Episode 5
Chapter 2: Days at Stormhold (4)
Jin’s third older sister, Mary Runcandel.
Now nineteen years old, the world called her “Mary the Tempest.”
In the Runcandel family’s thousand-year history, no one had ever failed to become a first-rank knight before turning thirteen. By sixteen, they reached third rank, and before twenty, fifth rank was the norm for pureblood Runcandels.
Mary was a very different case from Jin in his previous life.
She slightly exceeded the Runcandel average. While Jin only reached first-rank knight at twenty-five, Mary achieved it at twelve, and by sixteen, she had already attained fifth rank.
Now, she was sixth rank.
Before even reaching adulthood, she had risen to a level admired by nearly everyone. To surpass the Runcandel average meant she was even more exceptional than those commonly called “geniuses” by the world.
Because at Runcandel, genius was the baseline.
And she was one of the few who had shown Jin kindness for a long time in his previous life.
“Sure, my sister’s definitely a little crazy, but this is a great gift. I was getting frustrated with how slow I was growing anyway.”
A month had passed since Shiron left.
Throughout that time, the scent of phoenix heart simmering filled the halls of Stormhold. The unique warmth radiating from the phoenix heart made one corridor inside the castle pleasantly cozy.
Mary had presented it as if it were no big deal and then left.
But generally, phoenix heart was an incredible elixir—so rare and potent that even kings of entire nations struggled to obtain it.
Its texture was softer than veal.
Its aroma richer than truffles.
Its effects were incomparable to any ordinary tonic.
“Master, in just a couple of hours, you’ll finally get to taste the lady’s gift. You’ve waited a long time—congratulations.”
Jin’s eyes sparkled as he nodded.
They had waited a whole month for the phoenix heart to finish simmering. Gilly hadn’t been able to sleep properly during that time, tending to it day and night.
Still, she was only happy. What was good for Jin was good for Gilly. The lives of the nannies depended on how well the Runcandel children under Jin’s care grew.
In that sense, Jin felt a bit guilty toward Gilly. After Jin’s exile in his previous life, Gilly’s life had fallen apart in ways too painful to describe.
“Master might not know this, but phoenix heart is especially good for children. Eating it young increases their resistance to fire. Miss Mary gave you something truly precious.”
“Really?”
Though Jin knew this far better than Gilly, he asked with genuine curiosity.
He had studied phoenix heart countless times while learning magic.
“Back then, I wasn’t studying to eat it, but to understand the phoenix’s nature as a mage.”
Summoning a phoenix was every mage’s dream. Jin had died just before becoming a sixth-rank mage capable of summoning one.
“Of course! At first, it was so bloody it covered your eyes, Master, but even the royal family of the Biment Empire would kill for it…”
As Gilly explained, Jin’s thoughts drifted to the phoenix.
He was hopeful this life that he could summon one.
Though magic was strictly forbidden at Runcandel, Jin had no intention of giving it up.
If he didn’t get caught, no problem.
If he did, he’d become strong enough not to be killed, gain influence, or find justification.
Martial arts and magic.
There was a path that combined both—the magic swordsman. He was willing to endure any hardship for that.
“If it were me, I’d never let my phoenix be devoured by enemies.”
Of course, a phoenix was a summoned creature that never truly died. Even if its heart was lost and it died, it would naturally resurrect after about a hundred years.
But what good was that? A hundred years later, the phoenix’s master would be long gone.
“Make sure to thank Miss Mary properly next time.”
“I will, definitely.”
The phoenix heart was fully simmered now. The rich, savory aroma filled the castle.
“I’ll prepare your meal, Master. Come down shortly!”
Humming happily, Gilly hurried out of the room. As soon as she left, Jin let out a low sigh.
“Stop lurking around, it’s distracting.”
“Uh, okay.”
“Hmm…”
The Tona brothers had been sneaking around nearby for a while. Now that Gilly was gone, they pressed close to Jin’s door, trying to gauge the situation.
Watching the brothers drool, Jin chuckled softly.
“Ha, look at these cute little guys…”
At Jin’s finger snap, the Tona brothers dashed into the room.
“What are you sneaking around for?”
Jin asked in a deliberately sharp tone, though he knew perfectly well it was because of the phoenix heart. The brothers twisted their bodies like nervous puppies.
They wanted to ask for some of the phoenix heart but were scared. The memory of being scolded by their father after Jin hit them a month ago was still a fresh trauma.
The situation struck Jin as amusing. In his previous life, the Tona brothers often stole his things. He could never have imagined them acting so cautious.
“Emma must have told them to. To persuade me to share the phoenix heart.”
Emma Niltro.
Like Gilly, she was a Runcandel nanny caring for the Tona brothers at Stormhold. Unlike Gilly, who had died tragically in the previous life, Emma had lived comfortably thanks to the Tona brothers’ success.
