Genius Gamer Reborn into a Family of Heroes

Chapter 69



Chapter 69

A Harmonious Family Meal

On the third day of his return.

Once again, Harang had been experimenting with the Dragon Sword, and as a result, he had shattered the ceiling for the second time. Three clerks from the office rushed over, tears streaming down their faces.

“Oh no, Young Master…”

“What’s wrong?”

“If you keep destroying the training ground like this, we won’t have enough budget left to maintain the Green White Palace…”

Indeed, within Kalambren Palace, each inner palace had to operate within a set budget.

Even if the Red White Palace was flourishing and spent its budget freely, the Green White Palace would have to starve if it didn’t perform well.

“Although your personal maid managed to save money by finishing the interior work at a lower cost last time, it still consumed a significant portion of our budget… If you continue like this, we won’t have any funds left to acquire new furnishings for the time being.”

Harang was aware that there was a qualitative difference in lifestyle between the direct descendants of the head family and those from collateral lines.

However, the difference between direct descendants was much greater than Harang had anticipated; the main family did not blindly provide unlimited funds to their children.

As one completed missions and built a reputation, the available budget increased, and additional rewards were generously provided. This was the way to maintain the dignity of being a direct descendant of the Kaladan family.

Of course, most of the bloodline lived quite wealthy lives, either running their own businesses or finding ways to make money during their missions. Moreover, as Polden Knights, they had the privilege of keeping and monetizing all their spoils, so they never had to worry about running out of money.

However, Harang, who had only recently become a Polden Knight, was still poor.

Even his father had been stripped of his palace and reduced to living in a hut because he hadn’t wielded his sword, leaving Harang with no inheritance.

Naturally, Harang had been fully aware of the budget allocated to him from the moment he asked Soirin to handle the interior work a month ago.

“I don’t recognize your faces. You must be the new accountants for the Green White Palace, right? Were you assigned recently?”

“Yes, that’s correct…”

“I wonder how you ended up being assigned to me. You must have a tough road ahead.”

“Hmm, no, not really. It’s nothing like that.”

Judging by their reactions, Harang was spot on.

They had likely been assigned to the Green White Palace as punishment for some mistake or for falling out of favor with their superiors.

“Hm, I bet you’re all carrying resignation letters in your hearts. If you want to move up, each of you must have at least one way to do so, right?”

They exchanged glances before cautiously sharing their thoughts.

“Well, perhaps if we manage to efficiently maintain the old Green White Palace on a tight budget and demonstrate our competence, we might get assigned to manage the funds for the Knights…”

“In my opinion, the true measure of an accountant’s skill is not in managing a small budget, but in handling astronomical sums of money. Your idea seems rather naïve. Next, you?”

“What? Ahem, well. My father is the Chief Financial Officer of the Red Lion Knights. So, you don’t have to worry about me.”

“Hmm…”

Harang tilted his head at the man’s words.

“Does that even make sense?”

“Pardon?”

“You really don’t know much about Kaladan, do you? Your father is the Chief Financial Officer of the Red Lion Knights because his abilities were recognized.”

“W-well, that’s true, but my father has quite a strong influence…”

“Sigh.”

Harang shook his head in genuine disbelief.

“Do you really think it’s possible to get promoted in Kaladan just by relying on connections? If that were the case, you wouldn’t have been assigned to the Green White Palace. Why didn’t your esteemed father stop you from working in such a shabby palace?”

“…!”

It was only then that the man’s expression darkened as he realized the truth.

‘Sigh. Now I understand why they were assigned to me.’

Every one of them was incompetent and lacked critical thinking. Holding onto his last hope, Harang asked the third clerk.

“And you? How do you plan to move up?”

“What? Oh, well…”

The man tilted his head, scratched the back of his head, and then grinned.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Haha, I’m just content with having briefly worked as a clerk at the main castle despite being from a commoner background. Well, I got replaced by another noble and ended up here at the Green White Palace, but honestly, I don’t think there’s any way for me to climb back up.”

