I’ll Use a Reverse-Edged Sword

“Brother, are you really just going to watch? That bastard seems to have really gone crazy, I really want to kill him.”
“Andrew, if you hadn’t been beaten in the first place, this would never have happened. How did you get beaten by such a half-wit?”
“That bastard… he must have been hiding his strength all this time. It was really… different… those movements… that coward.”
“Both of you, act a little more rationally. What kind of behavior is this? Do you think it makes sense for the three of us to be this tense because of that dimwit of a child?”

Lady Cordelia and the two brothers were having an angry family meeting at the time when Eden was having a private conversation with the family head.
They were not in a state to be in their right minds because of Eden, who had changed in an instant.

“It seems he was hiding not only his swordsmanship skills but also his claws. Did you hear what he said? Didn’t it sound like a completely different person talking?”
“Yes. That part was bothering me too. It seems like he deliberately took it all this time to build up his justification.”
“Justification? What justification?”
“What else? Justification to take the heir’s position.”
“What nonsense is that? How dare an illegitimate child!”
“If our family had been harmonious and close-knit, could that illegitimate bastard have even dared to covet the heir’s position? Rather, he’s been deliberately creating discord. He’s been inducing us to bully him, don’t you see? He wasn’t a fool. He wasn’t a pathetic dimwit. He meticulously planned and executed to take everything we have in an instant, whenever he decided to reveal his hidden claws.”

“To that extent? He planned for today from such a young age? Brother, isn’t that too much of a stretch? He’s just a pathetic dimwit. He just happened to have some talent in swordsmanship and hid only that. Come on, we were just too complacent. Isn’t it actually strange that he couldn’t handle a sword at all, given that he’s also Father’s blood?”

“Don’t you remember how he treated us in front of Father earlier? He confronted us as if he was protesting to Father. He had been enduring a lot. It was as if he was claiming, ‘Actually, I’m not someone who should be treated like this.’ You know?”

“…Now that you mention it… There’s no way someone who acted like a fool, trembling and unable to make eye contact out of fear, could change his personality overnight… Wow… What a terrifying guy. Mother, what should we do now?”

“What do you mean what should we do! Andrew, Adrian! You need to get your heads straight. Nothing has changed! The firstborn is you, Adrian, and then it’s you, Andrew. With my two sons, born of the legal wife, standing firm like this, no! With me, Cordelia, wide awake and vigilant like this! How dare that illegitimate child aim for the heir’s position? Not a chance!”

“Ah, right! One of the knights who accompanied him, Talon, who’s close to me, told me-”

At Andrew’s suddenly changed topic of conversation, Cordelia and Adrian perk up their ears and focus.

“That rumor… it’s absolutely true! He’s cursed to die on the spot if he uses any sword other than that crippled one.”

“Are you sure?”
“Yes, he said he saw it with his own eyes, everything from the moment he swore to when the black magic activated.”

The expressions of Cordelia and Adrian brighten considerably after hearing Andrew’s words.
Fortunately, it was too fortunate.
Just when his swordsmanship talent, which he had hidden for a long time, was about to shine,
he had received an incredibly powerful penalty.
No matter how talented in swordsmanship, even for a swordmaster who doesn’t discriminate between swords,
on the battlefield, no… even just at the academy, it was impossible to rise above a certain level without a real sword.
It was lucky for the three of them.
He was still an insufficient half-wit.

“Kukuk… Poor bastard. What good is being a swordsmanship genius? He can only carry around that crippled sword… No matter how much he struts around, when he meets the nationwide talents at the academy, he’ll hit a wall and be frustrated in no time. What excuse will he make then? If only it weren’t for the curse… if only he could wield a real sword… Kukukuk, who will he blame? He dug his own grave.”

“Andrew, how can you be so frivolous, rejoicing in others’ misfortunes?”
“Come on, Mom, it’s just between us.”

Lady Cordelia, who had been pointing out and trying to change Andrew’s un-noble-like behavior,
this time ends up showing an undisguisable smile on her face, just as he said.

“Anyway, time is on our side, right? While he becomes a laughingstock at the academy, we can join the border guard, achieve merits, and make a name for ourselves.”

“Right… Let’s not worry about him anymore. We have a future that he doesn’t have, right? As soon as your legs heal, it’s straight to special training, Andrew.”

