"Ugh, this is so frustrating."
"Sire, Your Majesty! We haven't even made introductions yet!"
The chamberlain shouted urgently.
Ignoring this, Isaac appeared.
"Introductions aren't necessary."
His steps directed him towards Kane.
"Kane, little brother. No matter how much you dislike Wendy, don't say such harsh words. She might explode."
The word "explode" carried many meanings.
Wendy, in response to Isaac's arrival, snapped coldly.
"Don't interfere."
"What am I doing?"
"You're stopping my interaction with Sir Kane."
"But Kane doesn't like it."
"Since when is he your brother? And what do you even know?"
"Can't you tell by just looking? That expression. He's looking at you like you're a filthy insect."
"What did you say!"
A tense situation.
Kane tried to move away from the two.
Swish!
A sword blocked Kane's path.
Beno stood in his way.
"Her Highness the Princess is not done with you yet."
Kane looked at Beno intently.
The knight known as the Nebula of the Wind Sword.
Just like his nickname, he possessed the [Breath of the Wind Fox].
He belonged to the Tegelo family, who saw Rehinar as a rival.
'Originally, he should have been Wendy's husband, but suddenly I appeared and got in the way, so of course, he wouldn't be happy.'
Wendy would eventually marry Beno.
Both in Ray's timeline and in Kane's timeline.
No matter which storyline progressed, the two ended up together.
'This guy is quite a handful.'
Even though his negative traits like weakness, kindness, and timidity had disappeared, Kane's body slightly trembled.
'But I can't just leave a guy who's pointing a sword at me alone. I'll just reveal a little that I'm a Blood Knight.'
The First Princess and Beno were colluding with the Hatzfeld royal family.
They were also connected with the Meyer Family.
Of course, the two believed that the person linked to them was a Hatzfeld member, so they couldn't imagine he was part of the Meyer Family.
That 'person' was the hidden boss of the main story currently being executed, [Crisis of the Imperial Capital, Fresia!].
He was part of a secret organization that would be unlocked later.
Dealing with him now was crucial for properly starting the secret organization's story.
And at this point, Wendy and Beno were the only characters connected to that 'person'.
He had to use them to bring him to the surface.
'I'll see if you'll still stay hidden after seeing this.'
Kane eyes turned into a crescent shape..
It was such a bright smile.
It looked like he was mocking his opponent.
Kane's mocking voice soon followed.
"No one who's pointed a sword at me has survived. Can you handle it?"
Kane stared straight at Beno.
A gaze that would have frozen most people.
But Beno was the man called the Nebula of the Wind Sword.
At 29, he was at the beginner-tier of 5th Class, considered a genius expected to become one of the Twelve Star Lords of the continent in the future.
Against such a person, Kane arrogantly said that.
"You're not talking to me… right?"
"Who else would I be talking to but the one pointing a sword at my neck?"
The tip of Beno's sword trembled.
He could see that Beno was holding back his anger to the end.
The star of the ball was the First Princess, Wendy.
Swinging a sword recklessly would ruin the event.
But Kane provoked him even more.
"If you had dedicated that loyalty to the Fresia Empire, you would have achieved great success… but instead, you're wasting your time being a licking dog. You're quite the romantic."
His mocking tone finally pushed Beno over the edge.
"I'll shut that mouth of yours."
A chilling wind blew through the ballroom.
A wave of energy emanated from Beno.
His sword slashed at Kane's chest.
But instead of the sound of flesh being cut, an entirely unexpected sound echoed.
Clang!
Beno's eyes widened.
"You blocked my sword? How dare someone like you?"
He had always looked down on Kane.
Even if a dullard suddenly became a genius, he thought he couldn't lose.
Unlike Kane, he was the youngest graduate of the Royal Military Academy.
He had mastered the Breath of the Wind Fox up to 5th Class.
He considered himself as one of the top three among the younger generation.
But now!
His sword had been blocked by someone who was only a 4th Class knight.
His face twisted in anger.
"Is this what it means to be the son of the guardian!"
Beno's sword glowed with a blue light.
This was a phenomenon that occurred when using the Breath of the Wind Fox with 3rd class or higher mana..
At that moment, Kane's calm voice was heard.
"To beat me, you should have used the [Catastrophe] from the start."
The [Catastrophe] Kane mentioned was the fifth technique of the Tegelo family's swordsmanship, the Wind Fox Sword Art.
It was an instant kill move known as the [Catastrophe].
It was named for severing all the tendons in the limbs, leading to death.
"Thanks to you, I've gained some time."
As Kane drew his sword,
A floating water droplet shot towards Beno.
* * *
Boom!
One side of the ballroom wall was blown away.
Beno was thrown outside.
He held his sword in a reverse grip,
standing diagonally in a defensive stance.
Drip, drip.
Blood dripped from Beno's arms and legs onto the ground.
He watched in disbelief as Kane walked towards him.
"Everyone who starts getting their ass kicked looks at me like that. Don't worry, It's all part of the plan."
In Kane's right hand was a sword made by Mikhail.
In his left hand, a sword made of mana.
Beno steadied his shocked heart.
"You're much stronger than I anticipated."
Kane shook his head, raising his sword.
"No, you don't understand. This isn't even a sliver of power of the Rehinar Family."
Rehinar's power was very destructive.
If he showed his true strength, the sword made by Mikhail would not withstand the energy and would break.
Thus, he had always set a limit on his mana.
And yet, his mana kept increasing.
The mana he had taken from the Emperor and the formlessness poison.
He had purified both energies and absorbed them into his body.
"The reason other families fear Rehinar is this."
All the moisture in the air evaporated.
The clear night sky darkened.
Suddenly, dark clouds formed.
Rain began to fall from the sky.
