Erika swallowed hard. Her palm was damp around the hilt of her sword.

Seated on the throne before her, Julius looked like an immense mountain. She had spent her entire childhood looking up at him. Since her mother had fallen into a sleep with no end in sight, he had grown colder still—a man she had scarcely ever called Father.

"..."

The resolve she had worked so hard to muster wavered. Julius's still, quiet eyes frightened her. Fear crept up and wound itself around her ankles.

She even wanted to run away. If she made a mistake while swinging her sword here, she felt certain Julius would despise her for the rest of her life.

"Aunt Erika."

Just as her breathing threatened to falter, Kyle came up beside her and gave her clothes a gentle tug.

"Show us your Snow Blossom Sword Style."

He was smiling—the innocent smile of a five-year-old without a trace of nervousness.

"Those flowers I saw yesterday were really pretty."

Erika found comfort in that simple, sincere assessment. Yes, the setting was special, but what she had to do was not. She only needed to swing her sword as she always did in training.

She drew a deep breath. Her trembling fingertips steadied. She closed her eyes, then opened them again. Cold resolve filled the place where fear had been.

SHING

Her sword slid from its sheath. At the same instant, the temperature in the Hall of Sword Pinnacles plummeted. Following her cultivation method, the mana within Erika's body took on a chill.

She took her first step. Her sword cut through the air. Pure white cold burst forth, freezing moisture and mana along the path of its tip to form a white slash.

CLINK! CLANG!

Clear, delicate sounds of breaking rang out. They were not the sounds of a sword slicing through air, but of ice shattering and freezing anew.

Erika quickened her movements. She moved gracefully and smoothly across the hall's floor, as though gliding over ice.

'Focus.'

She tried not to think about her father's gaze. She focused only on her sword, her mana, and the “flowers” she would create. Her sword flashed in a flurry of strikes. Dozens of ice flowers bloomed in midair, far larger, more intricate, and sharper than those she had shown Kyle yesterday.

The vast Hall of Sword Pinnacles swiftly transformed into a white snowfield. The cold swept all the way to Julius's face as he sat upon his throne.

'One last...!'

Erika poured all her remaining mana into her sword. Whirling Snow Blossoms. A blizzard raged with her slashes. Dozens of ice blades fluttered like petals, covering everything around her.

CLANG!

Her sword traced a cross for the final stroke.

Petals of ice rained down. Her ragged breaths dispersed in white clouds.

Silence settled over the hall. Ice flowers glittered across the floor and walls. Standing at their center, Erika pressed a hand to her pounding chest.

Unable to look Julius straight in the eye, she lowered her gaze slightly. She was afraid of what expression she might find on his face. Was he sneering? Or was he disappointed?

"..."

Julius said nothing. He slowly rose from his throne and walked across the hall. With every approaching footstep, Erika's heart hammered harder.

He stopped directly in front of her and flicked a finger against an ice flower still suspended in the air.

CLANG!

It shattered and fell to the floor.

"Flamboyant," Julius said.

"You waste far too much mana. Your movements are broad, with too many unnecessary turns. This swordsmanship places more emphasis on display than on cutting down an enemy."

"Ah...!"

Erika's lips quivered. His merciless criticism brought a hot sting to her eyes.

"But," Julius continued, "there are thorns beneath that splendor."

Erika's head snapped up. Julius was looking down at her, crushing the fallen ice fragments underfoot. His gaze was cold, but held no contempt.

"Freeze the space around your enemy to pin them in place, dazzle their eyes, then end their life. Is that your intention?"

"Y-yes...!"

"Not all the flowers you create are sharp yet, and their thorns are shallow. But you are headed in the right direction. You've worked hard."

At those casually delivered words, Erika's eyes trembled. Tears welled up in them.

"Continue to apply yourself. If you have any questions about your swordsmanship, come knock on the doors of the Hall of Sword Pinnacles."

"Yes... Yes, I understand, my lord...!"

"My lord?"

With a faint chuckle, Julius rested his hand on her head.

"That is far too formal for a thirteen-year-old. You may address me more comfortably."

"Pardon...?"

"I mean that you may call me Father."

"Ah..."

Tears spilled from Erika's eyes. Her legs nearly gave way, and she barely managed to remain standing.

"I-I under... understand. Fa... ther..."

She stumbled over the words, which felt utterly unfamiliar. Sobs rose with her tears, making it difficult to speak. As she began to cry, Julius looked at a loss. Suppressing a sigh, he stroked her hair.

"I was so preoccupied with my own troubles that I failed to give you much attention. I'm sorry."

