Chapter 66: Annie’s Suspicions

Damian walked slowly down the torch-lit hallway toward his private quarters, his leather boots sinking into the thick carpet with silent steps.

His mind was in a complete, chaotic swirl of profound revelation.

The words spoken by the Lord Viscount inside the sealed training hall had struck at the absolute core of his martial soul.

Every single detail Craig had laid out regarding the sword path was still burning with crystal clarity in his mind.

Damian paused outside his chamber door, reflecting back on his grueling journey over the past several years.

Now that he had the conceptual blueprint, he realized with a chill that every single time he had leveled up or progressed by a stage, it had occurred in exact accordance with Craig’s explanation.

He had realized his physical constraints as a young Sword Apprentice, he had painstakingly understood those limitations through blood and sweat, and finally, he had shattered them.

His mind drifted back to three years ago—the exact moment he had shattered his mortal baseline and ascended into the class of a Sword Runner.

He had been hired as a low-ranking guard escorting a high-value caravan for a Merchant Guild through the frozen mountain passes of the North.

Midway through the journey, a brutal force of over a hundred desperate mountain bandits had ambushed them.

Even though those bandits were mundane humans without mana, they had utilized intense, lethal traps, poison-tipped arrows, and vicious surrounding tactics to isolate him.

He was only able to barely survived because he had awakened a Unique-Grade Space Path Talent.

Severely wounded, bleeding out in the freezing snow, and pushed to the absolute brink of death, Damian had been forced to risk everything in a desperate struggle for survival.

In that exact life-and-death situation—just as the ascension ritual required—his Mana Core had violently awakened, shattering his mortal ceiling and elevating him into a true Sword Runner.

A year ago, he had achieved the Initial-stage by gaining genuine Insight into his fighting style.

Then, just a few months ago, he had reached the Middle-stage by gaining Enlightenment.

For the past several months, Damian had been secretly struggling to grasp his true nature.

There were times during intense skirmishes where he instinctively fought using a completely different, fluid style—one he had never formally trained in—yet he had never truly understood why his body moved that way.

The Lord Viscount had just given him the exact answer he had been frantically searching for.

It was a clear, golden path toward becoming a Sword Sage Ranker.

Now, to complete his evolution, he needed to consciously forge his own signature True Sword Art and establish his unshakeable philosophy of the world to fulfill the ancient ritual.

Exhaling a long, heavy sigh, Damian felt a surge of intense excitement bubbling in his chest.

Yet, amidst the thrill, he knew he desperately needed rest.

Tomorrow was the grand operation—the day he would ride out alongside the military vanguard of the Myrain Viscounty to enter the central zone of the Jeju Forest, a designated C-level danger zone, to hunt a 2nd-Tier Abomination.

Damian pushed open the heavy oak door to his chamber, stepping inside.

"You’re late," a familiar, soft voice huffed from the shadows.

Damian turned his head to see his younger sister, Annie, resting her back against the far wall near his bed with her arms folded tightly across her chest.

She was draped in a cozy pair of black silk pajamas, her sleek black hair tumbling over her shoulders.

It was obvious she had been staying up, waiting for him to return. ℯ

"Why are you still awake, Annie?" Damian asked, a warm, gentle smile breaking across his weary face.

"Why?" Annie pouted, her dark eyebrows furrowing dramatically. "Isn’t it only right for a little sister to be able to sleep well when her big brother is actually in the room with her? You know I can’t fall asleep easily in a strange, gigantic castle all by myself!"

Damian giggled softly, shaking his head at her dramatic display.

He walked over, patting her head affectionately. "Alright, alright. I’m here now, so you can go to sleep. I need to get some rest as well to prepare for tomorrow’s hunt."

Annie’s crystal-blue eyes instantly lit up with excitement.

She jumped up slightly, clutching her hands together. "Can I tag along tomorrow, big brother?! I want to see the forest! I want to help!"

"Absolutely not," Damian refused instantly, his tone firm and unyielding. "You are just a young Mana Apprentice. The deep central zone of the Jeju Forest is far too dangerous for someone at your stage.

Perhaps when you ascend into a Mana Master, I might consider letting you tag along on a deployment."

He crossed his arms, adding the ultimate authority: "And besides... the Lord Viscount has not granted you permission to leave the castle grounds."

Annoyed by her brother’s practical response, Annie flopped onto the large feather bed, kicking her legs back and forth and throwing a mini-tantrum.

"You’re no fun! You always leave me behind while you go off fighting big monsters!"

"Sleep, Annie," Damian chuckled, ignoring her theatrical grumbling as he unbuckled his sword belt and set his sheathed blade onto the side table.

"I need to meditate in peace and gather my strength before turning in."

"Fine..." Annie grumbled, rolling onto her side and hugging a plush velvet pillow.

She stared at her brother for a quiet moment, her expression shifting from childish annoyance to a surprisingly serious, contemplative frown.

"Hey, brother..." Annie began softly, her tone dropping into a cautious whisper. "Have you met the Head Maid around here? The one named Arya?"

Damian paused, casually adjusting his tunic as he looked over at her. "Arya Benova? Yes, I met her briefly while strolling through the inner courtyard earlier today after our arrival. Why? She seemed quite polite and nice."

Annie shook her head firmly, her eyes narrowing with sharp intuition. "No... there is definitely something weird about that Head Maid, big brother."

Damian raised a curious eyebrow. "Weird? How so?"

"I ran into her in the garden while you were in the council hall," Annie explained, sitting up slightly.

"She came up to me with this super sweet smile, but she kept asking way too many questions. She was constantly probing, trying to find out specific details about you, your rank, what the Lord Viscount offered you, and what you two discussed in private."

Annie gently stroked her chin, her newly awakened spiritual senses recalling the microscopic flicker of hostility she had picked up beneath Arya’s warm smile.

"She was hiding something dark under that friendly face..." Annie whispered, looking directly into her brother’s eyes.

"I wonder if she’s a spy."