Chapter 46

Chapter 46

We followed the woman who claimed to be my aunt and headed toward the chieftain’s house, located deeper inside the village.

“Did you know I’d come looking for you?”

“…I figured you might come someday. Since your mother died.”

Of course, the Halla Clan also knew that my mother had passed away.

According to the aunt, the current chieftain was my maternal grandfather. A man I had no memory of whatsoever.

Wait a second.

Come to think of it, my mother was the daughter of the chieftain. So, in terms of the kingdom, that would make her a king’s daughter—in other words, a princess?

It was an unexpected secret about my birth, but knowing it didn’t change anything. At best, it just meant there was a chance we could have a decent conversation.

‘I’ve ended up meeting my grandfather out of nowhere.’

Lin Winterbell looked around excitedly, her face lit up with anticipation. Whenever she spotted a warrior who looked strong, she would pester them to fight her.

Well, we had come here to fight the Halla Clan in the first place, so it made sense.

I chatted with the aunt about various things as we arrived at the chieftain’s house. Contrary to my expectations, it was just an ordinary-looking residence. When we opened the door and stepped inside, a white-haired old man greeted us.

“……”

The old man stared at me silently.

He stared so intently that it was starting to feel uncomfortable.

A moment later.

The old man finally opened his mouth.

“Are you Irunka’s child?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hm.”

I had thought he’d show outright displeasure, but surprisingly, he didn’t react much at all.

“Sit down.”

“Yes, sir.”

Even after I sat down, he continued to study me closely. According to what I’d heard from the aunt, my mother Irunka didn’t have a good relationship with the chieftain. There must have been discord when she married Arkan Winterbell.

Though the Halla Clan was known for being battle fanatics, they were still a minority group, and with that came a deep sense of tradition and pride. Being the chieftain’s daughter made her something like high-ranking nobility, and sending her off as a concubine to another family wouldn’t have felt right. It made sense that the chieftain wouldn’t have been pleased with it.

“What’s your name?”

“Ran Winterbell.”

“Winterbell… To think I’d hear that cursed name here again.”

Hearing that from the back, Lin Winterbell scrunched up her face and boldly stepped forward.

“Hey. Old man. What the hell did you just say?”

The chieftain’s gaze now shifted to Lin Winterbell.

“Are you also a child of Winterbell?”

At those words, Lin Winterbell shouted in disbelief.

“You senile old bastard, have you lost your mind? What, you think Winterbell is the name of some local inn or something? Who the hell are you to keep spouting ‘Winterbell this, Winterbell that,’ huh?”

“…What is it with you Northern brats? Every damn one of you’s got a filthy temper.”

When the chieftain clicked his tongue, Lin Winterbell, furious, charged at him. The Halla Clan warriors nearby tried to stop her, but the chieftain shook his head.

It meant it was fine.

A moment later.

I understood why he said it was fine.

Lin Winterbell’s fist, which flew toward him, was blocked by the chieftain’s pinky finger. Her fist trembled, her face turning bright red, but the chieftain didn’t budge an inch.

When he lowered his finger with a soft flick, as if looking at her with contempt and ridicule, Lin Winterbell’s body slammed into the ground.

Thud!

“You goddamn old geezer!”

And yet, true to her nickname as a mad dog, Lin Winterbell kept charging at him. She flailed and raged for nearly five minutes before the chieftain, unable to tolerate her any longer, knocked her out.

Of course, he didn’t even get up or use his hands. He subdued Lin Winterbell using nothing but a finger. Neither of them had used aura, and still, it was an unbelievable sight.

The chieftain turned to me and asked,

“Why are you just sitting there? Is this girl not your sister?”

“She is my sister, but… I didn’t see any reason to intervene. We’re only half-siblings anyway.”

“Hmm. Strange. Very strange.”

“What is?”

“You. Why do you seem so calm? If you inherited Irunka’s blood, your temperament should be outrageous.”

“……”

So my mother really must’ve had quite the temper. Even my grandfather was saying it like a known fact.

“So, what’s the reason you came here?”

“Because of the frenzy.”

“Ah… Right. Irunka didn’t pass down the inner technique, did she?”

“She didn’t.”

“And the frenzy manifested?”

“It has, a few times recently.”

“Tsk, tsk. If she ran away from the village, she should’ve at least raised her child properly. Damn woman.”

Though he said it like that, the sorrow in the old man’s wrinkled eyes was obvious.

He was still human.

He surely missed his daughter.

“Can you pass the inner technique down to me?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“Why should I pass down the technique to the likes of you? You’re not even part of our clan, and on top of that, you carry the cursed name of Winterbell.”

“…But my mother was of the same clan.”

“How can a woman who ran away from the village of her own accord still be called Halla Clan? From the day she severed ties with us, Irunka was no longer one of us.”

