Ch.172Hero (4)

Venatti.

The three great ducal houses of the Empire, the iron-blooded guardians who rule the snow fields.

Moreover, they had long been loyal servants guarding the north.

Perhaps it wasn’t strange for them to take pride in this.

After all, they had achieved tremendous merit during the [Great War] six years ago.

The previous head of House Venatti was that exceptional.

“Everyone, stand behind me.”

“Today, on this battlefield, I will not lose a single one of you.”

Hero.

A person worthy of that short yet profound title.

The twins’ father was such a man.

Amelia and Ruska naturally received much influence from their father.

And came to admire him.

“Amelia.”

“You may forget everything else, but you must remember this one thing as you live.”

“Light… only has value when there are people for it to shine upon.”

The girl followed the light of the stars.

“Ruska.”

“You must become a star that guides others.”

“Let the weak hide in your shadow, and the strong find direction in your light.”

The boy aspired to the concept of stars.

A figure who was great to everyone.

Those days led by such magnificent steps seemed as though they would forever remain brilliant for House Venatti.

However, tragedy tends to strike when least expected.

The star that had been so noble in the night fell with shocking futility.

It happened when the twins were merely fifteen years old.

“The Duke and Duchess have passed away.”

“The cause of death is still unknown, but investigations suggest a carriage accident…”

Those known as the Lords of the Snow Fields.

The death of the ducal couple left a tremendous shock throughout the Empire.

All sorts of conspiracy theories circulated—assassination plots, staged accidents—but the case was ultimately concluded as a simple accidental death.

This was because nothing particularly suspicious was found even after the Imperial Family intervened to investigate the details.

The twins couldn’t harbor any particular suspicions either.

They merely felt uneasy about it.

But even those feelings were washed away by tears.

They were too young to endure such a sense of loss.

“Don’t worry.”

“The complicated affairs of the family… I, your uncle, will take care of them.”

“You need only overcome your grief for your father.”

Since the twins were too young to lead the family at that time, their uncle temporarily assumed the position of family head.

An uncle who had maintained a particularly close relationship with them. Because of this, the children trusted the adult.

Not knowing what consequences that choice would bring.

The world of adults was unspeakably vile.

“Trust your uncle.”

“It’s all for your sake.”

In the years that followed.

The atmosphere in House Venatti took an ominous turn.

Those who had been loyal to the previous head either left one by one or were purged for various crimes.

The only ones who remained in the ducal house until the end were people who treated the twins coldly.

The children finally began to sense something was wrong.

“Could it be that Uncle…?”

But.

By the time the twins noticed, everything had already gone awry.

Only those loyal to their uncle remained in the family.

Those truly loyal to House Venatti had already been expelled, either to the outside world or to the afterlife.

The elders had already colluded with the uncle, and even the “Needle,” their direct assassination unit, had been reorganized into a perfect sword of traitors.

Thanks to this, Amelia and Ruska lost their place in House Venatti.

Moreover, a powerful contract had been placed on the younger brother’s heart.

“Swear on your mana, Ruska.”

“For your uncle to protect you both, this contract is absolutely necessary.”

“There won’t be any side effects, so won’t you trust your uncle?”

A mana oath.

It was a contract that the uncle had asked Ruska to make on the day he assumed the temporary position as family head.

The boy, deeply immersed in grief over losing his parents.

He simply trusted his uncle and nodded.

Not knowing he had fallen into a vile trap.

“You’ve finally realized it. That you were deceived from the beginning.”

“But… what can you two possibly do about it?”

“The family is already in my hands.”

“Besides, after entrusting your lives to me, do you dare to defy me?”

“Stay quiet. If you want to preserve your lives, that is.”

The uncle suppressed the children.

In this intricately woven scheme, the twins had to navigate an unfair game.

The reason the uncle’s side hadn’t disposed of them was merely for appearances.

If the heirs were to die less than three years after the previous duke’s accident, it would surely arouse the Imperial Family’s suspicions.

To avoid such a situation, it was necessary to demonstrate that Ruska and Amelia were safe and well.

While slowly eating away at them from within.

“The mana oath.”

“That’s why I went through the trouble of making a contract.”

“In the process of me taking over this family… you might try something foolish.”

“So don’t even think about having other ideas.”

“I’ll kill you without hesitation.”

The oath was a leash.

A means to restrain the twins until he achieved his plans.

If they served their purpose, they would be disposed of… perhaps they were just cards to be discarded.

“Don’t worry about what comes later.”

“I’ve recently met some people with whom my interests align quite well.”

“The demon worshippers, that is.”

The cultists.

The uncle had already joined hands with them.

He had allied with those they had fought against, shedding blood in the last war, simply out of greed.

Ruska and Amelia were furious but had no way to overthrow him.

They could only obediently follow.

“Soon those guys will overturn the world… and when the Imperial Family collapses.”

