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The Lesser Drake, abruptly awakened and losing one of its eyes, thrashed about in agony.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The creature’s strength was so immense that every time it rampaged, the cave echoed as if it might collapse at any moment.

‘It would’ve been better if it had pierced deeper, maybe into the brain. Was it too shallow?’

Theo clicked his tongue lightly and leapt forward.

Regret was regret, but now was the time to focus solely on the hunt.

Aside from the spectral sword embedded in the creature’s eye, there were two more left. He gripped one in each hand and crossed them at the Drake’s neck.

Thud!

However, the scales on its neck were so tough that the sharp spectral swords bounced right off.

‘Damn it…!’

Roar—

Realizing that Theo was its enemy, the Lesser Drake charged at him with ferocious intensity.

[Dragon Fear dominates the battlefield. Your movement speed is reduced by 10% due to the Fear status.]

On top of that, it unleashed its innate Dragon Killing Intent.

Theo swiftly pulled his dual swords inward, barely managing to push the Lesser Drake aside.

‘Its scales are too hard for the swords to penetrate. I need to aim for the gaps between the scales.’

Even in this perilous situation, Theo’s sharp combat instincts, honed by the blood of Ragnar, told him exactly where he needed to strike.

The lower neck, connecting the head to the body.

A place commonly referred to as the reverse scale.

Theo quickly spun his body, closing the gap, and slammed his foot hard into the ground.

‘One Flash.’

Fwoosh—

Once again, the spectral sword in his right hand traced a pure white arc as it stabbed into the Drake’s neck.

Squelch—

This time, he felt the sensation of piercing through flesh at his fingertips.

“Now, let’s continue…!”

Theo rotated the last remaining spectral sword in a diagonal slash, deeply cutting the Lesser Drake’s left eye.

This was the One Flash, combined with the secret sword technique he had mastered.

But this time, it wasn’t a thrust—it was a slash.

Splaaat!

The Lesser Drake’s remaining eye exploded like a firecracker.

Crash!

Theo narrowly dodged the spot where the Drake’s tail slammed down.

It was another secret sword technique, this time used for footwork.

His skills had grown incomparably stronger than before.

Thud, thud, thud, thud…!

As the Dragon’s Heart pounded wildly, adrenaline surged through Theo’s body.

He burst into a wide grin.

* * *

Recently.

Sybil and the group of followers around Theo had begun to notice a significant change in how people looked at them.

“Hey, Sybil.”

“What?”

“More people again.”

“Yeah. At this rate, we might need to switch training grounds.”

Sybil scratched the back of his head as he looked at the crowd filling up the 4th training ground from the crack of dawn.

This was also a recent phenomenon.

Word had spread that Theo trained at the 4th training ground every morning, and people flocked to see it.

All of them came with one goal in mind—to cross swords with Theo.

After hearing that Theo had received private instruction from the head of the house, they wanted to test his skills for themselves.

The problem was…

“I just hope there aren’t any troublemakers this time.”

The issue was that almost all of those who showed up recently had terrible attitudes.

Did they look down on Theo?

All they cared about was defeating Theo to boost their own reputation. They had no intention of getting along with him at all.

Instead, they were quick to treat Theo’s followers like a bunch of misfits, constantly picking fights and causing friction.

If it weren’t for Evelyn?

Things would likely have been even worse.

So this time, Sybil could only hope for a group of somewhat normal (?) individuals.

“But where’s Lord Theo been lately? I haven’t seen him around at all.”

At that moment, someone in the crowd posed the question, and Sybil shrugged his shoulders.

“Beats me. There’s only five days left until the Blossoming Ceremony.”

“Exactly.”

“He’s never missed a single day of training before, so it’s worrying. Maybe he’s focused on private training? Have you heard anything from Lady Evelyn?”

“Nothing.”

“Hmm… I hope nothing’s happened to him.”

As the Blossoming Ceremony drew nearer, tensions in Winterer were rising, leading to all sorts of incidents every day.

Naturally, they were worried about Theo too.

“We’ve been waiting for days, so why hasn’t he even shown his face?”

Just then, Sybil and his companions overheard some people talking about Theo behind his back.

No, it wasn’t just gossip.

