Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Knights clad in pitch-black armor.

"Are they knights of the Black Sword Order?"

"Yes."

The Black Sword Order—one of the most powerful forces within the Winterbell Family.

Even the lowest-ranked member among them was within the top fifty in the hierarchy.

The fact that they had personally arrived meant the situation was far more serious than expected.

"Can you explain what's going on?"

"It was confirmed today that Young Master Ron Winterbell has gone missing. As a result, the head of the family has issued a House Order."

A House Order.

An absolute command authority that only the family head—the highest-ranking authority within the family—could invoke.

Once a House Order was issued, every knight in the family was required to prepare for deployment, no questions asked.

It was practically no different from a declaration of war.

But the bigger problem was...

"Am I the last person to have spoken with Fourth Brother?"

"As far as we have confirmed, yes."

Things had gotten complicated.

Ron Winterbell’s sudden disappearance.

And of all people, I had been the last one to speak with him. There was no option but to go along quietly.

Resisting would be like digging my own grave.

'Not that I could overpower them even if I did resist.'

"I understand."

"Thank you for your cooperation."

Cecil looked at me with a worried expression, but I gave a small nod to reassure her.

Cecil and I headed toward the main estate with the knights.

Step. Step.

Countless knights were already making their way to the main estate, and in front of the estate, knights stood in formation, lined up in a straight row.

In the silence, only the hollow clanging of armor and weapons echoed through the air.

"……"

"……"

The tension was palpable.

A red flag rose to the top of the main estate.

At that moment, every knight nearby stopped in unison. Then, simultaneously, they drew their swords toward the flag, closed their eyes, and bowed their heads.

A heavy silence fell.

The solemn sight was enough to make one think time itself had stopped—if not for the quiet but steady pounding of my heart, which reminded me otherwise.

'A red flag... So something really has happened.'

The red flag signified that a direct member of the Winterbell bloodline was in danger, and all forces were to prepare for deployment.

A black flag meant a direct bloodline member had died, and all were to mourn him who would be buried in the Grave of Swords.

Lastly, the white flag was raised only upon the death of the family head.

The reason for this ceremony among the knights:

It was a unique ritual observed only by the Winterbell Family.

A vow that not a single enemy who bared their fangs at Winterbell would be left alive.

A sword's oath to drench the bodies of the arrogant fools who provoked the Northern Wolf in blood.

【That nonsense hasn’t changed from then until now.】

Just as Behemoth said, this ritual was said to have existed since the time of the first family head, Aslan.

Back then, Aslan had been enraged by the death of a knight he cherished deeply. He led the entire family on a subjugation campaign, and just before their departure, he offered a prayer for the soul of the knight who had returned to the Grave of Swords. That act became a tradition and continued in the form seen today.

About five seconds passed, and as if time that had been frozen began to flow again, the knights resumed what they had been doing.

‘But where in the world did Ron Winterbell go? No matter how much I think about it, it makes no sense. Who would dare have the guts to kidnap a direct descendant of the Winterbell Family in the North?’

There simply wasn't anyone capable of such a thing, and more than that, the idea of someone pulling off a kidnapping within Winterbell’s own territory was fundamentally impossible.

After all, this was where Arkan, the Swordmaster, resided. Arkan Winterbell, the strongest swordsman on the continent, lived in the main estate. Who could possibly have the audacity to break in and kidnap his child?

As long as he existed, the Winterbell Family was impregnable—literally a fortress no one could breach.

‘Wait a minute… What if Ron Winterbell left the family’s territory of his own accord? I don’t know the reason, but there was someone suspicious by his side.’

A shift in perspective.

If such a thing couldn’t happen within Winterbell territory, then maybe it could outside of it.

I had no idea why he would leave the estate, but this was the only possibility that made any sense.

Before I knew it, we had arrived at the main estate, and I was heading toward the reception room.

When I opened the large doors and entered, familiar faces came into view.

Arkan Winterbell, the head of the family, and Turk Winterbell, the head butler.

My siblings, who were also candidates for the next head of the family: the second, Lux Winterbell; the third, Lin Winterbell; and the fourth, Marian Winterbell.

And lastly, the leader of the Black Sword Order and my aunt—Izumi Winterbell.

‘…The atmosphere’s definitely not normal.’

Rattle. Rattle.

The sound of my wheelchair echoed throughout the reception room.

Cecil removed the chair at the far end and parked the wheelchair in its place.

"You’re here, youngest."

"Yes, Brother."

The first to welcome me was Lux Winterbell.

Even in this situation, he was smiling brightly as always. I couldn’t help but think how consistent of a person he was.

My eyes then met those of Izumi Winterbell.

A swordswoman as skilled as the family head, Arkan.

But their resemblance wasn’t limited to swordsmanship. With her distinctive beauty and impassive expression, the only difference between them seemed to be gender.

Anyone would easily believe they were twins.

"It’s been a while, Aunt."

"…They say a person can change overnight. It seems the rumors are true."

"I couldn’t live like that forever. I made up my mind to change."

"Change, huh… Words come easy to humans, but turning them into action is never simple."

