The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 2: A Second Chance (1)

Shhhh!

Thick raindrops poured relentlessly from the sky, which had turned black from the storm clouds.

Despite this, the people gathered in front of the tombstone showed no signs of moving. They all stared silently at the coffin with grim expressions.

Or rather, to be precise, they were nervously watching the figure closest to the coffin.

The person in charge of the funeral was a young man.

The youth, whose face still bore traces of youthfulness, had dark black hair and deep black eyes. His face was slender, with sharp features, especially his nose, giving him a strikingly handsome appearance.

However, his pale skin revealed that the young man was not well.

Martin Adalbert.

A member of one of the three great noble families of the Altaria Empire, the Adalbert family.

The sole heir of this prestigious house couldn’t take his eyes off the coffin.

‘It’s already absurd that I’ve returned to the past.’

He had fought fiercely against traitors, including Kalain Gustin.

In the end, he succeeded in killing Kalain, the leader of the traitors.

With that, he could finally die in peace, or so he thought. But when he opened his eyes again, he found himself seven years in the past, at the age of 18.

It was something that should never have happened, something that defied all logic.

But the reality forced Martin to accept it.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel regret.

‘Of all times, why return to this moment?’

If he was to go back in time, couldn’t it have been to a better point in his life?

But reality was cruel. While he had been given the chance to turn back time, he was sent to the most miserable and sorrowful moment of his life.

Swish.

Martin lowered his gaze.

Before him was a large coffin. Inside lay a middle-aged man with his eyes closed.

His body was already cold and lifeless.

‘Father.’

Daniel von Adalbert.

The 31st head of the Adalbert family.

One of the most noble figures in the Altaria Empire.

He was also the man responsible for the downfall of the Adalbert family.

Though he was expected to possess great power due to his position, he had failed to do so.

But that didn’t change the fact that he was Martin’s beloved father.

‘It’s been seven years since I last saw you. I’m sorry I came so late.’

Since today, he had never once returned to this place where his father and ancestors were buried.

The Adalbert family had begun its downfall when they were expelled from the three great noble houses of the Altaria Empire.

Despite being the sole heir of the family, Martin never rose to the position of family head. Naturally, he couldn’t inherit the title either.

He even lost his noble status and was reduced to a commoner.

“O Great God Kalesian, let your servant rest peacefully in this grave. Free his soul from the chains of all sins and mercifully accept him so that he may see the eternal light.”

Though the priest’s consecration prayers echoed, Martin didn’t pay attention. He had already heard it once before and didn’t need to focus on it now.

At this moment, he had to convey something he had always kept in his heart, something he could never say to anyone.

‘You were always worried, Father. You feared that our family’s lineage would end with me. You did everything you could to prevent that, but in the end, things unfolded just as you predicted.’

There is something called a unique ability.

It is a special power that only the chosen can awaken, and only those who have unlocked the mana core in their heads can wield it.

However, this power is usually inherited by those who are born with it, passed down through bloodlines.

Because of its rare and precious nature, only those who possess unique abilities are recognized as true nobles on the continent of Cracian, regardless of gender, age, or nationality.

The problem was that the power within the direct bloodline of the Adalbert family had grown weaker over time.

As a result, Daniel became the first head of the Adalbert family who failed to reach the absolute level.

When the head of the family failed to achieve the expected strength, the family’s status declined.

Naturally, internal strife followed.

But during Daniel’s time, they managed to hold on somehow.

The real issue was Martin.

He failed to manifest a unique ability, which sealed the family’s fate.

‘I tried so hard to defy fate. In the end, I succeeded in awakening my unique ability, though it was far too late.’

Although unique abilities are usually innate, there are rare cases where they awaken later in life.

If one trains martial arts or magic to the extreme, a mana core can form in their head, which may lead to the emergence of a unique ability.

While the ability itself is randomly determined, it still grants its wielder the status of an ability user.

