Chapter 24 - Night Outing (3)
"...Am I recognized as the head of the Granvelle family now?"
"You are not the head yet." Gric shook his head.
"Only individuals who have graduated from the academy can qualify to become a head. You merely received a succession rank because you are the only remaining direct descendant."
"I see. But does the number 96 have any special meaning?"
"It holds no great meaning. It's merely a number derived from the tradition of assigning up to 12 succession rights per family. Besides, there aren't 95 successors above you."
"Then are there fewer?"
"No, there are more. This is because multiple individuals are included in a specific rank simultaneously. However, the ranks below them do not get pushed back. For example, no matter how many 96th-ranked individuals there are, the rank below them is always 97th."
It was a strange system.
Of course, I had no intention of becoming the Sword King, nor any possibility, so it didn't really matter.
"A succession match must be declared within an organization, group, or building belonging to the Sword King family. Also, only declarations made directly by a lower successor to a higher successor are recognized. This succession match had no procedural issues, so it was immediately approved by the Succession Office."
"So Giel was aiming for that."
"Giel Craven. The challenger for this succession match. A presumptuous brat full of hot air. A fool who doesn't know his place." Gric snorted.
Yes, I agree.
I'm starting to like this old man.
"What is Giel's rank?"
"He was originally 154th. He dropped to 160th this month. This is because six direct descendants of the Eight Great Main Families, including you, entered the Academy at age 15."
So, besides me, five new 96th-ranked individuals were born.
They're probably all in Class A, except for me.
"How will the succession duel proceed?"
"It's a simple spar. Hardly even a duel. Especially in lower-ranked succession matches, the observer makes a judgment within the first few exchanges, considering the safety of the participants."
"Can't it still be dangerous within the first few exchanges?"
"That's why consideration for the opponent is important. If an opponent dies during a spar, severe penalties are imposed. Even if you win, your succession rights can be lowered depending on the observer's judgment. If the act was malicious enough to cast doubt on one's character, it's even possible to revoke the succession rights entirely. This also applies to intentionally inflicting irreversible injury on an opponent."
"I see."
Oh, then that won't do.
I had planned to carve a legally permanent lesson into Giel's body.
"Normally, a general executor from the Succession Management Office serves as the observer for lower-ranked succession matches. However, in the case of this match, as the controversial Granvelle family is involved, I, the Chief of the Management Office, will unfortunately preside. It is rare for the Chief to personally step forward like this. Consider it an honor, Ray Granvelle."
"Thank you. You usually handle higher-ranked succession matches, I presume."
"Four swords do not step forward lightly."
The man put the emblem he was holding back into his pocket.
"The succession match will take place two days from now. You, as the challenged party, can set the specific time and place. First, decide on the location."
"Then I'll do it here."
"Here? The dorm front yard?"
"Is that not allowed?"
"There's no reason it wouldn't be."
Gric surveyed the empty surroundings, then nodded.
"Hmm… I see. You have your own deep thoughts. Very well. Then what time will it be?"
"Before sunset would be good. Like now."
"Understood. Then I shall see you then."
Gric turned indifferently and walked back the way he came.
Then Phil, who had been hiding next to the dorm, nervously approached.
"Did he leave? Is he gone?"
"Yeah. He's gone."
"Phew… He was a scary old man. Much scarier than the professors. So when is the succession match?"
"The day after tomorrow."
"Two days from now? Why so sudden? No time to prepare. By the way, what's good about a high succession rank?"
"The 1st ranked successor becomes the next Sword King. When the current Sword King passes away."
"Gasp, that's a big deal."
"Indeed. A very big deal."
In reality, it was nothing of the sort.
How could I, someone who can't even use aura, aim for the next Sword King position?
In the end, it was useless even if I won, and it didn't matter if I lost.
Of course, honor was at stake, but in my case, the continued existence of my family was a bigger problem than its honor.
Something else was more important.
Tonight, for the first time in my life, I would become a Poisoned Human.
"…"
I habitually looked up.
The red orb, as always, looked down at me with concern.
***
Walking the path of the graveyard mountain was something Gric hadn't done in almost 30 years.
"Blood doesn't lie, does it?" Gric murmured with a smile.
His old friend's only remaining child had grown into a much more impressive figure than he had imagined.
"Ray Granvelle…"
His appearance seemed to resemble his mother.
But that didn't mean his father's features were entirely absent.
Most of all, his talent in swordsmanship was exactly like his father's.
At one time, Gric was fascinated by, and also jealous of, the swordsmanship talent Roa possessed.
"Not all 6-stars are the same. And not all 7-stars are the same."
The Granvelle family's swordsmanship was special.
It was something even the Zerces family, who produced Sword Kings, acknowledged.
However, the complete absence of aura bothered him.
"His aura is even low among 1-stars. That will be a headache later. My friend Roa won't be able to rest easy in his grave."
The image of his friend, no longer in this world, came to mind.
A lifelong friend, once a peer and once a comrade-in-arms.
They hadn't seen each other often because their respective responsibilities were heavy.
One had taken a high position in the Sword King family, and the other had become the head of one of the Eight Great Main Families of the Sword King.
"Phew…"
Gric sighed, focusing on the surviving Granvelle.
