Swordmaster's Youngest Son Chapter 2: Stormy Days at the Castle (1)

Six years had flown by since the moment Jin reached for Barisada during his selection ritual.

While he was finally free from the humiliation of having a nanny change his diapers, pretending to be a normal child remained a difficult feat for him.

‘I can’t wait to leave this Storm Castle behind.’

The Storm Castle.

It was a fortress isolated from the main Runcandel estate. To ensure their safety from assassins, every child of the Runcandel Clan was forbidden from stepping outside its walls until they reached the age of ten.

‘What sort of lunatic would actually attempt to assassinate a Runcandel child? Even the Zipfels, their greatest rivals, wouldn't be that reckless.’

In truth, such an event had occurred roughly two centuries ago.

The Kungen Clan, another family of swordmasters, launched an assault on the Runcandels, resulting in the deaths of nine young heirs.

The retaliation was absolute; by the following day, the Kungen Clan was wiped from existence. Every relative and even the extended families of their servants were slaughtered, causing the name to vanish from history forever.

Since that tragedy, it became an unbreakable rule and tradition for Runcandel children to be confined within the Storm Castle from their 'Selection' until their tenth birthday.

‘This is incredibly dull.’

The environment of the Storm Castle certainly lived up to its reputation.

Perched atop Mt. Murakan—widely considered the world’s tallest peak—the castle was besieged by a perpetual tempest. Regardless of the season, the summit was battered by relentless gales, torrential rain, and strikes of lightning.

‘This isn't a healthy place for a child to grow up. It’s no wonder my older siblings turned out so savage and bloodthirsty… it’s because of this cursed atmosphere.’

Only two other Runcandel children currently shared the castle with Jin. His other ten siblings had already passed the age of ten and departed.

The only inhabitants of the Storm Castle were Jin, his two brothers, five elite guardian knights, their nannies, and about ten servants.

“Jin!”

The moment that voice reached his ears, Jin’s annoyance spiked sharply.

Daytona Runcandel was the one calling out in that irritating tone. He was two years older than Jin.

“Why are you all by yourself without your precious Barisada? Did you lose it already? Kuhaha.”

Joining in the mockery was Haytona Runcandel. Just as their names suggested, the two were identical twins.

The Tona twins of the Runcandel Clan.

In his previous life, anyone who had the misfortune of encountering them shared a single opinion.

They were the Devil’s Spawn.

‘Those annoying little runts.’

Jin turned around to confront them.

He possessed not a single pleasant memory regarding the Tona twins.

They had targeted him since he was a toddler, driven by jealousy because he had chosen Barisada during the ritual.

It would be a grave mistake to dismiss the cruelty of these nine-year-olds as mere childhood pranks.

In his past life, the very first thing these brothers did upon leaving the Storm Castle at age ten was commit an assassination. They were inherently twisted.

Since Jin didn't react to their taunts, the Tona twins persisted in their harassment.

Gilly, Jin’s nanny, had left the castle for the day. The twins had been waiting for this opportunity and were determined to make Jin’s life miserable while she was away.

“Hey, we’re talking to you. Where did Barisada go?”

The Tona twins had started their torment a year ago in this current timeline.

It began with petty things that Gilly wouldn't notice, like locking Jin in the bathroom or ruining his soup with excessive salt.

However, their actions soon turned more malicious. They once tied a dead bird to his doorknob and even snuck a poisonous scorpion from the garden into his bedsheets.

Despite everything, Jin had endured it all in silence.

The twins marched toward their younger brother with arrogant strides.

Watching them with an indifferent gaze, a cold smirk slowly played across Jin’s lips.

“Hmm, I’m not quite sure where I left it. Oh, did I perhaps shove it up your ass?”

Everything went silent.

The twins stopped dead, blinking in confusion as they looked at each other and then back at their youngest brother. They never expected such a response.

Ass…

Even if they were born killers, the Tona twins were still only nine years old. Such vulgar language was a shock to them. Once the insult registered, their faces flushed with pure rage.

“What did you just… Have you lost your mind, Jin?”

“You better wake up. Your nanny isn't here to save you today.”

“Pffft.”

Jin gave a short, mocking laugh and took a step toward his brothers.

The twins weren't the only ones who had been waiting for the nanny to leave. In fact, Jin had been looking forward to this day much more than they had.

He was eager to beat these little monsters into submission.

‘My seven-year-old self in the past would never have dreamed of fighting back against the Tona twins.’

But things were different now.

Even if these two were ten years older, Jin was certain he could kill at least one of them right now.

Unaware of the danger they were in, the Tona twins continued to glare at Jin boldly.

“If you get on your knees and beg right now, we’ll stop after just breaking your nose.”

“Otherwise, we’ll make sure you end up in a worse state than that bird on your door yesterday.”

For a seven-year-old, it was a distance of about five steps. That was the gap between Jin and his brothers in the hallway of the Storm Castle.

“Aack!”

Haytona suddenly screamed as he collapsed to the floor. A startled Daytona looked down, only to see Jin’s foot crushing his twin brother’s back into the ground.

Jin had closed the distance in an instant, burying his fist deep into Haytona’s gut.

“Eh?”

Ugh.

Before he could react, Daytona took a heavy blow to the jaw and hit the floor. This was the first time they had ever been struck like this. Furthermore, their seven-year-old brother’s fist felt as hard and cold as a block of ice.

‘Wha—What just happened?’

In the split second before impact, Daytona thought he saw a faint, dark aura flickering around Jin’s fist.

