Henry Morris, the Imperial Archmage who had achieved the state of 8th Circle for the first time in the history of humanity, walked across the execution ground. His hands were bound by handcuffs made of ck mithril that were said to block even an elf¡¯s magic.
Two members of the Imperial Ten Swords¡ªknown to be the most elite swordmasters of the Empire¡ªapanied him in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
The two did not drag Henry towards the guillotine. It was theirst show of respect to the man who had once been touted as the apex of the Empire and the Grand Master of the Magical Tower.
The crowd that had gathered around the execution ground held their breath, eyes locked on Henry.
Some felt the urge to let out their breath and break the paper-thin tension in the air, but a solemn atmosphere prevented them from doing anything unnecessarily.
Today was a very important day in history. It was thest day Henry would ever be called the Imperial Archmage and the Sage of the Continent.
"Hooo¡"
It was a frozen winter. Henry¡¯s cold breath broke the silence in the air.
He seemed short of breath, wheezing with each step he took.
But it wasn¡¯t because of his old age. The real cause was the poison he had ingested the day before.
¡®That damned poison.¡¯
Even though he was a Grand Master who had reached the 8th Circle, he was a human nevertheless.
The unknown poison ate away at his internal organs, blocking the flow of magic that had circted in his body throughout his entire life.
It was so painful that he wanted to die.
However, if he hadn¡¯t drank the poison, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to protect the lives of countless others.
¡®How funny, the way things turned out.¡¯
He had anticipated, however vaguely, that a day like this would eventuallye.
But he had always kept faith in the great bloodline of his old friend andrade, the former emperor, Golden Jackson Edward.
His faith had turned out to be a huge mistake.
The current emperor was Silver Jackson Edward. He was the fortunate member of thest generation of royalty toy im to the unified continent that his father had built. It was a truly privileged generation.
Moreover, after his predecessor was killed prematurely by the curse of the Demon King during the war, he was able to easily inherit the position of emperor as well.
''How did he end up like this? He used to be such a smart kid.¡¯
Golden Jackson Edward was brave and courageous, a historical figure who had garnered the favor and respect of all the different races.
But his son was not the same.
Leeching off his father¡¯s achievements, he grew ustomed to a life of power. He did not master martial arts and did not focus on his studies, so his only true skill was his useless persistence.
These all added up to make a dangerous man.
Blinded by his ego, his vision had narrowed and his doubts had grown. He had be sensitive, and was easily triggered by the smallest matters.
However, the Central Nobles saw this as the perfect opportunity.
Because there was no weapon easier to wield than a self-righteous tyrant.
The Central Nobles had spent a very long time meticulously plotting a n.
They had begun to remove all the forces opposed to them that were the foundations of the Empire¡¯s national sovereignty, one piece at a time. All those who threatened their power had been ousted as criminals.
The name of their crime? Treason.
Only after a very long time had the war heroes finally realized what was happening, but by then, it was already out of their hands.
And finally, thest remaining hero, Henry Morris, stood before the guillotine.
¡°Bring the sinner to his knees!¡±
Henry had little remaining strength. His legs were barely supporting him, and he copsed helplessly to his knees.
Thud!
In an instant, the mood in the execution ground fell even further.
Then the executioner shouted loudly.
¡°Hear! Hear! Traitor Henry Morris! Does the sinner admit that, despite possessing the greatest wisdom in the Empire, he has plotted rebellion against the imperial family?¡±
Thousands of eyes gazed at Henry, awaiting his response.
But Henry closed his eyes without any answer.
He didn¡¯t wish to respond at all.
Just being in this position was a huge insult to Henry.
The executioner continued his speech.
¡°All who plot against the empire must be captured and their entire kind wiped out. However, with great mercy and generosity, His Majesty, the Great Emperorpunishes Henry Morris with¡¡±
At that moment, Henry opened his eyes.
His body was being destroyed by the poison, yet he mustered the strength to re bitterly around the execution grounds.
It was not only the executioner who was taken aback by the sudden change in Henry¡¯s demeanor. Even the emperor and the rest of the nobles, who had been watching in anticipation of the execution, grew pale with fright.
Henry gathered thest of his remaining strength and cursed out loudly.
¡°My ears are going to rot at this rate. Cut the bullshit and just kill me!¡±
As soon as he did, a trembling voice shouted across the grounds.
¡°K-kill that bastard! Now! H-hurry!¡±
The emperor shouted, quivering as he pointed at Henry.
Henry¡¯s gaze pierced through the cold air and sent a shiver down the emperor¡¯s spine. His eyes held a strong contempt that reminded the emperor of his father.
The emperor was terrified of those eyes.
¡°Sir Henry, I¡¯m sorry,¡± one of the guards spoke softly.
The first sword among the Imperial Ten Swords and the King of Knights¡ªthe Sword of Valhald¡ªsoared into the sky.
It was a fleeting moment.
At the brief moment before Valhald¡¯s de fell upon Henry¡¯s neck, he closed his eyes and thought to himself for onest time.
¡°Even in death, I will never forgive you.¡±
***
The severed head of the old man fell, gushing blood all over the execution ground.
The emperor ordered that the archmage¡¯s corpse be thrown as fodder for the beasts.
As news of his execution spread, Henry¡¯s supporters wept as they dispersed back to their homes.
With that, Henry Morris, humanity¡¯s only 8th Circle archmage in 20 years since the great unification of the continents, met his end.
Chapter 1: Same Name, Different Lives (1)
Chapter 1: Same Name, Different Lives (1)
¡°Ugh!¡±
Henry opened his eyes and let out a short gasp, as if he had woken up from a nightmare. He was surrounded by darkness. The only source of light were a few candles that had been lit and ced in front of him.
¡®How?¡¯
He clearly remembered being beheaded by Valhald¡¯s sword. But when he regained his consciousness, he found himself in this unknown room, instead of at the execution grounds.
¡°This is¡?¡±
After a brief moment of surprise, Henry realized that he was holding something in his hands.
In one hand was the carcass of a beheaded hen, and in the other an old book with a frayed cover.
¡°Necromancy?¡±
It was difficult to make out the words in the book because of the condition it was in, but one word remained printed clearly.
Necromancy.
A type of ck magic that could bring a dead spirit back into the world through the sacrifice of blood.
¡®Have I gotten myself involved in necromancy?¡¯
Intuitively, Henry already knew. There would be no other way to exin the situation he was in.
Henry got up and looked for something that could show him his reflection. Through the darkness, he spotted arge mirror on one of the walls of the room. He quickly walked over to the mirror and looked at his face.
¡°My god¡!¡± He couldn¡¯t help but exim out loud.
The face in the mirror was not his.
Staring back at him was not the face of a man who had experienced many trials and tribtions over the past 80 years, but that of a youthful man with a surprised expression.
This face was unfamiliar to Henry.
He pinched his cheeks, just in case. He felt a sharp pain, confirming that this was not a dream.
¡°This makes no sense¡¡±
He was supposedly dead, but he still felt as if he had narrowly escaped death.
And it was all because of some ck magic¡ªthe very same ck magic that he himself had eradicated from the kingdom.
He was ovee with indescribable humility that left him speechless for a while. However, soon after, Henry quickly pulled himself together.
¡®All things aside, who the hell did this?¡¯
What surprised Henry the most was not the fact that he was resurrected by ck magic. He was more curious about who had managed to discover this book, and why this necromancer had chosen him, of all people, to resurrect. After all, he was the one who had uprooted all ck magic in the kingdom.
¡®Speaking of which¡ where is the necromancer?¡¯
If a necromancy spell was cast, then there must have been a mage who cast it.
Henry looked around, but there was not a single sign that anybody was around, let alone a mage. Seeing as how the mage was nowhere to be found, Henry narrowed down the potential suspects.
¡®Perhaps the mage is the owner of this body¡?¡¯
Henry picked up the magic book that had fallen to the floor and quickly began to read it to gather more clues.
¡®Looks like he failed.¡¯
His guess turned out to be correct. The previous owner of the body that Henry was currently inhabiting must have been a mage who practiced necromancy.
And he had failed.
Henry believed it must have been the badly damaged magic book,bined with the inexperience of the mage, that had caused the necromancy spell to fail.
¡®I suppose this is a good thing for me?¡¯
To Henry, the mage¡¯s blunder was not a failure. After all, it was thanks to the botched spell that he had gotten himself a new life.
Henry could not help but subconsciously smile at that thought.
¡®To think that I would be able to start life anew.¡¯
It was just mere moments ago that he had felt his insides burning from the poison while the Nobles looked down at him as if he was a monkey in a zoo.
Henry would never forget the humiliation he had felt at that moment.
¡®I need information.¡¯
Now, with his newfound life, Henry began to formte a n.
He had received a second chance at life through this strange coincidence, and he was determined to make the best of it.
He started looking around the room again.
¡®Looks like he lived a decent life.¡¯
Judging by the interior of the room, it didn¡¯t seem like the house of amon peasant. In addition, the gown draped over his body was made from a high quality fabric.
Henry pushed the carcass of the dead hen away with his foot and stood in front of the mirror again. He brought a litmp closer to him and removed his gown.
¡°Mm.¡±
With a small grunt, Henry observed his new body. It was a good body that was obviously well fed, with no signs of malnutrition or disease. However, it must not have gotten much workout done, as no matter how much Henry squinted, he could not find any signs of muscles.
¡°Doesn¡¯t look like the body of a knight¡ then what was he?¡±
Henry predicted that the body might have belonged to a mage, because mages had no need to build their physique.
Henry put his clothes back on, sat down, and closed his eyes. He concentrated his whole mind on his heart. If the owner of this body was a mage, there would be a circle drawn on his heart.
But Henry¡¯s expectations were shattered.
¡®It¡¯s not there?¡¯
He didn¡¯t even feel the basic 1st Circle. Henry could not help but feel as disappointed as a beggar looking into an empty rice bowl.
¡®He doesn¡¯t even have a circle, and his body isn¡¯t in the best shape. What kind of person is he?¡¯
At the very least, Henry was fortunate enough that the body was healthy.
While staring nkly at his new, plump body, he was suddenly reminded of someone.
Silver Jackson Edward, the emperor who had ordered him to be killed.
¡®Urgh, damn brat.¡¯
For a moment, Henry forgot about his fortuitous resurrection. He ground his teeth so hard that they almost broke, as one by one he recalled the atrocities the emperor hadmitted to him.
The one thing he could never forget was when the emperor had used hostages to force him to drink the poison with his own hands.
¡®Damn bastard. If I had been a knight, I would have been able to withstand that poison¡¡¯
Henry had never once regretted bing a mage.
Magic was efficient and superior. And in terms of power, he was strong enough to face dozens of sword masters alone.
But all that strength had been rendered useless by some poison. A weak body was a mage¡¯s greatest weakness and only w. If Henry had possessed the body of a top-notch sword master, he would have been fine after drinking even a few barrels of the same poison.
¡®To think¡ that only death could cause me to finally acknowledge the knights¡¡±
Henry was a ferocious magic supremacist. There was not a single task in his life that he could not aplish with magic. Thus, he used to look down on knights, as pathetic fools who could do nothing but train their bodies all day.
But this realization came toote, and just like him, it was as good as dead.
¡®Looks like it has already been decided what I should do with my life this time round.¡¯
The fiery anger within him caused him to reflect upon himself. And once he had finished his self-reflection, Henry had be as cold-hearted as the sage that he had been in his previous life.
¡®First, make a Circle. Gathering informationes next.¡¯
A strong body like that of a knight wasn¡¯t something he could obtain right away; thus, he decided instead to start with something he could handle easily: basic magic. After all, whatever he intended to do with his life, his foundations first had to be solid.
Henry sat down and crossed his legs. He began to draw the 1st Circle on his heart, using the breathing technique exclusive to mages.
¡®Even if this body has no talent for magic, it should, at the very least, be able to draw the 1st Circle.¡¯
In his previous life, he had been the 8th-Circle Archmage and Grandmaster of the Empire. He was the one who had reached the pinnacle of magic, and with this talent he could transform any piece of junk into a wonderful treasured sword.
¡°Kurgh.¡±
However, his current body seemed to have absolutely no potential for magic at all, as just attempting to create the 1st Circle brought him to exhaustion.
But, as the saying goes, it¡¯s always the first step that is the hardest.
Henry bit his lip as he once again began to draw the 1st Circle with the utmost strength and concentration.
* * *
¡°Phew¡ this should do it.¡±
A long time had passed. Henry let out a long sigh and opened his eyes. He had finally achieved the 1st Circle.
¡®Let¡¯s leave it at this for now.¡¯
He would have begun training right away, but his body was too weak to do so.
Henry raised his weak, trembling legs and headed towards the sole door of his new room.
Creaaaak.
The door opened, breaking the silence.
Henry stepped out of the door and looked around. He noticed a man sleeping nearby, whom he presumed to be a servant.
¡®Seeing that he even had a servant, it¡¯s clear that he wasn¡¯t amoner.¡¯
Now, he feltpletely sure that the original owner of this body was not amoner.
However, his certainty was short-lived. After noticing the servant was in a deep sleep, Henry began to question his judgment.
This was because most servants could not afford to fall into a deep sleep, as they might be called upon by their masters at any moment for any trivial task.
Henry coughed loudly to wake the servant up and test his suspicions.
¡°Cough cough.¡±
¡°Snore¡?snore¡ Y-Young Master¡?¡±
Waking up to the sound of Henry¡¯s dry coughs, the man called him ¡®Young Master¡¯. This confirmed that the man was indeed a servant.
¡°Yaaaawn.¡±
But, to Henry¡¯s surprise, the servant continued to yawn and stretch, as if he had no intention of ever getting up.
Servants were expected to live quietly in the shadow of their master. If they behaved otherwise, it was normal for them to be beaten and kicked out of the house. However, the man not only continued to yawn and stretch, but even sat up and stretched his legs outzily. It was truly a shocking sight, and Henry could not stand it anymore.
¡°What is the meaning of this?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°...¡®What¡¯?¡±
¡°Why are you like this, all of a sudden? Perhaps you¡¯re not fully awake yet?¡±
That was the final blow. Henry could not abide the rudeness of the servant any longer.
¡°I think you¡¯re the one that¡¯s not fully awake yet.¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
Crack!
The sound of bones being hit echoed through the room.
Angry at his disrespectful attitude, Henry had kicked the servant¡¯s shin with all his might. The servant fell to the floor in an instant.
Henry¡¯s body might havecked muscles, but it was notpletely pathetic and helpless.
¡°Why¡ why are you doing this?¡±
¡°Looks like you¡¯ve yet toe to your senses.¡±
This time, he aimed for the servant¡¯s face. The sound of the servant¡¯s jaw breaking rang out, and his head rattled from the impact.
The servant¡¯s shoulders trembled with fear.
Henry looked down at the servant and clicked his tongue.
¡°Tsk, what kind of bastard was this man to discipline this servant so poorly?¡±
Perhaps due to what the emperor had done to him, Henry could not tolerate any more acts of disgrace. His temper had greatly shortenedpared to before, and it was the servant''sments that had sent him over the edge.
¡°Huh, look at this guy.¡±
Despite bowing his head, the servant red fiercely at Henry.
Henry was bewildered at the servant¡¯s attitude and stared back coldly, the same way he had done to the emperor before his beheading.
After a while, the servant had no choice but to back down from his master.
¡°Wh-wh-what¡¯s going on?¡±
When the servant bowed his head again, he realized that something felt wrong. He felt an overwhelming sense of intimidation, like he was feeling the gaze of a tiger. Those overbearing eyes helped the servant instinctively realize that this was not the same dense master he had been serving. Finally understanding the situation, the servant fell t on his stomach and began to beg.
¡°I-I havemitted horrible sins! Please forgive me!¡±
The servant bowed his head and begged for his life. He was worried that Henry¡¯s next strike would break more than just his jaw.
¡°Raise your head.¡±
At Henry¡¯smand, the trembling servant timidly raised his head. It was as if he was facing a tiger.
¡°This is thest time I will show you mercy. Show me that attitude one more time and that¡¯s the end of you.¡±
¡°Y-yes! I¡¯ll definitely keep that in mind!¡±
Only then did Henry¡¯s anger finally subside.
It was a servant¡¯s duty to be fearful of their master and to be obedient at all times.
Having calmed down, Henry asked, ¡°What day is it today?¡±
¡°T-the 6th!¡±
¡°Tch.¡±
¡°I-I apologize! Today is the 6th of July, of the 20th Year of the Imperial Calendar!¡±
Henry¡¯s face lit up in surprise at the servant¡¯s revised answer.
¡®It¡¯s only been a day!?¡¯
The date that his servant spoke was only one day after his execution. In other words, Henry had been resurrected in just one day.
Having figured out the date, Henry posed another question.
¡°Right. Then what¡¯s my name?¡±
¡°You are the Young Master, Henry Morris.¡±
¡°...What did you just say?¡±
¡°I said that you are the Young Master, Henry Morris, is there any problem?¡±
At his servant¡¯s answer, Henry could not help but doubt what he had just heard.
¡°Then who is my father?¡±
¡°He is Bar Hans Morris.¡±
¡®Hans Morris!¡¯
The misunderstanding was cleared up quickly..
It was only natural for him to misunderstand, but the servant¡¯s answer revealed nothing but a huge coincidence. His name was the exact same as this mysterious mage.
¡®To call this ¡®fate¡¯...¡¯
Henry wondered whether this was some sort of cruel joke.
But it was not the worst fate to endure. Since they shared the same name, Henry thought that this might perhaps be a good opportunity to make his name known all over the world once more.
Meanwhile, the servant was clueless as to why his Young Master was suddenly smiling.
Chapter 2: Same Name, Different Lives (2)
Chapter 2: Same Name, Different Lives (2)
Bar Hans Morris.
He was a veteran who had participated in the Unification War, and had been granted the title of Bar for his military contributions.
In the Empire, a Bar was a middle-of-the-pack Noble; a lower rank than a Baron, but higher than a knight.
Bars were entitled to a private estate, which was one of the many privileges given to Nobles. Hans was given a small piece ofnd located on the edge of the Empire, which he named ¡®Morris Estate¡¯.
Henry was the eldest son of Bar Hans.
¡®Given the title of ¡®Bar¡¯ because of his great deeds, huh?¡¯
A Noble not quite a Noble, and amoner not quite amoner. That was what a Bar was.
Henry was studying the Morris family¡¯s genealogy records, which the servant had brought to him earlier.
¡®Nothing of particr interest in this family.¡¯
There was no particr information that stood out.
The father had no desire to advance his career, and his mother had died giving birth to Henry.
And despite being the eldest son, it seemed that the mage had difficulty finding any kind of sess, whether it was due tock of talent or a weak will.
Any chance of a sessful careerid instead with Kevin Morris¡ªthe son of Hans¡¯s second wife and half-brother of Henry Morris.
¡®Is that why he meddled with ck magic?¡¯
A second wife¡¯s son excelling over the legitimate sessor.
Henry could vaguely understand why the mage, who was supposed to be the main sessor, had involved himself with ck magic.
No matter how remote this estate might have been, to him it must have meant the world, heightening his resentment toward a second wife¡¯s child bing superior to him.
¡®I don¡¯t know where you got this magic book, but it was a foolish choice.¡¯
If he had tried to grasp the subject clearly without being blinded by his jealousy, he may not have lost his body.
But there was no use in dwelling on such matters.
.
His body had already been transferred to an Archmage of the same name, and even if there had been a way to reverse the spell, Henry would have surely rejected it.
Having gathered his thoughts, Henry closed the genealogy records. He had obtained all the information he needed.
¡®So, do I have to start from nothing all over again?¡¯
He had no wealth, no talent, and no connections.
Truly a nameless existence.
Whatever he wanted to do, he would have to do it all on his own.
Henry suddenly remembered the first time he met the emperor¡¯s predecessor, Golden Jackson.
Henry and Golden were both from a small country called ¡®Mumbadum¡¯, which had since disappeared. Together, they had built the present day Empire single-handedly, from nothing. Henry was no stranger to new beginnings, and he did not fear having to do it again.
But since he possessed nothing in this new life, he had no choice but to make use of what he already knew.
¡®Looks like I¡¯ll have to get reacquainted with magic quickly.¡¯
At this moment, Henry truly felt fortunate that he was a mage.
After all, mages were wee in all parts of the world.
Normally, mages would have to go to the Magic Academy in the capital city in order to be recognized for their talent in magic. But to Henry, the academy was just a waste of time. The academy¡¯s teachings were child¡¯s y for Henry.
Henry set the closed genealogy records aside and crossed his legs.
At first, he had found it difficult to create a Circle from scratch. But, he had adapted somewhat to his new body, and felt much less fatigued making the same attempt.
Henry nced at the hourss on the other side of the room to check the time.
¡®It¡¯ll take around 5 hours for dawn to break¡ I suppose I¡¯ll increase the number of Circles as much as possible during that time.¡¯
He had too many things to do after dawn, thus he felt it was better to take care of more pressing matters first.
Henry began focusing all of his concentration once again.
* * *
¡°Phew¡¡±
As the sun slowly rose across the window, Henry¡¯s eyes opened, signaling a new beginning.
Henry¡¯s gown was drenched in sweat as if he had been out in the rain, and it had be stained with Henry¡¯s salt due to the repeated soaking and drying.
¡®That should do it.¡¯
Henry confirmed the three clearly defined Circles rotating around his heart.
It was a truly difficult task. Most mages could not even fathom increasing the number of Circles from one to three in such a short time.
But the awakening needed to increase the Circles was an easy task for someone like Henry.
Creak.
At that moment, the sound of a door opening broke the silence of the still room.
It was the servant who Henry had beaten.
¡°Y-Young Master. Have you not slept?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
¡°I have brought water for your cleansing¡ but perhaps, shall I prepare a bath as well?¡±
It was a sensible question from the servant, who noticed that Henry was drenched in sweat.
¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ll take care of myself, so wait outside.¡±
¡°Y-yes! As you wish.¡±
Normally, the servant would be tasked with washing Henry from head to toe himself. He had surely noticed by now that something in the Young Master had definitely changed.
Creak.Thud.
The servant left and closed the door, and Henry was left alone again.
He took off his drenched gown and tossed it aside, before flicking the sweat off his fingers and speaking softly to himself.
¡°Clean.¡±
Sparkle¡ª
When he used ¡®Clean¡¯, the cleaning spell, his body, which was pickled in his own sweat and salt, instantly became smooth, dry and clean.
¡°Charming.¡±
Henry cast another spell.
This time, it was a spell intended to beautify his appearance.
When ¡®Charming¡¯ was cast, Henry¡¯s skin was revitalized, and his hair was trimmed neatly to Henry¡¯s taste.
¡°Phew, this is going to be tough for the time being.¡±
Henry had achieved the three most basic Circles of magic overnight.
He wanted to devote himself to creating the 4th Circle right away, but he had no choice but to leave it for another time. The amount of magic required for the 4th Circle was significantly higher than the first three.
After grooming himself, Henry opened the closet and looked at his clothes. But the more he looked at the clothes, the more deeply he frowned.
¡°How out of style,¡± he briefly remarked.
The capital of the Empire was the epicenter of thetest fashion trends, and seeing as how the Morris Estate was located at the very edge of the Empire, it couldn¡¯t be helped that the sense of fashion here was years behind.
Henry chose the most ssic-looking set of clothes and dressed himself neatly. He then called out to his servant, who had been waiting for him outside as he left the room.
¡°I¡¯m very hungry, so hurry up.¡±
¡°Yes, understood.¡±
In his old body, Henry had had no appetite and would not eat very much. But perhaps because he was now in a young and healthy body, his appetite had suddenly be stronger. In addition, he had been exhausting himself all night long, which only increased his appetite.
Henry followed his servant into the estate¡¯s dining hall.
The rest of the Morris family had already arrived at the dining hall.
Henry gave them a brief, wary nce before finding a vacant seat and nting himself onto it..
¡®It was stated that he didn¡¯t have a mother, and by the looks of it, it¡¯s true.¡¯
Henry carefully observed the individuals seated in the dining hall one by one, cross-referencing his observations with the information he had obtained from the genealogy records.
The Morris family had a total of four members. It consisted of himself, the head of the family and his second wife, and the second wife¡¯s child.
¡°Did everyone get a good night¡¯s rest?¡±
The head of the family, Hans Morris, began the conversation.
The other members of the Morris family greeted each other briefly before starting on their breakfast.
Nom nom.
There was amon saying in the Empire that one should eat like the Emperor at breakfast in order to start the day off well.
Henry nodded as he looked at the spread of breakfast in front of him, which was prepared rtively well in spite of the sparse household.
¡®At least they know how to keep themselves well fed.¡¯
The quality of food, clothing, and shelter in the estate was very important to Henry, as he knew he would have to live here for a while.
Henry recalled his own dining table, which just a few days prior had been set up luxuriously.
But now that that was all in his past, he decided to put aside all feelings of regret, and be content with his current meal.
Slurp, burp, chomp.
¡®What the hell?¡¯
Henry had begun eating, but he had no choice but to turn his attention to the young man who was ravenously eating across from him.
It was Kevin Morris, the second wife¡¯s son who surpassed the main sessor.
Slurp, slurp. Burp. Slurp.
Kevin ate like a wild mercenary that had not eaten for days. It was truly an off-putting disy of poor table manners.
¡®Is it because he¡¯s a Bar? He hasn¡¯t even gotten the basics right.¡¯
Henry was not a stickler for etiquette, but he was someone who adhered to a certain degree of dignity, and he could not stand watching Kevin eating so disgracefully. Eventually he could not help but speak up.
¡°Kevin.¡±
Kevin paused.
When Henry called out his name, Kevin¡¯s spoon paused in midair. With his mouth still stuffed full of food, he red at Henry and replied.
¡°What?¡±
Kevin¡¯s tone sounded rather aggressive.
Seeing how everyone around him, from the servant to the bastard child, had been interrupted by the confrontation, Henry had no choice but to say something.
¡°I just wish you would eat a little more quietly, like a gentleman.¡±
¡°What!? Fuwahaha!¡±
Plink.
As Kevin burst intoughter, a small morsel of food flew out of his mouth and fell into Henry¡¯s soup.
Henry could feel the back of his neck tingle once more.
Kevin then continued as if nothing happened, ¡°Brother, let¡¯s just eat how we¡¯ve always eaten. Why are you suddenly acting so differently, talking about being a gentleman and whatnot?¡±
With that, Kevin resumed his meal.
But Henry had lost his appetite, and began to grow angrier.
After putting down his spoon, Henry wiped his mouth with his napkin and ordered the servant to fetch him a ss of cold water and some hot tea.
When the drinks were served, Henry held the ss of cold water and waited for Hans to finish his meal.
After a while, Hans finished and began to speak.
¡°So, have you boys decided who will enter the Swordsmanship Academy?¡±
¡®Swordsmanship Academy?¡¯
It was the first time Henry had heard of such a thing.
However, hearing the phrase, ¡®Swordsmanship Academy¡¯, he quickly grasped the situation.
¡®So that¡¯s what happened?¡¯
There was a vocational school for swordsmanship, just like magic.
Anybody could enter, regardless of status, as long as they had the talent. But the tuition fee was so expensive that most families simply could not afford it.
¡®Swordsmanship Academy, huh¡¡¯
It was something that he would not have even considered in his previous life. What he cared about was magic, not swordsmanship.
However, having died with his body wrecked by poison, he now found himself interested in swordsmanship, something that he had never bothered with before.
¡®It¡¯s not a bad idea. As long as I follow the sses diligently, by the time I graduate, I¡¯ll be a full-fledged knight. My physique will be trained tremendously, too.¡¯
It was somewhere worth attending, despite its high price.
However, the biggest drawback of the Swordsmanship Academy was the amount of time it would take to graduate.
¡®It would be more efficient to raise the Circles during that time.¡¯
It would take at least 3 years to graduate. If one was unlucky enough to fail, it would take even longer.
Moreover, Henry¡¯s ultimate purpose was to take revenge on the emperor. He had no intention of wasting several years just to learn swordsmanship.
Suddenly, Kevin spoke.
¡°Father! There¡¯s nothing to discuss. Given that I am the one with more potential, it¡¯s only right that I am the one to go to the academy.¡±
While Henry was deep in contemtion, Kevin made a remark thatpletely belittled Henry.
It was an absurd remark.
If Kevin had been Henry¡¯s servant, his jaw would have been broken by now. But given that they were rted by blood, and that considering Henry¡¯s actual age, Kevin was actually several years younger than him, he decided to put up with Kevin one more time.
Henry decided to act like an adult by not responding to the little child¡¯s provocations.
At that moment, Bar Hans Morris said, ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. But shouldn¡¯t we listen to your brother Henry¡¯s opinion as well?¡±
And that was when the trigger came.
Henry had intended to patiently hand over the chance to go to the academy to Kevin, but Kevin¡¯s final words ignited Henry¡¯s wrath.
¡°There¡¯s no need to listen to him. Judging by his personality, it¡¯s obvious that even if he does go to the academy, he¡¯ll just be kicked out like a fool without even aplishing anything. Brother Henry has always been that sort of person.¡±
¡°I won¡¯t aplish anything?¡±
Henry recalled thest moments of his previous life, where he could do nothing but be helplessly killed.
¡°Am I wrong? Do you forget how you always avoided dueling with me, brother? How you never had the courage to fight me man-on-man?¡±
Henry¡¯s face grew more and more contorted with anger. He knew that Kevin¡¯s words were not directly referring to him per se. However, this Henry coincidentally shared the same name as the Archmage Henry, and Kevin¡¯s words strangely resonated with Henry¡¯s past self.
But regardless of Henry¡¯s clear anger, Kevin carried on.
¡°Rather than sending someone like him to the academy, I think it¡¯s much more appropriate that I attend it.¡±
When Kevin finished, Hans looked at Henry with indifference.
¡°Kevin might havecked elegance with his words, but he¡¯s notpletely wrong either. What do you think?¡±
Just from the look in his eyes, it was clear that he had no expectations of his eldest son. Those eyes were already expecting a certain oue.
Just like the eyes of the emperor who had poisoned him in his previous life.
Henry responded coldly.
¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind. This is the prestigious Swordsmanship Academy we are talking about, and I think the prestige of our family will grow stronger with my attendance, rather than this bastard¡¯s.¡±
¡°What did you just say!?¡± Kevin burst out loudly.
Henry then responded in an even colder tone.
¡°There are limits to being deluded.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°I did not avoid fighting you because Icked the courage. It¡¯s just that your skills aren¡¯tparable to mine; you¡¯re not even worth dueling against.¡±
A stiff silence filled the dining hall.
And after a while, everyone at the table burst intoughter.
Chapter 3: Same Name, Different Lives (3)
Chapter 3: Same Name, Different Lives (3)
Kevin¡¯s mother, Madame Morris,ughed until tears welled up in her eyes.
¡°Brother, even for a joke, aren¡¯t you going too far?¡± Kevinughed as he posed the question. Tears had formed in the corners of his eyes as well.
Henry responded immediately.
¡°I don¡¯t think you and I are close enough to be joking around like this.¡±
¡°Henry, as Kevin said, this is too much to be a joke. Why are you like this all of a sudden?¡± Hans chimed in.
¡°It¡¯s exactly as I said, Father. If Kevin is truly confident in his abilities, then wouldn¡¯t it be worthwhile for us to duel, as I suggested?¡±
¡°Well, that may be true but¡ will it really be okay?¡±
There was a mix of concern and curiosity in Hans¡¯ response. It was no secret that Henry was not as skilled as Kevin, and Hans knew that a duel would hurt Henry¡¯s pride.
¡°Of course. If you¡¯re not too busy in the morning, I would like to request your presence at our sparring session.¡±
¡°If that¡¯s what you really want, then sure. Both of you, head to the training center.¡±
Hans seemed uncertain about Henry¡¯s decision, but Henry had spoken with such confidence that Hans felt that he had no right to interfere.
Meanwhile, Kevin continued tough as tears streamed down his cheeks, and Madame Morris seemed lost for words at Henry¡¯s provocation.
Before long, about a dozen people, including the conductors of the bout, stood upon the sparring grounds of the training center.
¡°Brother, take this.¡± Kevin spoke confidently as he threw a wooden sword at Henry.
The sword was deceptively heavy. It seemed to have been weighted simrly to a real sword for the purpose of training.
¡®This should be more than enough.¡¯
Henry rotated the wooden sword around like a stick before cing it lightly in his right hand.
The onlookers¡¯ eyes twinkled. To them, the oue of the fight had already been decided, but they were pleased to finally have something worth watching after a long time.
The eyes of the servant Caughall, whom Henry had beaten the previous night, shone brightest.
¡®Hmph! Just because you¡¯ve gotten a bit bolder, you think you can defeat Young Master Kevin?¡¯
Caughall cheered Kevin on as he stroked his bandaged jaw. Indeed, Henry¡¯s status in the family was so low that even the servants looked down on him.
¡°The objective is to subdue your opponent. But don¡¯t go too harsh on each other, you are brothers after all. Now, let¡¯s begin the bout.¡±
Hans brought his hand down in a straight line before taking a few steps back.
With a confident look on his face, Kevin said to Henry, ¡°I will yield the first move to you.¡±
It was typical to yield the first move to the lesser opponent. This was proof that Kevin truly thought nothing of his half brother.
At Kevin¡¯s words, Henry burst intoughter before epting the offer.
¡°So be it.¡±
Thud.
Before stepping forward, Henry twisted his feet around, remaining in a standing posture.
Invisible energy began to flow up from the bottom of Henry¡¯s feet until it embraced his entire body.
¡®Enhanced strength, enhanced agility, enhanced reflexes¡¡¯¡®Strength¡¯, ¡®Haste¡¯, and ¡®Reflex¡¯ too.
They were self-buff spells that Henry had used in his previous life. Of course, the spells would be less effective than in his previous life, but they were still more than enough to punish an arrogant child.
After casting the spells, Henry made his move.
Ta-dak - Swoosh!
¡°Uh, huh?¡±
Crack!
Although the distance between the two was quite significant, Henry covered it quickly in just a couple of steps. As soon as he closed the gap between himself and Kevin, he raised his wooden sword and struck downward.
Caught off guard and not even in a ready posture, Kevin had no choice but to hurriedly defend himself against the sudden attack.
There was not much weight behind Henry¡¯s first strike, but, it was still a powerful attack thanks to the various buffs he had cast.
There was a sense of unexpected urgency written on Kevin¡¯s face. If he wanted to take back control of the situation, he would have to reset his stance first.
Henry stretched his left hand out toward Kevin¡¯s neck. Kevin was still staggered and leaning slightly.
¡°Kurgh!¡±
A strong grip tightened around Kevin¡¯s robe, choking him.
Then, Henry kicked Kevin in the ankle, knocking him to the floor.
Crash!
Although Kevin was the heavier of the two men, he copsed helplessly.
Henry kicked away the wooden sword that Kevin had dropped into the corner.
And then¡
Thud! Thud! Thud!
He began to rain strikes upon Kevin, whoid on the floor, unable to defend himself.
¡®Tough talk from a useless bastard.¡¯
The cost of provoking the Archmage¡¯s anger was severe. Henry used his wooden sword like a club, evenly striking Kevin from head to toe.
Everyone present was lost for words.
The initial attack by Henry had already been shocking enough, but what truly silenced them was what followed afterward.
¡°No, no, if you defend yourself like that, your opponent will easily break your bones.¡±
Whack! Whack! Whack!
Now, Henry was holding Kevin by his back with just one hand, whileshing away at it as if he was airingundry.
Madame Morris could not stand it any longer and begged Bar Hans with a desperate look on her face.
¡°M-my dear! S-stop this!¡±
¡°Uh, uh, yes! Henry! Stop this now! Haven¡¯t you already proven yourself the victor?¡±
Whack! Whack! Whack!
However, despite Hans¡¯ dissuasion, Henry did not relent. He did not think that Kevin was punished enough.
In the end, Hans could not take it any longer either, and shouted out loudly.
¡°Henry!¡±
Crunch!?
At the same time that Hans shouted, Henry plunged his wooden sword into the ground with all his might. It was embedded in the ground above Kevin¡¯s head, like a tombstone marking the grave of a loser.
After unleashing his punishment, Henry looked at Hans and Madame Morris.
¡°Do you have anything more to say?¡±
¡°N-no, it¡¯s okay. You¡¯re right.¡±
¡°Let us discuss admissions to the academy tomorrow. Right now I am tired, so I¡¯ll be off.¡±
Having aplished his task, Henry leisurely left the training center, and Caughall hurriedly scampered behind him.
¡°This is unbelievable¡¡±
The harsh beating left Kevin crawling on the floor, and the onlookers were left speechless at what they had just witnessed, looking as if they were possessed.
* * *
¡°I saw it, I¡¯m telling you!¡±
After their masters¡¯ meal was over, Caughall eximed in a hoarse voice as the servants began theirte breakfast.
¡°I mean, does that make sense? How did Young Master Henry suddenly defeat Young Master Kevin? There¡¯s a huge difference in their amount of training¡¡±
¡°Exactly! Oh, Bolton! You saw it too, right? You were there as well!¡±
¡°What Caughall said is true. It was a very one-sided victory.¡±
The news of what had happened that morning spread like wildfire throughout the estate.
Some said that the oldest son had hidden his power all along, while others said that Kevin lost intentionally to avoid going to the academy.
However, whenever strange rumors began to circte, Caughall quickly shut down those rumors, and the story of Henry¡¯s overwhelming victory became fact epted by everyone.
Meanwhile, Henry thought to himself.
¡®He didn¡¯t seem like he was that bad a person.¡¯
With nothing to do, Henry took a bath to warm his body. This was a method of recovering from fatigue he had used frequently in his previous life, and it was one of the leisurely activities that he had enjoyed, even when he was not particrly tired. As he bathed, Henry contemted the capabilities of his new body. Since it was a body he would be stuck with for the rest of his life, he thought it was better that he familiarized himself with it.
¡®Decent sensitivity to magic, and not a bad physical foundation either. This body couldn¡¯t do anything simply because the owner waszy¡ but now that this body is twenty years old, having a weak foundation is dangerous. I¡¯ll have to do something about this.¡¯
All men in the empire would usually start to familiarize themselves with weapons when their age reached the double digits. Even prospective mages in their respective territories were tested by qualified mages at the age of ten to determine whether they possessed enough talent.
But the owner of this body seemed to have done neither.
Since Henry was starting ten yearster than others, it was necessary to quickly build a strong foundation.
Henry had already dismissed the servant for the day, and he was left alone in the bath. He sat cross-legged in the bathtub.
¡®Let¡¯s try it one more time.¡¯
He had been able to get up to the 3rd Circle with his skill alone. However, his deep understanding and mastery of magic alone was not enough to achieve the 4th Circle. This bodycked the amount of magic needed to reach this crucial next step.
However, Henry was determined to ovee theck of resources with his sheer skill alone.
But once again, just as he was about to draw out the 4th Circle¡
Pzzzt!¡°Urgh.¡±
When he forcibly tried to bring out the 4th Circle, his heart pounded and he felt his body weaken from overexertion. Henry loosened his crossed legs with a look of helplessness on his face.
¡®In the end, the problem is the insufficient amount of umted magical power¡¡¯
This was a problem that not even the 8th-Circle Archmage could solve. Henry pondered for a long time about how to increase his magic power in a short period of time.
Some time passed.
¡®That¡¯s right! There is a solution!¡¯Ssh.
Henry got up quickly from the bathtub as soon as he came to a realization, causing water to flow over the brim of the tub.
¡°Clean.¡±
After drying himself with magic, Henry hurriedly changed his clothes and called for Caughall.
¡°Caughall!¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master!¡±
Overnight, Caughall had be highly loyal.
The overwhelming disy of Henry¡¯s skills that morning had made Caughall more fearful of Henry than the beatings he had received the night before.
¡°Bring me a paper and pen.¡±
¡°Yes, here it is.¡±
Caughall handed over the writing materials that he had sensibly prepared beforehand to Henry. Henry hurriedly jotted down a few items on the paper.
¡°Get these items. Quickly.¡±
¡°A-aren¡¯t these medicines? Are you feeling unwell, Young Master?¡±
¡°There¡¯s no need for you to know, just bring them to me.¡±
¡°Y-yes!¡±
There was no need for him to tell a servant what need he had for the materials.
As soon as Caughall received the order, he left the estate.
¡®I hope the materials are avable.¡¯
Henry looked at Caughall in the distance as he prayed that the materials were avable. Although this area was the realm of the Bar, it was still a remote ce on the edge of the empire, and Henry could not help but worry that the materials could not be found.
¡®Wait, now that I¡¯m dead, the recipe for the elixir doesn¡¯t exist anymore.¡¯
It was the reason why Henry had sent Caughall out for the errand. He intended to create ¡®Miracle Blue¡¯¡ªthe mysterious elixir that Henry made every year for the young mages.
Miracle Blue.
It was an elixir that he had created during his time as a 7th-Circle mage, after half a year of research, to increase the number of mages in the empire. It remained one of the greatest parts of his legacy. It was a mysterious elixir that unleashed the maximum potential of a mage¡¯s power upon consumption. If one was lucky, it could even raise one¡¯s existing magical power by several times.
Originally, the recipe for the elixir was supposed to be left behind upon his death, as one of his numerous legacies, but he was unable to make the necessary preparations because of how hastily he had been executed.
But now, none of that mattered. He had been resurrected, and was now free to fulfill the legacy that had almost been lost in vain to the tide of history.
After returning to his room, Henry began to write down the recipe for Miracle Blue on a spare piece of paper, in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances.
Despite Miracle Blue being such an excellent elixir, there were also disadvantages to using it. It was not possible to use the concentrated, undiluted solution as it was; its concentration had to be adjusted ording to the level of the user.
Miracle Blue was an elixir, but by itself, it was also a highly poisonous drug. Moreover, since its purpose was to stimte the heart beyond its natural limits to expand one¡¯s magical potential, it could only be used once in a lifetime.
Therefore, the first intake, which was also thest, had to first have its concentration adjusted as precisely as possible to suit the level of the user.
Henry reviewed theplete form several times, searching for any possible errors in his calctions.
¡®Alright, that¡¯s perfect.¡¯
He was the great 8th-Circle Archmage, and the smartest being in the empire. There was not a single problem to be found in his perfectly reproduced form.
Chapter 4: Don’t Mess with Henry, or Else (1)
Chapter 4: Don¡¯t Mess with Henry, or Else (1)
¡°Young Master! I¡¯ve returned!¡±
The now-loyal Caughall returned from his errand much faster than usual, in order to avoid upsetting Henry.
As he put down the sack that he had carried into Henry¡¯s room, he said, ¡°Young Master, I was able to get most of the things you requested, but there was one item I simply could not find.¡±
¡°One item? Which is it?¡±
¡°The green crowflower that you wrote right at the bottom of the list.¡±
¡°Why weren¡¯t you able to find it? Were there none avable?¡±
¡°The thing is¡ ording to the herbalist, a sizable horde of bandits have appeared along the trade route. It is because of them that traders have not been able to enter this territory for over a fortnight.¡±
¡°A fortnight? Does Father not know of this?¡±
¡°He has already sent out forces to eliminate those bandits several times, but they¡¯re so elusive¡¡±
Henry could not help but shake his head as Caughall gave his feeble reply.
How ipetent must a Bar be that he couldn¡¯t even handle a bunch of bandits?
Henry sighed before speaking.
¡°Caughall, make the preparations for my departure,¡±
¡°Sorry? You mean, now?¡±
¡°I hate to repeat myself again. I will personally head for the trade route or whatever it is, so prepare two horses and get ready to leave, you are to ride with me.¡±
¡°Y-Young Master! That¡¯s not okay! It is dangerous to go there alone, and besides, the number of bandits is reported to be over thirty!¡±
¡°What do you mean, going there alone? You¡¯reing with me.¡±
¡°Ah¡ huh?¡±
¡°And I don¡¯t remember asking you for your opinion. I need the green crowflower and those bandits are in my way. So get on with the preparations.¡±
¡°Young Master¡¡±
The loyal Caughall looked like he was on the verge of tears. How could Henry deal with a horde of bandits, when not even the Bar himself could defeat them?
But Henry¡¯s will was absolute, and Caughall had no choice but to prepare the horses.
Caughall brought Henry¡¯s personal horse out of the stable. The horse was in poor condition, especiallypared to the horse that Henry had ridden in his previous life. It looked nearly skeletal, and had missing patches of fur across its dusty coat.
Looking at the horse with a frown on his face, Henry asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t there any other horses?¡±
¡°No, there aren¡¯t. This is Young Master¡¯s personal horse.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll have to punish the stable keeper as soon as I return.¡±
As Henry muttered to himself, Caughall prepared the saddles on the two horses.
¡°Caughall, go and bring me a usable sword.¡±
¡°Do you require anything else?¡±
¡°If you want to live, bring whatever you want that can help you do so.¡±
Henry meant it as a joke, but Caughall took his words very seriously.
When Caughall disappeared out of sight, Henry sighed and stood before his horse.
¡°You must have suffered a lot too.¡±
There was a saying that if a master was ipetent, everyone under him will suffer. Henry felt that this horse was a victim of that exact ipetence.
¡°From this day forward, your name will be Jade.¡±
Jade was the name of the horse that Henry rode in his previous life.
The horse had died a natural death in its old age. Henry had little need for a horse after learning teleportation, and had rarely ridden it. Still, he had cared for it until the very end.
Neeeeigh.
Jade neighed lowly after receiving his new name.
¡°I will help you be reborn.¡±
For this purpose, Henry had intentionally not brought a sword to the stable.
After making sure no one was around, Henry bit the tip of his right index finger to draw some blood. He then began to write runic spells on Jade¡¯s face and body.
¡®That should do it.¡¯
Almost immediately, blood-red spells filled Jade¡¯s body.
When Henry was done writing the spells, he softly recited an incantation.
¡°¡®Fine Horse Restructuring¡¯, activated.¡±
It was one of the numerous secret military-purpose spells that were handed down from the Magical Spire¡¯s school of biology. This spell could transform even donkeys into war horses.
Unfortunately, it was not a perfect restructuring. Perfect restructuring spells could only be cast by 4th-Circle mages, and Henry had no choice but to reduce the spell by one level before it could be cast.
Neigh! Neigh! Neeeeigh!
¡°I¡¯m sorry. This bodycks the necessary magic, so I¡¯m unable to anesthetize you fully.¡±
The spell entailed some pain for its target. Of course, the side effects varied from being to being. But for Jade, who was quietly grazing just moments ago, it must have felt like a jolt of lightning.
Some time passed.
Neeeigh.
¡°This isn¡¯t too bad a result.¡±
Henry caressed Jade, who had grown bigger and bulkier than before, and had a shiny new coat that gave him a rather majestic appearance. Now, Jade was no longer a mere mangy workhorse, but a brave and dignified warhorse.
At that moment, Caughall returned.
¡°Young Master, I¡¯ve returned with a sword.¡±
¡°Ah, yes, good job. Now lead the way.¡±
¡°Huh? Young Master, did you change your horse while I was away?¡±
¡°No, this is my horse.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯m sure your horse wasn¡¯t like this¡¡±
¡°Are you using me of lying?¡±
¡°No, Young Master, that¡¯s not what¡¡±
¡°I will ask you again. Is this a different horse from the one you saw earlier?¡±
¡°...it¡¯s the same horse.¡±
¡°Good, that¡¯s more like it. Quickly, lead the way. There¡¯s no time to waste.¡±
Even after answering, Caughall rubbed his eyes vigorously and looked at Jade again. He could not help but doubt what he was seeing with his own two eyes. But he knew that any further argument would only upset Henry; thus, he held his tongue.
¡°Did you take the things I mentioned earlier?¡±
¡°Yes¡ but if Master and Madam find out about this¡¡±
¡°I¡¯m not stealing anything. I¡¯m simply borrowing for a while, so what¡¯s the big deal?¡±
¡°S-still¡¡±
¡°Tch.¡±
¡°Yes, understood¡¡±
As per Henry¡¯s instructions, Caughall had brought Hans and Madame Morris¡¯ treasures from the estate¡¯s treasury. Most of them werevish essories made of gold and jewels.
¡°Take good care of them. If you lose even one of them, I will hold you ountable.¡±
¡°Y-yes! Understood!¡±
Caughall could not believe he was privy to this madness, even as they set off towards the trade route. Going alone to fend off a group of bandits was already ridiculous, but now, he had to steal from his own master¡¯s treasury just to lure them out.
As Caughall took the lead and started guiding Henry towards the trade route, he looked back at the Young Master with a pained look in his eyes.
But Henry appeared calm as ever, and the two continued to ride their horses for a long time.
* * *
After a while, the two men and their horses approached the trade route.
¡°Now, let¡¯s slowly begin.¡±
¡°Yes¡ understood¡¡±
Before crossing into the trade route, Caughall obediently listened to Henry¡¯s orders and got off his horse, opening the bag of treasures.
He then began to decorate himself with each item in the bag.
¡°Hang a few more, and wear two earrings on each of your ears. If not, the bandits won¡¯t be tempted.¡±
¡°B-but¡ I¡¯ve never worn earrings before¡¡±
¡°Tch.¡±
¡°Yes¡ understood¡¡±
Thanks to Henry''s n, Caughall was able to enjoy a taste of the wealth and luxury he had never experienced before.
Finally, he finished adorning himself.
¡°That should do it. Let¡¯s go.¡±
¡°Yes¡¡± Caughall answered unenthusiastically.
Although his demeanor wasckluster, Caughall shone brightly in the sunlight thanks to the various gold and jewel ornaments that hung from his body.
The two then entered the trade route.
It was the so-called ¡®three-way trading post¡¯. The trade routes of each territory met at this three-way trading post, and these trade routes were each connected to arge main road that led to the capital.
The two men entered the road leading to the capital after passing the three-way trading post.
¡°Slow down from here on. Our goal is to be a target for the bandits.¡±
¡°Young Master! Perhaps it would be wise to head back now. There are terrifying rumors about them!¡±
¡°Well it is up to me to find out if those rumors are true. Even if I die, you, my loyal servant, should die with me.¡±
¡°Young Master¡¡±
Caughall knew that Henry spoke the truth, and could not protest any further. And with so many valuable gold pieces on him, it was clear that even if he were to run away, the bandits would most definitely chase him down and kill him.
¡°Stop right there!¡± a voice shouted from behind them.
After walking for quite some time, the bandits began to appear one by one, just as Henry expected.
¡®They sure showed up quickly.¡¯
He had already sensed that they were being followed, and suspected that it was the bandits.
¡®They¡¯re more careful than I thought they would be.¡¯
They only revealed themselves after some time, likely to ensure that there were no escorts tailing them. Only after determining they were safe did they finally reveal themselves.
¡°Gahahaha! What do you two fools think you are doing? Letting the entire empire know you wish to be robbed? ¡®Please rob us!¡¯¡±
Among them, arger bandit carrying a giant sword mocked Henry.
¡°Are you the leader?¡± Henry responded coolly.
¡°And what if I am?¡±
¡°Seems like these trinkets here are quite tempting, seeing that even the bandit leader has personally shown himself.¡±
The leader chuckled. ¡°Is there any bandit in the world that would refuse such treasure? Now, if youy down all your possessions and clothes, leave those horses behind, and just walk away, I will spare your lives.¡±
He spoke in a manner that one would expect a bandit leader to speak in.
Caughall grabbed Henry by the cor with a terrified look on his face and stammered, ¡°Y-young Master, what shall we do now? From what I can see, there must be at least twenty of them.¡±
¡°Caughall.¡±
¡°Y-yes?¡±
¡°When you wake up, this will all be over.¡±
¡°Yes? What do you mea- kurgh!¡±
Thud.
With the help of some magic, Henry quietly struck Caughall in the back of the neck with a swipe of his hand, knocking Caughall unconscious. Caughall fell to the ground, along with all the treasures he was wearing.
¡°Jade, wait here patiently.¡±
Neigh.
¡°Good.¡±
Having incapacitated Caughall, Henry dismounted Jade and tied the reins of Caughall¡¯s horse to him.
This puzzled the bandit leader.
¡°What are you doing?¡±
¡°Can¡¯t you see? I¡¯m parking.¡±
¡°Parking? A horse? Something¡¯s obviously wrong with this guy. Hey, you! Go and kill him.¡±
The leader gestured to his subordinates with his chin.
The bandits each drew their swords and slowly began to approach Henry.
¡°One, two, three, four¡ twenty-five of you. That¡¯s it?¡±
¡°You¡¯re going to die soon and you¡¯re wondering about that? You must be truly mad.¡±
¡°Well, all I have to do to you bandits is just give you a nice good knock on your heads.¡±
Crack!
Having figured out how many bandits he was facing, Henry flicked his finger toward them. At that moment,rge droplets of water formed on the faces of the bandits.
Bloop! Bloooop!
¡°I can¡¯t get blood on myself just because of a few bandits.¡±
The water droplets grew steadilyrger andtched onto the bandits¡¯ heads like helmets. They engulfed the bandit¡¯s faces, covering their noses and mouths so they could not breath. And after a while, they started to suffocate one by one.
Thud. thud.
¡°Die quickly. I¡¯m in a bit of a rush.¡±
There were a few tenacious bandits who struggled harder to stay alive, but they were only human, and unable to hold their breath forever.
¡°Krrgh¡¡±
Finally, thest of the bandits fell. Henry made sure that they werepletely dead before gathering them together in one spot with magic.
¡°Fire.¡±
A fire roared to life upon the pile of bandits. Even though their heads were wet, the corpses burned quickly like dry firewood in the raging fire. The smell of roasted meat permeated the air.
Once the corpses were thoroughly burned, Henry put the fire out.
¡°The rest is for the wild beasts to clean up.¡±
Having dealt with the situation, Henry walked over to Caughall, who was still unconscious, and kicked him awake.
¡°Snort, snort! Y-young Master? What happened to the bandits?¡±
¡°I think they¡¯re all dead?¡±
¡°Sorry?¡±
¡°Shut up. Anyway, now that the bandits are dead, let¡¯s head back. Make sure you¡¯ve not lost anything.¡±
Caughall once again looked stunned, as if he was still in a dream.
Chapter 5: Don’t Mess with Henry, or Else (2)
Chapter 5: Don¡¯t Mess with Henry, or Else (2)
¡°Agh!¡±
Kevin''s eyes shot open in a cold sweat, as if waking from a nightmare. Madame Morris, who had been nursing him the whole time he was unconscious, cried out his name with tears in her eyes.
¡°Kevin!¡±
¡°Mother? W-what¡¯s going on? Ouch¡¡±
After getting his bearings, Kevin realized that his body was covered with all sorts of medicinal ointments. They did not do much to relieve the lingering, stinging pain all over his body¡ªthe aftermath of the duel that had ured that morning.
¡°N-no way¡ did I really?¡± He eximed in disbelief, but was hit with the harsh reality.
As he muttered to himself in self-pity, Madame Morris began to scold him fiercely.
¡°You brat! How in the world have you been training, to lose so helplessly to him of all people?! My goodness, how pathetic!"
Her words were harsh, but deep down she was only worried about her son¡¯s future. Her worries were to be expected, considering that she had nned for Kevin to graduate from the academy to solidify him as the true family heir. But after his defeat, it seemed that it had all been in vain.
¡°It can¡¯t be¡ there¡¯s no way¡¡±
Kevin clutched his wounds as he reflected upon the effort he had put into bing a swordsman worthy of the academy. Although he had acted arrogantly, he had been faithful to his training and practiced every day without fail, unlike hiszy older brother.
Kevin searched for answers in his past, but nothing could exin Henry¡¯s sudden strength. It felt like a wave had crashed over him.
¡°This can¡¯t¡ never¡¡±
A deep sense of anxiety swept over Kevin, who remained unable to ept reality.
* * *
¡°I¡¯ll go and return these, Young Master.¡±
¡°There¡¯s nothing missing, right? Don¡¯t sell them off or something.¡±
¡°I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t!¡±
Having returned to the estate, Henry resumed his daily life as though nothing had happened. Most people paid him no mind, and very few had even noticed that he had left the estate in the first ce.
Henry brought Jade back to the stable himself, since he had already sent Caughall away to return the items from the treasury.
¡°Wee back, Young Master.¡±
The old stable keeper took off his hat, revealing his bald head, and greeted Henry with a short bow.
¡°I havee to return my horse, but I¡¯m going to look around the stable for a moment.¡±
¡°Certainly.¡±
If it was an ordinary horse, Henry would not have cared what condition the stable was in. However, now that he had made Jade hispanion horse, he decided that he should personally inspect the stable. He stepped inside and pointed to a horse that stood out to him.
¡°Whose horse is that?¡±
¡°That is the Lord¡¯s horse. I am taking special care of it.¡±
¡°What about that one?¡±
¡°That is Young Master Kevin¡¯s horse.¡±
Each horse was in excellent condition, as was standard for the horses of a Bar and his family. The more Henry inspected, the more indignant he felt about the poor state his own horse had been in.
¡°Then where does this one stay?¡± he asked, patting Jade on the nose.
The stable keeper bowed his head in embarrassment as he pointed to a corner in the stable.
¡°That one¡ stays there.¡±
It was a damp, dark stall that had fewer piles of straw and was more humid than the other areas of the stable.
Henry furrowed his brow as he looked at Jade¡¯s spot before turning back towards the stable keeper.
¡°This one¡¯s now called Jade. I¡¯ll consider this an honest mistake, and let it pass. But from now on, you must take better care of this stall, and this horse.¡±
¡°O-of course! I will take extra care in the future.¡±
The stable keeper looked down with his head deeply bowed.
At first, Henry had intended to punish the stable keeper, but he ultimately decided to give him another chance. Of course, it came with a few conditions attached.
¡°Ah, I almost forgot! This should go without saying, but you will have to take extra care of my father¡¯s and Kevin¡¯s horses, too. If the three of our horses are in poor condition the next time I¡¯m here, then there will be consequences.¡±
¡°Certainly!¡±
With that, Henry approached Jade onest time and stroked his mane. Then, Henry muttered a few words under his breath and grinned before leaving the stable.
* * *
Night had fallen. Kevin had not shown himself in the dining hall. With an air of awkwardness, the meal began without him.
Tea was served after the meal. As Hans sipped on his tea, he spoke to Henry.
¡°Henry.¡±
¡°Yes, Father.¡±
¡°I would like to discuss what happened this morning. What are your thoughts?¡±
¡°I¡¯m fine, actually. Madame Morris, what are your thoughts?¡±
Henry turned towards Madame Morris, who had been deliberately feigning ignorance. He could tell she was upset, and addressed her out of spite. Hans turned to look at her as well.
¡°Yes, what do you think, my dear?¡±
¡°My opinion isn¡¯t important, is it? Please, continue your conversation. I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±
Madame Morris¡¯s face was red as she stormed off, but Hans did not hold her back. As soon as she left, Hans looked at Henry with pride in his eyes that he had never shown before. Now that it was just the two of them, Hans spoke in a softer tone.
¡°Since when did you start learning swordsmanship? You¡¯ve never shown this side of yourself before.¡±
Henry shrugged. ¡°It was not so much a show of swordsmanship, it was more of a lesson for my spoiled little brother.¡±
¡°My boy, showing some humility¡ so, as you said in the morning, will you be the one to attend the swordsmanship academy?¡±
Hans¡¯ eyes widened with anticipation. Who would have thought that the eldest son, whom he had once thought to be nothing but a useless freeloader, would have so much potential?
But knowing Hans¡¯ intentions, Henry responded with a smirk.
¡°No. I have given it some more thought, and I think it¡¯s only right for Kevin to go instead.¡±
¡°W-what? What is the meaning of this, all of a sudden?¡±
¡°I thought hard about my decision after the duel. The swordsmanship academy is a ce to learn swordsmanship. So shouldn¡¯t Kevin be the one to go instead, since he is the one whocks the ability?¡±
¡°That¡¯s different from what you said this morning. Weren¡¯t you the one who said that Kevin shouldn¡¯t go because hecked the ability?¡±
¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking straight back then. Ah! Of course, we cannot just send him there. There are conditions.¡±
¡°Conditions?¡±
¡°Yes. Although I am willingly giving up the academy for him, I don¡¯t want to just waste this opportunity.¡±
¡°What are you trying to say?¡±
¡°I just want to test the kid a bit. So, should Kevineining to you, Father, can you send him to me?¡±
¡°I truly don¡¯t understand you.¡± Hans sighed under his breath. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do that.¡±
¡°Thank you. Ah, I almost forgot! I have heard some rumors that the bandits along the trade route have all been ughtered.¡±
Henry intentionally changed the topic to the bandits, to divert Hans¡¯ attention.
¡°What?! The bandits?¡±
¡°Yes. Apparently, someone saw their horribly mangled corpses being picked apart by wild animals along the trade route.¡±
¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll have to send someone to confirm this tomorrow, as soon as day breaks.¡±
¡°Sure. Then, if there¡¯s nothing more to discuss, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±
As Henry left the dining hall, he thought to himself, ¡®that bastard, there¡¯s no way he¡¯s going to give up on the academy like this, is he?¡¯
Any observer could tell that Kevin was someone full of greed, just by looking at his face. Henry secretly hoped that Kevin would quickly go toin to Hans.
* * *
Knock knock.
¡°Who is it?¡±
It was the middle of night, but Henry granted permission for the visitor to enter.
Creak.
The visitor was none other than Kevin Morris.
¡°Big brother¡¡±
Kevin bowed his head and spoke in a low and sheepish voice, no louder than a mosquito.
Henry nearly burst outughing when he saw Kevin, but he somehow maintained his nk demeanor and responded coldly.
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°I, that is¡¡±
It was obvious why Kevin hade. Despite this, Henry wanted to give Kevin a hard time.
¡°I, that¡ Father told me toe here¡ Regarding the academy¡¡±
¡°I can¡¯t hear what you¡¯re trying to say. Were you always such a bumbling coward?¡±
¡°N-no!¡±
At Henry¡¯s rebuke, Kevin quickly collected himself like a well-disciplined soldier.
¡°Now, say it again. What did Father say?¡± Henry spoke firmly with a cold, determined look on his face.
Kevin had never seen such an expression on his older brother¡¯s face before, and couldn¡¯t help but grow nervous at the sight of it. To avoid prolonging the matter, Kevin decided to cut to the chase.
¡°I was wrong, big brother.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°All the times I¡¯ve been rude to you, and all the times I¡¯ve shown disrespect to you.¡±
Kevin was still in intense pain from the beating he had received from his older brother, but he dared not show any sign of weakness.
¡®Seems like he¡¯s finallye to his senses.¡¯
Henry felt that his lost dignity had finally been restored, and decided to stop toying with Kevin. The truth was, he had an important reason for having Kevin sent over to him under the guise of testing him.
¡°Good. I don¡¯t know if you heard, but I have decided to give up on the academy.¡±
Kevin¡¯s eyes shed in surprise.
¡°But just because I¡¯ve given up doesn¡¯t mean that you will take my ce by default. After all, the only reason why both of us aren¡¯t able to attend the academy is because of the high tuition fees.¡±
Henry¡¯s words were true. If the family was richer, there would be no need to debate over which son attended the academy.
¡°Since I know you still wish to go, I want to give you a chance. But there are conditions.¡±
¡°Please tell me! I will do anything you ask!¡±
¡°No need to be so dramatic¡ have you ever heard of an estate run by the Burnhams?¡±
¡°Burnham¡ are you referring to the Burnham Estate to the north?¡±
Burnham Estate. It was a small estate owned by another Bar, quite far away from the Morris Estate. A journey there would take three nights on horseback.
¡°So, you know about it. There are some matters at the Burnham Estate I must attend to, but I was hoping you may be able to go in my stead.¡±
¡°By ¡®matters¡¯, you mean¡¡±
¡°One of Burnham¡¯s specialities is the green crowflower. They are usually brought here through traders, but there are rumors that they are having difficulty bringing it in due to the recent rise in bandit attacks. That¡¯s why I want you to pay them a visit.¡±
If Henry had more time to spare, he would have been able to retrieve the green crowflower himself. But his anger towards the emperor was too great to afford such a luxury. He wanted to kill the emperor and the Nobles as soon as possible.
¡®Besides, it¡¯s too far away.¡¯
The journey to the Burnham Estate would take a physical toll on Henry that he would not have been able to withstand in his current state.
¡°Can you do it?¡±
Henry knew that nobody was more reliable andmitted than a desperate man, which is why he decided Kevin should go instead.
Kevin was eager to prove himself and did not consider it for very long. All he had to do was brush up on his horseback riding.
¡°Absolutely! Of course, I can do that!¡±
¡°Wait, wait! I¡¯m not finished.¡±
¡°S-sorry?¡±
Of course, Henry was not done. It was not just a simple errand, but also another punishment for Kevin.
¡°I¡¯ll give you six days. You have to return by then.¡±
¡°S-six days¡¡±
It was only possible to achieve this by riding constantly during his waking hours.
Cold sweat began to trickle down Kevin¡¯s back.
¡°If it¡¯s too difficult for you, then forget it.¡±
¡°No, no! I can do it!¡±
¡°Really?¡± Henry said as he patted Kevin on the shoulder, as if to praise him for his lively response.
That night, the incident happened.
Chapter 6: Don’t Mess with Henry, or Else (3)
Chapter 6: Don¡¯t Mess with Henry, or Else (3)
Neeeeigh.
As night fell, the stable keeper released all of the horses into arge pen. This was done deliberately, to put the males and females in the same area to mate.
But this was a foolish act.
Allowing the horses to mingle this way had the potential to cause an ident, even in a small stable. This alone exemplified how underdeveloped the Morris Estate truly was, and how old and foolish their stable keeper was.
After releasing the horses, the stable keeper relieved himself of his post and headed off for the tavern. Once he was gone, the horses were free to do as they pleased.
Neeeeigh.
There were four males and three females in the Morris¡¯ stable. It was standard practice to match the number of males and females to prevent stress on the horses, but the Morris family hadcked the funds for another horse in their already cramped stable.
Due to this, the Lord of the Morris Estate, Hans Morris, had ordered the stable keeper to use Henry¡¯s neglected horse as a teaser horse. [1]
That was why Henry¡¯s horse had been assigned to the dirtiest corner of the stable.
The life of a teaser horse was truly horrific. The quality of food and shelter he received had been poorer than the other horses, and he had been used to assist the other horses in mating.
Mares in the stage of estrus tend to be incredibly sensitive. Therefore, if the mare¡¯s tension was not sufficiently released through the teaser horse, the stallions would often be kicked to death by the mares¡¯ hind legs.
Jade had lived most of his life as a teaser horse, until Henry had granted him a new life. Jade was of a breed not meant to be used as a teaser horse. He had been treated as one, despite his potential, leaving him no choice but to think and live like one.
Neeeeigh!
Kevin¡¯s horse, Grand, began to move. He was the strongest horse in the Morris stable. Hans¡¯s horse, Joseph, and Holter, another horse in the stable, were strong as well, but Grand was easily the strongest among them all.
In a way, he resembled his master, as he liked to show off his strength and was evidently greedy. Just as his master liked to bully Henry, he too enjoyed bullying Henry¡¯s horse, Jade.
Neigh, neeigh.
Grand entered therge pen and circled around the rest of the horses, marking his territory.
Joseph and the other male horses paid him no mind, quickly falling asleep. The rest of the mares waited, as usual, to begin mating.
Neeeeigh.
After parading around a bit longer, Grand strutted over to where Jade was. He pushed Jade with his nose, in an effort to persuade him to y his role as the teaser horse.
But Jade was tired.
Although he was now a war horse, he was tired from the effects of the restructuring process, as well as the long expedition that he had just returned from.
Neigh! Neigh!
Grand continued to push Jade with his nose. He even began to tap Jade with his front legs.
Jade ignored each advance, causing Grand to be more and more frustrated. Eventually, he could not stand it anymore, and bit Jade with all his strength.
Neeeeeeeigh!
Grand¡¯s bite was powerful, causing Jade to cry out in pain. He refused to tolerate this attack, and kicked Grand with his hind legs.
Thud!
A loud, dull sound echoed through the pen as his hooves made contact with Grand¡¯s face.
Grand was embarrassed by this unexpected resistance, and immediately prepared to counterattack.
But¡
Neigh?
When he saw Jade approaching him, Grand realized that something had changed.
This was not the Jade he knew, with his small size and sparse coat.
N-neigh?
Instinctively realizing the sudden difference in power between the two, Grand immediately took a step backward. But Jade had already been put into a rage, and he had a score to settle with Grand after a lifetime of harassment.
Neeeeeeeeeigh!
* * *
¡°V-Vernon! Vernon, where are you?¡±
In order to fulfill his promise to Henry, Kevin headed to the stable early in the morning, despite still feeling pain all over his body.
However, an unexpected tragedy awaited him in the stable.
¡°Y-young Master Kevin? W-what¡¯s the matter?¡±
The old stable keeper, Vernon, was still half-awake as he ran out while wiping drool from his mouth. His head throbbed from drinking the previous night.
¡°What¡¯s this? Why¡¯s Grand like this? I must be seeing things, right? Right?¡±
As Kevin continued to fuss, Vernon rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked at Grand, who wasying half dead on the ground, foaming at the mouth.
¡°W-w-w-what¡¯s happened to him? W-what, why?¡±
Vernon¡¯s reaction was not unreasonable, given that Grand was the strongest horse in the Morris stable. To see such a strong horse in such a weakened state was shocking.
But that did not matter to Kevin.
¡°If you, the stable keeper, don¡¯t know, then what am I supposed to do?¡±
¡°T-t-there¡¯s no way! Young Master Kevin! Please spare my life! I really don¡¯t know what happened! I definitely led him to the pen yesterday, just like any other day¡¡±
¡°Silence! Just bring another horse to me immediately!¡±
There was no time to punish Vernon. If Kevin did not depart soon, he would not be able to meet the deadline that Henry had stipted.
He frowned as he looked around the stable. He spotted a strong-looking horse that he had never seen before, munching away on hay.
¡°I¡¯ll just take that one.¡±
¡°M-master! That horse¡¡±
¡°Shut up!¡±
His admission to the Swordsmanship Academy was at stake. He had already finished the necessary preparations for departure, and he was not going to allow a simple horse to get in his way.
He muttered to himself angrily as he walked over to the horse, without realizing that it was Jade.
¡°Come out!¡±
Time was running out, and seeing the horse that he cared for near death in front of his eyes had blinded him to all reason.
Kevin frantically tugged at Jade¡¯s reins.
Neeeeeigh!
¡°Huh? Huh?¡±
¡°Young Master Kevin!¡±
In an instant, Jade lifted himself up onto his hind legs to attack Kevin.
Seeing this, old man Vernon quickly tackled Kevin out of the way, barely saving Kevin from being crushed under her hooves.
¡°Hey, what the hell is wrong with this horse?!¡±
¡°Y-young Master Kevin! Please calm down. That horse belongs to Young Master Henry!¡±
¡°W-what? T-that¡¯s my brother¡¯s horse? But I¡¯m certain that his horse was¡?¡±
¡°Whatever the circumstances may be, I am certain that that is Young Master Henry¡¯s horse. If you are in a hurry, please ride on Holter instead.¡±
¡°Fuck!¡±
It was his own fault for acting so hastily, but Kevin could not help but m his fist against the stable wall in frustration. Once again, he had been held back by Henry.
The remaining horse, Holter, was a second-ss horse used only for misceneous events. He was decent, but not nearly in the same ss as a horse like Grand. Regardless, Kevin had no choice but to ride Holter off towards the Burnham Estate.
* * *
Hearing the news that Kevin had left the estate early, Henry started the morning feeling refreshed.
¡®Then, is there anything left to do now?¡¯
Consumption of the Miracle Blue. Despite the urgency of the situation, he could think of no better solution than the one he hade up with. Thus, even though he was impatient, he decided to patiently wait for Kevin.
After Henry finished his breakfast, he called for Caughall.
¡°Caughall!¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master.¡±
¡°Guide me to the security hall.¡±
¡°Yes, understood.¡±
After recent events, Caughall had decided it was best to no longer stupidly question the Young Master¡¯s orders. He bowed his head slightly, and guided Henry to the headquarters of the securitymand.
¡®The captain is a sword expert?¡¯
ording to the family¡¯s genealogy, there were two sword experts in the Morris family. One of them was his father and Lord, Hans Morris. The other was ¡®Bern¡¯, a member of the Lord¡¯s family and the head of the securitymand in charge of policing the estate.
Henry decided to go to Bern, not Hans, to learn swordsmanship.
Since they both possessed simr skills, he decided to choose someone below him, who would cause less of an emotional burden.
¡®He better be good.¡¯
In his previous life, Henry had looked down on knights. Only after being ravaged by poison, and possessing this new body did Henry realize his ignorance. Knights had strong bodies that, when trained properly, could withstand even the deadliest of poisons.
And that the root of that strength was called ¡®aura¡¯.
Aura.
Also called the ¡®mana of the non-mages¡¯, aura was different from the magic generated by drawing circles on the heart. Aura extracted mana from the physical body itself, and could be released from any part of it.
Learning to use aura was simple. It was said that if a trained warrior pushed himself to his limit, at some point, he would inevitably learn how to utilize aura, like some form of enlightenment.
