The prestigious successor of the renowned martial family, known as the Three Swords (三劍) of the Empire, and the promising second son of the Lyard family.
That was the title that followed me until I was ten years old.
As a child, the immense and extraordinary magical power I was born with made it almost inevitable to earn such a title.
After all, being considered an exceptional swordsman of this era isn’t just about mastering swordsmanship.
It was the same for my brother, Hassel Lyard.
However, it didn’t take long for that title to change to “the disgrace of the Lyard family,” and for even my family—who should have been my only allies—to look at me with cold eyes.
“A pearl in the snout of a pig. Despite possessing such vast magical power, you’re completely useless. Tsk.”
“I’m ashamed to even call you my brother.”
Hearing my father’s clicking tongue and my only sibling’s biting criticism for the first time, I was thirteen years old.
That’s right.
Despite being born with immense magical power, I had absolutely no talent for martial arts.
While my brother would master one thing and awaken to ten more, I couldn’t even properly execute the one thing I learned.
Thanks to that, by the time I was fifteen, I had already become a nonexistent entity within the family.
“Hassel, I heard from Cloel that you’ve made some progress recently?”
“Yes, Father. It may fall short of your expectations, but I’ve managed to accomplish something.”
“Hahaha, as expected of my one and only son. The future of the Lyard family is secure.”
“Of course. A child carrying your blood would naturally handle it all.”
Even when I attended breakfast, no one ever asked about my life.
By then, Kyle Lyard, the name, had already been erased from the minds of my parents and brother.
Still, there was nothing I could do.
The best resistance I could muster was quietly setting down my utensils and leaving the table to avoid hearing more.
“One day, I’ll prove my worth….”
Meanwhile, a corner of my heart hardened with the resolve to demonstrate my value someday.
But there are far too many things in the world that cannot be achieved with willpower alone.
It was a harsh reality I hated to admit.
“Damn it…!”
Eventually, I turned my gaze away from swordsmanship and began dabbling in magic to harness my immense magical power.
Of course, no one in the family would assign a talented teacher to a failure like me, so I had to teach myself.
I would sneak into my father’s library to find books on magic or leave the castle at dawn to practice in a nearby forest.
But the results were disastrous.
For some reason, I couldn’t even draw out the vast magical power within me.
I possessed magic but couldn’t manifest it.
I was one of the Empire’s rare, cursed individuals with a unique constitution.
Bang! Bang!
“Why… Why me…!”
The day I learned this cruel truth, I banged my head against the wall, cursing the world.
I even thought that breaking my skull and meeting a foolish death might be better than living this wretched life.
But I didn’t even have the courage to choose death.
After that, I could only repeat hollow days like a cog in a wheel.
There was nothing else I could do.
“Kyle, instead of wasting time swinging that useless sword, why don’t you help Bell?”
“N-no, Madam! How could you ask the young master to…!”
“It’s fine, Bell. I’ll help.”
The family, who once treated me like I was invisible, now openly insulted me in front of the servants.
At first, I endured it, but as the insults grew worse, even the servants began to look down on me, making everything unbearable.
What more must I do?
I swung my sword for minutes longer than my brother, and even after giving up on the sword, I struggled to sit at my desk longer.
Yet, they treated me so harshly, simply because I didn’t meet their expectations.
“I’ve heard about you, Kyle Lyard. If you’re willing, why don’t you join us? You don’t belong in a place like this.”
One day, as I was vowing to walk any path that could prove my worth and show them all, a man approached me.
He called himself one of the “Four Saviors.”
“I have no intention of associating with a vagabond. Get lost.”
My initial response to him was scornful.
After all, in the Hespia Empire, there was only one group known as the “Saviors.”
They were the radical and rebellious group called the “Eyes of Dawn,” rumored to have long been expanding their power from the Empire’s shadows.
But no one had ever seen their faces.
The stories about them were so outlandish that I couldn’t help but dismiss him as a lunatic.
“You don’t believe me, do you? Well, let me leave you with a gift.”
With a smirk, he tossed me a book and disappeared.
It was as if he knew that I would seek him out again after reading it.
I thought about burning the book immediately, but his initial words lingered in my mind.
It was the first time since I was thirteen that anyone had spoken as if I had value.
“This is….”
And the belief that I would return to seek them out was no mere arrogance.
The book contained black magic and methods to manifest magical power, unlike anything I had ever seen before.
With its knowledge, even someone like me—born incapable of magic—could wield it through some unorthodox means and sacrifices.
I understood that the price of black magic was unlikely to be anything good.
But for someone like me, who had already lost everything and found no meaning in this empty life, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
I immersed myself in the book, devouring its contents until I finally achieved my long-desired goal of using magic.
By the time the book was worn and frayed, they came looking for me.
“Your face has changed quite a bit since then, Kyle Lyard. Have you decided to join us?”
“…What do you want?”
“Answering a question with another question? How rude. But I like your directness.”
The fact that they had handed me such power first rather than approaching me through other means was proof enough that they wanted something from me.
So, I asked directly what their intentions were.
Their answer was simple.