“Got it, brother. I’m going to train without resting for even a day. When he comes back from the academy, I’ll find a way to have another duel with him somehow… and… and…”

Andrew trembles with his tightly clenched fists.
Looking at his two legs that still couldn’t properly exert strength, he was gritting his teeth with resentment and frustration.
Lady Cordelia’s hands are placed on his two fists.

“Andrew… It’s okay, my son. Forget the first defeat. Okay? Once is fine for anything, in the next duel… yes, end his breath. All the responsibility will be mine. You don’t need to worry about anything.”

The mother and two sons meet eyes quite solemnly, burning with determination.
The three people, who had no idea
what had happened to Eden’s life,
no, to Eden himself as a person,
were forgetting today’s humiliation by drawing their own blueprint.

“…Why is everyone…”

I was quite flustered by the grand send-off that I hadn’t expected at all.

“What do you mean why, Eden? It’s only natural for us to cheer you on the day you’re going to take the academy entrance exam, isn’t it? Because we’re family.”

Lady Cordelia smiles brightly, but that smile was so eerie and creepy.

“If you change your mind even now, I won’t reproach you.”
“Are you still saying that, Father? No matter how much you try to stop me, I will go to the academy. I want to see a bigger world and learn more.”

“I now acknowledge that you’re not lacking in swordsmanship talent. However, that curse… will eventually make you miserable. The world is wide, and the gap between true masters can only be razor-thin. The curse of not being able to wield a real sword isn’t just a small difference, but hundreds or thousands of differences. You will inevitably hit a wall, that’s what I’m saying.”

Is he going to start that talk again, the one he kept on about in the study last night, trying to hold back someone who was determined to go?
I brushed it off with an expression that showed I didn’t even want to answer anymore.

“I won’t do anything to bring shame to the family name, so just wait and see.”

It might have sounded quite impertinent, but it was harder for me to say nicer words.
If it had been someone who was genuinely worried about my well-being, I would have certainly spoken more kindly.
But Father, who only cared about the family, was certainly not saying such things out of concern for me.

“Sob… Young Master… sob… I want to go too…”
“Amy, I told you I won’t be getting separate lodgings at the academy but will be entering the dormitory. There’s no place for you. Stop crying and wait quietly at home. I’ll return healthy.”

It seemed that the only person among them who was genuinely sad and worried about my departure was Amy alone.

And so, receiving an ill-fitting grand farewell, I left home and headed for the academy.
I don’t have eyes on my back, but was it just my imagination that I could clearly see the smiling faces of Cordelia and her three children as they watched me leave?

“State your name and family or affiliation.”
“Castillo Eden. The third son of Baron Castillo David.”
“Have you come to take the special admission entrance exam for the academy?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Enter.”

I had traveled for three days and nights without rest to Grand Bibalon, the imperial capital where the academy is located.
I resolved sleep and meals all in the carriage, not even getting off except when changing horses and coachmen in between.
It was because I was worried about not arriving on time, as it was the first time I had come so far away from our family’s territory.
But, it seems my worry wasn’t unfounded
As soon as I arrived in Grand Bibalon, I headed straight to the academy without even getting to tour the city.

“Hello. I’m Castillo Eden, here to take the special admission entrance exam.”

Three professors.
A young woman and two middle-aged men sit in front of me and ask questions.

“Castillo… Castillo… Never heard of it? How did you get special admission-”
“Oh, you know, that family that’s the only baronial house among the border counts… David Castillo, don’t you remember?”
“Ah… Aha! Oh, Castillo… that name of peace.”

The word ‘peace’ that came out of the mouths of the two middle-aged male professors who were chattering like comedians while I stood in front of them.
Of course, I could tell that it wasn’t meant in a good way.

“More importantly, why do you look so pale? Did you not sleep well?”
“I’m a bit tired from traveling non-stop, but I’m fine.”
“Aha, you must have had a hard time coming from far away. The special admission exam is relatively simple, so don’t be too nervous-”

“The academy is not such an easy place that we would accept unqualified people just because it’s a special admission. It’s even less of a warm place to consider personal circumstances. Well then, shall we begin?”

Interrupting the middle-aged man’s words, the young female professor with a sharp voice sends a cold gaze.
…What’s this? How… did I earn her dislike in such a short time?