Reincarnated with the King’s Power

Chapter 12

A famed sword that any knight would give everything to possess at least once.

A spiritual medicine that any mana user would risk their life to take at least once.

The Cheonghwageom and the Magic Stone of a Half Lycanthrope.

These were the gifts Emma Eurasia had personally presented for her son's family head competition.

“…….”

“You must have called me today because of the subjugation, right?”

“Yes…… Then you must know what kind of proposal I'm going to make.”

Killian shrugged his shoulders.

“Please prepare a place for me in the knight order. I will make a move so that my older brother can build up suitable merits.”

It wasn't a proposal, but a notice.

Also.

“If you provoke me one more time, it won't end like this.”

He made it clear that he held the upper hand in the relationship.

“…….”

“An answer. Will you give me one.”

Facing her venomous gaze, Killian pressed for an answer.

After about 10 seconds had passed.

“…….”

She quietly nodded her head. Her downcast eyes could be seen trembling.

For now, that was enough.

“Chamberlain Haman, let's go back.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

The battered Haman followed Killian, who was nonchalantly leaving the reception room.

Watching their retreating figures, Emma Eurasia secretly clenched her fists.

Blood beaded where her nails dug into her skin.

***

Emma Eurasia’s mouth opened only after the two had completely disappeared from sight.

“A lowborn cur with no lineage……”

The infant that the family head had brought back after traveling the continent naturally came to mind.

“…….”

Glancing over the fallen knights, she let out a torrent of vulgar words.

But the humiliation did not last long.

Though she had taken the Eurasia name, she was one who had received the education of a merchant guild. A merchant must make a profit despite all sorts of variables.

“I'll admit that you've become…… a monster.”

He was now beyond comparison with her own son. He was a monster no less than Demian and Paian, who were called geniuses.

No, considering that his current skill was what he showed right after his awakening.

‘He is definitely a monster greater than Demian.’

A merchant's intuition was telling her.

That Killian Eurasia would soon become the best knight among the young masters.

He might even enter the realm of a Superhuman before his thirties were over.

‘I made a stupid move, so unlike me.’

If she antagonized a monster, she would have to endure considerable losses even if she won.

Her top priority was to make Julian the family head.

‘I must turn today's humiliation into an opportunity.’

She admitted that the first button had been fastened wrong.

“But just finding out the Fourth Young Master's true skills first is a big gain.”

Killian lacked the support of a strong maternal family, and Julian lacked the skill and merits to overwhelm his rivals.

The family head competition and growth as a knight.

These two goals, which at a glance seemed different in nature, were not something that could be achieved by one's strength alone.

“I must put a leash on him.”

She began to draw a new picture in her head as her lips twitched.

The fishy taste of blood seeped out.

“You insolent bastard. For the time being, I'll play along with you.”

Her venomous gaze turned to the reception room's exit, where the Fourth Young Master had passed.

***

Thud.

Returning to his bedroom, Killian collapsed as if crumbling.

It was difficult to even sit up, so he lay down flat on his back on the floor.

“For a while, it's better to train alone.”

He was in this state just from releasing his mana and swinging his sword a few times.

For now, building up the stamina befitting a knight was more urgent than the growth of his Mana Heart.

He replayed the battle in the reception room in his mind.

‘It would have been dangerous without the Cheonghwageom and the spiritual medicine. A fluke won't work twice.’

Zodiac Stern. He was a knight who was not lacking in being called a 5-Star Master.

If they were to fight again, the one to lose would be him, whose body was not yet complete.

‘Is it roughly a month until the subjugation?’

The Kurt Mountain Range Subjugation.

At his current level, he could gain considerable enlightenment just by cutting down a 5-star monster.

How could he raise his stamina even a little more and sculpt a body befitting a 4-Star knight?

It was when he was thinking of a harsh training method in his head.

“I'm so sorry……”

Haman, who was standing beside him, gently opened his mouth.

His voice was full of guilt. He seemed to think that he had put his master in a difficult position over a trivial matter.

