Those who pass the three tests and obtain the qualifications of a Jeongmusa within the direct line of the Soongmuiga family receive many benefits—but they also bear great responsibilities.
And that responsibility is simple.
Just like the elders, they must produce results.
Whether it be handling requests from the government or public enterprises, carrying out tasks assigned by the family's executives, or achieving tangible results in business or research, they are expected to perform.
This responsibility is both an obligation and a competition.
A continuous process of proving oneself to claim the throne of the Soongmuiga family.
However, there are always those who refuse to be bound by such responsibilities.
The sixth child was one such person.
Aside from her assigned duties, she never took the initiative to do anything.
Yet, that same person…
For the past year, she had been relentlessly completing missions and assignments without a moment's rest.
"Hoo…"
Tap, tap—
A swamp shrouded in thick mist.
Lee Seol-ah, the sixth child of the Soongmuiga family, retrieved her blood-soaked dagger and let out a sharp smile.
"Tch. Acting all tough for nothing. Pathetic."
Spitting out a bloody wad of saliva, she trudged through the swamp, littered with the corpses of dragonkin.
She was in the Netherlands.
Her current mission was the total extermination of a massive swarm of monsters.
—Kieeeeeek!
Just then, a monster suddenly leaped up from the ground.
Swish! Thud!
Without even turning her head, Seol-ah flicked her dagger, piercing the monster's forehead.
"Click."
With just a gesture, she summoned the dagger back into her hand.
'This is all because of that bastard.'
Her expression twisted.
This was already her 21st mission.
In the past, she would complete around four to five missions per year. But now, she was constantly on the move—all because of what happened with Lee Cheol at the Cadet Academy.
Lady Baek had assigned her a ridiculous number of missions as punishment.
Seol-ah had no choice but to carry them out, unable to even protest.
And every single mission was annoyingly tedious and time-consuming.
It had already been a month since she arrived here.
Nothing particularly difficult, just an insane number of monsters to deal with.
For an entire month, she had done nothing but fling her ten signature daggers like a madwoman.
"Hoo… It's done. This should be the last one."
Seol-ah's eyes glinted with a murderous intent.
The promised year had passed.
By the time she returned home, that arrogant bastard would have returned as well.
'I'll crush him. That little brat.'
Just as Seol-ah clenched her fist—
Bang! Bang!
'What now?'
With a sound like an explosion breaking through the water's surface, something approached at high speed.
It was a figure—a person.
In an instant, they were right in front of her.
Seol-ah narrowed her eyes and spoke.
"State your affiliation. Who are you?"
"I greet the Sixth Lady. I am Ga Gook, No. 12 of the Black Sword Unit."
"The Black Sword Unit?"
The Black Sword Unit.
An elite private military force under the direct command of the Elder Council's head.
"What does the Elder Council's warrior want here?"
"I bring a message from the Elder Council's head."
The warrior bowed his head and relayed the message.
Listening with a furrowed brow, Seol-ah let out a sinister laugh.
"Oh? That arrogant bastard? Hahaha! Perfect timing. He's digging his own grave. I like it. The Elder Council's head isn't so bad."
A dangerous glint flickered in Seol-ah's eyes.
"This should be interesting."
Crack—
She gripped her dagger so tightly it nearly snapped.
Lee Seol-ah, the sixth child of the Soongmuiga family.
Her return had begun.
***
My father gave me two conditions.
First, to master the basic arts.
Thanks to my prior knowledge of the Enlightenment of Ten Thousand Changes and my previous training in magic techniques, I managed to fulfill that condition in a short time.
And the second.
This was the more difficult one.
My father permitted my journey as a warrior—but he would not help me.
—Convince the Elder Council. Use any method you wish.
I had to create the circumstances that would allow me to leave on my own.
That itself was a test.
This time, it wasn't about proving my strength or ability.
It was about my capacity to orchestrate situations.
I had to prove myself as someone capable of politics.
Right now, I didn't have many means to intervene in the Elder Council's affairs.
