Chapter 25

“Sir Eisen!”

Lucian, alarmed, tried to help Eisen stand.

The Swordmaster himself kneeling!

But Eisen did not move an inch—he was like a rock—and continued speaking.

“In my youth, I was arrogant. When I was a novice I at least pretended to be humble, but after obtaining the title of Swordmaster I became intoxicated by my own fame.”

“How can you call it a false title? No one would dare say the name of a Swordmaster is false!”

“No, it is. By obsessing over it, I wasn’t even able to train a single true disciple.”

Eisen let out a bitter laugh as he began to recount his past, as if confessing before a priest.

“I was always searching for a genius. I thought only an unprecedented talent deserved to be accepted as a disciple. Young people who were simply promising because they worked hard never even entered my sights.”

It wasn’t because a non‑genius could not learn the Swordmaster’s techniques.

It was because, if the disciple was a genius, the brilliance of the Swordmaster’s title would not be stained, but instead shine even brighter.

Having reached the peak of the sword, he wanted to leave not a single blemish on the training of his successor.

He wanted to enter history as the master who left behind the perfect disciple.

“Blinded by greed, I rejected opportunities that came to me time and time again. Judging young people with excellent talent and character as insufficient, I scorned them, ignored them, and chased them away.”

Eisen looked at his own wrinkled hand and murmured.

“And so, I grew old to the point where I couldn’t train a single disciple worthy of being called a swordsman.”

“….”

“It’s no longer a matter of talent. I can’t shorten the years absolutely needed to train a disciple who can stand on their own, and I no longer have that time left. Isn’t it ridiculous?”

He wanted even his final years recorded in history without a single stain.

But all he accomplished was a flawlessly empty void.

He realized his mistake too late, and the opportunities he had missed never returned.

“Eisen, the Swordmaster who did nothing in his old age and died. That would have been the final record of this miserable old man. But…”

Eisen pressed his forehead to the ground before Lucian.

“It was the young master who saved me from that fate.”

“….”

“I thank you with all my heart, young master. Thanks to you, this old man will be able to place a dignified period at the end before departing.”

His forehead remained pressed against the floor for a long time.

Everyone fell silent before the highest reverence a Swordmaster could offer.

After a moment, Eisen cautiously got up and looked at Felicia, who still seemed confused by the situation.

“What is your name?”

“F-Felicia, sir.”

“You have no surname?”

“….”

“I’m not asking about your lineage. It’s just that depending on your origin, the procedures differ. If you are a commoner, I plan to adopt you as my daughter.”

Felicia’s eyes opened wide.

Being adopted into a noble family was one of the few ways a commoner could become noble.

A simple procedure, yes, but almost no one wanted to do it out of shame for “tainting” their blood.

‘Even if they had children from concubines or lovers, they preferred to adopt distant relatives to preserve their pure blood.’

Recalling what he had seen in his previous life, Lucian formed a bitter smile.

“So, you truly have no surname?”

“My mother had no surname. And my father never gave me one.”

“And who is your father?”

“The current head of the house of Marquis Roglan.”

“Hmm.”

Eisen let out an uncomfortable sound.

Lucian also furrowed his brow.

Now they understood Felicia’s life a little better.

‘I knew treatment of illegitimate children varied, but this is severe.’

Depending on the father, an illegitimate child could be acknowledged and adopted as noble—or killed at birth.

The most common was to receive special treatment but kept at a distance from the legitimate heirs.

But Felicia’s case wasn’t intermediate. It was nearly the worst possible, barely a step above infanticide.

They had forced her to participate in dirty work such as selling drugs and to serve the half‑siblings who hated her most.

Anyone could see the malice behind it.

‘That man clearly sees an illegitimate child as a disgrace.’

“How pathetic.”

Said the grand duke Sigmund with restrained contempt.

He didn’t say the name, but everyone knew whom he meant.

Eisen nodded lightly in agreement, and declared:

“From today on, your name will be Felicia Brightner.”

“…!”

“You will have much to learn. From swordsmanship to aristocratic etiquette. You will not have a moment’s rest.”

“T-thank you…!”

Felicia, kneeling, could barely express her gratitude, her voice trembling.

With nothing more to add, the grand duke Sigmund stepped forward and clapped once.

“Congratulations, Sir Eisen. You have finally found a successor.”

“Whether she truly becomes one will depend entirely on her.”

“Don’t say nonsense. Isn’t she a girl capable of seeing mana since she was a hatchling? And with reflexes superior even to veterans with decades of experience? With proper instruction she will absorb everything instantly.”

