Kyle told Julius everything that had happened in the grand library earlier, honestly and without embellishment. Julius watched him with astonished eyes throughout the account, then finally let out a long breath.

"Well..."

It was a breath mingling wonder with dismay. Rather than speak immediately, Julius simply stared at Kyle for a moment.

"I wondered what you were doing, shutting yourself away in the grand library this past year and hardly visiting the Hall of Sword Pinnacles. And all this time, you were attempting something as outrageous as creating your own cultivation method?"

Julius had received reports of the books Kyle read in the grand library. Hearing that he was concentrating on grade-three cultivation manuals rather than sword styles had made him wonder what the boy was scheming. Never had he imagined Kyle meant to create a cultivation method himself.

"It's nothing that impressive. I just thought I could do it..."

"Creating a cultivation method yourself is nothing impressive? You may be consulting other methods, but synthesizing them into a single whole takes the qualities of a grandmaster."

Julius shook his head with an incredulous chuckle.

"I thought I had grown so accustomed to your extraordinary gifts that nothing could surprise me anymore, yet you still manage it. You monstrous little treasure."

"Ahem."

"I consider this a reckless and dangerous undertaking, but I will not stop you. Your spiritual root is unlike anything the world has ever seen, so your judgment must be sounder than mine. And this... goblin of the Sword Tower has agreed to lend you its strength."

The existence of the Fragment, the Sword Tower's goblin, had astonished Julius as much as Kyle's talents.

"Normally... entering the Floor of Asceticism at your age would be unthinkable. The minimum requirement is to complete the Realm of Form and grasp the beginnings of the Realm of Intent."

In the present era, martial attainment was divided into four stages.

First came the Realm of Beginnings: awakening one's spiritual root, studying a cultivation manual to activate the body's circuits, and circulating mana to form a small world within. At this stage, one could produce incomplete aura.

Next was the Realm of Form, in which practitioners shaped the mana they had learned to control in accordance with their spiritual root's nature, releasing it as sword aura. Alastor purebloods entered the Realm of Form at around thirteen on average.

The Realm of Intent was the stage at which one completed the Realm of Form and began knocking at the doors of the middle energy center. Beyond the Realm of Form, mana was no longer merely activated under the spiritual root's influence; the practitioner's own will was added to it. In other words, this was the transition from sword aura to sword force, though one could only be said to have truly entered the Realm of Intent after fully opening the middle energy center.

Last came the Ultimate Realm: the completion of the lower and middle energy centers, and the gradual opening of the upper energy center. Countless people failed to reach it even after completing the Realm of Intent. This was truly the realm of superhumans, where one began to shed human limitations.

"Your middle energy center is already open, of course... but one could hardly say you have truly completed the Realm of Intent..."

Rather than explain, Kyle simply drew his wooden sword. He had intended to wait until he was more confident and then give Julius the shock of his life, but under the circumstances, he could no longer put it off.

WHOOSH!

The Primordial Chaos Circulation Method coursed through Kyle's body, coating the wooden sword in mana. His mouth slightly open, Julius gazed at the violet aura enveloping the blade.

There was no unstable flickering. It looked like flame, yet it held more than a flame's heat. A multitude of attributes mingled in that light, none standing out above the others, all maintaining a strange balance.

One might call those flames a world in harmony, yet every blazing hue was sharp as a blade. There was nothing tranquil about them. They were chaotic and destructive. And yet they showed no instability... That meant Kyle had perfect control over his mana.

Sword aura. Proof that he had fully entered the Realm of Form. That in itself was hardly surprising, since the boy's middle energy center was already open. But the sword aura Kyle had just displayed was far more refined than Julius had expected.

'Refined?'

Julius unconsciously shook his head at his own assessment. It was more than merely refined. Kyle's sword aura was utterly flawless. That was the judgment of Julius Alastor, the Thunder Emperor, one of the Ten Greats.

"I wanted to show you later."

Grumbling, Kyle withdrew his sword aura. Immediately, his skin tingled all over and his heart gave a peculiar throb.

