The faint light of dawn sprinkled its pure illumination across the horizon.
Through the depths of night, time had now crept into the early hours of the morning.
The duel held in the courtyard of the Yuridina household was finally drawing to a close.
Lord Yuridina wielded a swordplay befitting his age—a seasoned and practiced martial art.
In particular, his sense of distance was remarkable.
When Delphine, leveraging her youth and vitality, attempted to close the gap, the lord responded with unique agility and skill that belied his frail body. This was a precision strategy no one would have expected.
However, time is an even-handed arbiter.
Unless one attains the level of ‘Master’, the aging body cannot be controlled. No matter the amount of magical power one possesses, there are always limits.
Lord Yuridina had resisted admirably.
Their confrontation had lasted for hours. At any moment, he could have collapsed from exhaustion, but he refused to present any openings.
The conclusion came in a manner most characteristic of the Yuridina.
“You truly do have talent, Delphine.”
“Well, of course, whose blood do I carry?”
Amid the gaps of the combat, the heavy breathing of the mother and daughter intertwined. Beads of sweat had started forming on Delphine’s forehead by now.
To be honest, Delphine was surprised.
Her father had been bedridden with severe illness for years. She hadn’t expected an easy victory, but she hadn’t foreseen such resilience.
A mixture of impatience and pride filled Delphine.
She was restless to secure her victory but felt reassured knowing the pillar of the Yuridina family still stood robust.
In the end, the victor would be herself, after all.
Delphine’s eyes were ablaze with a competitive spirit. The old lion chuckled as he saw this.
“Such an unbecoming child, so eager to take the heir’s seat, huh? Waiting a few more years as I said would’ve made it yours anyway.”
“Father, you once said this to me.”
As the woman steadied her breath, her sword blade shuddered, emitting a piercing blue light.
The moonlight seemed to drip from the blade like flowing water.
And at the moment when her breath steadied—
With a roar, golden flames erupted from her sword. Even from a distance, their heat was palpable on the skin.
“What exactly do I see and hear? Have all the northerners truly climbed upon the shoulders of the Yuridina—?”
“It couldn’t be helped.”
“Then, does that mean all those northerners had to die and be wounded?”
Lord Yuridina remained silent.
Only then did his own sword erupt with a dark blue flame, its flickering light resembling the mane of a lion.
It was the pride of the master of the Yuridina clan, the lion who protected the northern lands of the empire.
“This is it. Hopefully… you won’t die.”
Simultaneously, the elder’s blade tip lowered towards the lower-left.
Understanding the old man’s intention, Delphine smirked.
“Father, it’s you who should…”
Both blades dropped towards the lower-left, unmoving.
Just one step, then another, in careful reconnaissance.
The woman and the old man circled each other, and with a synchronized leap, they dashed forward.
Though Delphine was faster, her opponent was a seasoned swordsman with decades of battlefield experience.
He deftly stepped back, creating a small gap between them, and his blade soared upwards from the lower-left.
A deep-blue claw-like mark was etched into the air.
Five stripes in total.
Once upon a time, in his prime, Lord Yuridina would use seven streaks of the Golden Lionsword—now five was his limit. Despite this, his precision remained unmatched.
No, his concentration and focus had made the strikes even more formidable than before. There was a clear difference in skill even if both employed the same five-streak Golden Lionsword.
What’s more, Delphine hadn’t even gotten the chance to strike first.
She found herself in a defensive position naturally, leading the old man to believe in an imminent victory.
Until seven claw marks appeared before him.
The auras, burning like flames, radiated scorching heat. Though the dark-blue aura resisted, the disadvantage in numbers was insurmountable.
With a cracking sound, the dark-blue claw marks began to shatter.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
In the end, the last claw mark was intercepted. Two golden streaks of light curved gracefully through the air like feathers.
By the time the old man’s eyes widened in shock, it was already too late.
Two slashes were engraved into his chest, and he staggered backward, kneeling.
