Chapter 1

I landed on the ground and was ready to pour out my anger towards the most significant biological father who had sent me to this place against my will, but…

“…move.”

I muttered to myself instead of grumbling, hurriedly moving my feet.

The thought that I could meet someone jumping from the windowsill just like I did made me move my body.

Even though the night sky was unusually devoid of moonlight and stars, limiting my vision, my trained body and sharpened senses guided me accurately through the pitch-black darkness.

Moreover…

Bam!!

Just as I was about to step forward, the presence I felt from the spot I had jumped from earlier pushed me even more urgently.

It seemed the bride had aimed her sword at the groom when she entered the bridal chamber and was now looking around the windowsill to find the groom who had fled.

I tried to look up to confirm, but if I did, I would surely be discovered.

It wasn’t just a possibility; it was almost a certainty.

In the succession war caused by those who wanted to become the successor of the emperor, who had died suddenly, a strong warrior like me, who managed to make the princess he supported become the emperor on his own, couldn’t afford to show any hesitation, no matter how fleeting.

“Tsk…”

I clicked my tongue lightly and briskly continued my steps, trying to minimize my presence.

With my eyes already adapted to the dark, it wasn’t difficult to move my body toward the destination.

But ever since being thrown into a strategic marriage, which could also be called abduction, from the very first night, memories kept flooding in during every step I took.

I was born as an orphan, wrapped in a blanket with no name, left at an orphanage. Unlike other children, there was no note with my name inside the blanket.

I was just a child abandoned by parents whose identity was slightly high, and all I had was the quality of the blanket that wrapped me.

That was me.

Without knowing who my parents were, living as a meaningless existence, I grew up isolated, rejecting any interaction.

By the time I matured, I left even the orphanage that raised me, wandering through back alleys, barely surviving each day.

Living as if born just to survive, I had no choice but to beg or steal food just to live another day.

Sometimes, I would get beaten so badly that I nearly died.

Out of spite, I would attack my attackers repeatedly, continuing to live day by day.

Thinking back, it felt like those days couldn’t be beautified at all; they were filled with hatred. Even if I were to relive that moment, I don’t think my choice would change.

As an uneducated orphan, wandering through back alleys, there weren’t many ways to survive.

But two years ago, everything changed.

That day was no different from any other.

I was searching the streets for something to eat when I encountered some thugs and took what they had stolen.

Rebellion? Even when I was younger, kids who were beaten by my fists would have realized rebellion was futile.

Before they could even react, they would give up their food, saving me from a beating for the day.

Before that incident, things were different.

After finishing the day and returning to my makeshift shelter in an alley, everything changed.

“I finally found you.”

The voice that reached me as soon as I entered startled me, and I turned my head toward the sound.

“Thug.”

Facing the man approaching me slowly, speaking words I didn’t understand.

Despite not seeming much larger, he gave off a presence like a mountain range advancing toward me.

It was the first time I felt the threat of life, something I wouldn’t even feel even if I were to wake up after death, from the thugs in the back alleys.

“Son, as your father who brought you into this world, I command you to follow me.”

This was the moment I first met the man who had abandoned me as a child and then sought me out again.

My biological father had taken me harshly from the back alleys and treated me roughly.

Immediately after taking me somewhere unknown, he threw a longsword at me and demanded I wield it with both hands.

Even if he had taught me properly, it wouldn’t have been pleasant, but the way he handled me roughly, especially while teaching me swordplay, still triggers my inner rage.

“Fear has its uses,” he said, and even though I didn’t understand what fear meant at that age, it didn’t sound good.

Over time, the word “fear” became a trigger for me, symbolizing a weakness.

Grinding my teeth,

Even though a cold wind swept over my body as I moved quickly through the Swordsmanship Hall, the anger rising within me wouldn’t subside.

Thinking about how my current state doesn’t even feel like living, I sighed.

“Huh…”

Continuing my movements without pause, the memories that kept surfacing made me feel a surge of heat, which I tried to contain in one breath.

Gradually, my thoughts returned to more recent events.

Although relatively recent, it had been about a year and a half, it was still somewhat distant.

Regardless, it was the period of my life with the highest density of experiences.

Back then, under my father’s guidance, I repeated the same routine, wielding a sword for the first time in an unknown place.

My father would occasionally visit to check my swordsmanship, despite not providing proper training.

His cold remarks and the adjustments I made based on them often resulted in surprising movements.

In retrospect, it was truly bizarre training.

The words my father spoke still echoed in my mind.

“Twins are indeed a misfortune to me. If Andymyon had talent, or even health, I wouldn’t have needed to find you.”

Even in the dim light, I could tell the emotion in his voice—sighing, regret, and a bitter satisfaction.

The bitterness made sense—he must have felt some satisfaction in finding me, despite having abandoned me as a child.

But why he sighed and felt regret puzzled me then.

Well, that was just one of the many questions I had at the time. It didn’t take long to understand.

Eventually, as I learned swordsmanship to the point where I could use both hands, something happened.

The sudden death of the emperor, as I had mentioned before.