Chapter 39: Will you prove your worthy?

This wasn’t just a flip-flop; Kayn’s attitude towards me had completely changed overnight.

Was the fact that I beat him really that shocking, or did he have some ulterior motive for acting this way towards me?

Considering Kayn’s personality, it was likely the latter.

If he were truly shocked by defeat, he would have already followed Zed’s orders without complaint long ago.

Even if he acts like this towards me now, there’s nothing more I can do for Kayn.

It’s not out of lingering resentment, but because I believe my role ended with giving Kayn a harsh lesson.

From here on, it’s a problem for Zed and Kayn to resolve between themselves.

My further interference as an outsider wouldn’t be much help.

Thinking that saying this directly might completely break Kayn’s spirit, I decided to explain it indirectly.

As always, excessive discipline doesn’t help a child; it can crush their will to grow further.

I helped Kayn, who was still prostrating himself, to his feet and spoke softly.

“My forgiveness for you ended with yesterday’s incident.”

“Therefore, I have nothing more to say about that matter from now on.”

“However, I do want to say this.”

“Your current appearance does not suit the person you are.”

“What I intended to teach you was a warning that your arrogance would someday become poison, not that you should lose your confidence.”

“Do what you truly wish to achieve, not for the sake of gaining recognition from others.”

“Yes, first… it seems you should start by properly wielding the weapon you are holding.”

“!!!”

“Do you know what this is?”

“No, I don’t know exactly what it is.”

“But based on the sensation I felt when you held that weapon yesterday, it seems highly likely it’s a weapon sealing something alive.”

The strong scent of slaughter emanating from that weapon and the mass of consciousness felt from it revealed that the weapon was not ordinary.

If Kayn fails to dominate that weapon, his consciousness will be devoured by the consciousness of the entity sealed within, and he will cease to exist in this world.

Conversely, if Kayn dominates it, he can draw out and use the power of the being trapped within that weapon.

This is an either/or situation, so the outcome is extreme either way.

Since one of the two will be annihilated, it’s somewhat obvious.

I’m curious where he obtained such a weapon, but the fact that Kayn’s mind is still enduring the weapon’s corrosion offers a glimpse of his strong mental fortitude.

Kayn is definitely not some extra A whose talent or skill pales in comparison to anyone else.

He’s strong enough to beat most formidable opponents if put anywhere right now.

However, in the fight against me, he lost simply because Kayn only saw me as a common mother of a child, and I thoroughly countered his attacks.

My thoughts alone won’t change anything, but I hope Kayn heads in the right direction.

Although rumors circulate that Zed killed his master and stole secret techniques, he is running around here and there to protect Ionia.

He has a dark hero vibe, making me even think the rumors about him might not be true.

Just then, the ninja (Zed) suddenly appeared.

It was truly abrupt timing, but I figured he must have had some reason for appearing only now.

Zed approached the kneeling Kayn, placed a hand on his shoulder, and spoke.

“Kayn, it’s pathetic that you died!”

“Since you started the fight, you must accept the outcome.”

“Of course, I should, but I didn’t die?”

“No, you are already dead.”

“What did you say??!!?!”

‘What on earth is this charade?’

‘Like master, like disciple, they say, but I never expected Zed to be like this.’

‘A rational doubt arose: maybe he just came out without any thought for timing or anything else.’

“That’s why I told you.”

“You underestimate the power of the Darkin sealed in that scythe too much.”

“At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before it completely swallows you.”

“I had already marked you as the successor to lead this Order of Shadow!”

“This time, finally, throw away that weapon!”

“Ha!”

“I will elevate this Order of Shadow into a group that Ionia cannot ignore.”

“To do that, I will bring this scythe completely under my control.”

“Rhaast ( is the name of a dark, bloodthirsty weapon — specifically, a demonic scythe) will soon yield to me.”

“When that day comes, the Order of Shadow will soar to greater heights!”

‘What is this situation, like ‘I brought beef soup, so eat it’ versus ‘No, I’m full, you eat it with the kimchi in the fridge’?’

‘My mind feels like it’s going to break watching the skit between these two, where one refuses the offered spoon-feeding and insists on serving an even bigger spoonful piled high with various things, demanding the other just accept it.’

‘Where am I?’

‘Who am I?’

I stopped the childish fight between the two that I couldn’t bear to watch and chased them out of the house, telling them to quickly be on their way.

‘What exactly did I fight Kayn for, even using my techniques?’

‘Did I train just to do this kind of thing?’ I feel pathetic and distressed.

‘I should quickly go to work,’ I thought, sighing deeply and returning inside.

Ah, speaking of which, I forgot to tell Kayn to clean up the mess he made of my training ground before leaving.

It will take a long time to clean all that up and flatten the ground…

‘I don’t know.’

‘Let’s leave future tasks to future me.’

‘Good luck! Future me!’

In the dead of night when everyone was asleep, a man imprisoned in a cell read a book, accompanied by the moonlight.

The language written in the book was not the one used by Ionians, so an ordinary person witnessing this scene would simply think it was a prisoner reading.

However, the reality was merely that of a crazed murderer contemplating how to decorate his stage through the contents written in that book – Hextech theory.

“That’s what they would think.”

“If they were Muggles (an Ionian dialect term meaning fool) who couldn’t understand my work.”

“But creating work that can move even such people to tears of emotion is what makes a master.”

“A genius like me, that is.”

Khada Jhin, the man captured by Shen and Zed and imprisoned once again, sensed that his next performance was imminent from the sound of footsteps coming from the opposite end of the prison corridor and put on a smiling face.

Jhin stood up to confirm who the client commissioning a performance that would go down in history was, and put back on the mask he had briefly taken off.

“With this, all preparations are complete.”

“Shall we… begin the show?”

Ladies and gentlemen of the audience, please take your seats.