The Rosenfeld dining hall remained wrapped in warm golden light.
Outside the enormous crystal windows—
Northern snowstorms continued endlessly beneath silver moonlight while cold winds howled against the ancient fortress walls of House Rosenfeld.
Inside however—
The atmosphere around the massive dining table had subtly changed.
Kel's report still lingered heavily within everyone's minds.
The returned heir had spoken calmly.
Too calmly.
As though securing the loyalty of two noble territories at fifteen years old meant nothing significant.
And somehow—
That alone made the achievement feel even heavier.
Meanwhile—
Kel quietly resumed eating without concern while the rest of the family slowly returned to conversation.
Only Duke Aktaris remained silent beside him.
Watching.
Thinking.
Observing.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly muttered:
"Your father definitely knows you're hiding absurd things."
Kel calmly cut another piece of roasted meat.
"He suspects."
"No."
Another amused pause.
"He knows."
Meanwhile—
Across the long table—
The sixteen-year-old cousin suddenly reached beside his chair before lifting a thick black-covered book carefully into view.
The silver dragon insignia embossed upon the cover reflected softly beneath the chandelier light.
Immediately—
Several younger knights leaned forward with interest.
Because everyone recognized the book instantly.
The newest phenomenon spreading across the Empire.
The sword manual that had begun shaking noble military circles themselves.
The cousin opened the book carefully afterward.
And the moment the pages spread beneath candlelight—
Ancient-looking diagrams, aura circulation paths, and sword illustrations became visible.
Across the top page—
Elegant silver letters were carved beautifully:
"Sovereign's Orbit Sword Arts"
Meanwhile—
The cousin looked visibly excited.
"I finally obtained a copy."
The younger brother immediately leaned closer.
"Can I see?"
"Carefully."
The cousin sounded protective already.
"These are expensive now."
Another younger knight nearby nodded immediately.
"The first publication batch sold out everywhere."
One of the older cousins quietly folded his arms.
"Expected."
Another pause.
"A combat art adaptable to every user individually?"
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"That alone changes military value completely."
Meanwhile—
The younger cousin flipped several pages carefully.
The diagrams themselves looked strange.
Not rigid.
Not fixed.
Most sword manuals forced practitioners into specific styles and movements.
This one however—
Encouraged deviation.
Adaptation.
Evolution.
The more one read it—
The stranger it felt.
Meanwhile—
The younger brother pointed excitedly at one page.
"Look."
"The aura leakage conversion section."
Several knights nearby leaned slightly closer instinctively.
The cousin quietly read aloud afterward:
"Aura leakage is not imperfection.
It is overflow.
And overflow itself can become a blade."
Silence briefly filled the nearby section of the table afterward.
Because honestly—
That philosophy alone contradicted traditional aura teachings.
Meanwhile—
The cousin continued flipping pages.
Complex diagrams spread across the paper afterward.
A central swordsman surrounded by multiple floating aura blades orbiting around the user like stars revolving around a celestial core.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
Abnormal.
Meanwhile—
The younger brother muttered quietly:
"This looks insane."
The older cousin corrected calmly.
"No."
Another pause.
"It looks revolutionary."
Inside his mind—
Sairen immediately laughed softly.
"She really published everything almost exactly as you wrote it."
Kel calmly drank wine afterward.
"…She refined it."
The spirit sounded amused.
"And named it dramatically."
Kel didn't disagree.
Meanwhile—
One of the elder uncles finally extended his hand.
"Let me see."
The book was passed carefully toward him afterward.
The older man slowly examined several pages beneath the chandelier light.
And gradually—
His expression became serious.
Because unlike the younger generation—
He possessed real battlefield experience.
Which meant—
He immediately recognized how terrifying this manual actually was.
"This isn't ordinary swordsmanship."
Another pause.
"It's a new aura application theory entirely."
Several people looked toward him afterward.
Meanwhile—
The uncle slowly pointed toward one of the diagrams.
"Traditional aura control minimizes leakage."
Another pause.
"This technique weaponizes it instead."
His sharp eyes narrowed slightly afterward.
"And the adaptability…"
He flipped another page slowly.
"…allows users to evolve personalized styles naturally."
The hall became quieter afterward.
