Chapter 40: The Main Line

By the time Sigurd stepped out of the bathroom, the last traces of the journey had finally been washed from his body.

A white bathrobe hung loosely around his small frame as he crossed the enormous bedroom prepared for him, his damp ash-white hair falling around his face with its black roots exposed.

The estate’s servants had already unpacked most of his belongings while he bathed. Fresh clothes had been arranged across the bed, his sword rested within easy reach beside them, and even the books Sylvia had given him had been placed neatly on a nearby table.

Sigurd changed into a clean black shirt and trousers, fastened his belt, ran a hand through his still-damp hair, and left the bedroom. He followed the corridor toward the dining room, guided as much by the smell of dinner as by the servant who had offered to escort him.

The dining room was almost absurdly large for one ten-year-old boy. A long polished table occupied its center beneath a chandelier of glowing crystals, while tall windows overlooked gardens now disappearing beneath the evening darkness.

Dinner had already been arranged across one end of the table: roasted meat glazed with herbs, vegetables, bread still warm from the ovens, soup, several smaller dishes Sigurd didn’t recognize, and enough food to feed considerably more people than were currently present.

Ottilie stood beside his chair in a fresh maid uniform, hands folded neatly before her.

The moment Sigurd entered, she dipped her head and greeted him with a warm smile. "Welcome, Young Master. I hope the bath was comfortable. The kitchen prepared dinner as soon as they heard you had finished."

Sigurd pulled out his chair and sat down, glancing over the spread before answering, "Comfortable enough that I briefly considered staying there for the rest of the night."

Ottilie’s smile widened at that, but before she could respond, footsteps approached from the corridor. Captain Hartwin appeared at the open doorway shortly afterward, no longer wearing the heavier pieces of armor he had used during the journey, although his sword remained at his waist.

He stopped just inside the room, placed one fist against his chest, and said, "Tenth Young Master, forgive the interruption. I’ve returned to give the report you requested."

Sigurd had already reached for his utensils, but he paused and looked from Hartwin to the ridiculous quantity of food covering the table. "Good timing. Sit down and eat while you report."

When Hartwin visibly stiffened, Sigurd turned toward Ottilie and casually added, "You too. Sit. There is enough food here for twelve people, and I’m not eating all of this."

The reaction was immediate. Hartwin’s expression, which had remained steady through forests and ten days of travel, changed as though Sigurd had suggested they commit treason over dinner.

Ottilie’s face similarly lost some color.

Hartwin quickly shook his head and replied, "Young Master, I appreciate the invitation, but I cannot share the Main Family table with you. That would be improper."

Ottilie nodded so quickly that several strands of chestnut hair shifted beside her cheek, then added with unusual urgency, "Captain Hartwin is correct, Young Master. Please eat comfortably. I am perfectly fine standing here."

Sigurd stared at both of them. "I’m not asking whether you’re comfortable standing. I’m telling you to throw away the formality for one meal and sit down."

He gestured toward the empty chairs surrounding him, but neither person moved. Hartwin actually looked more uncomfortable with the available chair than he had while discussing potentially dangerous forests.

Sigurd frowned and tried again. "Hartwin, you spent ten years on the Outer Battlefield. Ottilie, you’ve been ordering an entire group of maids around since we left home. Surely neither of you is going to be defeated by a dining chair."

Hartwin’s mouth tightened as he suppressed whatever response first came to mind. "Young Master, being afraid of the chair is not the problem. There are household rules regarding the Main Family’s dining table, and I would prefer not to explain to Lady Sylvia that I ignored them on my first evening inside her Helheim estate."

Ottilie gave Hartwin a grateful look for expressing exactly what she was thinking before turning back to Sigurd. "And I would prefer not to explain it either, Young Master. Lady Sylvia is very kind, but there are certain things even I would rather not test."

Sigurd spent another minute attempting to persuade them, only to receive increasingly polite refusals. When it became obvious that neither would surrender even if he ordered them directly, he finally leaned back with a tired expression and waved one hand.

"Fine. Whatever. Stand there if it makes both of you happy."

Relief passed over Hartwin’s face before he could completely hide it, while Ottilie released a quiet breath and recovered her usual smile.

Sigurd noticed both reactions and decided the hierarchy of House Grandel had apparently traumatized perfectly functional adults in ways Demonic Beasts hadn’t managed.

He stopped caring and began eating. After several bites, he pointed his fork toward Hartwin and said, "Continue. I asked you to find out which important children have already arrived in Helheim City."

Hartwin immediately returned to the composed manner of an officer delivering intelligence. "Yes, Young Master. I made inquiries after we reached the estate. All eligible children from the Seven Great Branch Houses have already arrived in the city: Eisenwald, Drachenmark, Blutkron, Falkenrath, Nachtwald, Sturmhardt, and Silberfang. Some arrived several weeks ago, while the final groups entered within the last few days. Their households appear to be waiting for the formal admission process."

Sigurd continued eating while listening, mentally matching the seven names with sections from Sylvia’s dossier.