Ray Granvelle's current situation was like walking on thin ice.
He was barely maintaining his current status thanks to the efforts of those who had been close to the previous family head.
Even so, he was on the verge of collapsing due to certain factions that had begun to reveal their desires.
Ray's qualifications, and even the continued existence of the Granvelle family.
"Not on my watch."
Gric took a deep breath, steeling his resolve.
Of course, it wouldn't be easy.
The biggest problem was that Black Luna, the top-ranked among the Eight Great Main Families, desired the dissolution of Granvelle.
"If I weren't the Chief, I would have stepped forward myself…"
Gric sighed silently.
The Succession Management Office must maintain neutrality towards all families.
This limited their scope of action and made it difficult to do anything.
Still, the boy he had just met seemed to be worth it.
Giel Craven had insulted Ray Granvelle and his family in a public place.
Ray surely wanted to ruthlessly crush him in front of many people.
It wouldn't be difficult, given his mastery of Union Sword.
Yet, Ray deliberately chose an uninhabited place for the duel. He showed careful consideration to protect his opponent's pride, especially to prevent him from showing a pathetic appearance to other academy students.
He was a thoughtful child.
Unbelievably so, considering the major incident he had gone through just a few months ago.
"Is this what character is? If it were me, I would have gathered the entire student body in the academy's grand hall for the succession match… I like him. If only his aura were higher, he would be a person worthy of representing not just Granvelle, but the entire Sword King family."
No, there was no need to determine Ray's future just yet.
Although rare, there were cases where geomantic sensitivity increased.
With four years left until graduation from the academy, there was room to hope for his growth during that time.
***
Wouldn't fewer people watching mean less criticism?
That seemed to be the general idea.
If I were to "accidentally" poke Giel's eye in front of a large crowd, it would cause a huge uproar.
By the way, through the night outings of the past few days, it had become clear that if my physical abilities dropped, I couldn't effectively perform external activities.
To do this properly, high mobility was ultimately required, and the only way to operate with mobility was to enhance my physical abilities through aura.
But I can't use aura.
So, what should I do?
The answer was poison.
Potent Poison Enhancement.
Also abbreviated as Poison Arts.
It's a technique that enhances physical abilities with poison.
The result, in effect, is similar to aura.
Suddenly, I recalled the lecture about ley lines and the professor's impassioned speech from yesterday.
—Alright! Focus, focus! Everyone, listen carefully to this!
—Comparing aura and potent poison enhancement on the same level is a clear error. Fundamentally, it's absurd.
—Aura is the power of the ley lines flowing underground. It is the very power of nature itself, used by borrowing the strength of the ley lines. And it places no burden on the body whatsoever.
—On the other hand, potent poison enhancement is completely different.
—It is a forbidden art that forcefully circulates poison through blood vessels and muscles, temporarily gaining explosive power from the resulting repulsion. Such an act inevitably leads to severe and irreversible side effects.
—Especially if you use poison beyond your limit, you will transform into an irreversible monster.
—This is called a Poisoned Human.
—Everyone knows this, right? It is a monster itself, losing human form in both appearance and mind.
—Therefore, the very existence of Poison Arts is a brutal and atrocious act that forsakes humanity. So, never think of the two as the same power. Understood? Handling poison itself is a crime.
Yes, indeed.
I'm sorry, Professor.
It seems I will have to become a criminal tonight.
Still, I planned to start with just a handful.
A handful of ley line poison.
The moment I put my hand into the orb and firmly grasped a handful, Whoosh!
The orb began to vibrate violently.
As if it didn't want to give up its body.
"Shhh, shhh. It's okay. Just this much. See? I really only took a little, didn't I? I'll return it right after I'm done. Don't worry."
But the vibration didn't stop.
—No, Ray. Don't do it.
This must be my sister. My sister always worried and cared for me.
But.
No matter how much she was my sister, she couldn't refuse my request completely.
"Ucha."
I sighed, pulling out the gripped ley line poison.
The ley line poison in my hand slowly seeped inward.
But that was as far as it went.
As if it had a will, it didn't want to spread further inward. But it had to move. From hand to arm, then from arm to torso. My entire body gradually began to swell in response to the toxicity seeping into my core.
"Ugh…"
It hurt.
And it would definitely look hideous.
Wooong!
The red orb vibrated intensely, as I had never seen before. It seemed angry.
I forced a smile, looking at the orb.
"It's okay. I'll extract it later, and it'll return to normal quickly."
It had happened before.
Though, back then, it was just one finger… Would it really be like that?
I wasn't certain.
But the Poison King could.
The Poison King, Kainens.
In his lifetime, he absorbed endless poison into his body to perform potent poison enhancement, yet he relatively maintained his normal appearance.
So, I could do it too.
As the poison spread deep within my body, the memories left by the Poison King also became more vivid.
Yes.
Remember.
Recall.
I was Kainens.
For me, Poison Arts was as natural as breathing.
Cells and organs exposed to the poison would temporarily explode with all their potential in response, resisting it.
This is how power is drawn forth.
A stronger power, just like aura.
However, if the cells are completely consumed by the poison, it becomes irreversible.
So, the level must be controlled carefully.
Just barely.
But the swelling of the body itself could not be stopped.