Episode 4
Chapter 2. Days at Stormhold (3)

“I’m not really sure about that,” Jin answered calmly.

“You don’t know?” Siron raised his head slightly, surprised. He hadn’t expected the youngest, who had always spoken so clearly, to admit ignorance.

“Yes, Father. This power isn’t Aura—I don’t even know what to call it.”

But that was a calculated act. Just moments ago, Jin had deliberately put on an innocent, childlike front.

Fwoosh.

A flicker of flame sounded as a dark energy gathered in Jin’s palm—the same power he’d used to beat up the Tona brothers.

The power granted by the contract with Solderet, the Shadow God—spiritual energy. Though Jin said he didn’t know, he understood this power better than anyone.

And so did his father, Siron.

“If it’s alright, Father, could you give it a name?” Jin’s eyes sparkled as he asked.

Siron, who had ascended to demigod status and become a Dawn Knight, was left speechless for the first time.

‘Solderet…’ Siron swallowed hard as he looked at the shadowy energy swirling in Jin’s hand.

Could this child truly be the reincarnation of the first head of the family? The thought flickered through Siron’s mind.

Solderet—the Shadow God, a being all mages in the world longed for.

But Siron and Jin both knew the truth.

Solderet was not truly a god of magic, but closer to a god of the sword. And a thousand years ago, he had contracted with the first family head to protect Runcandel.

‘After the first head passed, I thought Solderet had abandoned Runcandel. But it seems he’s taken an interest in the youngest son.’

Was this a signal that Runcandel was about to rise and flourish once more?

Or was it just a whim of a god who had once left?

Siron pondered for a long moment, watching the shadowy mass flicker in the small hand of his youngest son.

‘He clearly hasn’t formed a contract yet. If this power came from a contract, the youngest would know it.’

Jin could see exactly what Siron was thinking.

The situation was unfolding exactly as expected, which made Jin uneasy. He had anticipated a crisis born of suspicion at some point, and seven was the perfect age to fake ignorance.

“My son,” Siron finally spoke, gathering his thoughts.

“Yes, Father.”

“That power belongs to the god Solderet. It’s not for me to name. He is one of the long-held secrets of our family.”

“Solderet…”

“He is the one who cast shadows over the world. Even if you are clever, it will be difficult for you to understand him fully.”

“He is…”

Jin started to ask a question, and Siron nodded.

“Is Solderet stronger than you, Father?”

“Haha.”

Siron let out a dry laugh, as if admitting defeat. Since reaching demigod status, he hadn’t laughed like that in years.

For the first time in a long while, a ripple disturbed Siron’s otherwise steady inner self, forged through years of training and discipline.

“Well… I wouldn’t dare challenge a god, so I don’t know.”

An arrogant answer—he didn’t know because he never tried to fight.

But the man who said it was none other than Siron Runcandel. Jin shivered at his father’s words.

Truly the strongest on earth.

Even Kelliak Ziphl, head of the Ziphl family, could not stand against this man.

Siron grinned, baring his teeth.

“My son, I’m glad I came to see you today. Your innocent questions have given me much to think about. Thank you. Come closer.”

Could he defeat a god? Siron called it a “great question.”

As Jin stepped forward, Siron gently ruffled his hair. Jin still held the swirling spiritual energy in his palm.

“How do you want to use this power?”

“For the family, Father.”

I want to use it for myself.

There was no need to confess such honesty. In his previous life, Jin had only known neglect and scorn from his family.

He hadn’t felt the warmth of family since he was seven. So he had no desire to sacrifice himself for the family.

Unless the day came when he became head of the family—surpassing his monstrous brothers.

“Ha ha ha!”

Suddenly, Siron burst into laughter. His booming voice caused a small tremor throughout Stormhold.

The children waiting outside were startled—they hadn’t seen their father laugh so heartily in a long time.

After a while, Siron wiped the smile from his face and leaned close to Jin.

“That’s an interesting lie. You can be a little more honest with me.”

This was unexpected, but Jin swallowed his embarrassment and spoke.

“I want to use it for myself.”

“Yes. You knocked out your brothers and left them in the storm, so saying it’s for the family is a lie. I will be watching you closely.”

Siron passed by Jin and left the central hall. After his footsteps faded, Jin felt cold sweat trickle down his back.

