The Return of the Talented Monopolist is Special

The day when the nine children who passed the Trial of the Lion were officially recognized as vassals of Pencel had arrived.

It was the day of the appointment ceremony.

Along with all the vassals who manage and maintain the vast and enormous Pencel, even the guardian knights who protect Pencel gathered in the grand auditorium.

Eldora, Raul, and other successful cadet children’s guardians were scattered around the room.

At the very front of the hall, Jade and the first butler were quietly having a conversation.

In the center of the hall, various delicious foods and warm teas brewed with herbs were set up.

The efforts of some people seemed to be fully reflected in these preparations.

It wasn’t as grand as the events at the Roberg mansion, but considering it was Pencel, the atmosphere was relatively elegant and cozy, with a warm ambiance.

And then, Yujin entered the hall, holding the hand of one person.

“My son… this is all a place made for our son.”

It was his mother, Lilian.

“It’s not exactly like that…”

“No, I’ve heard everything. How wonderfully you passed the trial.”

Eugene awkwardly smiled.

Lilian was normally a calm person, but whenever she talked about Eugene, she often became unusually excited or overly enthusiastic.

Perhaps it was because she hadn’t quite adjusted… well, anyway.

Of course, Eugene also understood his mother’s unspoken feelings.

‘It’s been almost 10 years since she came to Pencel after marrying father. It must feel strange for her.’

As Eugene glanced toward the front of the hall, he clicked his tongue lightly.

‘She’ll have to meet someone like Sirius again, so she probably won’t be entirely comfortable either.’

When Lilian and Eugene entered, people briefly turned their attention toward them but quickly turned away.

Lilian smiled softly.

“It seems like they haven’t yet heard what you accomplished during the trial, judging by how little attention is on you.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“I suppose it could be seen that way.”

It was a well-known fact among the powerful that there was no need to openly show one’s strength in public.

Lilian lovingly ruffled Eugene’s hair.

“Aren’t you hungry? There’s still some time before the ceremony, and there’s a lot of food over there. It looks delicious.”

“I’m fine… but I guess I should have a bite.”

He couldn’t ignore the efforts of Tugwi and Gungwi, after all.

As Eugene was about to grab a snack…

“Ah, hello!”

He turned his head toward the voice of a young girl coming from the side.

“Eugene! This is my younger sister, Ailer. Ah, hello, Mother!”

Raul smiled as he introduced his younger sister, Ailer, and greeted Lilian as well.

Interestingly, it seemed that Raul’s guardian was his younger sister.

Eugene had an idea of why that might be, but he decided to just let it slide.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from RaulOppaa. About you, Yujin-nim.”

“Ah, I see.”

Eugene nodded nonchalantly, and Lilian looked back and forth between Raul and Ailer.

“So, you’re Raul? Wow, you’re quite handsome. It’s nice to meet you, Ailer.”

“Hello, Mother, you’re so beautiful as well.”

“Thank you, even if it’s just a compliment, hoho.”

“It’s true, hehe.”

Although it was a bit awkward since it was the first time they had met, the atmosphere became more relaxed as Raul acted so charmingly.

They were chatting casually when suddenly—

Clap!

On the upper floor of the auditorium, about three steps up, Pencel’s head butler clapped his hands to gather everyone’s attention.

“Good day, everyone. Please, pay attention.”

As everyone’s gaze shifted, the head butler briefly explained the appointment ceremony.

“As you know, after today’s ceremony, the nine children will become official trainees of Pencel, residing here and undergoing training. And…”

The head butler smiled slightly and added.

“The training period will be at least five years, and unless they are exceptionally talented, they are unlikely to finish it sooner.”

At least five years.

Although Yujin had already known this, Lilian’s expression showed clear signs of disappointment.

“It’ll be over soon, Mother.”

“Mm…”

It had been difficult even after a few weeks apart, so five years did seem long.

However, it couldn’t be helped. It was Pencel, after all.

The head butler continued with his explanation.

“Once they complete the training period, they will be eligible to join Pencel’s prestigious knight orders: the Blue Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird orders.”

These were the knight orders led by Muel, Sirius, Clark, and Lilian.

Upon hearing this, the children’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Some whispered to themselves that they would join the Black Tortoise order led by Sir Clark.

Others murmured that the White Tiger order was the most difficult to enter and the strongest.

And there were, of course, whispers about the Vermilion Bird order.

“The Vermilion Bird order is almost extinct, right?”

“I heard the previous commander was pretty useless.”

“Shh! Quiet. I heard the Vermilion Bird is here today.”

Here, “Vermilion Bird” referred to Lilian.

Lilian heard the murmurs and gave a somewhat bitter smile.

At that moment, people started to part as someone walked toward them.

It was Sirius and the Ince brothers, along with Clark and Eldora.

“Lilian, it’s been a while.”

“Hello, brother-in-law. How have you been?”

Clark smiled and greeted Lilian, and she responded warmly.

“Oh my, so you’re Eldora. How beautiful you are.”

“Hello.”