This one was a lost cause too.

Harang felt a sense of foreboding about his future as he asked one last question.

“A commoner background, huh. That’s impressive. But you’ve made it all the way to the palace of Kalambren, so surely you have some sort of vision. Don’t you have any ambition to rise through the ranks?”

“Ambition? Of course, I have ambition.”

“But you don’t have a plan?”

“No. If there is one, it lies with you, Young Master. If there’s anything I can do, it’s to trust you and work hard.”

“…What?”

The man had a look that seemed to say, ‘Isn’t that obvious?’

“If you, Young Master, acquire valuable spoils as a Polden Knight and build up achievements, increasing the budget significantly, then that would be my promotion. So, I’m actually quite content with my current situation. Honestly, there are so many nobles from prestigious universities in the main castle that my qualifications just don’t compete… Haha!”

The man chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

Seeing some potential in him, Harang’s eyes gleamed.

“What’s your name?”

“Ah, it’s Merlick…”

“Merlick?”

“N-no, it’s Merlik.”

“Alright, Mer-Merlick. I like you. As a token of my trust, I’d like you to manage all the items I acquired in the recent battle.”

This world operated on a very simple principle.

The law of the jungle. A world where the strong survive.

It applied equally to everyone within Kaladan: as long as you could prove your ability, it would immediately become your path to success and elevate your status.

“By spoils, you mean…?”

Harang returned to the Green White Palace and showed him the old magic books he had retrieved from the Flower Tower earlier.

Since he could read everything with the Eyes of Truth and store the information, there was no reason to hold onto them.

Of course, forbidden books or magic books with excessively powerful effects, which would be troublesome if made public, were all stored away in the subspace.

“This is…!”

Ancient magic books could command astronomical prices depending on their contents. The magic books stored in the Flower Tower were certainly not ordinary.

Even though he wasn’t a mage, Merlik’s eyes widened to the size of saucers as he instantly recognized their value.

“T-That’s… the ‘Third Theorem of Argyus’! I heard that the Magic Tower has been struggling because the third volume was lost, disrupting the connection between the second and fourth volumes. But how on earth…!”

“My goodness! That’s the original manuscript of the ‘Principles of Magic, Volume 1’! It’s the original textbook of magic principles, which was long believed to have been lost!”

The other two clerks who had followed along were also astonished as they looked at the magic books, recognizing their immense value.

Eleven magic books, each clearly of tremendous worth.

Kaladan, known as a family of swordsmanship, was in a competitive relationship with the magic families.

If Kaladan were to present these magic books under its name, it would not only possess economic value but also secure significant political and diplomatic advantages. It was akin to opening a dazzling treasure trove.

“Am I really going to handle all of this… by myself?”

In other words, Merlik, now managing all this as Harang Paul Kaladan’s financial officer, had suddenly risen in status.

“Yes, all by yourself. As for those two behind you, you can just use them as temporary workers if you like.”

Temporary workers? Merlik tilted his head in confusion, and the two clerks behind him screamed in shock.

“After all, they each have places they want to go, don’t they? You’ll be the one reporting to the higher-ups. The Inspector General or the Chief Administrator might come to see you, so be fully prepared.”

“…U-Understood.”

Merlik clearly felt it.

That young master was testing him—by handing over these magic books of tremendous value!

‘Someone as wise as him must surely understand the value of these books. He probably knows even better than I do. And yet, he trusts me with them…’

Merlik clenched his fist and bit his lip firmly.

‘I’ll prove that even someone of common birth can do it.’

* * *

After coldly ignoring the two clerks, who were pleading desperately for work, Harang returned to the Green White Palace and finished his shower.

Dressed neatly in a white shirt and black pants, Harang let his hair down and looked into the mirror.

“…It’s gotten a bit long.”

Thinking that the hair, which now reached below his waist, was excessively long, Harang trimmed it slightly and then tied it up. A length that just slightly fell below his shoulder blades seemed just right.

