Everyone gathered in the training hall was astonished.
Among the five-year-olds who had gathered at the main house this year, one of them had acted out of turn.
The youngest son of the main house, Verdine de Strange, with his sharp eyes full of determination.
While the other children were running with all their might to choose their guardian spirit, he alone picked up a shabby jar with a leisurely expression.
'Foolish kids. None of you can make a contract with Siegfried anyway.'
If you're not the chosen one, the jar won't break.
Whoosh—
Verdine threw the jar towards the center of the training hall.
Crash!
At the same time, two jars broke.
One was the shabby jar he threw. The other was the most splendid jar in the training hall.
The startled children stopped in their tracks and looked around.
Their parents and the knights conducting the ceremony were also at a loss for what to do in the face of Verdine's unexpected action.
They could only look back and forth between Verdine and the jars with wide eyes.
Some thought, 'How dare he ruin this sacred ceremony!' but none voiced their thoughts.
With the head of the Strange family quietly observing the situation, how could anyone else dare to speak first?
Not only the family head but also the elders remained silent.
Verdine smiled as he looked at them.
'As expected, they won't interfere. No, they can't. After all, there was no set way to break the jars.'
They only instructed to break them.
Whoosh!
Smoke poured out forcefully from the two broken jars.
The two guardian spirits trapped inside revealed themselves.
A muscular knight in silver armor and a swordsman with long red hair.
One was the first head of the Strange family and the emperor who had conquered the continent.
The other was a hero who, inheriting the blood of the Strange family, had defeated a dragon from another world and brought peace.
Both were guardian spirits who had dominated their respective eras.
Thud, thud, thud.
Verdine approached them with an indifferent expression. Then he whispered quietly to the two guardian spirits.
"Fight. The one who wins will join me."
It was an outrageous proposition.
No, to be precise, it was more of a threat than a proposition.
The two guardian spirits were so taken aback that they said nothing. They only looked at Verdine with incredulous expressions.
What confidence did this little kid have to act like this towards them?
Though dumbfounded, they couldn't treat Verdine lightly due to his commanding presence.
'…Interesting.'
Lois de Strange's lips twitched as he stroked his beard.
He had witnessed the ceremony dozens of times, but no one had ever done something like this.
Not only was he bold enough to break two jars at once, but one of them was the jar of the Sword God, which no one had obtained in a hundred years, and he broke it so easily.
A smile spread across Lois's face. He couldn't hide his expression even though he tried.
"If you don't fight, I won't choose either of you."
Verdine turned his back.
"You know what that means better than I do, don't you?"
With a calm voice and a light gesture.
In contrast, the two guardian spirits became frantic, waving their hands and moving their lips.
They seemed to want to say something, but communication was impossible.
The voices of uncontracted guardian spirits could not be heard.
Seconds passed, and the guardian spirits glared at each other as if they wanted to kill.
They locked eyes, nodded, and aimed their weapons at each other.
It seemed they had accepted Verdine's proposal and decided to duel.
The emperor and the hero, who had been renowned in their times, were now bowing to the threats of a mere five-year-old.
Verdine glanced back to observe the guardian spirits' reactions.
The two had already begun a spectacular battle.
However, only a few could witness this scene.
Even if one bore the blood of the Strange family, those who hadn't opened their qi couldn't see the guardian spirits directly.
Therefore, only those with opened qi or equivalent abilities could witness this scene.
But there were few with such power here.
'Amazing.'
At that moment, Valentine de Strange, the third child of the Strange family, clapped her hands unknowingly as she witnessed the scene.
Usually, she would never have attended such an event. Today, she had participated in the ceremony purely by chance.
She had only come to greet her father since she was at the main house, but she had witnessed something so astonishing.
She carefully approached Lois.
"Father."
Lois raised a finger to his lips without replying.
Understanding his intent, Valentine bowed her head and took a step back.
Her father was also quite surprised by the fight between the guardian spirits.
"Valentine."
"Yes, Father."
"How long did it take you to break the jar during your ceremony?"
"It took about an hour."
"Really?"
"Yes. The first jar I chose refused to contract. I was a bit late because I was looking for the best remaining guardian spirit."
"It refused to contract…"
"I still remember. I hit it with all my might, but it didn't break. It felt like an invisible barrier was blocking it."
"..."
Time passed, and the battle between the guardian spirits ended.
The silver smoke, hit in a vital spot by the red smoke, fell to the ground and couldn't maintain its form.
After a long fight, Siegfried, who had won, moved his lips furiously in anger.