“So you’re saying I should just go insane, then?”

“That’s your business. Why are you barking at me about it?”

Honestly, he wasn’t wrong.

Showing up out of the blue and demanding the inner technique was laughable, even to me.

But I didn’t have a choice. If I didn’t learn the technique, the frenzy would eventually consume me and I’d lose control. Knowing that future was coming, how could I just sit back and do nothing?

I had to learn the inner technique, no matter what.

“Grandfather.”

“……”

“Grandfather. Please save your grandson.”

“Ahem.”

When I stepped a little closer, the chieftain cleared his throat and turned his head. If he had truly hated me, he would’ve already stormed out or sent me away.

The fact that he hadn’t taken any such action meant, at least to some degree, he still considered me his grandson.

“Even though I carry the Winterbell name, I’ve never forgotten that I carry the blood of the Halla Clan.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. My mother told me many stories about the clan. She seemed to miss you and the people of the village very much.”

“Your mother died when you were still young. When did she tell you all that?”

“They’re stories she told me when I was just an infant, but I still remember them vividly.”

“……”

“I too am proud to be of the Halla Clan. That’s why, if I become the Patriarch of the Winterbell Family, I plan to give the Halla Clan my full support.”

“You’re saying you’re going to become the Patriarch?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The chieftain once again stared at me intently. His gaze swept from my toes to the top of my head, as if he were making a judgment in his own way.

He seemed to despise the Winterbell name, but he also clearly understood just how powerful the Winterbell Family was.

“…You seem at least somewhat capable, but if becoming the Patriarch of Winterbell were that easy, any dog or cow could have done it.”

“You’re right. But I can do it.”

The chieftain muttered in a low voice.

“A Patriarch of Winterbell with the blood of the Halla Clan…”

It seemed the idea appealed to him quite a bit.

“What do you think?”

“That does sound rather entertaining. Very well. Think of it as a bit of amusement—go ahead and give it a try.”

“Thank you.”

The chieftain called for my aunt.

“Arkina.”

“Yes, Father.”

“From today, teach him the inner technique.”

“Understood.”

“Don’t teach him the basic stuff… Use that one.”

“If you mean that... No way…”

“Yes. That one.”

“Ah—Understood!”

They kept going on about this and that, so I had no idea what they were talking about, but since they were going to teach me the inner technique, I was in a good mood either way.

“You may go now.”

“Yes.”

We left the chieftain’s house with my aunt. Until I fully learned the inner technique, I would be staying at her home.

Since she was the daughter of the chieftain, her house was fortunately quite large for someone living alone.

There were several rooms.

I threw the unconscious Lin Winterbell into the room farthest in the corner.

The chieftain’s strength must have been overwhelming, as she still showed no sign of waking up.

For a moment, I wondered if she had died, but her breathing was far too rough for that to be the case.

Attica fell asleep right away, and Cecil said she had something to prepare and went into her room first.

I approached my aunt and asked her the questions I’d been wondering about. Every time I looked at her, I saw glimpses of my mother’s face in her.

My aunt was kind.

"You've grown up beautifully."

"Back when you were talking with the chieftain… why were you so surprised?"

My aunt spoke carefully.

"Because the inner technique Father told me to teach you… isn’t something that gets passed down often. Normally, you should be allowed to learn it, but… right now, you’re technically considered an outsider, so under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be taught to you. To be honest, I didn’t expect Father to make that kind of decision either."

So, to summarize—

The inner technique the chieftain had decided to pass down to me was a secret art taught only to direct blood descendants. And I, an outsider, had been granted rare permission to learn it.

"What do you think made Grandfather decide that? I mean, bluntly speaking, I carry the Winterbell name, and my mother cut all ties with the village before she passed away..."

"No matter what he says, Father cared a lot about Irunka. Every time he had a big argument with her, he’d always sneak to the back of the village and drink. And when Irunka cut ties and left, he drank almost every single day."

"……"

"To Father, Irunka was the painful child. He loved her dearly… and he couldn’t protect her. So imagine it—suddenly, a child of Irunka appears out of nowhere. How precious must you seem in his eyes? You're the son of the daughter he loved so much."

"So… he really does think of me as his grandson."

"Of course. If he didn’t see you as his grandson, he would’ve kicked you out of the village a long time ago. And he wouldn’t have even considered teaching you the inner technique that’s passed down only to direct blood heirs of the chieftain."

Now that I thought about it, if my mother had lived, I would’ve naturally learned this technique anyway.

"Looks like it’s time for me to fully play the role of the grandson."

"I’d be thankful if you did. Since we’re already on the topic, let’s start right now."

"Alright. What do I need to do first?"

"Hmm. First, take your clothes off."

"...Excuse me?"