“Teron! You…!”
“Shut up and stay still! What would a helpless puppy like you know?!”
Even after Teron snapped at him, Daike refused to release his collar. Instead, he shook him even harder and shouted.
“You’re giving up on your dream! Have you lost your mind?”
“So what? Being the head of the family is much more impressive than being a traveler. Don’t you think?”
“You bastard…!”
That wasn’t true. Teron had always described the position of family head as “the ultimate form of tedious responsibility.”
And that wasn’t all. The head of a family was responsible for leading everyone beneath him.
He would inevitably be shackled by the burden of responsibility, especially in a family as vast as House Vyuern.
Novelty, excitement, freedom.
It was the exact opposite of the life Teron had always dreamed of.
There could only be one reason his attitude had changed so completely.
‘It’s because of me.’
It was a choice and a sacrifice made to save his life.
Knowing that, Daike found it impossible to remain calm.
“Take it back right now! Withdraw your declaration that you’ll become the successor!”
“No.”
Teron smiled leisurely.
The sight of that smile made Daike feel as though he would explode from frustration.
He couldn’t persuade Teron with words, nor could he twist his body into submission like he normally did.
That didn’t mean there was no other option.
‘I just have to die.’
Tradition and proof of resolve.
They had dressed it up with grandiose words, but ultimately, all they wanted was the hound’s death.
Teron wouldn’t have killed him personally, but perhaps that would still be enough to barely satisfy their requirements.
They might even say something like, ‘You controlled your hound so thoroughly that he took his own life. You are fully worthy of bearing the family name. You pass!’
In any case, what Daike needed to do was now obvious.
‘Let’s die.’
He would take his own life. Then Teron could continue living as a star in the sky.
The weapons were only a few steps away.
The moment he released Teron’s collar, he would rush over, seize a sword, and drive it into his own throat.
Just as Daike was about to put his plan into action, someone grabbed his hand.
It was Teron.
“Trust me.”
Did he have some kind of plan?
Had his declaration that he would become the successor merely been a trick to escape this situation?
…No. It was a lie.
Trust me.
Those words were clearly nothing more than a lie meant to keep Daike alive.
Even so—
“…”
Daike slowly loosened his grip on Teron’s collar.
It wasn’t because he believed him.
He was simply terrified of dying.
So he pretended to yield and released his grip, choosing to stand by and watch his friend abandon his dream.
All so he could survive.
“Tsk, tsk. His discipline is truly appalling.”
“One need not even ask what sort of life he has led until now.”
“It leaves me no choice but to question whether he possesses the qualities of a supreme ruler.”
“Hahaha, let us not be too harsh. He is only beginning, is he not? He will surely change from this point onward. Of course…”
It wouldn’t be so bad if he remained unchanged.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
“We must not waste any more of their time. Both of you will become quite busy from now on.”
“We have great expectations of you. Hahaha!”
Each elder offered a final remark before departing.
Even Daike, whose knowledge was limited, could tell that their supposed words of encouragement were insults in disguise.
Once the elders’ presences had faded into the distance, Duke Zeppelin descended the stairs and stood before them.
“Do you understand what you have just done?”
“Wasn’t this what you wanted as well, Father?”
“…Not once have I ever believed you superior to Ileon.”
“Neither have I. But until my brother awakens, I’m a useful piece to have on the board. Surely you’ve already finished making those calculations.”
One corner of Duke Zeppelin’s mouth curved upward strangely.
It was the peculiar smile that appeared whenever he was pleased.
“It seems my blood does flow through your veins after all.”
“That’s only natural, considering I’m your son. I merely kept my claws hidden because I wanted nothing to do with the tiresome matter of succession.”
“Is that so? Then I look forward to seeing whether those claws are sharp enough to reach those men.”
As Teron listened to the duke’s praise, he sank into thought.
The hounds, his brother and Yuter, and the tradition of the coming-of-age ceremony.
Every question had been answered except for one.
“May I ask you one thing?”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Why did my brother try to take his own life? No, was it truly suicide in the first place?”
No matter how much he thought about it, Teron couldn’t understand why Ileon had attempted suicide.
He didn’t know exactly what sort of deal Ileon had made with the elders, but there was no chance his life had been included in the bargain.
They might have wanted Yuter, a mere hound, dead, but they would never have desired the death of someone as useful as Ileon.
‘The entire bargain was made to preserve the hound’s life. There’s no way my brother’s life was ever placed on the scales.’
Even if the deal had ended in failure, everything would have returned to normal the moment Ileon killed Yuter.