With his hairstyle now matching that of Hero Kaladan, Harang glanced at the framed portrait of Kaladan hanging beside the mirror and bowed his head briefly.

He must never forget to always be grateful to Kaladan, who had gifted him a second life and the opportunity to live such a splendid existence.

“Young Master, I will escort you to the Grand Hall.”

As he stepped out of the Green White Palace, a knight and two soldiers were waiting for him. Harang nodded and followed them.

In the Kalambren Palace, it was exceedingly rare for a meal to be arranged among blood relatives.

The reason it was referred to as a ‘meal among blood relatives’ rather than a ‘family meal’ was because the atmosphere was far too tense to be considered a warm and harmonious family gathering.

For this reason, it was unusual for the blood relatives to gather unless it was a truly special occasion. However, when their periods of stay at the palace overlapped after completing their respective missions, a meal was sometimes arranged.

Harang was well aware that this family meal had been prepared to coincide with his return.

Immediately after he reported the completion of his mission, preparations for the banquet had begun, and as soon as he returned, all the direct blood relatives present in the palace were commanded to gather.

“It’s impressive.”

The main palace was overwhelmingly vast, incomparable even to the inner palace. It was said that even the nobles serving here could not explore the entire palace in their lifetime.

For Harang, this was only his second visit to the main palace, so everything felt unfamiliar and awkward.

As the massive doors, large enough for giants to pass through, opened with a low rumble, Harang stepped into the Grand Hall, quietly murmuring a word of admiration.

‘It’s ridiculously spacious.’

It was said that, long ago, before the Kaladan family was established, this place was just a vast, barren land.

Building a palace here using dragon language on an empty wasteland had made such extensive use of the land possible.

‘It’s fascinating that they dug canals and carved cliffs in a wasteland. Is such a thing possible if one masters the peak of dragon language?’

Inside the Grand Hall, a massive circular dining table was set up, with knights and servants standing by like statues in the background.

After pondering where to sit, Harang chose a seat directly opposite the most elaborate chair, which he presumed to be Duke Kalel’s.

Though it was the furthest seat, it was the only one where he could meet Duke Kalel’s gaze directly.

“Well, well, who do we have here?”

As he was the first to arrive and sat waiting, a familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar voice came from behind him.

When Harang turned his head slightly, he saw Kyle Paul Kaladan, a direct blood relative who had trained with him at the Raw Stone Training Squadron, approaching.

Kyle, now 19 years old and on the brink of adulthood, clearly showed signs of maturity.

Standing at nearly 6’2″, with a handsome face, towering height, and well-defined muscles, Kyle could undoubtedly be called a pretty boy by anyone who laid eyes on him.

The problem was that he didn’t know how to make proper use of that face, always wearing a smirk that made him look more like a delinquent.

“I heard you completed your mission and returned a few days ago? Hmm, let’s see. It was a Level 5 importance… and the difficulty was about a D, wasn’t it?”

In other words, he was sarcastically implying that it was neither a particularly difficult nor important mission.

“You wasted a whole month on something that insignificant? Haha!”

Kyle approached Harang and lightly tapped his shoulder.

Around that time, other direct blood relatives began to appear in the Grand Hall. They glanced at Kyle and Harang before taking their seats. Noticing this, Kyle raised his voice even more.

“Well, I’ll admit your swordsmanship is a bit impressive, but real combat is different, right? Out in the world, swordsmanship isn’t everything, little brother. If you need advice, feel free to consult your big brother here.”

Kyle was probably speaking from his own experience.

It was clear that he had faced several difficulties while relying solely on his swordsmanship during his missions.

Even as Harang was being criticized, he smiled, which made Kyle frown.

“What’s with you?”

“I’m just happy. You called me your little brother. Isn’t this the first time?”

“…You, you little… Anyway, since Grandfather has officially added you to the family registry, brothers are brothers, whether you’re adopted or not! I’m someone who knows how to strictly separate public and private matters!”

Is that even the right time to use that phrase?

“I’ll be sure to come to you for advice whenever I have any troubles, brother.”