“That’s when a new emperor will be born in the Empire.”

“Your father used to say our homeland was the snow fields… but that’s foolish thinking.”

“This time, the name of Venatti will command the continent.”

“In short, making Venatti great.”

The uncle intended to overthrow the Empire.

More directly, a coup d’état.

He seemed to care little about the means as long as he could sit on the glorious throne.

Beyond that, the uncle sought to use the twins for his own purposes.

“Ruska.”

“From now on, you’ll need to help me in various ways.”

The uncle chose the younger brother.

Rather than Amelia, who was naturally flamboyant and caught others’ attention, he chose the taciturn Ruska.

Additionally, Ruska himself had volunteered to be the underling.

Begging him not to touch his sister at the very least.

“Very well, I’ll respect your wish.”

“Another line will be added to our contract.”

The uncle accepted the condition.

Afterwards.

Ruska, as House Venatti’s underling, assisted in various roles.

Submitting regular reports from the academy, or investigating the structures of various buildings.

Such information was even utilized in the recent attack.

Because of this, the boy had been constantly struggling in agony.

“What have I…”

Though he had done it for his sister, he was gradually losing himself.

His childhood dreams of becoming a hero now felt like a disconnect.

His present self, tainted by adults, seemed worthless even to himself.

Ruska had agonized every dawn.

And then.

“What’s wrong?”

The agony that had persisted.

Finally.

“Did you really think I would dance to your tune until the end?”

Made him break out of his shell.

It made his heart, which had surrendered and crumbled, stand up again.

The girl aimed frost with her breath.

Behind her followed a subtle white snow.

***

In an alley where darkness swirled.

Ruska stood with his back to the moonlight.

“……”

Opposite him were the traitors who had betrayed the family.

Only an eerie killing intent circled around them.

The assassins, having lost their prey, flashed their eyes.

They sneered slightly.

“What… is this nonsense?”

“To think that the young master would dream of betrayal.”

“How do you plan to deal with the consequences?”

“This has become troublesome. The target seems to have sensed the danger too.”

Complaints, one might call them.

Hearing their voices, Ruska briefly smirked.

He had always wanted to see their distorted expressions.

The boy had intended this from the beginning.

“Well… call it a change of heart.”

He deliberately answers languidly.

To make the other side feel even worse.

“The one who gets deceived is at fault, isn’t it?”

“I heard you made a mana oath… a contract with the family head. Can you just break it as you please?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. As if such consequences matter.”

“For something that doesn’t matter, your heart will soon be crushed.”

“Indeed.”

Ruska was prepared to die here.

That’s why he hadn’t called for any help, nor left any means of escape.

The reason was simple.

‘Now… it’s time to end it all.’

Amelia Venatti.

The only reason she had remained in the family until now was because of Ruska.

Because the uncle held his lifeline. She worried that if she tried to escape, her brother would be in danger.

As long as Ruska was alive… Amelia couldn’t escape from House Venatti either.

The boy’s resolve was to break those shackles.

‘Someone needs to continue the Venatti lineage.’

Just not himself.

Ruska intended to die here to liberate his sister.

So that she would no longer be bound by any adult.

“Go to hell.”

What you might call his last-kept move.

Not even a trace of trembling appeared in the boy’s eyes.

‘Besides.’

Judas Snakus.

If that guy protected Amelia, he could feel somewhat at ease.

The voice without hesitation was clear in Ruska’s ears.

“I’ll be there to support her.”

“Like many others, I admire her.”

I can probably trust that guy.

Because my sister trusted him.

Though I don’t particularly like him… he has connections to the Imperial Family, a broad standing as a faculty member, and as the eldest son of a count’s family, he would wield considerable influence in the future.

At least enough to protect Amelia.

Ruska shakes off the final plan he had meticulously prepared.

It was time to break free.

“My heart… will explode in 30 minutes.”

The price of violating the oath.

Yet, even in such a situation, the boy remained calm.

His deep blue hair flutters in the spring breeze.

“Didn’t it occur to you that you’d be torn apart by us before those 30 minutes are up?”

“Well…”

Ruska was tired.

The disconnect with heroism, and the admiration he couldn’t quite abandon.

He couldn’t completely turn his back on that dawn.

In the end, turning away from reality, he decided to walk toward the ideal he had longed for.

The reason he devised such a scheme was to land one final blow before dying.

To the uncle who had manipulated him.

“I’ll take at least one of you as a companion.”

Frost swirls around him.

The boy aims his sword tip.

Against the world of adults he could never compromise with.

The blue ice slashes with swift precision.

His heavy foot leaps from the ground.

Bang-!

“Ugh…!”

Ruska clashes with one of the robed figures.

Frost forms on the colliding swords.

A typhoon freezing coldly.

Behind the boy was the academy.

And today, he intended to lose no one.

A snowstorm rages.