But Sirius had a completely different reaction.

“Haha… Lilian, you’re still as clueless as ever. Or wait, were you always clueless even when you knew?”

“…Hello, Sirius oppa.”

Despite not having seen each other for ten years, Sirius didn’t seem happy to see Lilian. Instead, his expression seemed to say, What are you doing here?

“I don’t know what face you’re showing here, but I just hope the appointment ceremony finishes without incident today.”

Lilian nodded with a neutral expression.

“Yes.”

“…Tsk.”

Sirius looked at Lilian with dissatisfaction before shifting his gaze to Yujin.

“Anyway, Yujin, since you’ve passed the test, I hope you do well moving forward.”

Yujin tried to brush off Sirius’ words, but it was hard to hold back his smile.

The subtle inferiority in the words “you passed the test” felt so trivial that it made him laugh inwardly.

“Yes, thank you…”

“Did you just laugh?”

“No?”

Sirius asked coldly.

“I asked if you laughed while an adult was speaking.”

“I didn’t.”

The atmosphere grew icy, and Lilian, sensing the tension, put her arm around Yujin’s shoulder and gave a slight bow.

“To avoid causing any more problems, I’ll take my leave now. Let’s go, Yujin.”

Sirius narrowed his eyes and glared at Yujin before muttering as he turned away.

“Tsk… the child is just like his father. I wonder if Mother, up in the heavens, would have wanted such a grandchild.”

At that moment.

“Sirius oppa.”

Lilian called out to Sirius.

“What did you just say?”

“What? Should I answer just like your son did? Saying I didn’t say anything?”

“Why bring up my mother and mention Yujin here? What’s your intention?”

Lilian’s voice dropped low, and Sirius also glared at her.

“Hah… Lilian. You seem to misunderstand everything, don’t you?”

“Say it.”

“You left the family like a rebellious teenager over ten years ago. And now you’ve gone off and married, making you an outsider.”

“I’m an adult now. Why would I stay in one place, advocating for beliefs that don’t align with me?”

“What? How dare you speak without knowing your place!”

“Again with ‘outsider.’ How do you still know those outdated terms and use them so freely? What’s wrong with you? You’re still so concerned about what others think, aren’t you—”

Slap!

Sirius struck Lilian’s cheek with a resounding slap.

“Concerned about what others think? Do you think I’m worried about you tarnishing Pencel’s honor on such an important day? Don’t you realize that’s why I did it?”

Lilian stood still, her cheek still turned from the slap. Slowly, she turned her head.

“…Let’s end this here, oppa. I’ll take my leave now.”

The atmosphere in the auditorium, which had been full of murmurs, gradually quieted down as people began to whisper among themselves.

“Thanks for showing me a good example as an uncle, my dear sister. It seems that your son, the one you raised after leaving the house, received a good education.”

Once again mentioning Yujin, Lilian could no longer hold back.

Crack!

Lilian grabbed Sirius by the collar and spat in a chilling voice.

“Don’t you dare speak recklessly.”

“You… you…!”

Sirius immediately activated his aura, trying to push Lilian’s hand off, but it didn’t go as planned.

Shh… Thud!

Gasp…!

Lilian threw Sirius against the wall of the auditorium with a forceful motion.

Behind her, the illusion of the Vermilion Bird flickered.

The power of the Vermilion Bird Lilian invoked was easily enough to overwhelm Sirius.

“Lilian… you… despicable…!”

Sirius, who had crashed into the broken wall, struggled to rise, clearly furious. He began to draw in his dense aura, and the illusion of the White Tiger appeared behind him.

Roar…

When the white aura of the White Tiger clashed with the red aura of the Vermilion Bird, sparks flew violently at the point of contact.

Gasp…!

“Get… get back! Move!”

The servants of Pencel, who had been watching the scene, instinctively stepped back, overwhelmed by the pressure from the White Tiger and Vermilion Bird.

But Lilian paid them no mind.

She confidently strode toward Sirius.

It was clear Lilian wasn’t planning on letting up with Sirius.

Sirius tried to mask his unease and opened his mouth.

“How dare you use force against me in Pencel…?”

“Say more!”

Whoosh!

Without giving him a chance, Lilian snapped and charged at Sirius.

Even though Sirius used the White Tiger’s power to defend himself—

Her punch, infused with the power of the Vermilion Bird, would surely burn through him if it even grazed him.

That was the nature of the Vermilion Bird’s power.

At that moment, Yujin observed.

Sirius is scared. His eyes are trembling wildly.

Even though he summoned the White Tiger, Sirius’ eyes showed that he knew he couldn’t block Lilian’s Vermilion Bird power. It seemed as if he had experienced this before.

It was already too late for him to stop her.

Crash!

Lilian’s punch, imbued with the power of the Vermilion Bird, landed squarely on Sirius’ face.

Flames from the Vermilion Bird ignited on Sirius’ left cheek, burning fiercely, while the inside of his mouth burst open, blood spilling out.