The Tona brothers, who had become bloodthirsty maniacs, never forgot to look after Emma later on, thanks to her cunning.
If Gilly cared for children with love and affection, Emma raised them solely with carrot and stick. She never taught them morality or altruism.
Perhaps such things weren’t necessary at Runcandel.
Emma had the greatest influence on shaping the Tona brothers’ personalities.
“Well… the phoenix…”
“That’s a lot to eat alone, isn’t it?”
“What? I can’t hear you.”
“I mean the phoenix heart soup. Could you share just one bowl? Emma nanny will scold me otherwise.”
“Please, youngest brother.”
They still feared Emma more than me, huh.
Jin snorted at the thought.
“No.”
“Ah, please.”
“Please!”
The Tona brothers’ faces fell. Jin felt no sympathy.
He already knew they were used to carrot and stick discipline. That was why he planned to use the phoenix heart to make them do some pretty tiresome work.
“If you guys insist that much, I guess I have no choice. But there’s a condition.”
“Oh? What is it? What is it?”
“You remember the grave I made?”
The moment Jin said “grave,” the color drained from the Tona brothers’ faces. They recalled being beaten and abandoned in that storm-battered grave.
“Behind that grave, if you look closely, there’s a small tunnel.”
“A tunnel?”
“Yeah. It’s shallow. Dig it deeper. By tonight. No breaks.”
What Jin demanded of his nine-year-old older brothers was… digging.
“Why dig there?”
“To rebury the bird they killed, deeper.”
The brothers’ legs went weak for a moment.
But if such a simple request meant they could get some phoenix heart from this scary little brother, it was more than worth it.
“How deep?”
“I said no breaks until tonight.”
“Got it. So if we finish digging, you’ll share the phoenix heart?”
“Of course. But you have to dig well. If the depth isn’t good enough, it’s off. By the way, there are plenty of shovels in the underground storage. Get one from there.”
“Okay!”
“And don’t make anyone else do it. You guys have to do it yourselves, got it?”
The Tona brothers nodded and immediately set off to dig.
While the Tona brothers were digging, Jin sat at the table, eating the soup made from the phoenix heart.
“Master, is it really that delicious?”
Gilly asked, smiling brightly. She thought Jin’s mood had improved because of the food.
“Yeah, it’s really good.”
“You can eat it for at least three days. Let me know if you need more.”
With every spoonful, Jin felt his bones and flesh growing stronger. Eating it for three days would surely increase his fire resistance and affinity.
But the smile on Jin’s face wasn’t just because of that.
“In a few days, I’ll finally be able to see the grimoires…!”
Behind the bird’s grave, in the tunnel the Tona brothers were digging.
Though only nine years old, as pureblood Runcandels, they possessed strength far beyond ordinary children.
Thanks to the Runcandel’s unique blessed bodies.
If they dug hard until night, the “underground wall” connected to the tunnel would be revealed.
“They probably won’t know if it’s a wall or just rock.”
Hidden in Stormhold’s secret underground space was part of the “wickedness” Runcandel had accumulated.
The grimoires of other families.
Books of forbidden knowledge taken from families Runcandel had subjugated or destroyed.
Of course, even if the Tona brothers dug until the wall appeared, they couldn’t enter easily. Two secret mechanisms had to be solved to open the underground chamber.
Naturally, Jin knew how. Even if treated like less than a servant, he had survived twenty-five years of being pushed around in this Runcandel family.
“Until I leave Stormhold, I’ll just study those.”
Jin finished both bowls of soup cleanly.
“Nanny Gilly.”
“Yes, young master.”
“When night falls, could you share some of the phoenix soup with the Tona brothers?”
“Oh? How much should I give them?”
“Just a spoonful each.”
“A… spoonful? Then it might be better if you just keep it all to yourself.”
“We have to keep our promises. And if the brothers ask for more, tell them that either Emma or I will show them exactly who’s scarier. Make sure they understand.”
Gilly gave an awkward smile and bowed her head.
‘Young Master Jin… Has he already been tainted by this ruthless family? He’s far too young for that.’
Just as a bitter expression began to creep onto her face, Jin snuggled into Gilly’s arms.
“Mary gave it to me because she cares, and you spent a whole month watching over the fire to make it for me. I don’t want to share it with those fools.”
“Young master…”
Thud, thud.
The Tona brothers’ shovels were busily digging into the rain-soaked earth.
Their shovels finally hit a wall around midnight.
“A spoonful!?”
“A spoonful! That’s too much! We’ve been digging all day!”
The Tona brothers realized too late that the promise didn’t specify the amount, and they were furious—but there was nothing they could do.
Jin glared at them and said they should be grateful for even that.
‘If just a spoonful of phoenix heart soup could be earned by digging for half a day, every kind of person in the world would be rushing in. You kids have no idea.’
So, the Tona brothers thought it was a hundred times better to be thankful for even a spoonful.
That’s what Jin believed.