Hartwin waited until Sigurd had finished chewing before continuing his report. "The Eighteen Vassal Houses have also sent all of their eligible children. Every Vassal House is represented this year. That includes Archlight, although our own entrants arrived before I returned from the journey with you. There are also numerous children from military families, officials, retainers, and other households recognized beneath Grandel authority, but compiling every name will take considerably longer."

Sigurd nodded as he tore a piece from the warm bread on his plate. That was expected. Helheim wasn’t some private classroom for several famous families; the academy drew its students from the enormous structure beneath House Zierghardt.

The Main Family, Seven Great Branches, and Eighteen Vassal Houses were simply the most prominent names among them. Beneath those powers existed countless soldiers, officers, retainers, officials, servants, craftsmen, and other subordinate households whose children could earn admission as long as they satisfied Helheim’s requirements.

If Hartwin attempted to collect detailed information on every ten-year-old entering this year, Sigurd suspected the poor man wouldn’t sleep for several days.

After taking another bite, Sigurd suddenly remembered the one group Hartwin hadn’t mentioned.

He raised his gaze and asked, "What about the Main Family? Apart from me, which children have arrived?"

For the first time since beginning the report, Hartwin hesitated. It lasted only a moment, but Sigurd noticed it immediately.

The captain adjusted his posture before answering, "There are five, Young Master. All five are your cousins. Cassian Di Grandel, Konrad Di Grandel, Matthias Di Grandel, Isolde Di Grandel, and Helena Di Grandel. They are all ten years old and eligible for this year’s admission."

Sigurd’s fork stopped halfway toward his mouth.

Five cousins.

He searched his memory of the Soul Revelation Ceremony five years earlier and found none of those names attached to the children who had awakened alongside him.

He remembered the Eisenwald prodigy who had awakened a Legendary Martial Soul. He remembered the Drachenmark girl doing the same.

He remembered children from the other Branch and Vassal Houses waiting their turns, the pressure inside the Martial Soul Hall, Sylvia watching from outside, and eventually his own name being called as the only direct-line child participating in that ceremony.

If five cousins from the Main Family were the same age as him, Sigurd should have remembered seeing at least one of them.

Sigurd slowly lowered his fork and looked at Hartwin with genuine confusion. "That’s strange. None of them were at my Soul Revelation Ceremony. I was the only Main Family child there that day."

Ottilie, who had remained quietly beside him throughout the report, immediately understood where his confusion came from.

Her expression softened with amusement as she explained, "Because they weren’t scheduled for your ceremony, Young Master. Soul Revelation isn’t a single annual ceremony where every child who becomes five during that year awakens together. A child undergoes Soul Revelation once they reach the proper age. You happened to turn five three days before those five cousins of yours, so your ceremony came first. Their ceremonies followed afterward."

Sigurd blinked.

Then he felt slightly stupid.

He had unconsciously treated his Soul Revelation Ceremony like some fixed yearly event because so many children had gathered at the Martial Soul Hall that day. In reality, House Grandel was enormous.

Once the Main Family, Seven Great Branches, Eighteen Vassal Houses, and all the countless bloodlines beneath them were considered, children would naturally be born throughout every part of the year.

There was no reason a child born several days after Sigurd should undergo Soul Revelation early merely so everyone of approximately the same age could be placed into one convenient ceremony.

Seeing the realization settle across Sigurd’s face, Ottilie continued with a small smile. "There could be a child somewhere within the family turning five tomorrow, Young Master, and that child would then prepare for Soul Revelation. Another might turn five three days later. The ceremonies continue throughout the year as children become eligible. Your five cousins were simply born three days after you, so they belonged to the group immediately following yours."

Sigurd leaned back in his chair, his earlier confusion disappearing. "So that’s all it was. For a moment I was wondering how five Main Family children managed to vanish from the ceremony without me noticing them."

Hartwin’s expression relaxed now that the misunderstanding had been resolved. He gave a small nod before saying, "No, Young Master. Their ceremonies occurred normally. All five have trained separately over the last five years, and they arrived in Helheim City before ours. If you wish, I can gather more detailed information concerning their Martial Souls, cultivation, instructors, combat records, and anything else publicly known before you meet them."

Sigurd didn’t answer immediately. His iron-grey eyes narrowed slightly as he considered the five unfamiliar names.

Unlike the Great Branch and Vassal descendants whose names currently existed mostly as entries inside Sylvia’s thick intelligence book, these five shared the Main Family bloodline with him.

They were cousins he had somehow gone ten years without meeting, children raised beneath the same monstrous family name but in different households, under different parents, instructors, expectations, and circumstances.

Soon all six of them would walk into Helheim alongside descendants from the Seven Great Branches, the Eighteen Vassal Houses, and countless other children beneath Zierghardt authority.

That thought finally brought a faint smirk to Sigurd’s face.

He placed his fork down for a moment and glanced toward the tall windows, beyond which Helheim City glittered beneath the night. Somewhere in this enormous metropolis, those five cousins were likely preparing for the exact same thing he was.

"I really want to see these cousins of mine," Sigurd murmured, his smirk widening slightly as curiosity flickered through his iron-grey eyes. "After all, we’re the only ones from the Main Line, and we’re being badly outnumbered here."