Chapter 157: The Sword Bearer and the Guardian of the Sword

Looking at Aches' excited expression, Yam let out a light chuckle. "In our Soderbell Family, every branch of the lineage has one designated slot. Even if you truly possess no aptitude, you can still become a Bloodline Knight. However, the qualifications granted by that slot merely give you the corresponding power. In truth, it does not fundamentally alter your bloodline potential."

Aches' face, filled with excitement, showed a hint of confusion. "Uncle Yam, I don’t quite understand. Does that mean even if I have no aptitude or talent, it doesn’t matter?"

Yam and Ion had already been observing Aches for two years.

Since he returned home at the age of thirteen to begin his training, they had been constantly observing his nature. After all, he had been away from home for too long, and they had no clear understanding of what kind of person he had become over those years. Thus, careful observation and judgment were necessary.

But Aches had not disappointed them.

He possessed a certain cleverness. Perhaps it was because of the poverty he endured in the past and his need to frequently find ways to earn money to support the family that his mind became incredibly sharp. He often came up with very ingenious ideas. Some of these ideas quickly led him to solutions, while others caused him some setbacks. Yet over the past two years, Yam and Ion never stopped him from pursuing these ideas.

Only when his actions might endanger himself would they intervene and urge him to reflect and review his actions.

Eight months ago, Yam had him attempt to handle the problem with the ruffians in White Mountain City, treating it as his coming-of-age assessment.

So, after discussing with his companions, Aches came up with a plan to dominate the underground forces of White Mountain City and then transfer them to Westerburg.

Although the plan bore some resemblance to slave trading in essence, it did significantly improve the public order of White Mountain City and also enhanced the patrol and defense capacity of the White Mountain Territory. The so-called "victims" were a bunch of thugs long despised by the city’s residents.

Thus, the plan was quickly approved, and Lily arranged for a team to support the operation.

And Aches, indeed, did not disappoint.

Of course, this was also closely tied to his relentless training over the past two years. The core of the entire plan was for Aches to build his own reputation, as only someone like him—who had roamed the streets for years—could carry that aura of a street thug. If Lily had arranged for someone else, they would have been exposed immediately.

Hardworking, diligent, self-disciplined, faithful, cooperative, and strong in personal ability—most importantly, Aches never grew arrogant or complacent. These traits quickly made Aches a child highly admired by both Ion and Yam.

Naturally, this led them to move his Bloodline Awakening plan up the schedule.

At that moment, hearing Aches’ question, Yam brought him to the small study that had always been off-limits to everyone.

But unexpectedly, someone was already inside.

“Father.”

A little girl with adorable, doll-like features saw Yam and Aches enter. She was slightly startled, then blinked and quickly climbed down from a stack of chairs, offering a courteous and respectful bow to both of them.

“Aches brother.”

“So it's little Cindy.” Aches smiled and stepped forward to pick up nearly five-year-old Cindy. “What are you doing here?”

“Sword.” Cindy turned and pointed to the long sword placed on the bookshelf.

Aches looked at the bookshelf where a layer had been cleared to hold a stick-like object wrapped in white cloth, and a look of curiosity appeared on his face.

But his mind worked quickly.

He immediately realized that Yam had brought him here for a reason, so he looked at Yam. “Uncle, did you bring me here to show me this sword?”

At that moment, Yam gazed at his daughter Cindy with a somewhat complicated expression.

Though he had spent the past two years guiding and educating Aches, treating him like his own son, he had invested just as much—if not more—effort into his daughter’s upbringing. Thus, Yam quickly noticed that Cindy’s growth rate was much faster than he had expected.

Though she appeared no different from other five-year-olds, her strength far exceeded that of eight- or nine-year-old children.

Moreover, even though Yam had never seen it with his own eyes, he always felt that Cindy’s innocence and simplicity were a deliberate façade. She was likely far more mature than anyone imagined. Especially in the past year, Yam had discovered many times that Cindy often ran to this small study to approach the Demonic Sword. Though he knew the Demonic Sword had resonated with Cindy and that she was destined to wield it in the future—

Yam subconsciously wanted to prevent her from touching the Demonic Sword too early.

Unfortunately, his suggestion to hide the sword had been opposed by Ion and Akar. Their reasoning was straightforward: since Cindy was the first of the third generation—and currently the only sword bearer—of the Soderbell Family, her behavior could be seen as the Demonic Sword calling out to her, helping her become more familiar with the weapon she would eventually wield. Clearly, that was a good thing.

Because of that reasoning, Yam had no choice but to turn a blind eye to Cindy’s repeated attempts to approach the Demonic Sword.

"This sword is, in fact, the true foundation of our Soderbell Family." Yam sighed, took the Demonic Sword from the bookshelf, placed it on the table, and unwrapped the cloth strips covering it. "You should already know the surname of our Soderbell Family."

"Sword Bearer."

Aches nodded, but quickly caught on. "Does 'Sword Bearer' mean… the one who holds this sword?"

"Correct." Yam nodded.

As he spoke, he kept observing Cindy, yet saw her expression remain remarkably calm as she simply stared intently at the long sword on the table.

