C1
The river of blood finally dried up.
The war between the human world and the demon world, which had lasted for decades, was recorded in history as the "Age of Destruction".
And on the day when the victory of humans was engraved on the rock.
A rope was placed around the neck of a man outside the front door of the prominent Baskerville family.
"Name: Vikir Van Baskerville"
"Charge: Treason"
Vikir. "Vikir Van Baskerville".
Illegitimate son of Hugo Le Baskerville, the head of the Baskerville family.
A shadow that had long stained its hands with blood in the darkness of the family.
It was the hunting dog of the Baskerville family.
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Chapter 1: Hound of Hell (1)
Vikir.
He fought desperately.
His life had always been a constant struggle.
An illegitimate son, descendant of a mistress.
That's why his second name is Van.
He was not even able to inherit the family surname, such as "La" or "Le", which his legitimate siblings effortlessly received. Because of that, he had to try hundreds of times more than the others.
But in the end, things were not so good for him.
Espionage, murder, kidnapping, blackmail, smuggling... He went through these situations more than 500 times for the good of the family, but in the end luck abandoned him.
At the time he was wrongfully accused as a demon spy and sentenced to death.
He had an intense thought.
I wanted to live.
I wanted to live again.
Wah-wah-wah...
The sound of a baby's cry filled the wide room.
In the Baskerville family, famous for its swordsmanship, there were several layers of hierarchies.
The head of the family, Viscount Hugo Baskerville, looked up nonchalantly at this year's newborns.
"They don't look very promising."
His assessment of this year's newborn sons was quite direct.
...At that moment.
Hugo's footsteps stopped at one point as he walked past the cribs in the nursery room.
Vikir. Vikir Van Baskerville.
A child who originally had no right to be here.
Unlike his other siblings, who were between 6 and 8 months old, he was barely 100 days old and had just entered this room.
The baby was not crying.
He just lay there with his eyes closed, like he was dead.
"..."
Hugo's expression relaxed slightly upon seeing Vikir.
He was not happy because Vikir showed more abilities than his other sons.
He just thought if there was trash everywhere anyway, it would be better to have less noisy trash.
Hugo then turned to the dozens of wet nurses behind him.
"Transfer the children to the 'Cradle of Swords'."
The children of the Baskerville family must face trials from the moment they are born until the moment they die.
From the cradle to the grave.
This was the first test that started.
...What is the "Cradle of Swords"?
It's a unique Baskerville family ritual.
It consists of sticking countless swords into a round hill, like a maze, and dropping the baby in the center.
The baby is trapped in the maze created by the blades of the swords.
It is a situation where your body suffers injuries at all times while moving.
In this environment, the baby must crawl on the ground and go through the sword maze to escape.
Only when he submerges his body in the river that flows in circles around the maze, called "Styx", does he truly become a legitimate member of the Baskerville family.
Hugo Baskerville thought:
"The water of the Styx River only has an effect on children under 1 year of age from birth. If they are immersed in this river, their bodies become as strong as steel."
Of course, the power of this river is not unlimited.
If one baby absorbs all the force, the other babies will inevitably absorb less force from the water.
It's like a mother's umbilical cord.
The children of the Baskerville family have been thrown into the Cradle of Swords.
Whoever gets out of this maze first and plunges into the river will determine their future.
The 32 children born this year, including family enemies, younger brothers and sisters, compete in the Cradle of Swords.
Sharp blades set in snail shell patterns guide them down paths lined with sharp thorns.
¡Eh-eh-eh!
A baby crying, looking for its nurse, another that is already crawling agilely, one that cuts itself and moves desperately with blood on the blades, another that still has no intention of escaping and lies on its back waving its fingers... That's how they are mostly babies.
In fact, since they are babies that have not even reached a year, it is a natural result if you think about it.
However...
"They are insignificant."
Hugo Baskerville's assessment was brutally cold.
Small and weak living beings. Creatures that cannot survive without the help of others.
Contempt was impregnated in Hugo's gaze towards the human body.
There would be no exceptions, even if it was your own child.
He himself was known to be a prodigy from birth, a renowned swordsman in the seven fingers of the continent.
"So, will they be able to fight the demons of the demon world? When should I raise these children to trust them?"
Hugo wailed as he gazed at the River Styx flowing around the Cradle of Swords from his perch.
This secret river that flows only in the sacred place of the Baskerville family in the entire continent had the effect of increasing mana, purifying evil energies, and making the entire body strong and resilient as steel just by being immersed in it.
If it wasn't only effective for children under 1 year old, he would have plunged himself immediately.
While Hugo looked at the river with a disappointed expression...
"......¡Eh, tú!"
"Oh it can not be!"
"Has no sense!"
Amazement broke out everywhere.
What event could stump the family's brave knight protectors, who are not easily fazed by trivial events?
Hugo raised his head with a perplexed expression.
And in that moment...
"......"
Hugo's eyes, which until now had only been filled with overwhelming disdain, impatience, and disappointment, reflected a childish shadow.
The Cradle of Swords.
A boy was walking through the forest of sharp sword blades, heading straight for the River Styx.
Crack, crackle, splash.
The boy's body was already drenched in blood.
Surprisingly, the boy was making a beeline through the Cradle of Swords, coiled like a snail shell.
Instead of taking a safe detour and turning in circles, it went right into the little gaps between the blades.
The smooth white cheeks showed cut marks.
The waist and arms, soft and spongy, were completely cut and torn.
The knees were completely scraped, and the palms of the chubby hands were already drenched in blood.
The boy was crawling through the opening between the blades, cutting a path with his splattering blood and crawling forward.
The sheer vitality emitted by the child, who was not even a hundred days old yet, overwhelmed all the members of the family.
Even Hugo Le Baskerville, the head of the prestigious Blood Sword family, was no exception.
Finally, the boy came completely out of the maze.
Meanwhile, his brothers were still trapped in the center of the Cradle of Swords unable to escape.
¡Fluff!
The boy threw himself into the River Styx as soon as he left the Cradle of Swords.
The river water turned reddish.
Hugo moved rarely, but now he reached over and gripped the railing tightly in both hands.
The eyes of the witnesses widened as they saw the marble handrail turn gold.
They had never seen Hugo before, who was always impassive, so shocked.
"Boy! What about the boy? What has happened to my son?"
Hugo raised his voice.
The boy who fell into the Styx River still hadn't surfaced.
Finally, some of the family's knight protectors approached the Styx River and peered inside.
And then, the knights exclaimed in unison.
"Th-the young master is drinking the river water!"
The answer was so disconcerting that Hugo's mouth dropped open.