Henry suddenly remembered how the previous emperor had always tried to convince him to learn swordsmanship, in order to strengthen the weak body he had possessed as a mage.
¡®But to hell with him.¡¯
Back then, he had dismissed it as utter nonsense. After drinking that poison, however, he admitted to himself that Golden Jackson had been wise after all. For this, Henry had chosen swordsmanship over the various other martial arts he could have learned. Of course, he did not choose swordsmanship purely for his nostalgia towards Golden Jackson. It was also the easiest martial art to master.
¡°We have arrived, Young Master.¡±
¡°Good work. Come find me again when lunch is ready.¡±
¡°Yes, understood.¡±
Caughall bowed his head slightly before returning to the estate.
¡®Now, how about I see for myself how great this Bern is?¡¯
With that, Henry quietly stepped into the security hall.
* * *
The inside of the hall was quieter than Henry had expected. Most had gone on duty to the fortress walls.
As Henry wandered inside themand, he ran into a maid who hade to pick up theundry. She immediately recognized him.
¡°What brings you here, Young Master?¡±
¡°Please, spare me the formalities. Where is Sir Bern right now?¡±
¡°Sir Bern is currently in the training hall, in the back of themand center.¡±
¡°Okay.¡±
Henry headed towards the training hall. Sure enough, Bern was there.
Spotting Henry, Bern spoke first.
¡°Oh, what brings you here to this shabby ce, Young Master?¡±
¡°It is nice to see again. I am here to ask a small favor of you.¡±
As soon as they exchanged greetings, Henry wasted no time getting to the point.
¡°A favor?¡±
¡°Yes. Are you able to teach me swordsmanship?¡±
¡°...Pardon?¡±
Bern could not believe what Henry was asking, and thought he must have misheard.
¡°Why are you acting all surprised? I would like to start swordsmanship training, starting today.¡±
¡°B-but Young Master, you yourself said that there¡¯s no point in swordsmanship¡¡±
¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind. So, can you teach me or not?¡±
Henry saw no point in dragging the matter out.
When Bern realized Henry was serious, he responded with a thrilled look on his face.
¡°To think that the Young Master Henry is finally showing interest in swordsmanship¡ I am very pleased! Are you finally preparing for the Lord¡¯s session?¡±
¡°Well¡ not necessarily¡¡±
¡°Haha, no need to be shy! Ah, I almost forgot! Young Master, there is something I¡¯m curious about, may I ask you a question?¡±
¡°Feel free.¡±
¡°I heard that you won an overwhelming victory in a duel against Young Master Kevin¡ is it true?¡±
¡°And what if it is?¡±
¡°...did you perhaps learn swordsmanship from somewhere else that I don¡¯t know about?¡±
¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡±
Bern was unconvinced by Henry¡¯s answer. Kevin¡¯s swordsmanship teacher had been Bern himself, and he knew that someone with no training could not have beaten Kevin so decisively.
¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve decided to focus on my swordsmanship from now on, so if you ept, I will be under your care.¡±
¡°I mean, it is no trouble for me, but this¡¡±
Teaching swordsmanship was not something difficult for Bern, it was one of his daily tasks as the head of the securitymand. However, it was hard for him to ept that the eldest son, who had not shown any talent or interest in swordsmanship before, was able to subdue Kevin so easily.
¡®Well, I guess I¡¯ll figure it out step by step.¡¯?Bern thought to himself. In the face of doubt, Bern felt it wise to ascertain the source of Henry¡¯s newfound skill personally.
¡°Then how about a light sparring session first?¡±
¡°Against you?¡±
¡°Yes. I was originally going to start with the very basics, but seeing as how you¡¯ve defeated Young Master Kevin, it¡¯s difficult for me to gauge your actual skill level.¡±
Bern did not hide his curiosity, and Henry readily epted Bern¡¯s suggestion.
¡°Sure.¡±
This was an unexpected but wee turn of events for Henry, as he was curious about Bern¡¯s skill level as well.
1. A teaser horse is used to determine if arriving mares are in estrus and receptive to a horse. Teaser horses are also routinely used on broodmare farms for estrus detection in resident mares, traveling from barn to barn via trailering, walking, or riding. ??
Chapter 7: The First Awakening (1)
Chapter 7: The First Awakening (1)
Henry held the wooden sword in his hands as he readied himself with basic magic buffs, just as he had done before facing Kevin.
¡°I will yield the first move.¡±
As if it were a given, Bern invited Henry to strike first.
For Henry, it was the perfect opportunity.
¡°dly.¡±
Whoosh!
Thanks to his swift movements, Henry narrowed the distance between himself and Bern in an instant. He thrusted his wooden sword forward like a spear, without slowing down one bit.
Bern leaned sideways, perfectly dodging the iing attack. In the same motion, he brought his knee up, aiming for Henry¡¯s abdomen.
Thud!
Henry blocked the knee attack with his hand. In spite of that, it still caused Henry significant damage. If not for his magical buffs, that single blow would have rendered him helpless.
¡®Mm?¡¯
Bern¡¯s eyes widened as Henry stopped his attack. He could not believe that it had been blocked so easily.
¡®...it must have been a coincidence.¡¯
Although it was shocking, all Henry had achieved so far was blocking one strike. Bern knew it would be foolish to allow Henry to throw him off and gain the upper hand.
Bern swiftly unleashed a series of attacks.
Woosh!
Bern deliberately telegraphed his attacks and swung his sword broadly, in order to test Henry. However, his destructive power was not held back in the slightest.
As Bern swung with heavy strikes, Henry leaned his upper body slightly, dodging each swing. Then, he took advantage of the weakness in Bern¡¯s attacks.
¡®Oh?¡¯
Henry responded in the ideal way one should respond to attacks with suchrge movements. Noticing the w in Bern¡¯s attacks, he raised his sword diagonally.
Thud!
The two men had pr opposite expressions on their faces as their swords collided.
¡®Was the Young Master¡¯s sword always this heavy?¡¯
Bern felt pure admiration for Henry¡¯s sudden show of skill, but also a definite sense of doubt. Henry¡¯s body looked like he had never trained a day in his life. Despite this, Bern felt the same strength in Henry¡¯s sword that he felt when sparring with his own subordinates.
Bern looked more and more perplexed. Although he was certainly suspicious as to how Henry had advanced so suddenly, he was driven more by curiosity.
¡®What is this? Is there something I¡¯m not aware of?¡¯
Bern was the one who had trained many of the men in the estate, including Kevin. No man had ever showcased such an absurd leap in ability under his teaching.
¡®I¡¯ll have to push him a little harder.¡¯
His curiosity had ignited a strong fire inside of him. He had nowpletely done away with his initial goal of moderately testing out Henry¡¯s ability.
This time, he decided to use an unorthodox method of trickery to test Henry¡¯s wit and ability to think on his feet. After all, one¡¯s true skilly in their defensive capabilities, not their offensive skills.
Whoooosh!
The speed of Bern¡¯s sword strikes increased even more.
The wooden sword twisted and swiped to the right. It was a sincere attack by Bern, with minimal movement and maximum power behind it.
But¡
Thud!
It was a highly skilled attack. But Henry raised his wooden sword and deflected it away with rtive ease.
¡®Oh ho, you parried?this?¡¯
The attack was a tricky move that even Kevin struggled to defend against. But somehow Henry had been able to stop it.
¡®No wonder he¡¯s themander.¡¯?Henry thought to himself. He was equally impressed with Bern as Bern was with him, as Bern¡¯s skill level was far beyond his expectations.
¡®With this kind of skill, what is he doing rotting away in the countryside?¡¯
Henry had observed the knights of the imperial family for decades, and that was the basis for his standards of swordsmanship. Of course, he did not intend topare their aura levels. He was only interested in finding out Bern¡¯s abilities in swordsmanship alone.
That was why Bern¡¯s skills stood out even more.
Thud!
The bout continued. The longer it dragged on, the more Henry felt pushed to his limits.
¡®As expected, I can¡¯t win against a real swordsman, huh?¡¯
This feltpletely different from when he had dueled with Kevin. Henry was preupied with blocking Bern¡¯s attacks, and in rare moments when he attempted to go on the offensive, Bern would effortlessly evade each attack.
The two continued to trade blows several times, before Bern suddenly interrupted the action. He smiled as he spoke.
¡°Amazing.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Why have you been hiding these skills all this time?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve simply copied what I¡¯ve observed a couple of times.¡±
¡®You learned this much from just observation?¡¯
Henry was definitely skilled. Skilled enough to ridicule Bern¡¯s beloved disciple, Kevin. However, what stood out wasn¡¯t his swordsmanship, but hisbat instincts.
¡®His movements are definitely not based on sword skills. That can only mean that hisbat instincts are¡¡¯
Bern could not help but think that perhaps Henry was a phenomenon; a diamond in the rough. Otherwise, Henry¡¯s performance would have made no sense at all.
As Bern thought to himself, Henry spoke.
¡°You¡¯ve exceeded my expectations.¡±
¡°S-sorry?¡±
Bern was taken aback by Henry¡¯s sudden respectful tone.
¡°If my honorifics cause you difort, you don¡¯t have to worry about it. After all, you¡¯re going to be my master in swordsmanship, so it is only right that I speak with you formally.¡±
¡°Ah, i-is that so?¡±
It was a show of respect that not even Kevin had ever disyed, but Henry just felt that this was the right thing to do. A disciple¡¯s job was to respect their master.
¡®He¡¯s even quick-witted about such things.¡¯
As Bern had quickly noticed, Henry had excellentbat instincts. In Henry¡¯s previous life, he had spent more of his years in war than in peace, and this had sharpened hisbat instincts tremendously. He had also witnessed the skills of the previous emperor, who was known to possess the best swordsmanship in the whole empire, every day. He had built his foundation from sheer observation alone, imitating what he had observed each day.
Henry needed even more real-life swordsmanship experience, in order to hone his skills to the same level as his impressivebat instincts.
¡°Master, the swordsmanship technique you are using. Is it Imperial swordsmanship?¡±
¡°Yes. For most Imperial men, it is standard practice to learn Imperial swordsmanship.¡±
Imperial swordsmanship. This was another reason why Henry had decided to give up on the academy. It had been created by the previous emperor, Golden Jackson. It functioned as a good foundation for any sword style, which was why the academy taught it as well.
¡®Looks like wherever I go, Imperial swordsmanship is the basic foundation.¡¯
As long as one met a good master, anyone could learn Imperial swordsmanship. It was a one-size-fits-all foundational style. Did this mean that the students enrolled into the swordsmanship academy were nothing but fools? No, not necessarily so. The academy had its own benefits as well. Aside from producing many great leaders, the biggest strength of the academy was the huge number of connections that it could provide.
It was the so-called ¡®schoolwork¡¯.
Widely recognized as a prestigious educational institute, the swordsmanship academy had many outstanding seniors, and most knights took the academy¡¯s graduates to be their apprentices.
For this reason alone, many who wanted their children to be sessful sent their children to the swordsmanship academy while paying the exorbitant tuition fees. Even the Nobles sent their children to the academy to kickstart their careers.
¡°Then, Master, will our lesson start right away?¡±
¡°This is¡ the formalities are so awkward. Anyway, teaching won¡¯t be that difficult. We can consider this the first lesson, but let me ask you something. What do you think is the most important thing that you need right now, Young Master?¡±
Bern made the disciple question himself, like any teacher would. Henry pondered over the question for just a brief moment before answering almost immediately.
¡°I think it¡¯s stamina.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Because in order to do anything, one needs a strong physical foundation first.¡±
It was the most basic and standard answer. Bern replied with a smile.
¡°Of course, ¡®stamina¡¯ isn¡¯t wrong. After all, one needs to be physically strong in order to survive until the very end. Did you feel that you werecking anything from our sparring session earlier?¡±
¡°I think everything wascking. I am like a nk canvas.¡±
¡°That¡¯s correct. But if I were to be specific, I¡¯d say that the most basic foundation of all swordsmanship is footwork.¡±
Footwork.
It was only when Bern said ¡®footwork¡¯ that Henry finally realized what the foundation of good swordsmanship truly was.
¡®Right, even Golden said the same thing. Everything starts with good footwork.¡¯
Despite his realization, Henry still had doubts.
¡®But just mere footwork alone can have such an impact?¡¯
The previous emperor himself had emphasized the importance of footwork. But mages usually had the mindset that anything that theycked, they could rece it with something else. Henry had given no credence to the emperor¡¯s words at the time.
¡°Looking at your expression, it seems like you don¡¯t understand. Then, I will personally show you what the difference is.¡±
Bern lowered the wooden sword onto the dirt and kicked it a distance away.
¡°From now on, Young Master, I will only defend and avoid your attacks. Please attack me freely.¡±
¡°You underestimate me, Master.¡±
¡°This is also a lesson.¡±
¡°Okay, then.¡±
Although it was meant as a lesson, Henry took this as a provocation from his master. Again, he began to arm himself with magic buffs.
¡°Then let¡¯s get started.¡±
After casting the magic buffs, Henry grabbed his wooden sword straight away. He rushed towards Bern and swiftly thrust his sword.
Whoosh!
The wind cracked and let out a sharp noise as the sword flew forward. However, Bern maintained his smile and lightly dodged Henry¡¯s attack.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Henry¡¯s attacks continued.
However, unlike in their first sparring session, Henry was not able to deliver a single blow.
He continued to make dozens of attempts.
Tap.
When Henry swung his sword towards Bern¡¯s chin, Bern dodged with ease again before jabbing Henry¡¯s back with his index finger.
¡°Now, let¡¯s end this here.¡±
¡°Huff, puff, phew¡¡±
Even though he was armed with magic, Henry¡¯s body was still so unfit that he found himself short of breath. In addition, he had been sopletely immersed in his offense that he had swung his sword non-stop, consuming his stamina rather severely.
Seeing Henry gasping for breath, Bern said, ¡°Young Master, look below your feet.¡±
At Bern¡¯s direction, Henry looked down at the ground beneath him.
There were countless footprints embedded into the dirt of the sparring ground.
¡°Would you care topare your footprints with mine?¡±
There was no difficulty in distinguishing their footprints because of their different foot sizes.
Henrypared the two men¡¯s footprints, as Bern suggested.
¡°...Mm?¡±
Afterparing for a while, Henry realized the difference between the two men¡¯s footprints.
¡°Do you see what the difference is?¡±
¡°The range of our movement is different.¡±
¡°Exactly. Compared to my footprints here, which remain within a circle, your footwork is very irregr.¡±
¡°But isn¡¯t it normal to be irregr when on the offensive?¡±
¡°No. An attack should be executed only after proper observation. You should only decide where and how to attack once you know your opponent¡¯s range of action.¡±
It made sense. Should two people of equal power face each other, victory or defeat would be decided by who was more observant.
¡®I knew this was different from magic, but this is way too different.¡¯
Magic also required keen observation. However, victory was often decided by how urately and quickly a mage utilized his mana, rather than his observation skills.
Henry could not help but feel that it was necessary to explore this new field in order to fully harness its potential.
¡°Since one moves in a circle, the footwork technique of Imperial swordsmanship got the name ¡®Circle Step¡¯. What you need to work on is your physical strength and footwork. So, to start, we will focus on these two things.¡±
¡°Physical strength aside, how does one improve their footwork?¡±
¡°Haha, you¡¯re an impatient one. There¡¯s no end to training, but how about this? If you cannd just a single strike on me while using the proper footwork, we can move on to swordsmanship.¡±
¡°Yes, I understand.¡±
At his master¡¯s friendly challenge, Henry smirked. He could not help but feel a sense of excitement. Despite the knowledge he held, and the power he had possessed in his previous life, he was excited that he could still be taught a lesson by someone else.
Henry¡¯s eyes lit up with enthusiasm and confidence.
Chapter 8: The First Awakening (2)
Chapter 8: The First Awakening (2)
¡°Urgh!¡±
Henry gritted his teeth as he continued with his push-ups.
His arms trembled, as though his muscles were about to burst, but he had to fulfill his daily quota no matter what. It was a promise he had made to himself.
Thud.
After finally filling his quota, Henry copsed onto the ground. He had never done any sort of physical training in his past life, and it had proved to be much more difficult than his footwork practice.
However, Henry¡¯s stamina was increasing noticeably day by day.
Muscles required sufficient rest after they were worked. Only then could the torn muscle fibers reattach themselves and grow bigger. That was why it was often said that getting enough rest was just as important as exercising. But Henry was able to bypass this process through self-healing magic. So, in a sense, mages had the greatest advantage when it came to muscle growth.
¡°Heal.¡±
After healing himself, Henry immediately got up and started running.
¡°The fittest isn¡¯t called the fittest for no reason, huh?¡±
Barren smiled faintly as he watched Henry. Henry was a gifted genius, as he had predicted.
¡°Working on both his physical training and footwork training. My Lord will like this very much.¡±
Barren could not help but smile as he imagined the heights Henry would reach in the future.
The training continued.
After finishing his run, Henry once again used healing magic on himself, then picked up his wooden sword and started swinging it in front of him. This was to train his bnce, as well as his arm muscles.
¡®That damn emperor!¡¯
Whenever he felt like tossing his sword aside and giving up, he reminded himself of the emperor. If not for that foolish emperor, he would have been in his Magical Spire, doing research on magic.
Henry used his anger as a driving force to continue training.
* * *
¡°Phew, finally the day is over.¡±
Wiping away his sweat with magic, Henry returned to his room after finishing his supper. The same schedule repeated for a couple of days. Kevin had not yet returned, so the monotonous schedule would continue for longer.
Henryy on his bed and rested for a while, before getting up and sitting down at his desk.
¡®Let¡¯s see, where did I leave off yesterday?¡¯
On his desky a clean book with a leather cover. Henry had written down countless names in the nk book.
It was a hit list.
In it were the names of all the Nobles who had harmed him and hispanions in his previous life. Armed with the best memory in the empire, Henry wrote down the names of the Nobles, one by one.
¡°That should do it for the number of names to strike today¡ Next.¡±
Henry never rushed when writing down his hit list. He wanted to be sure that he wrote down every single name of those that wronged him.
Having written down enough names for the day, Henry closed the book and unfolded a map of the continent, which had been rolled up into a round container.
The great western continent, Eurasia.
Shortly after the first-ever unification of the vast Eurasia, the previous emperor had renamed the continent the ¡®Eurasian Empire¡¯.
¡®Such a nd name.¡¯
But Henry was not against it. It was all the same, whether it was called a ¡®continent¡¯ or an ¡®empire¡¯.
On the map were severalrge and small markers, apanied by words describing them.
¡®Let¡¯s look at the west today.¡¯
Henry picked up a pen and reached out to the western side of the continent. Henry had made this map himself, and called it a treasure map for one simple reason.
In his previous life, Henry had hidden various treasures and artifacts throughout the region as he had traversed the continent. However, the secret of their locations had died with him as he was brutally killed by the emperor and the Nobles.
Henry decided he had to collect those treasures himself in order to begin his new life, as he now had no wealth of his own.
He traced his memory, trying to recall the locations of as many treasures as possible.
Scribble, scribble.
The pen in Henry¡¯s hand moved along with his thoughts. A long time passed.
Creak.
The door opened, with no knock. It was Caughall.
Without even turning around, Henry raised his hand and ordered Caughall not toe near him.
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°Young Master Henry, Young Master Kevin has returned.¡±
¡°Kevin?¡±
Upon hearing the news, Henry looked up at his calendar. It had only been five days since Kevin set off. How could he have returned already?
It was unbelievable news.
¡°Let¡¯s greet him.¡±
Caughall led Henry to Kevin¡¯s room.
Although Kevin had gone on a simple errand, and thus there was no need for such attention, a huge crowd had formed in the front of his room.
¡°A-Ahem.¡±
Caughall cleared his throat to gain the attention of the crowd. Upon noticing Henry, they each took a step back.
¡°Why are all of you gathered here?¡±
A maid answered.
¡°Well, Young Master Kevin¡¯s condition is not very good.¡±
¡°Kevin?¡±
¡°Yes. You¡¯ll have to get the details from Young Master Kevin himself, but it seems like he ran into a group of bandits on the way back.¡±
¡°Mm, is that so?¡±
Henry had dealt with the bandits on the trade route himself. If Kevin had somehow still encountered bandits, this meant that there must have been another group.
After dispersing the crowd, Henry entered the room with Caughall. Inside were Madame Morris and a doctor, who lived at the estate, taking care of Kevin.
¡°Pardon me.¡±
Henry gave a light show of respect.
Upon seeing him, Madame Morris began to cry and grabbed Henry by the cor.
¡°You, you, you bastard! Because of you, my Kevin¡!¡±
Her face was streaming with tears. Henry looked at Kevin over Madame Morris¡¯ shoulder without even looking at her face.
¡®It¡¯s exactly like what the maid said.¡¯
Judging by the bandages that were wrapped around Kevin, it seemed that the doctor had just finished performing emergency treatment on him.
After Madame Morris calmed down, Henry questioned the doctor.
¡°What happened?¡±
¡°It seems that he encountered a herd of wild beasts.¡±
¡°What makes you say that?¡±
¡°These are not cuts made by des. w marks and fang marks were found on him. The same goes for his horse.¡±
¡°Is his situation critical?¡±
¡°He has umted extreme fatigue. Even before he left the estate, he wasn¡¯t feeling very well, and it seems riding for an extended period of time has caused his condition to worsen further.¡±
¡°Thank you for the diagnosis. Do you need to give him any more care?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve done everything I can for now.¡±
¡°Then do you mind if I have a moment with him, alone? Oh, Madame Morris, you too.¡±
¡°Ridiculous! What else do you n to do to my son!¡±
¡°Caughall.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
Caughall left the room with the doctor and Madame Morris, who continued to kick up a fuss. Eventually, only Henry and Kevin were left in the room.
When Kevin, who was lying like a corpse, noticed Henry, he tried to sit upright.
¡°B-brother¡¡±
Henry reached out and stopped Kevin.
¡°No need to get up.¡±
Not only was Kevin¡¯s butt swollen from the long period of horseback riding, but there were also countless cuts and bruises from wild beasts all over him. Despite his injuries, he had pushed himself past his limits.
He had ovee those wounds andpleted his job brilliantly, despite the fact that it was a punishment from Henry for his rude behavior.
¡®Hmm, he is quite tenacious.¡¯
¡°B-brother, as you requested, I¡¯ve brought back the green crowflower.¡±
¡°I see, you¡¯ve done well. You¡¯ve fulfilled your promise wonderfully. As promised, you¡¯ll be the one to attend the Swordsmanship Academy.¡±
¡°Thank¡ you¡¡±
¡°Rest now. When you wake up, everything will be okay.¡±
Henry gently stroked Kevin¡¯s face with his left hand. Mana faintly flowed out through his fingers. He was casting the ¡®Sleep¡¯ spell. After Kevin fell asleep, Henry saw the bunch of crowflowers lying on the other side of the room. They had been freshly plucked from the Burnham Estate. Henry took them and returned to Kevin¡¯s side.
¡°Heal.¡±
Paaaat!
Henry used the healing spell on Kevin¡¯s whole body, just as he would when treating his own muscle pain. Although he could not miraculously heal flesh wounds like the priests, he was able to treat Kevin¡¯s umted fatigue and various internal injuries to some extent.
Upon receiving the healing spell, Kevin¡¯s expression eased up. Henry checked to ensure that Kevin was breathing soundly before leaving the room.
¡®With that, all the ingredients are ready.¡¯
* * *
Henry returned to his room, walking past Madame Morris. She red at him spitefully as he walked off. Once in his room, Henry immediately began making preparations to create Miracle Blue.
¡°Caughall, go and get arge pot and a few empty bottles.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
Caughall left and returned quickly with all the items. Henry ordered Caughall to leave, and not to enter the room, no matter what. Afterpleting the preparations, Henry removed the map from his desk, ced down the prepared ingredients, and began grinding them down with magic.
Next, he put them in a pot and used magic to heat it up.
Bubble, bubble.
The pot did not contain even a single drop of water, but as the essence of the ingredients leaked, it soon turned into a thick, viscous solution.
Henry continued to stir them with magic.
¡®It¡¯s been a long time since I smelled this.¡¯
It was an elixir made every year for the young disciples of the Magical Spire. Now that Henry was dead, the event might have been stopped, but he was certain that other mages would try to create a simr elixir.
¡®Well, they¡¯ll only end up with a low quality fake anyway.¡¯
After extracting the undiluted solution of Miracle Blue, Henry froze it. He then used more magic to grind the frozen solution before boiling it again. He repeated this process several times, and the color of the extract slowly changed. It also began to emit apletely different smell. The continued processing of the solution had changed its properties.
All that remained now was to adjust the concentration to suit his body. The reason for diluting Miracle Blue was simple: The pure undiluted solution was too thick to consume, and such a high concentration could cause the user¡¯s magical power to run wild and make their heart burst.
¡®But for me, I¡¯m just going to drink it.¡¯
Henry knew that the undiluted solution only caused magic power to run rampant if the user could not digest it properly.
¡®In the end, ites down to how well I can digest it.¡¯
This was the moment of truth for Henry.
Losing control of one¡¯s magical power was a phenomenon that urred in mages who took in too much magic at once. Those who could not properly digest the magic solution ended up with stomach pain.
However, one¡¯s ability to control their magic was based on their mental fortitude and sensibility, not their physical capabilities. Regardless of the physical state of his new body, he would be able to withstand the pure solution, since he had already experienced the 8th Circle of magic.
Henry gulped dryly and then picked up the cooled pot.
¡®Still, I can¡¯t help but tremble a bit.¡¯
In theory, all his thoughts made perfect sense. This was, however, the first time in the history of the Magical Spire that this theory would be put to the test.
After a few deep breaths, Henry closed his eyes tightly and began to gulp down on the undiluted solution.
Gulp, gulp.
The thick liquid slid down Henry¡¯s throat.
Chapter 9: The First Awakening (3)
Chapter 9: The First Awakening (3)
¡°Urgh.¡±
The solution tasted worse than Henry had expected. It burned like strong alcohol with each sip, but he did not stop drinking. Finally, he finished the solution, down to thest drop.
¡°Burp.¡±
The solution started to heat up in his throat before spreading out across his entire body, including his stomach.
Sizzle.
His entire body was burning hot, and he started to sweat profusely. Soon, he waspletely drenched. He opened the window to cool himself off, which sent a cold wind rushing through the room. Water vapor emanated from Henry¡¯s body.
¡°Whoa¡¡±
Henry sat down calmly and crossed his legs. At that exact moment¡
¡®Kurgh!¡¯
Miracle Blue had finally been fully absorbed, and was now beginning to wreak havoc on his entire body. It spread throughout his system relentlessly, with the explosive power of a dragon!
Henry concentrated his mind, fighting to keep the magic flowing through his body under control. He barely managed to contain the painful moans that crept through his throat.
¡®That¡¯s right,?this?is the kind of power I wanted.¡¯
This level of pain was still nothingpared to when he had achieved the 8th Circle. However, he had grown so used to his new body and itsck of magic power that he was unable to hide his delight when he felt the overwhelming amount of mana flowing through him.
¡®Yes, run loose, more!¡¯
Henry entered a trance state as he concentrated harder. The undiluted solution was still spreading rapidly inside his new body, indulging in the purity of his knightly bloodline. Henry weed the rampant power as though it was a VIP, and slowly guided it through every nook and cranny of his body. Still, he remained cautious and firm, reminding it that he was the owner of this body.
This tug-of-war between Henry and the Miracle Blue went on for quite some time. Originally, he had only been supposed to drink less than a cup of the solution, so the struggle did note as a surprise.
A long, long time passed. Henry¡¯s body started to cool down little by little.
But, at that moment¡
¡®Mm?¡¯
Henry was fully concentrated on his heart, which controlled his magic. When he was almost done digesting the solution, he felt an abnormality in his heart that he had never experienced before while consuming magic.
¡®Perhaps, a Circle is forming?¡¯
The feeling of a Circle forming was distinct and recognizable. Henry felt a fourth blue ring form over the other three. It was definitely the fourth stage¡ªthe 4th Circle.
¡®Nonsense! How did this happen?¡¯
The birth of a Circle meant the realization of a mage. When a mage created a Circle, it opened the door to the next realm through the magic power produced by the mage¡¯s own awakening. This was the first time that a Circle had been created spontaneously and unintendedly like this. The surprises did not stop there, either.
¡®N-no way,?two doors are going to open?¡¯
Immediately after the 4th Circle waspleted, another Circle began to form.
¡®Huh, I guess even something like this is possible!¡¯
Even the Magical Spire recognized a person with 4 Circles as aplete mage. In other words, having 4 Circles meant that one was recognized as a great power of the empire; equivalent to that of a baron. Now, the Miracle Blue was well on its way to creating a 5th Circle.
The effect was beyond Henry¡¯s expectations.
He had been anticipating strong results, given that he had consumed an undiluted Miracle Blue solution, but he would have never dreamed that it would open two doors at once. If this had urred in his previous life, it would be worthy of announcing to the entire Magical Spire, and then some. There was not a single mage in the history of the Magical Spire who had sessfully consumed an entire undiluted Miracle Blue.
Henry was truly disappointed that he could not share this great discovery with anyone. At that moment, the 5th Circle waspleted.
¡°Am I a mage already¡?¡±
The domain of the 5th Circle. The domain that most people could never achieve, even if they worked hard for their entire life. In the Magical Spire, wizards who reached the 5th Circle were granted the title of ¡®mage¡¯.
Mages possessed the power of a hundred wizards, and had the same level of authority as a sword master. Henry waited in anticipation for any additional rings, but it seemed like the Miracle Blue had run its course.
¡®Well, anything beyond this would require an absurd amount of mana anyway.¡¯
Magical enlightenment was required to increase the number of Circles, but one also needed to possess arge amount of underlying magical power to pull it off. Henry could not help but feel a little disappointed. Still, he had been able to break through the limitations of the 3rd Circle and be a mage, so he felt a sense of aplishment as well.
Afterpletely digesting what was left of the Miracle Blue, Henry opened his eyes and uncrossed his legs. He stood up and closed the window to warm up his body, which had now fully cooled.
¡°Urgh, what¡¯s that smell?¡±
As he closed the window, a rancid stench hit Henry¡¯s nose, causing him to frown deeply.
¡°Sniff, sniff, is it¡ me?¡±
The source of the stench was none other than himself. At first, Henry thought that it was because of his sweat. He sniffed around a bit more.
¡°No way?¡±
In that instant, Henry remembered something. He quickly took off his shirt and checked the condition of the linen. There were yellow stains all over it ¡ª definitely not caused by sweat alone.
¡°Light.¡±
Henry hurriedly lit up the room. Next, he took off the rest of his clothes and checked them, discovering the same pattern of yellow stains everywhere. Even though the clothes had definitely been washed with cleaning magic, all of them were stained yellow, as though they had not been washed in years.
Now naked, Henry rushed to the mirror and examined himself.
¡®I¡¯ve awakened!¡¯
In the reflection, Henry saw that his body hadpletely changed. He had strong, defined muscles, a reinforced skeletal frame, and translucent skin. He had also gained height, and now stood taller than Kevin. Seeing his changed appearance, Henry was convinced that he had awakened.
¡®Advancing two Circles was already great enough, but now this¡¡¯
Awakening.
This was a phenomenon that only ured for those who dealt with magic, in which the body itself evolves to expand its magical limits. The way this evolution manifested itself differed from person to person, but it wasmon to end up with a stronger body, including a reinforced skeletal frame and increased muscle mass.
¡°Not bad.¡±
In his previous life, Henry had experienced a total of two awakenings. Usually, an awakening was something that was difficult to experience even once in a lifetime, but Henry had gone through two awakenings to obtain a much stronger body than his peers. Therefore, the stench and yellow stains on his clothes were familiar to him.
The smell was produced by bodily waste excreted during the evolution process.
¡°Clean.¡±
The odor disappeared in an instant, and the yellow-stained clothes were washed clean. After that, Henry took out a new set of clothes from his wardrobe and eximed with admiration as he put them on.
¡°Heh heh heh, looks like I won¡¯t struggle with physical training for a while.¡±
With that, Henry became the first member of the Morris family to be an awakened mage.
* * *
Henry had transformed from a boy to a young man overnight. This caused quite a scene at the Morris estate the following morning.
Both Caughall, who came into Henry¡¯s room to announce his meal, and the Morris family, who met him in the dining hall, were shocked when they saw him.
¡°W-what happened?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know either. When I woke up, I was already like this.¡±
Henry feigned ignorance, and nobody had any reason to suspect or question him. Only Caughall, the quick-witted servant, seemed to have caught on.
¡®Is it because of the ingredients that were prepared back then?¡¯
It was a good guess. Later on, Caughall, who had always dreamed of making a name for himself in the world, would use all of his life¡¯s savings to purchase those exact ingredients that were used to make Miracle Blue. Since he did not possess the knowledge of how to create it, however, he would go on to just eat each ingredient raw.
At the training grounds, Bern examined Henry¡¯s body as well. After a moment, Bern just shrugged. ¡°I have nothing to say, other than that I¡¯m amazed.¡±
¡°Likewise.¡±
¡°Is it because you suddenly began working out after never trying before? No, even then, there¡¯s no way you could grow so quickly¡¡±
¡°Whatever it was, isn¡¯t this a good thing? Thanks to this, my physical training has gotten a lot easier.¡±
¡°Urgh, looks like I need to increase the intensity of the workouts a little more, but I think you can focus on your footwork training now.¡±
¡°That¡¯s great news.¡±
Henry¡¯s awakening had brought him only good news. With Bern¡¯s permission, Henry was now able to spend less time on physical training and more time on his footwork.
A few more days passed.
* * *
Henry climbed the mountain that stood near the back of the estate. The mountain was steep, and home to many wild animals, which caused the poption in the region to be very sparse. Henry was only climbing the mountain to train. Upon reaching the top, he took a deep breath.
¡°The air here at the summit is amazing.¡±
The climb had been rough due to the steep incline, but after Henry¡¯s awakening, a hike like this was hardly even tiring enough to be a part of his warm-up.
.
¡°Shall I start heading down?¡±
Henry lightly jumped towards a distant cliff that stretched out beyond the summit.
Whoosh.
It was a dizzying height. But Henry surrendered to the pull of gravity without hesitation.
¡°Feather Fall.¡±
He cast a spell to reduce his falling speed.
As soon as he used ¡®Feather Fall¡¯, Henry slowly descended, until softlynding on the ground like a feather. Afternding, he extended his hand forward to cast another spell.
¡°Shockwave.¡±
¡®Shockwave¡¯ was a non-attribute shock spell. Soon, numerous spheres containing enormous shock energy floated around Henry. He sent the condensed air bubbles towards the summit he had just jumped from.
Crash! Bang! Crash!
Dozens of shockwaves smashed into the solid cliff, causing a massive explosion that sounded like an approaching storm.
The noise caused every wild beast in the area to scatter. But it was not just the wild beasts that were surprised by the explosion.
¡°W-what¡¯s that sound?¡±
A herbalist who was in the mountains to scavenge herbs fell off his seat, startled by the sound of the copsing cliff.
¡°I-is thundering?¡±
He thought that there must be a storming in, but when he looked up the sky was clear.
Crash!
Dozens of craters formed on the bombarded cliff. Cracks formed along the entire length of the cliff, and soon a massivendslide of rocks and boulders came crashing down.
¡°Frozen Field.¡±
Crunch!
Thendslide did notst long, as Henry used his magic to freeze it. It was quite a spectacle. The pouring heaps of dirt and stone froze in an instant, creating a truly incredible view.
¡°This should be enough.¡±
The spell caused a cluster of massive icicles to form, reminiscent of a wave frozen in time. Henry then casted another Shockwave spell.
Bang!
One of the shockwaves smashed a giant icicle into hundreds of sharp fragments, which began to fall towards Henry. He danced between the shards of ice as theynded on the ground.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Henry gracefully moved in circles, weaving between the pieces of ice that were falling like rain. It was Circle Step, the footwork technique used by imperial swordsmen.
When the final shard fell, Henry let out a deep breath.
¡°This should be enough for me to challenge him, right?¡±
There were hundreds of ice shards embedded into the ground. Henry headed back towards the training grounds without a single scratch on him.
Chapter 10: The Return of the Sword King (1)
Chapter 10: The Return of the Sword King (1)
¡°I¡¯vee to challenge you, Master.¡±
¡°Already?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
Seeing his disciple challenge him in broad daylight, Bern let out a brief chuckle.
¡®Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s mastered Circle Step already?¡¯
In truth, there was no such thing as ¡®mastering¡¯ footwork. Like swordsmanship, the only thing that mattered was one¡¯s devotion to the craft. Bern had only issued the challenge to Henry a few days ago, so he thought Henry must have just gotten overzealous. Bern decided to use this as an opportunity to show his impatient disciple what true footwork was.
¡°Alright. As promised, if you cane into contact with me using just footwork, we will start on your swordsmanship lessons right away.¡±
Henry¡¯s eyes radiated with confidence, like an ardent student ready to demonstrate what they learned. The two soon stood face-to-face on the training hall¡¯s sandy floor.
¡°I will give you three minutes. If you can¡¯t catch me by the time the sand in this hourss runs out, then you lose.¡±
¡°Yes, I understand.¡±
¡°Ah, I almost forgot! Young Master.¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°If you fail this challenge, there will be a punishment.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
Henry understood why Bern would say such a thing. His words ignited an even greater sense of motivation inside Henry.
¡®I¡¯ll have to test out the effects of my awakening.¡¯
Filled with motivation, Henry decided not to buff himself with his magic this time. He wanted to gauge how much he had truly grown.
¡°Then, we shall begin.¡±
Thump.
Bern turned the hourss upside down. Henry flew forward like an arrow, not wanting to waste even a second.
¡°Hup!¡±
Henry¡¯s new skeletal frame and improved physique allowed him to reach further than before. No longer at a physical disadvantage against Bern, Henry began to attack.
.
¡®He¡¯s definitely improved his movement.¡¯
The two danced in a circle around the small stage. This was the fighting method of Circle Step. Bern continued to observe Henry¡¯s movement as he evaded each strike.
¡®He has certainly earned the right to his confidence. He¡¯s grown tremendously.¡¯
Bern was correct; Henry¡¯s skills had improved to an unbelievable extent.
¡®But that¡¯s onlypared to how he was before.¡¯
Henry¡¯s hand reached out towards Bern¡¯s chest. Bern grabbed Henry by his wrist and threw him back.
¡°Kurgh!¡±
Henry¡¯s eyes widened at the unexpected counterattack. Seeing the look on Henry¡¯s face, Bern responded.
¡°I never said I couldn¡¯t attack.¡±
¡°...I understand.¡±
What Bern said was not wrong. From then on, his attacks continued.
¡°Kurgh!¡±
Bern¡¯s palms struck Henry in the neck, chest, and abdomen in session.
They were not very powerful attacks, but they were precisely targeted at Henry¡¯s vital areas, leaving him winded and gasping for air.
Bern did not relent. He even used his shoulder to parry Henry¡¯s hand away, rendering it useless for a few moments.
And just as thest grains of sand started to drop¡
¡°Kurgh!¡±
It was evident that Henry had be frustrated and impatient. His movements became increasingly careless. Bern easily spotted an opening and put his palms together,unching a powerful strike aimed toward Henry¡¯s abdomen.
Thud.
This time, there was considerable strength behind Bern¡¯s attack.
Henrynded hard on his back, winded and trembling. He steadied himself and sat up just in time to watch as Bern picked up the hourss.
¡°Looks like time¡¯s up. Young Master, you are defeated.¡±
¡°Kurgh, urgh¡¡±
¡°Still, you were quite impressive. I had no idea that you would develop so quickly in such a short period of time.¡±
Bern tried to end things off optimistically, but it just sounded like sheer mockery to Henry.
¡°We¡¯re going to double our strength training for the next ten days. So next time, please think carefully before making a challenge.¡±
¡°Cough, cough! ¡I understand.¡±
And with that, Bern left the training hall.
* * *
Henry was put through hell that day. Since his physical condition had improved, Bern had decided to triple the difficulty of his physical training. In addition, Henry¡¯s punishment for losing the challenge had been to double the amount of exercises he had to do. By nightfall, his entire body had been totally overworked.
Returning to his room, Henry buried his face in his pillow with a silent cry, without even thinking of using any healing magic on himself.
¡®Ugh, I feel like a damn kid. Is this all just due tock of experience?¡¯
Henry thought it might just be hisck of experience, but he had practiced Circle Step without sleeping for the past few days. Not only had he seeded in avoiding the icicles at the mountain, but he had also practiced his evasion against wild animals. However, there seemed to be a limit on his ability to develop his skills in such a short period of time.
¡°Heal.¡±
With barely enough strength to even raise a finger, Henry finally decided to cast a healing spell. A warm light enveloped his body. He felt better, but he was so exhausted that the umted fatigue could not bepletely erased.
¡®There¡¯s no time for footwork practice, I need something faster.¡¯
Henry felt a sense of urgency. Even now, those that he had once protected could be suffering from pain and oppression somewhere out there in the empire. He felt that he could not afford to build up his power in such an inefficient manner.
¡®I need an expedient.¡¯
By ¡®expedient¡¯, Henry meant magic. Magic was a science that was developed through expediency, as magic users and schrs tried to figure out the most efficient ways to cast spells.
¡®Any solution Ie up with will still need solid footwork as its foundation¡¯
There were different sses and types of expedients. Using an expedient to bypass a certain stage of development usually meant an eventual need for another expedient in the future.
Henry wanted an expedient that could miraculously help him ovee his footwork struggles, and allow him to develop at the same time.
¡®Damn it, why did that bastard Golden invent something like this¡ wait, Golden invented the Circle Step!¡¯
Henry¡¯s thought process had led him back to Golden Jackson Edward, the founder of imperial swordsmanship and the greatest swordsman in the empire.
¡®Yeah, that¡¯s right. This footwork¡ didn¡¯t Golden create this? Then what about the footwork technique of someone stronger than Golden?¡¯
It was true that Golden was the greatest swordsman, but it did not mean that he had never been defeated.
¡®What was that guy¡¯s name? That¡ that¡ ah, that¡¯s right! Hector Meyer!¡±
Sword King Hector Meyer.
Henry¡¯s oldrades who knew of Meyer¡¯s existence simply called him the ¡®Sword King¡¯. He had earned that title by being the only swordsman to subdue Golden in a swordfight.
¡®Yeah, that was it. His footwork was so strange that Golden had a hard time adjusting to it. It would have been nice if he had joined us when we offered.¡¯
Hector Meyer had been thest swordsman of the now-disappeared kingdom. He was themander of the kingdom¡¯s knights, the princess¡¯s fianc¨¦e, and the king¡¯s son-inw. Although he had won his battle with Golden, he was ultimately forced to meet his end at the hands of Henry¡¯srades. This was the nature of war.
After his brief reminiscence, Henry came to a decision.
¡®I¡¯ll have to ask him for help.¡¯
It was an idea that he would never have considered if he was still the same Henry as in his previous life. However, the present Henry had things that he did not have before.
He got up and grabbed an old book from the bookshelf.
¡®There you are.¡¯
The title of the book was ¡®Necromancy¡¯. It was the same book of ck magic that had brought Henry back after his execution.
¡®To think that I¡¯d use ck magic in my lifetime.¡¯
In the empire, ck magic was a forbidden power, and most of it was considered hical. As easy as it was to learnpared to magic or swordsmanship, its power was also strong enough to cause its users to fall into a sense of self-righteousness.
Henry picked up the magic book and slowly turned the pages.
¡®Full of errors, just as I expected.¡¯
It was filled with incorrect forms, numbers were wrongly substituted, and there was considerable damage to the book itself. Since ck magic was prohibited, the book itself was also prohibited, meaning that someone had intentionally damaged it.
¡®At least it wasn¡¯t totally ripped apart.¡¯
Henry closed the book. The damage was not too severe, so Henry felt that he could use magic to restore it himself. He took out a pen and began to write long sentences on the cover of the book.
¡®A guillotine that punishes evil, a trial of truth that detects lies, the form for thinning out spies in a witch hunt, and¡¡¯
Henrybined a variety of forms to create a unique magic that could restore the book to its original state. Shortly after, the spell in the Magical Spire used to restore written text, remove falsified text and restore missing sentences, ¡®Reprint Words¡¯, was ready to be cast.
Henry put down his pen and began to cast the spell.
¡°Reprint Words!¡±
Woom!
When the magic was activated, the letters contained within Henry¡¯s magic began to wriggle as if they were alive. It was an unusual sight. The letters began to move and interact with each other like organisms in an ecosystem. They organized and conducted hunts among themselves as they sifted through all the information in the book, hunting down anything that was incorrect.
¡®As expected.¡¯
The false information was slowly being erased from the book in this manner. The erased letters shed their ink, which flowed into and restored the damaged areas of the book. Finally, thest of the falsified information was removed. The letters all settled back onto the pages of the book, presumably satisfied with the corrective work they had done.
¡®Is it over?¡¯
Henry carefully read through the restored book.
¡°Looks like the restoration was a sess.¡±
He was satisfied with the result. For the first time in his life, he had his hands on a genuine book of ck magic. He took his time reading through the entire book, until he finally reached thest page.
¡°So basically, perfect necromancy is going to be very difficult.¡±
Henry had hoped the restored book would equip him with the knowledge to execute aplete resurrection. Unfortunately, the book only taught him that resurrection was close to impossible.
¡°To summarize, the gates of the underworld can only be opened during a full moon, and in order to summon a specific soul, I¡¯ll need an object that would evoke powerful emotions from that specific soul¡ Then it looks like we only have one problem, huh?¡±
Coincidentally, that night, it was a full moon. Now all that remained was to prepare an object, but Henry obviously did not possess anything that belonged to the Sword King.
¡°It can¡¯t be helped, then.¡±
Henry locked the door and shifted all the furniture in his room to a corner, leaving a huge empty space in the middle of the room. Next, he drew a massive magic circle within the empty space.
Scribble. Scribble.
It was a fairlyplex pattern, but one that Henry had drawn dozens of times, for a spell that he had used quite often. When he finallypleted the magic circle, he approached the center of the circle, ced his hands on it, and spoke.
¡°...Lagerona Lee.¡±
Whoosh!
As the precise magic circle and spell castingbined with Henry¡¯s vast magical powers, a being began to form on top of the circle. Henry had summoned the being into this ne of existence.
It was a spirit from another realm ¡ª Skall, the ¡®Spirit of Exchange¡¯.
Chapter 11: The Return of the Sword King (2)
Chapter 11: The Return of the Sword King (2)
The newly summoned Skall had the body of a human and the face of a toad. He was half man, half beast, and stood barely a meter tall. He was a spirit that belonged to another world, and ording to the entries in the Magical Spire, he was a special spirit that fell under the ¡®special division¡¯ category.
¡°Long time no see.¡±
Henry was the first to speak. Skall opened his eyes and stared at Henry, before opening his mouth.
- ¡®Long time no see¡¯? Do I know you?
Skall spoke bluntly. Since Henry¡¯s appearance had changed, it made sense that Skall failed to recognize him. Henry responded calmly.
¡°I put my name in the summoning ritual, did you not see it?¡±
- That¡¯s right! I only came here because I was curious to see which bastard dared to use that name! Who are you?
Skall began to snort even more vigorously.
- Someone actually dared to use the name ''Henry Morris'' for this spell?
Hearing Skall¡¯s response, Henryughed.
¡°You always pretended not to care, but judging by how much you care about my name, it seems like you were fond of me all along.¡±
- W-what? What the hell are you babbling about, you bastard!
¡°It¡¯s me. Henry Morris of the Magical Spire. Due to some unforeseen circumstances I have taken on a new form, but I¡¯m still the Henry Morris you know.¡±
- W-what? What kind of bullshit is this?
¡°Wendragora Communion.¡±
- What?
¡°Didn¡¯t you exchange the tree struck by lightning for the Wendragora Communion? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve already forgotten about it?¡±
- H-how did you?
¡°That¡¯s not all! You even exchanged the fangs of a Phantom Liger and Unyo¡¯s flute for it.¡±
Afterwards, Henry recited all the trades he had made with Skall in his previous life.
And as he did, Skall¡¯s jaw dropped further, expressing his surprise.
- H-how? But I¡¯m sure he died¡ You bastard! If you¡¯re really him, then reveal your Magical Insignia! His Magical Insignia was one of a kind!
Magical Insignia.
Wizards all had their own unique magical signature called a ¡®Magical Insignia¡¯. Since they were unique to each user, they weremonly used to prove one¡¯s identity.
Henry grinned and held out his right hand. He clenched his fist, then slowly extended his fingers back out.
Whoosh.
As he opened his palm, blue mes appeared over his hand. Within the me was Henry¡¯s unique Insignia, the Dragon.
- D-dragon!
Most Insignias took the form of nts and animals, but only Henry had one in the form of a dragon.
Now convinced that Henry was telling the truth, Skall trembled in shock as he spoke.
- T-this¡ this makes no sense! Y-you¡ What the hell happened? Only the 5th Circle? And look at the state you¡¯re in, what the hell?
¡°It¡¯s a long story. Anyway, nice to see you again.¡±
- No way, no way! I¡¯ve seen people resurrected as undead creatures, but to be resurrected as aplete human being like this? Are you willing to go as far as using your own death to y tricks on me?
¡°Well I wasn¡¯t resurrected just to shock you, but¡ Anyway, I didn¡¯t summon you just to chat.¡±
- Oops, I was so ted to see you again that I forgot my manners. So, My resurrected old friend and patron, tell me what you want!
Finally, the old toad let down his guard. With a satisfied smile on his face, he began conducting his usual routine. Skall was the Spirit of Exchange, born from the earnest feelings and greed of humanity. He was a spirit based on the w of equivalent exchange¡¯. The Magical Spire was responsible for categorizing Skall as a spirit. Before, he was sometimes called a god, or even a devil.
In addition, only a mage with five Circles or more was capable of summoning him. He was difficult to summon, but his abilities warranted it. As a being from another world that spied on the realm of humans, he had the ability to obtain anything that existed in the human world.
Henry spoke.
¡°Do you remember the Sword King, Hector Meyer?¡±
- Of course I do! Wasn''t he the only man who could make Golden kneel?
¡°That makes this conversation easy. I need a memento of his, can you get it for me?¡±
- A memento? You sure are asking for something strange. Are you going to perform a wake for him or something?
¡°Let¡¯s say it¡¯s something like that. Anyway, can you help me?¡±
- I, Skall, am born to make exchanges, and there¡¯s nothing in this world that I can¡¯t obtain. But seeing the state that you are in, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything that you can offer that will satisfy me.
Skall¡¯s words implied a certain price for his deals, but he appeared honest.
¡°You¡¯re looking down on me too much.¡±
- Oh ho, so you do have something for me? I¡¯m not going to give you any discounts just because we¡¯ve not seen each other in a while, you got it?
In his characteristic, raucous voice, Skall then gave a passionate exnation about how rare any traces of the Sword King were. But Henry already knew all of this.
¡®Still as feisty as ever.¡¯
Even though equivalent exchange was one of Skall¡¯s principles, another factor that was responsible for his creation was greed. What Skall was doing was nothing more than a solicitation to inte the price of the deal.
¡°As for the price, as long as it¡¯s enough to pique your interest, that¡¯s all that matters, right?¡±
- You know me so well. So, let¡¯s hear you out. What do you have for me that makes you so confident?
The greedy toad rubbed his hands together as he began looking forward to a good bargain.
¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about how I was resurrected?¡±
Henry knew that he could use his resurrection as leverage. When he revealed his end of the bargain, Skall¡¯s nostrils widened.
- R-resurrection! O-of course I¡¯m curious!¡±
¡°You are, aren¡¯t you?¡±
- But this is a memento of the Sword King we¡¯re talking about here, they are incredibly rare¡
Skall protested, but he had already taken the bait, and was very interested in the mystery of Henry¡¯s resurrection.
¡°I could say the same. Have you ever seen anyone in history seed in a resurrection?¡±
- N-no¡
¡°Well, that settles it. After you deliver the goods, I will reveal to you the secret behind my resurrection.¡±
- Urgh¡ As expected, I can best everyone but you.
Skall pinched his forehead as he spoke.
After settling on the terms, Skall quickly inted both his cheeks. He spat out a small ring from hisrge mouth.
- The Sword King¡¯s engagement ring. You do remember that he was engaged to the princess, right?
¡°Of course. This is exactly what I need.¡±
Hector had turned down an offer to be Henry''srade in order to remain loyal to the princess and the king. There was likely nothing else that would evoke more emotion in the Sword King than this engagement ring.
After wiping the ring soaked in saliva on the hem of his robe, Skall held it out to Henry.
Seeing this, Henry cast a spell.
¡°Clean.¡±- Tch, pretending to be a clean freak.
¡°Come on, saliva¡¯s a bit too much.¡±
Soon, the ring shone like new.
Henry took the ring and, as promised, began to fulfill his end of the bargain.
¡°It was ck magic.¡±
- What was?
¡°The secret behind my resurrection. After I was executed, I suddenly woke up in an unfamiliar room.¡±
- A-and?
¡°When I came to my senses, I saw a book of necromancy and the carcass of a hen on myp. This body I am in now is the body of the caster who attempted that necromancy. He must have failed, which cost him his soul. Somehow, my soul was summoned and attached to his body instead.¡±
- S-something like that is possible?
The startled toad listened intently.
¡°Later, Ipletely restored the book and checked its content, but it wasn¡¯t anything like what I had experienced. I guess what happened to me was a mere coincidence.¡±
- And?
¡°That¡¯s it.¡±
- What?
¡°It was due to the mistake of a young magician that I was resurrected. That¡¯s all I know.¡±
When Henry finished speaking, Skall¡¯s eyelids began to tremble. Henry had not lied, but Skall could not help but feel that he had gotten the short end of the stick.
- Y-you bastard! Again!
¡°What? I simply told you the truth. Were you expecting some kind of massive secret?¡±
- Hmph¡ It¡¯s been so long, I had forgotten how tricky you were.
¡°Haha, you should be more careful, my friend.¡±
- Shut up! I suppose people never change, even after being reborn.
¡°Heh, that¡¯s one more lesson you¡¯ve learned then.¡±
Skall stared at Henry for a long moment before he spat on the floor and disappeared. Skall must have lived a lot longer than Henry had. Despite this, his behavior was bordering between that of a child and an old man.
¡°Cute.¡±
After Skall disappeared, Henry took out the engagement ring and held it in his hand.
¡°I just hope there¡¯s no bad emotions tied to this.¡±
As far as the Sword King was concerned, he had been murdered. Regardless of the reason why that had happened, the fact of the matter was that he had been killed. So, what Henry had to do now was appease any lingering ill feelings of the dead. Henry began the preparations to summon him.
¡°Clean.¡±
Henry erased the magic circle he had used to summon Skall and started to draw a new one. Afterpleting the new magic circle, he inspected it several times, checking for any mistakes. Finally, he ced the engagement ring in the center of the magic circle.
After sharpening his nails with magic, Henry made a long cut on his forearm.
¡°Kurgh.¡±
Blood began to drip heavily from the wound.
¡®Luckily the book was full of errors. If it hadn¡¯t been¡¡¯
In the damaged book, it was simply written that what was needed for sessful necromancy was ¡®blood¡¯, when in fact, it should have been ¡®caster¡¯s blood¡¯. If the caster had used his own blood instead of his hen, Henry would probably not be alive today.
¡®Sure needs a lot.¡¯
Henry started to feel a little dizzy as he continued to squeeze out as much blood as needed. He hastily closed his wounds and prepared for the next step. Finally, everything was ready.
¡°Phew¡¡±
Now, all he had to do was recite the spell and the magic circle would be activated. However, Henry was nervous, and had to calm himself down. Not only was he using ck magic for the first time, but he was also summoning none other than the Sword King.
After taking a deep breath, Henry began to recite the spell.
¡°dks skdhaus cjemfdjrksek znd Wkfk znd Wkr.¡±Whoosh!
As soon as the spell was cast, the crimson magic circle that was filled with Henry¡¯s blood began to activate.
Gulp.
Henry found himself gulping without even realizing it. He took a step back and stared at the magic circle with trembling eyes.
Whoooosh!
Even though the window was closed, a strong wind blew through the room. Henry took a few more steps back and looked at the magic circle. Finally, the crack in the Underworld that only opens on a full moon appeared, revealing its pitch-ck darkness.
¡®Those are the gates of the Underworld!¡¯
It was the first time Henry had seen them.
And in the pitch-ck darkness, two red dots shed.
Chapter 12: The Return of the Sword King (3)
Chapter 12: The Return of the Sword King (3)
Those red dots were no ordinary red dots. They were intense beams of light reminiscent of the eyes of a beast. But Henry was also someone who could make the nobles tremble with his eyes alone.
¡°Hector Meyer!¡±
The moment Henry called out, the red dots began to shake. As it was written in the book of necromancy, the dead man started to regain his memories upon hearing his name. A chill leaked out from the crack of the Underworld, before a silhouette slowly emerged from it like a shadow.
It was the dead Sword King, Hector Meyer.
Hector¡¯s eyes remained closed.
¡°Hector?¡± Henry carefully called out his name once more.
Hector¡¯s eyes shot open. Like a corpse that had been revived, his eyes lit up with a re like the full moon.
He spoke.
- It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve breathed fresh air.
He had the demeanor of a newly released prisoner, taking in his surroundings. He soon noticed his engagement ring in Henry¡¯s hand.
- That ring¡ where did you get it?
¡°I¡¯ve had it all along. Long time no see, Sir Hector.¡±
- When did we ever meet? You¡¯re a new face to me.
Hector knew that he was dead, and the man that stood before him was clearly too young to have met him before his death. Hector was confident that they had no formerly established rtionship, but the man had still somehowe into possession of his engagement ring. This unsettled Hector.
¡°Of course we met. We had quite the rtionship. It¡¯s been a while, so let me reintroduce myself. It¡¯s me, Henry.¡±
.
Hector tilted his head.
- Henry? Are you talking about the wizard Henry?
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
Despite hearing that it was Henry who possessed his ring, Hector was still visibly ufortable. Henry was the one who had killed him, after all.
- You¡¯re taking this joke too far. You bear no resemnce to the Henry I know, as far as I can remember. Why are you impersonating him?
¡°It¡¯s a long story. Do you really still need an old-fashioned exnation, even with this kind of evidence?¡±
Hector obviously could not believe what he was seeing. But as Henry suggested, his possession of the ring was quite convincing on its own. Hector looked in deep thought as he considered the possibilities. Seeing this, Henry said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to contemte so much. I¡¯m the Henry that you know. I experienced death and was resurrected. And by ck magic, no less.¡±
- I see.
Hector did not seem to doubt Henry¡¯s words. He recognized Henry¡¯s personality, which had stayed the same from his previous life.
¡°The world has changed a lot. Shortly after your death, we achieved continental unification.¡± Henry exined.
- Oh, that¡¯s weing news. I was curious about what happened on your side.
¡°It only sounds good on the surface. We built an empire and became heroes, but I was executed by the son of Golden, the Golden that you once defeated.¡±
- Golden¡¯s son? That means he¡¯s the current emperor, huh?
¡°An ipetent tyrant.¡±
Hectorughed.
- To hear that the enemy was from within, and that you, the hero, were killed by an ipetent tyrant. My death was a waste.
It sounded like a light-hearted joke, but in fact, it was a bitter criticism. It was a shameful fact, but Henry coolly admitted to his misfortune.
¡°You¡¯re right. I was so angry and upset that I couldn¡¯t sleep. But look at me now. The opportunity for revenge hase to me once again, has it not?¡±
- Is that why you summoned me? To join forces and rip that bastard¡¯s head off?
¡°It would be great if we could, but unfortunately, I¡¯m not capable of resurrecting you.¡±
- Then why did you summon me? Surely not to gloat about your own resurrection.
¡°Teach me swordsmanship.¡±
- What?
Hector looked puzzled for a moment at the unexpected request.
- I must have lived too long to¡ oh wait, I¡¯m dead. Anyway, what a ridiculous request. Aren¡¯t you a wizard?
¡°By sheer coincidence, this new body of minees from a long bloodline of knights. It has sufficient magic, I have already reached the rank of a mage. In this lifetime, I¡¯m interested in swordsmanship as well.¡±
Hector chuckled.
- To think, the wizard who killed me would end up asking me to teach him swordsmanship.
Henry stared at Hector with nervousness in his eyes. He had yet to reveal his true intentions.
¡°If you need an apology for what happened in the past, I will apologize.¡±
- Apology? What apology?
¡°Regarding the war.¡±
- What?
Hearing Henry¡¯s answer, Hector burst intoughter once again.
Henry stared at Hector as if something was amiss.
- You¡¯re a much more emotional chap than I thought. Look. Back then, as you said, we were at war. But I stayed loyal to the Emperor, and I protected his daughter¡¯s honor. I was a knight who died proudly on the battlefield, so why would I hate you?
¡°I see¡ I guess I was worried for nothing.¡±
- You wizards have always been known for being too worrisome, even since ancient times. But that aside, I didn¡¯t know you had a hobby of collecting mementos.
¡°It¡¯s not a memento, it was something I kept in your honor.¡±
- In my honor? You¡¯re cracking me up. Are you sure you¡¯re a wizard and not a poet? Or maybe a bard?
¡°You¡¯re the man who defeated Golden. And you were a formidable swordsman in your own right. Those are more than enough reasons to honor you.¡±
- You¡¯re not just an emotional one, but a pretty dramatic one as well, huh?
¡°You¡¯re worthy of that much. After all, weren¡¯t you the Sword King?¡±
- Pfft! A name given to me only after my death!
It was a bit of lip service. Henry knew he had to tter Hector a little bit to make him consider the request.
- Fine. I¡¯ll grant your request. But I can¡¯t just teach you for free.
¡°I already expected there to be a price. What is it that you want?¡±
- Great that we¡¯re on the same page.
¡°So, what is it?¡±
- I want to live like you.
¡°...?¡±
- It¡¯s exactly as I said. I, too, have many regrets left from my past life. You¡¯re a great wizard and have already experienced one resurrection, so it should be easy to bring me back to life too, shouldn¡¯t it?
Henry knew that the dead were obsessed with being brought back to life, but he never expected Hector to put forward such a condition so directly. After thinking for a while, Henry decided to be truthful.
¡°That¡¯s a little difficult.¡±
- Then let¡¯s pretend there was no deal. It¡¯s you who¡¯s going to lose out, after all.
¡°I see¡ I suppose there¡¯s nothing I can do then. I¡¯ll have to look for another way. It¡¯s been fun catching up, albeit briefly.¡±
- Huh? Huh?
Seeing how quickly Henry gave up on the deal, Hector was noticeably flustered. Noticing Hector¡¯s reaction, Henry quickly capitalized on it.
¡°Something wrong?¡±
- N-no! Don¡¯t be like that, I just want you to resurrect me, the same way you did for yourself. If you can do that, then I¡¯ll not only teach you swordsmanship, I will help you fulfill your revenge against the emperor.
¡°Thanks for the offer, but you see, I was resurrected by chance. All I can do for now is summon the souls of the dead.¡±
- Nonsense!
¡°As you said, it¡¯s me who is getting the shorter end of the stick. What would I gain from lying?¡±
- That¡¯s true but¡ urgh¡
¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t know what you want. But necromancy and resurrections arepletely different types of magic. Besides, I currentlyck the knowledge of ck magic. I can¡¯t afford to gamble with your life when there¡¯s only one of you.¡±
Henry¡¯s honesty caused Hector¡¯s expression to darken further.
- I see¡
But the dead¡¯s obsession with life was too powerful for Hector to let it go.
- Is there really no other way? If I return to the Underworld this time, I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ll be stuck in that gloomy darkness again.
¡°Looks like the realm of the dead is¡ a more terrifying ce than I thought.¡±
- So please help me! I prayed to God my entire life, but there¡¯s no such thing as God. After my death, there was only endless darkness and despair.
Hector was not alone in this experience. Henry himself had been very close to this eternal darkness as well. He could not help but feel pity towards his old friend, who was trembling in fear. After thinking for a long while, Henry gave his answer.
¡°Then let¡¯s do this.¡±
- H-have you found a-another way?
¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible. As you already know, there¡¯s no such thing as aplete resurrection. I achieved the 8th Circle, but even I could not solve the mysteries of resurrection and immortality. But with ck magic, the story might be a little different.¡±
- Keep going.
¡°Have you heard of necromancers?¡±
- Necromancers?
To Hector, who was unfamiliar with ck magic, ¡®necromancer¡¯ was a new word. Even Henry was new to the concept. Information about the original necromancer was so rare that it was only passed down via word of mouth.
¡°Rumor has it that necromancers have the power to bring the dead back to life by turning them into the Undead.¡±
- The Undead? Aren¡¯t they the work of the Liches?
¡°They¡¯re simr, but a little different. Liches seek eternal life through death. They can only lead a false life, within a restricted area.¡±
- Then what about necromancers?
¡°They may look like Liches, but they are definitely human. If I had to use the ranks of wizards topare, I¡¯d say they¡¯d fare around the rank of a mage. And they should be able to resurrect you as an Undead.¡±
- Are you telling me to be an Undead?
¡°That¡¯s just the first step. If we keep going down this path, we may be able to find an answer to your resurrection.¡±
Of course, Hector¡¯s body would havepletely rotted at that point. Henry would be lucky to even find Hector¡¯s ashes. But, bing an Undead was not entirely a bad thing.
¡°Think carefully. Wouldn¡¯t you rather be in this world as an Undead, rather than be trapped in eternal darkness again?¡±
Hector considered Henry¡¯s proposal carefully. But the truth was, he had no choice.
- You¡¯re right, being an Undead is better than being stuck in that darkness. But!
¡°But what?¡±
- Never forget your promise! If you break your promise, I will curse you to death! Swear to me now.
¡°Pfft, a knight talking about curses. Stop worrying so much, I¡¯ll keep my promise.¡±
Even though Hector was the Sword King, not specialized in magic, Henry wondered what kind of curse the remnants of necromancy could conjure.
Just as Henry epted the promise¡
¡°Mm?¡±
Red light began to radiate from Hector¡¯s engagement ring that Henry still held in his hand.
- I¡¯ve ced a curse into the ring. I have nothing else right now, so I had to do this. Don¡¯t take it too personally.
Henry had never seen something like this before. He never would have thought that a powerless dead being could cast a curse in such a manner. For a moment, Henry could not help but frown, but he quickly regained hisposure.
¡°I understand. So, I¡¯ll summon you every night when the full moon rises, and I will be under your guidance.¡±
- Sure, I¡¯ll pass on everything I know to you. No need to procrastinate, let¡¯s start the training right away.
Hector disyed fierce enthusiasm. It was to be expected, considering how he had spent all the time since his death in pitch-ck darkness.
¡®So this is why they said ck magic was dangerous.¡¯
Unlike the enthusiastic Hector, Henry grimly realized the dangers of ck magic. But he was not afraid. He knew very well that such a curse held no meaning as long as he kept his promise.
Chapter 13: Leaving Home (1)
Chapter 13: Leaving Home (1)
Strike while the iron is hot, as some would say. Hector¡¯s first ss began on the very same day that the curse and promise were exchanged.
- What? You want to learn Imperial Swordsmanship by day and my swordsmanship by night?
¡°There is no other choice.¡±
- This is going to be tough. The more you learn a specific style of swordsmanship, the more you be ustomed to it.
¡°Sounds like it won¡¯t be a problem if I learn both at the same time.¡±
- Hahaha, it¡¯ll be much better for you to experience it yourself than for me to advise you against it for the next hundred days. Well then, follow my lead.
Hector began the lesson with a demonstration. He positioned himself in a fighting stance.
¡°Like this?¡±
- Your form is¡ eptable. But since you¡¯re already ustomed to the Circle Step, this won¡¯t be easy.
¡°All I need to do is try. Oh, right! What¡¯s the name of this footwork?¡±
- Footwork is just footwork, does it need a name?
¡°I¡¯ll call it ¡®Hector Step¡¯ then, after you.¡±
- As you wish.
Even though his own name was attached to the style, Hector did not seem to care much.
The lesson continued. And indeed, the Hector Step was difficult to learn. One of the reasons was that Henry¡¯s body had already be ustomed to the Circle Step. Another reason was that, unlike the Circle Step, which was structured and focused on defense, the Hector Step was highly irregr.
Its movements were reminiscent of a dance. It was a very sharp and precise dance, but itcked grace and seemed unrefined.
- Some say that footwork should be strict. That its actions should be concise, without any unnecessary movements. They¡¯re right. But in the end, footwork is just the basic foundation for swordsmanship. Why does it matter how pretty it looks?Whoosh!
As Hector shed with his fist like with a de, the chill of the dead whipped across Henry¡¯s face.
- My style of swordsmanship was created solely to subdue my opponents. That¡¯s how I was able to break down Golden¡¯s defensive style of swordsmanship.
Hector fully understood that difference and taught it to Henry. It was clear that as long as Henry was able to master the Hector Step, there would be no swordsman in the Empire that would be able to defeat him.
* * *
The lesson continued deep into the night, until dawn. Henry only fell deeper into Hector¡¯s teachings, without thinking of how difficult the lesson was. He was convinced that if he learned the Hector Step, he would be able to take down Bern.
- From the beginning!
Seeing Henry attempt the Hector Step dozens of times, the Sword King could not help but break into a smile. After all, he had finally been given something to do besides wallowing in the darkness of the Underworld. Still, he never regarded his lesson with Henry as mere entertainment, and he gave everything he had in his teachings. Hector knew that as Henry¡¯s skills increased, he drew closer to his own resurrection.
A long time passed.
- Let¡¯s take a short break.¡°Phew.¡±Thud.
Henry¡¯s thighs felt tight and his feet were sore.
Unlike the Circle Step, which kept movements limited to a circle, the Hector Step based its movements on the opponent¡¯s, and was not restricted in any way.
¡°Clean.¡±
As soon as a break was given, Henry used Clean on his whole body, which was drenched in sweat.
- You really want to kill the emperor, huh?
Hector smiled as he looked at Henry, who was still catching his breath.
¡°You think?¡±
- Hard work will never betray you. I don¡¯t know about magic, but when ites to swordsmanship, the more you practice it, the stronger it gets.
¡°It¡¯s the same with magic.¡±
- I see¡ anyway, what are you going to do after you defeat that kid you call Bern?
Henry responded lightly.
¡°I¡¯m going to learn Aura, of course.¡±
In addition to swordsmanship, Henry knew that it was also necessary topensate for his only remaining weakness: his physical body. Aura was his answer.
Hectorughed once more.
- Wanting to fly before you can even walk. You sure have a talent for making peopleugh.
¡°Nonsense.¡±
Hector continued tough loudly as he teased Henry. He could not help but feel that his young disciple¡¯s ambitions were rather cute, albeit naive.
¡°By the time I learn about aura, I will be a magic swordsman.¡±
Henry imagined a future where he could master both magic and aura at the same time.
- Oh, now that you mention it, that makes sense. Damn, look at you! So, that means I¡¯m going to be the teacher of the continent¡¯s first magic swordsman?
Magic swordsman. A legendary title that appeared only asionally in bards¡¯ tales and storybooks, but never in the true history of the continent. The path of a wizard and a swordsman diverged greatly, and it was not viable for one to master both within the same lifetime.
But thanks to a foolish wizard using ck magic, it was now possible.
- Just the thought of it gives me the shivers. A sword master that can use mage-level magic. No opponent would be able to stand in your way.
¡°At least use my proper title. I am ¡®Archmage¡¯ to you,¡± Henry teased him.
- Look at you, running your mouth. Since you¡¯ve got the energy to talk, get up and continue your training!
Just the thought of what the future might hold lit a fire underneath Henry. That night, he continued his training through to the morning without sleep, before heading straight to breakfast
* * *
¡°Whoa, how could this be¡ I¡¯ve lost.¡±
Bern¡¯s sword had been flung across the training grounds. He looked at the sword with an astonished look on his face, as though he could not believe what had just happened.
¡°Did I win?¡± Henry asked.
¡°That¡¯s right. It was a perfect victory, Young Master.¡±
When Bern graciously admitted defeat, Henry finally broke into a smile.
Three months.
It had taken only three months topletely overwhelm Bern. Lowering his wooden sword, Henry held out his hand.
¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±
A handshake from the winner to the loser. For Henry, it was a handshake that signified his respect and gratitude. Bern understood, and happily shook Henry¡¯s hand.
¡°Same goes for you, Young Master.¡±
For three months, Henry had spent every day and night training, sleeping no more than four hours each day. By day, he had trained in the Imperial Swordsmanship, and by night, he had trained in Hector¡¯s style of swordsmanship. Whenever he had spare time, he worked on his strength training and recovered his torn muscles. This process had gone on like clockwork.
As the saying went; hard work would never betray you. As time passed, Henry¡¯s efforts eventually showed results. Just three months after summoning Hector, Henry had seeded in mastering both the Imperial style and Hector¡¯s style.
¡®It¡¯s finally time for me to leave this estate.¡¯
Henry had defeated his target, Bern. Not only was Bern a sword expert, but he was also a veteran swordsman and a war hero. Since Henry had subdued him with swordsmanship skill alone, he saw no reason to remain at the estate any longer.