"To be precise, we don’t choose a 'Sword Bearer' ourselves. It is the sword that decides who may become its 'Sword Bearer'." Seeing no reaction from Cindy, Yam continued, "Only those who can resonate with it are qualified to become its 'Sword Bearer'. …But unfortunately, neither you nor Liam have that qualification."

"Little Cindy?" Aches looked down at the girl in his arms.

This time, however, Cindy quickly struggled to get down, so Aches carefully placed her onto a chair.

As Cindy stood on the chair and reached out her small hand toward the long, abyss-black sword on the table, a faint white light emerged from it.

The light was neither bright nor dazzling, but it dimmed the heavy black glow on the sword’s surface, as if it had been layered in silver. The entire blade immediately took on a radiant and majestic appearance, no longer giving off the initial impression of being some shady or suspicious artifact.

Seeing the sword resonate with Cindy once again, Yam could only sigh softly.

He glanced at the equally stunned Aches before speaking. "This Demonic Sword possesses an ability called Purification. It can enhance and amplify the effects of Bloodline Potions, though currently it can only enhance those of third-tier or below."

"Then doesn’t that mean anyone can obtain third-tier bloodline abilities through it?" Aches' face turned red with excitement. "If that’s the case, then our Soderbell Family..."

"There is a usage limit." Little Cindy looked up, staring seriously at Aches. "There are only three uses left."

Aches was stunned and looked up at Yam.

Yam gave a slight nod and said, "Purification has limited uses—only seven in total. Your third uncle and I have used two each, so three remain. Two of those belong to you. …Strictly speaking, they were meant for your father. But since your father Arsen died in an assassination conspiracy, you, as Arsen's descendant, naturally inherit this legacy."

"What if I don’t claim the inheritance..."

"Then it will pass to your offspring," Yam said solemnly. "Though there are only two uses left, since Purification currently only enhances up to third-tier bloodlines, the two are already more than enough. At the very least, it ensures you can ascend to third-tier bloodline."

Only now did Aches recall that his second and third uncles had recently advanced to third-tier bloodline users. With that in mind, he realized they had used the sword's ability.

"So our Soderbell Family was never truly a bloodline family of innate talent and immense potential?"

"No." Yam’s face turned stern. "You can lie about that to others, but never to yourself. …Perhaps our future descendants might truly possess innate bloodline aptitude, but not me, not your third uncle, and certainly not you. Liam's aptitude is actually the weakest among the entire third generation of our family."

Aches was left speechless.

There were only three members of the Soderbell Family’s third generation: Cindy, him, and Liam.

Then Aches sharply noticed a problem.

"If I use up the Purification slot, and later I have other siblings—or children—what then?"

"The Demonic Sword’s Purification has only seven total uses. We three brothers share two each. More precisely, each of our bloodlines is allotted two uses. Whether you use both to ascend to third-tier yourself, or give one to a brother or son, is up to your branch."

Yam spoke gravely.

"But I personally advise you to concentrate the resources."

"Moreover, the Demonic Sword can assess aptitude even when a person is very young. So in the future, if you have many offspring, you must carefully consider how best to allocate your remaining slots."

Aches took a deep breath and nodded. "I understand. …Then what happens when the uses run out?"

"Reclaim." Cindy suddenly spoke up. "After you die, I’ll stab it into your body and retrieve all the gifts it gave you, to ensure the Purification count still exists."

Hearing Cindy say such a chilling thing so seriously, Yam couldn’t help but bark out, "Cindy! Is that how you talk to your brother?"

"I'm telling the truth." Cindy tilted her head, looking curiously at her father, puzzled by his intense emotional reaction. But soon she seemed to realize, "Oh, father, you’re worried I’d play favorites if you died? Don’t worry. If you die, I’ll do the same. …Just like grandfather taught me—no resources should ever be wasted."

Aches looked nervously at Yam, whose face had turned dark, and for the first time found himself both troubled and speechless because of his little cousin.

So he quickly changed the subject. "Little Cindy, what about you?"

"I can resonate with the Demonic Sword," Cindy said seriously. "So I don’t need to waste your Purification slots. …But if I die, you should still stab the sword into my body and retrieve the gifts it gave me."

"Enough." Yam snapped. "Get out. Now."

Cindy looked at her father, her round, black eyes full of confusion.

But she didn’t argue. She turned and tried to jump down from the chair.

"Put the sword down," Yam said, seeing her gripping the sword hilt.

Cindy looked at her father again, this time a bit longer, then released her grip, jumped down, and trotted to the door. She stopped and looked back at the two men in the room.

"I told you to leave. Why are you still looking at me?"

"You didn’t open the door. How am I supposed to leave?" Cindy asked, puzzled. "I can’t reach it."

"Then how did you get in?"

"I told the guard I was playing hide-and-seek with a friend and asked him to open the door for me. Then I came in," Cindy said earnestly. "I also told him to leave quickly and not to stand around, or I’d definitely be found. And if anyone asked if he saw me, he had to say no. I also told him he was the only one I met, so if I got caught, I’d know he told."