Fenris, embedded in the center of the Hall of Sword Pinnacles, was trying to commune with him without permission. Kyle refused the contact. That insolent son of a bitch had bitten its master; it needed to learn its lesson through neglect.

"Why did you want to wait?"

"I'm still not satisfied with it. I think I can do better."

There was no bravado in that answer. In terms of refinement alone, the sword aura he had achieved in his previous life had been much the same. But in this life, Kyle's goal was to far surpass his former self.

"Once the method is complete and I can circulate mana as I wish, I think I could produce sword force too. Though I won't know until I try."

He added that last remark only to keep Julius from collapsing in shock. Kyle was brimming with confidence that he could produce sword force. He simply could not do it yet because the core in his middle energy center was not being used properly. Once his lower energy center held enough mana to stop writhing with hunger, he would be able to produce sword force even with the cultivation method unfinished.

"Ha..."

The grandson before Julius had gone beyond adorable and become downright chilling. On his birthday a year ago, Kyle had declared that he would surpass him. That declaration no longer seemed merely mature or endearing. Only a year had passed, yet his grandson's sword was closing the distance between them at astonishing speed.

And so Julius's feelings were complicated: affection for a grandson growing at an unbelievable pace, and a shiver of anticipation for the opponent who would surely challenge him one day. Laughing once more, Julius rose from his throne.

"Let's go."

"Where?"

"Didn't you say so yourself? You intend to fetch that bastard, Aslan Antares."

Julius strode over and rested a hand on Kyle's head, stroking his hair.

"I tacitly approved their marriage, and I intended to stay out of it for the sake of Arian's pride. But hearing that you, who love training and the sword so much, are hesitating out of concern for your mother... I cannot leave things as they are any longer."

A swordsman himself, Julius liked skilled swordsmen. If they were steadfast in their devotion to the sword, he had all the more reason to like them.

But Aslan was no longer simply a swordsman. He was a swordsman, Julius's son-in-law, Arian's husband, and Kyle's father. Julius had never considered himself a particularly good father, but even so, he could no longer leave a man who had abandoned his family for twelve years to his own devices.

Especially if he was getting in his grandson's way.

Julius smiled at Kyle, but his eyes were utterly cold.

* * *

Fifteen years ago, Julius's wife had fallen into a sleep with no end in sight after an accident in a hidden realm. For two years afterward, he had personally roamed the world in search of a cure.

In his heart, he wanted to keep searching until he found one, but before he was a husband, Julius was the head of House Alastor. He could not leave Gladiheim's throne empty forever. After two years of wandering, he had returned to the Sword Tower.

Now, after remaining secluded in the Sword Tower for thirteen years, Julius had emerged. Shortly after he stepped outside, the descendants who were still in the tower came pouring out.

"M-my lord, where are you going?"

His eldest son, Cartan, hurried over in confusion, only to freeze at the sight of Kyle beside Julius. The other descendants reacted much the same way, but Arian let out a startled cry and rushed to the grandfather and grandson.

"K-Kyle? Father? Why are you two... Where are you going?"

"Grandfather says he'll buy me a present."

Kyle spoke before Julius could answer. Julius promptly nodded, going along with his lie.

"A present...? Is there anything we don't have in the Sword Tower or Gladiheim? Even if there is, surely you needn't go in person, my lord..."

"I wish to choose it myself."

Julius cut Cartan off in a quiet voice.

"He is such an admirable grandson, after all. And I felt like getting some fresh air for the first time in a while."

How could anyone stop the head of the house when he said that, after spending thirteen years shut away in the Sword Tower? In the end, Cartan could only open and close his mouth before retreating.

"Please take an escort."

Gerard, the third son and the man in charge of Gladiheim's administration, bowed his head as he spoke. Julius shook his head without expression.

"An escort would only be a nuisance. I have no need of one. Stand aside."

"But..."

"Who could possibly serve as my bodyguard?"

As Julius's voice grew cold, Gerard could press him no further. He bowed and withdrew. Arian, who had been watching blankly, sidled up to Julius.