As the two men shook hands, Bern suddenlyughed.
¡°This may sound like a loser¡¯s excuse, but¡¡±
¡°Sorry?¡±
¡°I noticed it from your footwork a few months ago, but now, it seems like I have no choice but to fully admit it. You are clearly a genius, Young Master.¡±
¡°You speak too highly of me. A genius? No way.¡±
¡°No. I am proud to say that you, Young Master, are indeed a genius. I am certain that I only taught you Imperial Swordsmanship, but somehow, you managed to change it to create a new style of swordsmanship that is entirely your own, didn¡¯t you?¡±
Whenever Henry sparred with Bern during the Imperial Swordsmanship lessons, he would mix in some of Hector¡¯s techniques. It seemed that Bern had noticed the change.
At first, Henry had solely used the Hector Step to try and defeat Bern. However, as time passed, the two swordsmanship styles had naturally merged to be a new style of swordsmanship.
In a way, Henry had indeed created his own unique technique.
¡°I appreciate your kind words.¡±
¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth. By the way, what are you going to do now?¡±
Henry knew very well what that question meant. Bern wanted to understand what Henry¡¯s next move would be.
¡°In my mind, I would want to stay here and make up for my shorings, but my greed is greater than my humility.¡±
Bernughed. ¡°If you''re going to be a swordsman, then that¡¯s an obvious choice. But as you know, Aura is not something you can learn with simple training alone.¡±
The next step in swordsmanship was to master Aura, and Henry already knew how to learn them.
¡°I have actually been meaning to ask a favor of you, Master.¡±
¡°A favor? Just ask away. I¡¯ll listen to any request from you.¡±
¡°Thank you, Master. The thing is, I n on leaving this estate and applying for the army.¡±
¡°The army?¡±
¡°Yes. Do you know of the ¡®Noblesse Oblige¡¯ system by any chance, Master?¡±
¡°By Noblesse Oblige, you mean the duties of the nobles?¡±
¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±
Noblesse Oblige was the institutional duty of the nobles to serve society by using their power for the benefit of the many and setting a moral example. If one had power, one had to share that power, and if one had money, one had to share that money.
¡°But this estate does not fall under that system, does it? As I understand it, you must be at least a count to bear that responsibility.¡±
¡°I understand that. But that is why I want to make use of this system even more.¡±
Noblesse Oblige was a system created for the powerful upper ss among the nobles. As Bern said, it was a system that only applied to nobles that were at least the rank of count, and those families had to pay a certain amount of taxes to the state.
However, after the death of the previous emperor, many changes took ce in the system. First of all, obligors under Noblesse Oblige could deliberately adopt a child to pass on the duty of military service to that adopted child instead of their direct lineage. When the service waspleted, the state exempted that family from the tax.
Contrary to the intentions of thew, those excluded from the obligations of military service used this system to seed in their careers. If one volunteered for military service, one would be able to shoulder the duty of Noblesse Oblige despite being below the rank of count.
And by raising one¡¯s honor on the battlefield, one¡¯s self-worth and value would also increase. Being recognized by the empire was the highest honor one could achieve, thus many people wanted to make use of this system for their own benefit.
¡®If it was known that I, the son of a war veteran bar, volunteered to serve in the military as well, it would only raise my honor even further. Eventually, I will be respected everywhere I go.¡¯
When Henry expressed his opinion in a confident voice, Bern smiled strangely, as if he understood Henry¡¯s intent.
¡°Then, do you have a specific outpost or division in mind?¡±
¡°Of course. I have already decided on a location.¡±
¡°And that is?¡±
¡°The Demonic Beast Forest.¡±
¡°T-the Demonic Beast Forest?¡±
Bern¡¯s eyes widened upon hearing Henry¡¯s answer. The Demonic Beast Forest was located at the edge of the continent, where Demonic Beasts roamed inrge numbers.
¡°No! The Demonic Beast Forest is too dangerous. I¡¯m sure the Lord will object as well.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve already gotten his permission. His only condition was that I defeat you, Master, with swordsmanship, and I¡¯ve just fulfilled that condition.¡±
¡°T-the Lord said that?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Impossible!¡±
There were ces within the empire that brought death to those who ventured there. Among them, the three deadliest areas were called the Death Regions, and among the three Death Regions, the deadliest was the Demonic Beast Forest.
¡°I will have to discuss this again with the Lord. I am against it.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no use. I have already made my mind up.¡±
.
Henry did not intend to head to the Demonic Beast Forest just to raise his own self-worth. He needed to retrieve an item that he needed the most, out of all the countless artifacts he had hidden there.
Chapter 14: Leaving Home (2)
Chapter 14: Leaving Home (2)
Back at the estate, Bern questioned Hans to see if Henry¡¯s words were true.
¡°My Lord, did you really permit the Young Master to venture into the Demonic Beast Forest?¡±
He spoke politely, but he had entered the estate very hastily and spoke harshly as he caught his breath. Hans responded as if it was a meaningless question.
¡°I did. But under the condition that he must defeat you, correct?¡±
At that moment, Henry answered on behalf of Bern without hesitation.
¡°That condition, I have just fulfilled.¡±
There was a look of shock on Hans¡¯ face.
¡°W-what? Is that true? Bern, answer me!¡±
¡°...Unfortunately, it is the truth.¡±
¡°What nonsense!¡±
Hans¡¯ breath became rougher. This was Bern, after all. Hans had fought side by side with Bern during wartime, so he knew better than anyone how skilled Bern was. The fact that his son, who was barely twenty years old, had defeated Bern, was unthinkable.
Unlike Bern and Hans, who were filled with mixed emotions, Henry felt calm. He spoke in a measured tone.
¡°I¡¯ve only faithfully kept my promises. In exchange, please allow me to enlist in the Demonic Beast Forest.¡±
Bern turned towards Hans. ¡°My Lord, this cannot be. Even though you may have made that promise, I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t a sincere statement, was it?¡±
¡°W-well, yes, but¡¡±
Hans looked at Bern and Henry¡¯s faces as this unexpected situation unfolded. There was a stark contrast between their facial expressions.
¡°Father,¡± Henry spoke calmly.
¡°Y-yeah. What is it?¡±
¡°Give me a chance to prove that I am worthy. I need to see more of the world.¡±
¡°But the world you see doesn¡¯t have to be the Demonic Beast Forest, does it? You¡¯re still young so you may not be aware, but the Demonic Beast Forest is¡¡±
¡°I¡¯m well aware. It is also called ¡®the end of the continent¡¯, where the door to the Demon Realm is opened, right?¡±
The Demonic Beast Forest. It had a long history as one of the most dangerous ces in the empire, a ce where many demon kings had appeared in the past. In his previous life, Henry had helped Golden kill the demon kings in that area.
¡°Do you really want to go to such a ce, despite knowing all the dangers? I may only be a bar, but you¡¯re still the eldest child of our family. I cannot afford to send you to such a dangerous ce.¡±
Hearing Hans¡¯ decisive answer, the look on Bern¡¯s face finally eased. But Henry was not going to give up so easily.
¡°That¡¯s it? That¡¯s the only reason?¡± Henry replied.
¡°What?¡±
¡°If that¡¯s the only reason, then I will give up my position as the eldest son of this family. What could I possibly achieve as the heir to a family with no power?¡±
¡°T-that¡¯s not what I meant!¡±
¡°I have already made up my mind. I will leave this estate by tomorrow morning, so this will be my final evening here. Goodbye.¡±
Henry had no interest in a meaningless family squabble, and had no intention of going through the trouble of convincing Hans.
¡®Annoying bastards.¡¯
After a brief silence, Henry left the room, leaving behind a bewildered Hans and Bern.
* * *
Rumors of Henry¡¯s shocking remarks quickly spread throughout the estate. But Henry did not care about others¡¯ whispers and murmurs. As usual, he skipped dinner and immediately began practicing the Hector Step. He trained until dawn. When he finished, he was drenched in sweat as if he had been caught in the rain.
Henry wiped the sweat from his forehead. As he was about to use Clean on himself, a voice spoke from behind him.
¡°I have never seen that style of swordsmanship before.¡±
¡°...Father?¡±
The Lord of the estate, Hans Morris, emerged from the shadows. He must have thought that everyone was still asleep, as the sun was still low in the sky. Seeing Hans, Henry quickly straightened his posture as a disy of respect.
¡°At ease. It¡¯s just the two of us, why the fuss? That aside, this is the first time I have seen such a technique. What is it? From what I heard, you created it yourself.¡±
¡°It¡¯s just a modified version of the Imperial Swordsmanship, tweaked to my own preferences.¡±
Henry hadbined two different styles of swordsmanship into a unique blend, so it was technically not a lie.
¡°It seems that all this time, I¡¯ve misunderstood you.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Still feigning ignorance, I see. I realized it after you defeated Kevin. Why have you hidden your power all this time?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve never hidden it.¡±
¡°So I was just being dull.¡±
¡°No. I simply didn¡¯t reveal it¡ Anyway, what brings you here?¡±
Henry was certain that Hans did not show up so early in the morning just to praise him. He wondered what Hans would say next.
¡°You used to be so weak, but you¡¯ve grown a lot. So, I¡¯ll get to the point. I¡¯ve decided to respect your will.¡±
¡°By that, you mean¡?¡±
¡°You may head to the Demonic Beast Forest.¡±
¡°Thank you, Father.¡±
Henry pretended to be moved, bowed his head, and thanked Hans.
¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it all night, and you¡¯re right. I became a bar withoutpleting my military service. But what use is a title that is merely a formality? That¡¯s why you, at the very least, should leave this ce and showcase your talent.¡±
¡°Thank you, Father.¡±
¡°There¡¯s something I would like to give you.¡±
¡°This is¡¡±
Hans took out two sets of letters. One was an application letter, and the other was a letter of rmendation.
¡°I heard that an old friend of mine is currently serving as a fairly high-ranking officer in the Caliburn Fortress, a unit stationed in the Demonic Beast Forest. This is a letter of rmendation and an enlistment application for you to pass on to him.¡±
¡°May I ask what this person¡¯s name is?¡±
¡°He¡¯s called Isn. When I was first drafted into the military as a young boy, he was my toon leader.¡±
Isn of the Caliburn Fortress. The name was not familiar to Henry.
¡®Doesn¡¯t sound like someone that important.¡¯
Henry knew many people across the empire, but there was no way he could memorize everyone¡¯s name.
He took the two letters in his hands and bowed once more to express his gratitude.
¡°Thank you, Father. I will honor your reputation.¡±
¡°Alright. You¡¯re a smart kid, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do well.¡±
Hans also handed Henry some essential items for his journey, such as a status badge that indicated the rank of a bar.
¡°Do you really n on leaving tomorrow?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Then I suppose it is decided. I wanted to share a drink with you at the very least, but since you¡¯re leaving tomorrow, we can save it for another day.¡±
¡°Thank you, Father.¡±
With that, Hans left the training hall.
¡°How cute.¡±
As Henry looked at the items that Hans had handed to him, he could not help but appreciate Hans¡¯ fatherliness. At the very least, Hans had proven that he was not ignorant. In addition, the unexpected letter of rmendation made Henry feel better.
With his new belongings in hand, Henry hummed as he headed for his room.
* * *
Henry did not have many items to pack. After all, the military would be able to provide him with almost anything he needed. Henry only asked for his horse and a small amount of spending money needed for the long journey.
The residents of the estate gathered around to see him off.
¡°Is one horse really enough?¡± Hans asked with a concerned look on his face.
¡°It¡¯s enough. If I bring a coach or carriage, then it¡¯ll only make the return journey more difficult.¡±
Everyone was befuddled by Henry¡¯s simple requests. Their response was expected, however, since the Demonic Beast Forest was located at the furthest western edge of the continent.
¡°Still, we¡¯re at pr opposite ends of the continent¡¡±
Their concerns were highly justified, considering that the Morris estate was located at the eastern edge of the continent. To them, it seemed like Henry would be severely under-equipped for the journey.
¡®Wagons and whatnot will only get in my way.¡¯
If Henry was an ordinary swordsman, greater preparations would have been necessary. However, Henry was the continent¡¯s first ever magic swordsman, through just one single Awakening and the power of a mage.
¡°Ugh, if that¡¯s all you want, then there¡¯s nothing we can do about it.¡±
¡°Thank you, Father.¡±
¡°It¡¯ll be a difficult journey. Please take care of yourself.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll write you a letter when I arrive. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡±
With that, the formalities were over. Most of the people in the estate hade out to bid Henry farewell, including Caughall and Bern. Henry waved to those with whom he had formed a bond, even if it was just for a short time.
¡®Guess it¡¯s goodbye to here too.¡¯
It might have been home to the young wizard, but not to Henry. Thus, despite the fact that he was going on a long journey, he did not feel a strong sense of attachment to the estate.
Henry grabbed the reins and set off.
¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±
Neeeeeigh!
At Henry¡¯smand, Jade neighed loudly. It was a louder and more powerful cry than he had ever let out before.
¡®Yeah! That¡¯s the spirit!¡¯
Seeing how much Jade had grown, Henry smiled proudly. Right after reaching the rank of mage, he had used a secret technique on Jade that reced the iplete Fine Horse Restructuring technique that he had used first.
Click-ck! Click-ck!
Jade, now sporting a jet-ck mane, sprinted forward spiritedly.
¡°Haste!¡±
Henry cast a spell on Jade, who was already sprinting, to further increase his speed. Jade was now moving as fast as the wind, but Henry lookedfortable, as if riding in a luxury carriage. He had also ced a magic spell on the saddle, granting him afortable riding experience. The two rode for a long time.
Henry needed to go from one end of the continent to the other. Normally, this would take a month at the very least. But now that Jade had been upgraded to a fine steed, he was capable of quickly traversing any terrain.
¡®Looks like we¡¯ll be there in a week.¡¯
Not even the most legendary rider would be able to reach that speed without magic. Nevertheless, Henry was still not satisfied. After reaching the state of transcendence in his previous life, he had relied on teleportation spells to reach far-away destinations. Using other, slower means of transportation was not something he was ustomed to or enjoyed.
But on the other hand, it was a breath of fresh air for him. He could now freely use his magic without being wary of others, and he felt a sense of speed that he had not felt for a long time.
The sun set, and the moon rose. Jade continued sprinting forward. A whileter, Henry finally pulled back on the reins.
¡®This ce should be fine.¡¯
After passing through several mountains, Henry decided to set up camp at the base of an unknown mountain. He had not packed a sleeping bag or any cooking utensils. However, he had something else prepared.
¡°Stone House.¡±
Rumble!
When Henry cast the spell, a cave the size of a house emerged from the ground. Upon entering the cave, a t rock the size of a bed awaited Henry.
¡°Light.¡±
The interior of the cave lit up brightly. Standing in front of the t rock, Henry used spells to clean it, turn it soft, and transform it into a warmed mattress.
¡°Clean.¡±¡°Soft Stone.¡±¡°Warm.¡±
The end result was a warm,fortable bed.
¡®Tsk, if only I had 6 Circles, then I could have done all this in one spell.¡¯
Despite the longer process, Henry had finished setting up his camp. This style of camp was called the ¡®Mage¡¯s Camp¡¯, and it was wonderfully designed. There was no need to light a bonfire that could disturb his sleep, and the cave protected against the wind. In addition, he had a soft bed to himself, so it was truly a camp that allowed forfort while immersed in nature.
¡°Jade.¡±
Neeeigh.
Jade approached Henry at his calling.
¡°Take care of yourself. Eat up and rest well.¡±
Neeeigh!
Thanks to Henry¡¯s perfect restructuring technique, Jade was now able to fully understand humannguage. Jade had endured his hunger for the entire day, and when Henry went to bed, Jade¡¯s relentless hunt began.
Chapter 15: Enlistment (1)
Chapter 15: Enlistment (1)
A huge gate protected the entrance to Caliburn Fortress. Not only was it the entrance to the fortress itself, but it was also thest stronghold that prevented the demons from escaping.
¡°Someone is approaching.¡±
A soldier, who had been watching a suspicious individual from the watchtower, immediately reported what he saw.
¡°Who is?¡±
¡°Uh¡ I don¡¯t recognize him. He¡¯s in a robe, and he¡¯s riding a ck horse.¡±
¡°Just one person?¡±
¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±
¡°What¡¯s up with that? Did the Capital send him?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t see any gs.¡±
¡°Put everyone on standby.¡±
Upon receiving the report, the Chief of Guard, Herbant, immediately ordered the archers to stand by. This was one of the most dangerous areas in the empire; this level of caution was necessary.
After a while, the suspicious visitor reached the front of the gate. Using a trumpet that amplified his voice, Herbant gave hismand.
¡°You there! Stop.¡±
The horse stopped. The man in a robe raised his head toward Herbant.
¡°Identify yourself!¡± Herbant¡¯s voice boomed.
At Herbant¡¯s request, the man pulled out an identification card and threw it toward the top of the gates with all his might.
Whoosh!¡°Huh?¡±
The identification card flew past Herbant andnded perfectly inside the watchtower. It was a formidable disy of power. One of the watchtower soldiers picked up the card and immediately descended to present it to Herbant.
¡°H-he managed to throw it all the way here?¡±
No matter how strong a man was, there were not many who could throw something from the ground that high, and precisely into the watchtower no less.
But this man had done it.
Amazed by the man¡¯s physical strength, Herbant hurriedly checked the identification card.
¡°A bar?¡±
The status badge was made of silver, which proved that the owner was a bar. In addition, a blue star symbolizing the Order of Merit was engraved on it. Seeing the blue star, which symbolized honor, relieved Herbant of all his remaining doubts.
¡°He¡¯s a true bar.¡±
After checking the identification card, Herbant shouted again with his trumpet.
¡°Please wait a minute!¡±
After a while, a section of bricks that were located right next to the gates began to open up, brick by brick. It was a side door that could only be opened from the inside, essible only to those that were approved to use it. After the side door opened, Herbant appeared along with a few guards.
¡°Are you a bar?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
¡°I apologize for theck of respect. Please forgive our behavior, considering the location we are at right now¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s alright. This is the insignia that symbolizes our family.¡±
As soon as Henry dismounted from his horse, he immediately held out his family insignia. After checking it, Herbant replied with a more gentle look on his face.
¡°So, you¡¯re Henry Morris. Nice to meet you. My name is Herbant,mander of the guards assigned to protect the entrance to Caliburn Fortress here.¡±
¡°I¡¯m Henry.¡±
The two exchanged a light handshake after their greetings.
¡°May I ask what brings you all the way here?¡±
¡°I came here to enlist.¡±
¡°Enlist?¡±
¡°Yes, the Noblesse Oblige.¡±
¡°If you¡¯re talking about the Noblesse Oblige¡ ah! But, Sir Henry, aren¡¯t you a bar?¡±
¡°And what if I am?¡±
¡°As far as I am aware, bars are not obliged to partake in the system. Unless¡?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. I am enlisting voluntarily.¡±
¡°Please ept my apologies then, sir! I have disrespected an honorable man!¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay. This is a letter of application, and this is a letter of rmendation.¡±
Henry handed all the papers he had to Herbant, in the hopes that they would be processed speedily. Receiving the papers, Herbant said, ¡°Please follow me. There are a couple of documents you will need to fill out as part of the process.¡±
¡°I understand.¡±
¡°Ah, and as for your horse! We¡¯ll take care of him for a while.¡±
Herbant gestured with his chin toward Jade. The guards immediately grabbed Jade¡¯s reins.
Neeeeigh!
¡°Whoa, whoa!¡±
The moment the guards went for his reins, the quiet Jade raised his front legs and began threatening them. Seeing this, Henry approached Jade to calm him down.
¡°Sorry. He¡¯s a feisty one.¡±
¡°Haha¡ he sure looks the part,¡± Herbant said, eyeing Jade¡¯s impressive physique. He was certainly a fine stallion.
After ordering Jade to stay still and behave himself, Henry followed Herbant until they arrived at a small administrative office near the gate. Among the administrative officers on duty there, Herbant approached an orange-haired man with sses. He introduced Henry by handing the man Henry¡¯s identification card and documents.
¡°Fermit, this is Sir Henry, who came to volunteer through the Noblesse Oblige system.¡±
¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Fermit.¡±
After epting the papers, Fermit shook Henry¡¯s hand.
¡°Fermit will provide you with the details. I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±
Herbant returned to his post. After he stepped out, Fermit spoke.
¡°Wee to Caliburn Fortress. First of all, I would like to thank you for offering your services to the empire even though you are not obliged to.¡±
Fermit was a polite young man. After expressing his gratitude, he handed some papers to Henry. As Henry was filling out the form, Fermit opened up the letter of rmendation and the letter of application and began reviewing them. Sometimeter¡
¡°Uh¡ Sir Henry?¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°Regarding this name written on the letter of rmendation. Is this ¡®Isn¡¯ the same Captain Isn from our fortress?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not too sure. All I know is that a man named Isn was close to my father.¡±
¡°May I ask for your father¡¯s name?¡±
¡°It¡¯s Hans Morris.¡±
¡°Hans Morris, Hans Morris¡ please hold on.¡±
When Fermit heard Hans¡¯ name, he began to rummage through a pile of documents. Not long after, his eyes widened.
¡°Uh?¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°P-please hold on.¡±
Fermit got up from his seat with a look of surprise on his face, before taking the letter of rmendation and disappearing for a while.
He showed up a long timeter.
¡°I¡¯m sorry to keep you waiting. I¡¯ve checked, and the name written on your letter of rmendation is indeed referring to our captain.¡±
¡°Sorry?¡±
¡°And Captain Isn just gave his order. He will guarantee Sir Henry¡¯s status, so you are to be treated with respect. He¡¯ll send a carriage for you shortly, so please wait a moment.¡±
¡®A carriage?¡¯?Henry thought to himself, confused. Before Henry could even assess what could be happening, a man poked his head through the office door.
¡°Pardon me. I¡¯m here for Sir Henry.¡±
¡°Speak of the devil. Sir Henry, please leave the paperwork to me and follow him.¡±
Just as Fermit had said, there was a carriage waiting for Henry outside the office. A soldier bowed politely to Henry and started to steer the carriage with great speed.
¡®Got to admit, I didn¡¯t expect this.¡¯
Hans simply said that Isn was a high-ranking officer. However, if he was the captain, then wasn¡¯t he the third inmand after themander and the deputymander? Regardless, he must have had a lot of influence if he had the authority to send a carriage for Henry.
¡®I¡¯ve got a good feeling about this.¡¯
Nowhere were connections more important than in the military. Henry was pleased with his unexpected windfall.
* * *
¡°Sir Henry, we have arrived.¡±
As soon as the carriage came to a stop, the soldier who was acting as the coachman quickly got off the carriage and opened the door for Henry. It was an excellent level of service.
¡°Oh ho.¡±
They had arrived at a building toorge to be a personal office. The size of a building was usually proportional to the rank and authority of the person who resided there. Henry grew more and more satisfied. This was further evidence that the person backing him held significant power.
The soldier guided Henry past the first floor and into the office on the second floor.
Knock knock.
¡°Come in.¡±
Creaaak.
Henry went through the open door and was greeted with a spacious office.
The soldier followed behind him. When he entered the office, he immediately stood at attention and reported in a loud voice.
¡°Captain! I have brought Sir Henry!¡±
¡°Oh, well done. You may leave.¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
The soldier exited with haste.
¡°Come in. Hans¡¯ son, huh? Come and have a seat.¡±
¡°Yes, thank you.¡±
There were stuffed animal heads hung all over the walls. There was also a young woman, who looked to be Isn¡¯s assistant, looking at papers on her desk. Henry sat down at the tea table.
¡®As expected, it¡¯s a face that I can¡¯t remember.¡¯
This was the first thought that came to Henry¡¯s mind. He thought that even if he could not remember Isn¡¯s name, considering that Isn was a captain of the fortress, he should at least remember his appearance.
Unfortunately, this was the first time Henry could recall seeing Isn¡¯s face.
¡°You¡¯vee a long way. Who would have known that Hans had a child this old already?¡±
It seemed that Isn and Hans did not see each other very often, but this did not matter to Henry. What was important was that he could make use of this good connection.
Isn began speaking again.
¡°That aside, you¡¯re a fascinating one, my friend. Why did you volunteer when everyone else wants out, and to the infamous Demonic Beast Forest of all ces?¡±
Isn was huge and bulky, and was wearing a silver suit of armor. There were clear streaks of gray in his hair, but his face was full of youthful charisma. If Henry had been just an ordinary recruit, he might have lost hisposure on the spot. At least, that was the impression that Henry got. When it came to charisma alone, Henry would have edged out Isn in his previous life.
He answered sinctly.
¡°Because of the demonic beasts.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°I heard that there is nothing more dangerous than the demonic beasts here. I enlisted here because I thought I would be able to learn Aura quickly if I faced them.¡±
It was not a dishonest answer. To quickly learn Aura was one of the many reasons why Henry had chosen the Demonic Beast Forest.
dughed heartily.
¡°At least you¡¯re an honest one! Did Hans tell you to give such an answer?¡±
¡°Father tried to stop me froming here.¡±
Isn smiled widely.
¡°Yeah, he would have. Safety was of utmost importance to him. Tini, stop looking at those documents and bring us two sses of water.¡±
Seemingly satisfied enough with Henry¡¯s answer, Isn finally offered him something to drink.
¡°I like your ambition. But this isn¡¯t the kind of ce where you can get by on ambition alone.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve worked hard to prepare for this.¡±
¡°Really? Can you back those words up?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Then let¡¯s see.¡±
The office was spacious and had high ceilings. It was big enough for Isn to test Henry¡¯sbat skills. Henry got up from his seat, approached a spacious corner of the office and drew his sword. Isn did the same.
¡®That¡¯s a sword?¡¯
Henry had a premonition of danger when Isn ordered him to draw his sword. The sword that Isn drew out was much bigger than Henry could have anticipated.
It was a two-handed greatsword, with a much wider de than other two-handed swords. Despite its massive size, Isn wielded it like a one-handed sword.
¡°The Imperial Swordsmanship is something anyone can learn and practice.¡±
Thud. Thud.
With his de drawn, Isn approached Henry. With every step he took, the ground shook loudly.
¡°The differencees from how much effort newbies like you put in.¡±
He swung his sword like a baton, then pointed it at Henry.
¡°This is a ce where newbies like you will die a swift death if you don¡¯t put in the effort. You only get one chance. I will swing only once, so try to block it.¡±
With that, Isn raised his sword. He swung it downward forcefully, with the sound of a mighty wind.
Chapter 16: Enlistment (2)
Chapter 16: Enlistment (2)
¡®This crazy bastard!¡¯
The wild swing of Isn¡¯s sword came crashing down like a tidal wave, creating immense pressure in the surrounding atmosphere. In response, Henry held back his curses and quickly armed himself with magic buffs. Then¡
Crash!
Henry was not confident enough to block the attack with just one hand. Instead, he held his sword at an angle and supported the de with both hands. When Isn¡¯s sword made contact, Henry felt an immense weight press into him. He felt as if he was blocking andslide with his body.
¡®This crazy old fart!¡¯
Henry¡¯s legs went numb. It was a blow of pure physical strength alone, without any assistance from an Aura. After all, Isn was not just a Sword Expert from the outskirts of the empire, but a Sword Master who was worthy enough to be the leader of the fortress.
No matter how much Henry had awakened and trained, he would have certainly been split in two if he had not armed himself with magic beforehand.
¡®Oh ho?¡¯
The corner of Isn¡¯s lips began to curl in surprise.
¡°You stopped this?¡±
¡°Urgh¡! Is this good enough?¡±
Henry asked as he channeled all his remaining strength into his trembling legs.
¡°Hey.¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be able to block this. Try it one more time.¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°Here Ie.¡±
Isn raised his sword once again. Henry was freed from the enormous weight pressing down on him, but it was only for a brief moment, right before the second blow.
¡®This guy is crazy!¡¯
Henry meant it. As soon as he saw Isn¡¯s sword being lifted, he had no choice but to cast his magic buffs again.
Crash!
Once again, the two-handed greatsword fell. The impact was much stronger than the first strike. This time, Henry could feel the wind on his face before he felt the impact.
¡°Heok¡ª¡±
Henry¡¯s legs shuddered with fatigue. He was at his limit. No matter how much he buffed himself and his sword with magic, he was like a candle¡¯s me against a raging wind, facing an overwhelming force that he could not stop.
Henry focused all his strength on his legs, which felt like they were about to give way at any moment. His tenacity and persistence seemed toe as a refreshing surprise to Isn.
¡°One more¡¡± Isn said.
At that moment, Henry¡¯s savior appeared. Isn¡¯s aide and attendant, Tini, blocked the third blow.
¡°Captain.¡±
¡°Oh, what¡¯s up?¡±
¡°I think it¡¯s time to stop. You¡¯re going too far with your prank.¡±
¡°Tsk, did it seem that way? I was honestly just impressed. This kid hasn¡¯t even learned Aura yet and he¡¯s managed to block my blows twice.¡±
Henry felt truly grateful to Tini. If she hadn¡¯t intervened, things would have ended rather poorly for Henry. Tini herself was surprised as well.
¡®This Learner-ss swordsman managed to block the captain¡¯s attack twice?¡¯
¡®Sword Learner¡¯ was the term for swordsmen before they reached the rank of Sword Expert. Tini pretended to be calm on the outside, but on the inside, she was shocked. After all, she herself had tried to block Isn¡¯s attacks before, but failed to do so even once without the help of her Aura.
¡®Is this the birth of yet another monster?¡¯
She was a capable attendant who handled most of Isn¡¯s work for him. Apart from her abilities as an attendant, she was also smarter and wiser than any other knight in the fortress. She had an eye for spotting talent in people, and quickly caught on to Henry¡¯s immense talent.
Upon Tini¡¯s intervention, Isn sheathed his sword and sat down at the table again, as if nothing had happened.
¡®That son of a bitch!¡¯
Henry had to contain the curses that almost spewed out of his mouth. Despite being armed with magic, his sword was now in a terrible state; one more hit would break it. Additionally, the aftershock of Isn¡¯s blows was so great that Henry still trembled.
However, he could not let it show. After all, he was the one that had epted this test. Even as his legs trembled, Henry tried his hardest to keep hisposure and returned to his seat. After taking a sip of water, Isn spoke.
¡°You¡¯re one fine specimen.¡±
Henry would figure this out in the future, but Isn was known to be an oddity, even within the fortress. He had a reputation as someone with a cunning personality and outstanding strength and ability, but he was also known for mercilessly tossing men aside if they proved to beckluster, no matter how close they were to him.
Moreover, he was someone who secured his position as a leader with pure strength alone, not politics or funambulism. Considering that Henry had passed Isn¡¯s joke test, given Isn¡¯s personality, it was only natural that he would show interest in Henry.
Isn looked at Henry with a pleased expression and chuckled.
¡°Those that came recently asking for favors were all shy with nothing to prove, but it looks like we finally have the real deal here.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
¡°Like father, like son. You¡¯ve certainly not dishonored your bloodline. Hey!¡±
¡°Yes, Captain.¡±
¡°Are you aware of how this world works?¡±
¡°What kind of world are you talking about?¡±
¡°Politics.¡±
Henry did not expect someone like Isn to bring up something as troublesome as politics.
¡°I¡¯ve been keeping up by reading the newsletters.¡±
Unlike expensive newspapers, newsletters were one-page newspapers that provided a lot of condensed information at a low price. Henry had been a loyal subscriber to the capital¡¯s newsletters since right after his resurrection.
¡®Although I¡¯ve received information a bit slowly.¡¯
The information in newsletters and newspapers were more up-to-date the closer one lived to the capital. However, since the Morris estate was on the eastern edge of the continent, it took at least a week or so to receive thetest newsletters due to its distance from the capital. Usually, the information was old news by then.
¡°Then that makes things easy.¡±
Henry tilted his head at Isn¡¯s sudden shift to politics, but he was curious too. Just a few months ago, Henry had been the hottest topic in the kingdom¡¯s political circle.
¡°Actually, it¡¯s quitemon for less prominent nobles who are below the rank of viscount to enlist in the military. You must be aiming for sess as well, aren¡¯t you?¡±
Ordinary volunteers usually chose the route of honorary enlistment for the purpose of career advancement, so Isn¡¯s assumptions were reasonable. It was a rather urate guess, but incorrect. Henry had no interest in advancing his career.
Henry said nothing, which prompted Isn to continue.
¡°There¡¯s no need to hide. You can be honest in front of me. And allow me topliment you for enlisting in the military for the sake of your own sess. Hans will never be able to get ahead by fooling around as andowner. You¡You said that you weren¡¯ting from the Swordsmanship Academy, right?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°So why did Hans not send you, the eldest son, to the Academy and send the other boy instead? Was that your idea as well?¡±
Henry had not read it, but it was clear now that Hans¡¯ letter was a greeting letter disguised as a letter of rmendation. Otherwise, Isn could not have known about the recent incidents Henry was involved in. Henry answered honestly this time too.
¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±
¡°Heh, you¡¯re a clever one.¡±
Isn¡¯s grin grew wider. He looked like a proud grandfather looking at his wonderful grandchild.
¡°Why did you yield to your brother?¡±
¡°I saw no future.¡±
¡°What future?¡±
¡°I recently heard the news that thest remaining hero of the empire, Henry Morris, has died.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. But why bring that up?¡±
¡°He was thest force of justice left in the empire. Since he was killed, I figured that the empire would be a tainted ce full of corruption.¡±
Henry was praising himself, but at the same time, this was what he truly thought. The nobles who were responsible for his death were all rotten to the core, and Henry had no intention to sell his honor to win the favor of a man who was only a captain.
When Henry finished answering, the smile disappeared from Isn¡¯s face.
¡°Henry Morris. He was a great wizard. Do you know the nature of his crime?¡±
¡°I recall that it was treason.¡±
¡°And you¡¯re still looking up to this guy? You think you know something, huh?
¡°I¡¯m not being thick-headed. I have a brain too, I made a judgment based on my values and what I saw and heard.¡±
¡°Haha, look at this smartass.¡±
The smile on Isn¡¯s facepletely disappeared, and his face twisted further and further.
¡°I am a knight and soldier who has sworn allegiance to the empire. For a traitor to dare stand before me like this, you must havepletely lost your mind.¡±
He growled angrily as he grabbed his two-handed big sword. Henry felt a tremendous sense of danger, but this was something he had experienced countless times in his previous life.
Henry continued speaking, still maintaining an expressionless face.
¡°I, too, have sworn allegiance to the empire. But it is to the empire that I have sworn allegiance to, not a person. The stability of the empire is more important to me than such political issues.¡±
Henry¡¯s words evoked a brief silence. Tension filled Isn¡¯s eerily quiet office. Tini could sense an invisible typhoon crashing between the two men.
But¡
¡°Kahahahaha!¡±
Isn¡¯s uproariousughter finally broke the silence.
Heughed until tears formed in the corners of his eyes, and when he finally stopped, he clutched his belly and said, ¡°Damn¡ this guy, you¡¯re the real deal.¡±
The twisted look on his face eased and he smiled widely once more, revealing his gums.
¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. You little bastard, not only are you full of talent, but you¡¯re sure of your own convictions. Most of all, you¡¯ve got balls beyond belief, and I like that. What was your name again?¡±
¡°Henry Morris, Captain.¡±
¡°Yes, Henry. As you said, the empire is in chaos right now. The previous emperor passed away, and his wretched son is ruining this country.¡±
Henry had expected this kind of reaction. Seeing how Isn tested even a Learner-ss swordsman in the way that he did, Henry had judged Isn to be an honest person, despite his belligerence. Henry had lived for almost a hundred years collectively and encountered countless people, so he had developed a keen eye for people.
However, Henry did not expect what Isn said next.
¡°But what¡¯s even worse is that said wretched son is being controlled by scumbags.¡±
The people Isn cursed were none other than the very Nobles who were Henry¡¯s downfall. Contrary to his appearance, Isn seemed keenly aware of the state of affairs in the empire.
¡°You did well to give up on the Swordsmanship Academy. When the rot is at the top, it¡¯s the bottom that¡¯s the dirtiest. The academy is probably being controlled tightly by the Foram family.¡±
¡®Foram? Don¡¯t tell me, Kington Foram?¡¯
Kington Foram. He was the head of the Foram family, the second among the Ten Imperial Swords, and the second strongest man after Valhald.
¡°You¡¯re talking about Kington? Isn¡¯t he the second strongest man in the empire? How can the person second-in-line take control of the academy over the top rank?¡±
¡°Looks like your information is outdated. It¡¯s been a while since Kington became the Grandmaster. Valhald has retired.¡±
¡°That Sir Valhald?¡±
It had only been a few months.
It was unbelievable that Valhald had retired in such a short time.
¡®No way, is it because of me?¡¯
Valhald was a man of few words, and an upright character. As a Grandmaster himself too, Valhald had also been Henry¡¯s drinking buddy from time to time. He was the man who had apologized to Henry before beheading him.
¡®To think that Valhald retired.¡¯
The news of this remarkable change in the ranks of the empire¡¯s armed forces was nowhere to be found in the newsletter. Valhald¡¯s retirement left Henry with much to think about.
¡®Now I¡¯ve got more work to do.¡¯
The news was truly unexpected. Whether it was good news or bad news, Henry could not be sure yet.
¡°Anyway, with Foram taking over the academy, which is the pathway to knighthood, it has be defiled with corruption.¡±
Isn proceeded to give a heated ount of how rapidly the empire was rotting and crumbling. It was what Henry had expected. He had been thest beacon of justice in the empire, and with his death, it was only natural that something like this would happen.
After exining for a while, Isn grinned once more and spoke to Henry.
¡°Do you really want to make it big?¡±
¡°Yes, I do.¡±
Now, there was no need for any sort of hesitation. Isn recognized Henry¡¯s talent, conviction, and courage. All Henry had to do now was respond to Isn.
¡°Yeah, well thought! If you were born as a nobody, then you should die a somebody! Wee to Caliburn Fortress. You¡¯ll be under my care, and I¡¯ll give you the push you need.¡±
¡°Thank you, Captain.¡±
¡°Now, shall we start the next test?¡±
¡°Is there anything else to test?¡±
Isn chuckled mischievously.
¡°I¡¯ve gotten myself a new hobby, you see.¡±
Henry felt a sense of reluctance at Isn¡¯s sly smile.
Chapter 17: Enlistment (3)
Chapter 17: Enlistment (3)
At Isn¡¯s orders, the three headed toward the end of the hallway on the first floor. There, the door leading to the basement was firmly locked.
¡°Tini.¡± Isn gestured toward the door with his chin.
¡°Yes.¡±
With a short nod, Tini unlocked the door.
ng!
The door opened with a heavy sound and the stairs leading to the basement were revealed. Upon reaching the basement, Tini fumbled against the wall and touched something.
Click!
The surroundings brightened up in an instant. Perhaps a magical tool had been activated.
¡®They seem to have paid some attention to the fixtures.¡¯
As the surroundings brightened, the basement was revealed. But there was nothing special about it. Unlike the first floor which was neatly organized, the basement of the office revealed its uneven and exposed walls.
¡°Is there something in here?¡±
¡°I told you, I¡¯ve gotten myself a new hobbytely. Tini.¡±
¡°Yes, Captain.¡±
Isn chuckled at Henry''s question. With another gesture of his chin, Tini¡¯s hand quickly fumbled against the wall again.
The ground rumbled.
A wall that Henry had previously thought looked perfectly ordinary started to rise up into the ceiling, spreading dust everywhere. Immediately after the wall cleared, something unexpected appeared in its ce.
It was the size of a human, with purple skin, andrge horns protruding sparsely along its spine.
¡®A demonic beast?¡¯
This was definitely a demonic beast.
¡®That thing¡ was it a Purple Gehenna?¡¯
Henry was able to figure out what the demonic beast was at once. And rightly so, as this exact demonic beast was one of the many demonic beasts he had to deal with when he had hunted the Demon King in his past life.
Ironically, even though the door was open, the demonic beast seemedpletely uninterested in Henry and his party.
¡°How is it, seeing a demonic beast for the first time? I''m like a child bragging about his toys!¡± Isn said with a look of satisfaction.
¡®Crazy bastard.¡¯
Now, Henry was certain. Isn was definitely a madman. Otherwise, how could he have even thought of keeping a demonic beast alive in the basement of his own office?
Henry pretended to be a little startled and yed along.
¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯ve captured this demonic beast alive?¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t I amazing? That aside, how do you feel seeing a demonic beast for the first time? Looks disgusting, doesn¡¯t it?¡±
¡°Yes, it definitely looks nasty.¡±
¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s good. I was worried that you might have gotten a good first impression. That would have made it harder for you to kill it, right?¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°This is the final test. If you defeat that thing, I¡¯ll give you all the support you need.¡±
By now, even Henry could not help but burst intoughter at the ridiculousness of the situation.
¡®This guy¡¯s truly nuts, has he always been this reckless?¡¯
Henry was convinced once again. Isn was definitely insane. He was conducting these tests way too recklessly.
Demonic beasts were generally dangerous enough to merit the direct attention of the imperial court, and it was rare for ordinary people to see them even once in a lifetime. It was precisely because the imperial court drove out demonic beasts that the citizens were able to live in safety.
With this test, Henry was able to fully understand Isn¡¯s inner feelings. Isn had pretended to be yful and sassy thus far, but what he really wanted to do was to test Henry¡¯s potential. And in a very absurd way, no less.
¡®He¡¯s like a fox pretending to be a bear.¡¯
If not, what else could exin the absurdity behind testing a human being with a demonic beast that they have never seen before? Henry once again felt fortunate that he had memories of his previous life. He knew from experience that the method of dealing with demonic beasts was rather different from dealing with ordinary creatures.
¡®I should end this once and for all.¡¯
Henry decided that he shouldn¡¯t assume the tests would end there¡ªhe had no idea how the capricious bastard¡¯s mood would change again. With this in mind, he decided to make use of this opportunity to leave a solid impression.
¡°Understood. All I have to do is defeat it, right?
¡°Yes, let¡¯s see the extent of your skills.¡±
When the test began, Isn and Tini took a few steps back to observe Henry.
Henry drew his sword. Thanks to Isn¡¯s first test, it was on the verge of shattering. However, Henry felt that it just might hold if it was buffed with magic.
Henry moved toward the Gehenna. One step, two steps, three steps. Henry took his fourth step, and¡ª
Ki-reek?
The demonic beast paid no attention to Henry until the fourth step.
¡®So there was a barrier.¡¯
There seemed to be a barrier that imprisoned the Gehenna within a certain area. Henry had passed through the boundary with his fourth step. The moment the Gehenna took an interest in Henry, the trial began.
Ki-reeek.
With the height simr to that of an adult male, the Purple Gehenna somewhat resembled a horned orc. They were known for having many subspecies and being exceptionally fertile. While Gehennas were usually green, the asional mutant had purple skin. These mutants were characterized by being far more powerful than the normal green ones.
Ke-eeeek!
¡°Haste.¡±
Henry hurriedly cast the spell Haste as he regained control over his shaky legs. The Gehenna shortened the distance between them in an instant, but Henry¡¯s speed reciting the spells was even faster. Henry quickly grabbed his sword in reverse, stretched his arms out upward, and pointed his sword at the Gehenna¡¯s neck.
ng!
The sound of a sword hitting a hard rock echoed through the room. The Gehenna¡¯s hard skin protected it from Henry¡¯s attack.
¡®Guess it¡¯s time to drop the act.¡¯
Henry knew what the Gehenna¡¯s strategy would be. To an unknowing observer, it would appear as though Henry had preemptively evaded the demonic beast¡¯s attack and fruitlessly swung at its neck. But this was also a calcted move.
If Henry had defeated the Gehenna right from the beginning, Isn, who assumed Henry was seeing the demonic beast for the first time, would start to get suspicious. Henry had deliberately acted out a uselessbat maneuver to create a sufficiently convincing alibi.
Shortly after the sound of metal nging, Henry¡¯s sword slid off the Gehenna¡¯s neck. The clever Gehenna did not miss the opportunity to follow up with abo attack.
Ki-aak!
It stretched out its face and revealed its sharp teeth. Henry narrowly escaped being bitten by cleverly maintaining his distance. Then, with a swift circr motion of his toes, he found himself behind the demonic beast. This was the Circle Step technique that he had been practicing to death over the past few months.
¡®It¡¯s over!¡¯
Henry swung his sword towards the Gehenna¡¯s dorsal horns that sprawled along its spine.
sh!
His movement was swift and concise. Henry cut off one of the Gehenna¡¯s horns in an instant and threw it out of the barrier.
Roll.
With its horn cut off, the Gehenna was startled and began hastily searching around. Its dorsal horns were its weakness.
¡®And that¡¯s that.¡¯
The Gehenna¡¯s strategy was simple. Gehennas, with their hard outer skin, used the horns on their backs to maintain their sense of bnce. All one needed to do to disable them was to cut off their horns. It was only natural for the Purple Gehenna to be disoriented.
¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯
Henry had deliberately cut off itsrgest horn. Moreover, the severed horn was thrown out of the barrier, so the Gehenna would never be able to find it no matter how hard it tried.
Henry pretended to look puzzled as the Gehenna staggered around, as if he had no idea what had caused its confusion. After observing the Gehenna¡¯s absurd behavior for a while, Henry looked past of the barrier at Isn and asked, ¡°Shall I finish it off?¡±
¡°Hahaha, you crazy bastard. To think that you¡¯d actually defeat it.¡±
It was a predictable, consistent response. Isn just giggled andughed, as if he had expected this from the beginning.
Tini beckoned Henry toe out of the barrier. The test was over. Henry wanted to kill the Gehenna as instructed, but since Isn stated that this was his ¡®recent hobby¡¯, Henry decided not to kill it. He wanted to stay on Isn¡¯s good side.
As Henry came out of the barrier, Isn kicked the horn into the barrier circle.
¡°How did you know that its weak point was its horns?¡±
¡°It was just a feeling. Its skin was hard, so I figured that its horns might be brittle in contrast, which was why I tried attacking them.¡±
¡°So, you¡¯re saying it was just based on your instinct?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Hahaha, look at this guy, he¡¯s got a good sense of this, huh?¡±
¡°Are there any other tests left?¡±
¡°No, that¡¯s all. I don¡¯t think testing you any further would be any more fun.¡±
Isn meant that tests were only fun if the challenger struggled through them. Since Henry showed no signs of struggling, Isn must have quickly lost interest. In contrast, Henry was finally able to break into a smile.
* * *
¡°I will take care of all the misceneous matters, so from tomorrow onward, you will be heading to the training center and will receive basic training for a month.¡±
Things progressed quickly. There were no further tests, and Isn, who decided to serve as Henry¡¯s backer, began to n in earnest.
The truth was, there was not supposed to be any such thing as a ¡®n¡¯. For anyone enlisted through the system, it was customary to start as a junior officer after undergoing basic military training. But this time, it was a little different.
¡°Captain.¡±
¡°Oh, yes. Tini, what¡¯s up?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, but the riders have already started training as part of their current college education curriculum.¡±
¡°I know.¡±
¡°Pardon?¡±
¡°I told you before, I¡¯ll take care of all these misceneous matters, right? That¡¯s good, since there¡¯s no need to waste a month or so. How long have the lessons been ongoing?¡±
¡°We¡¯re just entering week two.¡±
¡°Perfect. Put the guy into the sses and make up for whatever he¡¯scking with night lessons.¡±
¡°Yes, understood.¡±
Apetent trainee knight would never question or make unnecessaryments. And Tini strictly followed the orders of her superior. That was the power that Isn held in the fortress.
Henry bowed his head and thanked him.
¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡±
¡°What consideration? These sses are a privilege that only those who have passed the test can enjoy. It¡¯s a privilege that ordinary guys can¡¯t even begin to imagine.¡±
Isn certainly kept his promise. In particr, this privilege was even more valuable because it came from Isn¡¯s recognition of Henry¡¯s merit.
¡°By the way, considering you¡¯ve just arrived today, have I been a little too harsh?¡±
¡°No. It was bearable.¡±
¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s the spirit! No need to kick up a fuss just because you have to work hard, eh? You must be tired from the long journey, so why not spend the night at my residence tonight? Tini! I¡¯m ending my shift, what about you?¡±
¡°I still have some work left to do, so I¡¯ll stay behind a little longer.¡±
¡°As expected of Tini. Such a strong sense of responsibility. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t help but be pleased with her.¡±
It was obviously too early to leave work. In addition, Tini¡¯s desk was stacked with all sorts of documents,pared to Isn¡¯s desk, which was not very neat.
¡®What a weird rtionship.¡¯
On the other side of her desk, Henry noticed Isn¡¯s stamp of approval for payments that Tini must have been using in his stead, but he pretended to not see it.
Isn said, ¡°Henry, can you drink?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not a big drinker.¡±
¡°The best way to get rid of travel fatigue is alcohol. Let¡¯s head back to the residence. You must not have eaten properly in a while, so let me treat you to a proper meal.¡±
¡°Thank you, Captain.¡±
* * *
It was an extravagant reception. Henry sampled various delicacies that he had never seen before in the Morris estate, including some that Isn was able to obtain thanks to his authority as a high-ranking officer.
Isn was drinking a huge amount of alcohol to match his huge size, and even though he had already emptied two bottles of strong liquor, his face had yet to even change color.
¡°Hahaha! I was hoping that you wouldn''t disappoint me when ites to drinking, and you sure haven¡¯t!¡±
The drinking party continued throughout the day and night. After the first full day, Henry finally began to feel the limit of his patience.
¡®Whoa¡ these knights are all the same, damn it.¡¯
Since mages naturally broke down the alcohol with their circting magic inside them, they could not get drunk. And that made it even more difficult for Henry. As Isn¡¯s eyes began to waver, he continued to inflict terrible pain on Henry by repeating the same story for hours. Eventually, Henry could not stand Isn¡¯s tyranny and tried to put him to sleep with magic.
¡®Sleep!¡¯
However for some reason, Isn did not fall asleep, but continued to repeat the same words over and over again.
¡®N-no¡ way?¡¯
Henry¡¯s suspicions were confirmed.
In the residences of the Caliburn Fortress, which were known to be one of the worst zones, a powerful protective magic had been installed to block all kinds of curses and magic, all for the sole purpose of protecting themanders.
Chapter 18: Academy (1)
Chapter 18: Academy (1)
¡°This is it.¡±
Early in the morning, Henry rode Isn¡¯s wagon to the officers¡¯ training academy located in the back of the fortress. He experienced no hangover.
The effects of the alcohol were broken down by his magic, but he had barely slept thanks to his efforts to match Isn. Henry was okay with this, because he knew he would not have to see Isn for a while now.
Isn was still sleeping deeply. It was Tini who took his ce as Henry¡¯spanion officer.
¡°What are you going to do? You¡¯ve slept so little,¡± she said.
Since Henry was not a proper trainee yet, there was no reason for Tini to mistreat him. That was why Tini continued to be polite and checked on Henry¡¯s well-being.
¡°I¡¯m okay. Besides, it looks like you, Dame Tini, must be having it rougher than I am.¡±
¡°Well, it¡¯s the same old for me.¡±
¡°I wish you luck.¡±
It had only been one night, but Henry already realized how extreme the job of being Isn¡¯s trainee was. Therefore, although Henry and Tini had only seen each other a couple of times, the two were able to form a strong bond based on sympathy.
¡°Ah, right! Sir Henry, please take this.¡±
She handed a piece of paper to him.
¡°What¡¯s this?¡±
¡°Since Sir Henry is enlisting in the middle of the training period, I¡¯ve summarized all the basic training contents that you may have missed out on.¡±
¡°Thank you for taking care of me. Truly different from themander-in-chief¡¯s reception.¡±
¡°Thank you for thepliment.¡±
It was an unexpected act of consideration. Henry nced at the summarized notes that Tini had organized.
¡°I¡¯m done. You may take it back.¡±
¡°Sorry?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve just memorized them all. My memory¡¯s pretty good, you see.¡±
For a moment, Tini thought that this man in front of her was surely bluffing. Even though the note was condensed and summarized only the core contents, it was still too much to read and memorize in an instant.
¡®If we¡¯ve just entered week two, it means we¡¯d be learning about rituals. That means that in the first week, I would have been educated on the basic virtues and literacy of an officer.¡¯
Henry could tell without even looking. An officer¡¯s curriculum was no different from any other regr curriculum. Besides, Henry had spent more time on the battlefield than anyone else in the fortress. Even without looking at the notes, he was already more of an officer than most officers.
¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, ask me anything.¡±
¡°T-there¡¯s no need for that. I was just a little surprised.¡±
Seeing the nonchnt look on Henry¡¯s face, Tini figured that his memorization skill must be the real deal.
¡®I¡¯m not seeing things. This guy¡ he¡¯s definitely a genius.¡¯
And she was right. After all, the best brain in the history of the Magical Spire was now serving in the military once again, so it was to be expected that everything would fall into ce rtively easily for Henry.
A short whileter, they arrived at the academy.
At the entrance, an officer from the academy, who had been contacted by Tini in advance, came out to greet them.
¡°You must have had a long journey.¡±
The academy officer gave a brief salute to Tini. After handing over the necessary documents to him, Tini greeted Henry farewell.
¡°Have a good time. I¡¯ll see you again.¡±
¡°Thank you,¡± Henry responded with a short answer.
Soon after, the officer took Henry to the administrative office for a procedure that was simr to the one he had experienced when he first arrived at the fortress. Basically, reviewing documents and verifying information. The officer spoke.
¡°Here, all titles are ¡®Officer¡¯. And from now on, since you are a trainee, you must not drop formalities with anyone except your batchmates.¡±
¡°Yes, understood.¡±
¡°If you go to the end of the hallway on the third floor of the building, you will find room number 305. It is a two-person room, and you will stay there during the training period. Since the morning ss is currently in progress, you can join the afternoon sster.¡±
¡°Yes, understood.¡±
¡°Are there any items you have brought with you that you need to report?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t have any objects, but I did bring a horse with me. My own personal horse.¡±
¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry, your horse will be kept in the stables at the Captain¡¯s residence. If there¡¯s nothing else for you to report, head to your room, unpack, ande back down.¡±
¡°Yes, understood.¡±
It was the beginning of Henry¡¯s full-fledged career in the military.
He made his way toward room 305. It was a simple room with a bed, locker, and desk on each side. He started cleaning his empty bed. No matter how well it had been taken care of, it was still a bed that had been used by countless testosterone-fueled men in the past.
¡°Clean.¡±
For that reason, Henry only unpacked his personal belongings after thoroughly disinfecting his furniture. When he headed back down to the administrative office, the officer handed over supplies for Henry to use at the school.
¡°I¡¯ve prepared it ording to the size submitted. If there are other items that you require, sound out immediately, and if you want to use a weapon other than a longsword, you are to report that immediately as well. Of course, you will have to receive basic swordsmanship training first.¡±
Among the supplied items, there was a wooden sword that weighed the same as an iron sword.
¡°This longsword is enough,¡± Henry said.
¡°Have you had your meal?¡±
¡°Yes, I have.¡±
That was a lie, but Henry had no appetite because of the stress he had been subjected to all night.
¡°Then, from now on, you will spend a little extra time after the daily schedules to catch up on the lessons you have missed. Even though you¡¯ve been admitted in the middle of the training, with this, you shouldn¡¯t be falling behind.¡±
¡°Sir, I have a question.¡±
¡°Speak.¡±
¡°Is what I¡¯ve missed from the first week all literacy education?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. At the end of each week in our academy, you will take a test based on what you¡¯ve learned that week. Cadets are also encouraged toplete their training and follow up with an exam on the weekend two weekster.¡±
¡°What happens if one doesn¡¯t pass the exam?¡±
¡°There has never been a single cadet that has failed the exam.¡±
¡°I hope this doesn¡¯te across as disrespectful, but in that case, would you allow me to take the test now?¡±
"Do not be arrogant, cadet. How can you possibly take the test without going through the lessons first? Are you trying to insult our academy?¡±
¡°No, sir. I came here after receiving some training from the Captain, so I was wondering if I would not need the additional lessons if I pass the exam now.¡±
Although it sounded like an arrogant remark, the officer began to worry about the fact that Henry had been educated directly by the captain. After thinking for a long time, he allowed the test.
¡°Alright. However, your remarks make light of the educational process of the academy. Should you fail the exam, you will be punished ordingly.¡±
¡°Thank you, Officer.¡±
The officer thought to himself some more. ording to the documents, this cadet had only arrived the day before, yet he was now bragging about how well he had studied overnight.
¡®I¡¯ll prepare a special test just for you.¡¯
ording to Tini, Henry was under the protection of themander-in-chief, but no matter how much protection he was under, rules were still rules. The officer was determined to use these rules to correct Henry¡¯s arrogance.
* * *
The exam was held in a small room in the administrative office. There were a total of one hundred questions, and the cut-off was eighty points. Although it looked rtively tough, the reason why there had never been a single student who had failed was because the questions were actually quite easy. It was called the ''introductory exam for new officers'' for a reason.
However, the training officer gave Henry the exam papers for juniormanders, which were only given to junior officers.
¡®Now let¡¯s find out how great you really are, eh?¡¯
There were various topics that came up in the literacy test. For example, the virtues of an officer, the actions an officer should take in case of an emergency, the history of the Caliburn Fortress, and the history of the Demonic Beast Forest. For Henry, who had been serving as the topmander of the empire for many years, this wasughable at best.
As soon as the exam began, Henry picked up his pen. He immediately began writing down the answers as if he was reading a book and copying the answers from it.
¡®Hmm, looks like even these academies are giving out fairly advanced questions these days.¡¯?Henry thought.
Henry quickly realized the test was obviously only meant for the juniormanders, such as those in positions like toonmander orpanymander. Therefore, despite the rtive difficulty of the test, all he did was think ¡®at least the academy is keeping up its education standards!¡¯Scribble scribble.
The pen moved non-stop. Soon, Henry had solved all one hundred questions.
¡°Sir.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve finished the test.¡±
¡°What?¡±
It had not been long since the exam had started. The officer nced at the hourss on the side of his desk, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
¡°You¡¯ve already finished it?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡®The sand hasn¡¯t even dropped halfway yet!¡¯?The officer thought that Henry must have lied. The tests were designed to make sure that time was usually tight.
¡°Oh, and sir?¡±
¡°Uh, yeah?¡±
¡°I found some typos on questions forty-one, seventy-three and ny-three, and have corrected them ordingly.¡±
¡°W-what?¡±
The surprises kept oning. The truth was, the test paper that was given to Henry was meant for intermediatemanders that were to be giventer in the year. In other words, the paper had yet to undergo any detailed revisions yet. Not only had Henrypleted the test quickly, but he had also managed to spot the typos.
¡°Y-yes. Well done. Then let¡¯s begin the grading.¡±
The surprises didn''t stop there. The grading was not done yet, and the officer could only know for certain afterpleting the grading. However, as he went through each question, the officer''s jaw dropped further.
¡®A-a perfect score!?¡¯
Unable to believe what he saw, the officer re-examined the paper a few more times, but the end result was still the same. A neer had gotten a perfect score on the intermediatemanders¡¯ test.
¡°How is it?¡±
¡°C-congrattions. It¡¯s a perfect score.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a relief. It seems that the test was easy.¡±
¡°The test was easy?¡±
¡°Yes, I think so.¡±
¡®What the hell.¡¯
It was a questionable result, considering that not even the officer in charge of the lessons himself could have possibly gotten a perfect score. Somehow, though, this neer had done it with ease. The officer finally understood why Henry was under themander-in-chief¡¯s protection.
¡®If you mess with him, you¡¯re dead!¡¯?he recalled Isn''s demands.
Now, the officer understood the situation. This cadet really was not one he could mess with. Once he finished grading, the officer spoke to Henry with a bright smile he had not shown before.
¡°You did very well. Outstanding, just as expected.¡±
¡°Thank you, sir.¡±
¡°There will be martial arts sses in the afternoon, so you may restfortably in your room until then. If you need anything,e to the administrative office.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
The officer¡¯s attitude had softened considerably. What Henry did not know yet was that this officer had been given the nickname ¡®Ice Officer¡¯, reputed among the cadets to be very cold. Henry was just about to leave the administrative office when the officer stopped him.
¡°Cadet Henry?¡±
¡°Yes, sir?¡±
¡°Have some.¡±
The officer had brought out a small container of cookies.
* * *
¡°Oh,e on. Does that even make any sense?¡±
¡°It¡¯s true. He said that he was personally taught by the Captain himself and requested a test early.¡±
¡°So you gave him the unrevised test paper meant for the intermediatemanders?¡±
¡°Yeah. And he got a perfect score.¡±
Shortly after the morning ss, the education officer was busy telling the other officers what had happened with Henry. Nobody believed him.
¡°Maybe he was just really good at guessing? If the test paper was for intermediatemanders, not even we could guarantee a perfect score.¡±
¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to say.¡±
¡°You said that he has the backing of themander-in-chief?¡±
¡°Yep. Dame Tini told me.¡±
¡°Then do you think that Captain is trying to raise this cadet as Tini''s sessor?"
¡°The next trainee knight?¡±
¡°Right now, the trainee knight is Dame Tini. But, as we all know, with a career like hers, it¡¯s only a matter of time before she takes up a position as an executive in another department. So that¡¯s why Captain has deliberately picked out one talented guy and is training him to take her ce.¡±
¡°That makes sense. Captain¡¯s trainee knights must be highly skilled, after all.¡±
¡°But that position isn¡¯t obtained just from having smarts, is it?¡±
¡°You''re right. Dame Tini was outstanding with her swordsmanship, too.¡±
¡°Whose ss is itter in the afternoon? Isn¡¯t there a closebat and swordsmanship lesson?
¡°It¡¯s Sanche and Beric¡¯s sses.¡±
¡°Shall we test him one more time?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°That kid, Henry. Whether he¡¯ll be an engineer with his smarts or whether he¡¯ll be a trainee knight like Dame Tini.¡±
¡°Is there something you have in mind?¡±
¡°Let¡¯s try that.¡±
¡°By ¡®that¡¯, you mean¡¡±
As a result of his perfect score on the exam, Henry had unwittingly be the hottest topic at the academy.
Chapter 19: Academy (2)
Chapter 19: Academy (2)
After lunch, it was time to introduce Henry to the other trainee cadets before starting the afternoon ss.
¡°Cadet Henry received a perfect score on his first week exam, despite joining us in the middle of training. Therefore, he will join the ss starting today. Cadet Henry, say hello to your batchmates.¡±
¡°I¡¯m Henry. Nice to meet you.¡±
His family name was deliberately not disclosed. After all, it was obvious that everyone present was the son of a Noble family.?As soon as the introduction was over, a round of formal apuse followed. It was apparent that no one was interested.
¡°You can do a round of proper introductions at the end. For now, let¡¯s begin the afternoon ss.¡±
ording to the academy, theory lessons would be conducted in the morning and martial arts in the afternoon. This is becausemanders were expected to be both highly literate andbat-ready.
¡°Let¡¯s start with hand-to-handbat techniques. Before the lesson begins, Cadet Henry, pleasee forward.¡±
When his name was called, Henry stepped forward and stood at attention.
¡°Since this is your first day as a trainee cadet, let¡¯s check out your skills.¡±
¡°Yes, understood.¡±
¡°Cadet, you are to start a one-on-one battle with your ssmates. The match is to continue until you are defeated or when all the other cadets are defeated. So, who will be the first to face Cadet Henry?¡±
Several cadets raised their hands.
¡®So, it¡¯s basically an endless sparring session.¡¯
Henry knew the rules to some extent; there had been a simr test that was conducted in the Mystical Tower. Henry roughly counted the number of ssmates he would have to fight.
¡®About twenty people.¡¯
Before the sparring session began, Henry spoke up.
¡°Sir.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°May I ask how many of these cadets got a high score when they did this test?¡±
¡°Around ten.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
Ten. Or, about half the total number of people. Henry felt that this test was very doable.
¡°We¡¯ll start off with Nid. Cadet Nid, step forward.¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
With a few exceptions, most of the cadets were of simr height and build. The two cadets, Henry and Nid, took off their jackets as instructed by the officer and stood in front of the sparring arena.
¡°If you stab your opponent in the eye, strike them in their groin, or use a dishonorable technique, such as biting, it¡¯ll be considered an immediate loss. Now, begin!¡±
Henry stared silently at Nid. Nid had short-cut yellow hair and a well-trained body. Unfortunately for him, however, Henry was significantly taller.
¡®One guy first.¡¯
It was Henry¡¯s first time sparring unarmed, and it was also the first time he had a sparring match with someone other than Barren. However, he was not afraid or upset, and had no intention of making a fuss. Everything that happened at the academy would reach Isn¡¯s ears eventually, after all. For that reason alone, Henry needed to put up an overwhelming performance.
Henry took the most standard guard stance, putting his left foot forward and raising both his fists. It was the standard stance of the Imperial Combat Art. Nid took the exact same posture.
¡°Mm?¡±
However, the moment Nid thought they were both starting from the same stance, Henry stretched his left hand out in front of him.
¡®What the hell is that?¡¯
It was the first time Nid had seen such a posture. Henry had assumed the standard stance of the Imperial Combat Art, just with his left fist outstretched. Nid ignored this change and decided to strike first.
¡°Hup!¡±
Taking a short, deep breath, he lowered his hips, leaned forward, and took a shot at Henry¡¯s ribs. But¡
¡®Huh? Huh?¡¯
Naturally, Nid had assumed that Henry would lower his right arm to defend his body against his attack. However, instead of defending himself with his right hand, Henry lowered his outstretched left hand, putting his left fist in the way of Nid¡¯s attack.
Henry¡¯s long arm and outstretched hand extended forward like a spear. Nid failed to strike Henry in the ribs. In addition, Henry¡¯s long outstretched left hand temporarily obscured Nid¡¯s vision.
Henry did not miss his opportunity.
Nid hesitated for a moment while his vision was obscured. In that split second, Henry counterattacked, his right fist striking Nid on the side of the neck.
¡°Kurgh!¡±
The neck was considered a vital point. However, most aspiring knights had sufficiently trained neck muscles, so they would not die from an attack like this.
Instead¡
Thud!
Hit precisely between his jaw and shoulder, Nid passed out from the excruciating pain. It was Henry¡¯s victory.
¡°...uh?¡±
¡°W-what was that?¡±
¡°No way, Nid passed out?¡±
Nid was more talented in unarmed martial arts than in swordsmanship. He had the third highest score among the trainee cadets when it came to meleebat, so it was a shock to the others to see him defeated with one strike.
¡°Next.¡±
Defense, followed up with offense. Henry had linked both principles in a single chain of moves. He waited patiently for the next challenger with an expressionless look on his face.
* * *
?¡®This is the ninth, I think.¡¯
There was only one opponent left until Henry could im superiority over the ten best trainee cadets in meleebat.
It was a series of overwhelming victories.
As everyone was using the one-size-fits-all Imperial Combat Art, they had no choice but to suffer helpless defeat at the hands of Henry¡¯s techniques that they had never seen before.
¡®I¡¯m only realizing it now, but Hector, that bastard¡what an outstanding fellow!¡¯
Henry¡¯s ¡®unique¡¯ hand-to-hand fighting techniques were actually Hector¡¯s originally. The Sword King¡¯s aggressive approach to martial arts extended not only to swordsmanship, but also to unarmedbat.
Having learned both Hector¡¯s techniques and the Imperial Combat Art, Henry had created yet anotherbat art that was unique to himself, just like how he had done with his swordsmanship.
Thanks to that, the other cadets who had only learned the Imperial Combat Art could not even hold a candle to his skills.
¡®Who the hell is this guy?¡¯
Berik, the hand-to-handbat instructor, could hardly keep his mouth closed. He thought that Henry may have set a new record among the trainees.
In fact, this entire test of skill was a ruse put together by the officers. Originally, this test would only have been administered to a cadet with a certain level of training in meleebat. However, with Henry getting a perfect score on the intermediatemander¡¯s test, the officers were naturally curious about Henry¡¯s proficiency in barehandedbat. This was the result.
¡®Is he really a trainee knight raised by ourmander-in-chief?¡¯
At first, one or two officers barely paid attention to Henry. They attributed his victory to sheer coincidence. However, as the sparring session continued, they could not shake off the strange sense of disparity that they felt watching Henry¡¯s mysteriousbat technique surpass their imperial martial arts style.
Finally, the tenth challenger was called up.
¡°Cadet Ronan, step forward.¡±
A lean body, strong muscles, well-groomed blond hair, and wless white skin. It was enough evidence for anyone to see that the man in front of Henry was the child of a high-status family.
The education officer spoke.
¡°Cadet Ronan currently has the best grades in the hand-to-handbat ss. So, if Cadet Henry defeats Cadet Ronan, they will both stand equally at the top of the ss.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
Henry wanted to argue that he should be the new top of the ss if he defeated the current top cadet, but apparently, this test judged his performance solely based on the number of people he defeated.
Henry furrowed his eyebrows before taking a deep break.
¡®He looks like a nerd, but he¡¯s the top of the ss?¡¯
Having just defeated the second-ce cadet, Henry stretched out his left hand again, thinking of this match as the final round. It was Hector¡¯sbat stance once again.
As soon as Henry took up his stance, Ronan¡¯s golden eyes, which matched his blond hair, stared sharply at Henry.
¡°Begin!¡±
As Henry had barely taken any damage while taking down the first nine challengers, his breathing was still very stable.
¡®Looks like I don¡¯t need my magic buffs again this time.¡¯
He was on a hot streak despite not even arming himself with any magic buffs. In addition, he had gotten ustomed to not relying on his magic buffs after working on his swordsmanship, and would only use them if he was put in a difficult spot.
However, this battle would take longer than he expected.
¡®The top-ranking guy is a little different from the others, huh?¡¯
Unlike the previous challengers, Ronan kept hisposure, never breaking eye contact with Henry. However, he was using the Imperial Combat Art as well, and his stance was the same as all the others.
Everyone held their breath as they watched the two men.
However, this battle of wits showed no signs of ending, as the two of them continued to analyze the other. In the end, Henry decided to be the one to make the first move this time.
¡®Since you¡¯re the top dog here, I¡¯ll give you the respect you deserve.¡¯
When Henry made his move, the onlookers¡¯ eyes lit up. He pretended to move in a circle, before instantly shifting to the Hector Step and narrowing the distance between the two men. Then, just as he had done with the Purple Gehenna, he circled around Ronan and attempted to strike him from behind.
However¡
Thud!
Ronan kicked backward and hit Henry in the elbow. A tingling sensation rang through Henry¡¯s arm.
It was the first time during this test that Henry was forced to take a step back.
¡®Oh?¡¯
Henry had assumed that the test would end with a strike to Ronan¡¯s back, but that was precisely why he could not be any happier. It was as if he had finally found suitable prey after hunting so many weaklings that were nothing more than fodder.
¡®I thought too lightly of you,¡¯?Henry thought to himself.
This guy was definitely different.
Whoosh!
Ronan made his move.
He, too, seemed to be drawing a circle around Henry, using the Circle Step himself. However, something happened right before his right foot closed the circle.
¡®Mm?¡¯
His foot suddenly came to an abrupt stop, creating a sharp angle instead. From that angle, his foot pointed forward like a sharp de.
¡®A different Step?¡¯
Noticing that it was not the Circle Step, Henry deliberately did not evade the attack. This was the better choice. Henry wanted to disguise his skills using the chaos of a brawl, rather than attempt to identify this unknown Step.
Thud! Pow! Thud!
Right arm, left shin, right knee.
The sound of bones shing rang across the training ground. As if fighting a mirror image of themselves, the two men matched each other, strike for strike. Since neither of them were skilled in Aura, it was a battle of pure physical strength. As they fought, the spectators grew more and more fired up.
If one of them was struck in the face, he would retaliate by striking the opponent in the chest, then the opponent would counterattack to the abdomen.
Thud!
Their outstretched fists hit each other¡¯s faces at the same time. However, the two prepared for their next move without even batting an eyelid.
Crack!
The mirror-like battle continued. Their upper bodies grew redder and hotter like iron in a forge.
¡®Persistant bastard!¡¯
Henry had no intention of losing. The longer the fight dragged on, the greedier Henry grew, but it seemed that neither man was willing to give in any time soon. However, at that moment, Ronan leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Henry¡¯s thighs, causing him to fall on his back.
¡®Uh, uh?!¡¯
In an instant, Henry had lost his footing and copsed to the floor. Refusing to let the opportunity slip by, Ronan got on top of Henry and took an advantageous position.
¡°It¡¯s over.¡±
Ronan began to rain down an indiscriminate flurry of blows. Henry put his arms together and covered his face.
He was in immense pain. Due to the sheer amount of damage his arms were absorbing, Henry felt like his arms could break at any moment. Perhaps because of the pain, a thought of conceding defeat momentarily shed across Henry¡¯s mind.
¡®Never!¡¯
When all was said and done, victory or defeat depended on a single fleeting moment. And Henry had one trick left up his sleeve.
Magic.
¡®Lighten Gram!¡¯
It was a spell that lightened the weight of its target. The moment Henry cast the spell, Ronan¡ªwhose weight had been crushing Henry¡¯s chest¡ªsuddenly became as light as a child.