Sweat of relief.

“Phew!”

Jin exhaled deeply and peeled off his sweat-soaked clothes. In his twenty-eight years of life, he had never faced his father so boldly.

“I did it!”

Once the relief passed, his heart pounded wildly.

Today’s conversation had earned him the freedom to wield Solderet’s power—and had sparked hope in his father.

“In my previous life, I died shortly after making the contract. I never even imagined my father would have any expectations of me.”

Back then, even after being cast out of the family, he had no freedom to use Solderet’s power as he wished.

Runcandel never allowed those who left the family to hold such power.

That was why he had been hiding and training in the Akin Kingdom—a nation under the Lutero Magic Federation, influenced by Ziphl. At that time, Jin’s status was that of a mage.

The family’s long-held secret—the contract between the first head and Solderet.

Jin already knew this from his previous life. Though Siron only called it an “old secret,” Jin knew the details better than his father.

After the contract, Solderet had spoken to Jin like a friend for a time.

“But he never told me why, after being a god of the sword, he left Runcandel to become a god of mages. He didn’t even intervene when I died.”

And now, after Jin’s return, Solderet remained silent.

Jin suspected his return might be due to Solderet’s power, but it was only a guess.

He first realized the contract’s power was still valid when he was one year old.

Right after choosing Barisada in the “Selection.”

That night, a curse from a nine-star mage—the “Blade’s Madness”—descended upon Jin’s cradle. The same thing had happened in both his past and current lives.

[Contractor, it seems you were hated by someone very early on. Because of a trivial curse, you couldn’t draw out your power. Maybe that’s why I was drawn to you.]

Those were Solderet’s words at the moment of contract.

Jin recalled them as he watched the crimson curse creeping up his cradle. His mind was clear, but his one-year-old body was powerless to resist.

Frustrated by his helplessness, unable to fight or call for help as the curse closed in.

Suddenly, Solderet’s power manifested.

The curse couldn’t touch Jin’s body—it seeped into his shadow and vanished.

Curses had no effect on Solderet’s contractors. As his former magic teacher put it, it was an “absurdly overpowered” effect.

“Grow a little more. I will find whoever cursed me and kill them.”

The power to manipulate shadows, the magical knowledge from his past life, and the swordsmanship he had only just begun to awaken—all vivid and alive.

This was a future completely different from the one where he lost his talent to a curse and was cast out of the family.

“Master.”

“Gilly, nurse.”

Jin turned to see Gilly standing at the entrance of the central hall.

“The head of the family is about to leave. You should pay your respects.”

“Alright, I will.”

“But… are you alright?”

Gilly asked with concern.

She had seen the Tona brothers turn pale and retreat to their rooms after meeting Siron earlier.

“I’m fine. Are my older siblings leaving too?”

“Yes. They came to escort the head of the family. And Miss Mary left a gift for you.”

“I’ll open the gift later. For now, let’s see Father off.”

Over two hundred guardian knights and Runcandel’s riders had gathered.

Siron began to leave Stormhold. Once they departed, the castle would become quiet and empty again, and Jin could finally spend peaceful time without worrying about the Tona brothers.

A quiet time for growth, known only to himself.

“Salute!”

“Salute!”

The guardian knights saluted Siron as he left Stormhold. Jin and the Tona brothers stood beside them, bowing their heads.

‘Next time I see Father, it won’t be at Stormhold, but at the main estate.’

Siron returned straight to the Black Sea.

Those who had hoped for a fierce showdown between Siron and the champions Runcandel and Ziphl were quietly disappointed, and the riders and guardian knights of Runcandel returned to their posts.

After that, Siron did not visit this place again until Jin left Stormhold. Instead, the guardian knight Khan occasionally came to the Black Sea to update Jin on the latest news.

“Mary noona’s not quite right in the head. I’m only seven years old… haha. Who would’ve thought I’d get something like this!”

Back in his room, Jin unwrapped the gift from his third sister, Mary, thinking to himself. Gilly, who was there with him, grew serious and covered Jin’s eyes.

The gift Mary left was the heart of a Ziphl summon she had recently slain in the southern continent.

A phoenix’s heart—a rare treasure Jin had never received in his past life.

It was a wish for him to grow strong and healthy by brewing it well.