Because everyone understood the implication now.
Most combat arts eventually stagnated.
Rigid systems created predictable warriors.
Yet this—
This encouraged individuality itself.
Meanwhile—
The younger cousin spoke excitedly.
"And apparently Lady Reina herself said during publication that the sword art should evolve endlessly."
Another page flipped.
"There's no 'perfect form.'"
Kel quietly listened in silence.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly whispered:
"That line was definitely yours."
Kel calmly replied internally:
"…Maybe."
Meanwhile—
Across the table—
The second eldest cousin suddenly frowned thoughtfully.
"Something about this combat theory feels strange."
Another pause.
"Too advanced."
Several older knights quietly nodded.
Because honestly—
They felt it too.
The manual did not resemble work created through conventional northern sword education.
It looked…
Different.
Almost foreign.
Meanwhile—
The eldest uncle finally spoke quietly.
"This sword art was not developed through ordinary sparring."
Another pause.
"It was forged through actual survival."
The atmosphere subtly deepened afterward.
Because experienced warriors could tell.
Every section of the manual emphasized adaptability.
Improvisation.
Multi-directional combat.
Constant battlefield awareness.
The kind of principles born from someone repeatedly fighting enemies stronger than themselves.
Meanwhile—
Kel remained silent.
Yet inside his mind—
Memories surfaced naturally.
Wildness battlefields.
Mercenary warfare.
Dragon Generals.
Life-or-death adaptation.
Bloodshed.
The sword art itself truly originated from survival.
Meanwhile—
His younger brother suddenly asked excitedly:
"Brother."
Every gaze briefly shifted toward Kel afterward.
The younger boy held the manual carefully.
"Do you think this sword art is really that amazing?"
Kel quietly looked toward the book.
Then calmly answered:
"Yes."
Another pause.
"It has potential."
The younger cousin immediately grinned proudly.
"I knew it."
Meanwhile—
The eldest uncle slowly looked toward Kel afterward.
And unexpectedly asked:
"You've read it already?"
Inside his mind—
Sairen instantly laughed.
"Careful."
Kel calmly nodded once.
"I encountered copies while traveling."
Technically true.
The uncle slowly observed him afterward.
Then quietly asked:
"What do you think of the creator?"
The hall subtly quieted again.
Because honestly—
Everyone wanted opinions now.
Reina Asheville's rise had become impossible to ignore.
A young matriarch.
A military reformer.
A political stabilizer.
And now—
A sword art creator influencing the Empire itself.
Meanwhile—
Kel calmly answered.
"She understands something most swordsmen fail to grasp."
The family quietly listened afterward.
Meanwhile—
Kel continued softly.
"A sword style should not trap its user."
Another pause.
"It should evolve alongside them."
Silence followed afterward.
Several older knights visibly reacted internally hearing that.
Because somehow—
That statement perfectly summarized the entire manual.
Meanwhile—
The second uncle narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"That sounds less like a swordsman's philosophy…"
Another pause.
"…and more like a ruler's."
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly whispered:
"He's sharper than the others."
Kel remained calm externally.
Meanwhile—
The younger sister suddenly tilted her head curiously.
"Then why is it called Sovereign's Orbit?"
Several younger cousins immediately looked interested too.
Meanwhile—
Kel quietly stared toward the silver letters engraved across the book cover.
And for the briefest moment—
He remembered Reina sitting beneath sunset light quietly holding the completed manuscript.
Then softly—
Kel answered.
"Because the central blade…"
Another pause.
"…becomes the axis everything else revolves around."
Silence followed afterward.
The younger sister blinked.
Then smiled innocently.
"That sounds beautiful."
Meanwhile—
Across the massive table—
Duke Aktaris quietly glanced once toward his eldest son afterward.
Only once.
Yet something inside the duke's sharp crimson eyes subtly shifted.
Because once again—
Kel spoke with familiarity too deep.
Too natural.
As though he understood the manual's creator personally.
And somehow—
The Duke's growing suspicions deepened further.
Meanwhile—
Kel calmly resumed eating beneath warm chandelier light.
Silent.
Composed.
While around him—
The entire Rosenfeld family unknowingly discussed the sword art he himself originally created.