¡°Aaaaargh!¡±
At that moment, Henry roared and lifted his upper body, and with his magic-induced lightweight body, Ronan had no choice but to fall backward helplessly.
¡°Huh?¡±
There was confusion written all over Ronan¡¯s face. Henry immediately grabbed Ronan by the ankle.
¡°Now it¡¯s over.¡±
Henry threw Ronan against the wall with all his might.
¡®Lighten Gram, cancel!¡¯Crash!
Ronan¡¯s body collided against the wall with a thunderous noise.
Chapter 20: Academy (3)
Chapter 20: Academy (3)
In an instant, the sparring grounds went silent.
Some were astonished at Henry¡¯s might, while others were simply stunned by the absurd situation. Ronan had returned to his normal weight with the cancetion of Henry¡¯s magic as he was being thrown, and his body had hit the wall with maximum force, causing tremendous damage.
¡°Phew¡¡±
Henry¡¯s red-hot upper body was reminiscent of a divine warrior. He took a deep breath and brushed back his sweat-soaked hair.
¡°Officer.¡±
¡°Huh? Oh, yes¡?¡±
¡°You should call the oue of this battle.¡±
¡°Ah, ah! T-that¡¯s right! The winner is Cadet Henry.¡±
No one could deny Henry¡¯s victory. The next challengers had lost their will to fight the moment they had witnessed Ronan¡¯s defeat. Henry cooled down his heated body and steadied his breath.
¡®What a scary bastard.¡¯
Ronan was the first person to give him a hard time since Barren. Henry caught his breath and walked over to the fallen Ronan, looking him in the eyes.
¡°Are you okay?¡±
Ronan was staring nkly at the ceiling, but when Henry spoke to him, he quickly got back to his feet.
¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he replied bluntly.
The top-ranker''s self-esteem was crushed. Such a reaction was only natural.
¡®How cute.¡¯
Henry held in augh at Ronan¡¯s prickly response, he understood how Ronan felt. Henry flexed his stiff neck and turned to his ssmates, who were watching him.
¡°Next challenger, step forward.¡±
All he had to do was to defeat one more person to hold the new undisputed top rank of the ss. Henry did not want to miss this great opportunity. However, the challengers who were waiting for their next turn all avoided his gaze.
¡®Cowards.¡¯
Although he had won with a magic expedient, he did not think of it as a bad thing. After all, his magic was solely his own strength.
As soon as Henry noticed the other cadet''s dampened spirits, he deliberately approached the remaining challengers, looking them in the eyes in the hopes of establishing dominance.
¡°You¡¯ve not fought me yet, have you? Step forward.¡±
¡°Ah, no! It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m forfeiting!¡±
Seeing how the cadet trembled with fear without even daring to look at him, Henry concluded that the cadet was a man with no pride to speak of. When he tried to persuade the rest of his ssmates to spar with him, he received the same response from them. Feeling frustrated, Henry turned toward the officer.
¡°Sir, what should I do? They all said they¡¯ll forfeit.¡±
Beric was unable to form words after witnessing this absurd situation. This was unlike anything he had ever encountered in his teaching career. His response¡ªorck thereof¡ªwas understandable.
This new student was a monster. A monster that managed to throw the top-ranking student across the room with ease. Fighting against such an opponent would simply be unfair to these cadets. However, Beric also knew that he could not just go soft on the cadets on ount of their broken will. After all, these soldiers were to bemanders in the future.
¡°You cowards! What do you think you¡¯re doing! Do you still think you deserve to be officers?!¡±
¡°We apologize!¡±
¡°Next challenger, step forward now!¡±
At the officer¡¯s roaring instructions, the remaining challengers had no choice but to queue up to spar against Henry.
¡°Phew.¡±
It was a battle between Henry and the remaining challengers, who trembled as though they were at death¡¯s door. It was like a swarm of mice lined up to enter the jaws of a tiger.
* * *
A perfect score in theory ss.
A perfect score in the hand-to-handbat test.
A perfect score in the swordsmanship test.
Henry achieved all of these in a single day, causing a greatmotion in the academy. There were some cadets who had received perfect scores in theory sses before, but there were none who received perfect scores in the tests of skill¡ªneither hand-to-handbat, nor swordsmanship. It was truly an extravagant debut for Henry.
When this news reached Isn¡¯s office, he could not contain hisughter.
¡°Kahahahaha! That crazy fe! I knew he could do it!¡±
If things had gone awry, a bad impression that Henry got in through nepotism could have spread throughout the academy, but Henry had done a perfect job dispelling that stigma.
Not just that, he had now truly solidified himself as a legendary figure in the academy.
* * *
Henry returned to his room after his dinner.
¡°Hmm?¡±
Henry was surprised to see the face of his roommate, whom he had yet to meet because he had been immediately sent to ss. It turned out that his roommate was the former top-ranking student that he had overtaken¡ªRonan.
Henry made eye contact with Ronan briefly, but Ronan quickly turned his head away. He looked as if he wanted to do nothing with Henry.
¡®What the? Is this guy still pissed or something?¡¯
Henry wouldter find out that Ronan had held the top seat in both the hand-to-handbat ss and swordsmanship ss. Since Henry had dethroned him in both sses in a single day, it was only natural for Ronan to be displeased with Henry.
¡®What a cute bastard.¡¯
Ronan¡¯s self-esteem as a man was understandably shattered. However, he was still the only one who had not lost his spirit against Henry and fought to the end. As strong as his pride was, Ronan was able to back it up with his skills.
Henry thought favorably of such men: those who were not satisfied with what they had and knew how toe to terms with their own shorings. Henry felt that a man like Ronan, who was barely old enough to be his grandson in his previous life, was adorable in his own way.
¡°You said you were Ronan, right? Let''s have a proper introduction, at the very least. I¡¯m Henry Morris.¡±
Whether Ronan liked it or not, they would have to spend the next few weeks together. Henry couldn''t care less about the other weaklings in his ss, but it didn¡¯t seem like that bad an idea to build a friendship with this guy.
¡®Besides, it seems like he¡¯s the son of a fairly important house.¡¯
Ronan had a more affluent air to himpared to the other cadets. It was something that was difficult to hide. Henry felt that it would be great if Ronan turned out to be the son of a well-respected family. Henry could use him to hear thetest news from the imperial pce.
Ronan pondered for a while before finally giving his own name.
¡°I¡¯m Ronan Foram.¡±
¡®Foram?¡¯
For a moment, Henry doubted his ears. Could this be the same Foram as Kington Foram?
¡°By Foram, you mean¡?¡±
¡°Yeah. I¡¯m the adopted son of the Foram family.¡±
Kington Foram.
The man who had surpassed the retired Lord Valhald to be the First Sword of the empire, and took the titles of Knight King and Grandmaster. Even men of his status were duty-bound to the Noblesse Oblige.
¡®So, something like that happened, huh?¡¯
It was not often the case that adopted children revealed their adopted status first. It was an admittance of powerlessness in the family. However, Ronan willingly identified himself as an adopted child. There had to be many reasons for that, but Henry decided not to probe any further.
Henry decided to change the topic. ¡°No wonder your footwork seemed strange, it means you¡¯ve mastered Foram¡¯s swordsmanship, huh?¡±
As soon as he heard Ronan¡¯sst name, he immediately understood why Ronan¡¯s footwork was a little different.
¡°Same goes for you, right? I¡¯ve never seen that kind of martial arts before. Your swordsmanship as well. Who exactly are you?¡± Ronan asked.
Henry thought Ronan would be a stubborn guy, but surprisingly, he was easy to talk to. As the two continued their conversation, they began to form a strange bond of sympathy, eventually talking until they lost track of time. Eventually, the conversation came back around to Henry¡¯s unusual talent.
¡°But really though, what the hell are you? You got perfect scores on not just the theory test, but in meleebat and swordsmanship as well. My father¡¯s a monster, and I see a little bit of a monster in you too.¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t you ever think that, perhaps, it¡¯s you who¡¯s stupid?¡±
¡°Fucking bastard.¡±
Henryughed. ¡°If you want to fight me again, be my guest.¡±
They were both twenty years old. In truth, Henry was actually an old man in his eighties, but it seemed that his mind was getting younger as time passed, perhaps because of his newfound young body.
¡°Still, I¡¯m grateful that you¡¯ve joined us in the middle of the curriculum,¡± said Ronan.
¡°Why?¡±
¡°You should know, since you¡¯ve faced our other ssmates, but they¡¯re all unskilled and pathetic.¡±
¡°I agree. For cadets that are to bemanders, they sure are pathetic.¡±
It seemed that the majority of the other cadets were adoptees of respected families too. Since they were adopted just so the biological children could avoid military service, it wasmon for most of them to receive subpar education.
¡®Although I doubt it¡¯s their fault.¡¯
The issue was that expandable adoptees tended to live with their adoptive family for a long time while being treated like objects, which severely damaged their self-esteem. They were having it a little better than the servants of the family, butpared to the biological family members, they were treated like garbage.
Years of this sort of treatment often left these adoptees lethargic and unenthusiastic about anything in life, and this usually persisted even after enlistment.
¡®It¡¯d be absurd to expect anything from people who have been through that.¡¯
This was another one of the many consequences of the new emperor¡¯s reign, a rot at the top of the kingdom that spread like a disease. Thanks to this, Henry was able to reignite his anger against the emperor once again.
¡°That means you¡¯re not from the Swordsmanship Academy, right?¡± asked Henry.
¡°Of course not. That¡¯s a ce people like me can¡¯t even dream of.¡±
Seeing Ronan calmly recounting his plight, Henry genuinely felt sorry for him.
¡®He¡¯s an even greater man than I thought. He¡¯s not even from the Swordsmanship Academy and yet he¡¯s this skilled.¡¯
Henry was certain that Ronan was a genius. After all, the twenty-year-old was able to push Henry, who had already Awakened once and mastered the Sword King¡¯s sword art, to the limit.
¡°Still,pared to the other adopted kids, I¡¯m one of the lucky ones. Usually, the adoptive families don¡¯t teach their adopted kids things like their family¡¯s style of swordsmanship.
¡°Then how did you learn?¡±
¡°I fought for it.¡±
¡°Fought?¡±
¡°You didn¡¯t think that there was only one adoptee, did you?¡±
Only then did Henry understand Ronan''s words. The nobles had a tendency to adopt numerous children in anticipation for an uncertain future. Ronan had fought to be the one to learn Foram¡¯s swordsmanship.
¡®Such talent being put to waste.¡¯
If it hadn¡¯t been for the rotten system and the greed of the nobles, Ronan might have been able to make a career for himself after entering the Swordsmanship Academy. Henry found himself wanting to befriend him more and more.
Most of Henry¡¯s close friends were dead, and the others looked up to him but never treated him as a friend. Thus, despite being a rather strange approaching from him, Henry decided to be straightforward and build a friendship with this man.
¡°Ronan.¡±
¡°Yeah?¡±
¡°We should stay on good terms.¡±
¡°What are you talking about all of a sudden?¡±
¡°I just felt like saying it.¡±
¡°You¡¯re crazy.¡±
Henry¡¯s approach seemed to work, as Ronan burst outughing.
¡°Ronan.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°What will you do after you finish your military service?¡±
Henry was curious as to what Ronan would do in the future. His sole duty was to be sent here for military service anyway. After it was over, Ronan would be an unneeded member of the family.
¡°Well. I haven¡¯t really thought about that.¡±
¡°Do you have to go back to your family or something?¡±
¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know. Even if I go back, there¡¯s no one there to wee me. No matter how good I am, I¡¯ll never be able to ovee the direct family lineage.¡±
¡°Is that so?¡±
Ronan wasn¡¯t wrong. No matter how good he was, he was only outstandingpared to the other adoptees. The reality was, the Foram family only treated him as a tool. However, Henry was rather grateful. Thanks to Foram¡¯s folly, he had found himself a diamond in the rough that no one else recognized.
Chapter 21: Academy (4)
Chapter 21: Academy (4)
There were theory sses in the morning, while martial arts sses took ce in the afternoon. This routine carried on daily, like clockwork. That was the academy¡¯s way of teaching, where it was believed that repetition would result in true progress of one¡¯s skills.
¡®I¡¯m bored to death.¡¯
At first, Henry enjoyed taking part in school life again for the first time in years, but the fun onlysted three days.
¡®Even I could teach better than this.¡¯
Henry sighed softly to himself as he observed the teaching officer bumble his way through another lesson. It was a massive pain taking lessons from a teacher who was not only teaching what Henry already knew, but was also bad at teaching it.
However, Henry escaped the fate of being bored for his whole term there. As they entered the third week of lessons, there was a new ss called ¡°military training¡±.
Military training.
Some sessions involved protecting other teammates while facingrge numbers of opponents, while some were grouppetitions. The training methods mirrored specificbat situations and tested the cadets¡¯ limits. The oue of these special sparring sessions was always the same.
¡°The winner is Cadet Henry.¡±
Henry looked around at his fallenrades before casually canceling his magic buffs.
¡°Damn, we lost again!¡±
This time, it was a team event. However, Henry¡¯s ssmates had formed a temporary alliance andunched a coordinated attack to defeat him, but even that had failed.
There were also some who acted unexpectedly. While everyone else cooperated in the attack, Ronan did not. Besides wanting to protect his pride as the second best, he was also not in the best shape.
¡°You good?¡±
¡°Damn, when am I ever gonna defeat you?¡±
¡°With that attitude, will you even be able to draw your sword against a demonic beast?
¡°Have you ever stopped to think that you were that one that¡¯s too good for the rest of us?¡±
¡°Excuses.¡±
Henry reached his hand out to Ronan, who had fallen, and helped him up.
This concluded thest day of training at the academy. The training officer gathered the cadets together and spoke to them calmly.
¡°Today¡¯s thest day of training, right?¡±
¡°Yes sir!¡±
¡°By tomorrow, the locations for your first jobs will be decided based on the grades you have achieved so far.¡±
Gulp.
Everyone swallowed dry at the words ¡°first jobs¡±.
¡°No need to be so afraid. Based on the data obtained during your training period, we will assign you to positions that best suit you. If that ends up not suiting your aptitude though, you can always be transferred, so don¡¯t be so downtrodden.¡±
Being amander didn¡¯t necessarily mean dealing with demonic beasts. Some were in charge of battle, while others were in charge of things like supplies.
¡°You¡¯ve done well so far. Tomorrow, after the discharge ceremony, you will be transferred to your respective assigned units. If there are any hard feelings between you guys, best to resolve them now. After all, you¡¯rerades.¡±
¡°Yes, understood.¡±
¡°Then, now that the teaching is all over, how about a little celebration, eh? Liquor and meat have been prepared in the dining hall, so let¡¯s all unwind and eat as much as we want! Dismissed!¡±
¡°Thank you, sir!¡±
The cadets whooped and cheered. After a month of training, they finally had permission to drink. As everyone headed to the dining hall in high spirits, the education officer pulled Henry to the side.
¡°Cadet Henry?¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡±
¡°Captain Isn is looking for you. A carriage is waiting for you in front of the administrative office, so move right away.¡±
¡°Yes, understood.¡±
A carriage was indeed waiting for him in front of the administrative office, and Tini was waiting for him too. She smiled softly and waved.
¡°You¡¯re here!¡±
Now that Henry had gone from a civilian to a military trainee cadet, Tini naturally dropped verbal formalities with Henry.
¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±
¡°Oh, no need to talk to me like that now. Just call me Tini.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
¡°Now hurry up. Captain¡¯s waiting.¡±
Once the carriage departed, Tini spoke.
¡°How was your stay at the academy?¡±
¡°Thanks to your care, I¡¯ve had a ratherfortable stay.¡±
¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t do much. Besides, I¡¯ve heard how you¡¯ve been doing. As expected, you were rated as the best in your batch, weren¡¯t you? Man, I¡¯m starting to feel a little jealous.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°I¡¯m a graduate from the academy, you see. So I guess you''re my junior?¡±
Henry already knew to some extent that Tini was an outstanding part of the personnel, thanks to the officers, but he didn¡¯t know that she was his senior.
¡°The Captain is pleased. Oh, and I¡¯m just telling you so that you don¡¯t get the wrong idea. You¡¯re not being called up by the Captain because you are favored by him.¡±
¡°Then why?¡±
¡°Originally, for every batch, the top cadet is personally congratted by the Captain himself. He¡¯s just extra happy this time because that top cadet is you.¡±
¡°I see.¡±
¡°Ah, I almost forgot. This is just a tip from me as your senior, but the Captain grants the top seat of each batch one wish.¡±
¡°A wish?¡±
¡°Yep. You are aware that Captain Isn is the third-highest-rankedmander in the fortress, right? He can amodate most wishes, so think carefully.¡±
This was unexpected information. Henry had figured it would just be another round ofpliments followed by a long night of drinking.
¡°Of course, you¡¯ll have to put in some hard work today.¡±
¡°Sorry? What do you mean?¡±
¡°I¡¯m talking about this.¡±
Tini raised her ss and wiggled her pinky at it.
Henry sighed. ¡°I knew it.¡±
¡°Heh heh, good luck.¡±
Henry¡¯s worst nightmare hade true.
* * *
Not long after, the carriage came to a stop. However, it wasn¡¯t the administrative office that the carriage arrived at, but Isn¡¯s residence. Tini called out to Henry as he made his way toward the entrance.
¡°Ah, one more thing!¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°I won¡¯t be sleeping today and I will be waiting for you. So when you need me, inform one of the soldiers to call for me. Then I¡¯ll head to the residence.¡±
¡°What do you mean by that?¡±
¡°You¡¯ll find out in a little while.¡±
Henry had no idea what Tini was talking about, but she said that he would find out soon enough, so he decided to wait and see.
¡°Then, all the best!¡±
¡°Thank you, Tini.¡±
As Tini departed, Henry sighed to himself at the thought of the uing night of drinking. It was time to enter the residence. There stood Isn, draped in a robe with dripping wet hair. He was holding a gigantic mug of beer in one hand, and his figure was reminiscent of a Giant Dwarf. He greeted Henry as he walked in.
¡°Oh, you¡¯re here?¡±
¡°...Did you just take a bath?¡±
¡°A bath after a long day of work is the most perfect thing, isn¡¯t it?¡±
¡°Looks like Tini hasn¡¯t ended her work for the day though.¡±
¡°She must have some extra things to take care of. Do you want to take a bath too?¡±
¡°...No, thank you.¡±
¡°So you graduated at the top of your ss, eh?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°With record-setting scores like yours, it¡¯d be strange if you didn¡¯t. So, how was your life in the academy?¡±
¡°It was a little boring, but it was good.¡±
Isnughed heartily. ¡°You crazy boy. One day you¡¯ll find out that your best days were in the academy.¡±
He beckoned toward one of his soldiers. ¡°Hey, you there! Prepare dinner.¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
Soon, Henry and Isn were sitting facing each other at the dining table, with a massive feast before them. Once again, there was so much food that the table looked as though it would buckle under the weight at any second.
¡°I wasn¡¯t sure what you¡¯d like, so I just got them to prepare everything.¡±
¡°I¡¯m honored.¡±
¡°Are ya? Then let¡¯s have a light toast before we feast!¡±
Thud!
Isn lifted a huge keg from under the table and ced it on the table.
¡°I ordered this specially for today. This is Makgus'' ming Whisky, Keg Edition!¡±
''Holy shit.''
Makgus'' ming Whisky. It was one of the three strongest whiskies in the empire, made by the master brewer Makgus.
¡®And to bring a whole keg of that too¡¡¯
Makgus¡¯ whisky boasted a uniquely high alcohol content. No man, no matter how much they could hold their liquor, could drink a full bottle of it. However, Isn had prepared an entire keg.
¡°Have a drink.¡±
Isn poured a massive mug of the dark brown liquid and handed it to Henry. With this whisky, even Henry would need some time to break down all that alcohol with his mana. Even with the issue of breaking down the alcohol aside¡
¡®We¡¯re going to drink this on the rocks!?¡¯
Their mugs full of whisky had only a couple of ice cubes in them. Henry could not imagine drinking Makgus¡¯ whisky unmixed.
¡°Now, now! To the sessful upbringing of that good ol¡¯ Hans¡¯ son over here! Cheers!¡±
ng!
Henry closed his eyes and poured the ming Whisky into his mouth.
¡®This is crazy¡¡¯
The drink tasted so toxic that it felt like it was numbing his entire tongue. On top of that, the taste of the whisky was truly something else. This was definitely not a celebration, but a cruel penalty.
¡°Delicious, isn¡¯t it?¡±
¡°...Yes, it¡¯s the best.¡±
Henry felt as if his throat was on fire. Makgus¡¯ whisky was meant to be drunk from a cocktail ss, not a giant mug.
Isnughed uproariously. ¡°Now, now! Before I get too drunk, shall we hand the top cadet here his prize? Oi, bring the prize over here!¡±
Isn must have known that even he was no match for the ming Whisky, as he quickly called for Henry¡¯s prize before it knocked him out cold. The soldier returned with a sword in a scabbard.
¡°Take this.¡±
Henry had not expected to receive a sword as a gift. Swords were not an appropriate gift for wizards, and Henry had been a wizard his entire life. Holding the sword, his eyes began to shine.
It was a gift that Henry would never have been interested in in his past life. However, now that he was taking on swordsmanship, it was only natural that his interest in swords had grown.
Schwing!
His face still burning hot from the whisky, Henry unsheathed the sword.
¡°How is it?¡±
A faint glow seemed to radiate from the de. Even Henry, who knew little about swords, could tell that it was crafted beautifully.
For a while, Henry observed every detail of the sword, as if admiring the figure of a beautiful woman.
¡°That¡¯s a holy sword.¡±
¡°Sorry?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a sword blessed by the top priest in the fortress. Only then can a sword be considered holy.¡±
A priest¡¯s blessing meant borrowing the power of God. It was impossible for any ordinary being to bestow a blessing upon anything unless they possessed divine power.
¡°How is it? This should be perfect for dealing with the demonic beasts, right?¡±
¡°It¡¯s outstanding. Thank you very much for giving me such a fine sword.¡±
¡°As you should. Now, let¡¯s have another!¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
It had been an extremely long time since Henryst felt such joy from receiving a gift. In the past, he simply could not understand why the knights were so passionate about swords that, in his eyes, were nothing more than des. Now, however, Henry realized clearly that there was no treasure more precious to a knight than a good sword.
Henry emptied his mug ming Whisky with satisfaction.
¡°Buuuurp.¡±
Despite clearly being a bitter whisky, it tasted quite different from his first ss. Henry began to feel his mood rise as his face heated up.
¡°You can certainly drink well. You bastard, if it wasn¡¯t for me, you wouldn¡¯t even get a taste of such a precious drink!¡±
¡°I am truly grateful for this opportunity!¡±
¡°That¡¯s the spirit. So, shall we get your second prize out?¡±
¡°There¡¯s another prize?¡±
Henry knew it was probably the prize that Tini had mentioned, but he responded calmly, pretending not to know anything.
¡°Of course! Do you think that I, Isn, am the kind of person who would just give you a mere sword as a gift?!¡±
Isn gestured with his chin once more, and this time, two soldiers appeared with a huge bulletin board.
¡°This is¡¡±
¡°The others have already been assigned their positions and jobs. But what about our top cadet Henry? The best-performing cadet in our history, at that! Now, this is the organization chart for Caliburn Fortress. Tell me where you want to go, and I¡¯ll send you there.¡±
This was truly an unexpected gift. After all, Henry was very curious about what kind of job he would be assigned to, since he had recorded the best score in the fortress¡¯ history. But the privilege to choose his own job? With so many things to do at the fortress, this was possibly the best gift he could have received.
¡°You don¡¯t have to decide right now. Let¡¯s deal with the details after this is over! For now, drink!¡±
Isn was considerate enough to give Henry the time he needed to make his decision.
Of course, once Henry had to deal with Isn¡¯s drunken tendencies, he wouldn¡¯t have time for any kind of deliberation.
¡®This is truly an incredible opportunity!¡¯
Soon, Henry¡¯s involvement with the fortress would begin. Right now, however, facing Isn, who was determined to get absolutely smashed, that was at the back of his mind.
* * *
A few hours passed.
¡°Whad di¡¯ I tell ya! Oi! Addat mo¡ men¡ raise the.. sword like THIS! Yeah!? This high, yeah?¡±
Makgus¡¯ ming Whisky had bested Isn, as expected. By the time the two had mostly emptied the keg, Isn was far more intoxicated than before. Of course, Henry was also busy focusing on breaking down the strong alcohol in his body.
¡°Fwuh¡ dis.. As espact¡ed¡ Magkus¡ I caaan¡¯t¡ han¡der¡¡±
Isn¡¯s speech was incredibly slurred, as if his tongue had turned into a worm.
Looking at Isn, Henry thought to himself, ¡®Phew, this is so much better. The drink may have been potent, but at least the party ended a lot quicker.¡¯
Since the whisky was incredibly potent, Henry had a tough time as well, but it was much better than hearing Isn repeat the same story over and over again. Then, at that moment¡
¡°Oh yeah, and you¡ is der sum¡ting¡ you want¡ or wanna do¡?¡±
Isn was barely intelligible, but it was obvious that this was the moment Tini had told Henry about.
¡°Are you saying that you¡¯re going to grant me a wish?¡±
¡°Ob curs, ya lil¡¯! I¡¯b granded¡ wisses¡ to yer seniors¡ I hab to¡ grand yours too¡ right?¡±
¡°Will you really grant me any wish?¡±
¡°Of¡ course!¡±
¡°Thank you, Commander-in-Chief. Then my wish is¡¡±
Henry had been pondering his wish since the carriage ride. With soldiers by his side as witnesses, Henry told Isn his wish.
Chapter 22: The Legendary Platoon Commander (1)
Chapter 22: The Legendary toon Commander (1)
The next day, as the education officer had said, the cadets were all assigned different units ording to their grades. Of course, things were a bit different for Henry. Unlike his fellowrades, he was given the privilege to choose the unit he desired to go himself, thanks to Captain Isn. Ronan and Henry gathered all their belongings and waited for the carriages to be sent from their respective assigned units.
¡°Where did you go yesterday? I¡¯ve been looking for you.¡± Ronan said to Henry.
¡°I had a drink with the Captain.¡±
¡°By Captain, you mean the third-ranked leader, Isn?¡±
¡°Yep.¡±
¡°Damn¡ so the rumors were true.¡±
¡°What rumors?¡±
¡°The rumors that you were under the protection of the Commander-in-Chief.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t get the wrong idea. It¡¯s just because of the customs passed down from our seniors.¡±
¡°Liar. Were you really only drinking?¡±
Ronan narrowed his eyes at Henry, who responded with a smirk.
¡°Well, I got this as well.¡±
Henry took out the holy sword blessed by the priest and handed it to Ronan.
¡°A sword?¡±
¡°He gave me this as a gift. A holy sword.¡±
¡°W-what? A h-holy sword?¡±
Ronan¡¯s eyes widened. He drew the sword from its sheath and eximed at its dazzling color.
¡°Whoa¡¡±
¡°Are you jealous?¡±
¡°Of course I am! Nah, it¡¯s fine. What¡¯s the point of being jealous over someone else¡¯s stuff? I¡¯ll probably get an even better sword for myself in the future.¡±
¡°Heh, that¡¯s the spirit. That aside, which unit were you assigned to?¡±
¡°The infantry battalion.¡±
¡°Oh, the battalion isn¡¯t too bad.¡±
¡°It¡¯s perfect if you¡¯re looking to get promoted quickly. Not only that, I was assigned to their first-ss unit instead of their second-ss unit, so I should be promoted to an intermediate officer in no time, as long as I don¡¯t screw up.¡±
At first nce, this conversation may have seemed ordinary, but the truth was that the infantry division was one of the ces everyone at the Caliburn Fortress avoided. The probability of running into demonic beasts was much higher in the infantry division than in other units.
.
¡®This guy, he pretended to be carefree, but he had it nned all along.¡¯
Usually, cadets with excellent grades hoped for a career in the supply or administrative branch of the army, rather than a dangerous division like the infantry. No matter how valuable the career was, it was never worth more than one¡¯s life.
Ronan was different, though. He pretended to be calm and cool around Henry, but he wanted to be recognized by the head of his adoptive family more than any of the others. He wasn¡¯t a middling cadet either, he was the most outstanding among all the other adoptees.
Thus, despite having ess to a safer career in supply or administration, Ronan urged the officers to allow him to join the infantry.
¡°Then what about you?¡± asked Ronan.
¡°Well, if you have to ask, I guess I¡¯m in the infantry as well.¡±
¡°Which unit?¡±
¡°It¡¯s an independent unit. Have you ever heard of Caliburn¡¯s Needle?¡±
¡°Caliburn¡¯s Needle?¡±
¡°Oh, so uh, that is¡¡±
* * *
The previous night¡
Eventually, having emptied the keg of Makgus¡¯ ming Whisky, Isn was unable to ovee the drink and copsed onto the table, fast asleep. Henry, who was barely holding on to his consciousness, quickly removed the lingering intoxication through meditation and spoke to the soldier who was waiting nearby.
¡°Can you ask Tini if I can meet her now?¡±
¡°Yes. I will ry your message immediately.¡±
¡°Thanks. Oh, and where should I bring the Captain?¡±
¡°We will take care of him. You don¡¯t have to worry about him.¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s alright. It¡¯s obvious he¡¯s heavy, so someone who can carry him should do it. Lead the way to his room.¡±
While one of the soldiers went to deliver his message to Tini, Henry lifted Isn upright with ease and followed the other soldier through the residence.
¡°Is this it?¡±
¡°Yes, this is his quarters.¡±
¡°The kitchen is probably a little dirty, so prepare some refreshments in the living room instead. Oh, and bring over the organization chart next to the dining table.¡±
¡°Yes, understood.¡±
Henry only now understood why Tini had told him to call for her.
¡®How kind of her.¡¯
Henry wasn¡¯t sure why she was being so kind to him, but since she offered to help anyway, there was no reason for him to decline. While waiting for Tini, Henry looked at the organization chart pinned on the bulletin board.
¡®It¡¯s a corps-level fortress, so there¡¯s a ton of troops.¡¯
Therge number of troops aside, every single unit was manned with elite soldiers. This was necessary in a ce known as the ¡®worst dominion¡¯.
Another thing to consider was that the mandatory military service period bound by the Noblesse Oblige was a minimum of one year. Although he was able to work long hours at his own will, Henry had no intention of staying beyond his mandatory period in the fortress.
¡®It¡¯s just one year. Since it¡¯s so short, my first job may be myst. So that means that I¡¯ll have to go somewhere that will be of most use to me.¡¯
After a while, Tini arrived at the residence.
Henry bowed his head as soon as he saw her.
¡°I apologize for calling you sote, Tini.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t mention it. At least you¡¯re pretty sensible. There were others who were pretty dense.¡±
When Tini said this, Henry finally understood the reason behind her kindness. It was all just courtesy, a privilege given to anyone that was the top performing trainee.
¡®So that¡¯s all there is to it, huh.¡¯
It was a pretty silly conclusion. After all, Henry had even wondered if she was developing special feelings for him.
¡°Is there anywhere you have in mind?¡± asked Tini.
¡°No ce in particr, but I do have certain conditions.¡±
¡°Tell me.¡±
¡°I want a ce where I can move around freely, with no interference from the main unit. And I want to go somewhere where I can be deployed to the field immediately.¡±
¡°In other words, you want to be an infantryman, but in an independent unit?¡±
¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±
¡°You¡¯re so particr about where you want to go, and yet you say that you have nowhere particr in mind? Were you just pretending to be humble?¡±
¡°If that¡¯s how it sounded to you, I apologize.¡±
¡°Haha, it¡¯s a joke.¡±
Tini smiled broadly and then drew circles around some of the units listed on the organization chart.
¡°These ces fit the conditions you mentioned. Ah, one more thing! Most of the independent units are special units. Do you know what that means?¡±
¡°I know that they are units for handling special missions.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. And most of them are dangerous. Does that matter to you?¡±
¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±
Tini nodded at Henry¡¯s resolute attitude. She saw a glimpse of what Henry was thinking about when he came up with these conditions.
¡®Ultimately, the goal was promotion, just as I expected.¡¯
There weren¡¯t many units where new officers could be deployed to the field right away. It was too dangerous to put a new inexperienced officer inbat like that.
¡°I get what you mean. But joining an independent unit is a little difficult. Most of them are senior units, so it¡¯s a bit difficult for new officers to enter.¡±
¡°Is there no way?¡±
¡°It would normally be difficult. But you have the Commander-in-Chief behind you, don¡¯t you?¡±
Tini grinned again, then pointed to one of the circled spots on the organization chart.
¡°You¡¯re going to go here.¡±
¡°That is?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a special mission squad, an independent unit that can be immediately deployed to the field. It¡¯s also not subject to interference from the main unit as it is directly under themand of the Commander-in-Chief.¡±
¡®Checkmate.¡¯
This sounded like a unit where Henry could make good use of his leadership, that also fulfilled all his conditions. Henry felt d that he had reached out to Tini.
* * *
¡°Herees the carriage.¡±
As Ronan¡¯s carriage arrived, he and Henry exchanged their final goodbyes.
¡°I¡¯m heading off.¡± said Ronan as he picked up his belongings.
¡°Ronan.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t die.¡±
¡°Damn you. You think I¡¯m heading out there to get myself killed?¡±
¡°You¡¯re weaker than me, that¡¯s why. Hold out for just one year, and I¡¯ll give you a nice little present.¡±
¡°You¡¯re a funny one. You look out for yourself first, aight?¡±
It was a brief but genuine moment. Shortly after Ronan¡¯s departure, the carriage sent by the special task force came to pick up Henry. It was a small carriage. A sharp-eyed officer stepped out, and with a rather dissatisfied look on his face, nced at Henry from head to toe.
¡°So, is it you?¡±
¡°Yes, I¡¯m Henry Morris.¡±
¡°Get on.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
With a cold attitude and not so much as a greeting, the officer climbed back onto the carriage. For the entire trip, the apanying officer never spoke a single word.
¡®Didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be this cold.¡¯
Caliburn¡¯s Needle.
The official name of the special task force directly under the Captain¡¯smand.
The smaller the identifying number in front of the battalion¡¯s name, the greater its power. Simrly, the greater the authority behind the independent unit, the more power it held. In other words, the special task force Caliburn¡¯s Needle was the most powerful among them all.
Henry recalled what Tini had said to him.
- You¡¯re lucky the toonmander of the special task force isn¡¯t around. But it¡¯s usually not a unit that epts new officers. Most of the time, only the most elite of the elites are epted.
With a greenhorn like Henry entering such a unit, it would be more than understandable if he was hated. Rumors spread within the military quickly. However, this was something Henry was already aware of. What mattered more was how he performed moving forward.
Soon, the carriage stopped. The officer stepped down from the carriage and beckoned toward Henry.
¡°Follow me.¡±
Still a cold attitude, but Henry didn¡¯t mind a single bit. Eventually, they entered the administrative office, where thepanymander sat waiting for Henry.
He pointed to Henry with his chin and asked, ¡°Is this him?¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡±
¡°Good. Leave us.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
The officer nodded his head and stepped outside. Now, there were only two people left in the administrative office.
¡®His name must be Solomon.¡¯
The name ¡®Solomon¡¯ was written on a namete at the man''s desk.
¡°Your name?¡±
¡°Henry Morris.¡±
¡°I see. Looking at the files, it says that you were the highest-ranking cadet in the academy?¡±
¡°That¡¯s incorrect.¡±
¡°No? Then are you saying that the education officers submitted a false report?¡±
¡°No. I am simply not as talented as the report makes me out to be.¡±
¡°So you¡¯re not that great, but yet the Commander-in-Chief has sent you here? Do you think that this ce is your neighborhood yground?¡±
¡°No.¡±
Seeing how thepanymander scrutinized every single one of Henry¡¯s responses, it was obvious that he was highly dissatisfied. Ultimately, however, what could he do? After all, he was following orders from his direct superior, the Commander-in-Chief.
After a long while, thepanymander let out a soft sigh.
¡°Listen carefully. I don¡¯t know why the Captain sent you here, but we¡¯re not ready to ept you yet. Do you understand?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°So if you don¡¯t want to be kicked out, you¡¯ll have to do your damn best to hang on here. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll kick you out without a moment¡¯s hesitation.¡±
Themander spoke harshly, but Henry knew that it meant that as long as he did well, everything would go smoothly. Thepanymander stood up.
"Follow me. I¡¯ll show you to your residence.¡±
Henry could feel a strong sense of hatred directed toward him, but he decided to let it go. Eventually, themander took Henry to the front of an old building behind the unit.
¡°In the Needle Company, we have a tradition of having new officers repair old houses and put them to their own use. Anyints?¡±
¡°No sir."
¡°The cleaning and repair tools are over there, so just grab them and finish the maintenance work by the end of the day.¡±
Themander pointed to an old sack, a sparse broom, and a few rags soaked in ck grime.
¡°You can do it, right?¡±
¡°Yes sir.¡±
¡°Well then.¡±
With that, themander left. It was an obvious act of ridicule. After thepanymander hadpletely disappeared from view, Henry opened the door to his assigned residence.
Creak.
¡°My, my¡¡±
It was so dirty that it was impossible to tell if it was a residence or an abandoned warehouse. It was bigger than a normal residence, so Henry couldn¡¯t help but think that it would be impossible to clean the entire ce even if he was given the whole day.
¡°That¡¯s if I was an ordinary human.¡±
It was such a childish act of territoriality from themander. After looking around for a bit, Henry burst outughing and raised his right hand.
¡°Clean.¡±
As Henry cast his spell, a dazzling, brilliant light shed from his hand.
Chapter 23: The Legendary Platoon Commander (2)
Chapter 23: The Legendary toon Commander (2)
Henry continued to cast his spell.
¡°Clean, Clean, Clean, Clean, Clean¡¡±
He cast it repeatedly, until a dazzling sphere appeared above his right hand.
¡®That should do it.¡¯
He had expected to face some hostility from his new unit, but all it ended up being was having to clean an old residence. Henry decided to show that a mere clean-up job was nowhere near enough to be considered bullying.
¡°Activate!¡±Bang!
Henry hurled the dense sphere toward the dusty floor. A huge wave of light engulfed the ck mansion, creating an extraordinary scene.
* * *
Later in the afternoon, Isn, who had overslept because of his hangover, arrived at his officete.
¡°You¡¯re here, Captain.¡±
Tini greeted him as she continued to work on his behalf.
¡°Yaaawn. As expected of the ming Whisky, it put me in a real deep sleep. That aside, what happened to Henry?¡±
¡°As youmanded, I¡¯ve assigned him to the special task force. By now, he must have arrived and is adjusting to his new unit.¡±
¡°You guided him well without making it too obvious, right?¡±
¡°Of course. It was in line with what Henry himself wanted, so it wasn¡¯t too difficult.¡±
¡°Is that so? Perfect. It would be nice if he could get the momentum going and solve the problem over there as well.¡±
¡°Thankfully, he gave me most of the information I needed to get things done.¡±
Isnughed. ¡°I expected no less from you, Tini. Solomon, that bastard. He should go through some proper suffering for once so that he¡¯ll finallye to his senses.¡±
¡°But, Captain. Did you really need to make this so cumbersome?¡±
¡°Well, it¡¯s fun, isn¡¯t it? And I¡¯m curious how far our Henry will go, too.¡±
¡°I see. Ah, by the way, what request did you receive this time?¡±
¡°Request? Aah, you mean the wish?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
Isnughed again. ¡°That guy¡¯spletely out of his mind. What he wished for was¡¡±
Isn recounted the wish that Henry asked of him. When she heard what it was, Tini¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°Was that really his wish?¡±
¡°Yep. He¡¯s definitely crazy, isn¡¯t he?¡±
¡°Wow¡¡±
Tini couldn¡¯t help but be lost for words at the insane information she had just heard.
* * *
¡°Special task toon has returned safely at full strength.¡±
¡°Good, you¡¯ve all done well.¡±
¡°Can we return to the barracks?¡±
¡°No, everyone wait here. I have a ce to go with your toon.¡±
¡°Wait, did he reallye here?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. I never thought the day woulde, but the Captain really sent us a new officer.¡±
¡°Whoa, there¡¯s gonna be a huge bacsh from the toon members, right?¡±
¡°Let¡¯s wait and see. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been roughening him up ever since he got here.¡±
¡°How, sir?¡±
¡°Do you remember the old residence at the back of the building?¡±
¡°Do you mean the one that used to be yours?¡±
¡°Yeah, it¡¯s now being used as a warehouse. I¡¯ve made him clean it. That¡¯s where you guys will be staying.¡±
¡°Wow, that ce is massive¡ as expected from you, sir.¡±
The stand-in toonmander gave Solomon a thumbs up.
¡°It¡¯s been a few hours since I ordered him to clean it up, so I guess it¡¯s time we slowly go and have a look. I gave him some terrible cleaning tools to work with, so let¡¯s see how well he¡¯s doing.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll gather the toon immediately.¡±
The toonmander excitedly gathered the toon, as did thepanymander. The rest of the toon who heard the news also headed to the back of the building with thepanymander, also brimming with excitement. Solomon purposely called out for Henry in a loud voice.
¡°Henry, are you in there?¡±
But he was nowhere to be seen.
¡®Is he inside?¡¯
Thinking that Henry might not have heard him, Solomon quickly walked toward the entrance of the residence and opened the door.
He expected to see Henry on the floor, covered in dust like a dirty little mouse.
Instead¡
¡°Huh?¡±
The moment he opened the door, his eyes met with Henry, who was leisurely having tea in the neatly organized barracks.
¡°Oh? You¡¯re here, sir.¡±
Far from being dusty, the residence was now spotless, and the fresh scent reminiscent of a brand-new building filled the air. Solomon was bewildered.
¡®T-this can¡¯t be!¡¯
It was originally a rundown, dpidated building that was on the verge of demolishment. Was it even possible for such a building to look this new again? All the toon members, including thepanymander, were stunned.
¡°S-sir Solomon, I¡¯ll make my way back to my own unit.¡±
Even the stand-in toonmander felt embarrassed.
Despite being dispatched from another unit, he could sense the unusual atmosphere and was in a rush to leave. Henry called after him.
¡°Commander, would you like a cup of tea as well? And by the way, who are those behind you?¡±
Looking at the surprised people behind themander, Henry casually acted puzzled.
¡®I¡¯ve lived a longer military life than you have, kid.¡¯
The amplified effects of Clean were outstanding. After being cast multiple times, Clean¡¯s cumtive power was able to provide Henry with the cleanest residence in the entire unit.
That¡¯s not even taking into ount the furniture and the interior.
Henry had once lived for several decades in the imperial pce, which was known as the ma of fashion. He was able to easily create the most beautiful residence in the fortress by tapping into his sensuous understanding of fashion.
¡°I couldn¡¯t finish the work on the exterior today because I was a bit short on time. I¡¯ll finish it up in the next few days.¡±
¡°Y-you¡¯re going to work on the e-exterior as well?¡±
¡°It¡¯ll just be a simple touch-up. I noticed a few run-down corners here and there.¡±
The exterior was still run-downpared to the beautiful interior, but that wasn¡¯t the important thing. Solomon couldn¡¯t understand how one man could overhaul the entire residence, not just cleaning it, but renovating the interior to this extent as well.
¡°Y-you! Did you really do this all by yourself?¡±
¡°It was just some simple cleaning and minor repair work. This definitely does not warrant more people toplete.¡±
Solomon was even more confused by Henry¡¯s nonchnt attitude, but the results were so clear that there was nothing he could say.
¡°What does it matter, anyway? Are you the cleanliness inspector here?¡±
Solomon coughed loudly in shame at Henry¡¯s remark. He quickly changed his n, introducing the toon to Henry instead.
¡°...Say hello. These are the members of the special task toon in charge of missions in ourpany.¡±
¡°Oh, they are the toon members. May I say hello?¡±
¡°O-of course¡¡±
Until just a few hours ago, Solomon had treated Henry with disdain. However, perhaps due to shock, Solomon found himself unable to run his mouth any longer. Henry nced at the toon members lined up in front of his residence.
¡®What unweing eyes.¡¯
It wasn¡¯t just the officers who didn¡¯t like Henry. It wasmon for independent units like this to be united with a sense of solidarity, almost like a family with a distrust of outsiders. However, above all else, Henry knew the real reason they didn¡¯t like him.
¡®The dead toonmander was called Carter, right?¡¯
It was their dead toonmander, and the vacant position he left behind. The position that Henry took over was originally his.
toon Commander Carter was an elite among elites; a veteran officer who had served in the fortress for five years. Unlike the other officers who came from nobility, he had no sense of privilege or superiority, and was loved by everyone. However, tragedy struck when he was killed in the Demonic Beast Forest while out on a mission.
¡®An independentpany like this is usually tight-knit, with overwhelming affection for one another, like a family. Before they could even grieve and get over their former toonmander¡¯s death, a new toonmander was appointed. That¡¯s more than enough to incite a rebellion. But this is still the army. An army that should not be swayed by emotions.¡¯
That was the fundamental mistake of thispany. They were too easily swayed by emotions, and could not distinguish between personal and professional matters. This was especially the case for Solomon, who was supposed to be the most rational member of thepany.
¡®I have to correct these problems with my own strength. Maybe Isn had that in mind and wanted this to happen all along.''
At first nce, it might have seemed that Isn had simply honored his word and allowed Henry to work here. However, no matter how much the top-ranking cadet was given in terms of choice of ce to work, there would always be some sort of limitation.
In addition, this was a unit in charge of special missions, under the direct control of the Captain. There must have been a reason for appointing a new officer with insufficient experience to such a unit.
¡®This time, I should prove it to them with my skills.¡¯
Although the Captain¡¯s intentions were obvious, the position still satisfied Henry¡¯s conditions, so he viewed it as a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Henry stood in front of the toon and spoke.
¡°Nice to meet you all. I¡¯m the newly appointed toonmander, Henry Morris.¡±
Even though they were addressed by their superior, all of the toon members kept their mouths firmly shut.
¡®What a shithole.¡¯
This was an outright protest. However, considering that thepanymander, who was the highest-ranking officer present, was behaving so poorly, this was not much of a surprise. When no one responded to Henry¡¯s greeting, he couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing.
¡°Man¡ the level of discipline here is pathetic.¡±
There was no one here that would take Henry¡¯s side, leaving him with few options. He pointed to the nearest toon member.
¡°You.¡±
¡°Yes,¡± the soldier responded bluntly.
¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±
¡°I¡¯m Hodin.¡±
¡°Hodin. Where is the residence that toon Commander Carter used to stay in?¡±
¡°Why are you asking that?¡±
¡°Are subordinates supposed to question their superiors?¡±
¡°...No.¡±
¡°Where is it?¡±
¡°Over there.¡±
¡°Lead the way.¡±
Hodin led Henry to Carter¡¯s residence.
Creak.
When Henry opened the door, he saw that his belongings were neatly organized. It was Carter¡¯s legacy.
¡°Go ahead and return to formation.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
Hodin looked at Henry suspiciously, but Hodin had to obey orders. After a while, Henry reappeared in front of the toon members, holding a wooden box with both his hands. He put the wooden box down in front of them
¡°I am familiar with your situation. Everyone¡¯s acting like this because you guys can¡¯t forget about your former toonmander Carter, right?¡±
Silence followed once more. Everyone was focused on the wooden box that Henry had brought out.
¡®Foolish bastards.¡¯
Henry knew this would happen. He had made it seem like he had brought out Carter¡¯s old belongings on purpose, but in reality, the box was filled with useless junk.
¡®This should be a real wake-up call for you fools.¡¯
Henry took out a bottle and uncorked it.
Gurgle gurgle.
A strong smell of oil filled the air as he poured the contents of the bottle over the box.
¡°You¡¯re all a sentimental bunch, it seems. If that¡¯s the case, you should all be out singing a song of mourning. Why are you all pretending to be soldiers here?¡±
Henry took out a matchbox and lit one of the matches.
Chk!
The toon members looked on in shock, each thinking the same thing.
¡®No way.¡¯
¡°No one moves even a single step. That is an order.¡±
He threw the lit match at the box without hesitation.
Whoosh!
The oil erupted in me, engulfing the box instantly. The toon members¡¯ eyes went bloodshot. This was the final trigger.
¡°What are you doing!?¡±
A toon member lined up in the back row couldn¡¯t hold back any longer. He ran forward, took off his shirt, and tried to put out the fire with it.
However, a single garment wasn¡¯t enough to subdue the oil-fueled me. Henry looked at the toon member with a cold gaze.
Whoooosh!
¡°Noooo!¡±
Eventually, the shirt caught fire too. It was a cruel sacrifice that nobody could stop.
¡°Aaaaaargh!¡±
The unnamed toon member screamed helplessly as he watched the relics of his formermander¡¯s legacy burn. He red at Henry with tears in his eyes.
¡°How¡ how could you do this?!¡±
¡°You¡¯re mad.¡±
The man seemed to have lost his mind. The rest of the toon members btedly came forward and tried to calm him.
¡°Leave him,¡± said Henry.
¡°B-but!¡±
¡°I said leave him. And I¡¯m certain I told everyone not to move even a single step, so what the hell are you doing right now?¡±
The situation grew increasingly tense. However, despite the tense atmosphere, Henry casually continued to speak as he took off his shirt.
¡°You are all angry, I see it in your eyes. Looks like things are going to boil over. So let¡¯s disregard our ranks for now and settle this.¡±
¡°What are you doing right now?¡± Solomon screamed.
¡°It¡¯s alright, sir,¡± Henry responded coldly.
¡°What?¡±
¡°This is just a precautionary measure to prevent my subordinates from causing a catastrophe.¡±
At Henry¡¯s calm response, the toon member, who was weeping with his teeth clenched, replied hoarsely.
¡°What you¡¯ve just said to us¡ Please honor it.¡±
Henry scoffed. ¡°What a troublesomed you are. Come at me then.¡±
At that moment, the toon member flew toward Henry like an arrow.
Chapter 24: The Legendary Platoon Commander (3)
Chapter 24: The Legendary toon Commander (3)
¡®Fool.¡¯
The soldier¡¯s fists shot out toward Henry like a volley of arrows. However, Henry¡¯s spellcasting was much faster.
Whoosh!
As soon as Henry buffed himself with his magic, his movement became lighter. Henry dodged the soldier¡¯s fists with ease, then elbowed him in the nose.
Crack!
It sounded painful. However, Henry had targeted the nose bridge, and his aim was perfect. At worst, the soldier¡¯s nose was broken and it would start to bleed.
Eventually, just as Henry had expected, blood began to drop profusely from both of the soldier¡¯s nostrils.
However, stopping a fight due to a nosebleed was something only children did. Henry twisted his hips and kicked the man in the stomach.
Thud!
With Henry¡¯s strength amplified by his magic, the pain felt from his attacks was amplified as well. Even as the soldier flew away, he kept his eyes locked on Henry.
His gaze was full of anger and venom. Henry maintained eye contact with the man as he approached him.
¡°Name.¡±
¡°...¡±
¡°Not going to talk?¡±
¡°Gabo¡ Sir.¡±
Seeing how Gabo was hesitant to even speak with honorifics to his superior, Henry could feel that Gabo was trying to retain his pride. This was the perfect example of the proverb that men were still children within, even if they were all grown up.
¡®Looks like he still needs to be taught a lesson.¡¯
Henry had already expected that this man¡¯s anger would not be easily quenched, considering that Henry had burned his belovedmander¡¯s legacy in front of his eyes. But it was Henry¡¯s job to bring that anger under his control.
He looked down at Gabo with cold eyes. Then, he turned his head and spoke to the rest of the toon, as if Gabo wasn¡¯t even worth wasting his time on anymore.
¡°You fools.¡±
He started with an insult.
¡°You guys still think you are elites?¡±
This was an embarrassment for the toon. They were all outstanding soldiers in their own way, and yet, they were being easily dismantled by a new officer who had just joined them. An officer who was a Learner-ss swordsman and couldn¡¯t even use Aura, at that.
¡°Everyone should be ashamed. Do you think your deceasedmander would be happy seeing you guys like this?¡±
Henry¡¯s stinging insults continued. The target of his insults also included thepanymander, who was watching silently.
¡°Now, nothing of him remains. And if you bring up Commander Carter in front of me one more time, I will consider it as an act of protest against me, and you will be punished severely. Is that understood?¡±
¡°...Yes.¡±
The toon struggled to answer, their voices full of dissatisfaction. Having warned the soldiers, Henry immediately turned around and went back to his residence. Thepanymander tried to say something, but soon gave up and dismissed the soldiers.
¡®Foolish bastards.¡¯
Now in his residence, Henry sat in his chair and looked at his now-cold teacup.
The situation with the soldiers was much more dire than he had thought.
¡®Looks like there¡¯s a lot of areas I¡¯ll have to get involved in.¡¯
Henry wasn¡¯t too worried, though. All he had to do was get rid of the ones who were rotten to their core.
* * *
After dismissing the toon members, Solomon returned to his own residence, troubled by Henry¡¯s unexpected behavior.
¡°Fucking hell.¡±
Henry was far more insane than Solomon had expected. He had somehow managed to spotlessly clean the dpidated residence that Solomon had assigned to him to fuck with him, and he had even burned the former toonmander¡¯s belongings that no one could bear to throw away. Because of this turn of events, Solomon¡¯s n to expose the new toonmander and reject his integration into the unit was shattered.
¡®If this keeps up, he¡¯s really going to end up staying here¡¡¯
Once Henry took on full-fledged missions and adjusted to the unit, it would be truly irreversible. Solomon was determined to deny Henry¡¯s eptance into the unit at any cost, before it was toote.
¡®Why did the Captain even send a total greenhorn over here?¡¯
Solomon¡¯s reason for rejecting Henry was simple; Henry was a new officer, and new officers were usually ipetent. No matter how smart or quick-witted they might be, they would inevitably make too many mistakes unintentionally simply because theycked experience.
Mistakes made by ipetent subordinates usually ended up bing the superior¡¯s responsibility, and that could affect Solomon¡¯s chances of promotion. That was why most of the important positions required experienced personnel.
¡®I can¡¯t let that happen.¡¯
Solomon was outstandingly skilled, but his desire to seed was just as strong. After all, with the unfortunate passing of Carter, the former toonmander, he had personally taken on some of Carter''s responsibilities. Now Carter suddenly had a new sessor¡ªsomeone without any experience with demonic beasts and with no Aura, and a huge thorn in Solomon¡¯s side.
¡®In the end, there¡¯s no other way, huh?¡¯
After much deliberation, Solomon finally decided to take extraordinary measures. Having made his decision, he secretly invited the other two toonmanders to his residence.
* * *
The next morning.
After breakfast, Henry headed to the administrative office to attend the morning meeting. All the other officers had already arrived. As soon as Henry saw his seniors, he bowed his head in greeting.
¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Henry Morris, the new toonmander of the special task force.¡±
As soon as Henry finished, thepanymander began to introduce the other officers in a dry voice.
¡°Let me introduce them. This fe here is Hugo, the leader of the toon in charge of the Captain¡¯s personally assigned missions. Next to him is Borg from the support team that¡¯s in charge of administration and supply of ourpany.¡±
¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Hugo.¡±
¡°I¡¯m Borg.¡±
As soon as introductions were over, the senior toonmanders smiled gently and asked to shake hands with Henry.
Shortly after, Hugo asked, ¡°I¡¯m the senior, so you have no problems if I drop formalities with you, right?¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
¡°Thanks. May I ask you a question? There¡¯s something I have been curious about.¡±
¡°Yes, please feel free.¡±
A smile appeared on Hugo¡¯s face as soon as Henry readily agreed.
¡°I heard that you haven¡¯t learned how to utilize Aura, is that true?¡±
It was a question that was probably a bit rude to ask after just meeting someone. So obviously rude that there was no chance it wasn¡¯t deliberate. However, Henry did not care about such trivial matters and answered with a smile.
¡°No, not yet.¡±
¡°Oh my God.¡±
Hugo made an exaggerated expression of surprise, and began to respond sarcastically
¡°Unbelievable¡ I heard that the top performing cadets can choose their first ce of work?¡±
¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±
¡°¡®That¡¯s right¡¯? Is this a joke?¡±
The atmosphere in the administrative office quickly grew tense. However, Solomon did nothing. He was waiting for it to get worse, so he could make use of the other toonmanders to drag Henry through the mud.
Hugo¡¯s usations continued.
¡°Have you no conscience? Knowing what kind of ce this is, how dare a new officer like you set foot in here?¡±
¡°The Captain gave me a choice and I simply made one, is there a problem?¡±
¡°What do you think? The soldiers here are all experts with a sword. But what about you? What the hell are you, huh?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll learn Aura when the timees, so there¡¯s no need to be so impatient.¡±
¡°Impatient? Whoa, this bastard is a real piece of work.¡±
Henry knew exactly what Hugo was going on about. But to Henry, it was nothing more than mere attempts to blemish his reputation.
¡°Get out, now. Because I have no intention of entrusting the lives of ourpany to a kid that came from nowhere,¡± said Hugo.
Blushing with anger, he looked like he might raise his fist at any moment. Henry responded.
¡°Officer Hugo.¡±
¡°If you¡¯re going to give me excuses, you better think twice.¡±
¡°Are you perhaps doubting the Captain¡¯s decision? Or maybe, my abilities?¡±
¡°What did you say?¡±
Solomon and Borg¡¯s eyes widened. Of course, Hugo did the same.
¡°You madman, the whole reason I caused this uproar is that I was questioning your skills, so what nonsense are¡¡±
¡°Then let¡¯s put it to the test. Why would the Captain appoint me, a new officer, and not someone more experienced to the position of toonmander of a special task force, despite it being the most important position in thepany?¡±
It was obvious to everyone that Henry was trying to provoke Solomon. However, the more easily one was angered, the more prone one was to provocation. Just as Hugo lost his temper and was about to put his hands on Henry, Solomon stepped in to intervene.
¡°Wait. Why should we do that?¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? You said that you questioned my abilities. Then, isn¡¯t it only right that we put it to the test so that you can find out for yourself?¡±
¡°Does that pride of yours matter that much to you? The only way you can retain your honor is through voluntary resignation.¡±
¡°Why do you think voluntary resignation is the only option? Are you afraid of me?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Am I wrong? Frankly speaking, based on what you¡¯re saying, Officer Hugo is far superior to me. So why did the Captain allow me, a new officer, to take up the position that I am in? If that isn¡¯t proof enough that I am far superior to Officer Hugo, what is?¡±
¡°Hey, you son of a bitch! Let¡¯s do it! Do it! You son of a bitch, let¡¯s see how long you can keep running that mouth of yours, you asshole! Commander, since he wants it so much, let¡¯s give it to him. I¡¯ll test him personally myself.¡±
In the end, Hugo¡¯s patience ran out, and he quickly cut off Henry¡¯s provocative tirade. Now, all that was left to do was to light the fuel that Henry had been carefully pouring.
* * *
The test was to be a duel between the two, Hugo and Henry. Hugo had to keep his feelings hidden; he couldn¡¯t let the others know that he was facing a new officer simply because he couldn¡¯t contain his anger and had decided to take it out on him with his sword.
Eventually, under the orders of Commander Solomon, all thepany members gathered in front of the administrative office.
¡®I don¡¯t know what his n is, but regardless, Hugo is an advanced Expert. As a Learner, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡¯
Solomon was determined to humiliate Henry. That¡¯s why he decided to bring as many witnesses as possible, to use their testimony to remove Henry from his appointed position. Thepany gathered in a circle around the two men, forming a simple arena. Among them, there were some of the members of the special task force who had been savagely scolded by Henry the night before.
There was hope in everyone¡¯s eyes. Rumors about Henry had already spread overnight. For that reason, most of the crowd had eagerly gathered to see the cocky new officer get humiliated.
¡°Will you really be okay with a wooden sword?¡±
¡°That bastard is cocky to the end¡!¡±
¡°Ah! Please don¡¯t misunderstand. I just said that because this is a test for the position of Special Task Force toon Commander. I was wondering if it would be better if we made it as real as possible.¡±
Henry casually strutted around as he exined his reasoning, but everyone just criticized him for his cockiness. Everyone already knew how this was going to end, and they couldn¡¯t bear to listen to his arrogance any further.
Commander Solomon spoke.
¡°Both men, in positions.¡±
The two men held their wooden swords and stood facing each other.
¡°As you are using wooden swords and not real swords, please do your best.¡±
¡®Do your best¡¯. In other words, Solomon was giving the sign of approval for Aura wielders to use their Aura. Henry smiled and lifted the sole of his foot ever so slightly.
Thud.Whoooosh!
Henry¡¯s magic buff wrapped around his whole body. The magic buff he was using this time was Maximum Magic Power, a buff that he had never used before up till this point.
¡°Ready.¡±
Strengthened with immense magical power, Henry¡¯s body trembled as if it was about burst at any moment.
¡°Begin!¡±
Bwooong!
As soon as the match began, Hugo swung his arm. His wooden sword was enveloped in a blue aura, and his eyes were full of vigor. On the other side, Henry¡¯s sword was quietly boosted by the buff¡¯s magic.
ng!
The two swords collided, and a startling scene unfolded.
Hugo¡¯s wooden sword was neatly cut in two.
Chapter 25: The Legendary Platoon Commander (4)
Chapter 25: The Legendary toon Commander (4)
Thud.
Hugo¡¯s splintered wooden sword fell to the floor in an instant. Hugo stood frozen in ce, still holding his word, while Henry, victorious with a single blow, thrust his wooden sword into the hard ground as if erecting a victory monument in the face of the loser.
The crowd looked on in stunned silence.
¡°How was it?¡± Henry asked Solomon.
¡°W-what¡¡±
Even Solomon was left speechless.
¡®H-how does this even make sense?¡¯
Aura was not something that could be cut through so easily. Especially by a Learner-ss swordsman who had yet to familiarize himself with it. But Henry was no ordinary Learner¡ªhe was a 5th-Circle wizard who had reached the Mage rank. Mages possessed a level of magical prowess that was far beyond that of a Sword Master. This was why Mages were given much more respect than Sword Masters.
But Hugo had no way of knowing this. He continued to stare at Henry with a nk look on his face, all while continuing to hold his broken sword.
¡°It was a good duel, sir,¡± Henry said with a smirk.
Hugo had suffered a crushing defeat and with it, an indescribable level of humiliation. An Expert¡disarmed by a swordsman with no Aura.
Having easily ovee the test, Henry made his way through the silent crowd toward the administrative office. Before entering, he turned his head toward thepanymander.
¡°Aren¡¯t youing in? We should begin our morning meeting.¡±
Seeing Henry acting so nonchntly, the crowd was left dumbfounded once more.
* * *
There were only three people left in the office, Henry, Solomon, and Borg.
Hugo was so shocked that he went back to his residence without saying a word, and the other officers couldn¡¯t bear to call for Hugo after witnessing such a humiliating defeat. The officers returned to the administrative office and tried to hold the morning meeting, but they found themselves unable to proceed.
¡°...I¡¯ll be off. I have things to do. Well, then¡¡±
Ultimately, Borg left the office as well. This was the first time Hugo and Borg left the office first, despite the meeting not even beginning. Now, only Solomon and Henry remained. Henry looked at Solomon, arms crossed with a dry expression on his face.
¡°Aren¡¯t you going to start the meeting?¡±
Solomon broke out into cold sweat. Despite Henry being a new officer that had yet to even awaken his aura, Solomon felt tremendously intimidated by Henry, who had a presence that was reminiscent of the Commander-in-Chief.
Solomon could barely pull himself together to respond to Henry.
¡°T-this is the task assigned to you. Please read it and proceed with the task. I think I¡¯ll have to rest for a bit¡¡±
Solomon handed over the meeting papers to Henry and left the office with heavy footsteps.
¡°Foolish bastards.¡±
Only when all of the officers were gone did Henry finally curse at them.
¡®I guess people will always judge a book by its cover.¡¯
It was a foolish way to think, but because most people did it, Henry did not feel that it was something worth preaching about. He looked at the documents that Solomon gave him. They were filled with tasks that the rest of the toonmanders, including Henry, had to do. Henry found his section among the lists of tasks.
However¡
¡°What¡¯s this?¡±
Henry¡¯s first assigned mission was to patrol the Level Nine area of the Mystic Monster Forest and eliminate the Gehennas found there.
¡°You call this a mission?¡±
The unit was under themand of Isn, so he was clearly the one who had assigned him this mission. Henry clicked his tongue in disappointment. However, he could vaguely understand what the Captain meant by assigning him such a mission.
¡®It must be out of consideration. He probably expects me to learn step by step from the ground up what it means to be amander since I¡¯m new and I stillck experience.¡¯
Demonic Beast Forest. It was the only ce on the continent where demonic beasts appeared. At the end of the forest was a huge void, as if the air itself was ripped open. This was the so-called ¡®Gate of the Demon Realm¡¯.
The empire indicated the level of danger in an area ording to its distance from the Gate of the Demon Realm. Closer to the Gate meant closer to the 1st district, and closer to the fortress meant closer to the 9th district. In other words, the 9th district area was the safest area on the outskirts of the forest.
¡®Thanks for your consideration, but I¡¯m not here to do these kinds ofme missions.¡¯
Henry grabbed the paperwork, took one of thepany¡¯s horses and hurried to Isn¡¯s office.
* * *
Knock knock.
¡°Come in.¡±
It was umon for someone to visit Isn at his office so early in the morning. He quickly put down the refreshments he was eating and went to meet his visitor.
It was Henry.
¡°This is toon Commander Henry of the Special Task Force reporting.¡±
Henry bowed his head in greetings as soon as he stepped into Isn¡¯s office. Isn responded with a look of surprise.
¡°What are you doing here?¡±
¡°I came here to discuss the mission you assigned to me.¡±
¡°The mission?¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡±
¡°Tell me more.¡±
¡°I think the details of the mission seem a bit strange.¡±
¡°Strange?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°What¡¯s strange about it?¡±
¡°I was assigned to the special task force to take part in special missions. But today¡¯s mission is a simple reconnaissance mission, something the infantrymen in the main unit can carry out.¡±
Both Isn and Tini looked puzzled. Tini was just about to speak up when Isn stopped her with a firm expression.
¡°I thought you were a smartd, but perhaps I was mistaken?¡±
¡°No. I understand the reason why you gave me this mission, Captain.¡±
¡°And what¡¯s the reason?¡±
¡°To help me build my experience step by step from the ground up?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. There is nothing worse than someone who can¡¯t even get the basics right. Knowing this fully well, how can youe here and tell me that your mission is trivial?¡±
Henry had expected this reaction. In response, he told them the story of his battle with Hugo that had happened just earlier that day. It felt strange that he had to talk himself up, but at least his anecdote would help to emphasize his skills. Hearing Henry¡¯s story, Isn and Tini once again looked puzzled.
¡°You said you defeated that Hugo?¡±
¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±
¡°And you broke Hugo¡¯s Aura-enhanced wooden sword with a single blow?¡±
¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a bad habit to lie to get out of undesirable situations, you know?¡±
¡°You can check for yourself if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±
At Henry¡¯s answer, Isn quietly frowned. This was Hugo they were talking about, after all. The man who would be the next Sword Master with a few more years of training. How could Henry have defeated a man like that?
But Henry¡¯s eyes held nothing but sincerity, and Isn¡¯s thoughts weren¡¯t clouded enough by alcohol to be blind to the sincerity in Henry¡¯s eyes.
¡°Crazy news for this early in the morning, eh?¡±
The decision was made. Isn would have been greatly disappointed if Henry had simplye toin about his assigned mission. But he couldn¡¯t drive out somebody who had defeated the one and only Hugo. This was Isn¡¯s meritocratic understanding of the world.
¡®I must have underestimated this guy all along.¡¯
He knew that Henry had a natural talent, but he had no idea he would be of this caliber. Even a word like ¡®genius¡¯ was far from enough for someone like Henry. Isn couldn¡¯t help but smirk every time Henry came to him with another shocking piece of news.
¡°Kehehe¡¡±
Isn grinned sinisterly, revealing his white teeth. It was an overwhelmingly positive reaction.
¡°Alright, let¡¯s hear it. You kicked aside your first assigned mission because you didn¡¯t like it, so I¡¯m certain you have other missions in mind, no?¡±
It was the answer Henry had been waiting to hear, but he wasn¡¯t in the position to truthfully speak his mind outright. Thus, he decided to lie.
¡°I don¡¯t have a specific mission in mind, but there is somewhere I would like to go.¡±
¡°Somewhere you¡¯d like to go?¡±
¡°Yes. I¡¯d like to visit the 6th district.¡±
¡°Why the 6th district?¡±
¡°Because I¡¯ve never been there before. I heard that the 6th district is the main site of activities for special missions, so I would like to find out more, and I think that would be ideal for my first mission.¡±
Henry¡¯s real reason for choosing the 6th district was simple; the treasure that he was looking for was located there.
¡®I¡¯ve marked it on the map, but it¡¯s been quite a while. It¡¯s good for me to take any advantage that I can get.¡¯
Of course, there werendmarks that indicated where the treasure was hidden. However, Henry wanted to explore the 6th district under the guise of a mission, just in case.
Isn thought briefly about Henry¡¯s request. He could think of no reason to reject it, so he quickly issued an order of eptance.
¡°Okay, I¡¯ll approve it. After all, I was able to gain a lot of experience in the 9th district myself.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
But right after he granted permission, Isn let out an insidiousugh that grabbed Henry¡¯s attention just as he was about to leave.
¡°By the way, toon Commander Henry.¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°It¡¯s still a mission and all, so there¡¯s no way you can just enter the 6th district as if it¡¯s a stroll in the park, eh?¡±
¡°...That¡¯s certainly true.¡±
¡°Since you¡¯re going there anyway, how about I give you a fitting mission for it? How about it? Don¡¯t you want it?¡±
¡°...Of course. Please give me your orders.¡±
Henry had ovee the one and only Hugo. It was natural for Isn to be further curious about Henry. He wanted to test Henry one more time.
¡°Tini, go and retrieve the documents regarding Carter.¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡±
Tini got up from her seat and left the office, towards where the filing cabs were located. Once Tini left, Isn spoke again.
¡°Do you know who the former toonmander was?¡±
¡°I know that his name was Carter.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, Carter. And do you know how he died?¡±
¡°All I know is that he was killed in action during a mission.¡±
¡°Right. He was killed while on duty. But aren¡¯t you at all curious what kind of mission he was on?¡±
The mission killed the former toonmander. Only then did Henry realize Isn¡¯s n.
¡®You sly fox.¡¯
This wasn¡¯t just a casual mention either. Henry knew that for Isn to mention it to him like this, the mission must have been extremely serious or urgent. But Henry couldn¡¯t refuse. Isn had already gotten started.
¡°Yes, I was curious about that, actually.¡±
¡°I knew you would say that.¡±
Henry was truthfully somewhat interested. One of the reasons was that he was curious as to why the entire toon seemed so bereaved after Carter¡¯s death.
¡°The details will be in the documents Tini went to collect, but long story short, Carter was chasing a particr demonic beast for quite some time.¡±
¡°A demonic beast?¡±
¡°Yep. But it wasn¡¯t just any old demonic beast. People call it ¡®ck¡¯, but there isn¡¯t much other information about it.¡±
¡°What kind of beast is it?¡±
¡°This is just a guess, but I think it might be a demon that¡¯s taken a sinister liking to causing chaos.¡±
¡°Demon¡ you say?¡±
Demon. Henry hadn''t heard that word in a long time.
Chapter 26: The Legendary Platoon Commander (5)
Chapter 26: The Legendary toon Commander (5)
¡°That¡¯s right. Also¡ and this is only conjecture at this point, but reportedly, the Demon can talk.¡±
The primary distinguishing feature between demonic beasts and Demons was simple: whether they could speak the humannguage or not. This was why Isn suspected that ck was a Demon.
At that moment, Tini arrived with the documents regarding Carter. Included was a log of all the reports Carter made to Isn.
¡°I have a question,¡± said Henry.
¡°Ask away.¡±
¡°Why did toon Commander Carter pursue ck? Did ck perhaps do massive damage to the fortress?¡±
¡°For revenge.¡±
¡°Excuse me?¡±
¡°Carter first encountered ck when he was still in the infantry. At that time, he was amander in an infantrypany, and he had lost several of his beloved men to ck while out on a mission in the 7th district.¡±
¡°It seems like he had a close rtionship with his men. Were they from his hometown or something?¡±
¡°No, it was forged out of the time he spent with them in the infantry.¡±
¡°Then they must have been highly loyal to him.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. He was someone who could garner loyalty and respect from anyone. He was just that sort of guy.¡±
¡°So he applied for this special mission to avenge his men?¡±
¡°Correct. This mission was actually a mission I gave to him specifically so he could get his revenge. It was practically his personal mission.¡±
¡®My God.¡¯
Carter had truly been a loyal man. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have gone this far to exact revenge for a couple of his men that he had simply met while in the army.
¡°Well, there was a need for someone with outstanding talent, and it was also true that he was the best among the applicants. And a guy with that kind of motivation is much stronger than you think.¡±
¡®He was a massive fool.¡¯
He might have been a massive fool, but considering that he was out for revenge, he had made all the perfect choices. It would have taken a long time to pursue ck, so Carter must have intentionally applied for the special task force that was rtively independent with little outside interference. He even managed to turn his personal revenge quest into an official mission to get the most support he could from the army.
