# Chapter 55
Chapter 55
"Bernie, your brother made it to the finals."
Kiriel's words, aimed at lifting the slightly somber atmosphere, caught Bernie's attention.
Her eyes widened, and she lifted her head, which had been drooping until now.
While Bernie munched on her snacks, lost in thought, the ranking match was nearing its peak.
As Bernie saw Allen appear, flanked by an enormous gray snake, her eyes grew wide.
"Aaron!
Fighting!!"
At Bernie’s shout, Allen looked up, his eyes also round with surprise.
He met her gaze, grinned broadly, and waved his hand.
Bernie immediately raised her arm, enthusiastically waving back.
Seeing this, Kiriel, who had been standing quietly, tugged at his sleeve.
"Dad, wave your hand!" she urged.
"Mm, okay."
Reluctantly, Kiriel raised his hand and slowly waved it left to right a couple of times.
Allen’s eyes grew a little wider.
He flushed slightly, rubbed his neck, and then waved a few more times before quickly lowering his arm.
For Allen, it was an entirely unfamiliar feeling.
No one had ever cheered for him or watched him before.
But Kiriel...
At first, he had thought Kiriel was just joking around, taking them in out of whimsy.
But Kiriel had been paying close attention to him, much more than he expected.
Whenever there was a disagreement, Kiriel would ask him about it, and after the tests, he would inquire about his results too.
So, recently, when his grades had been falling, Allen had felt a little nervous.
It was a thought he had never once entertained when no one cared about him.
"I never thought you'd make it this far, Banpyon."
"..."
Allen squinted as he glared at his opponent.
The boy who had taken first place from the very first ranking match since entering the mansion.
The only third-generation heir from the direct bloodline of the Udia family, the one most likely to lead the Udia Dukedom.
"Why, did it piss you off?
Even so, don't you think Banpyon is better than that beast's kid?"
The dark-skinned boy snickered.
His face, smiling with a clear and straightforward demeanor, looked oddly pleasant, as if his provocative nature could be instantly identified by his bloodline.
"I’ve seen you playing family games lately, and it seems like you're in a better mood.
But you really think that’s gonna make you someone important in the Udia Dukedom, huh?"
"..."
"After all, you're just a half-blood beast, and he's a bastard with no parents.
Don’t delude yourself into thinking your uncle’s just playing with you.
Got it?"
Allen sighed deeply, his expression full of disdain.
At that, Calvard Udia’s lips tightened.
"How pathetic.
You really think being first place and a direct heir means anything?
Your father never cared about you from the start."
With a casual grin, Allen spoke with a nonchalant tone.
Calvard Udia’s face twitched violently.
"...What?"
"It’s well known.
Your father sighs every time he sees you, and turns his back.
The way you’re desperately trying to get his attention is just laughable."
"You...
Do you want to die?"
Calvard Udia’s cold eyes narrowed as he glared at Allen, who simply smirked in response.
With a flick of his finger—
Ssssss—
A massive gray snake flicked its tongue, wrapping itself around Allen’s body and then hissing with hostility at Calvard Udia.
Calvard Udia’s surroundings erupted in a burst of white light.
Boom.
Something enormous appeared behind the boy.
A long tail settled on the ground.
It was a beautiful creature, shining with iridescent scales in every color of the rainbow.
Its face was that of a dragon, with a sharp, prominent horn.
The long body was wrapped in shimmering, multi-colored scales.
Beneath it, soft fur curled around its belly, and its legs resembled hooves.
Long white fur trailed down near its hooves, and the creature's elegance was undeniable.
It was a creature that was difficult to describe as either a dragon or a horse, but one thing was certain—it was an extraordinarily beautiful being.
"It's a giraffe," someone murmured.
It was the moment someone shouted.
Sssss—
Grrrr—
The two divine beasts clashed with a low, menacing roar.
"Woah!"
Bernie clapped her hands excitedly and turned her head to look at Kiriel.
The battle between the snake and... the giraffe!
"Dad, what's a giraffe?"
Of course, Bernie had no idea what a giraffe was.
She asked with innocent eyes, and Kiriel opened his mouth to answer.
"A giraffe.
It's a pretty high-ranking divine beast."
"Is it stronger than the black dragon?"
"...Hmm."
Kiriel glanced away from Bernie’s innocent question and found himself staring at the red bird, which had quietly nestled into Bernie’s arms.
Of course, the bird was quite an odd-looking creature, but there was no record of it in the Udia family’s history of summoning divine beasts or relics.
‘It’s true that no egg has ever been born.’
The only divine beast summoned by the first head of the Udia family was the Phoenix, a legendary immortal bird.
But Bernie’s divine beast was far too insignificant to be compared with one like that.
"Well, it’s the first time I’ve seen a black dragon summoned, so I’m not sure."
Kiriel patted Bernie’s water-blue hair a few times as he answered.
A chuckle came from beside them.
Huh?
Turning her head, Bernie saw Klein Udia, who was staring ahead with a blank expression.
Bernie tilted her head once more.
Kiriel shot Klein a brief, displeased look before patting Bernie’s head again and turning his gaze back to the arena.
Bang!
Boom—!
The two divine beasts collided fiercely.
The ranking match was fundamentally a test of how well one communicated with their divine beast, how well they shared their thoughts with it, and how skillfully they could handle it.
The rankings were decided not only by their results in the test but also their performance in exams and assignments.
The Udia Dukedom valued the strength of its divine beasts and the intensity of their divine powers.
This event, the ranking match, was meant to demonstrate those qualities.
Hwaa—!
"You fool!
What makes you think you can beat me?!"
Calvard Udia raised his voice.
Light gathered in his hand, and a pure white sword formed.
Gripping it tightly, Calvard Udia charged straight at Allen.
"Huh… You’re already able to form a sword with divine power?"
Allen quickly stepped back, gathering his divine power in his hand.
Soon, a spear materialized in Allen’s grasp.
"…So the previous ranking of 8th wasn’t a lie.
Even a beast can be of some use.
You, a half-blood Udia, at least seem to know how to handle divine power."
"Still looks unstable though.
Just look at it.
Compared to Sir Calvard's solid sword, yours is all blurry and unstable."
Their voices could be heard from afar, though their words were faint.
However, Bernie’s sharp ears picked up every detail.
‘Such bad and mean words.’
At that moment, Bernie’s lips puckered in a frown.
Click!
Kiriel, who had been silently observing with his chin resting in his hand, suddenly snapped his fingers.
"Screech!"
"Ahhh!
What is this?!
Who did this?!"
Simultaneously, screams erupted from the people who had been talking trash earlier.
Bernie’s eyes widened in surprise because she had seen it.
The moment her father snapped his fingers, she saw the divine power shoot out with a flick!
"Who the hell did that?!"
As someone shouted, Kiriel, still gently stroking Bernie’s hair, opened his mouth with a completely neutral expression.
"It was me."
His voice was calm and unremarkable, yet strangely, it resonated clearly in the stands, as if it were piercing their ears.