So I decided to set the board to my liking.
To do that, I asked for my uncle's help, and now the results had come in.
"Apologies for being late, Uncle. I was training…"
I ran straight from the training grounds, only stopping to quickly wipe my sweat with the towel my nanny handed me before sitting down in front of my uncle.
"It's fine. Sit down. The detailed schedule has been announced. You'll find out soon enough, but I wanted to have a discussion."
"Ah, if an official notice was released, I would have come to see you."
Hearing my usual carefree tone, my uncle sighed.
"Do you not feel nervous at all?"
"Why would I? Things are progressing exactly as I planned."
I smiled.
My uncle's brow furrowed deeply.
"I don't understand how you can be so carefree and relaxed."
"I believed that Uncle would have handled things well. And wasn't there no particular reason for the Senate to reject it?"
"That's not what I'm talking about right now, is it?"
Lee Tae-hong let out a deep sigh, as if feeling suffocated.
In truth, everything that had happened in the Senate had originated from the mind of this cunning kid.
The proposal that led to the duel, and the fact that the opponent was the sixth sibling instead of the seventh.
"I heard that you don't get along with that child. Considering Seol-ah's personality, she won't end things peacefully, no matter how much it's just a duel. Why did it have to be her?"
Lee Seol-ah had already completed all three trials a long time ago and was now active on the front lines.
No matter what restrictions were placed on her, it would be a tough fight.
"I have a debt to repay to my sixth sister."
"That's exactly it! You could have repaid that debt when you got older! Why now, in this situation?"
Lee Tae-hong's voice rose slightly, but he soon let out another sigh and continued in his usual tone.
"Cheol-ah. I agreed to help because you asked, but this was too rash. It's not that I doubt your abilities. I'm just worried that you might get hurt in some way. It's not too late yet. I can intervene—why don't you reconsider?"
I smiled.
I was grateful that my uncle cared so much for me, but this matter had to involve my sixth sister.
"Uncle, don't worry."
I met my uncle's gaze as I spoke.
From the outside, this whole situation would seem like yet another instance of the Senate using its power to oppress an illegitimate child.
Just like when I was assigned to the fifth division a few years ago at the cadet academy.
That's what everyone would think.
"I will win."
But I saw things differently.
'Of course, if I lose, things will get quite complicated.'
This duel wasn't just about martial prowess.
From the very beginning, my sixth sister would come at me with the intent to leave me half-dead, and the Senate would use this as an excuse to tighten their grip on me.
My uncle knew this too—that's why he was trying to stop me.
The solution was simple.
I just had to make sure I didn't lose.
Fight, win, and seize victory.
According to the principles of the Soongmu family, all that mattered was triumph in battle.
***
As my uncle predicted, the Senate quickly issued an official notice and proceeded with the duel preparations.
Soon, the location for the duel was decided.
It would take place in the central training ground of the main house.
The largest and most spacious training ground in the Soongmu family—only used for major events.
The same place I had visited during the Cheol-seon ceremony in the past.
The reason they chose such a vast space for the duel was obvious.
The central training ground had a tiered spectator seating structure surrounding the center.
In other words, the Senate intended to gather an audience for the duel.
'So they don't plan to handle this quietly. This has the Senate Head's fingerprints all over it.'
I let out a hollow chuckle as I sat in the waiting room.
They planned to turn me into a spectacle.
It was clear that they wanted to humiliate me publicly and break my spirit.
"...."
In one corner of the waiting room, my aunt was staring at me in silence—an unusual sight.
"Why are you looking at me like that? It's unsettling."
"...It's nothing."
"You've been acting like this all day. Just say it already. It's making me uneasy."
After hesitating for a moment, my aunt finally spoke.
"I hate it. The way this family does whatever it wants. The way they suppress people. The way they whisper and plot behind the scenes. It pisses me off."
A shadow passed over my aunt's usually bright eyes.
It was rare to see her like this.
"...It's difficult."