Carter was a fool in some ways, but Henry didn¡¯t think badly of him. After all, Henry, too, was using his godsent second life to exact revenge.
¡®No wonder¡ only because he was such an idiot, the toonmanders hold him in such high regard.¡¯
Carter¡¯s excellent reputation was well-known. Seeing how he even changed hispany in order to take revenge for his former subordinates, he must have garnered plenty of respect in the Needlepany.
In addition, he had spent five years with them. Henry could only then vaguely understand the feelings of the toon members.
¡®I should return Carter¡¯s belongings quickly.¡¯
Henry had put on a dramatic show by pretending to burn Carter¡¯s belongings as a form of shock therapy. But now that he had a clearer picture of what was going on, it was time for him to persuade the Needlepany with carrots, not sticks.
¡°But rtive to the amount of time Carter spent on this, he was able to obtain very little information. Him being new and inexperienced definitely yed a part, but the Demon moved so sporadically that it was hard to keep track of when and where it would appear.¡±
¡°Is that why you called the Demon sinister and prone to causing chaos?¡±
¡°Beasts normally won¡¯t hunt if they¡¯re full. But this Demon isn¡¯t even hungry, and yet enjoys killing our men in the fortress. If that isn¡¯t causing chaos then what is?¡±
It was a reasonable conclusion. The Demon was clearly killing for pleasure if it wasn¡¯t hunting to eat.
¡°And¡ despite this mission initially being for Carter¡¯s revenge, ck has now turned into a key target for the fortress as well. It has to be dealt with by the special task force someday anyways, so you should look into it.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
¡°All the details are in these documents, so take a look, and you will start this afternoon. I will grant you a special break in the morning to gather information.¡±
¡°Thank you, Captain.¡±
¡°No need to thank me¡ oh, and one more thing.¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°I know you¡¯re a smart guy, and I know you¡¯ll do well, but don¡¯t overdo it. If you die a dog¡¯s death out there, we won¡¯t even be able to retrieve your corpse.¡±
It sounded like a warning, but it was a thoughtful piece of advice. Some of themanders had already died, and Isn didn¡¯t want to lose a genius like Henry.
¡®Crazy bastard, how about you don''t give me this kind of mission, then?¡¯
Henry gathered the documents and silently returned to his residence.
* * *
¡®Demons, huh.¡¯
When it came to Demons, Henry had had a few encounters with them in the past. He had run into them when he confronted the Demon King. The beings whomanded the demonic beasts under the Demon King were Demons.
That¡¯s what made the whole situation even weirder. As far as Henry was aware, Demons only appeared from the 3rd district onward.
¡®What on earth is with this Demon?¡¯
It could speak, but it was designated as a 6th district demonic beast. There were signs that it was a Demon, but nothing was yet to be confirmed¡
It was truly an enigma.
¡®If it¡¯s really a Demon, then this is going to be a headache.¡¯
There were subsses within the Demon race. Even mages were powerful enough to subdue novice Demons. However, certain Demons, ones with years¡¯ worth of umted magical power, would be difficult for Henry to handle at his power level.
That was how dangerous Demons were.
Henry began to cote all the avable information about ck by reading through the documents Tini had provided.
¡®This is all?¡¯
For a report that was the culmination of five years of effort, it contained an absurdly small amount of information.
Henry¡¯s final summary of ck¡¯s characteristics, ording to what was listed in the report, was as follows.
- ck is good at transformation skills.
- ck is a 6th district Mystic Monster, but it sometimes appears in the 7th and 8th districts.
- ck can speak humannguage.
- ck has condensed magical strength.
- ck¡¯s body is not uniform.
- ck is intelligent, and it is certain that he is smarter than the average human.
¡®This makes things difficult.¡¯
This was the kind of information that could be determined on the first encounter. Henry had no choice but toplete this mission in his own way.
¡°Let¡¯s take a look.¡±
Sitting at the table and nning delusionally was something only ipetent civil servants would do.
One had to get directly involved to achieve anything.
Only by getting directly involved and formting a n based on the information one had could one develop an ideal strategy. Having made his decision, Henry called Allonde over before lunchtime.
¡°Did you call for me?¡±
Compared to the other members of the toon, Allonde had a bit more experience and age, and was the deputy toonmander in charge of the special task force.
Deputy toonmanders were responsible for misceneous duties and managing the soldiers on behalf of the toonmander.
¡°We¡¯ve received a mission. We¡¯re patrolling the 6th district this afternoon.¡±
¡°The 6th district?¡±
Henry¡¯s blunt expression raised Allonde¡¯s curiosity.
¡°The creature is known as ¡®ck¡¯... I¡¯m sure that you know him, don¡¯t you, Deputy Commander?¡±
¡°...Of course.¡±
Carter¡¯s death was all thanks to ck, so there was no way Allonde would not have known about it. When Henry mentioned ck by its name, Allonde¡¯s eyes sharpened.
¡°I took over toon Commander Carter¡¯s mission. I would want to catch him right away if I could, but it¡¯s not as easy as it sounds, is it?¡± asked Henry.
¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±
¡°The five years¡¯ worth of information that toon Commander Carter gathered isn¡¯t of much use. So I intend to investigate this Demon again, starting from scratch. Since today¡¯s the first day of the mission, I intend to just do some light reconnaissance. So spread the word to the toon.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
¡°Oh, and one more thing¡¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°Take these with you.¡±
Before Allonde could leave the residence, Henry held out arge box that he had hidden under the bed next to him.
¡°What is this?¡±
¡°The belongings of your former toonmander.¡±
¡°...Pardon me?¡±
¡°Did you really think I burnt them all? I have no need for them, so take them for yourselves. Is that Gabo guy doing alright, by the way?¡±
¡°Ah¡¡±
Allonde¡¯s face expressed a mix of emotions as he tried to process what he just heard.
¡°What are you still doing here, standing around? Move along.¡±
¡°Ah, ah, yes! Understood!¡±
Right before Allonde stepped out of Henry¡¯s residence, he suddenly turned back to look at Henry.
¡°toon Commander, sir.¡±
¡°Why are you still here?¡±
¡°Thank you very much. And I¡¯m sorry.¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine. But if you guys show me an attitude like that one more time, I won¡¯t look past it. Make sure to convey that to the men.¡±
¡°Yes, sir! Salute!¡±
Allonde saluted Henry loudly. His arm was sharply angled, and his face was full of sincerity. It was a genuine salute, used by the Imperial Army to show respect. But Henry waved his hand, ushering Allonde along.
¡°Salute¡¯s a bit too much.¡±
The Imperial Army¡¯s salute was used as a sign of respect for someone regardless of their respective ranks, and it wasn¡¯t something that was performed casually. Allonde saluting his new toonmander, whom he had been ufortable with in the beginning, meant that he had dropped the ill feelings he had toward Henry.
¡®How sweet.¡¯
With that thought in mind, Henry got up.
¡®Then, shall I make a move as well?¡¯
A toon meant team y. The most important thing was teamwork, and in order for a team to work well, every member had to have deep trust in one another. Now, Henry had secured a basic level of trust by returning the former toonmander¡¯s belongings to the toon members. One of them saluting Henry was evidence of that, especially because it was Allonde, the deputy toonmander.
Henry soon filled his desk with documents outlining the details of his men, as well as a couple of short, nk parchments.
Although it was important to investigate ck as ordered, he had another reason for suggesting a mission in the 6th district in the first ce, and he had not forgotten about it.
* * *
¡°Everyone, gather around.¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
After lunch, the special task force members gathered together at Henry¡¯s order. Many were anxious about what Henry would pull next.
¡°Did everyone eat their fill?¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
¡°Starting now, we¡¯ll begin the reconnaissance mission in the 6th district, as I have already mentioned to our deputy toonmander.¡±
The looks of apprehension disappeared from everyone¡¯s faces. They had already heard the truth from Allonde. In addition, since this was a mission to uncover Carter¡¯s death, they were not only motivated but burning eagerly with passion.
¡°Then let¡¯s set off.¡±
In order to enter the Demonic Beast Forest, they had to pass through the defensive line located at the rearmost part of the fortress, which was arge wall. The wall at the rear of the fortress was exceptionally taller and stronger than the other walls, and as a result, the most dangerous ce in the fortress was paradoxically also the safest. There were always arge number of elite soldiers, priests and wizards around to stand guard.
As soon as the special task force arrived at the wall, the guards standing on duty stopped them.
¡°Identify yourselves.¡±
¡°We are the special task force toon, belonging to the special task forcepany, under the directmand of the Commander-in-Chief. toon Commander Henry Morris and nine other men.¡±
¡°What¡¯s the nature of your business?¡±
¡°We¡¯re on a mission.¡±
¡°...Enter!¡±
Hundreds of soldiers entered and exited this district every day. Each time, they had to present an ess permit and go through a strict reporting system to get past the security. This was because they could not afford to make an error and let a demonic beast in by mistake.
But the special task force was different. It was a unit directly under themand of Isn, the highest-rankingmander among themanders. All of them could easily pass through without a permit and without going through the strict reporting system.
Creaaaaak.
As soon as permission was granted, the huge gate in front of them creaked open.
This was only the first gate. When all the toon members passed through, the first gate closed with a loud thud, and the second gate opened immediately after.
¡®Security is definitely tight here.¡¯
The reason for using two gates was the same reason why the security was so tight; to prevent any monsters from sneaking in.
Creaaaak- thud!
Using a pulley system, the second gate opened slowly from top to bottom. It was a drawbridge that connected the fortress to the Demonic Beast Forest over the huge cliff.
¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
As soon as the bridge was in position and secured, the toon crossed it with unified footsteps.
¡®It¡¯s just as dark as I remember.¡¯
As they crossed the bridge, Henry squinted and took a nce downward at the deep, wide ravine. Henry had split open the earth and created this ravine himself with an earthquake.
¡®Reminds me of the good old days.¡¯
They soon reached the end of the bridge, and Henry stepped into the Demonic Beast Forest for the first time in decades.
Chapter 27: Febreezy (1)
Chapter 27: Febreezy (1)
¡®It¡¯s been a while.¡¯
As Henry crossed the cliff and stepped into the forest, the distinct musty smell unique to the Demonic Beast Forest stung his nostrils.
Their destination was the 6th district.
The distance from the entrance of the huge Demonic Beast Forest to the 6th district was further than he had thought, so he decided they should speed things up a bit.
¡®Shall we begin?¡¯Thud.
Henry raised his right foot ever so slightly and lightly kicked up a small cloud of dirt. Then, intangible mana spewed out from the soles of his feet and embraced the entire toon.
¡®Mass Solitude.¡¯
The magic was cast, abination magic developed by Henry that protected those under its area of effect, allowing them to be hidden even inrge crowds. Of course, the toon members had no idea that this spell had just been cast, thanks to Henry¡¯s ability to smoothly activate evenrge-scale spells like this while maintaining a low profile.
¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
The special task force began to move through the forest, now undetected.
* * *
¡°Is today just our lucky day or something?¡±
¡°You¡¯re right, how could we not have run into any trouble so far?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve got a good feeling about today.¡±
The toon finally reached the safety zone of the 6th district, amazed that they were able to avoid any sort of danger. They couldn¡¯t help but wonder about their good fortune. Henry was also taken by surprise, but for a different reason.
¡®I didn¡¯t know that Mass Solitude was being used in such a ce.¡¯
He had no idea that thebination magic he had created was also being used to create the safety zone. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that he felt angry toward his imitators or anything like that. Although Mass Solitude was Henry¡¯s invention, he had released the form for the spell publicly out of loyalty to the empire.
After arriving at the safety zone, the toon took a short rest before Henry spoke up.
¡°Everyone, pay attention.¡±
¡°Attention!¡±
The toon members stood up straight, prepared to begin their full-fledged search mission.
¡°Our purpose today is to get a lead on ck. I have some information about ck that toon Commander Carter recorded over the past five years, but to be honest, it hasn¡¯t been very helpful. So, I want to start again from scratch, my way.¡±
The moment Henry mentioned ck, the mood among the toon members turned serious. It was a good source of motivation for them; they would do anything to get revenge for Carter.
¡°So starting today, we¡¯re going to look for some clues. ording to the observation reports, ck is suspected of being a Demon because it is not only a 6th district demonic beast, but it can also speak ournguage. It is also said that it has quite a strong magical presencepared to other demonic beasts of the same ss. Therefore¡¡±
Henry took some papers from his possession and showed them to the toon members.
¡°We have to find this first.¡±
The paper he took out had a picture of a mushroom that no one had ever seen before.
¡°Sir, what is that?¡± asked Allonde.
¡°The mushroom you see pictured here is called ¡®Kin Mushroom¡±. Kin Mushrooms are a kind of demonic mushroom, known to grow from the 5th district onward.¡±
.
¡°But isn¡¯t this the 6th district?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why we¡¯re looking out for this guy. This mushroom needs to be in the presence of the 5th district¡¯s magic for it to grow.¡±
¡°Ah! If ck is a 6th district Demonic Beast, then this mushroom must be growing near his dwelling ce, right?¡± said one of the toon members.
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
As expected of elite soldiers, they caught on quickly. Henry gave each of the toon members a piece of paper with a Kin Mushroom pictured on it.
¡°This is a demonic mushroom, so it is a parasite that lives through a host. So if you find a ce that is exceptionally dark, be on a lookout for it.¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡±
¡°In order to maximize our efficiency, I will divide the toon into two teams, with the toonmander and myself as the main leads. Since the toon is divided, encounters with demonic beasts should be minimized as much as possible. Rendezvous will be in the safety zone in six hours. Oh, and deputy toonmander, take this,¡± said Henry, handing the deputymander a small scroll.
¡°Sir, what is this?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a magical support item. If you tear this parchment in an emergency, your location will be transmitted to me, so be sure to only use it in an emergency.¡±
¡°...This is the first time I¡¯m seeing such an item, how did you even acquire this?¡±
¡°It was specially given to me by the Captain. It¡¯s an expensive one, so take good care of it.¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
Of course, that was a lie. This was a magical scroll¡ªEmergency Paper¡ªthat Henry himself had crafted and endowed with the Position Transmission spell. It wasmon knowledge that magic scrolls were rarely avable to the general public due to their high price. But for a mage like Henry, making a scroll like this was a very simple task. Perhaps because of their rarity, the toon members seemed very moved by the thought that Isn had given something so important to them.
¡°Then, we will form our groups.¡±
The two groups formed quickly and started to head out in opposite directions. As long as they followed the perimeter, they would eventually meet in the middle of the opposite side, so if all went ording to n, there was nothing to worry about. The real objective of the mission had begun.
After some time, the pursuit was in full swing.
¡°Um¡ toon Commander, sir?¡± asked one of Henry¡¯s team members.
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°I¡¯m curious about something, may I ask you a question?¡±
In the past, Henry would have responded coldly with a blunt ¡°no¡± and informed the toon member to focus on the mission, but now that camaraderie had been restored, Henry readily allowed the question.
¡°Sure.¡±
¡°Thank you. Sir, I¡¯m certain that you are a new officer, so how did youe up with such a clever way to make use of the Kin Mushrooms to track down ck?¡±
¡°That¡¯s all you were curious about?¡±
¡°Yes. It¡¯s just fascinating to me.¡±
¡°I read it in a book called ¡®Demonic Beast Forest¡ªA Botanical Encyclopedia¡¯.¡±
¡°The botanical¡what¡ are you referring to that incredibly thick book¡?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
The history of the Demonic Beast Forest was much deeper than anyone could imagine. It existed long before even the empire itself was born. As such, there were many books about it. Just looking at the thickness of a specialized book like the botanical encyclopedia was enough to knock someone out.
¡°For reference, I have the entire book memorized.¡±
¡°Wait, what? Just having read the whole thing is amazing enough, but you¡¯ve memorized it?¡±
¡°It was an easy task for me. Do you want to verify it for yourself?¡±
¡°Oh, no, no, sir! Whoa, how did you memorize the entire thing?¡±
Henry was lying. Even for him, it was difficult to memorize all the details, such as the flowering time of specific nts or the number of varieties of cotyledons that had been discovered. However, most of the important information, such as appearance, usage, and important points to be aware of, he hadmitted to memory. This was because all the animals and nts in the Demonic Beast Forest were important magical ingredients.
¡®Even the Kin Mushroom that we¡¯re looking for right now is something that I spread here in the first ce.¡¯
That was right.
The Kin Mushroom, which the toon was searching for believing it would help them find ck, was, in fact, andmark of sorts that Henry had scattered decades ago to protect his treasure.
¡®It doesn¡¯t even make sense in the first ce that a 5th district species would reside in a 6th district, does it?¡¯
nts in the Demon Realm had simr characteristics to demonic beasts, in the sense that there was a clear hierarchy between the different tiers. As such, each area had its own distinct ecosystem and species residing within them.
For example, the reason why Kin Mushrooms only grew in the 5th district was because of the specific demonic energy that only existed there. It was not possible for Kin Mushrooms to grow in a 6th district by feeding off of ck¡¯s energy alone, but if specific conditions were met, colonies could form in areas that would otherwise be a hostile environment.
It was Henry who had nted the mushrooms, a 5th district species, in the 6th district after cultivating the required specific conditions with much difficulty. If a 5th district species was sessfully nted in a 6th district, it was assured that it would not be eaten.
¡®I¡¯m sorry for lying, but I have my own priorities.¡¯
His initial n was to suggest patrols in the 6th district to find the treasures that he had hidden there. However, by coincidence, Carter¡¯s mission ovepped with his own objective, thus he decided to borrow the strength of his toon. No matter how manyndmarks he may have ced, it would still have been very difficult to find them in this massive forest all by himself.
Of course, he still nned to look for ck while conducting this treasure hunt. Aside from wanting his treasure, he was genuinely curious about this unknown entity.
The two teams¡¯ search continued until the day ended.
* * *
¡®Did we really end up with nothing?¡¯
They followed the designated routes as safely and meticulously as possible, but they did not find a single spore from the Kin Mushroom, let alone any leads on ck. Nobody from the toon had expected to be so lucky from day one, but when Henry looked around disappointedly, the toon members seemed a little moved.
¡®You had no rtionship with Commander Carter and yet, you care so much¡¡¯¡®To think that I¡¯ve been misunderstanding such a good person, I¡¯m such a terrible guy¡¡¯¡®Why wasn¡¯t I able to find a single mushroom? Am I some sort of fool?!¡¯¡®Who cares if he¡¯s a greenhorn? From now on, I swear allegiance to our new toonmander!¡¯
Having a task force with a strong bond like this had its advantages and disadvantages.
Deep misunderstandings continued to pile up.
* * *
That very night, when everyone was asleep, Henry headed to the spacious vacant lot behind his residence. It was a full moon.
¡°dks skdhaus cjemfdjrksek znd Wkfk znd Wkr.¡±?Shoooosh!
When the spell was cast, Hector¡¯s engagement ring, now receiving the energy of the full moon, summoned the cold gates of the Underworld.
- Long time no see.
¡°How have you been, Hector?¡±
Recently, the biggest topic of conversation between the two was about Aura. Hector was hoping that Henry would ascend as soon as possible and find a Necromancer who might know the secrets to resurrection. Driven by this, Hector had a fierce passion for Henry¡¯s education, more than anyone else.
- You should be assigned to a unit by now, shouldn¡¯t you?
¡°Of course. Also, I put those whoughed at me a while back in their ces.¡±
- Whoa, who dared tough at you?
¡°Some of the Sword Experts doubted my skills. So I showed them a glimpse of my power and they quickly tucked their tails between their legs.¡±
- How embarrassing for them. To be fair, from a Sword Expert¡¯s point of view, there¡¯s nothing more trivial than a mere Learner. Anyway, has there been any progress? You haven¡¯t already mastered auras, have you?
Hector asked with anticipation.
¡°What progress? I suddenly got entrusted with a bothersome task, so I can¡¯t even focus on my training right now.¡±
- Bothersome task?
¡°Something like that. Anyway, because of that, I haven¡¯t been able to even fight against a single demonic beast despite them being right in front of my eyes.¡±
- What is it that you have to endure even when your training partner is right in front of you? Is it something really that important?
¡°Something like that.¡±
- You¡¯re really not going to tell me, huh?
There was a great sadness in Hector¡¯s eyes. As it turned out, the dead were far more susceptible to sadness than the living. This was how evil spirits were born, after all. Realizing this, Henry immediately started to exin what was going on.
¡°Truth is¡¡±
His exnation continued for a while, as he rattled off the details of the toon¡¯s hunt for ck. Toward the end of his story, Hector replied with a couple of nods.
- So, it means that your training will be disrupted until you catch this ¡®ck¡¯, right?
¡°Most likely.¡±
- That won¡¯t do. Shouldn¡¯t you catch this ck thing first then, no matter what?
¡°Easier said than done.¡±
- Tsk tsk, for someone who calls himself a mage, you sure are stupid.
¡°What?¡±
- It¡¯s like you¡¯re forgoing the easy way and deciding to take the hard route. Why are you trying to chase this guy around yourself? Why not just ask the eyewitness?
¡°Eyewitness?¡±
- Based on your story, this Carter guy was so obsessed with ck that he chased after him for five years, right? I¡¯m sure that hasn¡¯t changed, even in death. I bet Carter is wandering around the Underworld right now, unable to let go of his regrets.
¡°What does that have to do with eyewitnesses¡ ah!¡± Henry suddenly realized.
- Now, do you understand?
When Hector said ¡°eyewitness¡±, he was referring to the one who was killed by ck: Carter himself.
Chapter 28: Febreezy (2)
Chapter 28: Febreezy (2)
¡®To think that there was such an easy solution.¡¯
Frankly, Henry was surprised. He loved using the fastest and most convenient methods avable, but he had never thought of such an idea. On the other hand, Henry also felt that Hector was able toe up with it just because he was a dead man himself.
¡°Wait for a while here.¡±
- I¡¯ll be waiting patiently, so take your time.
Hector was right. Carter was so obsessed with hunting down ck for five years, it was likely that he would not be able to put the matter to rest, even in death. Even though he now resided in the Underworld just like Hector, he probably had new pieces of information that were not written in the report.
Henry headed to Carter¡¯s residence. Most of Carter¡¯s belongings had been collected and handed over to Allonde, but not all. The residence should have been in the same state as when Henry had stopped by a few days ago. After turning on the lights, Henry looked around for items that could contain Carter¡¯s energy. However, contrary to what he thought, Carter¡¯s residence was clean.
¡®Oh my¡ they cleaned it already?¡¯
It appeared that the toon members had cleaned up the residence.
¡®This is a problem. I can¡¯t wake them up in the middle of the night either¡¡¯
The toon members lived together in amon barracks, and it wasn¡¯t possible for Henry to enter as he pleased because of the night patrols. Henry sat down on a nearby chair, thinking for a long time about what memento he could use to temporarily bring Carter back to life.
¡®It must be something he loved more than anything else in his life¡ hmm, perhaps¡?¡¯?
Finally, something appropriate came to mind: the ¡®Report on ck¡¯ that Carter had written himself while he was still alive.
¡®It¡¯s highly likely that Carter valued it more than anything else!¡¯
It just so happened that the report was in Henry¡¯s possession. Henry returned to the residence again, then took out one of the reports that wasid out on the desk and hurriedly began preparing for necromancy.
- By the way, Henry.
While he was drawing the magic circle, Hector, who was watching from the side, suddenly spoke up.
¡°What?¡±
- What happens to me if you summon another being?
It was an unexpected question. Henry had honestly never thought of it before.
¡°Well. I¡¯ve never tried it, so I won¡¯t know. Do you think it would be a problem?¡±
- I mean, well, yeah¡
Henry wasn¡¯t sure, but strangely, he wasn¡¯t worried. Soon, hepleted the magic circle. He ced the report inside and began to cast a spell, just as he did with Hector.
¡°wkRn Ekfktj cu qhwl aktpdu ehrwkemf.¡±Whooong!
The magic circle was activated, shing crimson again. Soon, it opened a gap that revealed the Underworld.
- So that¡¯s how it went with me.
Hector looked at the gap curiously, his arms crossed.
¡®Seems like Hector is fine.¡¯
Apparently, newly summoned spirits were treated as separate entities from previous ones.
Henry called out Carter¡¯s name to summon his spirit.
¡°Carter.¡±
Then, a long time passed.
¡°Mm?¡±
The pair of eyes that should have shown themselves at that point were nowhere to be seen. Puzzled, Henry called out Carter¡¯s name once more.
¡°Carter?¡±
But once again, there was no response. Henry tried calling out several more times, but each time his calls were met with silence. Henry exchanged puzzled nces with Hector, who had been silently watching. Finally, he spoke up.
- This may just be the old man in me speaking but¡
¡°Mm?¡±
- Perhaps his soul doesn¡¯t exist in the Underworld?
¡°What do you mean? His soul doesn¡¯t exist?¡±
- Well, it''s definitely the Underworld over there, but I can¡¯t feel a single soul across it.
¡°Then do you think the summoning failed?¡±
- I have no idea. Either the summoning failed, or the offering was wrong. But from what I can tell, both the offering and the magic circle seem perfect.
¡°And how do you know that?¡±
- Because the gateway to the Underworld is open.
¡°...You¡¯re not making this any easier to understand.¡±
Henry wanted to believe what Hector was saying, but there was no precedent for something like this. Henry eventually erased the magic circle and tried to summon Carter again several times.
But each time, the end result was the same.
¡®What exactly am I doing wrong?¡¯
Henry was starting to feel frustrated. He eventually even snuck into the barracks and brought back Carter¡¯s other belongings that were in their possession and tried using them for the ritual. Ultimately, however, the result was always the same.
A few hourster, an exhausted Henry slumped into his chair, his head bowed in defeat.
¡°This is driving me crazy¡¡±
Because Henry was so new to ck magic, he had no choice but to painstakingly double-check every single aspect of the ritual. It was a tedious task, and Henry was growing increasingly frustrated by the consecutive failures. Time was running out.
- This is just a guess, but¡
Hector, patiently watching from the side, suddenly spoke up.
- This Carter guy¡is it possible that he¡¯s still alive?
¡°What are you talking about?¡±
- You said that necromancy is magic that targets spirits, right? Then, what if¡ this Carter guy is still alive, and that¡¯s why you can¡¯t summon him?
¡°What nonsense. Even if he wasn¡¯t killed by ck, it''s already been so long since he went missing that he would have starved to death by now.¡±
Henry waved his hand, dismissing Hector¡¯sment, but Hector doubled down.
- Nothing wrong with checking it, is there? Why not try using a living being to perform the ritual this time?
¡°And what if something goes wrong?¡±
- And here I thought you liked taking the convenient route.
¡°That¡¯s true, but¡¡±
Hector¡¯s confident proposal to experiment with the living caused Henry to have second thoughts.
¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve thought of another method.¡±
- You¡¯re so weak-minded. What is it?
¡°ck¡¯s victims aren¡¯t just Carter himself, but his old subordinates as well.¡±
- His old subordinates? It''s been five years, where are you going to find their relics?
¡°If this was any other ce, that might have been tough. But in the Caliburn Fortress, there is only one ce I can think of.¡± Henry answered with a twinkle in his eyes.
* * *
Henry visited the Cradle of Heroes, a hall where Caliburn¡¯s fallen heroes were memorialized. Usually, these fallen heroes would be buried in the Tomb of Heroes located near the fortress. However, for men like Carter, whose bodies could not be retrieved, they were enshrined along with their belongings in the Cradle of Heroes located inside the fortress.
Henry first gathered information on Carter¡¯s fallen subordinates by reviewing his documents.
Carter had been a man of focus. He had written the names of his fallen subordinates on the other side of his reports in order to keep himself focused on his quest for revenge. Among the names, Henry decided on a subordinate by the name of Holtervelt, as it was the most memorable name out of them all.
With not a single guard on duty, and with Henry¡¯s status as an officer, it was easy to infiltrate the memorial. He sneaked in and looked around for Holtervelt¡¯s name.
¡®Found it¡ here you are.¡¯
The memorial quememorating Holtervelt wasn¡¯t too far away. It was ced in a small ss container and disyed on the wall along with numerous other ques.
After he paid his respects to the dead, he slid open the container with magic, took out one of the mementos¡ªa pendant¡ªand returned to his residence. Once inside, he quickly re-casted the necromancy spell.
¡°xhgofk wkrrktl rmfdmf soshk.¡±Whooong!
A bright crimson light shed once again, followed by the chilling rift to the Underworld. This time, a pair of red eyes appeared.
- Sess.
¡°Holtervelt.¡±
The moment Henry recited his name, Holtervelt¡¯s soul, which had been imprisoned in the Underworld, finally revealed itself.
- ¡This is?
Holtervelt had a much more innocent face than Henry had imagined. He was huge and burly, but in spite of his size, he had a rather demure voice.
Hector raised an eyebrow.
- What¡¯s wrong with this guy?
¡°Be quiet.¡±
Unlike Hector, Holtervelt didn¡¯t seem to realize the situation he was in. Henry approached him and began to speak.
¡°Mr. Holtervelt?¡±
- W-who are you? What are you doing with my pendant?
¡°Allow me to introduce myself. I am Henry Morris, toon Commander of the special task force under Commander Isn of Caliburn Fortress.
- Caliburn¡? Perhaps, the unit I was serving in¡?
¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m also the sessor to Commander Carter.¡±
- Carter? You mean Captain Carter?
¡°Back then, he was Captain, but he was promoted not too long ago as the toonmander of the special task force that I¡¯m now in charge of.¡±
Holtervelt seemed to finally realize what was happening. As soon as he did, he began crying out to Carter like a baby bird looking for its mother.
- W-wait! Captain Carter, ah, no, I mean, toon Commander Carter, where is he now? Can I meet him? If you can let me meet him, please let me!- You two are kindred spirits.
¡°Quiet.¡±
Henry calmed Holtervelt and continued speaking.
¡°Mr. Holtervelt, I apologize for suddenly summoning you from the Underworld out of the blue, but it is precisely because of Commander Carter that I¡¯ve summoned you.¡±
- Excuse me? Did something happen to themander?
¡°Yes. Commander Carter is currently missing because of ck, the very being that killed you.¡±
It was harder than Henry had expected to exin things to someone who had been dead for several years. It wasn¡¯t easy to bring heartbreaking news to a man who had already suffered death. When everything was said and done, Holtervelt, unable to shed real tears, began to cry out loud.
Some might call such a sight bizarre, but Henry and Hector waited respectfully for him to release his sorrow. After a while, Holtervelt finally regained some of hisposure.
- I apologize¡ I just recalled the times that we had back then¡
¡°No need to apologize. The pain of losing someone close to you is hard to bear, even in death.¡±
- Still, to think that ourmander was fighting alone for thest five years¡
He began crying once again, and Henry once again patiently waited.
¡°Do you remember any noteworthy features that ck had?¡±
After Holtervelt collected himself, Henry carefully addressed the matter at hand.
- Of course. That¡¯s why I was asking you if I could see Commander Carter.
With his weak voice came a piece of good news. It was worth all the waiting.
- Some of the information that was reported earlier was incorrect.
¡°What information?¡±
- ck is not some transfiguration master. It is not even a Demon.
Henry furrowed his brow when he heard that the valuable data recorded in the five-year-long report was wrong.
¡°Why do you say so?¡±
- At that moment, Commander Carter was not present, so he might not have seen it with his own eyes, but I was thest to be killed among ck¡¯s victims, so I got a good look at him. ck is not very good at transfiguration, it is simply a being who wears the skin of others.
¡°Wears their skin?¡±
- Yes. It is almost like an evil spirit. At first, I thought it was simply a ck Gehenna from the 7th district, but as soon as it closed the distance between itself and myrade, it transferred its entire being inside him through his mouth and took over his body in an instant.¡®Transferred its entire being?¡¯
Given this information, several types of demonic beasts came to Henry¡¯s mind.
¡°But how can you tell that it is not a Demon just based on that?¡±
- It revealed that by itself. It said that it will soon be a Demon¡ and that was thest thing I heard.¡®Soon be a Demon?¡¯
At those words, Henry immediately thought of the evolutionary races. Evolutionary races were a type of demonic beast that could evolve into full-fledged Demons. They achieved this through a period of preparation in which they absorbedrge amounts of demonic energy.
These clues led Henry to think of multiple possible scenarios.
Chapter 29: Febreezy (3)
Chapter 29: Febreezy (3)
¡®If it was preparing to be a Demon five years ago, then it might already be a Demon by now. This is getting worse and worse.¡¯
The situation was much more serious than Henry had expected. If ck had already evolved into a Demon, then there was a high probability that it had ventured out into the depths of the Demonic Beast Forest rather than remain in the 6th district.
¡°Do you have any other information you can tell me?¡±
- There is, but I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m certain about it¡
¡°Anything. No matter how trivial it may sound, any information you have is valuable right now.¡±
Encouraged by Henry¡¯s words, Holtervelt began to describe his death in greater detail.
- So¡ right before I was killed, ck came toward me, wearing the skin of myrade. Mm¡ so that was right before it entered me, too. It seemed amused by how terrified I was, like some kind of deranged killer. Right then, it told me, ¡°Know that it is an honor to be eaten by me, for I will soon be a Demon.¡± Then it entered my mouth. It felt like everything happened very quickly, you know? How should I put this¡ it kinda felt like I was hypnotized, or in a daze¡?¡±
¡°You think it was using hypnosis?¡±
- Yes. For a moment, everything in my mind was a total blur, as if I was drunk¡ Anyway, once it entered me, I could feel the entire process very vividly, you know? Especially when it prated my mind, it felt like some kind of parasite was crawling around inside my brain.
¡°When you say it prated your mind¡ honestly, I am having trouble picturing it, could you exin it with a little more detail?¡±
-?Mm¡ it felt like our souls were being united.
¡°Union of souls¡¡±
- The moment it entered my head, I could see some of its memories. No, it was perhaps more like I could feel its emotions¡? Anyways, I suddenly felt an intense sense of pleasure¡ ah, yes! That scent! The scent was why it attacked us.¡®Scent?¡¯
Holtervelt¡¯s exnation was getting more and more difficult to understand. Nevertheless, he continued.
- Its emotions merged together with mine once it took over my body. I could feel the same pleasure as ck. It might have derived that pleasure from killing, or perhaps it was the lust to conquer a body and the craving for that scent.
Within Holtervelt¡¯s esoteric exnation, Henry finally caught on to an important clue.
¡°What kind of scent was it?¡±
- It was a deodorant.
¡°Deodorant you say?¡±
- Yes, the sensation was so intense that I am certain of it. It was the scent of a deodorant that we had bought from a trader. Only myrades and I had used it.
¡°But shouldn¡¯t deodorants get rid of smells?
¡°Normally, yes. But the one we used had a slightly distinct scent.¡±
Water was a precious resource. Most people could only afford enough to bathe using a wet towel to wipe themselves down. This resulted in the invention of deodorants, which, even in small quantities, could get rid of the awful smell of sweat.
- As you may already know, the deodorant that¡¯s provided by the army doesn¡¯t work very well, it¡¯s just sticky. So, as soon as I got my first payment, even though I was stretching my finances a bit, Imitted to purchasing a good deodorant.
¡°So you think that you were attacked because of that deodorant?¡±
- Yes. I don¡¯t know why, but the smell of that deodorant seemed to simte its desires intensely. At least, that¡¯s what I felt.
Holtervelt argued that the trace amount of fragrance contained in his deodorant was the cause, but something felt off. Before any soldier was sent out into the forest, they were required to apply a camouge scent that hid their scent from demonic beasts.
¡°That¡¯s strange. The scent of a deodorant usually dissipates as soon as it is applied, and on top of that, the camouge scent should have been applied on top of it. Is it possible for a deodorant to prate the camouge scent like that?¡±
- I can¡¯t say for certain, but that¡¯s what I felt. Also, in case you¡¯re not aware, demonic beasts¡¯ sense of smell is very sensitive, unlike us humans.
He was correct. No matter how well Henry knew the demonic beasts in the forest, he didn¡¯t understand them well enough to understand their individual preferences.
¡®To think that a deodorant was what started all of this¡¡¯
It was a little disappointing to discover that this entire tragedy had been set into motion because of a simple deodorant. However, it also made things a lot easier.
¡°Do you remember the name of the deodorant?¡±
- It¡¯s so famous, you¡¯ve probably heard of it too. It¡¯s called ¡®Febreezy¡¯.¡±
¡°You mean the one thates in that turquoise bottle?¡±
- Yes, that one. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s still popr, but it was quite a big deal back in my day. Everyone wanted a bottle, even if it meant stretching our finances a little bit.
Even Henry knew about Febreezy. Henry tried to get more information out of Holtervelt, but that was all he had.
- I just have one request for you. I don¡¯t even expect revenge. Just, if you find Commander Carter, can you please just convey my thanks?
¡°Of course. And don¡¯t worry. I will rescue him, and I will get you your revenge too.¡±
- Thank you. Oh, and one more thing¡- Hey there. Enough.
Hector, who had been silently listening to their conversation, suddenly interrupted Holtervelt.
- Sorry?
¡°Hector, what¡¯s the matter?¡±
- It¡¯s already enough that you¡¯re making promises to him. Listen here, Holtervelt. I know that you have a lot of regrets about your past life, but let¡¯s end this here, shall we?- ¡Yes. Perhaps I am being too greedy. Well then.
At Hector¡¯s resolute remarks, Holtervelt dispersed into the air like a mirage and disappeared from view.
Immediately after he disappeared, Henry snapped at Hector. ¡°Why are you like this? Surely, it would have been okay for him to ask me for a few favors? He provided me with some crucial information.¡±
- No. He may look innocent, but I could see in his eyes that he had many regrets. The more favors you grant him, the bigger his requests will grow, and eventually, he¡¯ll be cursed.
¡°Just like you?¡±
- Pfft, if you see it that way, then I have nothing else to say. All I can say is that¡¯s not it.
¡°Selfish bastard.¡±
- Why, you!
¡°Fine, fine. I get it. You did butt in at the right time. If it wasn¡¯t for you, I would have been listening to him all day.¡±
Hector¡¯s argument held some truth. If he hadn¡¯t intervened, Henry would have ended up in a never-ending cycle of favors for Holtervelt. Ultimately, he might have cursed the pendant, just like Hector had done with his memento.
¡®As expected of ck magic¡¡¯
Once again, Henry had been reminded of the dangers of ck magic.
¡°Anyway, as soon as the sunes up, I¡¯ll have to get my hands on a bottle of Febreezy.¡±
- So, you¡¯re finally done? Then, let¡¯s resume our training. It¡¯s alreadyte.
¡°Sure. You¡¯re right, we spent way too much time investigating the witness.¡±
Having secured the information he needed, Henry trained until the sun rose.
* * *
The next day, after breakfast, Henry went to the administrative office to attend the morning meeting. Two officers were already seated in the administrative office, Solomon and Borg.
¡°Good morning,¡± said Henry.
¡°Yes¡¡± Solomon replied timidly.
This was their first time speaking after the skill test. Regardless of the awkward atmosphere, Henry casually looked around for one of the officers who wasn¡¯t present.
¡°Is Commander Hugo still noting?¡±
¡°...He¡¯s decided to take a break for a while.¡±
¡°Is he sick?¡±
¡°He¡¯s not si-... well, the thing is¡ mm¡ yes, he is.¡±
Judging from their response, it was obvious that Hugo¡¯s pride had been seriously damaged. Henry clicked his tongue disappointedly at the thought of an officer taking sick leave for such a thing.
¡°I wasn¡¯t able to tell you because you weren¡¯t there that night, but I have been tasked with chasing after ck.¡±
¡°ck? Do you mean that ck?¡±
The two men looked up in surprise.
¡°Yes, I am under special instructions from the Captain. The horses we borrowed yesterday have been returned to the stable, and everything has been thoroughly recorded.¡±
¡°I-I mean, that¡¯s good and all, but ck? Do you even know what kind of monster ck is?¡±
¡°I¡¯mcking information. So, I¡¯m researching it in my own way, starting from scratch. That¡¯s why I have to visit Captain Isn again. Also, I am here to ask you for your permission, sir.¡±
¡°Uh, uh, permission? Of course, you can go¡ but how will a new officer like you go after ck¡¡± Solomon stuttered, still in disbelief.
Henry frowned slightly and turned sharply toward Solomon.
¡°Companymander, sir.¡±
¡°Oh, uh, yes?¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t you promise that you would no longer take issue with my skills, or the fact that I¡¯m a new officer?¡± Henry warned.
Solomon¡¯s face turned slightly red. ¡°...Yes, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry.¡±
¡°Thank you. Then, with your permission, I¡¯ll make my way to the Captain.¡±
With that, the meeting was over. Henry quickly left the administrative office. Now there were only two people left in the office.
¡°Sir¡ are you okay?¡± Borg cautiously asked.
Solomon let out a long sigh. ¡°I¡¯m okay. Of course, I¡¯m okay¡ how did things turn out like this?¡±
* * *
The reason Henry was visiting Isn was simple. Non-military issue items, such as Febreezy, had to be purchased outside the fortress. On principle, however, officers in the process of their military service were not allowed outside of the fortress walls.
¡°So, you¡¯vee to find me this morning just to get some deodorant?¡±
¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±
Isn shook his head. ¡°Crazy bastard. Can you hear yourself right now? Do you think that makes any sense?¡±
¡°It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want to miss out on even a small opportunity.¡±
Isn¡¯s face was full of disbelief, but Henry had expected this reaction. It was difficult to believe that months of tragedy could originate from something as benign as a bottle of deodorant. However, Isn had entrusted Henry with this mission. After some contemtion, he made the call.
¡°Even so, I can¡¯t allow you to go out. If I allow you to leave the fortress because of some nonsense reason like that, the rest are sure to cause a scene about it. Our regr trader will be arriving in a couple of days. Wait until then.¡±
Isn was right. No matter how important Henry¡¯s mission was, the issue was a matter of fairness. However, Tini, who had been listening silently, suddenly spoke up.
¡°Uh, I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, but Commander Henry, perhaps this?is the deodorant you are talking about?¡±
She cautiously raised a turquoise bottle.
¡°What the¡ Tini! Why do you have a bottle of Febreezy?¡± asked Isn.
¡°Collecting deodorants is my hobby, and Febreezy is one of my favorites. I just happened to bring one to work today. What are the odds of that!¡±
She smiled brightly and gave the bottle a little shake.
¡°That will do, Captain,¡± said Henry.
¡°That will do?¡± Isn said, raising an eyebrow.
¡°Yes.¡±
Isn pointed at the bottle of Febreezy. ¡°Tini, how much for that? I can buy a few more for you when the traderes.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I can just give it to him. I want something else, though.¡±
¡°Something else? What is it?¡± asked Isn.
Tini turned toward Henry. ¡°Henry, sir?¡±
¡°Yes, Tini?¡±
¡°You¡¯re the one that needs this, not Captain Isn, so I want you to pay for it.¡±
¡°Of course. What do you need? Just name your price.¡±
¡°Will you have lunch with me next time I have a day off?¡±
¡°Excuse me?¡±
¡°Or not.¡±
¡°Oh, no. Of course, I will. That won¡¯t be a problem.¡±
¡°Really? Then, do you promise?¡±
¡°I promise.¡±
And with that, Henry was able to obtain Febreezy in exchange for a meal.
Chapter 30: Encounter (1)
Chapter 30: Encounter (1)
Having obtained the deodorant, Henry returned to his residence. He then assembled the toon.
¡°Attention, everyone. Did you take good care of the mementos I gave youst time?¡±
¡°Yes sir.¡±
Henry pulled out the bottle of deodorant that Tini had given to him.
¡°Was there a deodorant that looked like this among the items I handed out?¡±
Everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on the bottle. The toon members exchanged nces with each other, but no one answered.
¡°We don¡¯t think so.¡±
¡°Is that so?¡±
Henry was puzzled. The toon members had possession of Carter¡¯s belongings, so Henry had assumed someone had his deodorant as well.
¡°Did anyone throw it away or burn it?¡±
Henry couldn¡¯t recall seeing a ss bottle when he had done his burning routine in front of the toon.
¡°No. We checked all of Commander Carter¡¯s items. There was nothing like that among them.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
Henry could do nothing.
Why was Carter killed when he didn¡¯t even use the deodorant on himself? Could it be that Holtervelt¡¯s testimony was wrong?
Numerous theories ran through Henry¡¯s mind. Regardless, the next expedition was going to test Holtervelt¡¯s testimony. Even if Holtervelt was wrong, Henry had no intention of resenting him.
¡°Nothing I can do if we don¡¯t have it. Let¡¯s get going now.¡±
The toon members questioned Henry about the deodorant, but Henry brushed them off and answered vaguely. If they had learned the truth, they would have argued about spraying the deodorant on themselves.
¡®Things will get ugly if we increase the risk like that.¡¯
ck¡¯s exact power level was still unknown, so it was necessary to reduce any risks as much as possible.
¡®Mass Solitude¡¯.Thud!
Henry lightly rolled his foot and cast a protective barrier around the toon once again. The spell allowed the toon members to safely travel through the forest, and they were once again pleasantly surprised that they had no unwanted encounters.
* * *
¡°Our objective today is the same. It will be a tedious task, but if you catch even the smallest clue, it will help us reach our final goal. So, I hope everyone can proactively contribute.¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
¡°Then let the search begin.¡±
Again, they split into two teams, and just like the previous day, they split off in opposite directions along the perimeter of the area. Some time passed.
¡®Shall I slowly get things started, too, then?¡¯
Henry waited until he was far enough away from the other team, so they would not get caught up in his n. He was also prepared to take responsibility for the four other men on his team, so he decided to start his experiment without hesitation.
Henry had decided to experiment with a new search methodology. He first cast another protective spell on the team, excluding himself this time.
¡®Mass Solitude¡¯.Thud!
Next, he took out the deodorant that he had received from Tini and sprayed a small amount onto his wrist.
Psssh.
He sprayed more of it evenly and meticulously on his wrists, ankles, and the back of his neck; areas where one would normally spray a deodorant, as it was important for his body totch onto the smell. The fresh scent of Febreezy embraced his whole body. However, the scent soon dissipated.
But Henry wasn¡¯t done with his preparations. Even if the scent was weak and only on himself, it would have been meaningless if it ended up being transferred to his toon members.
¡®Steam Skin¡¯.Thud!
As Henry lightly shifted his foot once more, a faintyer of vapor formed on Henry¡¯s body. The steam naturally rose and climbed up toward his head before dissipating into the air.
Psssssh!¡®To think that I¡¯d use this kind of magic here.¡¯
Steam Skin was a kind of social magic developed by the Spire. Women wouldmission the tower to cast it in order to help spread the scent of their perfume widely in a social setting. After the spell was developed, there was a period of time when it was thetest craze. Everyone was using it, and due to this, it quickly lost its novelty. Nobody had used it again since then.
After theyer of steam dissipated over Henry¡¯s head, he cast?Steam Skin?on his toon members as well. This prevented their scents from mixing with each other.
Pssssh!
Of course, they wouldn¡¯t notice it. Steam Skin had been developed for social use, so it had been designed to feel just like a refreshing breeze. In addition, Henry mixed five types of vapor in convection, helping to spread the scent of Febreezy even further away.
Now, all that was left was to look for Kin Mushrooms, as nned.
Maintaining a safe distance from the toon members, Henry took the lead. A long time passed.
* * *
Somewhere in the 6th district, a pack of Taurus roamed.
Taurus were two-meter tall 6th district demonic beasts with humanoid bodies and bull-like heads. Basically, they were half-human, half-bull. Despite their muscr bodies and tough temperament, they roamed around in groups, making them one of the most difficult demonic beasts to deal with in the 6th district. As always, there was one mutant in the pack.
Some mutants had a crazy personality type, while others could be highly violent.
However, the mutant in this particr pack of Taurus was a rare albino, whose whole body was pure white. Usually, the term ¡®albino¡¯ referred to a being thatcks pigmentation in their skin. However, this Taurus had white skin because he had been born with the power of lightning. With these traitsbined, he was a powerful being, and had easily established himself as the leader of the group.
None of the other Taurus dared to go against him because of his lightning powers. This was why ck had chosen the albino Taurus as his final host. ck was also a powerful being on its own, with abilities that even the Demon Realm recognized. However, ck was also prey for many other demonic beasts. To survive, it had escaped to the Demonic Beast Forest.
At first, while running away from other demonic beasts, it had found an opening it could hide in, butter on, it realized that the opening had been the Gates of the Demon Realm, toward where the humans resided. ck had decided to settle down in the human realm, where it was safer, and ultimately hid himself within the albino Taurus.
In order to evolve into a Demon¡ªsomething that it had been waiting for¡ªit needed a month to focus on its evolution without any external interference. Luckily for ck, it had unexpectedly obtained a good vessel in the form of the albino Taurus. After moving the vessel back to its secret dwelling, ck had entered the evolutionary state. Soon ck would evolve into a fully-fledged Demon and settle itself within this vessel.
¡®Mm?¡¯
Suddenly, while curled up within its host like a cancer cell, ck smelled a sweet fragrance that it had not smelled in years.
¡®No way. It can¡¯t be.¡¯ ck thought to itself.
However, as time passed, the smell that permeated through the Taurus¡¯ synapses was clearly the same scent from years ago, the one that had brought ck so much pleasure.
¡®No, it can¡¯t be. I can¡¯t suddenly just smell something that I haven¡¯t smelled in years, especially out here.¡¯?ck thought, shaking his head. It had initiated its evolution deep inside the forest, where no human could interfere.
However, the smell, which was spreading softly with the wind, was distinct. There was no mistaking it, this was the scent that had driven it crazy a few years ago. The smell that had driven its entire n crazy, bringing it to the brink of extinction. The smell of the demonic herb, Dhdl.
¡®Ah, no way¡¡¯
If the problem was visual, ck could just close the Taurus¡¯ eyes. But it could not stop smells, as they entered freely through the respiratory tract. ck¡¯s blood began to boil.
Dhdl was like a drug to ck¡¯s n. It was immensely difficult to find in the Demon Realm, but it brought about an equally immense amount of pleasure with just a single bite.
¡®No!¡¯
The albino Taurus, who had been sleeping peacefully for over a month, woke up. ck could not withstand the smell of Dhdl and took control over its host.
¡®I. Will. Eat. It.¡¯
The time left for his evolution was only a few hours. However, the addictive scent of Dhdl had already overpowered any sense of reason within ck.
Goaaaaaaaaaaaaar!
The albino Taurus emerged from a deep burrow. As his roar echoed across the forest, the rest of the Taurus herd gathered around its leader. There were twenty in total.
Initially, there had been close to a hundred subordinates in the herd, but due to their leader¡¯s absence over the past month, quite arge number of them had left. Still, this was enough for ck. They were Taurus after all, the predators of the 6th district.
* * *
¡°And the result is?¡±
¡°I apologize.¡±
In the end, the two teams reunited on the opposite end of the perimeter, both totally empty-handed. Henry waspletely worn out. After all, he had been keeping two different spells active while on the lookout for a surprise attack the entire time.
He was also disappointed to see that the bottle of deodorant was almost empty. Although he had used it sparingly, the 6th district was quite wide, and they had covered almost half of it. The fact that the deodorant still had not worked was evidence that Holtervelt¡¯s assertions could have been wrong.
¡®Was his testimony wrong¡? Perhaps I need to summon the other victims.¡¯
Henry opened the nearly empty bottle of deodorant and poured the remaining liquid on the back of his neck.
¡®I should buy Tini a new one, right?¡¯
Tini had demanded a meal in exchange for the bottle of deodorant, and Henry was notpletely oblivious as to what that implied. However, as an eighty-year-old mage who had reached the level of 8th Circle, he was more interested in his work, and now his revenge, rather than wealth orpanionship. Even if Tini had taken an interest in him, he nned to appropriately reject her.
¡°From here, we¡¯re going to go across the center together.¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡±
Now that they had finished checking the perimeter, it was time to dig into the heart of the 6th district.
¡®Mass Solitude.¡¯¡®Steam Skin.¡¯Thud!
Although it was burdensome, it was necessary to be even more attentive. This was the center of the area, more dangerous than the outskirts. As Henry stomped his foot, the spells spread out and embraced the rest of the toon.
Just as the toon was about to step forward toward the center¡
Goaaaaaaaaaaaaar!
The roar of what appeared to be an angry bull rang out, so great that it shook the entire forest.
¡°This sound¡ it¡¯s probably a Taurus,¡± said Henry.
¡°By Taurus, you mean the half-man, half-bull?¡± asked one of the toon members.
¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±
¡®Huh, this is going to be a bit troublesome.¡¯
Having memorized the botanical encyclopedia, Henry was well aware of the demonic beasts that inhabited the forest. He reached for the ground, trying to figure out their location with magic in order to avoid a confrontation. However, just as Henry bent his knees to touch the ground¡
Goaaaaaaaar!Bzzzzzzzzzt!
A bolt of white electric current the width of a log spread its branches into the sky, hitting Henry square.
¡°toon Commander!¡±
It all happened in an instant, before anyone could react.
The thunderbolt hit Henry directly, causing the toon members to fall backward, startled.
Bzzt. Bzzzzt.
The lightning stopped. When the toon members looked up, they saw Henry frozen like a stone statue, his whole body charred ck.
Chapter 31: Encounter (2)
Chapter 31: Encounter (2)
¡°P-toon Commander?¡±
All the toon members, including Allonde, couldn¡¯t believe their eyes. Their new toonmander, who had been confidently giving out orders just moments ago, had been charred in the blink of an eye.
Thud! Thud!
Shortly after the thunderbolt fell, a giant Taurus appeared from within the forest that they were about to cross.
¡°This can¡¯t be¡¡±
At first, everyone was in shock, it all happened too suddenly. Then, tears began to flow as reality sank in. When the group of Taurus finally appeared, the toon members trembled with rage.
¡°You¡ you sons of bitches¡!¡±
They had been trying to avoid the Taurus at all costs while navigating the 6th district. Taurus were much stronger than the special task force, and outnumbered them too. However, the toon members were filled with rage and did not hesitate to pick up their weapons.
¡°Everyone, wait,¡± ordered Allonde.
¡°Deputy toonmander, sir?¡±
¡°Everyone, calm down. We are all a bit rattled by the toonmander¡¯s death, but we have to think clearly. He was not killed by the Taurus, but by lightning.¡±
It was a sharp observation. As Allonde said, the Taurus had appeared immediately after Henry¡¯s death. They were just uninvited guests who had nothing to do with the attack.
¡°From now on, I¡¯m in charge. Everyone, maintain your formations and return to the unit.¡±
¡°What? We¡¯re just going to retreat?¡±
¡°Are you going to start whining like a kid? They are the Taurus. Even if we run away with all our might right now, there¡¯s no guarantee that we will survive. Are you still going to stand there and bitch about it?¡±
The deputy toonmander¡¯s eyes were bloodshot red. He was also evidently grieving over Henry¡¯s death. However, befitting his position as the deputy toonmander, he calmly took control of the toon.
¡°Maintain a steadfast position, and we¡¯ll get out of here swiftly.¡±
In the end, everyone agreed with Allonde. Now was the time to act with reason, not emotion.
Goooooooar!
Just as Allonde ordered the escape, a pure white Taurus that had never been seen before appeared from within the gathered crowd of Taurus. Allonde had been venturing the 6th district for a long time, but he had never seen a Taurus like this before.
¡°What¡¯s with that guy?¡±
It had a gracious air about it, as if it was an angel that had descended, contrasting starkly with the dreary forest.
¡°Taurus¡?¡±
Its appearance was still definitely that of a Taurus, but its white skin made it appear almost holy. The albino Taurus roared and raised its hands.
Roooooooar!Crash!
The Taurus sped its hands together and mmed them down onto the ground. Its body started to generate white electricity.
¡°Lightning?¡±
¡°Sir, tell me that I didn¡¯t see what I think I just saw.¡±
¡°...I wish I could say that what we saw was a lie.¡±
Everyone had doubted the albino Taurus¡¯ abilities, but now, seeing the electricity spread across its body even as it stood still, all the toon members had the same thought.
¡®That bastard¡¯s behind all this.¡¯
No one needed to say anything to know that this was what killed their toonmander. There was a heavy silence between them for a moment.
Finally, Gabo broke the silence.
¡°Today, I die here.¡±
¡°Gabo!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t even think about stopping me. You guys feel it, too, don¡¯t you? That bastard¡¯s the culprit.¡±
This was an unexpected remark,ing from the most unexpected person, but everyone nodded in agreement.
¡°Me too.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll die here with you.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s go. We have caused the loss of our toonmander twice already, we have no reason to go back to thepany.¡±
Gabo¡¯s resolve spread quickly through the toon like wildfire. The nine men decided that they would die fighting and picked up their weapons.
Roaaaaaaar!
With their resolve at its peak, the cry of the albino Taurus set off the battle.
¡°Aaaaargh!¡±
The shouts of the toon echoed through the Demonic Beast Forest as they shook off their fear. They each formed a blue aura as they rushed toward the Tauruses, bursting the veins in their eyes as they did so.
ng!
Swords and horns collided, and armor and fists connected. The whole ce was in pandemonium.
When a cornered mouse bares its fangs at a cat, there¡¯s no weapon more dangerous in the world than those fangs. These warriors, who had decided to fight to their deaths, radiated a spirit that was stronger than usual as they began cutting down the Taurus.
Goaaaaaaaaar!
As the sounds of death echoed across the battlefield, the Tauruses also began to turn crazy. Strangely, the albino Taurus who killed the toonmander was not interested in fighting. It looked around and wrinkled its nose, as if it was trying to smell something. Then, it began moving forward slowly, toward Henry¡¯s charred corpse.
¡°How dare that bastard!¡± Gabo eximed as he extracted his sword from a in Taurus.
Noticing the albino Taurus¡¯ abnormal behavior, Gabo immediately turned his attention toward it.
¡°What the hell are you doing!¡±
Whoosh!
He dashed toward the albino Taurus. In an instant, Gabo was flying. His leaping power was so strong that it almost appeared as though he was stepping on thin air. As Gabo rushed forward, the albino Taurus looked directly into his eyes. It shouted out at the top of its lungs to unleash the mighty power that it possessed.
Goaaaaaaaaar!sh!
Gabo realized that time had slowed down. This was time dtion. He could see the sky twinkling and feel his blood turn cold.
¡®This is the end¡!¡¯
It was said that one could see their life sh before their eyes right before their death. Gabo closed his eyes tightly; this was the first time he had ever experienced the slowing of time like this. He then lifted his sword over his shoulder, ready to deal the final blow of his life.
Crash!
Just then, a huge bolt of white lightning struck Gabo¡¯s head.
Pwook!
Right before the thunderbolt hit him, Gabo felt the tip of his outstretched sword slice through a heavy chunk of the Taurus¡¯ flesh. His final attack, that he had put everything he had left into, had seeded.
Gabo rolled straight onto the ground.
Crash!
Unprepared tond, his armor crushed his muscles as the contact with the ground sted the air out of his lungs. However, he did not feel any pain.
¡®Is it because of the lightning bolt?¡¯ Gabo thought to himself as he shuddered, frozen in fear. However¡
¡°...?¡±
Gabo braced himself and closed his eyes tightly, but after a few seconds, he still did not feel any heat or stinging sensations.
¡°Good job, Gabo.¡± said a familiar voice.
¡°...Excuse me?¡±
Gabo could still barely bring himself to open his eyes. When he finally looked up, he almost let out a scream.
¡°P-toon Commander?¡±
The person in front of him was clearly Henry, clearly still alive and not looking like a lump of charcoal. He had caught the falling lightning bolt with his holy sword.
It was a spectacr sight.
Suddenly, the lightning disappeared. Henry lowered his holy sword and tore off a scroll that was stuck onto the hilt. It was a magic scroll that had absorbed the albino Taurus¡¯ lightning attack.
¡°Get up.¡±
Henry reached out to Gabo, who was still on the ground. Gabo stood up, holding Henry¡¯s hand with a bright smile. However, they were still in a dire situation, and there was no time for any touching reunions.
¡°Go and tell the rest that I¡¯m alive. And tell them they¡¯re not allowed to die either.¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
After giving his orders to Gabo, Henry turned to face the albino Taurus.
¡°It¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it? The bastard who threw the lightning strike at me.¡±
Roooooar!
The fight resumed. The moment Henry had reappeared, the smell of Dhdl, which had disappeared for a while, radiated strongly once more, sending ck into a frenzy.
Rooooooar!
The remaining undiluted solution that Henry had poured on the nape of his neck had been enough to lure ck out. ck swung its gigantic fists like two axes, its eyes bloodshot with rage, just as it had done against Holtervelt.
Crash!
Henry did not dodge the attack. Instead, just as he had done against Isn, he supported his de with both his hands to block it.
¡°You¡¯re nothing.¡±
Compared to Isn, ck¡¯s attack was very weak. Henry pushed his sword and the Taurus away, leaving an opening for him tond a powerful kick.
Crack!
Thanks to Henry¡¯s magical buffs, ck fell backward in an instant. Next, Henry imbued his holy sword with magic and cut through the nape of the Taurus¡¯ neck.
sh!
As a result, the Taurus¡¯ blood supply was cut off. Bright red blood gushed out like a fountain from the nape of its severed neck.
¡°My, oh my¡¡±
Perhaps because he was standing a bit too close, a squirt of blood hit Henry. Then, suddenly, more blood began to spurt out of the Taurus''s neck. Henry¡¯s whole body, including his face, was soaked in the albino Taurus¡¯ blood.
Henry let out a deep sigh. One of the things he hated the most was filthiness. He didn¡¯t have much time to dwell on it though, because at that moment¡
¡°Useless piece of shit.¡±
The severed albino Taurus¡¯ neck wrinkled and started spewing out profanities.
¡°Huh?¡±
Henry was bewildered. He had never heard of a beheaded Taurus still being able to speak.
Pssssssssssh.
ck gas began to escape from the bottom of the decapitated Taurus¡¯ head. It escaped through the hole at speed, propelling the severed head around and giving the Taurus a new sense of life. The sight was truly bizarre, but Henry couldn¡¯t help but smile.
¡°Thanks to you, I¡¯ve finallye to my senses.¡± the severed head spoke again, clearly and word-by-word. ¡°You should consider it an honor to be my new host.¡±
The pure white head stopped bleeding. Then, the unknown ck gas began pushing the head toward Henry¡¯s face. Henry did not avoid it. Instead, he smiled brightly as the white head came close to his face, revealing a pair of red eyes.
¡°Found you.¡±
¡°What?¡±
When the white head came close to his face, Henry became certain that this creature was ck. Otherwise, the dead Taurus could not have been resurrected like this. He let out a shout as he concentrated all his magical power into his fist.
Thud!
There was a dull sound. Then, Henry imbued all of the magical power from his fist into his holy sword and swung it without hesitation.
sh!
The Taurus¡¯ head was split cleanly in two. Then, a ck mass, simr to the ¡®evil spirit¡¯ that Holtervelt had spoken of, emerged from the two split halves.
It was ck¡¯s true body.
¡°Damn it!¡±
The reason why ck had suddenly regained his sanity was simple. After Henry had been doused in Taurus blood, the scent of the deodorant had been totally masked.
Having identally encountered ck, Henry was able to finallyplete his mission.
Chapter 32: Encounter (3)
Chapter 32: Encounter (3)
¡°Fascinating. A demonic beast that talks.¡±
Henry was undoubtedly surprised. Such a demonic beast had never been heard of before.
¡°What are you? You¡¯re not a doppelganger or somethingme like that, are you?¡± Henry asked as he held out his left hand.
Swoooosh!
A strong gust of wind blew through his outstretched fingertips. Physical attacks did not work on a being with a non-physical form; thus Henry deliberately chose to use magic. ck was also left bewildered.
¡°M-magic?¡± stammered ck.
¡°See ya.¡±
Pop!
Thepressed air rapidly expanded, sending a powerful shockwave toward ck. However¡
¡°You dodged it?¡±
ck had managed to dodge Henry¡¯s attack. No, rather than a dodge, it looked more like a section of its body was a cloud that had floated away from the attack.
¡°Eeeek!¡±
Only when about half of its body had been blown away did ck realize the seriousness of the situation. It immediately chose to run away; it knew better than to retaliate against a foe like Henry. It floated through the air and flew away speedily, a simple escape tactic.
¡°Try as you might, you aren¡¯t getting away.¡±
Even as ck flew further away, Henry seemed to be in no rush. Instead, he softly cast another spell as he watched ck grow smaller and smaller in his vision.
¡°Return to Body.¡±Sssssst.
As soon as Henry cast the spell, traces of ck¡¯s form, which had scattered into the air, began to take shape again. They slowly began taking the shape of ck¡¯s original body, the one it had left behind long ago.
¡°How effective magic is depends on how you use it,¡± Henrymented.
Return to Body was originally developed to find the remains of dead soldiers. However, since it was very difficult to cast and consumed a lot of magic power, there were very few people who could use the spell to their benefit. Now though, Henry did not need to worry about tracking ck down.
He looked up at his toon, who were still engaged inbat. It was a fierce battle, but they were all still alive, while quite a number of Taurusesy dead on the ground.
¡®Looks like they don¡¯t need my help.¡¯
After briefly checking on his toon, Henry began tracking the remnant of ck¡¯s body. The safety of his toon members was important, but Henry knew they valued revenge for Carter more than their own safety.
* * *
ck flew away with all its might, its mind in a state of severe panic.
¡®What¡¯s with that guy? Why does my hypnosis not work on him?¡¯
ck had only dealt with warriors before. This was the first time it had encountered such an opponent. Not only had the albino Taurus¡¯ lightning strike failed, but ck¡¯s main skill, hypnosis, had failed too. This sent ck into a confused panic, but the reason why its hypnosis hadn¡¯t worked was simple. Henry was a wizard, and one whose skills were far superior to ck¡¯s.
¡®I-I need to find a new host, quickly!¡¯
ck was too weak as an independent being, so it had to find another host as quickly as possible. After running away for a while, ck managed to discover another demonic beast. This particr demonic beast was called Hollum, a kind of from the Demon Realm that resembled a moon bear.
Goaaaaaaar!
ck desperately shoved itself down the Hollum¡¯s throat, without even taking the time to hypnotize its target. For a target of this caliber, it didn¡¯t need to use hypnosis anyway.
The Hollum immediately copsed. Then, after shaking its body for a while, it got back up on its feet and began to move normally, as if nothing had happened. ck had sessfully taken over.
The Hollum had just been enjoying a meal after a sessful hunt. ck resumed eating the blood-soaked meat, pretending to behave normally in order to blend in. At that moment, Henry, who had been chasing ck, appeared.
¡°Hmm.¡±
ck¡¯s separated body had led Henry straight to the Hollum. The piece of ck¡¯s body that Henry now possessed was just a cloud of vapor, so ck had not noticed its absence.
ck grew nervous as Henry drew nearer. This guy had defeated the albino Taurus. ck knew for sure that a pathetic host like a Hollum could never match up to someone like him.
¡®Please just go.¡¯?ck murmured under its breath as it continued to eat the Hollum¡¯s food. It could not taste a single thing. Cold sweat began to drip down the Hollum''s forehead.
¡°Oh, a Hollum?¡±
Henry noticed the Hollum and slowly walked over to it. ¡°I thought maybe ck used you to hide from me.¡±
Swooosh.
As soon as Henry finished speaking, he drew his holy sword and wrapped it with magic power.
¡°You idiot.¡±
sh!
Henry swung his sword, and the Hollum¡¯s body fell to the floor. Henry then snapped his fingers.
¡°Ignite.¡±Roaaar!
Fire ignited the Hollum¡¯s corpse.
Aaaaaargh!
It was said that the greatest pain in the world was the pain of being on fire. ck could no longer bear the pain and hurriedly attempted to escape the Hollum¡¯s body.
¡°How! How did you find me!¡± ck screamed.
Henry raised the corners of his lips as he spoke softly. ¡°Where is Carter?¡±
¡°Carter?¡±
¡°The human knight who disappeared about a month ago.¡±
¡°You think I¡¯ll tell you that?¡±
Henry sighed. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll have to make you.¡±
Seeing how ck knew of Carter despite not knowing his name, it seemed that Carter was in fact, still alive. ck had decided to be uncooperative, which meant it had decided on the painful route. Henry decided to freeze ck first.
¡°Freeze.¡±Crackle!
¡°You! What the hell are you!¡± ck cried out desperately, now trapped in ice.
¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve permitted you to ask questions.¡±
Henry snapped his fingers again. This time, the ice began topress. The pressure was strong enough to crush the ice together, sending waves of pain through ck¡¯s body.
¡°Kaaaaaargh!¡±
¡°Now do you feel like talking?¡±
¡°Fuck! Why the hell are you doing this to me!¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t think so.¡±
Snap.Roaaar!
The magic spells continued. Each time Henry snapped his fingers, ck froze, was squashed, or was burnt again. Each time, ck¡¯s screams grew louder.
¡°Must feel good to be this resilient.¡±
ck¡¯s body, which had been asrge as a cloud, had now been worn down to the size of two fists. It had endured Henry¡¯s torture for a long time, but it was nearing its limit. It fell into a deep despair.
¡®Why, why, why!¡¯
It had never encountered this kind of danger ever since it had escaped from the Demon Realm.
Henry froze it again. It had lived for so many years, and yet, it was only now that it learned that it could be frozen.
Finally, ck dropped to the ground. Henry walked over to it and looked it in the eyes.
¡°You. What are you?¡± he asked.
If Carter was still alive somewhere, it wouldn¡¯t have been difficult to locate him. Henry could have easily asked Isn for help by using his men to start a search party. He did not necessarily need ck.
But Henry was curious. ck was a demonic beast, but it could speak the tongue of men. In addition, it was merely a 6th district demonic beast, but it had defeated a top-notch Sword Expert. Something was different about ck.
¡°I¡¯ll tell you. I¡¯ll tell you, just please spare my life.¡±
Henry was prepared to squeeze more information out of ck slowly and painfully, but it appeared that ck was already terrified enough. Henry freed ck from the ice with a single gesture of his hand.
¡°Show me the way.¡±
There was nothing more to gain from bullying an opponent who had already lost their fighting spirit. At Henry¡¯smand, ck, who was now as small as Henry¡¯s fist, stumbled as it got up and slowly floated ahead.
* * *
ck took Henry rather deep inside the 6th district area.
¡°H-here it is.¡±
They had arrived at the mouth of a cave that Henry did not recognize. The cave grew wider and wider as they ventured further inside. As Henry followed ck into the innermost part of the cave, a figure came into view. It was Carter.
¡°Commander Carter?¡±
Carter had his eyes closed, as if he was dead. His body looked thin and weak.
Henry stepped forward to check on Carter¡¯s well-being.
Wooooosh!
Suddenly, however, ck suddenly entered Carter¡¯s mouth. Not long after, Carter¡¯s eyes shot open as he jolted upward, now possessed by ck.
¡°Did you think that I would be so easily defeated?¡± ck shouted out boastfully. It had left Carter¡¯s body here for this very sort of situation. However, Henry simply smiled.
¡°You really think I¡¯m stupid, huh.¡±
Unless ck was an idiot, there was no way it would have missed such an obvious opportunity. Henry had known that ck would go for it, and had let it happen on purpose.
¡°What¡¯s so funny?!¡± ck spat, urately recognizing Henry¡¯s smile as a sneer. It grabbed Carter¡¯s sword that was ced by the wall and pointed it threateningly at Henry.
Zzzzzzt!
¡°Aura?¡±
To Henry¡¯s surprise, an Aura radiated from the de.
¡®Can it use its host¡¯s abilities at will?¡¯
Giving ck onest chance had turned out to be worthwhile. Thanks to this, Henry had learned something new.
¡°You¡¯ll pay for weakening me. And¡¡±
ck raised Carter¡¯s sword in the air.
¡°Your body will be mine.¡±
¡®As to be expected of a parasite.¡¯
Henry finally understood why ck had kept Carter alive. Its main power was its parasitism, and it was only natural for parasites to covet a strong host.
¡°Die!¡±
ck made the first move. It clutched Carter¡¯s glowing blue sword and rushed toward Henry, swinging menacingly.
¡®But that¡¯s all there is to your ability.¡¯Whoosh!Thud!
Henry lightly dodged each heavy strike. Without even drawing his sword, he struck Carter in the neck with his scabbard. Carter¡¯s body copsed to the ground in an instant.
¡°H¡how!¡±
¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re only a demonic beast.¡±
¡°W-what?¡±
¡°You may be able to speak and imitate swordsmanship, but that¡¯s all there is to you.¡±
ck was able to speak the humannguage and use its host¡¯s abilities. These were astounding powers, but that was all there was to them. No matter how well ck knew how to imitate swordsmanship, it was not a true swordsman. The main skills, footwork and sword techniques, had to be honed for years or even decades. The true strength of the Aura only shone when both of these were mastered properly.
ck wanted to move Carter¡¯s body, but it had be stiff as a log. Henry had struck a vital point. No matter how much it tried to force some kind of movement, its host was still a human. The limits of a human body were on clear disy.
¡°Let go! Let me go!¡±
Even though its host¡¯s body waspletely paralyzed, ck continued to struggle. It was a miserable, ugly sight.