The wounds were not deep, but neither were they insignificant.
Already, Delphine’s blade was aimed at the old man’s throat.
“It’s over.”
At this cold declaration, the old man chuckled.
Then, catching his breath with a painful cough, he beat his chest for a while.
With an enlightened gaze, Lord Yuridina looked at Delphine.
“At what point did you master the Golden Lionsword to this degree?”
“There was a wonderful manual, so I practiced a bit.”
An extraordinary manual?
Was there truly someone in this world who could wield the seven-streak Golden Lionsword?
It was impossible.
Thus, Lord Yuridina had no choice but to interpret Delphine’s words in a different way.
A plea not to ask further.
What shame would lead a defeated parent to interrogate their victorious child?
With hazy pupils, he said,
“You’ve grown much. Indeed, the successor of the Yuridina should be like this… do as you wish. The Yuridina is now yours.”
“Father, I want everything the Yuridina has.”
Despite her father’s acknowledgment, Delphine’s expression remained cold.
And furthermore, she slightly increased the strength in her grip; the blade advanced a little further, drawing a small bead of blood from the old man’s throat.
Still, he was calm.
In jest, he said,
“So, what are you implying? If I relinquish the head position, you’ll naturally bear all the responsibilities.”
“The truth of our family.”
Before the lord could make excuses, Delphine growled and pressed him further.
“Who is Seria’s mother? Why have you gone to such lengths to hide her identity… and why is Alex creating discord between humanity and the elves?”
“Seria’s mother is of low birth. We kept it secret because it wasn’t suitable for our family. And Alex acted independently….”
“This is a command given by the master of the Yuridina.”
Her voice was stern and unwavering.
Without changing the frigid expression on her face, Delphine repeated her warning as if familial bonds meant nothing.
“Speak it all. Quickly. Stop with these laughable excuses.”
The lord was silent for a moment, then sighed deeply.
“Ho, your words mimic your mother. Such a willful woman she was…”
“Did you not love her?”
The question slipped naturally from Delphine’s lips.
It was partly to uncover more truths, but the question itself held sincerity.
Delphine had grown up as an only daughter.
This was unusual for high-ranking nobles who often had multiple children. So the servants had naturally assumed that the relationship between the lord and lady Yuridina was strained, which was solidified when the lord took Seria’s mother as a concubine.
And now, it surprised her to see the man who’d never shown familial affection act this way.
It was more bewildering than amusing.
However, Lord Yuridina didn’t readily give her the answers she desired. With a gaze that delved deep into his memories, he murmured softly, recalling the past.
“I was never the most talented swordsman. In fact, if I’m honest, my brother and sister were far superior in swordsmanship. I did have followers through my influence, but don’t you know? There is only one rule in Yuridina.”
Delphine didn’t respond.
This was a question anyone living in the north could answer—it was simple knowledge.
Might makes right.
That is the sole law in Yuridina.
“While watching my servants suffer under my explosive brother and neurotic sister, I blamed myself countless times. Why wasn’t I talented? If I had the determination to build a better Yuridina, or even a better north!”
“You managed to attain the position of the Yuridina clan’s leader though.”
“Yes, but it wasn’t through just means. That night, a woman with hair dark as ebon appeared before me…”
A woman with ebon-black hair.
There was someone who briefly crossed her mind, but Delphine quickly shook her head with a bitter smile. Black hair wasn’t a unique genetic trait.
Surely, her thoughts strayed to him only because she’d been dwelling on him recently.
How ridiculous.
Delphine cooled her reddened cheeks with a cough and quietly listened as the lord continued.
“While I was tormented by feelings of inadequacy and self-deprecation, she asked me why I was sad… why something so insurmountable as the disparity in skill, even despite swinging the sword until my palms bled, angered me so much.”
Delphine’s mouth twitched faintly.
A question of affirmation or denial.
In truth, it was already predetermined.