"Why are you leaving me behind?"

"Because we are not going to buy you a present."

"But Kyle is my son...?"

"Is he only your son? He is my grandson as well. I am going to choose his present myself. Must you keep failing to take the hint?"

Arian blinked a few times, then burst into a little laugh. Chuckling, she nudged Julius's arm with her elbow.

"My, I never knew you had become this doting a grandfather. Couldn't you have been like this when we were little?"

"Enough nonsense. Stand aside."

Julius replied without a trace of amusement and strode away. Kyle bowed to the relatives who had rushed outside, gave Arian a special wave, and followed him.

"Kyle! Make sure you ask Grandfather to buy you lots of presents!"

Arian's voice rang out behind them.

"You're good at lying too, Grandfather."

"I have told no lies."

As they passed through the Sword Garden, Julius answered Kyle's chuckling with an expressionless face.

"It is true that we are going to get the present you want. If you insist on calling anything I said a lie, it would merely be that we won't be paying for it."

"What about the fresh air?"

"Now that I am outside after so long, the breeze is indeed refreshing. It is certainly different from the wind inside the Sword Tower."

Julius glanced at Kyle as he answered.

"Do you want to see me squirm and admit I lied, you wicked little rascal?"

"Of course not. I'm just saying."

"Even if I have ended up lying, it is no failing of mine. You are entirely to blame."

"It seems I've changed you a little—no, quite a lot. Do you dislike that?"

"Another wicked question."

Julius merely grumbled under his breath, leaving Kyle's question unanswered.

"Lennon."

Instead, Julius called someone else's name. A quiet voice answered from their seemingly empty surroundings.

"Yes, my lord."

"Prepare a sky carriage. The fastest one."

"Understood."

It must have been a Funeral Knight following Julius from the shadows. Kyle was genuinely impressed. As he was now, he could not see through their concealment.

"Do you have to learn stealth techniques to become a Funeral Knight?"

"Not necessarily. The Funeral Knights are Gladiheim's finest, so excellence in swordsmanship is enough. Lennon merely happens to be skilled in stealth because he came from the Shadowflight Corps."

The Shadowflight Corps was Gladiheim's intelligence unit.

"Have you ever ridden in a sky carriage?"

"No. Mom and I flew here when we came. But I know what one is. It's a carriage pulled by flying horses."

"You are not lacking in common knowledge, then. I was privately concerned, with you spending six years shut away in the Sword Tower."

"Don't just worry about me. Worry about my other uncles and aunts, and your other grandchildren too."

"Had they shown the promise to warrant my concern, I would have done so on my own. Even without such promise, had they treated me affectionately, I would have grown fond enough of them to care."

"But you're so cold and intimidating, Grandfather. How could they be affectionate with you?"

"You were."

"That's because I'm good at making friends."

"What am I to do with this shameless, adorable little rascal?"

Julius clicked his tongue and muttered.

"I am not in a position to be close to every one of my descendants. And it is too late for that now. If I suddenly gathered my children and grandchildren and suggested a meal together for no reason, Cartan would think I had gone mad and secretly seek out a physician."

"Oh, surely he wouldn't."

"I know Cartan and my other children better than you do. Our relationships have been this way for decades. It cannot be helped."

"But you worked things out with Aunt Erika."

"That is because Erika is young, has no ambition to become head of the house, and approached me first."

Kyle understood what he meant. Leaving aside Roel and Seros, who were older than Erika, his other uncles and aunts were already well advanced in years. Each held an important position within Gladiheim and had built a faction of their own. If Julius suddenly approached one of them, it would immediately upset the political balance.

'Even Mom has renounced her right to succeed as head of the house.'

Looking down at Kyle's briefly thoughtful face, Julius gave a small chuckle.

"Why are you trying to improve this bleak state of family affairs?"

"It's nice for a family to get along."

Besides, he had never really had a proper blood-related family in his previous life.

"If you are so determined, go around oiling the gears yourself. As you did with Erika and me. As you did with Varkas and Bruno."

"You don't intend to do it yourself, Grandfather?"