In such cases, regardless of their previous status, these individuals can instantly become nobles.

This system even acted as a measure to provide opportunities for commoners.

After being cast out from the family, the two years Martin spent were nothing short of a nightmare.

One of the five branches of the Adalbert family, the Igreet family, supported him, so his living conditions weren’t difficult, but that was all.

He endured miserable days so horrible that he felt suicidal urges multiple times a day.

But perhaps by some twist of fate, at the age of 20, Martin successfully awakened his unique ability.

With this power, he was able to reclaim the name of Adalbert and even rebuild his house.

The moment he regained his qualifications, Martin declared that he would restore the family to its former glory.

That’s when the branches of the Adalbert family and traitors attacked him.

Thus began the Adalbert Civil War.

The war lasted five years, and with the help of the Igreet family and the Gustin family, Martin finally triumphed.

‘I thought everything had ended, but I was wrong.’

Just when Martin had won the civil war, the Imperial family and the other three great noble houses suddenly announced that the Adalbert family had committed treason.

They commanded the Gustin family, who had exposed the rebellion, to eliminate him.

As a result, Kalain Gustin and the Gustin family became the ultimate victors of the civil war.

Though Martin managed to prevent Kalain from fully enjoying his victory, it didn’t change the fact that he had failed.

“O Great God Kalesian, as your servant returns to the dust from which he came, may his body return to the earth and his soul be warmly received by you, until he may walk upon this land again.”

The priest sprinkled holy water over the coffin and concluded the burial prayer.

“Young Master.”

“Yes.”

At the knight’s words, Martin nodded.

With his approval, two knights carefully closed the coffin lid and began covering it with earth.

‘After this funeral, the Grand Council will be held. There, the elders my father appointed will oppose my succession as head of the family. Three of the five branch family heads will side with them. Of the remaining two, one will pretend to remain neutral while hiding their own ambitions.’

In the Grand Council, it will be decided that Martin will undergo 100 days of training.

Even if it was only temporary, being expelled from the family was inevitable.

This meant that the direct line of power would shift to the branch family heads and retainers.

At the same time, this marked the beginning of the downfall of the Adalbert family.

‘But this time, you don’t need to worry, Father. I’m going to create a different future than before.’

In the past, no matter what he did, he couldn’t have achieved it.

Not because of a lack of effort, but because it was simply impossible from the start.

But this time was different. The greatest weakness, the curse fate had placed upon him, had been resolved.

‘I promise you here and now, Father. Every traitor will meet a miserable end. The external forces that supported them will face the same fate. I hope you’ll watch from the heavens as I shape the new future of the Adalbert family.’

The glory of the Adalbert family will last much longer.

Martin made that vow as he looked at the finished grave.

* * *

“…I’m truly sorry, Young Master.”

An elderly man with a plump, gentle appearance bowed his head. His eyes were filled with thick droplets, as if he could burst into tears at any moment.

“Under normal circumstances, you should have immediately ascended as the next head of the family… but I failed to support you properly.”

“Oh, Elder Aren, there’s no need for you to apologize to me. The reason I didn’t become the family head is entirely due to my own shortcomings. Isn’t it clearly written in the Imperial Code? Those who cannot manifest a unique ability cannot be recognized as nobles.”

It wasn’t just the Altaria Empire.

Other nations on the Cracian continent had the same law.

No matter how skilled in swordsmanship or magic one was, if they lacked a unique ability, they couldn’t be recognized as nobles. Therefore, ascending to the head of the family was impossible.

Clasp.

Martin reached out and grabbed the hands of Elder Aren Cruse, one of the main elders of the Adalbert family.

Martin’s gaze was warm as he looked at the elder, and a gentle smile played on his lips.

“In fact, I want to thank you, Elder. You raised your voice, didn’t you? You insisted that I be given a chance. Thanks to that, I was granted 100 days.”

“But… Young Master, you know as well as I do how rare it is for someone to manifest a unique ability later in life.”

