~Chapter 04~
“What did you say?”
Calix looked like he was about to charge at Duke Lux in anger, forgetting who he was. But Ruby quickly stopped him.
“But his sword skills were proper, weren’t they?”
Ruby asked confidently.
The Duke didn’t respond right away—his silence was almost like an agreement.
He stared at Calix for a long time.
Meanwhile, Ruby anxiously waited for his response.
“But the boy’s swordsmanship has a major flaw.”
Ruby already knew what he meant.
“There’s no killing intent in his strikes, right?”
Ruby said it first, surprising Duke Lux.
“How do you know that…?”
“Some people may think it’s obvious because he’s still a child. He’s never hurt or killed anyone before. Of course, there’s hesitation instead of intent.”
No matter how well their mother taught them, there were things she couldn’t teach.
Experience.
That was something Calix would have to gain through life.
Killing intent doesn’t only come from wanting to kill—it can also come from the desire to protect someone.
“If someone swings a sword with the will to protect, that too becomes killing intent. But this boy’s sword lacks even that.”
Calix became angry again, ready to react, but Ruby held him back with both arms.
“That’s not something Calix can have just yet. But with help, he could gain it faster. Don’t you agree?”
“…You’re quite bold.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Ruby didn’t lose confidence in front of the Duke.
And neither did Calix.
Duke Lux liked the determination in Calix’s eyes.
“Fine. I’ll acknowledge his talent.”
“Then… will you accept him as your student?”
The Lux family sword style wasn’t something just anyone could learn.
Only someone with real skill could inherit it.
And as far as the Duke knew, there were very few people with Calix’s talent.
Just as Ruby had said, continuing the Lux sword style was worth more than money.
And more than that, the Duke—who was a swordsman at heart—felt the thrill of wanting to raise this boy into a great swordsman.
Had Ruby predicted this too and used it to her advantage?
The Duke looked at Ruby with new respect.
“Alright. I’ll accept him.”
It annoyed him a little that everything was going according to Ruby’s plan, but he couldn’t deny Calix’s talent.
He didn’t want to let it slip away.
“Then… can I become strong now?”
Calix looked up at Ruby with sparkling eyes.
“Of course! I told you, didn’t I? Grandpa will make you strong.”
“Okay, I believe you now. Grandpa!”
“That’s not how you say it. You should say, ‘Thank you.’”
“Thank you, sir.”
His words were still a bit rough, but for Calix, it was a very polite acceptance.
Ruby, feeling proud, patted his towel-covered head.
“But…”
Duke Lux’s next words made Ruby freeze.
“I never said I’d accept you or your sisters.”
“So you mean… only Calix will be registered in the House of Lux?”
“Yes.”
Ruby nearly glared at the Duke—but quickly pulled herself together.
He was, as expected, calculating everything until the end.
So now she had to prove her and her sisters’ value, too.
Calmly, she asked,
“Then can I prove the usefulness of my sister, Sasha, now?”
“Do as you wish.”
With his permission, Ruby brought Sasha over.
“What’s the biggest and heaviest object here?” she asked.
The knights looked confused but replied.
“Probably the warhammer stored in the armory.”
Several knights brought out a huge warhammer.
It was so big that it made you question if anyone could even lift it.
It looked at least four times bigger than Sasha.
“Sasha, can you do it?”
Ruby asked the little girl in her arms.
“Yep!”
Ruby put Sasha down near the hammer.
Sasha grabbed its handle with her tiny hands.
“Heave-ho!”
And in that moment—the metal handle of the hammer bent like it was made of soft clay.
“What? That warhammer is so heavy no one can even lift it!”
As the people around gasped, Sasha hit her own head and said,
“Sasha made a mistake.”
Then she straightened the bent handle with her strength.
“Whoa! How strong is she?”
“Is she really a child?”
“Is she a monster?”
Those words made Sasha mad.
“I’m not a monster!”
Sasha lifted the warhammer high and slammed it down on the ground.
BOOM!
A cloud of dust exploded, and everyone took a step back.
Her strength was truly overwhelming.
Even Duke Lux looked surprised.
But Sasha wasn’t done—she started charging at the knights who called her a monster.
“Run away!”
“Ahhh!”
The knights panicked and ran from Sasha.
Ruby, who was the closest, didn’t flinch.
She gently placed a hand on Sasha’s shoulder and calmed her down.
“Sasha, if you hit someone with that, they could die.”
“But sis…”
“What comes out when you’re a bad kid?”
Ruby asked softly, and Sasha quickly calmed down.
“The ghost comes…”
She gently put down the warhammer.
THUD!
The impact shook the entire training ground.
A closer look revealed that the floor had actually caved in under the weight of the warhammer.
“You saw that, didn’t you?”
Ruby praised Sasha and patted her head.
“Hehe. Did I do good?”
Sasha smiled brightly like nothing had happened and hugged Ruby’s leg.
“Yes, you did great.”
Ruby looked back at the Duke.
“That should be enough to prove Sasha’s abilities, right?”
“I admit she has great strength… but how does that help me?”
“If she’s trained properly, she’ll be stronger than most knights. Then she can help raise the reputation of the Lux family, too—just like Calix.”
If Calix becomes famous for swordsmanship and Sasha for her strength, both would boost the reputation of the House of Lux.
The Duke stroked his chin, thinking hard.
He was probably wondering how he could use Sasha’s strength.
To help him decide, Ruby added,
“They might even win a prize at the Imperial Martial Tournament one day.”
That tournament was the biggest in the Empire.
Winning it would bring great honor to any noble house and fame to the fighter.
If Calix and Sasha kept growing like this, they could definitely get there.
“If they win, the Lux name will rise even higher. That’ll help with foreign relations and alliances. People will trust your name more.”
The Duke’s family earned most of its wealth through trade, especially selling weapons.
Producing a tournament champion would be a better advertisement than any flyer.
Ruby had thought it all through.
After some time, Duke Lux gave his decision.
“Fine. I agree that she’s useful too.”
Ruby was relieved. Things were going according to plan.
The Duke likely had even more ideas for how to use Sasha’s strength.
“Thank you for accepting Sasha.”
Ruby patted Sasha’s head again proudly.
“But… you know what I’m going to say next, right?”
Ruby nodded.
She had expected this.
Even if the Duke accepted Calix and Sasha, she still hadn’t proven her own worth.
That’s what he wanted to say.
“I don’t have any sword skills or physical strength like my siblings.”
Ruby admitted honestly.
Even though they were all related, Ruby didn’t have the same physical gifts.
But that didn’t mean she was talentless.
“I…”
She paused, carefully choosing her words.
She wanted to grab the Duke’s full attention.
“…can bring direct benefits to the House of Lux.”
𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆🌷Luna🌷͙⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ
