Baterbane: the beginning of hatred

To the west of the Kingdom of Asran, a month's journey by dragon, lies the Kingdom of Solamria-a land of astonishing beauty and great wealth, blessed with abundant resources.

In contrast to Asran, where the ruling class and nobility were direct descendants of the first king, Solamria followed a different system. Here, anyone with enough wealth could buy land directly from the king and rise to nobility. However, this practice has led to great inequality in the kingdom, where power is determined not by heredity or merit, but by the number of coins owned.

In the Kingdom of Solamria, there exists a family that rose to nobility by purchasing land-the Beterbane family. The Beterbanes are one of the royal families in Solamria, having gained their status through the payment of a significant sum. The family is led by its head, Pedrick Beterbane, a man of firm resolve and remarkable intelligence. Pedrick has a son named Pazran Beterbane. Although the Beterbanes hold noble status in Solamria, they face significant disdain from other noble families, who view them as unworthy of their title and lacking the proper noble traits.

Unlike other noble families, the Beterbanes do not abuse their power. They are known for their kindness and willingness to help the common folk, which has earned them the disdain of many other nobles, who see their subjects flocking to Beterbane lands. The Beterbanes are not only famous for their wealth, but also for their mastery of magic. The family excels in various forms of magic and often uses their abilities to heal their people from serious diseases such as cancer and tumors. Because of this expertise, the family's income comes not only from trade but also from their healing practices.

"Father, why do we have to go through all the trouble of helping them?" The 13-year-old boy was curious about every action his father took.

"Son, the power and wealth we possess are meant to help people. Every bit of treasure we have should be used for good. Our lives should be dedicated to helping others. Do you understand?" Pedrick asked gently.

"I understand, Father," Pazran replied with a wide smile.

"Father, is this how we use magic?" Pazran asked, his curiosity growing.

Pedrick's eyes widened in shock as he watched his son. How could a 13-year-old be using magic, even if it was at a beginner's level? Pazran had turned the surrounding energy into flames in his hand.

"Where did you learn this, son?" Pedrick asked, concealing his astonishment and pride.

"I read about it, Father, in the family library. There are so many books on magic there," Pazran answered with a smile.

Pedrick, proud, lifted Pazran into the air and said, "Well done, my son, well done. I'm so proud of you."

"What if I start teaching you magic tomorrow?" Pedrick asked.

"Yes, Father!" Pazran's face lit up with a wide smile.

A few months later, Pazran began to master magic better. "Father, why do I have to learn so much about healing magic?" Pazran asked.

"My son, healing magic has many greater benefits than attack magic. You may not understand it now, but one day you will," Pedrick replied.

"Yes, Father," Pazran replied, although still full of curiosity.

A few moments later, a servant entered the room and whispered something to Pedrick. Pedrick's face turned serious, then he gave an order to the servant, who immediately understood what to do.

"Young Master, follow me," the servant said to Pazran, who then followed the servant. The servant led Pazran and his mother to a secret passage.

"Where are we going, Servant?" Pazran asked, feeling suspicious.

"Just follow me, Young Master," the servant replied.

"No!" Instantly, Pazran ran outside, and outside, he saw many troops of the Solamria kingdom.

"Wow, wow, wow, look at this traitor's face," a nobleman said to Pedrick.

"What do you mean, Dions?" Pedrick asked, trying to stay calm.

"Don't play dumb, you gathered troops secretly to stage a coup against the king, didn't you? I have evidence for all your actions!" said the middle-aged man with a sneer.

"How stupid," Pedrick said flatly. "Come on, don't beat around the bush. Kill him!" The order was issued, and the Solamrian troops charged at Pedrick. Although Pedrick had troops, Dions' troops were 2-3 times larger, and they brought royal troops. Pedrick was cornered, almost killed.

That was when Pazran, with the power of fire magic, attacked the soldier in front of his father.

"Pazran, why are you here?" Pedrick asked, vomiting blood.

"Husband, why did this happen?" Pedrick's wife asked anxiously.

"It seems like these fools are slandering us," Pedrick replied.

"Husband, I will fight with you."

"No. If something happens to you, what about Pazran?" Pedrick said in a serious voice.

"Husband, I'm sorry, I can't follow your orders this time. Pazran is already a big man, and if we hide, there's no guarantee that we'll survive. Maybe something bad will happen afterward. Our only choice is to fight."

"You're really troublesome, as usual," Pedrick said with a faint smile. They fought to the death. His wife healed Pedrick and Pazran, while Pazran attacked with his magic. Although his magic was not perfect, Pazran's attacks were enough to have an impact on the enemy and make their defense fall apart.

"Don't be afraid, it's just a small fireball," said a soldier from the Dions army.

"It seems like we won't die today, right, Leosa?" Pedrick asked his wife.

"Yes, my husband," Leosa replied with a faint smile, but instantly, Leosa's head was separated from her body.

"Mother!!" Pazran shouted, panicking.

"Leosa!!" Pedrick shouted, his heart breaking.

A very strong killing intent came from a soldier wearing a bloody helmet and carrying a black sword, indicating that he was a Holy Knight of Solamria.

"A Holy Knight, why is he here?" Pedrick asked, desperate.

The Holy Knight stood still, and with his speed, cut off Pedrick's arm.

"Arggggggg!!" Pedrick shouted in pain.

"FATHER!!" Pazran shouted, unable to hold back his tears.

When the Holy Knight turned to attack Pazran, Pedrick, who was almost helpless, cast two spells at once-a fireball spell to attack the Holy Knight and a teleportation spell to save Pazran.

The teleportation spell was a forbidden spell, which required the caster to sacrifice their lives. Pazran knew about it and could only cry seeing his father make the sacrifice, not caring about the Holy Knight anymore. All he saw was the death of his parents.

When the Holy Knight was about to attack Pazran, he was hit by a fireball and at the same time, Pazran disappeared. The Holy Knight, who thought Pedrick was helpless, was stunned.