“Still, it’s not impossible. In the past 100 years, a few cases have emerged. Even the mayor of Free City Akela is a perfect example. There’s no law saying I can’t be like them.”

“Your positive attitude is commendable, but… sigh. I only have one thing to say. It’s important to focus on your training, but don’t overexert yourself. If your illness worsens, the late head of the family would be deeply saddened.”

After saying this, Elder Aren turned his head.

Beside Martin stood a woman with golden shoulder-length hair.

Her sapphire-blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and glossy lips marked her as a beauty, but her confident gaze overshadowed her physical allure.

Her name was Sien Igreet.

She was the heir of the Igreet family, one of the five branches of the Adalbert family.

Though she was five years older than Martin, they had been close since childhood and were practically like friends.

Despite the clear distinction between the main and branch families, the two conversed freely when alone.

“Your role is very important, Sien Igreet. Remember, the young master’s health is the top priority.”

“Don’t worry, Elder. I will take good care of him.”

“Good. Then, Young Master, travel safely.”

“I’ll see you in 100 days, Elder Aren. I’ll be back safely.”

With that, Martin entered the luxurious carriage that had been waiting for him, with Sien following closely behind.

“We’re ready to depart, Young Master.”

As soon as they sat down, the driver spoke cautiously. Martin gave a slight nod in response.

Confirming this, the driver closed the window between the front and back seats. Now, whatever was said in the back wouldn’t be heard in the front.

Finally, the carriage began moving toward its destination.

At that moment…

“That old man. Everyone knows he only pushed for this 100-day training to improve his own image, yet he acts like he’s done something great.”

Sien Igreet’s cold voice spat out a curse.

“He stayed quiet throughout the entire council meeting and only muttered a few words at the end, yet now he’s acting like a loyal servant. If he was truly concerned, he should have spoken up properly over those two days. Don’t you agree, Martin?”

Sien turned to look at Martin.

But he didn’t respond. He simply gazed at her with a calm expression.

‘…I really did come back to the past.’

The image was still fresh in his mind.

Just last month, she had stood in front of the enemy, blocking their path so he could escape from Kalain’s full-scale assault.

It pained him to think how much it hurt to leave her behind and run.

When he saw her again just two days ago, he was overwhelmed with joy. His heart swelled so much it felt like it might burst.

‘I caused her so much suffering.’

She had been his unwavering support since childhood, always at his side under the guise of being his protector.

Even when he was reduced to a commoner, the Igreet family took him in, giving him time to regain his strength.

When he vowed to restore his family, she immediately joined him in the fight. The result, however, was the false accusation of treason against them.

He sincerely felt sorry for her.

At the same time, it strengthened his resolve.

He would never repeat the mistakes of the past.

“Why the strange expression all of a sudden, Martin? Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, Sien. My health is better than ever, so don’t worry.”

“That’s a relief.”

Sien sighed in relief at Martin’s reply.

But the relief was short-lived, as she let out a small sigh.

She knew all too well that the situation surrounding Martin was anything but favorable.

“The training has to yield significant results… Only then can you ascend as the family head. If you fail, the traitors will kick you out. In any way they can.”

“That’s true.”

Elder Aren and the others had made it clear they had ambitions to form their own families.

Three of the five branch family heads had shown their desire to replace the Adalbert family.

To fulfill their greed, Martin had to disappear. Only then could they officially inherit the family.

“But don’t worry, Sien. Things won’t go the way they want.”

“Huh? What do you mean all of a sudden?”

“You’ll understand soon enough.”

A bright smile spread across Martin’s lips.

The traitors knew nothing.

They hadn’t even noticed his current state. Nor did they know about the opportunity he was aiming for in the dungeon.

‘If they knew what I’d bring out of the dungeon, they never would’ve sent me there.’

That’s why he was certain.

When the day came for him to return to the family, the traitors would weep tears of blood, filled with regret.

He truly looked forward to that day.