She spoke in a quiet voice.
"You said she's a 4th-grade warrior, right? And you've only just reached 5th grade. The difference between 5th and 4th grade is like heaven and earth. They say even ten 5th-grade warriors couldn't defeat a single 4th-grade warrior."
"But magic power restrictions will be in place, and the use of secret techniques and ultimate moves will be prohibited."
"I believe in you, you're amazing, but… huff, still…"
She lowered her head between her knees.
"If… If you lose… I should've taught you magic more diligently… Or maybe I should have informed Mujin about this earlier…"
She began mumbling anxiously, fidgeting in place.
Then, the nanny spoke up.
"Lady Lee Kyunghwa, that's enough."
Her tone was firm.
"Young Master will succeed, as always. Instead of saying such things, wouldn't it be better to encourage him as his teacher?"
"...."
My aunt glanced at the nanny but quickly turned away and continued mumbling.
"…You've remembered something else, haven't you?"
This isn't the usual Aunt.
She looked like a small animal, scared and trembling.
Aunt, too, was someone who had lost something at Soongmuiga.
"Auntie."
I don't know about her past.
That's why I don't understand the reason behind her deep sadness.
If I wanted to find out, I could. I just hadn't tried. I thought she would tell me someday.
But I'm her family, and I wasn't completely clueless.
So, I opened my mouth.
"This isn't the time for you to be down. You should be excited."
"What?"
Aunt lifted her head from where it had been buried between her knees and looked at me.
"Isn't today the day the magic technique we created together finally takes shape? And with an incredible twist, no less."
"If you lose, you'll just get ridiculed instead. My technique, getting mocked… Ugh."
Just as she was about to lower her head again—
"Watch closely. I won't lose."
Knock, knock.
At that moment, there was a knock on the waiting room door.
"Young Master, it's time."
I ignored the voice and looked at Aunt.
"So just sit in the audience and cheer for me, okay? If your cheering is too quiet, I might get sulky."
Creak—
Finishing my words with a grin, I stepped outside.
***
'It's been a while since I walked this hallway.'
I passed through the tunnel-like corridor and emerged outside.
During the Iron Line Ceremony, a ceremonial stage would be set up in the center of the clearing, but today, there was only a vast, solidly packed ground.
I turned my gaze to the audience seats.
Despite the large crowd gathered, only faint murmurs could be heard.
I shifted my focus to where the senior members of the family sat.
'Father's here too. As well as Lady Baek and the elders.'
The gazes of the family's key figures and members were all directed at me.
"Hahaha! Good to see you, you arrogant bastard of a half-blood!"
Across the training grounds, Iseol-ah stood, eyes gleaming sharply.
"Still as stiff-necked as ever?"
She wore bracelets and anklets to restrain her magic.
"I never liked you from the start. A mere bastard acting all high and mighty—I've always found you annoying. Today, I'm gonna snap that stiff neck of yours. Look forward to it, yeah?"
She spun the daggers in her hands, flashing a wicked grin.
I responded with a slight bow.
"I look forward to it, Sixth Sister."
"The hell? A bastard like you calling me sister?"
She had already drawn her weapons.
I responded in kind.
Sclang—
Black Night let out a sharp ring.
Her eyes twitched.
"Let's get started already."
I glanced at the warrior officiating the duel.
He nodded and positioned us face-to-face.
"Are both of you ready?"
We both gave a nod.
'I'll take the initiative.'
I analyzed my sister as she glared at me with predatory eyes.
Slowly, I closed and reopened mine.
Demon Eyes began tracing the paths.
"Then, I hereby declare the duel between the Sixth Young Lady and the Ninth Young Master—commenced!"
The referee quickly retreated, shouting loudly.
Swoosh!
Even before the words finished, the daggers came flying at me with no delay.
At the same time, my sister had already moved behind me in an instant.
Ahead, daggers rained down at breakneck speed.
Behind, a bloodthirsty presence loomed.
Clang!
Black Night roared.
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