¡°Paralyze.¡±
Henry paralyzed Carter¡¯s body once more, this time with magic. Eventually, the struggles ceased, and ck fell into despair again.
¡°Do you finally understand the difference between you and me?¡±
Henry had given a glimmer of hope to a desperate opponent. Then, he had brutally shattered any sense of that hope. No one could have recovered from that. ck had truly been totally defeated.
¡°S¡save me.¡±
Just as Henry had expected, ck started to beg for its life,pletely hopeless. Of course, Henry was not concerned about ck¡¯s life. He ignored its pleas and decided to address some of his curiosities.
¡°I¡¯ll decide on thatter. First, what the hell are you?¡±
¡°If I tell you, will you spare my life¡?¡±
¡°That depends on your answer.¡±
¡°M-my name is Klever! I¡¯m a pure demonic beast from the Demon Realm, and one of thest survivors of my n!¡±
¡°n?¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
ck¡¯s real name was Klever, apparently. Klever answered all of Henry¡¯s questions, desperate to ensure its survival.
¡°What n?¡±
¡°I have yet to find an appropriate word to describe it in the humannguage yet, so I can¡¯t tell you¡¡±
¡°I can speak the Demon tongue. So, answer me.¡±
¡°I-is that so? Our n¡¯s name is lr!¡±
¡®lr?¡¯
Henry quickly tranted it back into the humannguage.
¡°Mimik?¡±
¡°What¡ is that?¡±
¡°It¡¯s what we call you in the humannguage. Tsk, to think that a Mimik could have such abilities¡¡±
Mimiks were one of the lower-tier monsters. They parasitized boxes in order to attack humans who opened them. Henry felt an immense sense of disappointment upon learning that the fearsome ck had just been a Mimik the whole time.
¡°The questioning ends here. Now, die.¡±
¡°P-please wait! You said you¡¯d let me live, you are breaking your promise!¡±
¡°I said I¡¯ll consider it. I never promised. Igni¡¡±
¡°W-wait!¡± Clever shouted just as Henry was about to cast Ignite.
¡°What?¡±
¡°I-if you let me live, I¡¯ll give it to you.¡±
¡°What do you mean, it?¡±
¡°You¡¯ll definitely like it. Please, release me for a moment.¡±
¡°You¡¯d best think twice about pulling any sort of trick.¡±
Henry wasn¡¯t concerned, even if Klever did try to escape again. Even without Return to Body, there were plenty of other ways to track it down.
Henry released Klever from his magic restraints. ck gas erupted from Carter¡¯s body, merging together. It grew into Klever, in its original form.
¡°Mm?¡± Henry uttered as Klever revealed a massive pile of treasure.
Chapter 33: Encounter (4)
Chapter 33: Encounter (4)
¡°Treasure?¡±
Klever revealed a pile of gold coins. Strewn throughout the pile were a considerable number of swords and armors seized from countless soldiers that Klever had defeated.
¡°How did you do this?¡±
Klever had a gaseous form. It would not have been able to hide this amount of treasure without using some sort of magic. Klever began exining in a panic.
¡°It¡¯s one of my abilities. These are all the treasures that I have collected over the years. Please ept these and spare my life.¡±
Henry could tell it was a sincere plea. After all, Klever¡¯s offering was certainly appropriate. On the other hand, it was also baffling. Klever¡¯s interests did not lie with gold and trinkets, but in a strong host like Carter.
¡°Why did you collect these treasures? They are of no use to you.¡±
¡°They¡¯re just loot. As I said, these are useless to me, but collecting loot allows me to satisfy my lust for collecting to a certain degree¡¡± Klever said sheepishly.
It was a terrible reason. These treasures were not enough to win Henry over anyway. He had been quite wealthy in his previous life, and he was not one to be swayed by a pile of treasure of this size. Instead, something else aroused Henry¡¯s interest.
¡°Interesting.¡±
¡°...Excuse me?¡±
¡°Do you want to live?¡±
¡°Yes, yes! I really do.¡±
¡°Alright. I¡¯ll let you live, but on one condition.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll ept any conditions!¡±
¡°Be my servant.¡±
¡°...Excuse me?¡±
¡°Or, you know, you can just die.¡±
¡°N-no! I¡¯ll do as you wish!¡±
¡°Good.¡±
Subordination. For Henry, this was the perfect master-servant rtionship. In his previous life, he had made subordinates of numerous beings, solely for his own convenience. Klever¡¯s current ability to store items was what Henry needed the most.
¡®I was running out of space and things were just getting inconvenient. This is perfect.¡¯
Klever¡¯s ability was simr to a kind of high-level space magic that was known as ¡®Subspace,¡¯ in the 7th Circle tier. Klever also possessed other abilities, such as hypnosis and parasitism. However, the space magic alone was enough to secure its survival.
Henry looked around at the treasures Klever had revealed, then picked up a small ring from the pile.
¡°Sizing.¡±Pzzzzzzt.
The ring was initially slightlyrger than Henry¡¯s finger, but he adjusted its size to fit him using magic. The ring was ordinary, made of tinum.
¡®tinum is the perfect metal to hide one¡¯s energy. Also¡¡¯
tinum was a metal used in temples to activate divine powers, but it also had the property of hiding one¡¯s unique energy signature. Above all, tinum¡¯s most striking quality was its ability to purify demonic energy.
¡°If you die, then that¡¯s too bad.¡±
¡°Excuse me?¡±
¡°Klever, my name¡¯s Henry Morris. From now on, you will refer to me only as Master.¡±
¡°Yes, Master! Thank you for sparing my life.¡±
¡°Then, let¡¯s start the contract, shall we?¡±
Wearing the ring on his finger, Henry stretched out his hand and uttered a spell.
¡°Oh, God of Promise, I propose a powerful contract by borrowing your name.¡±
Whooong!
A magic that borrowed the name of a god. This was a kind of magic that only wizards could use. It created a powerful contract, using magic as its medium.
¡°Will the Demonic Beast Klever pledge its heart to prove its oath of absolute obedience to me?¡±
Using one¡¯s heart as a guarantee. In other words, disobedience meant death. Klever clearly understood Henry¡¯s words and knew that something was wrong, but it was toote for it to back out. If it was going to die either way, it decided that it would rather try to dy its fate for as long as possible.
¡°...I will.¡±
Whooong!
The moment Klever swore its obedience, a marble as small as a thumbnail emerged from Klever¡¯s gaseous body and floated in front of Henry¡¯s eyes.
¡°The promise has been fulfilled. The proof of your oath will be engraved on this ring.¡±
The marble, which contained Klever¡¯s heart, set itself into Henry¡¯s tinum ring. Klever felt intense pain all over its body.
¡°Kaaaargh!¡±
The demonic energy in Klever¡¯s heart was being purified by the tinum ring.
¡°Endure. If you endure, you will live; if you don¡¯t, you will die.¡±
Even if they now had a master-servant rtionship, they would likely be discovered if they returned to the fortress as they were. Henry didn¡¯t want unnecessary misunderstandings to form just because of a mere Demonic Beast.
¡®If I can¡¯t have it, then it¡¯s better to just get rid of it.¡¯
For a while, Klever¡¯s screaming continued. Gradually its ck body shrunk down and became white like a cloud. As it shrunk in size, so did the amount of pain it was experiencing.
¡°You¡¯ve endured well.¡±
As expected of a high-level being, Klever had held up well. It looked exhausted, but also relieved that it had somehow survived. The tinum ring that had absorbed all of Klever¡¯s demonic energies had turned a dull magenta color.
¡°Klever, retrieve all the treasures. And never show yourself unless I call for you.¡±
¡°...Yes, understood.¡±
Although its body was now smaller, its abilities were still the same. The treasures in front of them disappeared in an instant, and Klever also disappeared into the ring.
¡°Now, shall I go?¡±
After recovering the loot, Henry picked up Carter¡¯s copsed body and headed to where the toon members were.
* * *
sh!
Finally, thest remaining Taurus fell by Gabo¡¯s sword. There was a look of relief on his face, but he quickly noticed that something was amiss.
¡°Where¡¯s ourmander?¡±
¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. Where is he?¡±
The toon members had been able to win despite being doubly outnumbered thanks to the news of Henry¡¯s resurrection. Hearing that their toonmander had survived, their morale had risen sharply. However, when they looked around the battlefield, all they could see were dead Taurus. Suddenly, at that moment, Henry appeared from behind the foliage.
¡°Uh, huh? That over there¡isn¡¯t that ourmander?¡±
¡°Oh, you¡¯re right! Wait, he¡¯s not alone.¡±
There was someone in Henry¡¯s arms. When the toon saw the man he was carrying, they couldn¡¯t believe it.
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°That is¡¡±
¡°Oh my God¡¡±
Commander Carter, whom everyone had thought was dead, had returned. It was already hard enough to believe that Henry was still alive, but he had shown up with the former toonmander as well!
A shiver ran through the toon members¡¯ bodies.
¡°Whoaaaaaaa!¡±
The shivers turned into shouts. With the toon cheering him on, Henry was able to return to the unit together with them.
* * *
Bringing Carter back alive, Henry returned to the fortress as a hero.
¡°...I must be dreaming now, right?¡±
¡°Even I can¡¯t believe that this is real right now.¡±
When the toon members first returned to thepany, themanders were the most surprised. In particr, Solomon¡¯s face turned white, as if he had seen a ghost.
Once he finally epted reality, however, he praised Henry more than anyone else. Henry, his subordinate, whom Solomon had thought to be ipetent, had be an irreceable hero. Both Borg and Hugo also gave their sincere apologies to Henry, reproaching themselves for looking down on him.
¡°Thank you, but I¡¯d like to stop by the infirmary first.¡±
¡°Yes, you should! Would you like me to prepare a carriage?¡±
¡°No, thank you. May I submit the formal report after having Commander Carter and my toon members examined?¡±
¡°Ah! Of course, you can! The report isn¡¯t what¡¯s important now!¡±
In contrast to the excited atmosphere, Henry had a rather t response, only exhibiting a slight, restrained smile. Although he also just had a in personality to begin with, to Henry, this mission was just yet another mission entrusted to him by Isn.
¡®There¡¯s so many more things for me to do, and yet, there is so much fuss over something like this.¡¯
The treatment at the infirmary was quick. Fortunately, there had been no casualties, but most of the toon members had suffered serious injuries and had no choice but to stay in their beds. However, none of the wounded soldiers felt gloomy or under the weather.
¡°Kehehehe¡¡±
¡°Are you that happy, you fool?¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m so damn happy, kehehe¡¡±
¡°Sir, please stopughing. You¡¯re opening up your wounds.¡±
¡°Oh no, I¡¯m so sorry. But¡ kehehe¡ I can¡¯t stop smiling. Kehehe¡¡±
Meanwhile, the medical officer who was examining Henry remarked, ¡°Huh, sir, you seem perfectly fine. I heard that you were struck by lightning?¡±
¡°It was by sheer luck that I was able to avoid any serious damage.¡±
¡°Still, you¡¯re incredible. You¡¯re only Learner-ss, and yet you have this much strength in you,¡± the medical officer eximed.
Based on the stories of the toon members, it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if Henry had at least an entire arm burnt off by the lightning, but he waspletely unscathed.
¡°I¡¯m d that I wasn¡¯t harmed much. Then, can I return to the unit now?¡±
¡°Ah, well, uh¡ truth is, there¡¯s nothing for me to do here. So yes, I¡¯ll contact you as soon as Commander Carter regains consciousness.¡±
¡°Thank you. Ah, regarding my toon members¡¡±
¡°Yes! Do you have any requests?¡±
¡°If possible, please hospitalize all of them, and do not let them return to the unit for a while, if possible.¡±
¡°Excuse me? Is there any particr reason for that?¡±
¡°They¡¯re just a little annoying.¡±
At Henry¡¯s answer, the medical officer chuckled. She knew exactly why Henry was making such a request.
¡°I understand. Once everyone calms down, I¡¯ll discharge them.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
With that, Henry left the infirmary alone and returned to thepany. When he arrived, thepanymander rushed out from the administrative office to greet him.
¡°Hey, our dear Commander Henry!¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°Why are you back so soon? Did you receive the necessary treatment?¡±
¡°I wasn¡¯t hurt, so I was discharged.¡±
¡°Man, our Commander Henry is something else. Anyways, we have a guest waiting for you, so perfect timing!¡±
¡°A guest?¡±
At that moment.
Crash!
¡°Henry! How are ya?¡±
¡°...Captain Isn?¡±
¡°I heard the news! How are you doing?¡±
¡°I was discharged from the hospital because I was fine, but¡ what are you doing here?¡±
¡°What do you think! Since you did such a good job, as your superior, I have toe to congratte you! You¡¯re not busy right? Let¡¯s head to my residence!¡±
It seemed that Solomon had submitted a report on the mission during the time Henry was in the infirmary. Standing next to Isn was Tini, who smiled and waved at Henry.
¡®Damn it¡¡¯
There seemed to be no escape from Isn¡¯s congrattions.
* * *
¡°Alright! Then, shall we hear from our hero personally?¡±
The mission definitely should have been reported formally first, but Isn requested a dramatic story as if it was some sort of hero''s tale being told in a pub. Henry sighed softly as he began telling his story like an official report. Telling the story this way made it easier for him to firmly manipte the contents.
As Henry told the story, details that he wanted to hide were left out, and information that was necessary was fleshed out. Of course, he reported that Klever had been killed. By the time Henry finished, Isn was no longer excited. He slumped in his chair with a sad look on his face.
¡°What a shame. If we could have captured it, it would have made for a great test subject.¡±
¡°There was no other way.¡±
¡°Welp, if our hero says so, then so be it! Now, shall we begin?¡±
With Isn in such a good mood, the feast was grander and morevish than expected. Thanks to him, the feast was outstanding.
¡°I didn¡¯t think you would catch ck so quickly. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have Makgus¡¯ whisky with me today.¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±
¡®How fortunate.¡¯ Henry thought to himself.
He was tired of drinking the infamous Makgus¡¯ ming Whisky because of Isn.
¡°But I prepared others that can match up to it! Hey, you! Bring them over!¡±
At Isn¡¯smand, soldiers appeared one after another with drums of liquor in hand.
¡°Wahahaha! This time, I got the Zelna¡¯s Exploding Whisky series!¡±
Seeing the kegs pile up, Henry let out yet another sigh.
Chapter 34: Harvest (1)
Chapter 34: Harvest (1)
Henry¡¯s eyebrows twitched at Isn¡¯s roar. Makgus had a strong reputation, but Zelna¡¯s whisky was just as famous.
¡®This is truly getting tiresome.¡¯
Getting drunk was the least of Henry¡¯s problems. He could deal with it easily by circting his mana, and he intended to take the opportunity to get a good rest the next day. The problem was the sheer amount of liquor.
¡°Today, we¡¯re drinking by the bowl! You can keep up, right?¡±
¡®This is getting worse and worse.¡¯
On a happy day like this, it was not possible to refuse a drink from a superior. Henry sighed and raised his bowl.
¡°Yes, of course.¡±
Anticipating a long night ahead, Henry feigned a smile. Suddenly¡
- Master.
A voice echoed in Henry¡¯s head.
¡®Mm?¡¯
It was Klever.
¡®I told you not to reveal yourself without my permission.¡¯
Henry had used this form ofmunication with his subordinates in his previous life, so this didn¡¯t feel out of the ordinary. Magic simr to telepathy worked this way as well.
- I didn¡¯t reveal myself! Communicating discreetly like this with you is easy for me.
Now that they had entered into a master-servant rtionship, this kind of ¡®internal dialogue¡¯ wasn¡¯t difficult. However, Henry was certain that Klever wasn¡¯t doing this simply to show off hismunication skills.
¡®What¡¯s the matter?¡¯- Are you in trouble right now?¡®What makes you think so?¡¯- I felt it. Master was feeling ufortable, and those feelings were conveyed to me. That¡¯s why I humbly ask.¡®It¡¯s none of your concern.¡¯- If Master wishes, I can drink that liquor for you instead.¡®What?¡¯- If I use my ability, Chest, it is possible for me to drink that liquor on your behalf, Master.¡®Chest, huh. It must be that subspace ability.¡¯
It was a sudden suggestion, but a pretty good one. However, Henry still had to pour the liquor down his throat after each toast, so he could not figure out how exactly Klever could help him drink it.
- Master may just drink it normally. I will activate Chest in Master¡¯s esophagus and absorb the liquor instead.¡®Activate it in my esophagus?¡¯- Yes! Something like that will be pretty easy for me.
It was the first time Henry had heard of such a method, but it sounded like a realistic proposition. However, Henry didn¡¯t fully trust Klever yet. Although it was his subordinate now, bound by a contract, it had yet to be fully subjugated in spirit.
¡®How can I trust you?¡¯- I¡¯ll prove it to you this time. And Master is much more powerful than I am¡ I won¡¯t be able toy a finger on you, and you can punish me as you see fit.¡±¡®Is it because of the tinum?¡¯
Unlike their first encounter, Klever had grown quite docile. Henry then remembered that the tinum had purified its mana. If its mana had indeed been purified by the tinum, its rough personality may have converted to a more docile one in the process.
¡®Then I¡¯ll believe you just this once.¡¯
Betrayal was unlikely, since they were already bound by contract. As long as the master-servant rtionship was maintained, Klever would not be able to harm Henry. Having made his decision, Henry raised another toast to Isn, who was already waiting with a filled bowl.
¡°A toast.¡±
¡°Kehehe, let¡¯s drink till we knock ourselves out!¡±
ng!
The two men¡¯s bowls full of whisky flowed down their throats.
Gulp, gulp.
As he swallowed, Henry realized that no matter how much liquor he drank, he couldn¡¯t feel it flowing into his stomach.
¡®Good.¡¯
Klever¡¯s n had turned out to be useful. Henry was now no longer afraid of drinking with Isn.
* * *
Freed from his worries, Henry drank with Isn deep into the night. They had gone drink for drink, and Zelna¡¯s whisky proved its reputation, putting Isn to sleep.
¡°Zzzz¡.¡± Isn snored thunderously.
¡°It¡¯s over.¡±
Henry lifted up Isn and carried him to his bed. He informed the soldiers, then leisurely returned to his own residence. Upon his return, he changed into a set offortable clothes and prepared himself a cup of hot tea.
¡®Was I expecting too much from Aura?¡¯
Henry had actually expected more from Klever. After all, it had captured a top-notch Sword Expert. It was only natural for Henry to expect great things from it. Surprisingly, however, Klever was weak. Anyone in Henry¡¯s shoes would have been disappointed. Moreover, Henry had failed to locate his treasure, which had been the original purpose of the mission, so it was hard to say that the oue had been satisfactory.
After taking a sip of his tea, Henry stroked his tinum ring.
¡°Klever.¡±
- Yes, Master.
Klever immediately showed itself, as if it had been waiting.
¡°Hm.¡±
Klever was still in a cloud-like state. The only difference was that it had changed from its dusty, ck appearance to a white, mist-like one.
Seeing this, Henry said, ¡°I wish you could change your appearance a bit more.¡±
- Understood.
Henry didn¡¯t have any particr issues with Klever¡¯s physical appearance, but he thought it was better to converse with something that looked like a physical being. After a while, Klever¡¯s appearance changed to that of a little cat. It was now an odd-eyed cat with pure white fur. One if its eyes were blue, and the other eye was yellow.
¡°With regards to earlier, you did well.¡±
- Thank you, Master.
Normally, the priority was to closely examine every single ability of the beings one subjugated. However, Henry had not had the time to do so until now. Due to their shared bond, Klever instantly recognized Henry¡¯s intentions and began disying its abilities. This act was certainlymendable.
¡°I called for you so I can get to know you better. Now,e closer.¡±
It was easy to identify the abilities of a subjugated servant. All one had to do was put one¡¯s hand on the servant¡¯s head and channel one¡¯s energy. Henry ced his hand on Klever¡¯s, who had climbed onto hisp. Henry sent his channeled energy into Klever.
Swoo.
As soon as he did this, Klever¡¯s abilities began to reveal themselves.
¡®Chest and Hypnotism, of course, but thest ability wasn¡¯t Parasitism, but rather Mind Aggression, huh?¡¯
Klever was a talented Mimik indeed, having three different abilities. In particr, Chest and Mind Aggression were skills that not even high-level wizards could use as they liked. Henry felt that he had done a good job in subduing Klever.
¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±
- Thank you.
When Henry removed his hand, Klever jumped down to the ground and waited for the nextmand.
¡®Smart.¡¯
Henry had never encountered such a clever demonic beast before. Well, with its demon energy removed, it was a bit inurate to think of Klever as a demonic beast. Having confirmed its abilities, Henry began asking other questions that he was curious about.
¡°I heard that you were preparing for your evolution?¡±
- Yes, given a little more time, I could have be a full-fledged Demon.
¡°Is that why you captured Carter?¡±
- Yes, I had prepared the perfect body to use as a vessel the moment my evolution wasplete.
¡°You must be disappointed, right?¡±
- No, I¡¯m not.
Klever pretended not to be, but it was clear that it felt resentful. If it had seeded in evolving into a Demon, it wouldn¡¯t have been captured like this.
¡°If I remember correctly, you reacted to a certain scent. What scent was it?¡±
- It was Dhdl.
¡°Dhdl?¡±
- That¡¯s what it''s called in the Demon Realm because we couldn¡¯t find out what it was called in the human tongue.
.
¡°Dhdl means¡¡±
Henry tranted ¡®Dhdl¡¯ in his mind. The moment he did, he furrowed his eyebrows.
¡°Cucumbers?¡±
- I¡¯ve yet to fully understand the human tongue. So even if you tell me, I don¡¯t know what a ¡®cucumber¡¯ is.
¡°...Wait here.¡±
¡®If my interpretation is correct, this is all too ridiculous.¡¯
Henry immediately got up and headed to hispany¡¯s kitchen. He rummaged through the storeroom and returned to his residence with a single cucumber.
¡°This is a cucumber.¡±
- T-this is¡!
The moment Henry took out the cucumber, Klever¡¯s pupils dted. In an instant, its entire body turned bright red.
- Huff, puff, huff, huff!
Seeing how Klever reacted, Henry sensed that his interpretation was correct.
¡®So its weakness is a cucumber.¡¯
Henry had thought it was going to be something spectacr. However, the all-too-addictive ¡®Dhdl¡¯ turned out to be nothing more than a simple cucumber. Henry couldn¡¯t hide his disappointment. While Henry stewed in frustration, Klever¡¯s gaze was fixated on the cucumber in his hand. It was as if its eyes werepletely enchanted. Henry let out a short sigh and threw the cucumber at it.
¡°You can have it.¡±
- T-thank you!
Klever¡¯s body began to turn pink.
¡®Seeing how crazy it''s acting, it looks like the cucumber is not its weakness, but a stimnt.¡¯
Henry quietly observed Klever for a while. Klever hugged the cucumber and rolled around with it, licking its skin and smelling it to its heart¡¯s content. Finally, it broke the cucumber down into smaller pieces and began to savor its moist flesh.
A long time passed.
¡°Klever.¡±
- Y-yes, nyaa! Master!
Klever had eaten the entire cucumber. However, it still retained some of the afterglow, as its fur was still a reddish shade.
¡°So you attacked Holtervelt because of the deodorant, but why did you attack Carter? He doesn¡¯t even use any deodorant.¡±
- I-I was just curious, nyaa. All I knew was that he had been chasing me for a long time, meow¡
The fact that Carter had been tracking it for a long time had angered it. This answered all of Henry¡¯s questions. Just as Henry was about to dismiss Klever, he decided to ask onest question.
¡°Klever.¡±
- Nya~ Master?
¡°Have you ever seen a mushroom that looks like this?¡±
Henry showed Klever the exact same drawing of a Kin Mushroom that he had shown his toon members. Since his treasure was located in the 6th district, he felt that Klever, a 6th district Demonic Beast, might know about it.
- This is¡
Klever looked at the picture for a long time with its hazy eyes. Soon, it burst outughing.
- Isn¡¯t this a Kin Mushroom, nyaa?
¡°That¡¯s right. Have you seen this before?
- Of course¡
¡°Then do you know where it is?¡±
- Of course I do, nyaa!
Henry smirked at Klever¡¯s confident reply.
* * *
¡°Mass Solitude.¡±
Thud!
In the middle of the night, when everyone was still asleep, Henry headed out with minimal armaments, his holy sword by his waist.
¡°Klever, you¡¯re certain about the location?¡±
- Yes. Trust me, Master.
This was Henry¡¯s best opportunity yet to find his treasure. ¡°Make hay while the sun shines¡±, as some said.
Based on Klever¡¯s testimony, Henry waited for the moon to rise. Only when the entirepany had fallen into a deep sleep was Henry finally able to head out on his secret expedition to the Demonic Beast Forest.
Chapter 35: Harvest (2)
Chapter 35: Harvest (2)
The moonlit fortress was silent. Henry ran through the thick darkness, reaching the gates in no time.
¡°Fly.¡±
Henry flew, soaring endlessly into the sky to avoid the fortress¡¯ security, which was stricter at night. Finally, when the gates under his feet looked as small as a fingernail, Henry canceled his spell and surrendered himself to gravity.
Whooosh!
Henry fell toward the ground at a high velocity, but he remained as calm as ever. He was enjoying the speed of the fall, and the feeling of the cool night breeze across his whole body. His drop point was the Demonic Beast Forest. Henry had to resort to this method to avoid the guards, as well as tond safely in the forest.
¡°Feather Fall.¡±
The fortress gates grewrge in his vision once more, and the trees of the forest were now close enough to be distinguished from one another.
Thud.
Upon casting hisnding spell, hended lightly on his feet as if he had descended using a stairway. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Henry ran across the forest like the wind, without looking back. Soon, he passed through the Safety Zone and reached the inner section of the 6th district.
¡°Klever.¡±
- Yes, Master.
Summoned by its master, Klever once again appeared before Henry in the form of a white cat. It took the lead, guiding Henry to the location of the Kin Mushroom.
After a while, they arrived on an unfamiliar path that Henry had not searched before. The path was densely lined with trees, just like the other areas. Klever pointed to one of them and said,
- It¡¯s behind that tree, Master.
¡°Is that so?¡±
On the surface, Henry couldn¡¯t notice anything different about the tree. But since Klever had said so, Henry drew his holy sword. Although the tree looked quite thick, Henry¡¯s holy sword, imbued with the power of a mage, cut through it like a hot knife through butter. The tree began to fall slowly and finally crashed with a noise befitting its massive size.
Boom!
Despite the moonlight that poked through the leaves and illuminated the forest floor, the back of the tree was still very dark.
¡°Are you sure this is it? There¡¯s nothing here.¡±
- No, Master. Please take a closer look.
Henry took a step closer and looked more closely at the area behind the fallen tree.
¡°...Spores?¡±
The tree was pitch-ck, but it wasn¡¯t darkness. It was the thick spores released by the Kin Mushroom.
¡®These are all spores?¡¯
At first, Henry had thought that the ckness was just the shadow of the tree. Upon closer inspection, however, he realized that it was not a shadow but spores emitted by countless mushrooms.
¡®They¡¯ve grown a lot.¡¯
This was somewhat understandable. Kin Mushrooms were a 5th district species, so they had found it easy to survive in the 6th district ecosystem.
¡®Since it has no natural predators here, it couldfortably multiply.¡¯
Creatures without natural predators only had two activities programmed into them for survival: feeding and reproduction. The providence of nature, and the spores in front of Henry were proof of that fact. Henry paused and thought for a moment, contemting how to get rid of the Kin Mushroom colony.
The easiest way to get rid of spores of this quantity was to burn them. However, it was the middle of the night, and it was obvious that a huge me would make Henry an instant target for any nearby Demonic Beasts.
After a while, Henry thought of a pretty good method; to order Klever to suck away the spores. With Klever¡¯s Chest ability, it was probably doable. It had absorbed that brutal whisky after all, so spores were nothing inparison.
¡°Klever.¡±
- Yes, Master.
¡°Can you suck those up?¡±
- Of course! Just leave it to me!
Klever walked up to the thick colony of spores and opened its little mouth.
- Meeeow!
A cat¡¯s cry echoed through the forest. Then, countless spores began to violently shoot up into Klever¡¯s mouth. The sight reminded Henry of a giant antlion trap, but Klever was devouring the spores much faster than an antlion trap could draw in ants. When it devoured thest remaining spores, Henry could finally see the huge colony site, illuminated by the moonlight.
¡°Did you swallow the mushrooms as well?¡±
- Ah, before I knew it¡
¡°Good job.¡±
Henry had been wondering how to get rid of the Kin Mushrooms next, so this was great news for him. Live Kin Mushrooms were great magic ingredients.
.
¡®This ability is so much more useful than Subspace.¡¯
Of course, the storage space that Klever¡¯s ability provided was not as great as the Subspace, but the former was a lot more convenient.
Henry stepped on the site of the colony as he moved forward. It was wider than he remembered. There was a small opening within, leading to a cave.
¡®Found it.¡¯
The cave that Henry had artificially created decades ago was here. It looked just like his Wizard''s Camp, and the sole purpose of it was to hide Henry¡¯s treasure.
¡°Light.¡±
Henry used magic to light up the inside of the dark cave. As he walked along the seemingly endless path, he eventually arrived at a huge cavity.
¡®There it is.¡¯
At the center of the cavity stood a huge stone statue, covered in dust and mold. It was as tall as a Taurus and looked like a knight, with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. Henry approached the statue and greeted it as if he was meeting an old friend.
¡°You¡¯re still the same.¡±
The stone statue¡¯s name was Shielder. Henry had created it with a special type of alchemy to protect his treasure. Shielder had perfect resistance to all types of magic up to the 5th-Circle.
In addition, since it had been made from the kind of alloys used by the best imperial craftsmen, Shielder was a sturdy protector that not even a young Expert¡¯s Aura could leave a scratch on.
Henry brushed the dust off of Shielder.
It was a shame.
Henry had initially wanted to leave Shielder behind as part of his legacy, It was a pity that he now had to retrieve it for his own revenge. Henry stared at Shielder with a bittersweet look in his eyes for a long while. Then, he recited a spell.
¡°...Boj tearg a enod ev¡¯uoy.¡±
Crack, craaaack!
The spell that Henry recited was the final spell to end Shielder¡¯s life. When he finished, a small crack formed on Shielder¡¯s body. Soon it began to break apart.
Pzzzt.
The broken stone statue turned into fine sand, which piled up like a grave. Henry stood for a moment, honoring Shielder with a brief moment of silence.
¡°Here it is.¡±
After a short moment of silence, Henry put his hand into the pile of sand, touching a small wooden box within. It was in the same state as when Henry had ced it within Shielder decades ago. He pulled the box out from the sand.
Click.
There was no separate locking device, so it only took a bit of force to get it open. Within it, there was a purple sphere the size of a fist.
- Master, what is this?
Klever asked as it climbed over Henry¡¯s shoulder.
¡°This is the heart of a Demon called Venom. If you eat this, you will be immune to all the poisons in the world, and the blood in your body will also turn into a deadly poison.¡±
- Is there no antidote for it?
¡°There is.¡±
- That¡¯s fortunate.
Klever nodded.
¡®Finally, it¡¯s in my hands.¡¯
There was a legend in the East about people drinking a magic elixir and bing ¡®impervious to ten thousand poisons.¡¯ It was actually possible in reality, but Venom¡¯s heart was the only thing in the world that could aplish it. The reason why Henry wanted to find Venom¡¯s heart first among the various other treasures was simple: it was the very poison that had killed him in his previous life.
Of course, with his new life, he had started off by training in swordsmanship to improve his resistance to poison andpensate for his weak physical body, as a well-trained knight¡¯s body imbued with the power of Aura was resistant to most poisons. However, he still wasn¡¯t resistant to all poisons. Far more training was required to reach that level. Due to the trauma from thest moments of his previous life, Henry had decided that he needed topletely eradicate the risk of being poisoned ever again.
Henry took out the heart and put it in his mouth without hesitation. Its texture was reminiscent of crusty bread.
¡®It¡¯s so awfully vorless.¡¯
Of course, only its texture was simr to bread, not its taste. Still, Henry ate it all up on the spot without batting an eye.
- Master, are you okay?
¡°Yeah.¡±
As the essence of Venom¡¯s heart flowed through him, Henry¡¯s body heated up. It felt as if he had just drunk a bottle of hot liquor.
After a while, he took out a small ss bottle.
- Master, what is that?
¡°Poison.¡±
- Huh?
A truly powerful poison called ¡®Prasia¡¯s Death.¡¯ This was the very poison that Silver Jackson had fed Henry before robbing everything from him.
- W-what are you going to do with it?
¡°Now that I¡¯ve eaten the heart, I¡¯ll have to test it out to see if it works.¡±
- W-what?
After answering Klever¡¯s question, Henry immediately poured the poison down his throat in one swig.
The concentration and volume of the poison was exactly the same as what had ended his previous life. Henry emptied the bottle, down to thest drop. The dark-purple Prasia¡¯s Death flowed down Henry¡¯s throat and began to spread throughout his body.
Klever was beyond shocked. Such a rash act made no sense to him at all. However, a few momentster, Henry spoke.
¡°...I¡¯m fine.¡±
- A-are you really okay?
¡°I¡¯m certain of the heart¡¯s effects.¡±
Normally, just swallowing the poison would have felt as if there wasva flowing down his throat. It would have torn through his innerwork of mana and eventually wreaked havoc on his organs. Now, however, Henry was as healthy as ever. With the effects of the heart confirmed, he licked the extra poison from his lips and returned to thepany.
* * *
The next day, Henry entered the administrative office to attend the morning meeting.
¡°Oh, Commander Henry, you¡¯re here!¡±
Solomon¡¯s attitude toward Henry had be even more over-the-top. The same went for Borg and Hugo.
¡°Commander Henry, please rest for a while. Captain Isn has given you special permission.¡±
¡°The Captain did?¡±
¡°Oh, yes. Since the entire special task force toon is hospitalized at the moment, he must have thought it¡¯d be better that we take a break and reconsolidate our strength.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
¡°Ah, I almost forgot! Take this.¡±
Commander Solomon handed Henry a small note.
¡°What¡¯s this?¡±
¡°An official document that was addressed only to you. Head back to your residence and take a look.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
Henry had never seen an official document that looked like this before. It didn¡¯t look like anything special, so Henry silently returned to his residence.
¡®What kind of document is this?¡¯
Once he was inside his residence, Henry opened up the note.
¡°This is¡¡±
After seeing what was written in the note, Henry couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter.
- I¡¯m on a break today, so let¡¯s have lunch. I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the residence.
The note that Solomon had passed to him under the guise of an official letter was none other than a personal note from Tini. Henry thought of Tini as a brave and daring woman. Only Tini could have pulled off something like this. After all, most of thepany¡¯s official documents had to go through her.
After contemting for a while, Henry decided to y along. After all, it was true that he was able to finish his mission quickly thanks to her, and he felt good about having finally found his treasure that he had been looking for so long.
¡°Well then¡ guess it¡¯s time to let loose a little.¡±
Henry let out a little smile as he opened his wardrobe.
Chapter 36: Harvest (3)
Chapter 36: Harvest (3)
It was the rule in Caliburn Fortress that, except under special circumstances, nobody was permitted to leave the fortress during their period of service. For this reason, a form of entertainment was always needed for both soldiers and officers alike, and one of them was ¡®love.¡¯
Tini was as straight as an arrow. She was amoner, without a prestigious background. She had achieved her present position purely through her outstanding talents and hard work. These kinds of people usually had good taste in their choice of partner.
Also, it wasmon for people to feel attracted to those who had things that they did not have, or those who were far superior to themselves in some way.
In that sense, Isn was Tini¡¯s ideal type. Isn had also been amoner, but his overwhelming talent and hard work had allowed him to earn the title of Commander-in-Chief. Unfortunately, Isn was the same age as her father, not to mention that he had no real interest in women.
Then, Henry had appeared in Tini¡¯s life.
¡®Henry is good enough. Young, smart, talented. I should make him mine before anyone else takes him away,¡¯?Tini thought as she heard a knock at her door.
¡°Come in.¡±
Henry stepped into Tini¡¯s residence. The first thing that caught his eye was her blouse with a deep neckline.
Tini was also rather popr within the fortress. The number of female soldiers was already very low, so she was in a favorable position when it came to romance without even having to try. However, since she was a woman who had made her own future with her own strength, she also wanted to achieve romance on her own terms too.
¡°Thank you for inviting me to lunch, Ma¡¯am.¡±
¡°Just call me Tini in private. We¡¯re not working right now, so there¡¯s no need to address me as ¡®Ma¡¯am,¡¯ is there?¡±
¡°Then, may I?¡±
Henry was wearing a white shirt with a low cor and ck trousers. This had been Henry¡¯s favorite type of outfit in his previous life. The biggest advantage was that he looked neat and wasfortable moving around in it.
¡°Is pasta okay?¡±
¡°Did you personally cook it?¡±
¡°Yeah, the chefs sometimes cook for me, but I usually cook for myself. It tastes a lot better that way, too.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t know you had a knack for cooking.¡±
¡°You¡¯ll be surprised when you try it.¡±
On the table were a couple of simple meat dishes, as well as pasta and some fresh sd.
¡°Shall we have a light drink to pair with the meal?¡±
¡°That sounds good to me.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t tell me you feel forced to say ¡®yes¡¯ to drinking, just like how you do with our Captain, do you?¡±
¡°Haha, as long as we¡¯re not drinking by the barrel like him, I¡¯m good.¡±
The meal started with a friendly atmosphere. There was no sense of awkwardness between the two, as Tini was the person Henry had interacted with most, after his own toon members.
¡®How peaceful.¡¯
Henry was also feeling satisfied with this sense of peace that he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time. The two chatted and soon emptied two bottles of wine, carried away by the pleasant mood.
¡°Ah~ it¡¯s been a while since I had a break like this, it feels great,¡± Tini said.
Her cheeks were blushing, but she wasn¡¯t drunk. As expected of the drunkard Captain¡¯s personal attendant, she, too, had a high tolerance for alcohol. For her love strategy to work, however, she needed to appear a little loose.
¡°Me too,¡± Henry replied.
¡°Shall we¡ move elsewhere and get another bottle?¡±
¡°Sounds good, where is it? Shall I bring it over?¡±
¡°No, I¡¯ll bring it over. You stay here.¡±
As time passed, the atmosphere heated up. Tini clenched her fist as soon as she was out of Henry¡¯s sight. She had created the perfect mood, just as she had hoped.
¡®Now, with one more bottle¡!¡¯
Tini was going to bring out her prized liquor called ¡®Love Potion¡¯. She walked toward her front door, as the wine cer was located outside the residence. Just as she opened the door¡
¡°Oh, I was just about to knock. Officer Tini! I came here because I have an urgent letter for you.¡±
¡°...What?¡±
A soldier stood at her door, waiting for her to deliver urgent news.
¡°What is it?¡±
Tini was now wide awake. With the moodpletely ruined, Tini struggled to keep a straight face as she tried to process the news.
¡°Commander Carter has woken up from hisa.¡±
¡°What?¡±
The first to respond to the news was none other than Henry.
* * *
Upon hearing the news, all themanders, including Isn, left their offices and rushed to the infirmary. The medical officer reported on the oue of the examination.
¡°He may be conscious now, but so far, his body is still extremely debilitated from prolonged exposure to demonic energies.¡±
¡°How long will it take for him to recover?¡±
¡°It¡¯ll take at least a year for a full recovery.¡±
¡°A full year?¡±
¡°As you know, the concentration of demonic energies is on a different level in the 6th district. Moreover, our examination has shown that a lot of his organs were damaged by the Demonic Beast that was arbitrarily extending his life without giving the proper nutrition for about a month.¡±
¡°...Will he really recover fully in a year?¡±
¡°Yes, we expect the recovery period to be around a year. Oh, and¡¡±
¡°And?¡±
¡°As soon as he regained consciousness, I informed him that ck had been eliminated, and he asked me to pass on these words.¡±
WIth a brief pause, the medical officer looked at Henry before he resumed.
¡°Thank you very much.¡±
Upon hearing the news that ck had been eliminated, Carter burst into tears, despite barely having the strength to open his eyes.
The killing of ck. For Henry, it had been a rtively simple task, but for Carter, it had been his one mission, his life¡¯s purpose, for years. Carter had felt a rush of gratitude to Henry for helping him aplish his mission.
After the briefing, the medical officer left the room, leaving behind only the officers. It was Solomon who finally broke the silence.
¡°Captain Isn.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°I was just wondering, but what will you do when Commander Carter fully recovers in a year?¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t you send Commander Henry to the special task force because we presumed Carter to be dead? Following our militaryw, now that we know Commander Carter wasn¡¯t dead and was simply missing, in a year, will you reinstate Commander Carter to his original position in the special task force?¡±
¡°That¡¡±
Solomon had pointed out a fairly important issue. The final decision was Isn¡¯s to make. However, no matter how much he favored Henry, he had to be fair in his decision-making in this case.
¡®What a headache, this is¡¡¯
It was a thorny dilemma. No one coulde up with a response to Solomon¡¯s question. At that moment, Henry, who had stood silently the whole time, solved that dilemma right away.
¡°...What?¡±
¡°Is that true?¡±
¡°No, there wasn¡¯t any word of that, was there?¡±
Everyone who heard Henry¡¯s answer was a little perplexed.
* * *
- Sheesh¡. Perhaps you just have no talent?
¡°Nonsense.¡±
At dawn, under the light of a slowly setting full moon, Henry was drenched in sweat from his intense training andy spread out on the floor.
- No, think carefully. Even the neighborhood fool could unlock it after a year in the battlefield, so why can¡¯t a genius like you learn it?
¡°Shut up.¡±
A year had passed since Carter had woken up. In the meantime, Henry had continued to serve faithfully as the toonmander of the special task force and had be an elite officer, recognized by many for all kinds of merits.
However, no matter how many missions hepleted, or how deep he entered the forest, Henry still remained a Sword Learner. He couldn¡¯t find out the reason why.
During that time, Henry had honed his Imperial Swordsmanship and Hector¡¯s swordsmanship every single day. He had also trained his physical strength and even given himself a handicap when battling against the Demonic Beasts. However, Aura, which he had expected to obtain easily, showed no signs of manifesting within him.
- Incredible.
Hector couldn¡¯t help but admire Henry''s tenacity. The Aura was, in essence, intensified life force emitted when one¡¯s body reached its limit. For that reason, it was easier to unlock the Aura in dangerous ces like the Demonic Beasts¡¯ Forest.
Henry was different.
Even without such power, he was strong enough on his own. Because of that, he had not had any encounters that would have allowed him to unlock his Aura. In other words, the stronger one was, the harder it was to unlock their Aura, and theter one obtained their Aura, the more powerful the Aura would be. That¡¯s exactly what had happened to Hector, and that was why Hector decided to hide this fact from Henry.
If Henry was indeed a true natural genius, obtaining his Aura naturally at some point was the best possible oue for him.
¡®Breaking your own limits is the greatest way to train.¡¯
Soon, the morning sun began to rise. As it rose, Hector naturally returned to the Underworld. Henry muttered softly as he watched the sun.
¡°...I guess it¡¯s time to slowly prepare for my discharge.¡±
The minimum service period under the Noblesse Oblige system was one year. It was now the discharge day, exactly one year after Henry¡¯s enlistment.
Henry''s discharge wasn¡¯t sudden. His n had already been underway for a year, since the day Carter had woken up in the hospital.
¡°Clean.¡±
After cleaning himself with magic, Henry got dressed¡ªnot in armor, but in a uniform. He no longer had to attend the daily morning meetings. Wearing the uniform for the first time since he had received it, Henry stood in front of thepanymander. There were othermanders alongside him, as well as many other members lined up behind them.
Looking at Henry, Solomon asked, ¡°Are you really choosing to discharge?¡±
¡°Yes, that¡¯s my will.¡±
Solomon sighed. ¡°Your will¡ I suppose I can¡¯t convince someone who has already made up their mind.¡±
¡°Thank you for everything.¡±
¡°We should be the ones thanking you. Thanks to you, we¡¯ve benefitted so much¡ Yeah, you¡¯ve done well. Now, stand up straight.¡±
At thepanymander¡¯smand, Henry stood up straight.
¡°Turn.¡±
¡°To toon Commander Henry Morris, salute!¡±
¡°Sir!¡±
A salute from allpany members on the day of his discharge. It was the highest disy of honor and respect toward Henry. Then¡
¡°Sir, do you really have to go?¡±
¡°You can¡¯t. There¡¯s no one else like you¡¡±
The night before, the toon members had already thrown a farewell ceremony in tears, downing alcohol the whole night. However, the members burst into tears again, despite having bawled their eyes out already. In response, Solomon attempted to quickly wrap up Henry¡¯s discharge.
¡°Commander Henry, do you have any final words?¡±
Henry had already given them plenty of words of encouragement the night before, using the speaking abilities he had gained as a former sage of the Empire.
¡°You¡¯ve all worked hard so far, and I hope to see you all again.¡±
Hugo smiled and patted Henry on the shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s so like you.¡±
A short, sinct speech.
¡°Well then, thanks for everything.¡±
The final farewells were over. Henry raised his right hand and saluted all of thepany members.
¡°You all take care of yourselves too.¡±
Bidding one more farewell, Henry quietly left thepany.
* * *
¡°Are you really going?¡±
¡°Yes, I am.¡±
¡°Such a fast discharge for someone who was so eager to be enlisted.¡±
After Henry¡¯s deration of intent of discharge, Isn had constantly encouraged Henry to serve longer. But each time, Henry brushed it off with augh, and in the end, Isn wasn¡¯t able to change Henry¡¯s mind. Isn felt a sense of pity for himself as he wiped his dry lips.
Isn handed Henry a small silver tag. ¡°Take this.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
It was an identity tag offered to those who had sessfullypleted their obligation to their respective institution. Henry¡¯s identity tag had originally featured an engraved blue star as an indication of the Medal of Merit. However, his updated identity tag contained an additional star for the fulfillment of his duties, and another for his outstanding achievements during his service.
A silver identity tag with a total of three stars. With this, he could easily earn a salute anywhere he visited.
¡°As you requested, I didn¡¯t announce this news to your hometown.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
¡°And also, take this.¡±
¡°Is this that token?¡±
¡°Yeah, upon your request, I¡¯ve made the one and only token that represents me. I¡¯ve made all sorts of things because of you.¡±
Isn¡¯s one and only token of proof. This had been Henry¡¯s sole request after announcing his discharge.
¡°Anyway, as long as you have this token of proof, upon my honor, I will grant you one request. Anytime, anywhere.¡±
¡°Thank you, Captain.¡±
Henry had made a request to Isn for ¡®future help.¡¯ The help of powerful talents like Isn would surely be needed in the distant future.
¡°Ah, and as I said, please take good care of him,¡± Henry said.
¡°You mean Ronan, right?¡±
¡°Yes. He¡¯s the only person who was able to push me to my limits. Besides, he¡¯s an adoptee who¡¯s bound to the Foram family, so there¡¯s no danger of him suddenly leaving, unlike me.¡±
¡°I¡¯m so used to only dealing with the best of the best, I don¡¯t even look at inferior goods. I¡¯m only giving him a chance because of you, but if he fails to meet my expectations¡ you know what happens, right?¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
Thispleted most of Henry¡¯s preparations. Having finished his business, he got up from his seat and prepared to leave.
¡°Leaving already?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°At least try to look a little sad, you bastard.¡±
¡°I definitely am.¡±
¡°How thick-skinned¡ anyway, you¡¯ve done well. This may just be the stubborn old man in me speaking, but if you ever change your mind, I¡¯ll always be here waiting for you, so feel free toe and visit me anytime.¡±
¡°Thank you, Captain.¡±
¡°What Captain? Get moving!¡±
Henry gave Isn one final salute. Then he headed back to Jade, who was tied up in front of the administrative office, and departed for the outside world.
Chapter 37: The Return of the Real Deal (1)
Chapter 37: The Return of the Real Deal (1)
Henry finally returned to the outside world after a year.
He didn¡¯t have any strong feelings in particr, besides a bit of regret from not being able to achieve all the goals he had set out for. Still, he felt relieved that he was able to break away from his regr routine. The day had been perhaps thest moment of leisure that he could enjoy.
¡®But first, money.¡¯
He was no longer bound to a time-consuming job in the military. He had wasted over a year already, so he immediately decided to execute his next n.
Having obtained his freedom, the first thing Henry set his sights on was none other than money. The reason he chose money as his primary goal was simple: nothing else had the fundamental power of wealth.
¡®First, I should head to Vivaldi.¡¯
Vivaldi was thergest entertainment ce in the Empire. Being an entertainment city, it was directly managed by the Empire and not under any aristocrat, and most of the ie earned in the city was collected through the Empire¡¯s taxes.
¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
Neeeeigh!
After spending a yearfortably in Isn¡¯s stables, Jade had grown even bigger. But that didn¡¯t make him any duller. On the contrary, thanks to eating and resting well, his stamina had improved significantly. The horse sprinted across the country, carrying Henry for a long time before it even began to feel tired.
Slowly, the huge outskirts of the city began to emerge.
¡®No matter how many times I look at it, I¡¯m still in awe at its size.¡¯
The Empire invested generously in Vivaldi, since entertainment generated huge ie. As a result, Vivaldi had been able to rise as one of the most luxurious cities in the Empire.
Henry soon arrived at the entrance to the city. In front of its huge gate, soldiers wearing high-quality armor were checking the people entering and leaving the city. The queue was very long, as expected. Many were drawn to the City of Pleasure.
However, Henry didn¡¯t stand in line like everyone else. Instead, he skipped the line and rode right to the front of the queue, as if it was his right. Seeing this, one of the soldiers gestured toward him.
¡°Looking at your outfit, it seems like you¡¯re a member of the imperial army. However, you still don¡¯t get preferential treatment here, so go back and queue up like everyone else.¡±
This was the greatest entertainment hub in the Empire. For that reason, it was also a ce where the wealthy and powerful, like the Nobles and bureaucrats, flocked to. Since pretty much everyone here was privileged anyway, special privileges were seldom granted.
The slogan of this city was that everyone was equal in the pursuit of pleasure.
Henry took out his identity tag without saying a word and showed it to the soldier.
¡°Ah, well, no matter what you try to show me¡ H-huh?¡±
All the soldiers in Vivaldi belonged to the imperial army. Therefore, they had no reason to feel belittled even in the face of most Nobles. Disrespecting the soldiers was basically a challenge to the entire imperial army. However, as soon as Henry held out his silver identity tag, the soldier¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°T-three stars?!¡± His posture immediately stiffened in a formal salute. ¡°I have made a terrible mistake by not recognizing you, sir!¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay. Now, may I enter?¡±
¡°Of course! Oh, please take this. It will greatly assist you in your stay!¡±
The soldier who hastily saluted Henry then held out a small card.
¡®Ah, the ck Card.¡¯
Benefits were rarely given out, but that didn¡¯t mean that there weren¡¯t any at all. Exceptional benefits were given to the most powerful, the very wealthy, or to decorated people like Henry. Proof of that was the ck Card, also called the ¡®Vivaldi Free Pass.¡¯
¡°Well then.¡±
After a brief silence, Henry rode into Vivaldi.
* * *
Boom! Boom!
¡°We have Vivaldi¡¯s special golden skewers!¡±
¡°We have Zelna¡¯s whisky over here!¡±
¡°The greatest fireworks show! Starting now!¡±
As soon as Henry received the card and entered the city, he immediately felt the vivid vibrancy of the city. Numerous street vendors, performances by bards and clowns, and various public gambling houses were on full disy. All of these were ¡®specialties¡¯ of Vivaldi.
¡®This ce is still the same as ever.¡¯
Henry was one of the pioneers who had built the Empire. Therefore, it was only natural that his rtionship with Vivaldi was also different. When he entered the city, the first thing he searched for was a clothing store. After all, he couldn¡¯t go around wearing a military uniform forever. After looking around, Henry walked into thergest and most morous clothing store he saw.
¡°Wee.¡±
The manager of the store was a skinny woman with sharp, pointed sses. As soon as the woman spotted Henry, she greeted him while giving him a quick scan.
¡®A soldier? Judging by the uniform, it looks like he¡¯s an officer¡ he seems young, so he must be a junior officer.¡¯
.
Most of the imperial merchants adopted an incentive system for their employees. In other words, giving an employee a bonus rtive to their sales figures. However, junior officers tended to be poor, so selling clothes to such customers resulted in close to no bonus for finalizing the sale. With that in mind, the manager immediately called for another employee.
¡°Camie, go and serve that guest.¡±
¡°Yes, manager.¡±
At the manager¡¯s order, Camie, the youngest employee in the store, put down the clothes she was organizing and hurriedly approached Henry.
In a store, customers with no money were called ¡®waste,¡¯ and the youngest employees of the store were usually tasked with handling them.
¡°Wee! Is there anything you¡¯re looking for?¡¯
¡®The youngest employee?¡¯
Henry knew about this discriminatory practice, but he did not let it show, and did not hesitate to speak to the employee who had been assigned to him.
¡°Is this the biggest clothing store in Vivaldi?¡±
¡°Yes! Our Shuzume is thergest clothing store in Vivaldi.¡±
¡°You sound proud of it.¡±
¡°Of course! Working at Shuzume is something I¡¯m proud of.¡±
The youngdy hadrge eyes and was full of life, and Henry liked people who were proud and passionate of their own work.
¡®So much shiting from a junior officer,¡¯?the manager thought as she clicked her tongue.
In her eyes, he was nothing more than a dreg of a guest pretending to be stylish.
Henry began to exin what he was looking for.
¡°I¡¯m looking for a white shirt and ck pants right now. Oh, the pants must be slim.¡±
¡°How about these?¡±
Camie immediately suggested some pieces nearby. They were a little priceypared to regr clothes.
¡°Well, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re to my taste.¡±
¡®But of course,¡¯ thought the manager.
Seeing Henry reject the more expensive products, the manager looked at him with disgust.
But at that moment¡
¡°Forget about these. Do you have any clothes made by Sylvia?¡±
¡°Sorry? Who?¡±
¡°Sylvia, the designer. Surely a store this big carries her products?¡±
¡°A-ah yes, of course! Please wait a moment!¡±
Sylvia.
She was a living legend in the designer world, and the clothes she designed were said to be the most sophisticated in the Empire, enough to make even ves look noble.
¡°S-Sylvia?¡± the manager muttered to herself in disbelief.
Sylvia¡¯s products were the most expensive in the store. Just selling one piece of clothing from her lineup would mean receiving a huge bonus.
¡°Camie! Can youe here for a moment?¡±
¡°Sorry, me?¡±
¡°Yeah, you. I¡¯ll take care of him, so can you organize the clothes here?¡±
¡°Organize¡?¡±
¡°Why? You don¡¯t want to do it?¡±
¡°N-no¡¡±
These were Sylvia¡¯s products they were talking about.
Contrary to her initial judgment, the manager, now blinded by the potential bonus, immediately snatched Henry away from Camie as soon as she smelled the jackpot. After sizing Henry visually, the manager appeared in front of him with the clothes he requested.
¡°Thank you for waiting. Here is the white shirt and slim pants that you requested.¡±
¡°Has the staff in charge been changed?¡±
¡°Hoho, she¡¯s busy right now, so I¡¯ll be serving you instead.¡±
¡°Is that so? Well, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll take these. I can wear these right away, can¡¯t I?¡±
¡°Excellent choice, sir! Oh-ho-ho!¡±
The manager had deliberately picked out the most expensive pieces. However, Henry decided to make the purchase without even closely inspecting them.
The manager was grinning from ear to ear.
Henry took off his uniform in the dressing room and immediately changed into Sylvia¡¯s branded clothes.
¡°Wow! They suit you so well! No wonder they call these pieces ¡®befitting of an angel¡¯!¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Yes~ It¡¯s been five years since I started working here and it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen anyone who suits Sylvia¡¯s clothes so well!¡±
¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll make the purchase right away.¡±
A single piece of normal clothing worn bymoners usually costs less than one silver. However, Sylvia¡¯s clothes were considered masterpieces even among luxury goods, and cost a whopping ten gold for a shirt.
Afterpleting the payment, Henry checked the receipt.
¡°What¡¯s the name again?¡±
¡°Hoho, I¡¯m Manager Schlibiatz.¡±
¡°No, not you, I mean the first employee who assisted me.¡±
¡°...Excuse me?¡±
¡°Ah, there she is. Hello?¡± Henry gestured at Camie, catching her attention. ¡°Your name is?¡±
¡°M-me? I¡¯m just an employee, my name¡¯s Camie.¡±
¡°I like the clothes that you picked out. I¡¯ll give you the receipt.¡±
¡°Huh? Me?¡±
Employees collected receipts from their customers and received bonuses based on those receipts. Therefore, receipts for expensive products were considered a treasure for every employee.
Manager Schlibiatz was bewildered.
¡°E-excuse me, sir? I¡¯m the one who picked out the clothes for you, not Camie.¡±
¡°I know.¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°But I requested it specifically from Miss Camie over here.¡± Henry said as he wrote down Camie¡¯s name on the receipt before handing it over.
¡°Thanks for the clothes. See you.¡±
In truth, it didn¡¯t matter who had chosen the clothes. What made Henry unhappy was the way that the manager had looked at him when he had entered the store.
¡®Next, shoes.¡¯
Having gracefully gotten his revenge, Henry carried on to the shoe store. And when he finally found a pair of shoes that he liked, Henry finally had a smile on his face.
¡®Now that¡¯s much better.¡¯
To buy the clothes that he was wearing, he had spent an entire year¡¯s worth of sry, as well as all the treasure that Klever had umted. He was nowpletely broke, but he felt that it was all worth it. In fact, he was highly satisfied that he was finally wearing some proper clothes.
Having finished his shopping, Henry stood in front of a huge bulletin boardbeled ¡®High Score¡¯ in the center of the city. The High Score showed the champions and their respective high scores for all the spectacr events taking ce all over Vivaldi.
¡®Let¡¯s see¡ don¡¯t tell me the record¡¯s already been broken, eh?¡¯
Henry busily scanned the High Score board.
¡®Found it.¡¯
His eyes stopped at one particr spot where ¡®Chess¡¯ was written.
¡®As expected of the champion. To think that he¡¯s kept his seat for all this time.¡¯
The name recorded under the ¡®Chess¡¯ category was Vant Larson. Vant Larson was the best chess yer in the Empire, having yed over three thousand chess games without losing a single one.
¡®Officially, that is.¡¯
Confirming that the chess champion was still the same person that he remembered, Henry disappeared into the crowd again.
* * *
¡°Mayor, a Noble of the ck rank would like to see you.¡±
¡°ck rank? Who is it?¡±
¡°He identified himself as Henry Morris, and he said that he¡¯ll discuss the details when you meet him.¡±
¡°H-Henry Morris?¡±
Receiving the news just as he was about to begin his dinner, Vant Larson jumped out of his seat, startled by the name ¡®Henry Morris¡¯.
¡°No, no. Henry Morris is dead. Perhaps it¡¯s just coincidentally the same name?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
¡°You surprised me! I¡¯m busy now, so tell him toe backter.¡±
¡°That is¡ he said that should you deny meeting him, he¡¯ll expose what happened in Baguess.¡±
¡°W-what!?¡±
At the mention of Baguess, Vant almost fell out of his chair. As soon as he got back on his feet, hemanded in a trembling voice, ¡°W-what are you doing! Get ready, now!¡±
At Vant¡¯smand, the secretary got busy.
Chapter 38: The Return of the Real Deal (2)
Chapter 38: The Return of the Real Deal (2)
¡°He¡¯s called you in.¡±
As Henry had expected, the door to the city hall opened slowly.
Vant Larson.
He was an honorary Noble who had been crowned by the Empire, and at the same time was the mayor of Vivaldi. Of course, he was not supposed to be mayor in the first ce. He had reigned as the chess champion for nearly ten years, and in recognition of his reputation, he had been selected as the manager of Vivaldi, a symbol of nightlife and gambling.
¡®Who the hell could he be? Not only does he have the same name as Henry, but he also knows about Baguess?¡¯
Vivaldi¡¯s city hall was a tower that soared high into the sky. People called this tower the Vivaldi Tower, and Vant, who managed the tower, was referred to as the ¡®Prince of Vivaldi.¡¯
At that moment, Henry arrived at the living room located on the second floor of the tower.
Seeing Henry, Vant asked sharply, ¡°Are you the person who calls himself Henry Morris?¡±
¡°Yes, I am.¡±
¡°Excuse me, but can I see your identity tag?¡±
Vant¡¯s eyes were full of disbelief. An identity check had already been done at the entrance to the tower, but Vant was the kind of man who needed to see things with his own eyes to truly be convinced of something.
¡°Please, feel free.¡±
Henry handed over his silver identity tag, which Vant quickly took and inspected.
¡®Three stars¡¡¯
In an Empire that valued honor as its highest virtue, the number of stars embedded in one¡¯s identity tag represented power.
A ck-grade Noble.
Vant pretended to inspect the identity tag while ncing up at Henry.
¡®No way. Is he wearing clothes by Sylvia?¡¯
Vant was the mayor of Vivaldi. He could immediately tell that these were no ordinary clothes.
But that made it all the more strange.
¡®If he has a silver identity tag, he¡¯s obviously a Bar¡ perhaps he¡¯s from a wealthy family? If not, how can he be just a Bar and afford to wear Sylvia¡¯s clothes?¡¯
Most Bars were awarded medals, making them honorary Nobles, and most of these Bars had all their wealth concentrated in one small estate. Therefore, it didn¡¯t make sense to see a Bar wearing expensive luxury goods like Sylvia¡¯s.
¡°If you¡¯re done checking, please return it.¡±
¡°Ah, yes, here¡ I apologize for my rudeness.¡±
From what Vant could tell, the man before him was a Noble and appeared to be quite wealthy. In addition, he was using the name of the former Archmage, and had brought up the topic of Baguess. With this information alone, it was clear that this was someone Vant had to be wary of.
¡°Everyone, out.¡±
Vant gestured to the servants waiting in the living room, who quickly scurried toward the exit. Soon, only Henry and Vant were left in the living room.
Vant spoke first.
¡°Before I ask you why you¡¯vee to find me, can I ask you something else?¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
¡°Baguess. Do you know what that word refers to?¡±
¡°Of course I do. Isn¡¯t it the name of the inn?¡±
¡®H-how does he¡?¡¯
¡°Have all your questions been answered? Now, it¡¯s my turn to speak.¡±
Vantz didn¡¯t provide a specific answer, but based on the expression on his face, it was clear how he felt.
¡°What¡¯s the purpose of your visit?¡± asked Vant.
¡°y chess with me.¡±
¡°...Excuse me?¡±
¡°y a round of chess with me. That¡¯s all I want.¡±
¡°Do you know who I am?¡±
¡°Of course I do. Aren¡¯t you Sir Vant Larson, mayor of Vivaldi and the greatest chess champion of the Empire?¡±
.
Vant was taken aback once more.
At this, Henry raised his right finger and said, ¡°Of course, this might sound a little ridiculous from your perspective, Sir Vant.¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
¡°That¡¯s why, if you y a round of chess with me and win, I¡¯ll tell you the truth about how I got to know about the Baguess Inn.¡±
¡°I beg your pardon?¡±
¡°Actually, you only epted to see me in person because it was bothering you, wasn¡¯t it? How about it? Isn¡¯t my proposal pretty lucrative?¡±
Henry decided to ce a bet on the game that he knew Vant was most confident in, wagering the piece of information Vant was most curious about. Anyone could have seen that this was a highly suspicious bet, but it was also an offer that Vant couldn¡¯t refuse.
¡®What the hell is this guy up to?¡¯
Vant was confused by Henry¡¯s radical proposal, but the more he thought about the deal, the greater his headache became. In the end, Vant decided to think through it simply.
¡°You do know that my nickname is the Undefeated Champion, don¡¯t you?¡±
¡°Of course I do. That¡¯s why I¡¯m challenging you. It¡¯s only normal to want to dethrone the champion.¡±
¡°Very well. So what does Sir Henry want if he wins? I hope you didn¡¯t cause all this uproar just to y a friendly game.¡±
¡°I think I¡¯ll probably lose, so what good would deciding on a prize for me do?¡±
¡°Then if you win, I¡¯ll grant you any wish. How about that?¡±
¡°Good. Then shall we begin right away?¡±
With that, Vant jumped from his seat, then pulled out a chess set from a drawer on the other side of the living room.
¡°I¡¯m the challenger, so I¡¯ll take white.¡±
¡°Sure.¡±
Chess was like war, but miniaturized. It was a game in which each yer had to use different abilities and tactics in a limited space to defeat their opponent. There were many other simr games, but the reason chess was the most famous game in the empire was that it was a true traditional game that had been created by the empire.
¡®And I¡¯m the one who made this traditional game.¡¯
Yes. It was Henry who had invented chess.
In fact, chess was nothing more than a neighborhood game that Henry had yed with the locals, but with his hometown gone and the empire in its ce, the game had spread across the nation.
The game started.
Henry made his first move in a leisurely manner, and Vant began the game with a calm mind as well.
Then, a long time passed.
¡°...Huh?¡±
¡°Checkmate.¡±
¡°W-w-wait. Huh?¡±
Vant had been ying chess for more than ten years. He knew it like the back of his hand. However, as the game had progressed, he couldn¡¯t erase the feeling that he was slowly getting led on by his opponent. When that feeling had reached its climax, Henry had made his move, cornering Vant into a checkmate.
Vant began to break out in cold sweat. He had held the reputation over the past ten years as the undefeated champion, but it had been shattered in an instant by Henry. He got up and looked around, covering his cold sweat and sweaty hands. He ended up scattering the chessboard as his hands shook violently.
¡°Sir Vant, are you okay? You don¡¯t look very good.¡±
¡°I-I-I¡¯m okay. L-let¡¯s y one more round.¡±
¡°Then, this time, I¡¯ll take ck.¡±
It¡¯s the first time Vant had started as white in ten years. Now he?was the challenger.
Some time passed.
¡°It¡¯s my victory again.¡±
Scatter¡ª
The second game ended much faster than the first, and in an even more overwhelming manner. As soon as the game was over, Vant tossed the chessboard aside in a hurry, afraid that somebody might see it. As if he was suffering from some sort of mental illness, he trembled violently in his seat.
¡°H-how could this be¡!¡±
He had dedicated his entire life to this game, and his efforts and sess had all been ripped apart in an instant. Such a response was only natural.
Seeing Vant trembling, Henry smirked and said, ¡°What a shame. If this was an official match, I would have been able to get a ton of prize money, and the title of Kingyer as well.¡±
Their two matches had just been unofficial matches, without any spectators. In other words, no matter how many times Henry had beaten Vant, there was no evidence to prove it.
At Henry¡¯s words, Vant finally came back to his senses.
¡°T-that¡¯s right! This is an unofficial match! I¡¯m quite tired now, so I¡¯ll have to call it a day. S-so, please leave.¡±
Seeing how Vant was bumbling and mixing together honorifics and casual words, it was clear that he was in a great state of shock.
Henry stared at Vant for a while.
¡°W-why are you looking at me!¡±
¡°Shall we have another round?¡±
¡°W-what?¡±
¡°It¡¯s always a best-of series, right? It seems that you¡¯ve yet to fullyprehend the results.¡±
¡°Y-you mean, a rematch?¡±
¡°There¡¯s plenty of time. Please start as white again.¡±
Henry understood that Vant was in shock due to the loss. However, that made it difficult to have a conversation with him. Thus, Henry decided topletely destroy Vant and break his mind, giving him no mental capacity left to even react to the loss.
The match began.
Vant started as white, Henry started as ck, and the result was yet another overwhelming victory for Henry.
¡°T-this cannot be!¡±
Crash!
Unable to contain his anger, Vant struck the chessboard with his fist.
¡°Sir! Did something happen!¡±
¡°Don¡¯te in!¡±
His servant and secretary, who had been waiting outside the living room, tried to enter in a hurry. Vant took out his anger on them.
¡®There must be no eyewitnesses!¡¯
In order to maintain his reputation of being the best in the empire, this situation could not be revealed to anyone at any cost.
Seeing Vant fall into chaos, Henry grinned.
* * *
It took Vant quite a while to calm down, but even the hottestva eventually must cool.
However, despite regaining hisposure, Vant was exhausted from his helplessness, rather than regaining his calm.
¡°Have you finally calmed down?
¡°You¡ who are you?¡±
¡°You¡¯ve already seen my identity tag, haven¡¯t you?¡±
¡°Stop messing around. I¡¯m in no mood to y along with your nonsense right now.¡±
It was quite fun for Henry to avoid a direct answer when he knew exactly what Vant was asking.
¡®Fool, he¡¯s still as timid as ever.¡¯
Looking at Vant, Henry found himselfughing subconsciously. Despite how long it had been since theirst meeting, his disciple¡¯s character was the same as ever.
Yes, Vant had been the only disciple to learn chess under Henry, and the ce where he had learned it was at the inn called Baguess.
Henry continued to tease Vant for a bit longer, before finally deciding to turn serious.
¡°Sir Vant.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°I¡¯m actually the second chess apprentice of the Archmage, Henry Morris.¡±
¡°...I beg your pardon?¡±
It was yet another unexpected im by Henry, enough to light the fire in Vant¡¯s soulless eyes once again.
¡°Baguess is where you first andst learned chess from our Master, isn¡¯t it?¡±
¡°Y-yes, that¡¯s right. Don¡¯t tell me¡¡±
¡°I learned chess at the Morris estate. I was able to be his second disciple simply because I shared the same name as him. Of course I¡¯ve heard of you, Sir Vant. How could I not have heard of the senior who learned chess from the Master before I did?¡±
Vant quietly listened to Henry¡¯s story.
¡°I¡¯m now an adult, and I¡¯ve worked my way up to three stars in order to further my goals. That is why I havee to Vivaldi.¡±
¡°Huh? Why Vivaldi of all ces¡ Don¡¯t tell me that your great will is¡?¡±
¡°Ah, don¡¯t get the wrong idea. I have no dreams of bing the chess champion.¡±
Vant sighed with relief.
¡°Then what is it that you want¡?¡±
¡°One hundred thousand gold.¡±
¡°Excuse me?¡±
¡°One-hundred-thousand gold. That¡¯s what I want, Sir Vant.¡±
Chapter 39: The Return of the Real Deal (3)
Chapter 39: The Return of the Real Deal (3)
Vant turned pale like a sheet of paper as the blood drained from his face.
¡°A hundred thousand? W-where can I find so much money¡?!¡±
¡°If I defeat you in an official match, won¡¯t the payout be one hundred thousand gold anyway?¡±
¡°T-that¡¯s from the empire! That¡¯s not a sum of money that a single chess yer like myself would have.¡±
¡°So, you¡¯re saying that you don¡¯t have the money, right?¡±
¡°T-that¡¯s right¡¡±
¡°I understand. Then let¡¯s end this deal here. I have no intention of intimidating someone who has no money. I will formally submit my letter of challenge as soon as the sun rises tomorrow.¡±
Henry stood up without any hesitation. Seeing Henry about to pack up and leave, Vant grabbed him by the arm, his face much paler than before.
¡°S-sir Henry! W-wait! Just a little longer! Let¡¯s talk a little bit more.¡±
¡°Why are you being like this? I need money, but you don¡¯t have any, do you, Sir Vant?¡±
¡°There is another way!¡±
¡°Another way?¡±
Only when pushed into a corner did people have no choice but to reveal their final card, and Vant had been pushed into the tightest corner of his entire life.
¡°Let¡¯s hear you out,¡± Henry said reluctantly as he sat down on the sofa again.
Vant lifted the teacup in front of him to calm his trembling body, but his hands were so shaky that he couldn¡¯t even bring it to his mouth.
¡°T-that is¡¡±
Henry knew that Vant didn¡¯t have such arge sum of money, even if he was the self-proimed emperor of Vivaldi. In the end, he was just a civil servant. He also already knew what Vant was about to reveal, because it was what he had been aiming for from the beginning.
¡°Sir Vant.¡±
¡°Yes, yes!¡±
¡°The prize of one hundred thousand gold given by the empire. Isn¡¯t that money here right now, in the Vivaldi Tower?¡±
¡°H-how did you¡?¡±
¡°I told you, I am Sir Henry Morris¡¯ second disciple. This was something the Master informed me of as well.¡±
¡°W-why would Master¡¡±
There was a hint of resentment in Vant¡¯s eyes, but Henry couldn''t care less and continued with his speech.
¡°Again, I don¡¯t care if you have the money or not. All I care about is that you can get me that money.¡±
Any fool could have put two and two together and figured out what Henry wanted. But this was a whopping sum of gold he was asking for. If the embezzlement of such arge sum was to be discovered, Vant would certainly lose his head.
Still, Vant had no choice but to weigh his options. On one hand, there was the value of his own life. On the other hand, there was the loss of his wealth and glory upon losing an official match.
¡®You can never give it up. Those who have tasted wealth and glory once will never forget its sweet, sweet taste.¡¯
Henry gave onest piece of advice to the distraught disciple.