Grrr…

Whether Sirius groaned in pain or not, Lilian showed no sign of stopping.

“Do you think it’s over?”

Whoosh!

Lilian’s fist, now even more powerful with the illusion of the Vermilion Bird, was surrounded by red flames that blazed even darker.

The people watching in horror flinched, covering their faces and shrinking back. In the midst of that, Lilian threw another punch.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three more impact sounds echoed, and Sirius’ eyes glazed over as he neared the brink of unconsciousness.

At that moment, Lilian seemed ready to go beyond overwhelming Sirius and truly kill him.

With a face void of mercy, she prepared to strike again.

Bang…!

Clark had stepped between Lilian and Sirius.

“Cough… Enough. Both of you, stop.”

Clark’s green-hued tortoiseshell of the Black Tortoise barely blocked the punch from the Vermilion Bird.

Sirius, barely regaining his senses, quickly used the White Tiger’s aura to extinguish the flames on his face.

Lilian glared at Sirius as if she were going to kill him, then turned away. If it hadn’t been for Clark’s intervention, Sirius would have been seriously injured.

Lilian, with her back to him, spoke in a clear voice.

“If you don’t like me, or if you don’t like Yujin, let’s do this.”

“…?”

“The training period in Pencel is at least five years, right?”

“…”

“Yujin will finish it in three years. If that happens, the honor of Pencel, which you love so much, will be elevated, and I’ll have properly raised my son, so maybe even Mother, up in the heavens, will feel a little proud.”

Yujin, who overheard these words from behind, became serious.

‘What about my opinion…?’

He couldn’t bring himself to shake his head.

Lilian’s statement was meant not just for Sirius, but as a declaration to everyone present.

“…Dammit.”

Sirius, looking furious, muttered a curse under his breath as he touched his swollen cheek and quickly left the scene.

Once the tension eased, Lilian withdrew her flames and apologized to Clark.

“…Sorry, Oppa.”

“I’m fine, but I’m worried about the future.”

“We’ll handle it ourselves.”

“Hmm, how will you handle… no, never mind.”

Having been publicly humiliated, Sirius would likely harbor even more animosity toward Lilian from this day forward.

And Clark, who had quietly watched the whole scene, exhaled a silent breath.

Meanwhile, above, Jade, who had been seated on the stage, had also witnessed everything.

He didn’t plan to make an issue of the incident; he merely smiled faintly.

‘Still the same.’

***

Jade awarded the appointment letters to the nine children and exchanged a brief handshake with each of them. That was the entirety of the ceremony.

After the simple ceremony ended, Lilian took Yujin to his quarters, looking a little reluctant.

“If something happens, send the Golden Sword. Got it, Yujin? And eat this before it goes bad, and this is a supplement…”

Yujin smiled as he placed the snacks and clothes Lilian had packed on the bed.

“Got it. Thank you for everything, it must have been tiring.”

“You’re sounding more and more like an adult.”

“I guess it’s because I’ve been with the Golden Sword. Also—”

“?”

Lilian tilted her head in confusion as Yujin spoke with a serious expression.

“I’ll try to join the knight order within three years. Really.”

“Yujin, that was just something you said, it’s impossible—”

“No.”

Yujin looked out the window with steady eyes.

“It’s harder to watch people say bad things about my mother and see Uncle Sirius treating her recklessly. That’s what’s impossible.”

Lilian stared at him blankly for a moment, then nodded.

“Alright, then try it. I’ll be expecting it.”

“Three years isn’t long.”

Yujin clenched his fist, his determination firm.

Revenge for the Sun God Religion.

As part of that process, restoring his status in Pencel was crucial.

***

In the dark, solitary basement.

“A request has come in.”

A man, hidden in the deep shadows, picked up a piece of paper.

The assassins sitting around the room licked their lips in anticipation.

“How much is the reward? Who is the target?”

The man’s thick, resonant voice echoed through the basement.

“The reward is 1 billion gold.”

1 billion gold.

It was enough to live without working or worrying for at least 10 years.

It was the largest reward for a request that had ever been offered.

“Oooh…!”

The assassins’ eyes gleamed as they waited for the next part.

“The target is Yujin Robere.”

The assassins’ laughter stopped.

“That guy from about 10 years ago?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

The man answered and turned his head to stare at one person.

“Herkel.”

“…Yes?”

“Do you think you can do it this time?”

Herkel ran his fingers over the scars on his neck.

“I’ve killed several 6th-rank knights in the meantime, so I should be able to kill a brat like him.”

It was Herkel who had been tasked with infiltrating Yujin’s bedroom 10 years ago and inserting a poisoned needle sealed with aura-binding magic into him.

For some reason, the client had requested that Yujin not be killed.

Herkel gritted his teeth as he recalled the moment he failed the mission and fled.

“Suddenly, some strange energy surged from his heart. I nearly died because of that.”

The original reward had been 500 million, but it had doubled in five years.

This time, the client had permitted for Yujin to be killed.

“I will definitely kill him.”

The return of the talent monopolizer is special.