CHAPTER 09
“Yes. Maybe.”
“Maybe? This is perfect sword-unity! It’s even beyond that… whew.”
The inspector sighed and shook his head.
“A perfect connection, and even the sharp energy flowing through the blade… Amazing. It’s been a long time since I saw sword-unity at this level. The last time was six years ago, at that training ground…”
“You mean my father?”
“Yes. It’s almost the same as what your father showed back then. Did you reach this level even before you were kidnapped?”
“No.”
I shook my head and answered truthfully.
“If you count sword skills, I had just reached the 5th level. But even that isn’t for sure. That’s just what my older brother told me.”
“You mean… Sir Lazix, right? I see. Still, reaching 5-star sword skill at that age is already amazing… ahem.”
The inspector cleared his throat and tried to hide his surprise.
“So you’re saying you reached sword-unity at that life-or-death moment?”
“Yes.”
“When those enemies came to kill you… As expected, your blood is different. Like father, like son… Ah, sorry. I misspoke.”
“It’s fine. You don’t need to apologize.”
“To be honest, I’m really surprised. As you know, sword-unity is level 7 in our sword family’s rankings. It’s called 7-star, but… Even I’m still at 6-star. Most well-known swordfighters are the same. That’s why what you did is truly amazing.”
I could understand why he was so surprised. My brother said the same thing before.
“Even in our sword family, not many people reach level 7. And even those who do, rarely can use it perfectly.”
That’s why my father had such a great reputation when he was alive. Some people reached a higher level than sword-unity, but no one could use sword-unity as perfectly as he could.
And anyway, using this technique takes a lot of focus. So I let go of the sword-unity and placed the sword back on the table.
“Thank you for lending me your sword, Inspector.”
“No need to thank me. Thanks to you, I understand now. Sword-unity… That’s not something regular enemies from the Poison King’s group could handle. Even with your weak body, even without aura, it makes sense now.”
“Yes. I can’t use aura.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make a point of that.”
The inspector gave an awkward smile and shook his head.
“I only meant that the Granble family really is something special. I was right to disobey orders from above. Losing you would have been a huge loss to our sword family.”
“You flatter me. But what do you mean by disobeying orders?”
“Rescuing survivors wasn’t the top priority. That was for the backup team that was coming later.”
“Then…”
“The search team’s job was to preserve the scene and investigate. But when I found you, I acted on my own and gave orders.”
“Wouldn’t that get you in trouble?”
“Not serious trouble. Just a small pay cut and some time off. Ha ha…”
“You got punished because of me.”
“It’s nothing.”
The inspector smiled calmly.
“I owe a big debt to the Granble family. If your father hadn’t guided me, I wouldn’t be here. A small punishment is a cheap price to pay.”
“If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead. Thank you again… for saving me.”
I bowed my head. The inspector also bowed.
“No, I’m the one who’s grateful you lived, Young Master Ray.”
“Inspector…”
“Your father treated me very kindly. He even asked if I wanted to be adopted into your family.”
“Adopted?”
“You didn’t hear about that?”
“No. If I had, maybe I’d have another big brother.”
“I’d have been a much older brother. Ha ha… But I refused the offer.”
“Why?”
“Because the Granble family already had amazing children. I didn’t want to cause problems by suddenly joining and making trouble… No, never mind. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
Inspector Pale gave a bitter smile. I shook my head as I remembered my siblings, Brother Lazix and Sister Lily.
“No, it’s fine. I’m sure they would have liked you too.”
In sword families, it’s common to adopt children from other noble houses. Pale scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.
“Thank you for saying that. Now, I have one more question.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“There was no poison found in your body.”
He raised one finger.
“Not even a trace. We ran every possible test after you arrived. Not just the five major poisons the Poison King’s group uses, but even unknown poisons from the cave. Nothing. We even compared it to a mysterious poison found in your late father’s body—nothing.”
“Hundred-Year Poison.”
“What?”
“That’s the poison they used on my father. I heard the enemies call it that.”
“Hundred-Year Poison… So that’s its name. Must be a new one they created.”
The inspector nodded and continued.
“Anyway, your body now is completely clean. That’s good, of course… but I don’t understand. You were clearly poisoned. Do you know anything about this?”
How should I know?
Of course, I didn’t say that. I just stayed silent, pretending I didn’t understand.
But I did know the reason.
When my brother, sister, and Tiber left me, they took all the poison inside me with them.
But that’s a secret.
If I told the truth here, my future would change completely. So I made up something believable.
“Oh, now that I think of it, I did cough up blood before I fainted.”
“Really?”
“It was black blood. It smelled horrible. I couldn’t see clearly, but I threw up so much, I thought there was nothing left inside me.”
“Hmm. Then I guess you threw up the poison.”
The inspector nodded, surprised.
“Some people, when their bodies fill up with poison, will throw it out like that. It’s rare, but I’ve heard of cases.”
Yes. I’d read about it too—in a history book in our house’s library.
“I see… That must be what happened. Alright. That’s all my questions. Thank you for answering everything.”
“No problem. It was the right thing to do.”
“This way, the higher-ups won’t interfere suddenly. I’ll reject the research department’s request for now… Anyway, I’m glad I moved quickly.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hmm. Now I need to tell you something important.”
The inspector picked up a paper and sighed as he started writing.
“Whew… I’m sorry to bring this up, especially after all you’ve been through. But it’s a very important matter for the sword family, and you need to know.”
“Yes. What is it?”
No matter what it was, I didn’t mind. After everything I’ve been through, nothing could be worse.
“Because your father, Roa Granble, has passed away… you, Ray Granble, are now temporarily the head of the Granble family.”
“Temporarily?”
“Yes. It’s not official yet. According to the rules of the Sword Family Inheritance Department, you have to prove you’re qualified to be head of the house. But don’t worry. You have plenty of reasons to delay it for now…”
The inspector gave a dry smile as he kept writing.
“I’ll buy you some time. You should be safe for about two years.”
“Two years?”
“Yes. For the next two years, you’ll act as the temporary head of the Granble family.”
“So what do I need to do by the end of two years?”
“There are several things. Rebuild your family’s main estate, meet the requirements set by the inheritance office… But there’s one thing that comes first.”
“What’s that?”
“Entering the Academy.”
The inspector said it seriously.
“Academy admission. That’s the most important.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s the minimum requirement to be head of one of the eight main sword families.”
And also the minimum condition to reach the future where I get revenge. I frowned, pretending I didn’t understand.
But this wasn’t an act.
I really didn’t know.
The future I saw was blurry and missing details.
What could possibly happen that makes joining the Academy the one and only path to revenge?
“The Academy only accepts students once in a lifetime—at age fifteen. No exceptions. And like I said, you must have studied at the Academy to be recognized as a family head.”
“This is the first I’ve heard of it. Is it just an unspoken rule?”
“No. It’s written in our laws. All heirs are expected to enter the Academy. That’s why it’s not talked about much.”
“But now we have an exception.”
“There are no exceptions. So you must enter the Academy.”
“But I…”
I shook my head sadly, remembering the past.
“I was rejected from the Academy. I couldn’t sense the Earth Veins. I couldn’t use aura.”
“I know. I saw the test results from a few months ago. But…”
The inspector suddenly picked up a glass of water from a side table. I waved my hand.
“It’s okay. I’m not thirsty.”
“This isn’t for drinking.”
The inspector placed the glass in front of me.
“This is a poison test. It’s not an official one, just a simple version.”
“…What?”
“It’s easy. Just dip your finger in the water.”