“Hah! Sure. It seems like tasks with an E-level difficulty are just right for you, so don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Okay.”

“At least your swordsmanship is decent enough, so maybe one day you’ll be able to handle C-rank missions smoothly, like me, little brother. Haha! By then, I’ll be taking on A-rank missions. I already feel like I’m close to reaching the six-star level!”

That statement surprised Harang slightly.

He had heard that Kyle had achieved the five-star level over a year ago and was making remarkable progress, but to be so close to reaching the six-star level already?

“That’s impressive. You’re amazing, as expected, brother.”

Harang genuinely complimented him. Regardless of Kyle’s foolishness, he could at least acknowledge his swordsmanship.

However, Kyle glanced around, his expression suggesting he was in a bad mood for some reason.

Nine seats had been prepared, and eight of them were already occupied by the family members.

Kyle’s face twisted in anger, and he shouted.

“What gives you the right to praise me? I’m the one who should be praising you, younger brother. You’re only at four stars, and I’m at five.”

“Hmm, yes. You’re right, Brother.”

Harang smoothly acknowledged and stepped back. He knew well why Kyle was overreacting like this.

It was a type of person he had encountered countless times during his pro gamer days.

‘It’s inferiority.’

He especially met this kind when he was a rookie pro gamer.

Whenever Harang, who was already hailed as the world’s best despite not having much of a career yet, gave advice or praise to senior pro gamers, he would be met with such overreactions.

‘I’ve won the world championship twice, so who are you to meddle?! You’ve only won once last year!’

‘So you think you know better than me? I’ve been competing in global tournaments since before you even touched a VR device!’

‘You’re ranked lower than me this season. You say you haven’t been ranking because you’ve been preparing for the tournament? You think others don’t prepare for tournaments? Anyway, you’re still lower than me!’

Even if there was nothing to criticize, they would find something, determined not to lose, and countless senior pro gamers would get all worked up.

But in just a few years, once Harang had caught up with them in career achievements, the expressions they showed were… pitiful and miserable.

“I heard you’re dabbling in magic? Well, you can’t help it. You haven’t been able to learn the Vision Swordsmanship at all, so you must have a lot of time on your hands, right? To cover up your lacking swordsmanship, yeah, you have to at least learn some magic. Hmm.”

“……”

It was such a childish provocation that it was tempting to ignore, but honestly, it was too bothersome.

He briefly wondered if there was a way to avoid having to hear this again the next time they met in a similar setting, and then he quietly opened his mouth.

“I’m learning it. Vision Swordsmanship.”

“You’re learning it? Ha, what nonsense, little brother. The only one who can teach you Vision Swordsmanship is Grandfather, and he hasn’t given you any instruction.”

That was something everyone knew publicly.

Duke Kalel had only called Harang aside briefly at White Night Castle; officially, he had never summoned him to give any instruction.

“I told you, I learned it.”

“Keh keh, sure. What kind of amazing technique did you learn then? Tell me the name, little brother.”

Kyle, confident that Harang hadn’t received any instruction from Duke Kalel, urged him to answer.

“The name of the swordsmanship is… ‘Sky Sword.’ It means a sword that reaches the sky and a sword that cuts the sky.”

“Sky Sword? Skyy Sooorrd? Puhahahah!”

Clatter! The sound of a chair tipping over could be heard as someone hastily tried to stand. But Kyle, oblivious, had already walked right into Harang’s trap.

“Wa-wait, Kyle…!”

“What kind of absurd swordsmanship is that?! Where in the world does such a thing even exi-cough?!”

Smack!

The other family members rushed forward to stop Kyle, but Harang was faster, kicking him in the stomach and standing up.

“Brother, I don’t care if you disrespect me. But no matter what, you shouldn’t insult Grandfather’s sword.”

“Gr-Grandfather’s, the head’s swordsmanship? What do you mean…?”

“You don’t get it? Then, I’ll show you right now. What the ‘Sky Sword’ is.”

Only then did Kyle realize something was wrong, and his face turned pale.


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