Izumi stared at me intently, but I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

"So, was it you?"

"What are you referring to?"

“Don’t play dumb. You must already know that your brother, Ron Winterbell, has gone missing. I heard the last place he visited was your residence.”

What nonsense.

This had to be deliberate provocation.

“...You know just as well as I do, Aunt. There's no way Father wouldn’t be aware of everything that happens within this family. If I had killed Ron, or even harmed him, wouldn’t Father already know? If that were the case, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking like this right now.”

At my words, the corner of Izumi’s mouth lifted.

“Would you look at this guy? He really has turned into a completely different person.”

“...I’ll take that as a compliment.”

She had the same face as Arkan, but Izumi was far more expressive. Just as she leaned in, face full of curiosity, clearly wanting to press further, Arkan stepped in to stop her and looked at me.

“Ron is gone. After visiting you last night, he left the family’s territory. Do you have any idea what might have happened?”

Just as I had guessed—Ron Winterbell had gone missing outside the family’s domain.

“...To be honest, I have no idea.”

That was the truth.

How the hell was I supposed to know why that lunatic suddenly ran off beyond the estate?

Of all things, he had to go and do something like that right after talking to me. And now I was the one caught in the middle of it.

“What did you two talk about last night?”

“...It was about the Ranking Match. He showed up out of nowhere in the middle of the night and asked me why I didn’t kill him. So I answered him honestly. That keeping him alive would be more beneficial to me than killing him. Do I need to go into more detail?”

The blunt answer made the air in the room grow colder still.

The eldest daughter, Lin Winterbell, openly glared at me and spat out curses, while Marian, the second daughter, glanced at me with a look of sheer disbelief.

“You son of a bitch. You think this is your bedroom or something? Who the hell do you think you’re mouthing off to? Should I rip your damn mouth apart to bring you to your senses?”

“…”

Only Izumi had a grin on her face, as if to say, ‘Oh? This is getting interesting.’

I replied without flinching.

“For all that talk, Sister, I don’t think there’s much difference between your lack of manners and mine.”

“What? You low-born bastard. I should’ve just let you die, and this is the thanks I get? You really wanna die that badly?”

“Just wait a little longer. Soon enough, you’ll—”

At that moment.

“Quiet.”

An overwhelming pressure descended on the room.

Just from being touched by the intangible force, it felt like the air had been sucked from my lungs. It was as though an invisible hand was wrapped tightly around my throat, choking the life out of me.

“...Kgh.”

“Guh—”

The only consolation was that I wasn’t the only one feeling this crushing weight.

Across from me, Lin Winterbell was gasping for breath, her face pale.

Despite being ranked within the top fifty, she could barely withstand the pressure Arkan Winterbell was exuding.

“This is your final warning. Unless I ask, keep your mouth shut.”

Lin and I responded at the same time.

“…Yes.”

“…Understood.”

The head of the family turned his gaze to me.

“Ran Winterbell.”

“Yes.”

“You’re saying you have absolutely nothing to do with Ron Winterbell’s disappearance?”

“That’s correct.”

For some reason, I felt a wave of unease.

And when it came to feelings like this, I was rarely ever wrong.

‘This man… Could he seriously be suspecting me? But why?’

All at once, everything I’d done until now flashed through my mind.

A half-cripple like me had started walking again, even if only slightly. I had even entered the Ranking Match and walked away with a victory.

If you looked deeper, there were more suspicious things as well…

‘It’s not just one or two things, is it? I need to find a way to shake off the suspicion here…’

“Then let me ask one more thing. How do you know the formula for Poison King Basilie’s elixir—and the martial arts of the Martial King Ivaki?”

---

The sky, veiled in darkness like a drawn curtain, was lit by scattered stars gazing down upon the earth.

Clatter, clatter.

A caravan, made up of merchants and the mercenaries guarding them, was making its way through the treacherous paths of the infamous Bacal Mountain Range, dragging along large, heavily-laden wagons.

From the front seat of the lead wagon, the driver spoke to a rotund man sitting beside him.

“Master of the trade company, once we get past this stretch, we’re done.”

Neville, the head of the KOSDAQ merchant guild, replied with a troubled look.

“…Something’s not right.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s too easy.”

“Sorry?”

“It’s going too smoothly.”

The reason his face was so clouded with worry was because this trading expedition had been far too easy.

When he first decided to take the treacherous route across the Bacal Mountains, he had prepared for the worst scenarios he could imagine. But this journey had gone so well—almost suspiciously so.

And that was what unsettled him.

The peace felt unnatural, as if something was out of place.

Just like…

…the night before a storm hits.

“Hold up! Stop for a moment!”

“What’s wrong?”

“There! Isn’t that someone over there?!”

Neville pointed to a spot where a woman was sitting against a tree. She had brown hair and mysterious green eyes—undeniably beautiful, but her pale complexion suggested she was unwell. Neville stepped down from the wagon and approached her.

“Do you need help?”

The woman silently nodded.

“What’s your name?”

The woman hesitated for a moment before slowly opening her mouth.

“…Bestia.”

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