“Become one of us and help us destroy this nation.”
It was the kind of straightforward response you’d expect from a group of rebels.
And yet, I couldn’t help but be intrigued.
They were offering me the power and influence I had long believed were forever out of my reach.
There was no point in clinging to my family name anymore.
Having resolved to lose everything, I decided it was time to aim higher.
I swore to trample those who had mocked me, to stand above them, and finally smirk down at them.
And with that, I nodded.
“Prove yourself with the power we’ve given you. Complete three tasks, and we will accept you as one of us.”
From that day, they presented me with three tasks.
Although they declared, “Prove your power,” I didn’t see it that way.
It felt more like a test of resolve than of strength.
Were they testing whether I was truly prepared to give up everything and stand with them?
With that in mind, I completed the first two tasks with ease.
And as I waited for the right moment to undertake the final task, I received a summons.
“Kyle, you’re of age to start your own family. Don’t you think it’s time to settle down? I’ve even found a suitable bride for you.”
“A matchmaker? Is that what you’re suggesting?”
“Exactly.”
It had been years since my father had called for me, and the suddenness of his suggestion caught me off guard.
“Who is the intended bride?”
“Leave that as a surprise for the day. Or do you not trust your father?”
“No, it’s not that. Please give me some time to think.”
I knew there was no way the family would arrange an ordinary match for someone they had already cast aside.
And my father’s insistence on keeping the bride’s identity a secret only raised my suspicions.
Having long since abandoned the notion of building a family, I was prepared to reject the proposal outright.
But that night, a man visited me, changing my plans.
“So, I hear you’re to meet the Lady of House Eleanor in three days.”
“Lady Eleanor? How do you know about this?”
“Word travels fast. Everyone already knows.”
Somehow, he already knew about my betrothal partner—a secret I hadn’t even been told.
Whether it was because I had been intentionally kept in the dark or because he had discovered the information through underhanded means, I couldn’t tell.
Thanks to him, though, I learned the identity of my intended bride and deduced the purpose behind the match.
“I see. They mean to pair off their burdens and send them away to exile.”
Lady Eleanor, after all, was as infamous as I was—if not more so.
She bore the cursed eyes known as the “Evil Eyes.”
From what I had read in books, those with the Evil Eyes brought misfortune to anyone who associated with them.
In other words, this match was an excuse to bundle their unwanted children together and keep them under watch.
“A disposable pawn indeed.”
Moreover, even if I were to die under the curse of the Evil Eye while living with her, it would bring no loss to my family.
What’s more, the Eleonore family, despite its ancient history, is renowned for having produced an empress and boasts significant connections to the royal family.
To my father, who constantly seeks to elevate the family’s status, this must appear to be an irresistibly enticing opportunity.
If he’s getting rid of a failure like me in exchange, it must seem like the sweetest of deals.
“Regardless, you will accept this proposal.”
“Why?”
“Because killing that young lady is your final task.”
“…!”
And so, as if by some twisted turn of fate, my arranged partner, Sylvia Eleonore, was also my next mission target.
That didn’t mean I felt any guilt about killing her.
I had long since gone too far to feel such things.
No, on the contrary, I felt relief.
Finally, I could put an end to this wretched existence.
“Fine. Tomorrow, I’ll inform Father that I accept the proposal.”
Smirking with a bitter smile, I nodded, watching the man leave before clenching my fist in solitude.
This was the first time I had seen a glimmer of hope, aside from the moment I had unlocked my magical powers using the grimoire the man had brought me.
Perhaps that’s why.
The three days leading up to the meeting felt like the slowest of my life.
The longest three days of my existence eventually came to an end.
Even the castle’s halls, which always felt heavy beneath my steps, seemed unusually light as I walked through them today.
It had been years since I last savored this kind of feeling.
Leaving the castle, I made my way to the greenhouse nestled in the corner of the garden.
Knock, knock.
Finally, I reached the door and announced my presence.
I’d been told my arranged partner had arrived ahead of me and was waiting.
“Come in.”
The soft, steady voice that followed carried no discernible inflection, prompting me to cautiously open the door and step inside.
Normally, I would have frowned under the glaring sunlight streaming through the opposite window, but not this time.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I am Sylvia Eleonore of the Eleonore family. Are you Lord Lyard?”
A strikingly beautiful woman stood before me, her mysterious silver hair and delicate features contradicting the moniker of “witch.”
Her form, though modestly dressed, could not fully conceal her elegant figure.
Yet none of that was the reason for my reaction.
It was her peculiar right eye, glowing a ruby red, that left me momentarily captivated.
Though labeled a “cursed eye,” meant to invoke fear in those who faced it, I found myself wondering if the fools who spread such rumors were blind.
“…Beautiful.”
“…Pardon?”
Without realizing it, a thought—perhaps intended as an insult to someone or something—had transformed in my mind and escaped my lips before I could stop it.
What did I just say?
Confused, I only realized what had happened upon noticing the faint blush that crept across her face.
‘This is madness.’
I’d clearly lost my mind after dabbling in black magic. That was the only plausible explanation.