¡°Sir Vant, the prize money only needs to exist as the prize money. Unless you are defeated, the money will forever be here in the Vivaldi Tower, untouchable by anybody else.¡±
Henry was right. The prize money only existed as the prize money. His sophistry eventually helped give Vant a change of heart.
¡°I understand¡¡± Vant said with a long sigh.
Losing honor, prize money, and even the title of mayor in an official match was worse than death itself. Vant decided that it would be much better to live in fear of this challenger for the rest of his life.
¡°A wise choice. Shall we go now, to where the money is?¡±
Vant got up helplessly.
* * *
¡°Mr. Mayor, are you okay?¡± asked one of Vant¡¯s secretaries as he and Henry walked past.
¡°I¡¯m fine. Move along with your work.¡±
¡°...Understood.¡±
Thepetent secretary seemed to quickly figure out how the mayor was feeling. When the secretary and the servants withdrew themselves, Vant led Henry to his room on the topmost floor of the tower.
¡°What a view.¡±
¡°...It¡¯s the pride of Vivaldi Tower.¡±
Vant looked totally defeated. To be an aplice to a crime, a certain degree of discipline was required.
This was the highest point in Vivaldi Town. Even though the sun had set, the streets were lit up and still bright as daytime, living up to the title of ¡®City of Pleasure¡¯.
Vant pulled out an unusually shaped key. Then he found a thick dictionary in a closet full of books and pulled it out, revealing a hidden keyhole.
Click!
As soon as Vant put the key in and turned it, the huge bookcase swung open like a door, uncovering a passage. The two entered the passage, which led to a secret room.
Vant pressed a button, illuminating the room and revealing¡
Sparkle!
The light shone brilliantly on a gigantic pile of gold coins.
¡°It¡¯s exactly one hundred thousand gold. But how are you going to take all of them? There are a thousand of them, with a value of one hundred each.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll take care of that.¡±
The coins weighed one hundred grams each. Since there were a thousand of them, the weight alone added up to a significant one hundred kilograms. Even with the matter of the weight aside, the coins were just too bulky for one person to carry alone.
¡®Klever.¡±- Yes, Master.¡®Take everything.¡¯- Yes, Master.
Henry pushed Vant behind him. Then, the open Chest on the palm of his right hand began to swallow up the thousand coins.
Wooooosh!¡®Are you certain that there are a thousand coins here?¡¯- Yes, I¡¯m certain!
Henry finalized the details onest time before swallowing up thest of the coins. Once they were all taken, he shook his hand lightly.
¡°H-how in the world!?¡±
¡°Did you really think that I would havee this far without being prepared? Ah, I almost forgot! I have a gift for you.¡±
Henry handed a small piece of paper to Vant.
¡°What¡¯s this?¡±
¡°This is a caller scroll.¡±
¡°A caller scroll?¡±
¡°There¡¯s no guarantee that another person like myself won¡¯t show up again. If such a person appears, tear this piece of paper. I wille and help you.¡±
¡°...Thank you.¡±
The scroll was a kind of insurance, but to Henry, it held a deeper meaning. It was an act of forgiveness for Vant¡¯s past actions.
¡®With this, Ipletely forgive you.¡¯
Henry could have made money through other means in Vivaldi Town. However, he had specifically chosen Vant because of something he had done in the past. Before he drank the poison, Henry had asked Vant to look after the people whom he was responsible for. As Vant had been Henry¡¯s unofficial chess apprentice, so on the surface, the two were not associated. Therefore, Vant¡¯s help toward Henry wouldn¡¯t have been apparent to the Nobles.
However, Vant had refused, too frightened of incurring the Nobles¡¯ wrath if he eded to Henry¡¯s request. Henry knew this, which was why he didn¡¯t harbor any hatred toward Vant. Of course, there was no doubt that he was a bit disappointed.
¡°Ah, one more thing! I¡¯m going to stay here for a while, so may I ask you for a favor and take care of my horse?¡±
¡°H-horse?¡±
¡°Private stables are a bit expensive. I¡¯ll inform my horse about this arrangement beforehand, so thanks in advance.¡±
¡°...I understand.¡±
¡°Also, while I¡¯m here, I¡¯ll be in your care, Sir Vant.¡±
¡°In my care? Are you saying that you¡¯re going to stay in the tower?¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s not like that. You¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡±
Henry did not go into detail about his future ns, but it was clear that there woulde a time when Vant would be needed.
¡®Now that the foundations are set, shall we get down to business?¡¯
Henry¡¯s past feelings toward Vant had now beenpletely resolved.
* * *
Havingpleted his objectives, Henry left Vivaldi Tower and headed for his next destination.
He arrived at a ce called ¡®Million Gold,¡¯ thergest arena in Vivaldi.
¡°Wee to Million Gold. What is the purpose of your visit?¡±
Henry handed out the ck Card to the receptionist at the entrance and said, ¡°I want to participate in the Sword sh segment, where should I head to?¡±
¡°It is an honor to meet you. Do you wish to personally participate in the event?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Please, follow me.¡±
Upon seeing the ck Card, the employee showed great respect toward Henry, as he called for another employee to take his ce. Then, he took Henry to the Sword sh Arena.
¡°You may register as a participant here. Do you have any other questions?¡±
¡°This is enough.¡±
The staff who guided him returned to his position, and Henry began to fill out the paperwork necessary to register as a participant. Soon after, another staff member came to review thepleted documents.
¡°Um¡ Sir? Excuse me, could you show me your identity tag?¡±
Henry dly handed over his identity tag.
¡°Sir, I apologize. You clearly stated that you were a Learner-ss swordsman in the document, but I see that you have three stars on your identity tag.¡±
¡°So?¡±
¡°That is¡ if the mark engraved on the back of your identity tag is indeed that of the Caliburn Fortress, then I am curious how you received two additional stars with your Learner-ss skills.¡±
The three blue stars engraved on Henry¡¯s identity tag.
One was the marking of a Bar¡¯s family, one was to symbolize the honor of being under the Noblesse Oblige system, and the other was to indicate that he was the recipient of the Medal of Merit, obtained for great achievements during his time of service.
The employee seemed to doubt how a Learner-ss swordsman without an Aura could possibly obtain the Medal of Merit, especially somewhere like the Caliburn Fortress.
¡°Are you perhaps doubting me?¡±
There was no doubt that obtaining the Medal of Merit within one year of service was nearly impossible. The employee was understandably skeptical. However, Henry had no obligation to confide all the details, and to a mere employee no less. Henry pulled out the ck Card, his eyes full of annoyance.
¡°N-no, sir! This is just the first time something like this has happened, so I made a mistake! Please forgive me this one time.¡±
¡°Tsk.¡±
As expected of the Vivaldi Free Pass. As soon as the employee saw the ck Card, he immediately bowed his head.
¡°Your registration isplete. Here is your participant card.¡±
Now that Henry had received the participant card, most of the preparations wereplete.
¡®Looks like this is the first time I¡¯ll be participating in a Sword sh.¡¯
Sword sh. Two yers of equal rank received the same sword andpeted against each other until one of the two swords broke. The one to break the opponent¡¯s sword was the winner.
Sword sh was a game that originated frompetition between swordsmen. However, due to its short y-time and the intense nature of thepetition, it had be one of Vivaldi¡¯s signature fighting matches that people liked to ce bets on.
Henry had been rated as F-rank. This meant that he was an inexperienced participant who had never had a single match.
¡®The higher the rating, the more spectators there are, and the higher the prize pool. Also, the amount that can be bet increases.¡¯
This was the basic rule of every arena. The highest level was the S-rank.
Henry nned to maximize the gold he had received from Vant by utilizing this system.
¡°Wee. Have youe for a match?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°You are an F-rank contestant. To be a D-rank, you have to defeat three F-rank contestants or one C-rank contestant.¡±
¡°What happens if I beat a B-rank or an A-rank?¡±
¡°As a rule, you can only increase your grade one at a time.¡±
It was a cumbersome grading structure. As Henry handed over a hundred-gold coins, he said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for bets. Instead, I¡¯ll bet my fight money. If any C-rank contestant or above wins against me, I¡¯ll pay them one hundred gold.¡±
¡°E-excuse me?¡±
¡°Can I not?¡±
¡°N-no! I¡¯ll put those conditions up right away.¡±
Henry didn¡¯t intend to spend a long time dealing with the lower ranks. Besides, this was an arena. Instead of being filled with capable warriors such as Sword Masters, arenas like this were usually filled with middle-ss fighters looking for quick money. Real fighters rarely showed up in ces like this because they honored and respected their own power.
When the employee put forward the unconventional condition stipted by Henry, many contestants began to flock to the reception area like a swarm of bees.
¡°I was first!¡±
¡°Whoa, I was first! What are you talking about!¡±
¡°Weaklings should just get lost!¡±
The prize pool was a hundred gold. This was money that not even B-rank participants could earn, even if they won every single match for an entire month. For that reason, it was an opportunity they could not afford to pass up, especially those who had not had a taste of money in a while.
¡°H-Henry, sir! There are so many challengers. What are you going to do?¡± the receptionist asked Henry in confusion.
The contestants all turned toward Henry.
Henry picked out one of the papers from the pile at random. He read the paper and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s Damaen?¡±
¡°Yoo-hoo!¡±
From the crowd, one person jumped and cheered.
Chapter 40: The Return of the Real Deal (4)
Chapter 40: The Return of the Real Deal (4)
With the appearance of a challenger, the match proceeded quickly. Damaen was tall and blonde.
¡°Looks like you¡¯re from a rich family, do you really want to show off your skills that much?¡±
¡°Damn, I¡¯m jealous. I should have been chosen.¡±
¡°He¡¯s so unlucky, to have picked Damaen of all people.¡±
¡°He should be ashamed of himself, a B-rank trying to take away an F-rank¡¯s money.¡±
Damaen was a B-rank participant. He was a mercenary turned Sword Expert, wearing formidable armor befitting his huge size.
A debut match for an F-rank participant normally wouldn¡¯t warrant even a single spectator, but due to the unusual stakes, the stadium was now packed with spectators.
¡°Damaen! Give that rich youngd a taste of reality!¡±
¡°Does he think that the swordsmanship he learned from his butler will work here?¡±
The audience''s reactions were varied, but most of it was ridicule.
Soon, the referee signaled the start of the match.
¡°Injuring your opponent means immediate disqualification. Understood? Then let us begin.¡±
The referee raised his arm in the center, and soon, Henry and Damaen were the only people left in the arena.
¡°Hey, hey, buddy. Do you know why Sword sh is such a popr game?¡± asked Damaen.
¡°Do I need to know that?¡± Henry asked in response.
¡°Because the difference in skills is always made clear. Try and stop this!¡±
The swords they had were just ordinary iron swords, crafted in Vivaldi Town. Damaen raised his sword high in the air.
¡°Wahahaha! Consider this your tuition fee! Think long and hard, while you try your best to block this!¡±
Damaen swiftly swung his sword toward Henry.
Whoosh!sh!
¡°...Huh?¡±
Henry cut through Damaen¡¯s sword with a single strike, as if cutting through an apple falling from a tree.
¡°W-what the hell?¡±
Although it wasn¡¯t immediately obvious, there were mild traces of Aura on the surface of the iron sword. Sword sh didn''t require any other specific skills, so Damaen had simply swung his sword as hard as he could with both his hands. Now, it was split in two.
The arena fell silent in an instant.
¡°Aren¡¯t you going to make the call?¡± shouted someone from the crowd.
¡°A-ah! The winner is Henry!¡± the stunned referee btedly dered Henry¡¯s victory.
¡°W-wait! Isn¡¯t he an F-rank?¡±
¡°Is it possible that he was hiding his talent?¡±
¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. The data says that he¡¯s only a Sword Learner.¡±
¡°But Damaen¡¯s a Sword Expert, no?¡±
¡°What the hell is up with that guy?¡±
With the match over in an instant, the spectators began to specte wildly about how Henry had won.
Seeing themotion, Henry spoke softly, ¡°I will double my fight money. From now on, anybody B-rank and above,e face me.¡±
¡°T-two hundred gold!¡±
The prize money doubled, and the reception desk heated up again.
* * *
¡°The winner is Henry Morris.¡± the referee once again dered Henry the victor.
Henry had quickly be an S-rank participant.
¡®Easy.¡¯
Henry had doubled the prize money every time he had been promoted to a new grade. Thanks to this, the prize money, which had started out as a hundred gold, had now be a formidable sum of more than four digits.
Rumors spread quickly, and the unexpected rising Sword sh star now had the whole arena buzzing with excitement. Thanks to this, Million Gold¡¯s Sword sh arena was able to generate superior salespared to the other arenas in the town. Even professional scouts who heard the rumors began to gather at Million Gold one by one to see the rising star.
¡°Yo, Henry! Are you going to raise the prize money again?¡± asked a spectator.
¡°I will now raise the prize money to three thousand gold. If there¡¯s an S-rank participant who wishes to defeat me,e and try me.¡±
¡°Whoa!!!¡±
The highest rank: S. It was ambitious, but Henry wanted to keep his momentum going. Even though he had now reached the highest rank, there were still hundreds of S-rank Sword sh fighters in this huge gambling city. Henry had to emerge as the top among them all. The highest-ranking Sword sh fighter among all of the S-rank fighters was given the SS-rank.
Henry also received a flood of scouting calls, coveted by all the teams that professionally developed Sword sh fighters. Henry, of course, rejected them all. His goal was to make it to the top, and be the talk of town.
Just as Henry raised the prize money¡
¡°I¡¯ll challenge you.¡±
¡°N-no way, that guy is!¡±
¡°It¡¯s the Wall Sword himself! It¡¯s Sawan the Wall Sword!¡±
¡®Wall Sword?¡¯
The man the crowd called ¡®Sawan¡¯ raised his hand at Henry¡¯s deration. He had been given the nickname ¡®Wall Sword¡¯ by the spectators because whenever he held his sword, he was as sturdy and steadfast as a brick wall.
¡°Your rank?¡± Henry asked Sawan.
¡°S-rank, eighteenth.¡±
¡°Guess you¡¯ll be neenth soon.¡±
¡°Hahaha, that would be interesting, eh?¡±
Henry was now an S-rank fighter, and yet, he had yet to ce any bets himself. He had yet to reach the standard that he held himself to. Conversely, huge bets were being ced among the crowd, and with the increasing amount of bets, Henry¡¯s value skyrocketed as well. Shortly after, Sawan the Wall Sword, who had now officially applied for the battle, entered the arena.
¡°If you think I¡¯m on the same level as the guy you just defeated, you¡¯re in for a surprise.¡±
¡°You two look the same though.¡±
¡°Yeah, right.¡±
Henry had defeated an S-rank fighter to be promoted from A-rank to S-rank.
His previous opponent had been ranked two-hundred-and-twenty-second. Compared to Sawan, that guy was truly on a lesser tier, even though they were both S-rank.
¡°Both yers, take your swords.¡±
Henry received the same iron sword he had been using since he started.
¡°As you are both S-rank fighters, I¡¯m sure you are familiar with the rules. Never injure your opponents. Let¡¯s go.¡±
The referee signaled the start of the match before exiting the arena, leaving just Henry and Sawan. A clear blue aura that Henry did not recognize formed on Sawan¡¯s sword.
¡°I¡¯ll show you why my nickname is the Wall Sword. Come at me,¡± Sawan spoke confidently as he held up his sword.
Henry looked at Sawan¡¯s aura, assessing it.
¡®He must be an Advanced Expert, at least.¡¯
That was what it seemed on the surface. After making his judgment, Henry finally began using his magic buffs for the first time since he started ying Sword sh.
Thud.
¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it,¡± Henry responded.
His preparations were over. With the de infused with a mage¡¯s power, Henry swung his sword as hard as he could.
ng!¡®Oh?¡¯
It didn¡¯t feel like Henry had cut something but had simply bumped into something instead. When the two swords collided, the spectators roared with enthusiasm.
¡°Whoa! For the first time ever, it¡¯s not over in one strike!¡±
¡°See, what did I tell you! Didn¡¯t I tell you to bet on Sawan? S-ranks are a different breed!¡±
¡°Dude, don¡¯t kick up a fuss just yet! The match isn¡¯t even over!¡±
It was as the people said. For the first time ever, Henry had not broken his opponent¡¯s sword in one strike.
Having blocked Henry¡¯s attack, Sawan smirked. ¡°You¡¯re strong. Is it my turn now?¡±
¡°No.¡±
sh!
Sawan had been smiling confidently after sessfully defending against Henry¡¯s first attack. Seeing this, Henry injected just a little more of his magic into his de before delivering a second blow.
The results were disastrous.
¡°Whoaaa!
The Wall Sword¡¯s de was cut in two. The spectators cheered as Sawan stared at his iron sword with a nk look on his face, unable to believe what he had just witnessed.
¡°Looks like all it took was for me to knock twice. From today onward, you¡¯re not a wall, but a door.¡±
Thus, Sawan the Wall Sword¡ªno, the Door Sword gave up his rank to the new rising star.
* * *
¡°No way¡ that ck Knight lost?¡±
¡°He really defeated the ck Knight¡ is that guy really a Learner-ss swordsman?¡±
¡°Shouldn¡¯t we do a doping test on him? The ck Knight is damn near a Sword Master, isn¡¯t he?¡±
Another S-ss fighter, the undisputed runner-up known as the ck Knight, had just been defeated. Even more rumors about Henry spread, and the more they spread, the more Henry¡¯s value increased.
¡°Now, there¡¯s one more guy left, right?¡±
Henry looked up at the top of the Sword sh scoreboard. The absolute best of the Sword sh arena. The only SS-rank fighter, often referred to as the Vant of the Sword sh World, was nicknamed ¡®King.¡¯
¡®How cute, calling himself king because of whatever Sword sh.¡¯
Achieving the top spot in a game that had a leaderboard brought about enormous benefits. Since Sword sh was as popr as chess, any reigning champion was given benefits as good as the champion of chess himself. Among the many benefits, Henry only wanted one unlimited betting.
Henry turned to the arena staff. ¡°Go to King and tell him a new challenger has appeared.¡±
It was a short statement, but it was enough to make the crowd go wild.
¡°Maybe today, the history of this arena will be rewritten!¡±
¡°He only had to win eight matches to earn the right to challenge King, right?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. Not only that, Henry¡¯s prize money is currently at five-thousand gold.¡±
¡°F-five thousand? Is he the son of some rich Noble? Why the hell does he have so much money?¡±
¡°Hey, hey, take a proper look. The clothes Henry is wearing right now are designed by Sylvia.¡±
¡°Whoa¡ no wonder it seemed like he was in a ss of his own.¡±
¡°Only someone like him could wear something so exquisite.¡±
The people were now curious about who Henry was, and whether or not a neer like him, who appeared out of nowhere, could take the throne.
However, as Henry was waiting for a response from King¡
¡°Hey, that guy over there, isn¡¯t he the owner of Million Gold?¡±
The owner of the Million Gold Arena, Ten, had appeared.
¡°What? Ten himself showed up in person?¡±
¡°I¡¯m right, ain¡¯t I? That does look like Ten!¡±
¡°Whoa, even Ten ising out for this match?¡±
Ten was a middle-aged man with golden hair, appropriately matching the arena¡¯s name. When he arrived, all the staff stood up on the spot and bowed deeply. The giant security guards who apanied him exuded a terrifying sense of intimidation.
Henry thought to himself, ¡®Finally, you¡¯re here.¡¯
Since he had pulled off such a bold move, he thought that by now, those looking to profit would have caught a whiff of his prize money and shown themselves. He hadn¡¯t thought that the person would be the owner of Million Gold himself.
¡°Excuse me for interrupting. My name is Ten, and I¡¯m the owner of Million Gold here. Are you, by any chance, Sir Henry, the one who defeated the ck Knight?¡±
¡°Yes, what brings you¡?¡±
¡°I heard from my staff that you wish to challenge King¡ if it¡¯s okay with you, I¡¯m here to make a suggestion.¡±
¡°A suggestion? Let¡¯s hear it.¡± Henry said, pretending to be indifferent.
¡°It¡¯s been a while since someone new has challenged King, so I would like to increase the stakes of this battle.¡±
¡°And how do you n on doing so?¡±
¡°Do you know of the special rule that applies only when challenging King?¡±
¡°A special rule?¡±
¡°Victory or defeat in Sword sh is determined by breaking the opponent¡¯s sword without injuring them.¡±
¡°So?¡±
¡°It¡¯s different with King. While fighting against King, injuring your opponent is legal.¡±
This was the first time Henry had heard of such a rule, but now he finally understood why many people weren¡¯t challenging King.
¡°It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that King is the sole Sword Master of the Sword sh arena, and Sir Henry, you are a Sword Learner. The Sword Master versus a Sword Learner. A rare match like this will never be seen ever again.¡±
¡°So what is it that you¡¯re trying to say?¡±
¡°As the owner of Million Gold, it is very unfortunate that such a legendary match might end so quickly. So, how about you two duke it out in front of everyone in town tomorrow afternoon instead?¡±
¡°And is there any reason why I should agree to those terms?¡±
¡°Of course, it will be quite arge and profitable event, and you will be rewarded appropriately. Is there anything you want?¡±
Ten was the owner of Million Gold, thergest arena in town. He was probably the richest man in the whole city.
¡°Before that, let me ask you something,¡± said Henry.
¡°Please.¡±
¡°I heard that there is no upper limit on the amount you can bet against King¡ is that true?¡±
¡°Yes, of course. It¡¯s a privilege that only King can have.¡±
¡°But what if Million Gold can¡¯t make the payout?¡±
¡°Haha, we¡¯re not called Million Gold for nothing. You can put your worries to rest.¡±
¡°Is that so? Then that¡¯s all I have to ask. Oh, but I only arrived here today, so I don¡¯t have a ce to stay yet. My amodations will be arranged, yes?¡±
¡°Of course! We will take you to the best amodation avable in town.¡±
With the deal made, the corners of Ten¡¯s lips curled upward.
Chapter 41: The Return of the Real Deal (5)
Chapter 41: The Return of the Real Deal (5)
The news spread like wildfire. Henry¡¯s final battle became the talk of Vivaldi, as the owner of Million Gold had given the event all the publicity it needed.
¡®He¡¯s doing a good job.¡¯
Therger the crowd, the better. The more people there were, therger the returns would be, and in return, the amount Henry would receive will also rise exponentially.
The match was set to begin after lunch. After enjoying the sumptuous room service, Henry slowly began to make his preparations. Right after Henry had finished his lunch, Ten stopped by to check in on Henry.
¡°How are you feeling, Sir Henry?¡±
¡°Good.¡±
¡°That¡¯s great.¡±
¡°What are the odds so far?¡±
¡°1:110 or so.¡±
¡°It seems that everyone is pinning their hopes on King.¡±
¡°Well, this is a gambling city. If there is a game where one can consistently win money, there¡¯s no doubt people are gonna be attracted to it.¡±
It was rare to see anyone take huge risks on an underdog in a game with a highly probable oue, no matter how much money could be made from it. Especially for a match of this caliber, between Henry and King. King had yet to taste even a single defeat, and was the sole Sword Master in the Sword sh arena.
With a smile on his face, Henry said, ¡°I would also like to ce some bets on myself before we begin, is that fine?¡±
¡°Is that a deration of your self-confidence? I like it.¡±
Participating yers could not bet on their opponents, due to concerns about match-fixing.
However, yers were wee to bet on themselves so long as they had the will to win. A contestant could bet as much as they wanted on themselves.
¡°Then shall we begin?¡±
With his preparationsplete, Henry set off to the stadium with Ten.
The match was held in the middle of the city. Million Gold had rented out the entire central square to create a stage. Surrounding the stage were several reception desks, for epting bets.
¡°As I said, I am going to ce some bets.¡±
¡°Please, go ahead.¡±
Ten readily allowed Henry to bet. Deep inside, he wasughing gleefully. No matter how much of a rising star Henry was, Ten had never heard of a Learner-ss swordsman defeating a Sword Master.
The receptionist recognized Henry and greeted him courteously. ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t you, Sir Henry. What are you doing here?¡±
¡°I am here to make a bet on this match as well.¡±
¡°You are cing a bet as well, Sir Henry? You understand that participating fighters can only ce bets on themselves, right?¡±
¡°Of course. I¡¯m here to bet on myself.¡±
¡°How much would you like to bet?¡±
¡°One hundred thousand gold.¡±
¡°Excuse me?¡±
¡°I am betting one hundred thousand gold on myself.¡±
¡°Y-you¡¯re kidding, right?¡±
The receptionist¡¯s eyes rolled backward in shock, like that of a rabbit¡¯s.
¡°I brought a subspace pouch with me. Please take the money.¡±
asionally, big yers from the gambling scene would turn up and betrge sums of money as part of their financial strategy, but usually, the bets would be on the fighter most likely to win. The receptionist hurriedly counted Henry¡¯s tinum coins together with the other staff.
¡°Confirmed. It¡¯s exactly one hundred thousand gold. This is your receipt.¡±
Henry took the receipt from the receptionist, smirking to himself as if he had won a prize. He thought to himself, ¡®This piece of paper will be the ticket to shaking up the very foundation of Vivaldi. Although I¡¯m pretty sure Million Gold doesn¡¯t actually have that much money.¡¯
If Henry won, he could receive a payout of over ten million gold, including his own prize from the battle. However, there was not one single entity that could possess ten million gold in cash. Even Henry had never had that much money in his previous life. Nevertheless, there was a simple reason why he had bet such an absurd amount.
¡®If I remember correctly, Ten had thergest amount of Colt Iron.¡¯
Colt Iron. One of the rarest metals in the world, which could only be mined from the depths of the sea. It was one of the hardest metals in the world, and the only metal that could amplify one¡¯s mana. Crucially, because of its immense value, its cirction was restricted by the empire and only very few organizations could legally trade it.
¡®I¡¯m not sure how you got your hands on it, Ten, but at the end of the day, it¡¯ll be mine.¡¯
Henry wanted to craft his own personalized weapons with the Colt Iron. There was no other metal that suited Henry as well as Colt Iron, after all.
Having finished cing his bet, Henry climbed onto the massive stage.
¡°Whoaaaaaaaaa!¡±
Seeing the immense crowd, Henry wondered if everyone in Vivaldi had gathered for the match. It was indeed not much of an exaggeration to say so. Henry was used to being the center of such attention, though. It was how he had always lived.
¡®He looks pretty ordinary.¡¯ Henry thought to himself, looking over at King. He was curious as to how such an ordinary-looking person held such an arrogant nickname.
The referee stepped between Henry and King. ¡°Special rules apply to defending champions, and injuries will not disqualify fighters. Other than that, the rules remain the same. We will now begin.¡±
Iron swords were distributed to each fighter. The referee¡¯s hand swiped between the two fighters, who each took a step back.
Then, at that moment¡
¡®Mm?¡¯
Henry¡¯s body suddenly felt heavy, and his vision blurred. It was as if he was suddenly having a terrible migraine.
¡®Magic?¡¯
It was definitely magic. It was a kind of debuff magic that was designed to incapacitate an opponent.
¡®I see. So this was your secret to remaining undefeated?¡¯
It hadn¡¯t taken King very long to take the top spot in Sword sh, only about one or two years. In addition, King had Million Gold as his sponsor. Still, Henry had not expected that King had been maintaining his position as champion in this way.
¡®The special injury rule must be to silence his opponents.¡¯
As long as King¡¯s challengers were gotten rid of, his ridiculous secret would remain safe. Now that Henry knew, he began to feel for the magic of the hidden wizards.
¡®At most a 3rd Circle¡ yeah, no matter how much money you guys have, you would never be able to buy out a proper mage.¡¯
The higher the wizard¡¯s circle, the more you could rely on them to get things done. However, there was no mage in the empire who would have abandoned their honor for money to do some mere arena match-fixing.?
As his vision blurred even more, Henry stomped his foot and cast a spell.
Thud.¡°Return.¡±
It was one of the powers that all wizards possessed, a powerful defense magic that deflected spells back at their caster.
¡°Kurgh!¡±
As a result, the two wizards who were secretly casting magic from afar copsed on the spot, coughing up blood. The deflected magic had struck them in their hearts¡ªthe source of their magical power. Thanks to this, Henry¡¯s body lightened up again and his vision was restored. Henry then cast his magic buffs.
Thud.
As he did this, Aura slowly began to form on King¡¯s de. However, something was off.
¡®Mm?¡¯
Despite purportedly being a Sword Master, King¡¯s Aura was substantiallycking. Henry carefully examined King¡¯s Aura and noticed that it wasn¡¯t that of a Sword Master.
¡®Even the fighter himself is a fake?¡¯
Although it was close, King¡¯s Aura was ultimately not a Sword Master¡¯s. In fact, based on his aura, Henry figured that the man could only be a top-notch Sword Expert at best.
Henry had seen numerous Sword Masters in his previous life. In addition, he had seen numerous Sword Experts who were much more skilled than those that he had witnessed during his time at the Caliburn Fortress.
¡®Your scheme ends here.¡¯
Henry had even cut through Hugo¡¯s sword once, despite him being a part of Captain Isn¡¯s personally picked special task force.
With a simple magic buff and a light swing of his sword, Henry destroyed King¡¯s iron sword, a sword that was stained with lies and deceit.
* * *
Having be the new King, Henry¡¯s name was chanted throughout the city the entire day. Not everyone was in the mood to celebrate, though. There were an overwhelming number of people who had betted on King. Amongst them was Ten, the owner of Million Gold.
¡°W-what? What did you just say?¡±
¡°Henry bet one hundred thousand gold on himself right before the match.¡±
¡°O-one hundred thousand gold?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
King¡¯s defeat had been so shocking that it was only now that Ten finally heard of Henry¡¯s bet.
¡°W-wait a minute. What about the odds? What were the odds? How much exactly do we have to repay him?¡±
In front of their flustered owner, the staff hurriedly tried to calcte the total sum.
¡°Since the odds were 1:112, including the prize money¡ ites to 11,237,800 gold.¡±
¡°W-what? No!¡±
Roughly eleven million. Hearing such an astronomical number, Ten lost strength in his legs and copsed into his seat, his hands trembling. All of his assets added up to around one million gold. How could he ever repay over ten million?
There was only one way to resolve this problem.
¡°H-Henry. We have to kill that bastard.¡±
¡°You¡¯re going to kill who?¡±
At that exact moment, Henry appeared from the darkness with two wizards in custody. They were the wizards who had been hired by Ten for match-fixing purposes, the ones who had used debuff magic on Henry.
¡°Y-you!¡± Ten stammered.
As Henry pushed the two wizards in front of Ten, he said, ¡°Repeat what you just said.¡±
Ten was left speechless. The existence of the wizards was top secret, known only to a select few executives, including Ten and King.
He jumped up from his seat and hurriedly shouted, ¡°E-everyone, out!¡±
¡°Master, what is the matter?¡±
¡°I said, everyone out! I need to speak to Sir Henry personally.¡±
¡°Should¡¯ve done that from the beginning.¡±
At Ten¡¯s orders, all the staff rushed out of the room. Finally, only Henry, Ten, and the two wizards Henry had captured were left.
¡°W-what brings you here?¡± asked Ten. He pretended to be calm, but he could not hide his trembling voice.
¡°Let¡¯s get straight to business. I¡¯m here to collect my due. Just pay me what I¡¯m owed and I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t hear the part where you said you were going to kill me.¡±
Ten couldn¡¯t believe it. Henry, who had started off as a mere Sword sh participant, now felt like an unclimbable mountain.
¡°And you¡¯d best not try to pull a fast one. If I don¡¯t get my payout, it won¡¯t be me that¡¯s going toe after you, but the mayor himself.¡±
¡°T-the mayor? By mayor, you mean Mayor Vant?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve already discussed things with the mayor. So, cut the nonsense and give me my money.¡±
Henry waved his ck Card as he smiled like the Devil himself. Now that the mayor was involved, there was no way Ten could do anything about his situation anymore.
Having lost everything, Ten spoke frankly, with a hint of desperation. ¡°I don¡¯t have it.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Even if I were to add up all of my assets, I would only have a little over one million gold. So whether you want to get the mayor involved or not, I don¡¯t have enough.¡±
¡°I already know that.¡±
¡°...huh?¡±
¡°¡®Million Gold¡¯ isn¡¯t just a showy name¡ I already knew from the start that you wouldn¡¯t have that much money. So, how about a proposal?¡±
¡°A¡ proposal?¡±
¡°Let¡¯s go to your house first. And¡ Hey!¡±
Henry interrupted himself to shout at the two wizards, who hurriedly got up and bowed their heads deeply.
¡°Don¡¯t you have any sense of honor as wizards? Aren¡¯t you ashamed of yourselves!¡±
¡°W-we apologize.¡±
Henry decided to give them onest chance. ¡°Get lost. If I see you pull shit like this one more time, you¡¯re dead.¡±
¡°Y-yes!¡±
* * *
Ten lived in a huge mansion, worthy of the reputation of Million Gold. Henry sipped his tea leisurely across from Ten, who was sweating nervously.
Ten now spoke to Henry as if he was a Noble. ¡°S-Sir Henry. What is your proposal?¡±
¡°How much Colt Iron do you have?¡± asked Henry.
¡°What do you mean, Colt Iron?¡±
¡°Stop pretending and tell me honestly. I¡¯m here precisely because I know you have Colt Iron stored in your warehouse.¡±
Ten¡¯s eyes trembled once again. The fact that Ten was in possession of Colt Iron was a fact that only a few imperial officers knew. Unfortunately for Ten, Henry was one of them.
¡°H-how do you know that?¡±
¡°Is that what¡¯s important?¡±
¡°N-no!¡±
¡°So, how much of it do you have?¡±
¡°A-around three hundred kilograms of it.¡±
¡°Is that so? Then, out of the 11,237,800 gold that you owe me, I¡¯ll deduct 37,800 gold, on the condition that you hand over all your Colt Iron.¡±
Colt Iron was more expensive than gold. Still, Henry was being quite generous by deducting so much gold for just three hundred kilograms of Colt Iron.
However, that was all the generosity he had left. After securing the Colt Iron, Henry continued.
¡°Previously, you mentioned that you have around one million gold in assets, didn¡¯t you? Hand that over to me as well. Then we¡¯ll have around ten million gold left outstanding, right?¡±
¡°Yes¡¡±
As Henry continued to settle the outstanding debt between them, Ten¡¯splexion grew paler.
¡°For the remaining bnce, let¡¯s split up the payment. I¡¯ll give you that much.¡±
¡°S-split up?¡±
¡°You didn¡¯t think that I would just write off the ten million gold as debt, did you?¡±
¡°O-of course not! Of course I was thinking that I should repay you.¡±
¡°As you should. Oh, and one more thing! This is a present,¡± said Henry as he handed Ten a small scroll.
¡°What is¡ this?¡±
¡°This is a caller scroll.¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t you going to make some money? You don¡¯t have to do things like match-fixing anymore. I¡¯ll take care of that.¡±
Following chess, Henry had now be the champion of Sword sh. However, unlike in chess, Henry had no intention of losing his reputation as the Sword sh champion.
Chapter 42: Of Planning and Detailing (1)
Chapter 42: Of nning and Detailing (1)
Ten¡¯s ordeal did not end there. Despite having paid Henry one million gold, he had yet to settle the spectators¡¯ share of the payout. Of course, it was nothingpared to what he owed Henry, but it was still quite a lot. No matter how small an amount the spectators may have betted, the odds had been one-hundred-and-twelve to one. This was not something that could be taken lightly.
¡°...This is driving me crazy, for real,¡± Ten murmured quietly to himself, pressing his hands against his forehead. He was just now reading the report on theparatively lesser, but still significant payouts.
¡°Seems like things are looking tight?¡± asked Henry.
Even though Henry was the culprit behind Ten¡¯s current predicament, he continued to actpletely innocent.
¡°Once the payouts are settled, the operating expenses are gonna be tight¡ I might have to dere bankruptcy soon.¡±
¡°That¡¯d be troublesome. Take this.¡±
¡°...This is?¡±
Henry held a sack containing a hundred thousand gold. Ten took the money sack and began looking back and forth between Henry and the money sack in confusion.
¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m not giving you any handouts. This is just a loan.¡±
With that, any hopes Ten had were dashed.
¡°Considering how much you actually owe me, just a little bit more debt won¡¯t matter, will it? Whether your debt is ten million gold or ten million and a hundred thousand, it¡¯ll be the same to you regardless.¡±
¡°Well, that sure isforting.¡±
¡°Ain¡¯t it? So, just work diligently and pay it all back. I can wait as long as you need.¡±
Fortunately, as it was a payout, there was no interest applied to it. However, when he wanted to, Henry had a knack for being detestable.
¡°How about I ce myself in your care for a while?¡±
¡°Now, what¡¯s this about¡?¡±
¡°I kind of like your house, you know? And it just so happens that I need a ce to stay for a while. So, how about I stay here under your care for a little while, yeah?
¡°H-how can that be? Despite everything, you want to stay on my property¡¡±
¡°If you don¡¯t like it, then pay me everything that I¡¯m owed. You know that even if you sell your mansion and thepany, you won¡¯t be able to repay all the money, right?¡±
Ten sighed deeply. With this, he had gone from being the richest person in Vivaldi to its biggest debtor.
Henry stood in front of Ten and raised his teacup with a sly smirk.
¡°Ten.¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°You¡¯re hiding something.¡±
¡°...What?¡±
¡°What¡¯s the real purpose of Million Gold?¡±
¡°Real purpose? What are you talking about?¡±
¡°Do you mean to tell me that you made this kind of a living from arena activities alone? Don¡¯t insult me with such an obvious lie.¡±
Having secured a stable financial channel with a huge business as his base, it was time for Henry to implement the next stage of his n: to be famous. He needed to build a reputation as the best group, with tremendous power. Henry had chosen Million Gold as his first stepping stone to build this group.
¡°We¡¯re doing business by trading information,¡± said Ten.
¡°Trading information?¡±
¡°As you said, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to make a living simply from arena activities alone. However, it is also true that the activities here ount for most of our ie. That¡¯s exactly why information is important to us.¡±
¡°Because you need to keep up with thetest trends?¡±
¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±
¡°What about the infrastructure in ce? How well-established are you?¡±
¡°We exist throughout the empire, but only in the megacities. Not only the capital, but the four vassal kingdoms, the holy kingdom ruled by the Pope, and a few autonomous cities as well.¡±
¡°That¡¯s still a well-establishedwork.¡±
¡°Compared to Gray Moon of the capital, we¡¯re nothing but small fries.¡±
¡°Are you envious of Gray Moon?¡±
¡°Envious? Small merchants like us wouldn¡¯t even dare to look at them.¡±
Gray Moon was the name of a mighty underground guild that had taken root in the imperial capital. They were the only independent group in the empire that was equipped with military power, informationworks, and financial power. Their influence could not be understated. This was exactly what Henry had in mind as an ideal group.
¡°What¡¯s there to be envious about anyway? We can make our own. You could even call it a second Gray Moon,¡± Henry suggested.
¡°...Pardon?¡±
¡°Am I wrong? Do you think they were always that powerful? If you set limits on yourself from the start, then all you¡¯re doing is limiting your own development.¡±
¡°Are you being serious?¡±
¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking?¡±
¡°Ah, no¡ but is it okay to just spontaneously decide something like this?¡±
¡°Who said I¡¯m being impromptu?¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°Did you think I took over your Million Gold just so I could live out afortable life on my own? Now that the foundation has been set, it¡¯s time to get serious about expanding the group. Million Gold is just the beginning.¡±
Hearing Henry calmly talk about his n, Ten¡¯s jaw dropped. Despite Henry looking much younger than himself, seeing Henry talk with so much sincerity made Ten believe that there was a chance his n could work.
¡®Who the hell is this guy?¡¯
In the face of a ten-million-gold debt, Ten had to mortgage everything he had. So, whether he liked it or not, he had no choice but to be a part of Henry¡¯s n.
¡°We have a strong enough informationwork, and we can slowly increase our financial strength. That means there¡¯s only the military left to work on, yeah?¡±
¡°H-hold on. We can¡¯t just grow our military might like that.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Gray Moon has their hands in the criminal world as well, and because they do mercenary work and contract killings, they need such military strength. But we don¡¯t do those things.¡±
¡°Then we should start, no?¡±
¡°Sorry?¡±
¡°Do you think that I¡¯m trying to increase our strength just to manage this little arena? From now on, Million Gold is to establish a mercenary corps.¡±
¡°Mercenary¡ corps?¡±
It was a thought that had never urred to Ten before. However, it was about to be set in motion because of Million Gold¡¯s new majority shareholder.
¡°There are few groups that are as useful as mercenaries; all it takes is money. And to create new sources of ie, we need new sources of power. Why aren¡¯t you writing this down?¡±
¡°Ah, ah, yes!¡± Ten said as he hurriedly took out a piece of paper and a pen.
¡°Let it be known that we¡¯re going to give the best treatment in the industry, and all we ask for in return is skill. No matter where youe from or what you look like, all are wee. Anyone who is confident enough can join us.¡±
¡°Are we really going to advertise this? What about the sry¡?¡±
¡°How much does an A-grade mercenary get paid per month?¡±
¡°About five gold.¡±
¡°Then we¡¯ll raise it to ten gold. And, of course, we¡¯ll include the best welfare programs the industry has to offer, as well as performance bonuses if they¡¯re skilled enough. Oh! For those with children, we¡¯ll even pay for their tuition. And for those who have nowhere to live, we¡¯ll provide them with lodging.¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t we being a bit too generous here?¡±
¡°Why? Can¡¯t we?¡±
¡°If we just give away so much stuff, we won¡¯t have anything left. Besides, we¡¯re going to be a new mercenary group, so there won¡¯t even be any work in the beginning!¡± Ten jumped up and down as he objected to Henry¡¯s unconventional set of conditions.
Henry frowned. ¡°The only thing we can offer as a newly fledged mercenary group are these unconventional conditions. If you were a mercenary for hire, would you want to apply to a new, unproven mercenary corps without any of these benefits?¡±
Henry was right. Asking for loyalty without giving anything in return was what bullies did.
¡°Also, why won¡¯t we have anything left? I¡¯m overflowing with money right now. I¡¯ll cover all the costs, so don¡¯t worry about it and start advertising. Oh, one more thing! I will personally conduct the interviews.¡±
¡°Understood¡ but what about the name of the mercenary group? Is it still ¡®Million Gold¡¯?¡±
¡°No, we¡¯ll just call it the Million Corps.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
With that, the discussions were over. Having received his orders, Ten began the extensive publicity campaign with a dubious look on his face.
* * *
Rumors of the Million Corps soon began to spread across the continent. In addition to the unprecedented level of benefits they provided, the sry was more than twice the average, and that was enough to stimte the curiosity of every mercenary that caught wind of it. Thanks to this, mercenaries who had heard the rumors began to flock from all corners of the continent to take part in Million Corps¡¯s preliminary test.
¡°Hey, don¡¯t push!¡± shouted one of the mercenaries to another.
¡°What? Do you wanna settle this right here, right now?¡± the other mercenary replied.
¡°Oi, you over there! If you start a fight, then consider your right to entry forfeited. Go ahead!¡± one of the guards barked at the two of them.
¡°Tsk, consider yourself lucky. If it weren¡¯t for the guards, you would have died by my hand today.¡±
¡°Speak for yourself!¡±
* * *
Meanwhile¡
Knock-knock.
¡°Mister Mayor, sir. The person from before is requesting an audience again.¡±
¡°By ¡®the person from before¡¯, you mean¡ no way¡¡±
¡°Yes, sir. Sir Henry is waiting for you.¡±
¡°Why is he here again?!¡±
Vant hurriedly changed his clothes and rushed down to the waiting room. When he arrived, he spoke between heavy breaths. ¡°Huff, puff, what are you doing here again?¡±
¡°Did you run over here? You didn¡¯t have to,¡± said Henry, who was leisurely waiting for Vant as he sipped some tea. ¡°I¡¯m here because I have something to discuss with you. Please, have a seat.¡±
¡°...Sure.¡±
Henry was the guest there, without a doubt. However, he was acting as if he was the owner of the ce.
¡°What is it this time?¡± Vant asked quietly, with a tinge of fear in his voice.
¡°There¡¯s no need for you to be so scared. I¡¯m not here to take anything from you this time.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Have you noticed that the number of visitors has increased significantly today?¡±
¡°As a matter of fact, I did. ording to my sources, Million Gold is creating a mercenary corps with rather unconventional benefits for their workers.¡±
¡°You¡¯re right. Million Gold just created a mercenary corps called the Million Corps, and I am their leader.¡±
¡°Excuse me?¡±
¡°Somehow, I ended up taking over. Anyway, it¡¯s only been a day since I started promoting it, but seeing how many additional visitors we have already, don¡¯t you think our next move should be more obvious?¡±
¡°What is it that you want to say?¡±
¡°Do you remember thest time we spoke, when I said you¡¯ll be taking care of me?¡±
It was an unpleasant memory. Vant remembered it clearly precisely because it was as unpleasant as it was, and he responded with an apprehensive expression.
¡°I do.¡±
¡°Great. Then let me ask you for a favor, Mayor.¡±
¡°A¡favor?¡±
Henry casually called it a favor, but Vant couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of dread over what it might be. After all, Henry was someone who was nigh impossible to read.
¡°Let¡¯s raise the tax rate.¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°Ah, of course, it¡¯s only going to be temporary. Aspiring mercenaries are flocking from all over the empire, so what I¡¯m saying is that we should take advantage of this opportunity. Something like that.¡±
¡°No. I¡¯m merely a mayor. Adjustment of tax rates is managed by the empire, so that¡¯s not something that a public official like me can do on a whim,¡± Vant refused, swiftly and firmly.
¡°That would be the tax rate for the entire city. However, I understand that the mayor has the right to temporarily adjust specific taxes.¡±
¡°H-how did you know¡?¡±
¡°And I¡¯m also aware that it can be adjusted flexibly as the mayor sees fit, as long as it can revitalize the city¡¯s economy and increase its earnings. Isn¡¯t that so?¡±
This was a fact that only the mayor was supposed to know. However, Henry had lightly brought up such a deep secret as if he was reading off a restaurant menu.
¡°We¡¯ll help you rake in those additional profits.¡±
¡°By ¡®we¡¯, do you mean Million Gold?¡±
¡°No. It won¡¯t look good if the city hall strikes an agreement with one privatepany. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve set up an association.¡±
¡°An association?¡±
¡°For now, we¡¯ve named it the Arena Association. Of course, all arenas in Vivaldi are members.¡±
All those who were visiting Vivaldi that day had their sights set on one thing¡ªthe entrance test to the Million mercenary corps. However,pared to the abundance of applicants, there was only one person conducting the interviews, and that was Henry himself. That meant that there was a long wait time, and during that time, applicants had no choice but to stay in the city. While they stayed in the city, those who needed to earn money to pay off their expenses were sure to step foot into the arena, because battle was all they knew.
¡°You could just issue a special tax on any arena activities. For example, adding brokerage fees to matches that were originally put together for free, or registration fees for new fighters. Ah! Of course, there should be a fee on winning payouts as well.¡±
¡°If we did that, existing fighters would definitely oppose such measures¡ how do you n on resolving that?¡±
¡°Existing yers would be taxed the same.¡±
¡°Sorry? I just told you that if we do that, there will be fierce opposition¡¡±
¡°They won¡¯t object. This is a nket directive issued by the city hall, after all. The moment the existing fighters start protesting the tax rate changes, all you¡¯ll have to do is to apply a tax exemption benefit to only the existing fighters. That will create a rift between the old fighters and the new fighters.¡±
This was amon tactic used by political nobles, manufacturing a ruse to hide their own wrongdoings.
¡°But that will disturb the peace that we have right now, won¡¯t it?¡±
¡°Then simply lock them all up. And if you lock them up until the end of the interview period, new fighters will just pay the bail in order to attend the interview.¡±
It was an borate strategy. Fighters with a paid bail would hold back their anger in order to secure their interviews, which naturally resolved any security issues. Vant had listened to Henry¡¯s n with bitter admiration, but he suddenly realized that there was something off.
¡°Wait. What does Sir Henry gain from doing all this?¡±
¡°Half of all the tax.¡±
¡°Excuse me?¡±
¡°All you have to do is hand over half of the profits from the special tax rate to us. That¡¯s why we signed an agreement, no?¡±
Half was an absurdly high percentage for a contract fee.
¡°Yes, but still, half of it is¡¡± Vant replied lukewarmly.
¡°If it bothers you that much then you don¡¯t have to do it. But there will be many more visitors than in the peak season, so do you really want to miss this opportunity?¡±
Henry¡¯s n was way too sweet for Vant to ignore. In the end, he could not help but ept Henry¡¯s offer.
¡°...Alright.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no need to be so down. I¡¯ll have something special prepared separately for youter.¡±
Vant¡¯s ears perked up. After all, he was now in a situation where every single penny was valuable to him, thanks to the prize money he had to pay out to Henry.
¡°I¡¯m just grateful that you have Vivaldi in your thoughts, Sir Henry.¡±
¡°As citizens of the same empire, it¡¯s a given that we should help each other.¡±
As soon as Vant heard what he had wanted to hear, his attitude changedpletely. With this, the first phase of Henry¡¯s n was nowplete.
Chapter 43: Of Planning and Detailing (2)
Chapter 43: Of nning and Detailing (2)
It had now been two days since the promotions began. Only after a crowd of people flocked in like a thunderstorm did Henry begin the entrance exam.
¡°Is the exam hall ready?¡±
¡°As you¡¯ve requested, I¡¯ve rented the entire vacant square in the back of the city.¡±
It had been worth waiting for two days. In the huge empty space in front of the exam hall, there was a long queue of people extending off into the distance, waiting their turn.
¡°Then, let¡¯s start! The exam is divided into three stages!¡± the assistant in charge of the exam shouted at the top of his lungs.
At that moment, someone who was waiting for their turn in the queue asked a question loudly.
¡°Hey! Is it true that even if we fail the exam, you¡¯ll give out something like an interview bonus?¡±
The crowd buzzed. An interview bonus¡ something like that was unheard of. Henry had prepared a small event, using this ¡®interview bonus¡¯ to entice and attract more talented people.
¡°Of course. Those who pass the first stage will receive an interview bonus of one silver.¡±
One silver was by no means a small amount of money. It was more than enough for a night¡¯s lodging and a day''s worth of food and drink.
¡®How generous does he intend to be?¡¯?Ten thought as he clicked his tongue and shook his head. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like nothing but aplete waste.
¡°Then, let¡¯s begin the first stage of the exam. The first test is straightforward. All you have to do is pass through the small room in front of you and enter the second-stage exam center.¡±
The crowd buzzed once more.
¡°What kind of exam is this?¡±
¡°Is there a monster inside there or something?¡±
¡°Man, they¡¯re looking down on us too much, aren¡¯t they?¡±
¡°Kekeke, this is way too easy.¡±
It was just as the assistant had said. The first test was just to pass through the special room that Henry himself had prepared.
¡°Oh! For those who are unable to continue with the exam, you may leave through the exit on the left.¡±
And with that, the assistant officer¡¯s exnation was over. The applicants all looked confident, but Henry couldn¡¯t help but burst out inughter at them.
¡®Shall we take a look at how good everyone really is?¡¯
Before long, the first volunteer stood up.
¡°I¡¯ll show you how good I am.¡±
He was a swordsman with a slim figure, carrying two short swords at his waist. He stepped forward toward the first exam room, looking confident as ever.
¡®Why is it so dark?¡¯?he thought to himself as he approached the entrance.
It was a very dark room, more like a long and narrow hallway. The only light that shone through was the sunlight at the end of the hallway, which was barely visible. Of course, there was also the exit on the left, for participants who wanted to forfeit.
¡®Calling this a test, isn¡¯t this a bit toome?¡¯
The test looked so straightforward and easy that the man burst intoughter as he took his first steps into the room.
However, at that moment¡
Zoom~¡®Whoa! What the hell is this?¡¯
He suddenly felt an intangible aura that weighed down his entire body with incredible power. Feeling as though a giant had stepped down on him from above, he had no choice but to pull his outstretched foot back out of the room.
¡®W-what the hell was that?¡¯
As soon as he stepped backward, the tremendous force disappeared. It was only then that the man realized what this first test was.
¡®Indeed¡ I see.¡¯
The first test was a test of stamina. After grasping the nature of the test, the man took a deep breath and another step forward.
Kwooong!¡®Just as I had expected! But this won¡¯t be enough to stop Sylvesron!¡¯
The pressure was bearable. Sylvesron believed in his own strength and quickly ran toward the warm sunlight shining from the exit in front of him.
* * *
¡°Mm, what is¡¡±
The dazzling sunlight hit his eyes. Had he seeded in passing through the dark test room anding out of the exit? He tried to get up to check his situation.
¡°Mm?¡±
As he sat up straight, he inadvertently touched the floor. However, what he felt on his hand was not the hard floor, but the soft texture of skin.
¡°W-what is this?¡±
As his pupils adjusted to the brightness of the sunlight, the man began to make out his surroundings. He was on a mountain. A human mountain, made up of unconscious people piled on top of each other.
¡°Hey, you. If you¡¯re awake, get down here.¡±
¡°H-how did this happen?¡±
¡°What do you think? Don¡¯t you remember? You fainted in the first test room. That¡¯s why you were moved here.¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
Sylvesron was certain that he had sprinted forward, enduring the pressure to get to the exit. However, with each step he had taken forward, the pressure had be more and more intense, and he had eventually passed out in the end.
¡°That means that everyone here is¡?¡±
¡°Stop asking the obvious. Anyway, you can try the first test again, so if you¡¯d like to have another go, get back in line,¡± the assistant exined as he pointed toward the long queue.
It was endlessly long, those at the back of the line just specks on the horizon.
¡°H-how can this be! What kind of bullshit¡¡±
Meanwhile, Henry stood waiting at the second test site for those who passed the first test. Henry called the first test site the Strainer. In it, he had activated an incremental gravity magic, whereby gravity became stronger the closer one was to the exit. Right at the exit, gravity was dozens of times stronger than normal.
¡®I don¡¯t need anyone who can¡¯t even pass the first test.¡¯
The reason why Henry had prepared the Strainer was simple. He needed someone physically strong enough to endure that level of force, or, if they were a magic user, he needed someone who could notice the trap and escape the first test room with defensive magic. However, even though it had been several hours since the exam began, a single challenger had yet to arrive at the second test site.
¡®Ipetent bastards.¡¯
The test continued. The test, which had started around noon, continued until sundown. Still, not a single person could ovee the Strainer.
¡°Sir Henry, is it really okay for us to continue like this?¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°I heard that no one passed the first test even after one whole day?¡± Vant asked worriedly, taken aback by the difficulty of the exam.
¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s wait for one more day.¡±
Henry had never had any intention of epting all the participants, anyways. The purpose of this test was to find the diamond in the rough. All those who had failed the first testined about its difficulty. However, on the other hand, there were some who epted the difficulty of the test, saying that it was on a level proportional to the good treatment they were getting.
As the first day of the Million entry exam ended, those who had failed began to wander around the city.
* * *
¡°It has begun.¡±
Shortly after the exam ended, Henry, alongside Vant, looked down at the applicants from Vivaldi Tower.
¡°This is just the beginning. We n to proceed with our n for a month, so let¡¯s try to make as much profit as possible during this one month.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
With the agreements set in stone, all sorts of taxes that were once unheard of began to appear around the city, including in the arena. Of course, the existing residents of the city, except for the arena fighters, were exempt from these taxes. The targets of this tax agreement were basically just the new fighters.
Two of these new fighters strolled through the streets.
¡°Since we¡¯vee all the way to Vivaldi, should we try our luck in the arena?¡± asked one of them.
¡°I think it would be better for me to participate in it than to bet on it.¡±
¡°Have you found a ce to stay for the night?¡±
¡°I barely managed to find a ce, it was so difficult to get a room because of all the new people flocking in.¡±
¡°Oh yeah, don¡¯t even get me started on the bars. How is it that a city of this caliber doesn¡¯t even have a ce to drink?¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t you an F-grade too? How about we make a bet on who gets to D-grade first?¡±
¡°Sounds good. Loser pays for the drinks tonight, yeah?¡±
¡°Great!¡±
Thanks to the sudden influx of people, the economy of Vivaldi began to churn at a rapid pace. However, just as Vant had expected, the existing fighters began to express their dissatisfaction one by one due to the sudden admin fee in the arena.
¡°What the hell is this? Matching used to be free! Why is there suddenly a matching fee?¡±
¡°That is¡ due to the sudden increase in new fighters, there is a shortage of manpower. In order to make up for the shortage of manpower, we have no choice but to apply a special fee, just for the time being.¡±
Whenever the existing fightersined, the staff responded swiftly as if they had expected such a response. Of course, this was all a stopgap, while the groundwork for something bigger was being set up.
¡°Why are we getting screwed because of all these neers?¡±
¡°Fuck¡ and it¡¯s not like we can kill them off either.¡±
One by one,ints continued to pop up. However, just as Henry had expected, nothing major happened on the first day of these new tax measures.
* * *
Those who were not able to find a room ended up lying drunk in the streets. However, those who stayed in good spirits had refrained from drinking and waited patiently in front of the first test room early in the morning.
¡°Today, I will definitely break through.¡±
¡°Are there any tricks to it?¡±
¡°I did plenty of researchst night.¡±
¡°What¡¯s the trick?¡±
¡°If you¡¯re sessful, let me know what it is as well.¡±
Those who had gathered early in the morning were the rtively more hard-working ones of the bunch. However, even if they were to put in extra effort, it wouldn¡¯t be so easy to pass Henry¡¯s test unless they were well prepared for it in advance.
The second day of the exam began. However, this time too, there were many dropouts. Some gave up early and returned to the arena to recoup their expenses.
Still, the exam continued. By the end of the lively afternoon, the applicants were roughly divided into four distinct categories.
First were new challengers who had yet to take the test. Second were challengers who had failed but vowed to keep on trying. Third were challengers who had given up early and turned to bing an arena fighter toe away with a profit. Last were full quitters, who had given up everything and returned to their hometown.
As time passed, the number of applicants who turned to arena fighters instead increased, and at the same time, so did the number of applicants who decided to return home.
Everything in Vivaldi wasparatively a lot more expensive than other ces. Most of the applicants who had gathered in Vivaldi hade with dreams of sess. For such people, Vivaldi was a difficult ce to stay for a long time. Henry felt the greatest pity for them. They had no choice but to turn toward the arena fights to make a living and stay in Vivaldi for just a little longer.
On the second day after the special tax measures were imposed,ints from existing fighters finally exploded.
¡°Well, fuck! I¡¯m done! You take fees from me, then what do I have left with? How do you expect me to survive!¡±
¡°The payouts have dropped because the number of fighters have increased? What kind of bullshit is this?¡±
¡°Fuck this shit, I¡¯m done! Ptooey!¡±
Some of the dissatisfied fighters even began protesting in front of Vivaldi Tower. It was the exact oue Henry desired.
¡°Sir Vant, as soon as dawn arrives, execute the n I told you about.¡±
¡°You mean giving tax-free benefits only to existing fighters?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
¡°But will that really be okay? If we do that, it will be the new fighters that will be kicking up a fuss this time.¡±
Henry had enough countermeasures for this as well, including a certain degree of tyranny, but all of these were just temporary measures. After all, these new fighters would be the ones to leave should that moment arrive, and of course, he had also perfectly prepared countermeasures for that as well.
Turning toward an anxious Vant, Henry said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. I already have a contingency n in ce.¡±
* * *
Day three arrived.
This time, the long-time applicants, mixed with new challengers, flocked to the testing location early in the morning to be first in line. The ce was, of course, the spacious vacant square located at the back of the city. However, this time around, the applicants found another Strainer built next to the first test room.
One of the long-time participants¡¯ curiosity got the better of him, and he spoke up.
¡°Assistant officer, what is this?¡±
¡°Ah, from today onward, there will be another new rule added.¡±
¡°A rule? What new rule?¡±
¡°This test room here is the exact same one as the existing room. However, this new one is only avable to those with special qualifications.¡±
¡°And what are those special qualifications?¡±
¡°This test room is a special test room that can only be used by arena fighters of B-grade or higher.¡±
¡°What?¡±
In other words, it was a testing room for fighters only. Henry was symbolically encouraging the long-time applicants to expand their careers as arena fighters by setting up a special fighter-only test room.
The reaction was fierce. Everyone cursed at the appearance of a privileged fighters-only test room. However, the long-time applicants, who were tired of waiting every day in the queue, began to head towards the arena under the excuse that they had to earn their living expenses.
Chapter 44: Of Planning and Detailing (3)
Chapter 44: Of nning and Detailing (3)
Henry¡¯s strategy had worked perfectly. Seeing this, Vant and Ten could only p their hands in awe.
¡®This guy is the real deal.¡¯
At this point, they were not even surprised to see that everything was going ording to Henry¡¯s will. They had initially thought of Henry as some kind of con artist, but now, he seemed like an innovative and bold strategist in their eyes.
Then, a few more days passed. It had now been ten days since the exam began, yet there was still not a single person who could pass the first test. Even Ten, who was an insider, was beginning to doubt that there would be any applicants that could sessfully pass the first round of tests.
¡°Uh¡ Sir Henry?¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°Regarding the first test¡ can it really be passed?¡±
Henry responded as if it was a bizarre question to ask. ¡°Of course it can. Why are you questioning it all of a sudden?¡±
¡°There is a strange rumor circting among the applicants that the mercenary corps is just bait, and the real purpose of these tests is the revival of the Sword sh arenas.¡±
¡°I wouldn¡¯t say ¡®revival,¡¯ but it¡¯s true that we¡¯re aiming for additional ie. Anyway, there¡¯s such a rumor circting around, is there?¡±
¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±
¡°Then I guess it¡¯s time I slowly step in.¡±
¡°Sorry? What do you mean by that?¡±
¡°This is when showmanship is needed. People will believe anything if you clear their doubts.¡±
The applicants still did not know that Henry was the interviewer for the second test, as not a single person had made it through the first. However, Henry was already quite the celebrity in other areas, and he decided to use that to instill hope in the applicants once again.
¡°Now, now. Everyone, may we have your attention please?¡±
Upon Henry¡¯s appearance, the assistants¡ªwho had been informed beforehand¡ªgathered the attention of the waiting applicants.
¡°We have heard strange rumors going around. Is that true?¡±
¡°Yeah! Is this test even passable?¡±
¡°Is this really all just bait? If not, how is it that no one has passed it yet?¡±
Most of those who shouted out were long-time applicants who had taken on the test several times. Many were at least intermediate-level Sword Experts, and yet, none of them had been able to reach the exit, despiteing so close.
¡°Now, now! Everyone, please calm down! That¡¯s why we¡¯ve specially invited someone. To prove that there are no tricks in our first test, we¡¯ve invited the current Sword sh champion here, with great difficulty. Everyone, please put your hands together for Sir Henry!¡±
¡°Wait, what? Henry?¡±
¡°You mean the?Henry whose name is listed on the high scoreboard?¡±
¡°My God, is Henry really that young?¡±
¡°That¡¯s not what¡¯s important. He is a Learner-ss swordsman who hasn¡¯t even mastered Aura.¡±
¡°A Learner-ss is the champion? What kind of bullshit is that?¡±
¡°That¡¯s what was listed in the database!¡±
Since most of the mercenaries were also registered as Sword sh yers, Henry was already a celebrity to them. There wasn¡¯t a single person in the city who hadn¡¯t seen his name at the top of the board.
The assistant¡¯s exnation continued.
¡°As you know, Sir Henry hasn¡¯t mastered his Aura yet. So, what if someone like him were to pass the first test?¡±
Seeing Henry pass the test would undoubtedly hurt the applicants¡¯ pride, and in turn, their fighting spirits would ignite once more. It wouldn¡¯t make sense that they, as Aura users, were inferior to a Learner-ss swordsman, after all.
However, no one responded. They all had a strange feeling that Henry would be able to pull off something that they couldn¡¯t. Looking at the challengers afraid of having their pride damaged, Henry eventually spoke up himself.
¡°Ipetent bastards.¡±
¡°W-what did you just say!¡±
¡°Why? Am I wrong? If not, why is everyone keeping their mouths shut like damn mutes?¡±
¡°T-that guy thinks he¡¯s so tough with his talk!¡± shouted one of the applicants.
¡°Hey! You! Let¡¯s see how good you really are,¡± shouted another applicant, gesturing toward Henry and the test room.
Henry had ignited a fire within those who hesitated. With their wills fired up, Henry¡¯s test began with countless eyes watching him.
¡°Then we¡¯ll begin the test.¡±
All the doors opened, and the test began with an audience of long-time challengers. Some even imed that they were going to stick right behind Henry and move together with him to prevent any possible attempts at cheating.
Thud.
Henry stomped his foot and cast his magic buffs. One of them was meant specifically to offset the heavy gravity spell. Everyone watched Henry, waiting with bated breath. Then¡
¡°Move.¡±
¡°Wha¡ª?¡±
Henry walked down the short passage without even blinking an eye, pushing away the onlookers who were waiting on the other side. It was a perfect demonstration.
¡°I-I can¡¯t¡¡±
The long-time challengers who had followed closely behind Henry surrendered right before reaching the exit.
Having already passed the exit, Henry turned toward them and said, ¡°You pitiful bastards. You don¡¯t even have the skills to back yourselves up, and yet you cast so much doubt on others.¡±
The show was over. Henry¡¯s demonstration instantly put to rest the rumors that had been floating around, and at the same time, served as a hot opportunity to awaken the fire inside of the challengers once again.
¡®Stupid fools.¡¯
Another ten days passed.
* * *
¡®Is it time for this toe to an end?¡¯
Henry¡¯s show had ignited a fire within the challengers. However, its effect did notst even another ten days. No matter how much stimtion the challengers had received, they simply couldn¡¯t ovee the Strainer.
As Henry looked down on the street from the Vivaldi Tower, he wondered, ¡°Should we have made it a bit easier?¡±
He had expected the testing process to take a long time. However, he had never dreamed that there would not be a single person who could pass the first test after more than twenty days.
Vant replied, ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡±
¡°Then what is it?¡±
¡°Those who are equivalent to top-level Sword Expert users have already been scouted byrge institutions. Either that, or they have been recruited by the imperial army and are now Knights.¡±
¡°But don¡¯t mercenaries value money the most? As far as I know, there are none who value money as much as them.¡±
¡°No matter how important money is, it¡¯s normal for everyone to value their business partners more once they rise to a certain level of worth.¡±
Vant was right. If someone was a famous talent, there was a high possibility that they already had a deep rtionship with the organization they belonged to. That meant they were unlikely to move, even if more favorable conditions were put forward.
¡®Tsk, I don¡¯t need these low-level street punks yet, though.¡¯?Henry thought to himself.
Of course, it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t need them at all. Once the mercenary corps grew, they would also need lower-level mercenaries to handle misceneous requests. However, Henry didn¡¯t feel the need for them right away because he couldn¡¯t even find any founding members yet.
¡®In the end, it looks like there¡¯s no choice but for me to personally step in.¡¯
He had a strong hunch that waiting any longer would be a waste of time. However, since he had set aside a month for this exam, he felt that he might as well utilize all of his time.
¡°Sir Vant, there¡¯s ten more days to go. After earning money for the remaining ten days, let¡¯s return everything back to normal.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
¡°Then I¡¯ll see you in ten days. If something urgent happens, find Ten from Million Gold.¡±
¡°Are you leaving?¡±
¡°I¡¯m going to check things out myself. If this goes on, I think this will end with just mary profits alone.¡±
* * *
Having returned to Million Gold, Henry immediately made his way to Ten.
¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Ten asked.
¡°I¡¯m going to be away for a while, but in the meantime, there¡¯s something I need you to do.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°I¡¯d like you to gather information on some rumors.¡±
¡°Rumors?¡± Ten said quizzically as he tilted his head slightly in confusion.
¡°Originally, I was going to randomly select a few from the pool of applicants, but none of them have caught my eye. I think it would be much better if I just looked for suitable applicants myself. That¡¯s why, if you hear any rumors of highly skilled mercenaries in any region, try to find out more.¡±
¡°Highly skilled mercenaries? Perhaps you intend to meet them all in person?¡±
¡°Of course, you will have to filter them out to some extent. In the meantime, I¡¯m going to visit Enkelmann for a bit.¡±
¡°By Enkelmann, do you mean the southern port city? Why are you headed there?¡±
¡°There¡¯s someone I need to bring back. Anyway, consolidate all the information as you gather it. I¡¯ll be back in ten days.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
Located in the south of the continent, Enkelmann was one of the autonomous cities that did not fall under the control of the nobility, same as Vivaldi. In addition, it was not an exaggeration to say that all the goods in the world eventually found their way to Enkelmann, because trade in the port city was highly developed.
¡®It would be nice if he was still in Enkelmann.¡¯
The reason why Henry was headed to Enkelmann was that there was a Sword Master named Von who lived there, and had followed Henry till the end in his past life.
¡®Not sure if my words would work against that stubbornness, however.¡¯
After giving out his orders, Henry immediately began preparations to leave. There wasn¡¯t much to pack. His sleeping quarters were a non-issue thanks to the Mage¡¯s Camp, so all he had to do was bring some food with him. Suddenly, however, just as Henry was about to leave his residence¡
¡°Sir Henry! Wait!¡± one of the attendants shouted as they ran after him.
¡°What now?¡±
¡°I just received notice that someone has passed the first test!¡±
¡°What?¡±
A smile spread across Henry¡¯s face.
* * *
A rare sense of liveliness lingered at the first test site, which had previously been as dead as a graveyard. The first sessful applicant had finally appeared.
¡°Congrattions on passing the first test,¡± said Henry.
The applicant was a burly man. Henry greeted him warmly, but the man was definitely very tired, as he responded with a simple nod.
¡°What is your name?¡±
¡°...I¡¯m Hagler.¡±
¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Henry Morris, and I¡¯m in charge of the newly established Million Corps,¡± Henry said as he held out his hand for a handshake.
Before Hagler grabbed Henry¡¯s hand, he looked at Henry with tired, weary eyes.
¡°A-are you really going to give anyone who joins the mercenary corps a house, and provide for their kids¡¯ education?¡± he asked.
¡°Of course. A skilled mercenary deserves that much at least.¡±
¡°...Then I¡¯ll be in your care.¡±
Hagler then held Henry¡¯s hand tightly with both his hands. Henry felt an indescribable sense of urgency emanating from Hagler¡¯s touch.
¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯
Hagler had a shabby appearance. If someone was strong enough to pass through the Strainer, it was likely that they had been trained well and treated even better throughout their life. Yet, this man¡¯s clothes were basically rags.
¡®He must have had a rough past.¡¯
But no matter what had happened in Hagler¡¯s past, Henry was ready to ept him. So long as he had the necessary skills, of course.
¡°What¡¯s the second test?¡± Hagler asked.
¡°Have you ever heard of Sword sh?¡±
¡°No¡ this is the first time I¡¯m hearing of it.¡±
¡°I see. The second test will be Sword sh.¡±
Henry briefly exined the rules of Sword sh. Fortunately, Hagler was quick to catch on, and as soon as he fully understood the rules, he was given an iron sword to use in the Sword sh bout.
¡°Then let¡¯s begin the second test. Please, just do your best from the beginning.¡±
The test began. Hagler infused his Aura into the iron sword he had received.
Sssss.¡®Mm?¡¯
The size of his Aura was considerable, not far from that of a Sword Master. The moment Henry saw Hagler¡¯s impressive Aura, a pleasant feeling filled him.
¡°After you,¡± said Henry.
¡°Understood.¡±
Thud.
Enchanting his whole body with magic buffs, Henry immediately took up a defensive posture. Then, Hagler¡¯s sword fell upon him.
ng!
As Henry¡¯s magic and Hagler¡¯s Aura collided, a crushing sound echoed across the test site. Henry once again couldn¡¯t help but let out a smile. Hagler¡¯s sword contained a power formidable enough to make Henry¡¯s hand go numb.
ng! ng! ng!
Hagler¡¯s attack continued. The more he swung his sword, the stronger his Aura seemed to be, almost like steel being forged.
¡®He¡¯s so much better than Hugo.¡¯
No, Hagler was so much more powerful than Hugo that the two could not even bepared. At the same time, Henry could feel that same urgency he had felt earlier from Hagler with each strike.
ng!
After maintaining a defensive stance for a bit longer, Henry pushed away Hagler¡¯s sword.
¡°Now, it¡¯s my turn.¡±
The positions were now reversed. Understanding the rules, Hagler immediately took a defensive stance. However¡
Swoosh!
Hagler¡¯s sword split in two in one move. As the broken de soared into the air, Hagler¡¯s expression sunk into one of deep despair.
¡°N-no¡¡±
Cling-ng!
His de fell to the floor. The test was over. Hagler slowly copsed to his knees.
¡°N-no¡. My¡ myst hope¡¡±
Anyone who saw could sense his despair, despite him covering his face with both hands.
However, Henry approached him and said quietly, ¡°You passed.¡±
¡°...Excuse me?¡±
¡°Mr. Hagler, please join me. I don¡¯t think you need the third test.¡±
¡°W-what? W-what do you¡¡±
There was visible confusion on Hagler¡¯s face, to which Henry responded with a calm smile. ¡°No need to be so surprised. The third test is just a simple personality interview. However, for you, Mr. Hagler, it seems that such a test is not needed.¡±
¡°D-do you really mean that?¡±
Hagler clearly understood the rules that Henry had exined to him. He didn¡¯t understand how he could have passed, when his de had clearly been broken. In response, Henry looked at Hagler with the same calm look on his face.