"N-no, my lo... Father, you were having a hard time too..."

"Stop crying first. An Alastor pureblood must not be so quick to shed tears."

His voice turned stern. Hiccupping, Erika rubbed the tears from her eyes. Once she had finally managed to stop crying, she bowed her head.

"I'll... keep working... hard."

With that, she sheathed her sword, steadied her breathing, and turned around.

"See? I was right, wasn't I? I told you Grandfather would like it too."

Faced with her nephew's grin, Erika could only smile back. Sniffling, she walked over and swept him into a tight embrace.

"Th-thank you."

"What did I do to deserve thanks?"

"Just... just thank you."

Tears and snot smeared his clothes, but Kyle did not push her away. He simply patted her back.

'That went well.'

He had helped smooth out their bleak father-daughter relationship and won Erika's affection in the process. Among his many hostile relatives, he had secured a firm ally.

Erika held Kyle for a long while before letting go. She bowed deeply to Julius once more, then left the Hall of Sword Pinnacles. Her steps were incomparably lighter than when she had entered.

Once again, only Julius and Kyle remained.

"You."

After studying Kyle in silence, Julius spoke.

"Yes, Grandfather?"

"Did you do that on purpose?"

"Do what?"

"Erika. Did you go out of your way to bring her here for her sake?"

Julius's eyes gleamed sharply, as though piercing the thoughts of his five-year-old grandson, but Kyle merely shrugged.

"No? Her swordsmanship was pretty, so I wanted to show it to you."

"Hmm..."

"And she was so scared of you that I thought it'd be nice if you got along better. Then she'd be grateful to me, wouldn't she?"

Kyle smiled sweetly.

"The other relatives don't seem to like Mom and me very much. But Aunt Erika wasn't like that."

"Already trying to win people to your side?"

"Families should get along."

"Ha."

Julius finally laughed.

"Yes, you're right. Families should get along."

"Her swordsmanship is pretty, isn't it?"

"It is rather pretty."

Stroking his chin, Julius regarded Kyle with satisfaction. Swordsmanship, spirit arts, and even the ability to handle people. It was hard to believe the boy was only five.

"You've put me in a good mood. How should I reward you...?"

"Give me a present."

Kyle grinned.

"A present? Tell me what you want first. Toys? Sweets?"

"Oh, come on. I'm not a little kid. Why would I want those?"

"If you're not a little kid, who is?"

Fair point. Reminded once again that he was currently a five-year-old, Kyle replied,

"I don't want toys or sweets."

"Then what?"

"Please let me into the grand library on the second floor."

"The library?"

Julius's eyes widened.

"The grand library contains nothing but books far too difficult for you. Besides, you haven't even awakened your spiritual root. What would you do in there?"

"Study," Kyle answered boldly.

"You won't be able to play with me every day anymore, Grandfather. So I want to read books and study in the library."

"Study... you say."

Julius considered this for a moment. The second-floor grand library held the knowledge Alastor had gathered over five hundred years: mana cultivation methods, swordsmanship, magic, and more. Every bit of it was difficult material for a five-year-old.

"The books in the library are divided into five grades," Julius said. "Kyle, for now, I will grant you access to Grade Five, the lowest."

"And even among the Grade Five books, you may only read those on swordsmanship. You can familiarize yourself with the forms in advance. But mana cultivation methods and magic are off-limits."

"Why?"

"Because reading them would serve no purpose."

"All right."

Kyle nodded with a broad smile. He found Julius's insistence on limiting him to Grade Five books—and only those on swordsmanship—rather endearing.

'You want to make me a swordsman no matter what.'

Kyle loved the sword anyway. He still believed he had been born to wield a sword, and reincarnated to take one up again.

"Oh, there's one more thing I'd like to ask."

"What is it?"

"About the Sword Garden."

Kyle's golden eyes sparkled.

"I'm your grandson, so I'm allowed to go there, right?"

"Apart from the Sword Tower, there is nowhere in Gladiheim a pureblood cannot go."

"Then can I pull out the weapons in the Sword Garden?"

"No, you cannot," Julius replied, looking incredulous.

"Those weapons belonged to retainers and enemies who will be remembered by Alastor. They are not to be pulled out carelessly."

"Then is it all right if I just touch them?"

"Why do you ask?"

"They might have goblins living in them, like Fenris."

Kyle glanced at Fenris, embedded in the floor of the hall. The moment his gaze reached it, black mist stirred and he heard a wolf growl.

"That mutt growls because it doesn't like me. But the goblins in the Sword Garden might like me."