Eisen only smiled without saying anything.

Lucian, at his side, reflected on what he had just heard—seeing mana.

‘No wonder she seemed possessed by the gods. She knew exactly where every attack would go.’

But that wasn’t all.

Seeing the internal flow of mana meant she could learn any technique executed by her master exactly as it was.

She didn’t need long explanations—just seeing it, she could understand and reproduce it.

Combined with her innate combat sense, she would grow at an incomparable speed.

‘It’s very possible that Sir Eisen will leave behind the next Swordmaster before he dies.’

That was why Eisen had shown Lucian such a solemn bow.

Lucian had given him the chance to leave a successor and heal the oldest wound in his heart.

“My congratulations once again. And having witnessed a historic moment, I believe it’s time to take our leave. You will be busy with the adoption and with her training.”

“So it will be. When I finish what is urgent, I will visit you together with my daughter.”

The grand duke signaled to Lucian for him and his group to withdraw.

Lucian nodded and prepared to leave.

“Young master!”

Felicia suddenly fell to her knees with a dull thud.

But before she could say anything more, Eisen grabbed her shoulder.

“Stop.”

“Huh?”

“You are not a knight. You have only just become the daughter of a noble. Without a rank, pledging loyalty to someone is absurd.”

“…!”

“Even to serve a master, qualifications are required. You will make your vow of loyalty only after becoming a proper knight.”

Felicia’s reaction was complete bewilderment.

Lucian looked at her, smiled softly and said:

“I’ll be waiting for you.”

Felicia bowed her head with determination.

She did not rise until Lucian left the place.

***

Lucian had stirred up a commotion that shook the entire lord’s residence.

Winning once against Jordi and then against Joshua, no matter how generous the judgment, only demonstrated the magnitude of his potential.

But this time he had achieved an open and official merit, and moreover, outside the internal affairs of the family.

It was no longer simply “he showed potential”—it was practically a direct step toward becoming the next head of the house.

“At this point, it’s far beyond being called coincidence.”

“It could also be that His Highness the grand duke deliberately gave him the merit.”

“What nonsense! Don’t you know what kind of person the grand duke is?”

“Look at reality. The third young master is now a legitimate candidate for the position of head.”

“With this, the succession structure has been completely overturned. We’ll have unrest for quite some time.”

Until now, Lucian had clearly been at a disadvantage, to the point that people even questioned whether he could be considered a real contender.

But after this, his position had risen to match that of Joshua.

Discounting the strength of the maternal family, based on personal ability alone, he was even above.

And compared to the other brothers, he was already a rival who could not be underestimated in any way.

Just when the entire mansion was in turmoil over this matter—

— Sir Eisen has taken on a successor!

That news, as devastating as a hurricane, buried everything else.

Not just the knights—anyone belonging to the Valdeck house was left in shock.

The Swordmaster had never accepted disciples his entire life.

And now, when he had only a few years left to live, he announced a successor?

“What the hell is going on?”

“How should I know? If you’re so curious, go and ask Sir Eisen directly.”

“Are you crazy!? How could you be so insolent to the Swordmaster?”

“But then… what happens now with the competition for the position of head?”

“And what does that have to do with anything now?”

The knights looked with disapproval at the companion who had brought up such a strange topic.

But he, with a serious expression, explained.

“Sir Eisen will remain neutral, yes… but is there any law that says his successor will be too?”

“Besides, it’s said he even adopted him as his foster child. He must feel a huge affection for him.”

“If Sir Eisen were to stop being neutral and support the candidate his successor supports…”

“What are you saying!? Shut your mouth immediately! Don’t you see that could cost you your head?”

They tried to silence him, but once the words were out, there was no stopping them.

If the Swordmaster truly broke his neutrality, the competition would become meaningless.

Even those who trusted in Eisen’s integrity couldn’t help but feel a slight fear.

The others were even worse: shady rumors began to spread quietly and, little by little, became more visible.

Until—

— The grand duke decides who will be the next head, not me! Stop worrying about nonsense and fulfill your duty as a knight! And if you want to do politics, then resign from being a knight!

The roar of the Swordmaster shook the entire inner fortress.

All because of an idiot who mentioned those rumors in front of Eisen himself.

It was a brief incident, but enough—from that day on, the rumors died down.

It was practically a declaration that he would never get involved in politics.

While everyone sighed in relief and returned to their routines—

— Everyone gather. It’s time for the family to have a meal together. It’s been a long time since we’ve done that.

The grand duke Sigmund summoned all the children who remained in the house.