"The [Breath of the Blue Tiger] can make it rain with 4th class mana."
The falling raindrops slowed down.
"But, If this was all, no one would fear Rehinar. But what truly terrifies our enemies is this."
Then the raindrops stopped in mid-air.
The clear water gradually turned red.
In Kane's left hand, he held a crimson sword.
"This skill is called the Blood Sword. Stop it if you can."
Kane sliced the red droplets suspended in the air.
Swinging both the sword made by Mikhail and the blood sword formed by mana,
The speed at which the red droplets were being cut was astonishing.
Until now, Kane had only used one sword for his Blood Dance technique.
Using two swords,
The amount of sword energy unleashed was far more than double.
Boom, boom, boom!
The red energy split and exploded towards Beno.
And not only that.
The red droplets turned into hidden weapons, bombarding Beno.
"Do you think I'll lose to this!"
Beno's resistance was fierce.
He was the Nebula of the Wind Sword.
A candidate for the next Twelve Star Lords of the continent.
From his sword, too, came a storm of wind energy.
The two energies clashed and exploded in mid-air.
Bang!
Beno swung his sword as he rushed at Kane.
Each step he took stirred up a gust of wind.
This was the [Step of the Wind Fox], a technique the Tegelo family prided themselves on.
Beno approached Kane with incredible speed.
However, he became trapped in a vortex of water droplets.
Clang!
He struck the obstacles in front of him with his sword.
But instead, his sword was repelled.
At that moment, Kane's voice was heard.
"You've only encountered soft water until now. This time, experience water that's been sharpened to a fine edge. Compressed water would be much sharper than wind~"
Kane raised the blood sword in a reverse grip.
Then he let it drop.
The blood sword pierced the ground and disappeared.
"Blood Sword, Whirlpool"
As Kane finished speaking,
the red droplets surrounding Beno formed a whirlpool and attacked him.
"Guh!"
Beno fiercely resisted.
Ignoring the wounds forming on his body, he struggled to escape the whirlpool.
The water vortex showed no signs of stopping.
Kane's voice was heard again.
"Blood Sword, Explosion!"
Boom!
The swirling water vortex exploded with a loud noise.
Red water splashed everywhere.
Beno's body, caught in the explosion, was a wreck.
Blood flowed from his ears and nose due to the massive shock.
* * *
Isaac was outside the ballroom.
"Did he get stronger in just a few days?"
He hadn't known Kane for long.
When they first met, Kane was a beginner-Tier 4th Class knight.
Now, he possessed the mana of a mid-tier 4th class.
But!
His skill seemed far beyond that.
"Did I misjudge Kane?"
Beno Tegelo was a beginner in the 5th Class.
Even though he had just reached 5th Class, the difference in level between 4th Class and 5th Class was significant.
It meant he shouldn't lose.
"Did he deceive my eyes too?"
Winning against someone two levels above could only mean he had been hiding his true strength.
"Or is it because of that peculiar mana?"
Even the first time he saw it, he thought it was unusual.
Rehinar's mana was white.
The stronger it became, the more transparent it turned.
But what about Kane's mana?
It was purple.
No one else on the continent had purple mana.
'If it were red mana, it would be assumed he had awakened as a Blood Knight, but the probability of that is less than 0.1%.'
Blood Knights had long vanished from the continent.
A tale from the distant past.
Even among the Twelve Starlords, no one had awakened as a Blood Knight.
'That purple mana is just Kane's unique color. It might be a unique mana created from Sir Carl's harsh training…'
Isaac concluded that Kane had been hiding his power all this time.
Meanwhile,
Wendy had no interest in Beno's injuries.
'What a gem. He is an unexpected treasure.'
She was only excited about her new toy.
She wanted Kane even more.
'Isaac had already noticed that Kane was hiding his strength.'
Isaac had no contact with any other factions.
Yet he had moved directly to meet Kane.
He must have had prior information about Kane.
That's why Isaac, who had been silent, took action.
'If I can get Kane Rehinar in my hands, I can become the first Empress of the Fresia Empire!'
Wendy's grand dream.
To become the continent's first Empress.
She already had enough support.
All she needed was a reason to depose the Crown Prince.
'I won't let Isaac take Kane Rehinar from me.'
Wendy's expression was enigmatic.
A corner of Wendy's mouth subtly lifted.
She was solely focused on bringing Kane to her side.
Determined, she decided to threaten him.
"Sir Kane, do you realize what you've done? Beno is from the Tegelo family. If his father hears about Beno's injuries, Rehinar won't survive."
Wendy pointed out the current situation.
She knew the state of Duke Carl.
The Guardian Lord had been struck by the formlessness poison.
There was no shadow to protect Kane.
That's why she spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.
However, the response she received was unexpected.
"So? What does that have to do with you?"
Wendy's smile twisted.
"Can't you understand the situation? If you're relying on Duke Carl, wake up from that dream. From what I've heard, he's been poisoned by the Hatzfeldt Royal Family and hasn't been able to leave his estate."
She struck first to prevent Kane from using Duke Carl's name as a shield.
Nonetheless, Kane's reaction was no different from before.
"Stop beating around the bush and say what you want."
"I'll be your umbrella. If you get engaged to me, even the Marquess of Tegelo won't be able to act recklessly."
Wendy's proposal.
Others might have eagerly accepted it.
But Kane was different.
"I refuse."
"Are you saying you're willing to see Rehinar completely destroyed?"
"Tegelo or Dyer, if they want to wage territorial wars, I'll accept anytime. But they must be prepared to face utter annihilation when they challenge me. I'm the type who thoroughly crushes anyone who dares to confront me."
Kane smiled brightly.
A hint of madness glinted in his eyes.
A madman with clear eyes.
It was a word that suited Kane very well.