His encounter with the lightning spirit at dawn had firmly convinced Kyle that he possessed a talent for spirit arts. Arian had said spirits and goblins were different, but having seen the mutt within Fenris, he was certain this body also possessed some talent relating to goblins.

So he wanted to test it.

'It's not as though I can learn a mana cultivation method or a sword style just yet anyway.'

Julius stroked his chin in thought. Fenris was the Sword Demon's sword from five hundred years ago. Though the Sword Garden's weapons were not as old, all had belonged to warriors who had made their mark on an era. Perhaps they, too, housed goblins like Fenris.

"I will permit you to touch them."

He slowly nodded. His grandson had many talents. If the boy meant to develop them all for the sake of the sword, there was no reason to stop him.

"Hooray!" Kyle cheered at the permission.

"Will you head straight to the library? Or the Sword Garden?"

"Oh, no. Right now, I should play with you, Grandfather."

Wooden sword in hand, Kyle skipped up to Julius.

"After today, we won't be able to play every day, right? So I'll play with you plenty today, so you won't miss me too much."

"You make it sound as though you're playing for my sake."

"Don't you have fun playing with me?"

"Would I be here if I didn't?"

Chuckling, Julius raised his hand. The wooden sword beside the throne floated into the air and flew into his grasp.

"Have you read the swordsmanship manual I gave you yesterday?"

"I've finished it."

"Already?"

"Yes. None of it was difficult. Why would it take long to read?"

"Ho ho."

Julius had suspected as much after watching Kyle reproduce Erika's Snow Blossom Sword Style earlier. Still, his grandson's confident answer brought a mischievous smile to his face.

"You must build a solid foundation. Even an advanced sword style cannot show its true power without sound fundamentals."

"Then let's play with basic swordsmanship today."

Kyle smiled, his golden eyes sparkling. Julius's eyebrows rose. Asking him to play using basic swordsmanship—what an adorable thing for his young grandson to say.

"An interesting suggestion. Very well. Let's play with basic swordsmanship."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Kyle darted in. A straightforward, precise thrust without a hint of trickery.

TACK!

Julius lightly raised his wooden sword and knocked the thrust aside. Though his blade was deflected, Kyle calmly turned it into a slash.

WHOOSH!

The wooden sword swept toward Julius's waist with a heavy rush of air.

'His stance doesn't waver at all.'

Julius was inwardly impressed. Children usually lost their balance when putting force into a swing. But Kyle's lower body was as solid as an ancient tree rooted in the earth.

Because of the elixirs? That alone could not explain it. His balance was perfect, like a veteran swordsman who had swung a sword countless times.

TACK! TACK! TACK!

The two wooden swords clashed without pause. Downward cuts, upward cuts, horizontal cuts, thrusts. The most fundamental movements of swordsmanship flowed one after another.

'Hmm...'

Kyle clenched his molars. Julius's simple fundamentals exerted a pressure like an enormous mountain bearing down on him. Even when he blocked, he was driven back; when he tried to evade, the space around him seemed to shrink. A thrilling delight sent a shiver through him, and the corners of his mouth lifted.

He had fought countless powerful opponents in his previous life, but few had pressured him with fundamentals alone to this degree. Exhilarated, Kyle guided his blade onward. In contrast to his surging emotions, his movements grew increasingly concise. Unnecessary force drained away, leaving only the optimal paths dictated by the fundamentals of swordsmanship.

"Stop."

After so long spent swinging and clashing, the wooden swords came to a halt. Julius withdrew his blade.

"It was yesterday that I gave you the manual, wasn't it?" he murmured with a smile.

"I can keep going."

Kyle smacked his lips in disappointment, but his limbs were trembling uncontrollably. Elixirs might have strengthened him, yet after swinging his wooden sword with such intensity, his entire body was screaming.

"Too much exertion will damage your body."

Julius approached and stroked his sweat-soaked grandson's head.

"That was truly... splendid."

Splendid fell far short of describing it, but Julius himself could not find the words to express his grandson's genius.

"There cannot be another child your age in the world who can wield a sword this well. Nor, I imagine, has there been one in Alastor's history, apart from the founder."

It was the highest praise he could offer as head of House Alastor.

Yet Julius did not think the assessment excessive in the slightest.

"Kyle."

Julius crouched to meet his grandson's eyes.

"I wish you would grow up soon."

He meant those words from the bottom of his heart.

"I want to grow up soon too, but..."

Kyle's golden eyes gazed into Julius's.

"I wish you wouldn't grow any older, Grandfather."

"Why is that?"

"If I grow up and get stronger, but you grow that much older and weaker, I don't think beating you later would feel very good."

"Ha."