They were openly mocking him, as if they wanted others to hear.

“Seriously, though. Waiting around here is driving me crazy.”

“Look at the people gathered here. How could anyone not feel restless?”

“Hahaha, you’ve got a point.”

As a few of them burst out laughing, those who had come to see Theo either joined in or frowned at the mockery.

“Those bastards, they really…!”

Just as Sybil was about to step forward, enraged, Eod grabbed his arm.

“Hey, stay still. Didn’t you hear what Lady Evelyn said before? As the Blossoming Ceremony approaches, people are going to start trying to tarnish Lord Theo’s reputation. Stay calm.”

Sybil gritted his teeth.

“So, we’re just going to stand here and do nothing?”

“They’re just saying that to us. It’s not the first time we’ve heard this, so why are you letting it get to you?”

“Damn it.”

Sybil was just barely calming himself down when—

“But honestly, I sometimes wonder…”

“Wonder what?”

“That rumor. Is it really true? That he received the head’s sword. When you think about it, no one’s actually seen it with their own eyes, right?”

“No way, are you saying it might be a lie?”

“Well, it’s not a lie, but rumors can be exaggerated, can’t they?”

“Huh? That’s true. So, maybe he’s staying hidden because he’s afraid his real skill will be exposed?”

“He’s scared of us.”

“Oh, that makes sense! Haha! He’s hiding out of fear, but dragging him out would just make him look even worse. What a tough situation.”

Sybil’s face hardened.

That wasn’t just gossip anymore. It was blatant disrespect toward Theo.

He glanced over at Eod.

“Huh?”

Eod was gone.

As Sybil looked around to figure out where he’d gone, he spotted him.

There he was, flying through the air with a kick aimed at the laughing group.

Thud!

“Urgh!”

One of the men, caught completely off guard, was struck in the head and sent flying in an embarrassing display.

“Henry!”

“What the hell is this lunatic doing?!”

“You worthless piece of trash, are you insane?!”

The group, who had been laughing together just moments ago, all drew their swords at once, glaring at Eod.

“…That crazy bastard. He told me to stay calm, and now look at him.”

Sybil had momentarily forgotten.

In fact, Eod was the most fanatical of Theo’s followers.

Hearing anyone insult Theo was enough to make him lose his mind.

But leaving this foolish friend to deal with the situation alone wasn’t an option.

“Everyone, draw your swords!”

Sriiing! Srrriiing!

At Sybil’s command, Theo’s followers all drew their swords and gathered around Eod.

In the blink of an eye, the 4th training ground split into two factions.

“How dare you disrespect Lord Theo? These bastards are asking to die!”

“Look at these ugly faces, and they have the nerve to talk about Lord Theo!”

“…Hey, let’s not talk about faces. We’re not exactly blessed in that area either.”

“Yeah, but at least we’re average! They’re not even close!”

“Right. When you add Lord Theo to the mix, our average definitely goes up…”

“Those bastards… I’ve never liked the way they act.”

“Crush them!”

With a deafening roar, the brawl was about to erupt.

BOOM!

Suddenly, a sword crashed down like a lightning bolt between the two groups.

“……!”

“……!”

The sheer destructive force was so intense that the entire training ground shook.

Everyone’s faces went stiff as they turned their gaze to the source of the strike.

The sword was embedded in the ground, its hilt standing upright like a gravestone.

Standing atop it, arms crossed, was Wellington, looking down on them.

“Young Lord Wellington!”

Sybil and Theo’s followers were overjoyed to see an ally.

“The… The heir of House Narcio…!”

The opposing group, however, swallowed hard, realizing the power they were facing.

– We’ve heard that the Narcio heir is close to Lord Theo, but is it… actually true?

– We hadn’t seen him around lately, so we thought we didn’t have to worry. But now, of all times…!

– Damn it, this is a mess, isn’t it?

Unlike Theo, who had only recently gained attention, Wellington had long been known as a prodigy.

On top of that, his status as the heir of the House of Narcio wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

The thugs exchanged uneasy glances.

– But isn’t the Narcio heir known to be a reasonable guy? Maybe we can talk our way out of this?

