The first light of dawn scattered a faint glow across the sky.

Midnight had passed and it was now the early hours of morning

The duel in the backyard of the House of Yurdina was finally reaching its end.

Marquis Yurdina displayed swordsmanship befitting his age and experience.

His sense for gauging distance was particularly exceptional.

When Delphine pressed forward, leveraging her youth and stamina, he would respond with his characteristic footwork and technique. It was such a precise tactical play that one would hardly believe it came from his sickly body.

However, time treats everyone the same.

Unless one became a Master, there was no way to overcome an aging body. Regardless of how much mana one possessed, there were limits..

Marquis Yurdina held out surprisingly well.

The conclusion came in the most Yurdina-like way possible.

“You truly are talented, Delphine.”

“Well, of course–whose blood do you think I inherited?”

Their ragged breathing intertwined as they maintained their distance. Beads of sweat had formed on Delphine’s forehead.

Honestly, she was surprised.

Her father had been bedridden, seriously ill for years. While she hadn’t expected an easy victory, she never imagined he would endure this well.

Delphine felt both impatient and proud.

Impatient to claim victory, yet relieved that the pillar of Yurdina was still standing.

Even so, she would be the final victor.

Competitive spirit blazed in her eyes. Seeing this, the Old Lion coughed and laughed.

“You brat, do you want the Family Head position that badly? Had you waited like I said, it would have been yours in a few years anyway.”

“Father, you once told me this.”

The tip of her sword trembled as she steadied her breathing, emitting a sharp, blue light.

It was as if moonlight dripped along the blade.

And in that moment when her breathing steadied–

Whoosh–golden flames erupted from the blade. The heat was enough to sting even from a distance.

“You said that all the people of the North ride on the shoulders of Yurdina… But what the hell have I seen and heard?”

“It couldn’t be helped.”

“So, because of that, those many Northerners had to suffer and die?”

Marquis Yurdina didn’t answer.

Instead, dark blue flames began to rise from his sword, the flickering light resembling a lion’s mane.

It befitted the master of the Yurdina House, the Imperial Lion that protected the North.

“This is the end. I hope… you don’t die.”

Thud–With that, the tip of his sword dropped to the lower left.

Delphine, guessing his intent, flashed a fierce smile.

“You as well, Father.”

Two swords remained motionless, pointed toward the lower left.

Only probing, one step, two steps.

The woman’s and the old man’s feet circled, and then, as if on cue, they simultaneously shot forward, kicking off the ground.

Despite Delphine being faster, her opponent was a seasoned swordsman who spent decades on the battlefield..

Retreating slightly, he created a small gap between them. Then, from the lower left, his blade rose.

Dark blue streaks slashed through the air.

Five in total.

In his prime, the Marquis had wielded the Illusory Sword of the Golden Lion with seven streaks,but, with the passage of time, five was all he could manage.

Even so, its sharpness remained unblemished.

No, rather, through selection and focus, it became an even more powerful strike. Even with the same five streaks, there was a clear difference in skill between the both of them.

Delphine couldn’t even seize the initiative.

She was naturally forced onto the defensive, and therefore, the Marquis had no doubts about his impending victory.

Until seven streaks appeared before him.

Like flames, her aura blazed, scattering intense heat. The dark blue aura tried to resist by cutting through, but it couldn’t overcome the numerical disadvantage.

*Crack–*with the sound of breaking, the dark blue streaks began to shatter, one by one.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

Finally, after countering the last one, two golden lines curved like feathers.

By the time he widened his eyes, it was already too late.

Two slash wounds were carved into his chest and the Marquis staggered back, falling to his knees.

They were neither deep nor shallow wounds.

By now, Delphine’s sword was pointed at the Marquis’s throat.

“It’s over.”

At those cold words, the Marquis broke into chuckling laughter.

Then, as if short of breath, he coughed and beat his chest for a while.

Marquis Yurdina looked up at Delphine with a knowing gaze.

“When did you master the Illusory Sword of the Golden Lion to that extent?”

“I had a great reference, so I practiced a bit.”

A great reference?

Could there really be someone in this world capable of wielding the Illusory Sword of Golden Lion with seven streaks?

Impossible.

So the Marquis Yurdina had no choice but to interpret Delphine’s words differently.

It meant: Don’t ask.

What right did a loser, a parent who lied to their child, had to pry?

With clouded eyes, he said.

“You’ve grown so much. Yes, this is how the heir of Yurdina should be… Do as you wish. Yurdina is now yours.”

“Father, I want everything of Yurdina’s.”

Even in the face of her father’s acknowledgment, Delphine remained cold.

In fact, she even added a little more force to her grip on the sword. The tip advanced slightly, forming a small bead of blood on the Marquis’ throat.

Even so, he remained calm.

He feigned ignorance.

“What the hell are you talking about? If I hand over the position of family head, you’ll naturally inherit everything.”

“The truth about our family.”

Before the Marquis could offer any excuses, Delphine growled, pressing him even harder.

“Who exactly is Seria’s mother? Why was her identity so desperately hidden… And why the hell was Alex instigating the conflict between humans and elves?”

“Seria’s mother was a commoner. She wasn’t suitable for our family, so it was kept a secret. And Alex acted alon–”

“This is an order from the master of Yurdina.”

It was a cold voice without the slightest tremor.

Delphine maintained her frigid expression as she warned him again. As if the familial bonds weren’t even being considered .

“Tell me everything, now. And don’t give me any of your bullshit excuses.”

The Marquis closed his mouth for a moment, then let out a long sigh.

“Hah, you talk just like your mother. She was such a strong-willed woman–”

“Didn’t you love Mother?”

The question flowed naturally from Delphine’s lips.

It was partly to extract more information, but the content itself was sincere.

Delphine grew up as an only child.

This contrasted to the other high-ranking nobles, who had many children. So the household naturally assumed that the relationship between the Marquis and Marchioness Yurdina weren’t good, which became even more apparent when he took Seria’s mother as a concubine.

But now, this man, who never showed any family affection, was acting this way.

It was more bewildering than absurd.

But the Marquis Yurdina did not easily give her the answer she wanted. With a deepened gaze, as if wandering through memories, he murmured as if recalling the past.

“I wasn’t a particularly talented swordsman. Rather, to put it bluntly, when it came to swordsmanship, my older brother and sister were more skilled. I did have some followers due to my popularity, but you know that, right? There’s only one rule in Yurdina.”

Delphine didn’t bother to answer.

This was a question so obvious that anyone living in the North could answer it.

‘The strong prevail.’

That is the one and only rule of Yurdina.

“Watching our family members suffer under my hot-tempered brother and neurotic sister, I blamed myself countless times. Why didn’t I have talent, when I knew I could create a better Yurdina than those two… no, an even better North!”

“But you eventually became the head of Yurdina.”

“Yes, but not through legitimate means. That night, a woman with hair as black as ebony came to me……”

Hair as black as ebony.

Although black hair was rare, it wasn’t a unique genetic trait.

The reason Delphine unconsciously thought of him was simply because she had been deeply immersed in thoughts of him lately.

Absurdly so.

Delphine cleared her throat to cool her slightly flushed cheeks. Then, she silently listened to the Marquis’s ongoing words.

“She spoke to me when I was suffering from inferiority and self-loathing. Why are you sad, she asked… Are you so resentful of the gap that couldn’t be bridged even if you swung your sword until your palms tore?”

At this, the woman bit back a bitter smile.

To affirm or deny.

In fact, this was as good as decided.

***