Yet Ileon had chosen to kill himself?
No matter how Teron considered it, that was the one part he couldn’t understand.
“…He did attempt suicide. That boy was far too weakhearted.”
“My brother was not weak!”
“Then what was he?! If cutting his own throat wasn’t weakness, then what in the world was it?!”
The duke became visibly agitated.
Judging from his reaction, there was no doubt that Ileon had truly attempted suicide.
“You are exactly the same! Him and you both! Why do you hesitate?! All you have to do is kill the hound, and it will be over!”
Only then did Teron realize something.
His father had undergone the same tradition.
And—
-The previous family heads carried out the tradition without complaint. If memory serves, they performed it with exceptional brutality.
His father had completed that tradition without the slightest hesitation.
Teron’s lips began to tremble.
He couldn’t oppose his father any further. His cooperation was essential if Teron wanted to save Daike.
Yet the words he should have kept buried forced their way through his trembling lips.
“Did you truly feel nothing, Father?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Did you not feel even the slightest guilt when you killed the friend who had spent five years at your side with your own hands?!”
“Silence! It was only a dog! Why should I feel guilty for beating a single dog to death?!”
Duke Zeppelin was normally calm and cold to his very core. Even Teron had never seen him lose control like this.
And sharp-witted as he was, Teron quickly understood why.
“You regret it.”
“What did you say?”
“You regret killing your friend, don’t you?”
“You…! I do not regret it in the slightest! You are the ones acting strangely! Risking your lives for dogs that aren’t even human! You pathetic weaklings!”
To Teron, his father had always been a frightening man.
The relationship between father and son was already intimidating by nature, but the burden of leading a family with centuries of history behind it was not something just anyone could bear.
‘He also brought the empire to heel with nothing but his fists and feet.’
Yet for some reason, Teron wasn’t afraid of him now.
Perhaps it was because the person standing before him wasn’t Duke Zeppelin.
It was a ten-year-old boy named Zeppelin.
“Don’t force the guilt born from your own mistake onto us!”
“…!”
Duke Zeppelin raised his fist.
Teron squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for the impact, but no pain came.
Had he died before he could even feel it?
Teron cautiously cracked his eyes open.
What he saw was Daike’s back. He stood in front of Teron with both arms spread wide, shielding him.
“Do you see? You are the one who made him like this.”
The duke’s voice had returned to normal.
So had his expression.
As though he had never lost his temper, he once again wore his usual stern expression.
For some reason, the sight filled Teron with unease.
“He dared to stand in the way of the family head. A hound must be punished by its master. Discipline him at once.”
“No.”
“Then I will change my mind as well.”
“What? What do you… Ah!”
Teron’s keen mind immediately grasped the duke’s intention.
“Precisely. I will side with the elders, at least regarding the hound tradition.”
Teron had received a temporary reprieve because the duke, who controlled fifty percent of the voting power, had opposed the elders.
But what if he sided with them?
There would be no reprieve. Daike would be hanged immediately.
“You’ll be in trouble as well if I refuse to become the successor.”
“I need only hold out until Ileon awakens. It may take years, but he could just as easily wake tomorrow.”
It was checkmate.
The duke’s cooperation was an indispensable condition.
Only then did Teron realize how recklessly he had acted.
“…Understood. I will obey your command, Father.”
“A wise decision. Then you must also know what you need to do now.”
Duke Zeppelin placed both hands on Teron’s shoulders and whispered into his ear.
As though hypnotized, Teron walked over to the weapons and picked up a suitably thick wooden sword.
To free his friend from the life of a hound, he first had to force him to live as one.
It was bitterly ironic.
-Prove your resolve.
That was the purpose of House Vyuern’s coming-of-age ceremony.
In the end, Teron had been forced into a position where he had to follow tradition and prove himself.
There was only one difference.
This wasn’t about accepting the cruelty of reality.
It was about proving his determination—
His resolve to save his friend in this cruel world, no matter what it took.
Daike knelt on the ground, trembling violently. Without realizing it, he raised his arms into a defensive position.
“…Stay still.”
“A master does not make requests of his dog.”
Teron slowly closed his eyes.
He had never thought of Daike as a hound.
He was a helpless puppy who needed looking after, a person, and a friend.
That was why Teron had never once given him an order.
Even after mustering his resolve, the words refused to leave his throat. He had to force them out.
“…That’s an order.”
The wooden sword in Teron’s hands slammed into Daike’s body.
It was the moment a star that had once glittered in the heavens—
Fell into the depths below.