“So you do know.”

“…….”

He knew it wasn't Haman's fault.

Nevertheless, Killian's voice was blunt.

‘It's probably my fault for not taking action in advance.’

But to apologize now was too embarrassing.

“Straighten your shoulders. It wasn't without results.”

“Yes?”

“Thanks to you, I've gained a justification to build a faction.”

Faction and justification. Those were basic elements needed for the family head competition.

From Killian's perspective, it was also a cornerstone for adapting quickly to the family.

“Don't tell me…… are you thinking of joining hands with the third mistress?”

“Is there any other good way?”

“That's not it, but……”

“Then that's settled.”

Unlike personal achievement, not having a faction was highly risky at present.

It might be different if he were a 7-Star right away.

‘As a 4-Star, it's impossible to deal with all of the matriarchs' factions.’

He had yet to fully grasp the family to run wild relying only on his personal strength.

In the midst of that, Emma Eurasia had shown her hand first.

‘Sepia Merchant Guild. If used well, it could be a great help.’

The merchant guild's wealth and information network would be used as fertilizer for him to become a Superhuman.

“You've been through a lot.”

Despite Killian's sincere words, Haman's face was dark.

“Why? After suffering once, do you feel like leaving?”

Even when he was called the shame of the family and ignored, the matriarch had never stepped forward directly. It wasn't strange to feel afraid, nor was it strange to want to leave his side.

“That's not it.”

Haman's voice was gloomy.

It was also trembling slightly.

“What I'm afraid of is that things like today, where I'm used as a hostage to threaten you, Young Master, will be repeated.”

“I know.”

“I'm afraid that others will harm you, Young Master. You are standing out too much right now.”

“It's already happened anyway. Now that I'm connected to Sepia, the other young masters will soon take notice as well.”

Their interest would be in the Fourth Young Master's changed behavior, but their eyes would also turn to Chamberlain Haman.

The stronger Killian Eurasia became, the more people would try to target Haman.

‘It's fortunate if it ends with a formal kidnapping or a slap like this time, but next time, he could really die without anyone knowing.’

If the other matriarchs' personalities were like Emma Eurasia's, it was entirely possible.

“I…… think I'm becoming a burden to you, Young Master.”

“Is that so.”

Killian replied indifferently, looking up at the ceiling.

“Adamas, I don't think I'm a suitable master.”

“I'm sorry. If someone else had awakened you instead of a woman like me…… they might have been able to undo your seal.

The images of his old friends, who had felt their own limits and despaired, came to mind.

What had he said back then?

[So, you're going to run away?]

“So, are you trying to run away?”

Mold that grows on an object can just be wiped away.

But the doubt that blossoms in a person's heart is not easily wiped away.

What more could be said if that person was from a sword family , someone who once dreamed of being a knight?

“Haman.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Do you know what makes humans different from livestock?”

“…….”

“It's that they have to choose every moment, and prove themselves every moment.”

And that choice was not always his to make.

That was true in ancient times when he resisted the Gods as a single human, during the times he was trapped in metal and cursed the Gods, and even now, having possessed the body of Killian Eurasia.

“…….”

“…….”

Killian lay still on the floor and waited for his chamberlain's answer.

It was around the time his turbulent Mana Heart and heartbeat calmed down, and drowsiness crept into his fatigue-ridden body.

“I want to stay by your side, Young Master.”

At Haman's answer, Killian opened his eyes.

“What about when the moment comes when my enemies try to bring me down using your life as bait?”

“At that time……”

Haman's lips twitched.

“I will not let such a thing happen.”

“How?”

“Please…… teach me the sword.”

The gloom that had been in his voice was gone.

“I will learn the sword and protect you, Young Master.”

His voice was trembling, but it was filled with conviction.

“…….”

Was it because it was the answer he had been waiting for, the one he had also heard from his old friends?

Unlike his languid body, a pleasant smile formed on his face.

He raised his upper body, which had now recovered moderately.