Yam’s breathing quickened.

He stood up abruptly, opened the door, and shooed Cindy out.

Seeing his second uncle’s reaction, Aches wisely stayed silent.

The study fell into a prolonged silence.

After a moment, Yam began clearing the table and said in a low voice, "Cindy is currently the only Sword Bearer in our Soderbell Family. I don’t know if all Sword Bearers are like this or if Cindy is simply unique, which is why she became the Sword Bearer."

"Uncle..."

Yam waved his hand and shook his head slightly. "No need to say more. This may be the price our Soderbell Family has to pay for borrowing the Demonic Sword’s power. …But in this world, if we aren’t bloodline users, our lives will only be more miserable. So if this small price means our family can live better, then it’s a price worth paying."

"Aches, you must remember this."

"Only those chosen by the Demonic Sword through resonance can truly wield its power. They are the so-called 'Sword Bearers'. You and I, we are merely 'Guardians of the Sword'. We exist to protect this sword. …Without this Demonic Sword, the Soderbell Family would likely cease to exist. It is only by possessing this Demonic Sword that we are the Soderbell Family."

"I understand, Uncle Yam." Aches understood the intent behind his uncle’s words and quickly expressed his stance. "I will never compete with Cindy for this Demonic Sword. I will dedicate all my strength to protect the Soderbell Family."

"You may understand, but that doesn’t mean your future descendants will." Yam shook his head slightly. "So when you have descendants one day, you must pass these words on to them. Let them understand the difference between a 'Sword Bearer' and a 'Guardian of the Sword'. …Even Cindy’s descendants may not necessarily become 'Sword Bearers', just as your grandfather, your third uncle, and I could not become 'Sword Bearers'."

"What about my father?"

"He was the 'Sword Bearer' of the previous generation." Yam had originally intended to say he didn’t know, but at the last moment, he changed his words instinctively. "So, do you understand what I mean now? …A 'Sword Bearer' is not chosen by us. It is the Demonic Sword that makes the choice. Only those who can resonate with it are qualified to be its Sword Bearer."

"Then, is it possible that multiple people might resonate with the Demonic Sword?"

"I don’t know." Yam gave a bitter smile. "Before your father, our family even struggled with how to survive. …Aches, remember this: everything the Soderbell Family has today did not come easily. It came through much blood and tears—and your father’s sacrifice. So not only I, but you too must protect our family and kin. Understand?"

A great sense of responsibility instantly settled over Aches, and he straightened up with renewed vigor. "I understand!"

"Very good." Yam smiled in satisfaction and nodded. "Then let’s talk about which bloodline might suit you better."

"I can choose?!" Aches’ face lit up with surprise.

"Ordinary people can’t. But Soderbell Family members with a special slot… can." Yam smiled. "Your third uncle and I didn’t get to choose, but now you next generation don’t have to struggle like we did. You’re the first to enjoy this honor."

...

Meanwhile, having been driven out of the study, Cindy quickly made her way to the back courtyard.

There, she encountered a guard.

"Miss Cindy? What are you doing here?"

"I lost at hide-and-seek." Cindy replied somewhat gloomily.

"I didn’t say anything!" the guard quickly said.

"I know." Cindy nodded. "It’s just an unfortunate coincidence. It’s not your fault."

Cindy looked at the large iron basin of meat chunks the guard was carrying and asked curiously, "What are you doing with all that meat?"

"The magical beast cub in the rear forest has started going wild again," the guard quickly replied. "It’s probably entering a growth phase—its appetite has suddenly increased, so we’ve had to feed it more. Otherwise, it starts attacking people. One of the guards was already bitten."

"Magical beast cub?" Cindy said with interest. "Take me to see it!"

"Well..." The guard hesitated.

"The rear forest isn’t big. If you don’t take me, I’ll just find it myself. Then you’ll have to come looking for me, which will be even more troublesome." Cindy said sternly and began reasoning, "If you take me now, you’ll know where I am, and won’t have to worry about me getting into trouble. If I were you, I’d make a deal—so long as I behave and don’t run off, you’d let me come along to see the magical beast cub."

"Then you must behave. Don’t go running off," the guard relented helplessly.

"Okay." Cindy nodded. "But… I get to feed it later."

"No way!"

"I know where to find meat."

The guard immediately felt another headache coming on. "Then you must stay at a safe distance. Do not get too close."

"Okay, I promise." Cindy nodded again.

Looking at Cindy’s cute and obedient expression, it was hard for the guard to imagine this was the same girl who had just threatened him. But he knew it wasn’t a hallucination. Every guard in the lord’s manor knew of Miss Cindy’s notorious reputation.

"Miss Cindy, there’s one more thing you must promise me."

"What is it?" Cindy looked up at him with confusion. "You’re acting strange today. You’re talking more than usual."

"No matter what crazy ideas you come up with, you must not kill that magical beast cub." The guard quickly said, "Lord Yam and Lord Ion both instructed us to raise it with care. We’ve been feeding it for over three years, so you absolutely must not kill it."

"Okay, I promise. Is that good enough?"

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