He didn't have time to process it. Just as his senses started to return, another punch slammed into him.

Thwack!

“Urgh!”

His cry of pain was stifled, as if his very throat were constricted. Tears of agony blurred his vision as he tried to understand how things had gone so wrong.

The hallway was deserted.

They had picked this spot specifically to corner Jin, but the Tona twins never imagined their choice would lead to their own downfall.

“Regarding that poor bird you two killed, I made sure to give it a proper burial.”

Thud, thud, thwack.

Jin sat atop the two dazed twins, rhythmically swinging his fists while speaking in a flat, emotionless voice.

‘Am I being too harsh? They are still children, technically.’

A brief moment of doubt flickered in his mind, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. The nine-year-old versions of the Tona brothers in his past life were infinitely more cruel. They had even forced him to eat horse manure.

If Jin didn't break them today, they would undoubtedly continue their path of malice.

“Phew.”

Twitch, twitch!

The bodies of the unconscious twins spasmed after the prolonged beating. Their youngest brother stood up, looking down at them with total indifference.

“You two should do your best to stay out of my sight from now on. That is, if you value your lives.”

“Young master!”

A guardian knight responsible for their safety came rushing down the corridor, having sensed something was wrong.

As a top-tier guardian knight, he wouldn't usually be bothered by a scrap between children, even Runcandels.

However, he couldn't hide his shock when he saw Jin standing calmly over his two older, unconscious brothers.

‘The seven-year-old young master beat his older brothers to a pulp?’

It defied logic. Usually, the physical gap between a seven-year-old and a nine-year-old was insurmountable. Furthermore, the Tona twins had recently begun their training in Runcandel Martial Arts.

In contrast, Jin hadn't even started his formal training yet. At least, that was what the knight believed.

“Uuugh.”

“Young Master Jin, what happened here…?”

The knight questioned him as Daytona let out a weak groan.

“They just started fighting each other out of nowhere.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“They beat each other up.”

The knight knew instantly that Jin was lying, but he didn't dare press further. He noticed a smirk on Jin’s face, suggesting that everything was unfolding exactly as planned.

Though he was a guardian, he was still a subordinate to the family. He wasn't in a position to cross the young masters of the Storm Castle.

‘I knew Runcandel children were born for violence, but this is something else… I’ll just report this to the Patriarch and stay out of it.’

The knight gave a respectful bow. Despite being only seven, Jin carried the undeniable blood of a Runcandel.

“I understand. I shall take the Tona young masters to see the physician.”

“That won't be necessary. There is somewhere else my brothers need to go first.”

“Somewhere else? Where might that be?”

“The grave.”

“The… grave?”

“Carry them for me.”

When the look in Jin’s eyes shifted, the knight felt he had no choice but to hoist the unconscious boys onto his shoulders.

“Let’s go.”

He followed the small boy awkwardly. Jin led him toward a small mound in the Storm Castle’s rear garden, where a fierce rainstorm was currently raging.

It was the grave of the bird the Tona twins had slaughtered.

Despite the downpour, the small mound remained intact.

“Set them down.”

“But Young Master, the storm is quite severe…”

The violent winds and rain threatened to drench them all, and the unconscious boys would be completely exposed.

Jin offered no verbal response, merely staring the knight down with a piercing gaze.

The knight realized this wasn't a suggestion; it was a command. He saw it in Jin’s posture—the unmistakable aura of a Runcandel issuing a direct order.

He was stunned that a seven-year-old could radiate such an imposing, regal presence.

The knight lacked the authority to refuse. Even if the order might harm other members of the family, he was bound to obey. Besides, the twins weren't awake to countermand the order.

His only option was to follow the Runcandel standing before him.

The consequences weren't his to worry about; that was for the Patriarch and the Elders. Even if the twins suffered from hypothermia, the clan wouldn't hold a knight responsible for a dispute between siblings.

Internal conflicts were a daily occurrence within the Runcandel Clan.

“As you wish, Young Master.”

He laid the twins in front of the grave. The two boys remained still, save for the occasional involuntary twitch.

Two hours later, the Tona twins were discovered and brought inside by Gilly after she returned from her trip.

They suffered from severe pneumonia for several days afterward and couldn't bring themselves to look Jin in the eye until the day they finally left the Storm Castle.

***

In the eastern reaches of the continent lies the lawless territory known as the Black Sea.

Cyron had been in deep meditation within this monster-ridden wasteland for several days.

He sat motionless on the earth, yet even the massive, building-sized monsters in the area didn't dare to approach him.

A man, drenched in the blood of countless beasts, eventually approached Cyron.

“Greetings, Patriarch. It is Khan.”

It was the same guardian knight who had followed Jin’s orders to leave the twins out in the storm ten days prior.

“Is there a problem?”

Cyron asked, slowly opening his eyes.

“I have come to provide a report regarding a conflict between the young masters at the Storm Castle.”

“You wouldn't interrupt my meditation for a simple childhood squabble. Speak plainly.”

Khan recounted the events in detail, and a faint smile touched Cyron’s lips.

“So, did the twins perish?”

“They contracted severe pneumonia, but they are no longer in any danger.”

“Then they have learned a valuable lesson. Very well. You are dismissed.”

“Understood.”

Khan had fought through hordes of monsters for three days just to deliver this brief message, yet he felt no bitterness toward his lord or the young master. He turned and headed back toward the Storm Castle in silence.

‘I think it’s time I see my youngest son for myself.’

One month later, Cyron made his appearance at the Storm Castle.