"I have given you a great many gifts and accommodated you in all sorts of ways. You are getting older now. It is time you brought me a gift."

"You said my very existence was a gift."

"The more gifts one receives, the better, you adorable little rascal."

Julius chuckled and stroked Kyle's head.

The grandfather and grandson passed through the Sword Garden and descended to Blade, Gladiheim's upper district.

An imposing sky carriage was already waiting there. All the knights and branch-family members living in Blade had come out and were standing at attention behind it, ready to greet the head of the house on his first departure from the Sword Tower in thirteen years.

"Such a fuss, simply because I have come out after a while."

Despite clicking his tongue, Julius raised a hand to the knights and branch families. Standing beside him, Kyle felt countless eyes upon him. He had lived in the Sword Tower for six years, but this was his first time coming this far down.

To live in Gladiheim's upper district meant ranking just below the purebloods among the castle's nobility. Today, they were finally seeing the much-rumored young genius of the Sword Tower for themselves.

"I shall drive you myself."

A man in a black uniform bowed in front of the carriage. It was the voice Kyle had heard earlier. This was Lennon, the Funeral Knight who had formerly belonged to the Shadowflight Corps.

"Shall I take you to the nearest warp gate?"

Lennon's voice came as soon as Kyle followed Julius into the carriage.

"Yes."

Answering, Julius looked out the window. Every knight and noble had lowered their head slightly to see the carriage off.

"Do you know where Aslan lives?"

"Yes. I heard he lives in the Kingdom of Valian."

"Where in Valian, exactly?"

"I don't know that. I was going to ask you, Grandfather. Though I never imagined you'd come with me yourself."

"You certainly do not lack initiative."

Julius propped his chin on his hand with an incredulous chuckle.

The sky carriage took flight.

* * *

The sky carriage was fast, but there was scarcely any shaking inside.

Kyle kept talking with Julius all the way to the warp gate. Had Julius shown any sign of finding him a nuisance, he would not have persisted, but Julius showed no such sign.

"Aslan is strong."

Naturally, the subject of their conversation was Aslan Antares, Kyle's father.

"He first came to Gladiheim thirteen years ago. Aslan was twenty-five then... and already on the verge of completing the Realm of Intent."

Aslan had appeared without warning, pounded on Gladiheim's gates, and shouted at the top of his lungs that he wanted to duel the head of House Alastor.

"I was on edge in many ways at the time. After wandering the world for two years without finding any answers, how could I not be? I was hardly going to look kindly upon some fellow turning up and calling himself a challenger. I even felt he was making light of the Alastor name, and considered simply killing him."

"So I almost never got to be born?"

"It is fortunate I did not kill Aslan then."

Julius smiled.

"I considered killing him, but decided it would be a shame to break Aslan's sword there and then, so I put my blade away. That only made him angry. He shouted that I must not consider him worth killing."

"..."

Kyle's opinion of Aslan, which had plunged into the abyss on account of him being a son of a bitch, rose ever so slightly.

"He was so noisy that I knocked him unconscious and threw him out of the Sword Tower. But instead of leaving, he took it upon himself to live in the tower's garden. He said he would hone his sword and face me again someday. I liked his spirit, so I gave him a house in the upper district and let him stay."

"Did you fight Father again after that?"

"We fought twice more during his year in Gladiheim. Each time, Aslan's sword grew sharper. After those two fights, I was looking forward to a third... but he suddenly appeared with Arian and blathered that they were getting married."

"..."

"I was so dumbfounded and angry that I considered cutting Aslan down. But Arian kept shouting at me, so I simply permitted the marriage. Then the two of them left the Sword Tower... and you were born."

Julius's expression grew complicated.

"Looking at you now, I wonder if I ought to have kept your parents here in the Sword Tower rather than letting them leave."

"It's already happened. What can you do?"

Kyle cleared his throat as he answered. If he had been born and raised in the Sword Tower, countless relatives would have witnessed his undignified behavior as an infant.

'Thank fucking goodness.'

Kyle meant that with all his heart.