“Haman. Every person has their own use.”

In the past, Haman had a record of failing the entrance exams for the three knight orders that the young masters were recruiting for. It was after that that he formed a connection with Killian as his chamberlain.

“Still, the will to do something is half the battle, more than what you're born with.”

“Then……”

“Yes.”

Killian nodded his head.

Perhaps Haman had a hidden talent as a knight. Or he might even have the talent of a mage that no one in the family knew about.

Even if that wasn't the case.

“I'll make you strong enough not to get beaten up anywhere.”

Haman's face brightened. It seemed as if tears had welled up in his eyes.

‘This guy. Making a face like that with that battered face of yours makes me go soft.’

“Um…… but, Young Master.”

“Hm?”

“The way you talk makes you sound older than Head Apothecary Loen.”

‘Damn, my habit from when I was Adamas came out.’

Killian Eurasia was currently a twenty-one-year-old young man.

His way of speaking should have changed to match his age, but perhaps because he had lived for thousands of years teaching others, it was a part that he couldn't easily adapt to.

“Ahem. You're saying you don't want to learn?”

“N-No!! I will protect you for the rest of my life, Young Master!!”

Killian gave a warm smile as he looked at his chamberlain, who was prostrated on the floor bowing deeply.

Not as Adamas', but as Killian Eurasia's first disciple.

It was the moment Chamberlain Haman's path of hell began.

***

Eurasia's family head office.

Simon put down the report he was reading.

“The knights' skills have improved a lot while I was in seclusion.”

“If we are to follow the family head, we must also be correspondingly prepared.”

“Was serving the Cheonghwamyeongju worth it?”

“We were always doing our best, of course.”

Escardo replied skillfully, stroking his short-trimmed beard.

Simon lifted his teacup with a pleased expression.

“I feel reassured. I'll be able to check the knights' swords with this subjugation.”

Red, White, Black, Blue.

The four knight orders possessed by the family.

Among them, the growth of the White Knight Order and the Black Knight Order stood out.

“Did you say Paian has entered the 5-Star realm?”

“That is correct. Demian is a 5-Star Master, and Paian is at the threshold of 5-Star. Those two have properly inherited the family head's blood.”

“If they can't even do this much, it will be hard for them to shoulder the future of Eurasia.”

“The family head, stingy with praise, is the same as ever.”

“More importantly……”

Simon, trailing off, turned his gaze to the Blue Knight Order section of the report he had put down.

“Is Julian still a 2-Star?”

The White Knight Order's Commander, Demian Eurasia, and the Black Knight Order's Commander, Paian Eurasia.

Compared to them, who each had one 5-Star knight, most of Julian's knights, excluding the vice-commander and the centurion, remained at 1-Star or 2-Star.

This was because of the strict order that no knight of 3-Star or higher could join the knight orders led by the three young masters as part of the family head competition.

“A knight commander must be responsible not only for his own growth but also for the training of the knights under him. Julian is failing to do either.”

Simon clicked his tongue in disappointment.

This was because Julian, who had not yet reached 3-Star, was showing his limits in producing knights stronger than himself.

The only noticeable point was the large number of low-ranking knights, but that too was an achievement accomplished with the support of the merchant guild, so it was not worth considering.

“The level of the knight order will be determined by his growth rate in the future. How long do you think it will take him to reach 3-Star?”

At the direct question, Escardo wore a troubled expression.

“I also thought he would reach 3-Star soon, but…… it seems he has recently fallen into a slump.”

“A slump at 2-Star. To be at that level while receiving support from his maternal family…… it's a disastrous level.”

“Please don't look at it so negatively. The Third Young Master will have his uses in his own way. More importantly, I have something to tell you about the Fourth Young Master.”

“Why him?”

Simon's reaction was cold.

He was not even satisfied with Julian. It would be rather strange for him to have good feelings for Killian, who had only ever brought him disappointment.

Escardo, who was observing Simon's expression, continued speaking.

“Family Head, it seems that Killian has had a great awakening.”