Though his words couldn't be heard, he seemed to be cursing.
Verdine slowly walked up to the surviving Siegfried. Smiling brightly, he extended his hand.
"My name is Verdine. I am your descendant, the one who will be called the Sword King, and the future master of this continent."
* * *
"The ceremony is concluded."
Lois's voice echoed through the training hall.
At the same time, those who participated in the ceremony had mixed feelings.
Some had successfully chosen a guardian spirit and could now aim for a rise in status. Others, having failed to obtain a guardian spirit, faced a bleak future.
To think that the lives of children who were only five years old could be determined this way. The fate of those born into the Strange family was harsh and cruel.
Click, clack, click, clack.
In the now empty training hall, only the sound of footsteps could be heard.
Lois, the head of the family, began to walk alone, following the traces of the ceremony.
He stopped at the place where the ruby-colored jar fragments were scattered.
It was where Sword God Siegfried had made a contract with Verdine.
"…Even I couldn't break this jar."
On any other day, he would have left immediately after the ceremony. The reason he stayed this time was simple.
The jar that even he, the strongest swordsman, could not break was shattered.
Not just one, but two jars at the same time. It was hard to believe, but he saw it with his own eyes.
"Amazing."
Lois let out a series of hidden exclamations.
He wasn't trying to deny what had happened today. He was simply proud of Verdine, who was born with such remarkable talent.
Lois, the head of the family, spent at least 360 out of 365 days away from the castle.
Whether it was carrying out imperial missions or climbing the tower for years of training, he had few opportunities to see the five-year-old Verdine.
He only knew there were a few children in the main house and received reports from the captain of the knights on how they were growing.
Thus, the ceremony this time was a great shock to Lois.
Whoosh—
Black smoke swirled behind him, and the guardian spirit of Lois, who was known as the King of the Underworld in the past, appeared.
A giant man with one face looking benevolent and the other face appearing extremely angry.
"A remarkable one has emerged. To take Sword God Siegfried in such a manner."
"Indeed. I heard the youngest son was unusual, but I didn't expect this much."
"Who told him how to break the jars?"
"How to break the jars?"
"Yes, how to break them."
"…The method of breaking the jars is explained by the guardian knight waiting in the training hall before the ceremony begins."
"The guardian knight?"
"Yes. He gathers all the children and explains the ceremony."
"Does he also explain how to break two jars at once?"
Lois shrugged.
"…No. I didn't know such a method either. I never thought of breaking them simultaneously. No one had ever done it before."
"Then was it a coincidence?"
"Do you think it was a coincidence?"
"…If it wasn't a coincidence, then it was instinct."
"Whether it was coincidence or instinct, the fact remains that the boy took Sword God Siegfried."
Lois's eyes gleamed with a meaningful expression.
"Interesting things are bound to happen soon."
* * *
The jar of Sword God Siegfried was broken.
Verdine's siblings reacted differently when they heard the news.
Rumors that spread through Valentine's mouth exaggerated Verdine into a monstrous figure.
Some were jealous and hated him, while others were delighted, considering it a blessing for the family.
How many can genuinely congratulate someone on their good fortune?
The answer to this question was obvious.
Nine out of ten times, you won't hear good words. Ultimately, the result of this rumor was not entirely favorable for Verdine.
His older brothers, only a year older than Verdine, would soon hear the news.
Splash.
I poured all the black tea in the teacup into a flowerpot.
The silver spoon prepared for stirring honey turned black, and the plant hit by the tea quickly withered as if rotting.
If I had drunk it thoughtlessly, I would have died immediately from the deadly poison.
Of course, having experienced this before my regression, it wasn't dangerous.
'Nothing has changed from then to now.'
The best guardian spirit of the Strange family, Sword God Siegfried.
Since I brought him, someone had constantly tried to assassinate me day and night.
They would tamper with my food or release snakes or scorpions into my bed every day without fail.
Would they really go this far against a five-year-old child? The answer to this question was too obvious.
'They want to nip me in the bud before I grow up.' They're trying to eliminate me with that thought.
To become the master of this castle.
And the mastermind behind it was none other than—
"Hey! Verdine!"
A voice that was jarring to the ears.
"Why did you throw away the tea our mom made?"
"Yeah, we need to teach you a lesson today."
"Oh! Yeah, let's tell him to summon that Sword God or whatever!"
Tony, Johnny, and Ronnie, the three brothers known as the bullies of this castle.
'So, it's them after all.'
They had malicious expressions on their faces.