– Yeah! If we explain it was all just a misunderstanding, maybe we can manage this…

They tried to quickly concoct a plan to persuade Wellington, but—

“Haven’t you heard the stories about people who ran their mouths about Ragnar’s heir and lost more than a few arms?”

Wellington’s gaze was ice cold as he looked down at them.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding, Lord Narcio,” Jenkins, the leader of the group, stepped forward cautiously.

Wellington’s eyebrow twitched.

“A misunderstanding?”

“Y-yes, that’s right. We were only curious about Lord Theo’s abilities, that’s all…!”

“No one’s seen him receive the head’s sword, rumors can be exaggerated, he’s hiding because he’s afraid his skills will be exposed… Where exactly is the misunderstanding in those words?”

“……!”

He had heard everything from the start?

Jenkins’ face turned pale.

There was no excuse left to give.

“If you have no more excuses, I’ll take an arm from each of you, just like I mentioned.”

“W-wait a sec…!”

Before Jenkins or his gang could shout anything else, Wellington jumped down from his perch and drew his sword.

Swiish—

Suddenly, an épée with a long, slender blade flew toward Wellington like an arrow.

Clang!

Wellington twisted his body and struck the incoming épée upward.

The épée spun in midair before quietly landing on a nearby tree.

Sitting there, with a face as cold as ice, was a woman who retrieved the sword.

“L-Lady Ray!”

The moment Jenkins saw her, his face brightened with hope.

“What brings you here, Ray Ragnar?”

In contrast, Wellington stared at her with cold, composed eyes.

‘Frostblade’ Ray Ragnar.

Among the fifteen Ragnar heirs of this generation, she was one of the most promising talents, along with Axion.

She had overcome the curse of ‘Nine-Syllable Pulse’ and become a renowned swordswoman, known throughout the North. There wasn’t anyone in the region who didn’t know of her fame.

But what was she doing here, someone who had no interest in the outside world?

The problem was, she wasn’t the only one who had shown up.

BOOM!

On the opposite side of Ray, an enormous explosion erupted, sending a cloud of dust shooting into the air as if a bomb had dropped.

Standing there was a man with a youthful face but a towering frame, easily over 190 centimeters, covered in bulging muscles.

“Even Holcus Ranke is here?”

The Ranke family, like the Narcio and Hanabi families, was one of the Six Snow Families, known for their extraordinary strength. They were more famously referred to as the ‘North Bear Family’, due to their massive size and overwhelming power.

Holcus was the second son of the Ranke family, and he too was a prodigy expected to shine at the upcoming Blossoming Ceremony.

“Kuhahaha! Now, now! How could you leave me out of something this fun? You all are too much!”

Holcus laughed wickedly, turning his gaze toward Wellington.

The more Holcus laughed, the stiffer Wellington’s expression became.

With Ray here, and now Holcus as well, it was becoming clear to Wellington that this was no coincidence.

Wellington, Axion, Ray, Holcus.

In the North, these four were collectively known by a particular title.

– The Four Lords of the North.

The Four Lords of the North, said to represent the future of the northern region.

And now, excluding Axion, three of them had gathered in one place.

These were individuals who should be busy preparing for the upcoming Blossoming Ceremony. The fact that they had moved meant there was certainly some underlying scheme at play.

Wellington, unable to fathom what it could be, grew increasingly tense. He gripped his sword tightly, preparing to face both of them if necessary.

But despite Wellington’s wary stance, Ray didn’t seem particularly interested in him.

She was scanning her surroundings, clearly searching for someone else.

“Where is he?”

“What?” Wellington asked, puzzled.

“Flash Tiger.”

“Flash Tiger…?”

“The owner of this training ground.”

Only then did Wellington realize that the term “Flash Tiger” was a new title referring to Theo.

‘He already has a title?’

He hadn’t known. Wellington had been so focused on his own personal training that he hadn’t paid any attention to what was happening outside.

But Flash Tiger—the name was fitting.

It meant a tiger that strikes like a flash of lightning.

Wellington thought it was a nickname that suited Theo perfectly.

Who could’ve come up with it?

“Why are you looking for Lord Theo?”

“I want to test him before the Blossoming Ceremony.”

(E/n: an epee, is the sword used in fencing)