“That is enough.”
Only then did the beating stop.
Blood, saliva, tears, and scraps of flesh stained the floor.
Daike had lost consciousness long ago. Fortunately, he had endured it well.
Had he resisted or attempted to flee, Teron would no longer have possessed any justification to protect him.
Teron pulled the unconscious Daike into his arms and murmured.
“…I’ll become the head of the family.”
I’ll eradicate every corrupt custom within this family and cast out every last elder.
Then—
You’ll never have to be punished again.
Duke Zeppelin pretended not to hear Teron’s vow and left.
It wasn’t the outcome he had expected, but it wasn’t a bad one.
Teron had proven far more capable than anticipated, and he had firmly resolved to become the head of the family.
The only source of dissatisfaction was how Teron cherished his hound as though they were friends…
Duke Zeppelin strode toward his office without hesitation, only for his steps to suddenly halt.
“Haa…”
He couldn’t breathe.
His heart pounded violently, and his breathing abruptly grew ragged.
A wave of dizziness struck him, severe enough to make him feel as though he might lose consciousness at any moment.
Even his well-trained body couldn’t withstand it. He barely remained upright by leaning against the wall.
Perhaps his mind was in disarray.
A memory from that day surfaced.
The day Ileon and Yuter returned after failing their final mission.
“You failed.”
“…The conditions were unfavorable. There was also the unexpected variable of an alliance.”
“Failure is failure.”
On the day of Ileon’s coming-of-age ceremony, he had proposed a deal to the duke and the elders.
He promised to bring immense wealth and glory to House Vyuern and to them personally, provided they ended the hound tradition.
It had been a favorable bargain, so the duke and the elders accepted it.
Many people were described as geniuses, and most of them were frauds.
Ileon, however, was different. As though determined to prove his genius, he completed one difficult mission after another without hesitation.
His achievements were sufficient to justify ending the hound tradition.
No, they far exceeded what was required.
But the council of elders refused to stop there.
They gave him an impossible mission. Ileon fought desperately, but in the end, he failed.
‘It is regrettable, but this isn’t a bad outcome for me either.’
Ileon was undoubtedly an exceptional child, but his heart was too soft.
The duke wanted him to become stronger. He wanted Ileon to grow into someone who could surpass even him.
To accomplish that, Ileon needed a strong heart.
The duke had been pleased.
He believed this would be the day it finally happened.
Ileon drew his sword.
Then he pointed it at his hound, Yuter.
“To end the tradition… spilling blood would be the surest way.”
“…?”
Ileon muttered words the duke couldn’t understand.
Then the tip of the blade turned toward his own throat.
It happened in an instant.
Blood erupted like a fountain as Ileon collapsed, staining the carpet dark crimson.
The pool spread wider and wider.
“Ileon!!”
Duke Zeppelin and Yuter both seized Ileon’s throat, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.
Their eyes met over Ileon’s fallen body.
Yuter’s eyes were filled with panic and terror.
The duke didn’t know what passed through his mind, but that terror soon hardened into resolve.
That was when Yuter began to flee.
“Kill him! Kill him no matter what it takes!”
The duke barely remembered what happened afterward.
The servants rushed in and struggled to save Ileon, while others pursued the hound responsible for the incident.
By the time they caught up, the knights had already executed him.
The duke didn’t know what Yuter had said to Teron, but it didn’t matter.
‘Teron will carry out the tradition properly.’
He was a typical idle wastrel, but the duke believed he would be different from the weakhearted Ileon.
“I refuse to accept something this absurd.”
Yet Teron had reacted exactly the same way.
The duke felt as though he were going mad.
Hounds.
His own children were being manipulated by creatures that weren’t even human.
‘Why can they not pass through such a simple tradition as easily as our great ancestors did? As easily as I did…!’
As I did?
What had happened back then?
What had happened to him?
A hound, a coming-of-age ceremony, proof, fists, blood, death.
His memories were fragmented like shards of broken glass.
Memories he had long forgotten churned through his mind.
The duke remained against the wall, groaning for some time, before finally regaining his senses.
His mind was suddenly clear again, as though nothing had happened.
“…”
Teron might be confused now, but he would eventually understand.
The tradition of killing one’s hound existed to encourage growth, and killing the hound had ultimately been the correct decision.
His own choice—
Killing the hound who had lived beside him like a friend—
Had been the right choice.
“Oschen…”
Then why?
Why did that long-forgotten name—
Refuse to leave the duke’s mind?
–TL Notes–
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