck in my mouth too!”
“Oh, you’re back, kid.”
Turning his head, Jin saw Murakan sprawled on the sofa, flipping through an erotic art book.
“What the hell is this crazy dragon looking at in broad daylight?”
“This? It’s a limited edition erotic art collection I managed to get. Ha ha, if you want one too, just say so. At fourteen, you’re at the prime age for this kind of thing…”
“And I told you, try to keep the cat form at home, didn’t I? What if someone sees you like this?”
“No worries, no worries. I have the right to enjoy my freedom, okay? Come here and check this out. The artist is so good, I’m tempted to kidnap him.”
Watching him laugh and focus on the art made Jin want to smack him.
But no matter what, he couldn’t hit a dragon who had lived thousands of years longer than him. Jin sighed quietly and leaned against Murakan.
“Well, it’s impressive. How much did you pay?”
“About a hundred gold coins, I think…”
“Oh, really? A hundred gold coins, huh? Where did you get that kind of money?”
“I borrowed it from Strawberry Pie. Wow, the Runcandel nanny’s salary is huge.”
Jin glanced at Gilly, who just cleared her throat.
“From now on, if you need money, don’t squeeze Gilly—come to me.”
“Really? Then I’ll start by asking for a thousand gold coins.”
“I’ll give it if you bring me a report explaining why you absolutely need a thousand gold coins. Gilly, prepare a simple meal for me and the Young Master.”
Murakan snapped the erotic book shut and immediately began drafting a report at lightning speed. His muttering to himself was so intense it gave Jin chills, and he clicked his tongue.
“Haven’t you eaten already?”
“I did, but I’m still growing.”
“What should I prepare?”
“A sandwich will do.”
“Strawberry Pie, I’ll have a strawberry pie, please.”
An hour passed while eating.
Before Luna’s training began, Jin spent two hours alone in his room practicing spirit energy release.
‘Spirit energy release is almost at second star… Magic is at fourth star, swordsmanship at second star.’
That was the result of the past four years since leaving Stormhold.
Spirit energy release was progressing so fast it surprised even Murakan, but Jin felt his magic development was too slow. Since magic couldn’t be used in the Sword Garden, there was no way around it.
Still, being able to wield fourth-star magic at fourteen was nothing to scoff at, even compared to the geniuses of Ziphl.
As for swordsmanship, at this rate, he would surpass the Runcandel average of third star by age sixteen—more than a year ahead.
Jin’s growth was progressing smoothly.
There was nothing better than feeling himself grow stronger with each passing day.
Garon’s grueling training, diligently reviewing the arcane notes every day, and strengthening his spiritual energy whenever he had a moment—none of it felt like a chore to Jin. In fact, it was far more enjoyable than resting or playing around.
But even for Jin, Luna’s training was pure torment.
“If only my jealous brothers could train directly under our eldest sister, their envy would surely vanish,” Jin thought with a bitter smile as he looked up at Luna.
“My dear little brother.”
“Yes, sister.”
“Today’s training will be the same as yesterday’s.”
“I understand.”
“However, you must approach this same training differently each day.”
“Yes.”
Luna stepped closer and closed her eyes. Jin followed suit.
Now came the familiar words he had heard every day for the past few months.
“Little brother.”
“See with the eyes of your heart.”
“See with the eyes of your heart…”
And that was the torment.
Unlike Garon’s methodical, intuitive, and physically punishing training, Luna never pushed him through anything so tangible.
Always, it was just:
“See with the eyes of your heart!”
That was all she ever said.
“This is maddening,” Jin thought.
He had heard many tales from knights ranked above the eighth star about reaching the realm of the ‘mind’s eye.’
But usually, such training only began at the seventh star and wasn’t this static. It was more like naturally dispersing one’s aura in all directions.
“Why does sister just tell me to open my mind’s eye without doing anything else?”
He had never heard of training like this before.
“For those who wield blades and seek to advance, gaining the mind’s eye is of utmost importance. Never open your physical eyes.”
Still, Jin stubbornly kept his eyes closed and followed his eldest sister’s instructions because he knew her character well. Luna was, without a doubt, the strongest among the thirteen siblings of Runkandel.
If any other brother had put him through this, Jin would have thought it a trick to stunt his growth—or that they’d fallen into some cult.
“Someday, I’ll understand sister’s training,” he told himself.
So the two of them stood facing each other with their eyes closed until evening. When the training ended, Luna smiled warmly and said,
“You did excellently today as well. You may go now, little brother.”
Jin had no idea what exactly he had done so well, but all he could do was nod.
Watching Jin’s retreating figure, Luna thought to herself,
“With that incredible focus when his eyes are closed, and the endurance to maintain it for hours… I’ll recognize Jin’s potential within a few years. Just keep growing like this, Jin.”
She smiled contentedly and closed her eyes again.
Even for her—already at the ninth star—the mind’s eye was a realm that required continual enlightenment.