¡°Mr. Hagler.¡±
¡°Yes, yes¡?¡±
¡°Do you perhaps have a family to support in this city?¡±
¡°Yes, yes! I have a wife and a daughter.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know what your story is, but we will definitely take care of your family. So from now on, please be at ease.¡±
¡°Is that true?¡±
¡°Of course. We wee you, Mr. Hagler.¡±
¡°Thank you! Thank you very much!¡± eximed Hagler, clearly relieved.
Despite not revealing his inner thoughts, Henry had clearly put to rest what had been disturbing Hagler on the inside. With the tension within him finally relieved, Hagler burst into tears and grabbed Henry¡¯s outstretched hand with both of his.
Chapter 45: Of Planning and Detailing (4)
Chapter 45: Of nning and Detailing (4)
Hagler was definitely skilled, but not skilled enough to be a Sword Master. If he had been one, Henry¡¯s magic would not have been enough to stop him. Henry helped Hagler to his feet and brushed the dust from his clothes.
¡°How curious. Why is someone like you on the run, Mr. Hagler?¡±
¡°H-how did you know?¡±
¡°It¡¯s obvious. Why else would a person of your level of skille all the way here with your family? Anyway, shall we continue discussing this after you gather your family members?¡±
¡°Yes. And, uh¡¡±
¡°Is there anything else?¡±
¡°You¡¯re going to be my superior from now on, so I would appreciate it if you could be less formal with me,¡± mumbled Hagler. It seemed he was ustomed to maintaining a degree of respect.
¡°Oh, that¡¯s all? Well, I¡¯ll keep my formalities just for today. It¡¯s our first meeting, after all,¡± replied Henry.
¡°Thank you.¡±
Then, through an assistant, Henry made it known that the first sessful applicant had joined the corps. This sent the other applicants into a frenzy.
¡°Someone passed the exam? So you¡¯re saying they¡¯ve already passed the third test?¡±
¡°Whoa¡ I¡¯m jealous. That person is set for life now¡¡±
¡°Damn, there really are people out there who can pass the first test.¡±
Their reactions differed, but they had one thing inmon. They were envious. Henry had raised Hagler¡¯s prestige to the fullest, like a war hero.
He headed to Hagler¡¯s family residence.
¡°Is this it?¡±
They had arrived at a shabby rundown warehouse that Hagler supposedly called home.
Hagler coyly responded, ¡°I couldn¡¯t find an inn because I didn¡¯t have enough money. Fortunately, I met a good-hearted person, and we were able to rent a warehouse, so we¡¯ve been staying here.¡±
When Hagler opened the warehouse door, the sounds of people talking could be heard within.
¡°Honey?¡±
It was Hagler¡¯s wife, Sona. The moment Henry saw Hagler¡¯s wife, he was captivated for a moment.
¡®Whoa¡ what an incredible beauty.¡¯
Sona carried herself with such an elegant air of beauty that even Henry, who was not really interested in women, couldn¡¯t help but admire her. She was dressed in rags just like Hagler, but that could not conceal her beauty. Henry thought to himself that there was probably no woman more beautiful than her in Vivaldi.
¡°Honey, luckily, I passed the entrance exam.¡±
¡°I-is that true? My God, dear God¡ thank you so much¡¡±
And as the couple sobbed and embraced each other, Henry felt another presence approaching from behind.
¡°Daddy?¡±
¡°Oh, my princess! Have you been listening to Mommy and waiting for Daddy?¡±
¡°Yep! But who¡¯s that man?¡±
¡°Nia, you should be respectful. This is the person that Daddy will serve in the future.¡±
¡®Wow¡ even the daughter is beautiful.¡¯
Henry had expected it to some degree, but he didn¡¯t think that the daughter would be so beautiful as well.
He once again congratted Hagler on joining the corps and exchanged greetings with Hagler¡¯s family.
¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Henry Morris, leader of the Million mercenary corps.¡±
¡°My name is Sona.¡±
Hagler¡¯s daughter bowed deeply. ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Nia.¡±
Henry gave Nia a warm smile and nodded toward her. ¡°Mr. Hagler is the only one who has passed the entrance exam over the past few weeks. Please be proud of him and what he has aplished.¡±
¡°Thank you, thank you very much.¡±
¡°No, I should be grateful toward you. It is hard to find talented people like Mr. Hagler.¡±
The family was genuinely happy, as was Henry. He had not expected that the first member of the corps would be a married man, but meeting Hagler¡¯s family deepened his trust in him.
¡®There is no man more trustworthy than a man who has a family to protect.¡¯
Having conveyed his thanks, Henry continued. ¡°Then, shall we slowly get started? Since you¡¯ve now joined the Million Corps, I will provide you with a house to live in, as promised.¡±
¡°A-already?¡±
¡°Well, you can¡¯t stay in this warehouse forever, can you?¡±
Henry wasn¡¯t wrong, but Hagler hadn¡¯t expected to be provided a house so quickly.
Henry then took Hagler¡¯s family to Ten¡¯s mansion. When they arrived at the front entrance, Hagler¡¯s family¡¯s mouths were wide open.
¡°Come in,¡± Henry said.
¡°C-captain. W-wait! Isn¡¯t this ce for nobles only?¡±
¡°What are you talking about?¡±
¡°Sorry?¡±
¡°This is the house where the benefactor of Million Corps lives, and I¡¯m the benefactor of that benefactor.¡±
¡°...What?¡±
It may have sounded strange, but it was true. On the surface, it was Million Gold that was supporting the Million Corps, but it was actually Henry who was supporting Million Gold. When Henry entered the mansion, Ten, who had been waiting inside, greeted Hagler¡¯s family politely.
¡°My name is Ten, owner of Million Gold. Sir Henry has informed me of your visit in advance, so please feelfortable and treat this ce as your own.
At first, Hagler tried to politely refuse and offered to find a separate house for themselves, but Henry tly rejected him. He didn¡¯t want this huge mansion to go to waste. Ten, who had no say in the matter anyway, had no choice but to consent. All he could do was force a smile in front of the Hagler family.
¡°I think it would be good for the guests to have a bath and a change of clothes.¡±
Henry pped twice, and the servants disappeared with Sona and Nia. Only Henry, Ten, and Hagler were left in the waiting room.
Sitting in a chair, Henry said to Hagler, ¡°Now, shall we hear your story? Ten.¡±
When Henry called Ten¡¯s name, Ten immediately got up to prepare some tea as Hagler began telling his story.
¡°The truth is¡¡±
His story was simple. Hagler had been amoner knight, but was scouted by a Count who recognized his outstanding skills. However, the Lord fell in love with the beautiful Sona and even tried to force himself on her while Hagler was away. When Hagler found out, he beat the Count within an inch of his life.
¡°And that¡¯s why you ran away?¡±
¡°Yes¡¡±
Henry now understood why someone with the skill level of a veteran Sword Expert would want to do some dirty mercenary work.
¡°I kept looking for jobs while touring other countries. But no one epted me, probably because I was on the run.¡±
¡°And that was when you heard rumors about our mercenary corps?¡±
¡°Yes, I figured that this was myst hope.¡±
¡°I see¡ still, if you injure a noble, that¡¯s considered a felony,¡± Henry quietly reminded Hagler, whose expression instantly turned nk. ¡°How many times did you hit him?¡±
¡°...I think I broke one of his arms?¡±
¡°Did you really stop at that?¡±
¡°...Truth is, I broke his legs as well.¡±
In the empire, it was considered a felony for amoner to strike a noble. Hagler knew this, which was why he had immediately chosen to run away with his family. The more Hagler confessed, the darker his face became.
However, with a smile, Henry simply asked, ¡°Are you afraid?¡±
¡°...I am not afraid for myself. But I am afraid for my family.¡±
¡°Family is a father¡¯s greatest weakness. Then, why did you hit the noble?¡±
¡°I have never been so angry in my entire life. So, without knowing, I ended up¡¡±
Hagler¡¯s eyes were stained red, as if the oppressive feelings he had felt were flooding back into his mind.
¡°Good job.¡±
¡°...Excuse me?¡±
¡°If it had been me, I would have slit his throat. But it seems that you are too soft-hearted. That¡¯s why you only broke a few limbs, right?¡±
Hagler¡¯s eyes began to tremble slightly at Henry¡¯s unexpected response.
¡°And well¡ it¡¯s already happened, so what¡¯s the point of crying over spilled milk? Obviously, beating a noble is a felony, but I have already promised to protect you, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡±
¡°D-do you really mean that?¡±
¡°I mean, technically, I¡¯m a noble too.¡±
Henry took out a silver identity tag and waved it in front of Hagler, who was taken aback.
¡°Y-you are a noble?¡± Hagler stuttered.
¡°What, you didn¡¯t notice? I mean¡how manymoners have a surname?¡±
¡°I-I have been ignorant! I didn¡¯t even know that, and yet, I dared to¡!¡±
¡°Now, now. No need to kick up a fuss. Please remain in your seat. I¡¯m just d that I managed to secure one person before my departure. Isn¡¯t that right, Ten?¡±
Henry turned his head in Ten¡¯s direction, but Ten looked even more surprised than Hagler, his jaw nearly to the floor.
¡°What¡¯s with you?¡±
¡°What do you mean, ¡®what¡¯s with me¡¯?! He hit a Count! Not even a Baron, but a Count! Do you think this can just be overlooked?¡±
¡°Eh, big deal. How is that a problem?¡±
¡°What could be a bigger deal than this?!¡± Ten shouted incredulously.
Despite Ten¡¯s reaction, Henry calmly responded as if it didn¡¯t matter at all. ¡°What are you so worried about? Don¡¯t worry too much, I¡¯ll take care of it. Above all else, take care of Mr. Hagler¡¯s family while I journey to Enkelmann.¡±
¡°Where are you headed?¡± Ten, who had been warily looking at Henry, asked cautiously.
¡°Seems like there aren¡¯t many talents out here, so I¡¯m going out to look for some myself. I should have left a long time ago, but right before my departure, you, Mr. Hagler, passed the first test, forcing me to dy a bit.¡±
¡°I apologize. Just because of me¡¡±
¡°No. It is fortunate that I found you at thest minute. Anyway, there are still about ten days left until the entrance exam is over, so please rest well at the mansion in the meantime. You must have had countless sleepless nights until now.¡±
¡°Thank you, thank you very much.¡±
¡°No need for such gratitude. Ah, I almost forgot! Please take this,¡± Henry said as he held out a coin worth ten gold.
¡°Why are you giving me so much money¡?¡±
¡°This is a congrattory gift. While you rest, please have a great time with your family here. You do know that Vivaldi is thergest entertainment city in the empire, right?¡±
Ignoring Ten, who was clearly unable to hide his anxiety, Henry encouraged Hagler to take the coin. Now, with some sense of relief, Henry was able to head toward Enkelmann.
* * *
Henry¡¯s journey took him from the western end of the continent all the way to the south. Since he was going from one major city to another, he didn¡¯t have to worry about getting lost as long as he followed the main road. He opened his treasure map for the first time in a while and observed the geography.
¡®There are two or three small estates on the way to Enkelmann. Doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s a need to stop by.¡¯
Food was plentiful, and his amodation issue was solved with the Mage¡¯s Camp, so he saw no need to make the detour. Instead, he decided he would collect the treasures that were located nearby.
¡®I¡¯ve been a bit inactive for a while. There were no treasures near the town after all.¡¯
¡®Strike while the iron is hot,¡¯ people often said. The reason why he had set aside ten days for his trip to Enkelmann was not just to ount for any unexpected variables, but also to amodate any additional activities that he was considering. However, after examining the map, Henry found that there weren¡¯t many treasures that appealed strongly to him.
¡®Maybe just this one?¡¯
His gaze stopped at where a smallke was marked. It was known as the Lake of Whispers. Henry had hidden an artifact called ¡®Whispering¡¯ in the depths of thiske.
¡®Earrings that grant the ability tomunicate with all flora and fauna¡ Nia will like this.¡¯
Whispering was an enchanted earring that gave the wearer the ability tomunicate with nts and animals. It was not very useful to Henry, but he figured it would be a perfect toy for the young Nia.
¡®This should be enough.¡¯
If Hagler had been single, Henry would have overlooked this treasure. However, Hagler had a daughter. And when a child was graced with gifts and happiness, the parents would naturally want to repay that act of graciousness. Knowing that, Henry decided to set aside a little time to retrieve Whispering.
* * *
The Lake of Whispers was located deep in the dense forest. However, Jade was capable enough to cross even a cliff, as long as she had enough ground to gallop across. At Henry¡¯smand, Jade went deeper and deeper into the forest until he stood at the edge of a cliff.
¡°Is this it?¡±
Henry checked his map once more.
¡°It is.¡±
It was a soaring cliff. Even though it was broad daylight, the cliff was so high that the bottom was covered in ck shadow.
¡°Jade, run.¡±
Neeeeeigh.
It was a steep cliff with no bottom in sight, but Jade immediately threw himself down at Henry¡¯smand, without hesitation.
Chapter 46: Mayor Harz (1)
Chapter 46: Mayor Harz (1)
Swooosh!
Carrying Henry on his back, Jade began to fall at a frightening speed as he surrendered to gravity. However, despite the tremendous speed, neither Henry nor Jade batted an eyelid as they maintained theirposure.
Just before they hit the ground and died, Henry uttered a low-pitched incantation.
¡°Feather Fall.¡±
Jade¡¯s body became as light as a feather, and hended lightly on the floor in a graceful and elegant manner, almost like a Pegasus.
¡°Good work.¡±
Neeeigh.
Any ordinary horse would never have made that jump, due to fear. However, Jade had been treated with Henry¡¯s Fine Horse Restructuring. If at the bottom of the cliff had been a massive feather pillow or the literal pits of Hell instead, Jade would have jumped in without hesitation.
Henry stroked Jade¡¯s mane once before dismounting.
¡®This ce has be much more beautiful while I was away.¡¯
Before Henry¡¯s eyes was a dazzlingly beautiful emerald-coloredke. Above it, fireflies the color of water and unknown spirits sparkled like fairies.
¡°I¡¯ll be back, so wait for me here.¡±
Neeeigh.
The ce was full of magic. Before disrupting the peace of theke, Henry decided to supplement extra mana from the reservoir of mana, now that he was finally revisiting it. Henry found a sunny spot and sat cross-legged.
Sssst.
His level of concentration quickly reached its peak through meditation. As expected of a ce untouched by humans and dominated by nature, the density of mana was different from that of a city. Henry feltfortable, as if he had returned home. He opened the mana passageways of his entire body and instantly became one with his surroundings. A long time passed.
It was only after the sun had set and darkness had fallen that Henry slowly opened his eyes.
¡®It¡¯s done.¡¯
As expected of the Lake of Whispers. In less than half a day, Henry had been able to umte a muchrger amount of mana in his body than he had anticipated. Now that he had finished his meditation, he stretched his hand out towards theke. The calm water of theke began to ripple.
¡°Reverse Gravity.¡±
Whoosh-whoosh!
The pulsatingke water floated up into the air due to Henry¡¯s magic. It was a great spectacle. Eventually, not a single drop of water remained in theke. Henry then walked into the empty basin.
Squish. Squish.
The wet soil clung to his shoes, but Henry did not care one single bit as he continued to move forward. When he finally reached deep enough inside theke, he found a familiar-looking helmet on the floor.
¡®Buried so deep.¡¯
It was a Shielder¡¯s helmet. The Shielder, who had been guarding Whispering in theke, was buried deep in the ground, with only his head sticking out. He had probably sunk down because of how soft and muddy the bed of theke was.
¡°...Llew enod evah uoy. (You have done well¡)¡±Crumble.
With the cast of a spell, Shielder¡¯s corpse copsed. Henry picked up a wooden box buried underneath it and slowly walked out of theke.?When he reached the shore, he dispelled the Reverse Gravity spell with a flick of his fingers.
Ssh!
Like a huge wave copsing, a tremendous roar echoed throughout the otherwise quiet forest. Strangely enough, not a single drop of water sshed out of theke. Henry had meticulously managed every single drop of water with his mana.
¡®How refreshing.¡¯
Henry had deliberately used an overwhelming amount of mana, as he wanted to loosen up and use his overflowing mana to his heart¡¯s content. When theke turned calm again, Henry finally opened the wooden box.
Click.
As expected, inside the wooden box was the Whispering, made with sky-blue jewels. After putting it on, Henry listened carefully to his surroundings.
- It¡¯s a human! A human!- Who is he, and why is he causing trouble in our dwelling?- Quick, get rid of him!- Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s here for that thing?
As soon as he put on Whispering, Henry immediately heard the voices of the creatures living in theke, thanks to the magic imbued into it.
- He must never know that Elyragon¡¯s egg is here.- Yes, yes, quickly, chase him away!
The creatures brushed past it quickly, but Henry was certain of what he had just heard.
¡®Elyragon?¡¯
An Elyragon was the highest being among the water spirits. With its dragon-like appearance, it was quite the rare being, even among the spirits. Perhaps because of this, quite a few people called the Elyragon a ¡®water dragon.¡¯
¡®Hmm¡ I came to pick up a toy and ended up with an unexpected windfall.¡¯
Spirits were usually born from nature itself. However, there were rare cases of them leaving behind an offspring, and this was one of those rare cases.
¡®Are the parents not around this time as well?¡¯
Henry looked around, but he couldn¡¯t see any Elyragons. Spirits simply didn¡¯t have the instincts to take care of their offspring, despite being responsible for their birth. Some schrs spected that this was the higher spirits¡¯ way of simply showing off their powers, or dispersing some of their own power when it grew too difficult to control.
¡®Whatever the case may be, I¡¯m taking that Elyragon¡¯s egg.¡¯
Having encountered an unexpected prize, Henry began to listen quietly to gather more information. Just because he had Whispering equipped didn¡¯t mean that he could talk to the creatures.
- What do we do? What do we do? Are we really going to lose the egg like this?- Of course not! It looked like that human was here for something else, something from the bottom of theke?- Then, he¡¯s a grave robber?- Perhaps. He looked nasty from the start.
All the noise from the chirping insects, leaves, and even stones rolling on the floor made Henry¡¯s head pound. About eighty percent of what the creatures were saying was totally useless gibberish. Henry decided he needed to change his strategy. He figured it would be much more efficient to induce the creatures to disclose the necessary information than to passively wait for them to slip up and expose it to him.
¡°Klever.¡±
- Yes, Master.
Henry opened the Chest that was located in the palm of his left hand and drew his holy sword from the Chest.
¡°Fire.¡±
Sparks flew from the holy sword, creating a massive me surrounding the de. It was a spectacle. After all, even something like a firework was difficult to see in such a ce unless there was some sort of spontaneousbustion of some kind.
- Kyaaaargh! Fire! Fire!- Why did he suddenly do that!- It¡¯s because you said he looked nasty!- Noooo! If this ce turns into a sea of fire, we¡¯ll all burn to death.- Elyragon¡¯s egg will also burn!- What do we do? What do we do? Shouldn¡¯t we relocate the ash tree? The egg is going to burn if the fire gets to the roots!- And how do you suppose we do that?
The creatures¡¯ fear and anxiety filled the air, but Henry had heard what he needed to hear.
¡®The roots of an ash tree?¡¯
Thanks to the words of a weed, Henry had obtained the information he needed, and immediately put the me out.
¡®I¡¯ll just have to find that ash tree then.¡¯
Henry had already memorized the entire botanical encyclopedia. Thus, to him, finding an ash tree wasn¡¯t a difficult task.
¡°Light.¡±
Henry illuminated the darkke. Ash trees were trees that lived by rooting themselves near bodies of water. The only body of water in the area was the Lake of Whispers itself, so it would be easy to find the ash tree if he circled around theke.
¡®There it is.¡¯
Sure enough, there was a huge ash tree nearby. It had extended its huge roots into theke like a ship¡¯s anchor.
- No!- Back off! Stupid human!- Please pretend you don¡¯t see it!
The closer he got to the ash tree, the louder the various fauna and flora screamed, and the louder their screams got, the more convinced Henry was that he was on the right track. When he finally reached the ash tree, Henry stretched out his hand toward its roots. Theke split in half, revealing the ash tree¡¯s roots that had been submerged in the water.
¡®Found it.¡¯
Henry saw a clear blue jewel sandwiched between its thick roots; it was the Elyragon egg. He quickly snatched it before hurriedly removing Whispering to block out the anguished screams of the surrounding nts and animals.
¡®Much better.¡¯
With Whispering removed, theke returned to its tranquil, peaceful state. Henry held the Elyragon egg up to the light.
¡®As expected of a spirit¡¯s egg. It¡¯s beautiful.¡¯
The egg resembled a shard of sky-blue ss, cut to the size of a thumbnail. Its surface texture was smooth, and it had such a beautiful appearance that it was difficult to think of it as something that was alive.
¡®A second spirit egg¡¡¯
This wasn¡¯t the first time Henry had encountered a spirit¡¯s egg. However, it was something so rare that even someone like the Archmage had only found it once in all his years of life.
¡®I should hatch this too as well, huh?¡¯
If he put it up for sale in the market, with the right buyer, it would sell for an astronomical amount of money. However, Henry now had more than enough money, and he wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would sell something so valuable for just money alone.
¡®If this is indeed an Elyragon egg, then this guy¡¯s future is limitless.¡¯
Elyragons were beings that not even high-tier spirits could easily deal with. Since this egg was the descendent of an Elyragon, as long as it was nurtured well, it would surely be a powerful being that would be of great help in the future.
¡®Since it¡¯s a water spirit, I should continuously supply it with sufficient water and mana.¡¯
Henry had hatched a spirit egg once before, thus he had some basic fundamental knowledge on how to do so. The problem was preparing the right environment for it. After thinking for a while, Henry lifted his right finger and said, ¡°Sharp.¡±?
His right index finger thinned down into a razor-sharp point, and he proceeded to slit his left forearm with it.?His flesh split open and blood gushed out.
Henry inserted the Elyragon egg into the open wound. Then, he covered it with his hand and cast a healing spell.
¡°Heal.¡±
Only a few traces of blood remained on his left forearm.
¡®This should be enough.¡¯
Henry chose his own body as the hiding ce, a ce where both mana and hydration were plentiful, as his blood would provide the necessary water.
¡°Jade.¡±
Neeeigh.
With this new unexpected treasure in hand, Henry restored the partedke to its original state.
¡°Fly.¡±
Jade and Henry flew back up to the top of the cliff. It was now time to head for Enkelmann.
* * *
Two days passed. Normally, it would have taken four more days, but after galloping non-stop, Henry was able to reach Enkelmann in only two.
¡°Sir! We wee your presence!¡±
The soldiers at the entrance immediately saluted Henry after checking his identity tag. Thanks to this, he didn¡¯t have to stand in line again.
¡®It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been in Enkelmann.¡¯
The air that brushed against his nose was quite salty. It was only natural to smell such levels of salt so close to the sea. In his past life, Henry would asionally head down to Enkelmann to catch a whiff of its salty air to clear his head. Interestingly enough, the sea air worked well to calm his mind.
- Master.
As Henry immersed himself in Enkelmann¡¯s calming air, Klever, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke to Henry in a cautious tone.
¡°What is it?¡±
- I¡ I¡¯ve never seen what you call the ¡®sea¡¯ before, could you please grant me permission to see it just once?
¡°What did you say?¡±
Henry could not help but burst outughing.
Chapter 47: Mayor Harz (2)
Chapter 47: Mayor Harz (2)
It was apletely unexpected request, but that was precisely why Henry found it funny.
¡°I¡¯ll allow it.¡±
Henry readily agreed, and Klever immediately appeared as a snow-white cat on Henry¡¯s shoulder.
¡°Come now, take a good look, as much as you want.¡±
Klever turned his head toward the sea and whispered in awe.
- Whoa¡
It was an expression of pure admiration. This exceedingly human reaction hade out of a cat¡¯s mouth, making for a rather peculiar sight.
¡°Is this really your first time seeing the sea?¡±
This was the first time Klever had seen the sea in the human world because he had spent his entire life in the Demon Realm and the Demonic Beasts¡¯ Forest.
- There was a ce like this in the Demon Realm, but the water was ck and looked like filth.
¡°No wonder you got your breath taken away by this ce.¡±
The two of them walked along the coast for a while, quietly enjoying the peace that Mother Nature offered. After a while, Klever asked a question.
- Master, is this Von person really here?
¡°Most likely.¡±
- May I ask what makes you so certain?
¡°He¡¯s a smart guy, and he¡¯s quite the patriot.¡±
- What do you mean?¡®He was a crazy,?bold?man. He¡¯s the one who cut off his king¡¯s head with his own hands and offered it up, after all,¡¯ Henry recalled.
During the Unification War, Enkelmann was only a small kingdom with not much territory. Thus, before attacking them, Henry had formed a negotiating party and invited the King of Enkelmann to surrender. Enkelmann¡¯s army was weak to begin with, and Henry did not want to engage in a pointless fight.
However, King Enkelmann, being the proud man he was, refused to surrender. He put his pride as the head of the royal family on the line and challenged Henry to a fight to the death. That was when the incident happened.
sh!
Von, who was also at the negotiating table, cut off the king¡¯s head as soon as the negotiations broke down.
¡°You bastard, what the hell are you doing!¡± themander-in-chief shouted in surprise and drew his sword.
Then, Von cut his throat with a single swing.
It was a spectacr sight. At that time, Von was Enkelmann¡¯s only Sword Master. Despite his young age, he had been given the title of second-inmand as a recognition of his skills. After beheading the king and themander, Von calmly turned his attention to the people around him.
¡°Now, there is no one above me in Enkelmann. If you have anyints, draw your sword immediately, and I will ept your challenge.¡±
The only Sword Master in the kingdom had dered a rebellion, so no one dared toin. This made second-inmand the highest position in the kingdom. When the situation calmed down slightly, Von lowered his head and whispered to Henry, ¡°My name is Von. We, Enkelmann, will give up our resistance and obediently ept the negotiators¡¯ wishes. However, there is one condition.¡±¡°Condition?¡±¡°If we, the people of Enkelmann, are to be ves to the empire, then we will fight to the bitter end. What will you do, Sir Henry?¡±
That was how Henry had first met Von.
¡®He was truly a crazy bastard.¡¯
Some may have considered Von a problematic bastard who wouldn¡¯t even budge an inch for others. However, in Henry¡¯s eyes, Von was a wise patriot. A futile war would have only led to more innocent bloodshed. Beheading an arrogant leader in exchange for the lives of innocent citizens was a much more efficient trade.
That was why Henry had designated Enkelmann as an autonomous city overseen by the empire, and not by a noble. It was with that agreement that the two men had grown closer and built up a close rtionship.
¡®If Von did as I said, he would definitely be here in Enkelmann.¡¯
Long after their agreement, due to the conspiracy of the nobles, all of Henry¡¯srades had been killed and Henry had been left alone. This left him with no choice but to bring the families of his fallenrades under his care. It was the least he could do for them. However, this became a heavy burden that held Henry back.
For Henry, who had never even been married, having people to take care of required more sacrifice than he had thought. Thus, Henry shared his power with the nobles to ensure the safety of the people around him. That ended up being one of Henry¡¯s biggest mistakes.
The nobles had taken all of the tiger¡¯s fangs and ws, and they were now beginning to covet its hide. Foreseeing that his future woulde to an early end, Henry had left a will behind to his aides.
¡®I don¡¯t have the power to protect you anymore. So, get out of here as soon as possible and hide somewhere safe. Once I¡¯m dead, you¡¯ll be next.¡¯
Among them was Von. The two men were so well acquainted that Von was even nicknamed ¡®Henry¡¯s Sword.¡¯ Afterward, all of Henry¡¯s aides had disappeared one by one, just as Henry had warned. Now, more than a yearter, Henry had returned to the city that he loved the most to bring back the man he called his ¡®Sword¡¯.
¡®But first, I¡¯ll have to meet Harz.¡¯
Harz was the second mayor of Enkelmann, directly appointed by Henry and Von. Originally, they had followed thew and appointed a person who had no connection to the two of them, but the first mayor was so corrupt that Von had to personally cut off his head. Thus, Henry and Von had carefully hand-picked a man named Harz, a former banker, to serve as the city¡¯s second mayor.
Harz had turned out to be an excellent choice. He was bright andpetent with numbers, but he was also very timid and afraid of Von, which enabled Enkelmann to be ruled cleanly.
Henry stopped his leisurely stroll and entered a nearby bakery. Upon entering the bakery, a freckled young boy greeted Henry in a booming voice.
¡°Wee!¡±
¡°Excuse me, but I have a question.¡±
¡°Yep! Ask me anything.¡± the young staff replied with a twinkle in his eyes, perhaps from the excitement of having someone much older than him using honorifics to him.
¡°Do you know about Mayor Harz?¡±
¡°Of course I do, he¡¯s the mayor.¡±
¡°Then do you know where he resides, now that he¡¯s retired?¡±
Entering stores run by citizens, such as bakeries, was the best way to find out about the current status of high-ranking government officials like Harz. People didn¡¯t know much about the inner workings of politics, but they stayed up to date with thetest news and the reputation of public officials.
¡°Retirement? Did the mayor just retire?¡±
¡°Sorry?¡±
¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that isn¡¯t the case¡ I¡¯m certain I saw him just yesterday walking around the market and encouraging the merchants.¡±
The boy seemed puzzled by Henry¡¯s question. Hearing the boy¡¯s answer, Henry was equally puzzled.
¡®Harz is still the mayor?¡¯
Harz was someone that Henry and Von had nted. Naturally, Henry thought that Harz would have been stripped of his mayoral post once the purges started. However, it seemed that Harz was still the mayor.
¡®How¡¯s that possible?¡¯
It was strange. It was true that Harz had been good at his job, but he was by no means a man of integrity. It was only because of Von¡¯s periodic involvement that Harz had continued to do a good job, albeit solely out of fear.
.
¡°Then what do you think of the mayor?¡±
¡°Mayor Harz is truly the best mayor. He¡¯s been running the city wonderfully for decades without a single act of corruption, hasn¡¯t he?¡±
He even had a good reputation. This was despite Von no longer being directly involved after his disappearance.
¡®Something¡¯s definitely suspicious about this.¡¯
Now, only the filthy corrupt nobles¡ªthe embodiment of corruption itself¡ªremained in the imperial pce. As the saying went, ¡®When the roots of a tree begin to decay, it spreads death to the branches¡¯. The fact that the cowardly Harz was still clean and free of corruption meant that something?was holding him in check.
¡®Don¡¯t tell me, Von¡?¡¯
All of a sudden, the odd pieces of the puzzle in Henry¡¯s head came together. Henry tipped a silver coin to the young staff and left the bakery.
¡°Klever.¡±
- Yes, Master.
¡°Do you still have the Kin Mushroom spores you collected from the Demonic Beasts¡¯ Forest?¡±
- Of course I do. Not a single spore has died, they¡¯re all perfectly alive!
In order to be certain of his suspicion, Henry had no choice but to check things out himself. To do that, it was necessary to meet Harz in person, but it was impossible to do so without making any preparations. Henry was no longer in a position where he could just meet high-ranking public officials out of the blue.
¡°Then shall we create an excuse for a meeting?¡±
As the sun set and night fell, Henry and Klever began toy the groundwork for a n to meet with Harz.
* * *
Chonta was a typical fisherman, born and raised in Enkelmann. He made a living from aquaculture and rose to be a prominent figure in the aquaculture industry. Among the variety of seafood he handled was the Krill Shrimp, one of the most beloved kinds of seafood in the empire.
Chonta woke up at dawn, just like any other day, and walked up to his farm to feed his shrimp. He had tenpartments in therge farm, and he would always start feeding the shrimp from the firstpartment. However, the moment he turned the lights on, Chonta couldn¡¯t help but doubt his eyes.
¡°W-what¡¯s this?¡±
Unidentified objects hadpletely covered the firstpartment. At first, he thought it was something like moss or green algae. However, upon closer inspection, it resembled something closer to coal dust. In addition, the walls of thepartment were covered with some kind of mushrooms that he had never seen before.
¡°N-naw! It¡¯s time to harvest soon, what the hell is this!¡±
The spores had already devoured the numerous shrimps swimming inside the firstpartment.
¡°Wait¡. No. Don¡¯t tell me¡.¡±
Momentarily stunned after seeing the firstpartment, Chonta suddenly remembered that there was a secondpartment right next to it.
¡°H-oh shit!¡±
Just as he had feared, the spores from the firstpartment were also slowly taking over the secondpartment, consuming all the shrimp in their path.
¡°Argh! What¡¯s this!¡±
¡°W-what the hell is going on?¡±
Chonta was not the only victim. Most fishermen farming along Enkelmann had been invaded by the Kin Mushroom spores, and they could do nothing but watch helplessly. The Kin Mushroom spores spread tenaciously and did not seem to disappear no matter what the fishermen tried.
¡°Mayor, sir! Pleasee out!¡±
¡°Come ¡¯ere, man! There¡¯s some serious trouble in the fish farms right now!¡±
¡°Noooo! My shrimp! My shrimp!¡±
The fishermen, who had all suffered colossal losses, gathered together and knocked on the door of the city hall early in the morning toin. The noise forced Harz awake.
¡°What¡¯s the fuss? Weil, what¡¯s going on out there?¡± Harz asked his assistant, Weil.
¡°They are fish farmers. It seems that something happened to their farms.¡±
¡°What? Was there a burry or something?¡±
¡°From what I heard, it seems that some kind of parasitic moss that looks like coal dust has appeared on their farms.¡±
¡°Moss?¡±
It wasn¡¯t just one or two, but dozens of fishermen that had shown up. Among them were some of thergest names in Enkelmann¡¯s fishing industry.
¡°Urgh¡ this is a pain in the ass. Is this some kind of an epidemic? What¡¯s the total damage?¡±
¡°A significant number of fishermen have reported total loss of their farms.¡±
¡°They reported what now?!¡±
The truth was, the city hall was not obligated topensate for damage caused by natural disasters. Despite these fishermen being natives of Enkelmann, anything involving their fish farming business was considered a private matter.
Even so, Harz couldn¡¯t simply put his hands up and im to have no responsibility to them. The fishermen¡¯s taxes made up a fairlyrge part of the city¡¯s revenue, and some of the fishermen even made additional contributions to the local economy by renting out ships to merchants.
¡°Call the vets and priests right away.¡±
In the end, Harz knew he only had one option.
Chapter 48: Mayor Harz (3)
Chapter 48: Mayor Harz (3)
¡°What? You don¡¯t know?
¡°Yes, ording to the veterinarians, moss isn¡¯t their area of expertise to begin with, and they said that they look like fungus spores anyway, not moss.¡±
¡°Why would a fungus grow in the fish farms? Is that even possible?¡±
¡°That¡¯s what I thought as well.¡±
¡°What about the priests? What did they say?¡±
¡°They prayed and left.¡±
¡°What?!¡±
¡°Since it happened at the fish farms, they said that there was nothing else they could do.¡±
¡°Then shouldn¡¯t they give some blessings or spray some holy water or something? Don¡¯t they know how much religious subsidies we are providing them with every month? All they did was pray?¡±
¡°Sir, the priests aren¡¯t omnipotent, are they?¡±
¡°Argh, those worthless religious fanatics!¡±
¡°That is sphemy, sir.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t believe in God!¡±
Harz had never expected much from the priests in the first ce. Indeed, thanks to their show of prayer, the fishermen¡¯s anger had been temporarily quelled. However, that was really only a temporary measure. Harz knew that he needed a more permanent solution to this problem.
Then, a soldier guarding the entrance to the city hall notified Harz of a visitor.
¡°Sir, there¡¯s a noble here who would like to meet you.¡±
¡°A noble?¡±
¡°Yes. He had three blue stars on a silver identity tag.¡±
¡°He¡¯s definitely a noble then.¡±
However, Harz adamantly refused the request for an audience.
¡°Not now, though. I¡¯m already busy as hell, do you think I have time to hang out with whatever nobleman?¡±
Normally he would have agreed, but right now, he had an emergency to take care of. Chatting with some random noble was thest thing on his mind.
He turned to Weil.
¡°Weil, go and make the necessary arrangements for our visitor. Tell him I¡¯m sorry to keep him waiting, and inform him of our current situation.¡±
¡°Understood,¡± replied Weil.
The soldier hesitated before speaking up with great difficulty. ¡°Um¡ Mayor, sir?¡±
¡°What? You¡¯re still here?¡±
¡°The noble said that he would be able to solve the fungus issue that¡¯s threatening the farms¡¡±
¡°What? Why are you only saying that now?!¡±
Harz dashed to the waiting room.
* * *
As soon as Harz arrived at the waiting room, he bowed his head toward Henry.
¡°It is an honor to meet you,¡± he said.
¡°I am also honored to meet the mayor.¡±
¡°What is your name, sir?¡±
¡°My name is Henry Morris.¡±
Harz¡¯s face twitched.
¡°He-Henry Morris?¡±
¡°Haha, no need to be so surprised. People are often surprised that I have the same name as the executed Archmage, but we simply share the same name.¡±
In response, Henry held out his identity tag.
¡®So it¡¯s true,¡¯?Harz thought to himself.
A silver identity tag with three stars embedded in it. This definitively proved that this person only shared a name with the deceased Archmage, and nothing more.
¡°I¡¯ve overstepped, I apologize.¡±
¡°It¡¯s alright. I should resent my father for giving me such a name.¡±
¡°No! I think it¡¯s a very wonderful name.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Yes. Ah, I almost forgot! I heard that you are able to help us with our farm situation?¡±
¡°Ah, of course. I happened to see some fish farms on the way through, and I saw something that I¡¯m familiar with.¡±
Harz¡¯ eyes began to twinkle. ¡°Could you borate a bit more please?¡±
¡°The stuff that looks like coal dust is spores of the Kin Mushrooms, a kind of mushrooms from the Demonic Realm.¡±
¡°Mushrooms from the Demonic Realm?¡±
¡°Yes. First of all, before I exin, allow me to briefly introduce myself. I was serving as a soldier at the Caliburn Fortress located in the Demonic Beasts¡¯ Forest not too long ago.¡±
¡°I see¡ that¡¯s why you have three stars.¡±
¡°That¡¯s correct. At that time, I was the toon leader of a special task force, and that was when I saw the very same Kin Mushrooms in the Demonic Beast Forest.¡±
¡°In the Demonic Beast Forest?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. These bastards are nasty. Theytch onto their hosts and absorb their nutrients like a parasite. They also reproduce pretty damn quickly, and they can grow at a terrifying rate if left unattended for even a short time.¡±
¡°T-then what should I do?¡±
¡°Fortunately, having encountered them a few times, I know how to get rid of them, but¡¡±
¡°But?¡±
¡°Hmm, first of all, I would like to talk to you alone,¡± said Henry as he cleared his throat.
The quick-witted Weil immediately lowered his head and left the waiting room.
¡°Now it¡¯s just the two of us here,¡± said Harz.
Henry bowed slightly. ¡°Thank you for making some space for us.¡±
¡°No, not a problem at all. What is your proposition, Sir Henry?¡±
Harz was also quick-witted. He got straight back to the point without a second thought.
¡°As you know already by now, Kin Mushrooms are a nasty bunch. I¡¯m not sure how these mushrooms got into Enkelmann, but once they take root, it¡¯s impossible topletely eliminate them all.¡±
¡°Is that true?¡±
¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I only removed as much as was needed whenever I headed out for missions.¡±
¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that constant care is needed?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
¡°Mm¡¡±
Upon realization that this was a bigger issue than he had thought, Harz¡¯s face hardened. Constant care meant a constant budget.
¡°So¡ what do you think about acquiring my services?¡±
¡°You, Sir Henry?¡±
¡°I¡¯m an expert on this, and since I was discharged a while ago, I don¡¯t have any job at the moment. If you hire me, I will ensure that your fishermen will not suffer any more losses.¡±
¡°Mm¡¡±
Harz gave Henry a troubled look, worried about this new and unexpected long-term expenditure.
¡°Can I give you an answer after discussing it with my colleagues a bit more?¡±
¡°Certainly.¡±
¡°Thank you for your understanding. Then first, I would appreciate it if you could take care of the mushroom spores that have already spread in the farms¡¡±
Harz wanted to put out the urgent fire first before proceeding with any kind of dealings. When Harz revealed his impatience, Henry also hurriedly presented his own conditions.
¡°That won¡¯t be difficult. By the way, Mayor sir, my reward hasn¡¯t been decided yet¡¡±
¡°Oops, I forgot the most important thing. So, how much do you think would be appropriate aspensation?¡±
¡°Five hundred gold.¡±
¡°Excuse me?¡±
¡°Aspensation for this job, I want five hundred gold.¡±
As expected, Harz went into a fury when Henry suggested such an outrageous amount. ¡°Sir Henry! What do you mean, five hundred gold! Isn¡¯t that too much?¡±
¡°Mayor.¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°These are mushrooms found only in the Demonic Beasts¡¯ Forest. I risked my life to develop a method of getting rid of them. How can you say that five hundred gold is too much?¡±
¡°T-that¡¯s true, but¡¡±
Five hundred gold for one session of cleaning was an excessive amount. However, Henry knew that he had to dere such an amount to get a reaction of disapproval out of Harz.
¡®Of course he¡¯d feel that it¡¯s a waste. After all, once he pays me five hundred gold now, he¡¯ll feel that he has to pay the same amount for subsequent sessions as well.¡¯
A mayor that utilized the budget of the city was not much different from a merchant who utilized their profits for the sake of their own business. Merchants had to umte wealth by making profits. Likewise, public servants had to budget as much as they could and build their own performance portfolios. Moreover, numbers above the expected market price tended to create suspicion and dissatisfaction, especially when it came to budget expenditures.
¡°What would you like to do? As you contemte over this decision, your fishermen continue to suffer.¡±
All Henry had done was reveal his price, but Harz had gone from treating him as a benefactor to a swindler. Regardless, Henry urged the mayor to make up his mind.
¡®This guy¡ something smells funny, but I don¡¯t really have any evidence. This is quite the pickle¡¡¯
Harz could sense that something was off, but as of now, there was nothing else he could do. Eventually, after much thought, he had no choice but to ept Henry¡¯s proposal.
¡°Fine. But first, please prove your capabilities, Sir Henry. The reward will be paid after that.¡±
¡°An excellent choice.¡±
* * *
Having received the promise of five hundred gold, Henry and Harz appeared in front of the fishermen like victorious generals.
¡°This person here will get rid of those malignant mushrooms,¡± announced Harz.
¡°Ooh, this person will?¡±
¡°Please look at our fishery first! We¡¯ve already lost three fish farms to them!¡±
¡°I came here first, what¡¯s with you, old man!¡±
¡°Now, now! Everyone, please don¡¯t fight! We¡¯ll start with the nearest ce first,¡± Harz shouted over themotion.
Rumors had already spread through the city that the farms had been contaminated, drawing crowds of onlookers. But to Henry, the more onlookers there were, the better. The more favorably he was viewed by the public, the more Harz¡¯s worries would deepen.
Eliminating the fungus was easy work. It was simply a matter of absorbing the spores and mushrooms that Klever had sown in the first ce. However, while doing that, it was necessary to put on a little show to dazzle the onlookers. Thus, Henry began to sprinkle the farm with a mixture of salt and sand that had nothing to do with bringing the fungus under control.
Seeing this, Harz asked, ¡°What did you just sprinkle?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a repellent powder. With this, we can get rid of them more quickly.¡±
¡°By any chance, is this the means of extermination that you mentioned earlier?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t you say that constant maintenance was needed?¡±
¡°It has to be applied regrly. You never know when they¡¯ll grow back.¡±
¡°I see¡ is this repellent powder difficult to make?¡±
¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I always have the recipe with me. It¡¯s quite aplex thing to make, which is why I have to check the recipe every time.¡±
Hearing that there was a recipe for the powder, Harz stopped inquiring about it. Instead, he just carefully watched as Henry sprinkled the powder.
¡®Klever, begin.¡¯- Yes, Master.
Klever, who was hiding in the water, began to absorb the mushrooms.
¡°Ohhh¡!¡± eximed the onlookers.
The mushrooms and spores rapidly vanished, swallowed into Klever¡¯s Chest. It was a wonderful performance.
¡°What do you think?¡± asked Henry.
¡°Mm¡ the results are certain,¡± murmured Harz.
Now, Henry had gained Harz¡¯s trust.
Sometimeter, after removing the fungus from most of the farms, the fishermen bowed deeply to Henry as they expressed their sincere gratitude.
¡°Thank you. Thanks to you, we can finally breathe a little.¡±
¡°Please, no need to thank me. It was thanks to Mayor Harz¡¯s quick response that we were able to avoid any severe damage.¡±
¡°Oh my, such humility¡¡±
When Henry gave all the credit to Harz, the mayor cleared his throat awkwardly. ¡°Ahem. Sir Henry, I, too, would like to express my sincere gratitude.¡±
¡°Well, I¡¯m being paid to do this, so there¡¯s no need to be so grateful.¡±
¡°Haha, well, that¡¯s true¡ Sir Henry, by the way¡¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about this for a while now¡ why don¡¯t you just sell us the recipe rather than spraying the repellent yourself? I think that would be much more efficient.¡±
As expected, Harz offered to buy out Henry¡¯s recipe, using the excuse of greater efficiency. However, Henry had already expected this, and quickly rejected the offer.
¡°That would be a bitplicated.¡±
¡°Complicated?¡±
¡°I understand why you are proposing this. However, I am not sure about handing over my recipe so easily. After all, it is the fruit of a hard term of military service.¡±
¡°I understand. I hope you¡¯re not too offended by my question. By the way, do you happen to have amodation right now?¡±
Indeed, Harz was a well-seasoned professional. He showed no signs of displeasure when Henry turned down his offer, and quickly brought up another topic to refresh the atmosphere that could have easily be awkward.
¡°I¡¯ve just arrived today, so I¡¯ve yet to decide on a ce to stay.¡±
¡°I see. Well, then if you don¡¯t mind, I have a hotel reserved for you, Sir Henry. May I take you there?¡±
¡°That would be great. Thank you, Mayor sir.¡±
¡°No, the honor is mine.¡±
* * *
Weil escorted Henry to his room. Upon their arrival, Weil spoke to Henry on behalf of Harz.
¡°The Mayor told me to convey his apologies for not being able to dine with you, he is busy with work.¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s alright. He¡¯s an important public servant, so that is understandable.¡±
¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡±
Weil bowed and quietly left the room, but not before he handed Henry a pouch that contained five tinum coins.
¡°Not bad to have a side gig,¡± said Henry with a smirk.
With this, all of Henry¡¯s nned tasks had been carried out. He had left behind delicious crumbs of bait all over the ce, and all that was left was to rx and wait for the fish to bite.
Chapter 49: Mayor Harz (4)
Chapter 49: Mayor Harz (4)
It was deep into the night. Henry rarely slept. He nowy on his bed¡ªapparently sleeping a sound sleep, but actually listening carefully.
Creaaak.
His suspicions were right. Around dawn, Henry¡¯s tightly locked door creaked open slightly. Through the gap, masked visitors quietly approached his bed like shadows. The men exchanged hand signs with each other and nodded. Then, one took a cloth soaked in sleeping medicine from his pouch and covered Henry¡¯s nose and mouth.
After a while, the man removed the cloth and peered over Henry¡¯s face to examine his eyes. At that moment, however, Henry grabbed the assant¡¯s wrist and whispered quietly, ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡±
Shing!
Confused, the rest of the men quickly unsheathed their swords. The man Henry had grabbed tried to shake him off, but Henry¡¯s grip was stronger than he expected.
¡°Argh!¡±
Thud!
The man eventually could not withstand Henry¡¯s tightening grip and fell to his knees in pain.
¡°H-how¡!¡±
The poison was strong enough to put an elephant to sleep. They were certain that the poison had entered Henry¡¯s respiratory tract, so they could not believe he was still conscious, let alone putting up a fight.
¡°I¡¯m sick of all these little poison tricks¡ hey, how long are you guys going to just stand there and keep watching?¡± asked Henry tauntingly.
¡°Don¡¯t kill him! He must be captured alive!¡±
¡°Captured alive?¡±
Even if the assants used their full force, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to beat Henry. Yet, they were talking about capturing him alive. Henry burst intoughter.
At themand of the captured man, the other two men slowly began to close the distance.
¡°Then¡ shall we see what kind of powerful men Harz has sent to capture me?¡±
Harz was the only one who knew that Henry was staying here. Thus, Henry deduced that they were here for the ¡®repellent powder¡¯ recipe that he had used.
Henry quickly punched the two men in the face with one hand, still holding onto theirpanion¡¯s wrist with the other.
Thud!
¡°What? That¡¯s it?¡±
Both men had been knocked out in one blow.
It was absurd. Henry had expected capable foes, but they were nothing more than a bunch of low-rate thugs.
Henry forcefully twisted the third man¡¯s wrist.
¡°Aaaargh!¡±
The wrist was instantly dislocated, punishment for daring to put poison on Henry¡¯s face. Then, Henry finally let go of him.
The man clutched his swollen wrist as he sobbed in pain. ¡°Ahhh¡o¡.¡±
He had no intention of resisting. He instinctively knew that Henry was too powerful for him to even attempt to resist.
Looking down at the sobbing assant, Henry asked, ¡°Who sent you?¡±
¡°T-this is something we pulled off on our own. I happened to see you removing the mushrooms during the day¡ Aargh!¡±
He had spoken too much; the most typical characteristic of dishonest men. Henry stomped the liar¡¯s thigh, crushing it under his heel.
¡°This is yourst chance. If you lie again, I will make sure you will never be able to walk on two legs for the rest of your life.¡±
¡°I-I¡¯m not lying! Believe me! Please, believe me!¡±
Despite Henry¡¯s threats, the man rubbed his hands vigorously, pleading desperately as mucus covered his tear-stained face.
¡®Hmm¡ is he really just some ordinary thief?¡¯
They had been defeatedpletely without much retaliation. Henry wasn¡¯t sure how they had even got in in the first ce, but he didn¡¯t think Harz or Von would have sent such fools to kidnap him.
¡°Your name.¡±
¡°I-it¡¯s Rinda!¡±
¡°So, Rinda. Is it really just the three of you?¡±
¡°Yes! All we wanted was to steal your recipe, we just happened toe across you while you were removing the mushroom!¡±
¡°You really mean that?¡±
¡°Yes, yes! It¡¯s true! I really mean it!¡±
When Henry began to show some trust, the man raised his voice, desperate for Henry to believe him.
However, Henry shook his head again. ¡°No, I think Mayor Harz wants my recipe, and he sent you guys to steal it.¡±
¡°Pardon? W-what do you mean by that¡?¡±
¡°Hmm, what do I mean, huh? No worries, you¡¯ll understand me perfectly once I¡¯m done.¡±
¡°Huh, sorry? What do y¡ªARGH!¡±
Henry stepped on the man¡¯s thigh again before he could finish. He had changed his mind. It was possible that these men were truly just petty thieves, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that they had kicked up a big fuss at dawn, ruining Henry¡¯s night. Henry decided he wanted to create something out of the situation. A very strong justification that could directly shake up Harz.
¡®Silent Room.¡¯Snap!
Henry snapped his fingers, and absolute silence fell upon the room. It was preparation for all the noise that was about to ur. Then, Henry began his full-scale violent attack.
He stepped down hard on Rinda¡¯s arms, thighs, and stomach, causing immeasurable pain.
¡°Aaaargh!¡±
After a while, a battered Rinday copsed on the floor, his entire body trembling as drool oozed out of his mouth.
Snap!
After dispelling Silent Room, Henry leaned over and stared Rinda in the eye.
¡°Should I continue?¡±
¡°Plea¡please¡ believe me¡ I¡ I was really wrong¡¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re an assassin sent by Mayor Harz to steal my special powder recipe. Your gang was caught by me and captured alive. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±
¡°W-what do you¡¡±
¡°Looks like you still don¡¯t get it. You want some more?¡±
¡°N-no! You¡¯re right, you¡¯re absolutely right! We are assassins sent by Mayor Harz!¡±
¡°You should have said so from the start.¡±
With this, Harz¡¯s ¡®assassin¡¯ had officially been captured alive. But Henry wasn¡¯t satisfied with just that. He retrieved a small pill from his pocket and put it in Rinda¡¯s mouth.
¡°Swallow it.¡±
Rinda burst into tears, but he had no choice but to swallow, or he would be beaten more.
¡°What you just swallowed is a deadly poison. If you don¡¯t take the antidote within three days, your blood will turn ck and you will die. As soon as the sunes up, I n to take you all to Mayor Harz¡ I don¡¯t have to say the rest, do I?¡±
¡°Y-yes¡ I understand¡¡±
¡°Then I¡¯m going to feed the other two the same poison, you can fill them in on the details when they wake up.¡±
Henry then administered the same poison to the other two, who were still unconscious. Then he tied them up with ropes and headed to bed. This time, he didn¡¯t have to pretend to sleep.
* * *
¡°Did you all sleep well?¡±
Having slept soundly for the first time in a while, Henry woke up feeling pleasant. However, on the other side of the room, the three kidnappers were strewn about, tied with ropes and covered in blood. As soon as Henry got out of bed, he started to give the other two men the exact same treatment he had ¡®granted¡¯ Rinda, starting with the ankles.
¡°Aaargh!¡±
¡°Why! Why are you doing this! Aargh!¡±
Henry continued to silently step on them for a while, putting them through excruciating pain. After a long time, he finally stopped and replied in a calm voice, ¡°Now it¡¯s fair.¡±
This ruthlessness was as expected of the former Archmage.
Henry then called for the manager of the hotel. If he just brought them to city hall and had Harz take them away, his entire n would be rendered meaningless. What Henry needed now was a convincing witness to prove the kidnappers¡¯ existence.
The manager made a huge fuss when he saw the trio in tatters. ¡°W-what is going on here!¡±
In response, Henry picked up the poison cloth and said, ¡°These are the guys who attacked mest night. They are petty thieves who came after something I have.¡±
¡°H-how could that be! I will call the police immediately and have them arrested!¡±
¡°That¡¯s all?¡±
¡°Y-yes?¡± the manager replied with a puzzled look on his face. Unfortunately, by the time he grasped the situation, it was already toote.
¡°You¡¯re so dense. This hotel that I am staying at right now¡ I heard that this was the best hotel in Enkelmann, no?¡±
¡°Y-yes, but¡¡±
The hotel that Henry was staying in was Halegan Hotel¡ªthe most luxurious amodation in Enkelmann, popr with nobles and wealthy merchants.
¡°When you can¡¯t even provide basic security to prevent such crimes, how can you call this ce a luxury hotel? You guys better be prepared. Once I deal with these guys, I¡¯m going to file aint about the poor security here.¡±
Halegan Hotel was a ce that only dealt with nobles and wealthy merchants, not ordinary peasants. If rumors were to spread that such a luxury hotel didn¡¯t even have a proper basic security detail in order¡
Cold sweat began to flow down the manager¡¯s back. ¡°S-S-Sir Henry! W-wait! I think you might have misunderstood something¡¡±
¡°Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?¡±
¡°Our Halegan Hotel boasts the best security features among all of Enkelmann¡¯s amodation options. I¡¯m not too sure what happened this time¡¡±
¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that I¡¯m lying?¡±
¡°N-no! I just can¡¯t understand how these guys got in here¡ so how about we calm down a little and assess the situation?¡±
Of course, the manager didn¡¯t know what to say, and was just spouting gibberish to try and buy himself time. Henry stepped back and nodded at Rinda before speaking to him.
¡°Oi.¡±
Rinda sat up. ¡°Y-yes!¡±
¡°How did you get in here?¡±
¡°I came in through a hole in the fence at the back of the hotel.¡±
That was the final nail in the coffin for the hotel manager.
¡°You heard that? Also, as the manager, shouldn¡¯t you apologize to your guests before anything?¡± Henry said coldly.
The manager immediately fell to his knees. ¡°S-Sir Henry! I apologize! I truly apologize! We¡¯ve never had anything like this happen before, so I don¡¯t know what I was thinking! You will bepensated to your satisfaction, so please do not use us¡!¡±
For the manager, money was more important than his pride. He was amoner, after all, not a noble.
¡°To my satisfaction, eh?¡±
¡°Yes! I¡¯ll listen to anything, so please do not spread such rumors¡!¡±
¡°I see. You mean that, right?¡±
The manager wasn¡¯t as stupid as Henry had thought. After receiving the manager''s assurances, Henry quietly closed the door. Then he took out the same pill that he had given to the thieves, to ensure that the manager was yet another guaranteed witness.
* * *
¡°M-Mayor, sir!¡± said Weil urgently.
¡°What, what is it?¡± Harz replied.
¡°You have guests in the waiting room, but there seems to be some problem.¡±
¡°Problem? What problem?¡±
¡°T-that is¡ Sir Henry has brought three men, and the manager of Halegan Hotel has alsoe.¡±
¡°What?¡±
Harz, who had been doing paperwork in the mayor¡¯s office, hurried toward the living room. Just as Weil had said, Henry, the manager of Halegan Hotel, and three bloodied strangers tied to a rope were waiting inside.
Puzzled, Harz asked, ¡°What matter brought you here so early this morning, Sir Henry?¡±
¡°What matter?¡±
Instead of answering, Henry threw the clothced with sleeping poison at Harz.
¡°W-what is this?¡±
¡°What do you think? It¡¯s the sleeping poison that the assassins you sent used on me.¡±
Both Harz and Weil¡¯s jaws dropped to the floor. ¡°A-assassins?¡±
¡°We have plenty of evidence already, so how about you drop the act?¡±
¡°S-Sir Henry! What on earth are you talking about?¡±
¡°So you¡¯re going to feign ignorance?¡± Henry said incredulously. He then turned to Rinda. ¡°Hey, you. How about you say it yourself?¡±
The blood-soaked Rinda bowed his head toward Harz. ¡°M-mayor sir¡ I apologize. We failed.¡±
¡°No, what bullshit is this! Who the hell are you!¡±
¡°I tried to steal the recipe as you ordered, but our opponent was too strong¡ the three of us weren¡¯t enough.¡±
¡°No, cut the bullshit! What the hell is this?¡±
As Rinda shamelessly carried on his performance, Harz¡¯s face turned red as if he was about to explode.
¡°You heard that?¡± said Henry.
¡°Fuck this bullshit! You caught some lowlife scums and brainwashed them into this, didn¡¯t you? You think I¡¯ll fall for such trickery?¡±
¡°Lowlife scums? Manager, he just called you a lowlife scum, did you hear that?¡±
This time, Henry turned to the manager of Halegan Hotel.
¡°...Mayor, sir. Last night, these men visited our hotel on your orders.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°We have already secured the visit records and the testimony of the gatekeepers.¡±
The manager handed out a fabricated visit log to Harz.
¡°W-what nonsense is this!¡±
¡°Then are you now iming that the manager of Enkelmann¡¯s top hotel is a liar, too? You¡¯re saying that despite knowing what kind of ce Halegan Hotel is?¡±
Halegan Hotel was a hotel favored by politicians and key business figures. Harz didn¡¯t really think the manager of such a hotel would ever lie. In addition, Harz himself knew the reputation of Halegan better than anyone else, as he had been in a partnership with the hotel for quite some time.
Harz¡¯s eyes nked out. ¡°This is truly utter nonsense¡¡±
¡®I¡¯m sorry, Harz.¡¯
Seeing Harz turn white like a corpse, Henry couldn¡¯t help but feel a little apologetic. He had no ill feelings toward Harz whatsoever. However, in order to draw out Von, he decided to overlook any remnants of his past fondness for the man. Henry had already been through too much misery to worry about such insignificant details.
Chapter 50: Von (1)
Chapter 50: Von (1)
Henry had taken control of the situation all by himself. The kidnappers, witnesses, and even the wrongly framed perpetrators. Henry had manipted everything to his liking.
Harz almost copsed as his blood pressure rose, barely managing to gather himself together ande to his senses.
¡®If I copse now, I¡¯ll be framed for everything.¡¯
Just the thought of it brought a chill down Harz¡¯s spine. Barely holding on to what remained of his spirit, Harz shakily rose to his feet, with support from Weil.
¡°...Everyone, please leave us.¡±
Having finally grasped the situation, Harz requested a private audience with Henry. However, Henry still had a stern look on his face, his cynical attitude on full disy as he crossed his arms.
Harz bowed his head deeply once more and requested politely, ¡°Please¡ it won¡¯t take long.¡±
Henry realized that he had finally gotten what he wanted out of Harz. Whatever the others thought, the fact of the matter was that Harz had been put in his ce.
Only then did Henry gesture with a flick of his chin and order everyone to leave. The waiting room cleared out, and only two remained.
Thud.
As soon as everyone was out of sight, Harz immediately fell to his knees.
¡°Please spare me, Sir Henry.¡±
¡°So are you admitting to the truth?¡±
¡°What use would that be now? However, before you punish me for my wrongdoings, may I ask for one favor?¡±
Harz spoke with a hoarse voice, his eyes bloodshot and filled with anxiety.
¡°Just one night. Please give me just one night.¡±
¡°It sounds to me like you¡¯re asking for time to run away.¡±
¡°No, just please give me time to sort out a few things. I have too many things to do to leave all of a sudden like this.¡±
Harz¡¯s voice was filled with deep emotion, but to Henry¡¯s ears, it all sounded like excuses. With a slight curl in the corner of his lips, Henry whispered to Harz, ¡°Things to do, huh? Like asking Von for help?¡±
Harz almost had a stroke at the sound of that name.
Von.
Nobody else was supposed to know that name, but now it was on the lips of a man whom Harz had just met.
Harz¡¯s pupils constricted and his facial muscles began to tremble. Henry smiled contentedly.
¡°Guess I¡¯m right.¡±
It was the perfect oue. Henry couldn¡¯t be happier to confirm that Von was present in the city.
¡®As expected, my prediction was correct.¡¯
Von was a smart and stubborn man. However, he was also fundamentally a loyalist who truly loved Enkelmann. That was why, despite having run away initially, he had returned to Enkelmann in secret.
¡°Where is Von?¡±
¡°H-how did you¡?!¡±
¡°That¡¯s not what I asked.¡±
Knowing that his prey was cornered, Henry saw no reason to dy any longer. With an even colder face than before, Henry pressured Harz.
¡°Where. Is. Von?¡±
¡°P-please spare my life¡!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡±
Harz¡¯s hands trembled as if he was down with a terrible cold. Then, he took out a small piece of paper.
¡®Huh?¡¯
It was a palm-sized piece of paper. A few spells that were all too familiar to Henry were scribbled on it.
¡®A caller scroll?¡¯
It was the caller scroll that Henry himself had created.
* * *
The bailiff continued speaking.
¡°Those who plot treason would normally have their entire family arrested, but thanks to the great generosity of His Majesty the Emperor, the crime is to be charged to Henry Morris alone¡¡±
Henry opened his eyes. Even though his body was badly damaged by the poison, a fierce look shed across his eyes. It wasn¡¯t just the executioner who was weighed down by Henry¡¯s aura. Even the Emperor and the rest of the nobles, who were there to witness the execution, couldn¡¯t help but turn pale.
¡°I feel like my ears are going to rot at this rate. Cut the bullshit and just kill me!¡±
Henry summoned thest of his strength to shout spitefully at all of them, but when he did¡
¡°T-t-that bastard! Kill him! Now! H-h-hurry!¡±
The Emperor stuttered as he pointed at Henry, his hand trembling madly. The moment he looked into Henry¡¯s eyes, he was reminded of his father¡¯s cold eyes that always looked down on him. The Emperor was afraid of those very eyes, as they held the same contempt as his deceased father¡¯s.
¡°Sir Henry, I¡¯m sorry.¡±
Valhald, often called the Knight King and the number one among the Ten Swords of the Empire, raised his sword high into the sky¡
¡°Hurgh!¡±
The moment Valhald swung his sword and blood gushed out of Henry¡¯s throat, Von sprung up and sat up straight with a short groan.
¡°That dream again¡¡±
It was the dream of the day Henry, the archmage of the empire, had been executed. Along with all the nobles, Von had witnessed the entire thing from the corner of the execution ground, gritting his teeth as he did so. It was a terrible memory for Von.
Henry used to boast about how he would make this country the best country in the world. It was truly unbelievable that such a man would meet such a meaningless demise. He had been ruthlessly killed nheless, and thest hope remaining in the imperial family had died with him.
Von recalled thest words Henry had said to him:
¡®I don¡¯t have the power to protect you anymore. So, get out of here as soon as possible and hide somewhere safe. Once I¡¯m dead, you¡¯ll be next.¡¯
Henry had been the most powerful man in the history of the continent. But s, he was also only human. A recognized being, but a weak-minded human nheless.
¡°Sigh¡¡±
No one could even fathom how much regret Von had felt after Henry¡¯s passing. Von had wanted to ask Henry so many questions. Why hadn¡¯t he reacted more aggressively from the beginning? Why had he treated those nobles like humans until the end, when they wouldn¡¯t offer him the same respect?
However, there was no use in dwelling on it. Henry was already dead. After witnessing Henry¡¯s demise, Von had hurriedly left the capital without even having time toe to terms with his sorrow. He knew better than anyone else that the des that had been pointed at Henry would soon be pointed at him.
He decided to return to Enkelmann, his hometown. Enkelmann was thergest trading city in the empire, and the secondrgest tax contributor as well. For that reason, it was also the city most coveted by all the nobles in the empire. That was even more reason for Von to protect Enkelmann¡ªhe needed to preserve Henry¡¯sst gift to him.
Henry had made Enkelmann a free autonomous city, free from the rule of the nobles. That was why Von had been running Enkelmann as best as he could from the shadows. He had personally selected Harz to be his mouthpiece, and monitored him closely to ensure there was no fault in the way the city was run. He knew that as soon as there was a problem with Enkelmann, it was certain that the other nobles would target the city like hyenas hunting down an injured prey.
Pssssk.
¡°Mmm?¡±
Just as he finished shaking off the nightmare, wiping the cold sweat from his hands, the caller scroll that he kept with him at all times began to burn little by little. In Enkelmann, only two people, himself and Harz, could use this caller scroll. Henry had personally taught him how to make one.
¡°Harz?¡±
Not long after taking the caller scroll out, it burnedpletely and disappeared.
¡°Mm?¡±
It was strange. The faster the caller scroll burned, the more urgent the other party was. After his return to Enkelmann, his caller scroll had neverpletely burned like this before. Von had a bad feeling about what was happening on the other end. He hurriedly finished preparations to leave and headed toward the city hall.
* * *
Nod.
The gatekeepers at the entrance bowed to him as he entered. As soon as Von passed through the waiting room and reached Harz¡¯s office, he threw open the door without even knocking. However, he did not see Harz. Instead, there was a man he had never seen before sitting in Harz¡¯s chair.
¡°Ah, you¡¯re here, Sir Von?¡±
Henry greeted Von like a close friend that he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, which was technically true. However, Von¡¯s attitude toward Henry was less than weing.
¡°Who are you?¡±
Henry was frustrated. Despite finally being able to meet after such a long time, he couldn¡¯t afford to reveal his identity. Henry introduced himself in a calm tone, without losing his smile.
¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Henry Morris.¡±
¡°What¡?¡±
Von furrowed his brows sharply. However, Henry continued speaking calmly.
¡°You must be Sword Master Von, correct?¡±
¡°Who are you?¡±
Killing intent spewed out of Von in an instant. As the only Sword Master of Enkelmann, Von had not neglected his training for a single day, from the day he left to help establish the empire to the day he returned to Enkelmann.
¡®Still as feisty as ever.¡¯
Von¡¯s killing intent quickly filled the office. Any normal human being would have passed out from fear, but for Henry, it felt like nothing but a cool breeze passing by. Fortitude toward the idea of death came from the strength of one¡¯s mind, not the physical toughness of one¡¯s body. That was why Henry was able to continue speaking calmly without a care for all the killing intent emanating from Von.
¡°Have you not heard yet? I was the one who removed the malignant fungus yesterday.¡±
¡°Malignant fungus?¡±
Only then did Von recall the mushroom incident. Indeed, Harz had reported that someone with the same name as the dead Archmage had appeared to solve that problem. That wasn¡¯t important to Von, though. He wanted to know why this bastard knew of his existence, and how he had gained ess to Harz¡¯s caller scroll.
¡°You must have a lot of questions. Are you going to keep standing in the hallway like that?¡±
¡°What is Harz?¡±
¡°He¡¯s in his resting quarters. I gave him some time to reflect on himself.¡±
¡°What?¡±
Harz was essentially Von¡¯s other self, at least until Von died. That was why the only person in Enkelmann who could disrespect Harz was Von himself. Oddly enough, however, Von didn¡¯t feel upset.
At first, he had felt angry at this absurd situation, but Henry¡¯s unwavering attitude rather aroused his curiosity. In addition, Henry did not even blink an eye when confronted with Von¡¯s killing intent which would have made even an apex beast retreat in fear. This was enough to stroke Von¡¯s curiosity.
Withdrawing, Von closed the office door and sat on the chair opposite Henry. This man was the first person to make Von feel curious ever since his return to Enkelmann. Von figured that he might as well satisfy his curiosity, then kill the manter if he had to.
¡°You like cold green tea, don¡¯t you?¡±
¡°...Did Harz tell you that?¡±
¡°No, just my gut feeling.¡±
In the past, when the two shared tea, Von would always insist on cold green tea. Just as he did in his previous life, Henry personally served Von a cup of tea.
The two men sipped their tea in silence for a while. Henry was the first to speak.
¡°How does it feel¡ªhmm, better said, are you satisfied with your life here?¡±
¡°What do you mean by that?¡±
¡°Well¡ you¡¯re famous, aren¡¯t you? The fact that you were the Sword of Archmage Henry Morris is a fact known to all citizens of the empire.¡±
¡°Are you mocking me?¡±
¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±
¡°How did you know that I was here?¡±
Henry knew from experience that jokes wouldn¡¯t work with Von. Thus, he decided to use a ploy that he had never used since his resurrection.
¡°Because Master told me.¡±
¡°...What?¡±
¡°My Master. The 8th-Circle Archmage, Master Henry Morris.¡±
Chapter 51: Von (2)
Chapter 51: Von (2)
Von¡¯s first reaction to Henry¡¯s response was disbelief.
However, it did not take long for him to be enraged.
¡°Do you want to die?¡±
¡°Of course not.¡±
¡°This will be thest time I show mercy. If you talk nonsense one more time, I will rip your tongue out with my bare hands and hang it up in Enkelmann Square.¡±
A man such as Von could turn a spine-chilling threat like this into reality, and he was furious because he didn¡¯t trust Henry.
Henry knew very well that if he didn¡¯t address these suspicions right away, they would be powerful beliefs.
¡°What would I gain from lying to you? I am telling the truth.¡±
¡°My lord never had disciples his whole life, and I was with him at all times. How dare you lie to my face?¡±
¡°I am not lying.¡±
¡°Nonsense!¡±
Bang!
Von could no longer hold his anger in and broke the table in half with the teacup in his hand. It was clear that he had incredible strength.
But Henry continued to speak, unfazed by the threat.
¡°When I observe your anger¡ Sir Von, it must mean that you are still loyal to my master.¡±
¡°It''s not something that someone like you would understand.¡±
¡°No, this is an important matter to me. It¡¯s the reason why I came to meet you, Sir Von.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°I will tell you the details after I hear your answer. Sir Von, do you still have any loyalty left for my master?¡±
Henry made eye contact with Von. It was a bold move. There was a murderous look in Von¡¯s eyes, and if Harz had been standing there instead of Henry, he would have fainted.
¡®Is he really my lord¡¯s disciple since he¡¯s asking about my loyalty?¡¯
It was clear that Henry had ulterior motives since he had forced out the person hiding behind Harz and was asking these questions.
Von¡¯s mind was filled withplicated thoughts. For a moment, Von wondered if he was a spy sent by the imperial pce.
¡®It can¡¯t be, can it?¡¯
It would be a different story if the nobles had sent an assassin to kill Henry¡¯s remaining allies. In addition, the man sitting in front of Von did not show any signs of weakness, even when faced with Von¡¯s murderous aura.
Since his location had already been discovered, Von believed that he didn¡¯t have any other ce to hide.
¡®If I think about it, it does seem possible.¡¯?
Von ced his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
¡°Do you realize what you are asking right now?¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
Even if the nobles really did discover his location, he wouldn¡¯t deny his loyalty even to save his own life. It was Von¡¯sst remnant of pride.
He made up his mind, his face growing stern.
¡°Never in my life have I once forgotten His Grace. He saved me and the citizens of Enkelmann from certain death. I am eternally grateful.¡±
Schwing~
Von raised his sword and said, ¡°Your act is over. Now reveal your true identity.¡±
Von pointed the sword at Henry, his expression growing even grimmer.
¡°Ha.¡±
¡°Did you justugh?¡±
¡°Haha! I apologize, Sir Von, it was just too difficult to hold in myughter. Is it possible that you think that I am a spy sent by the nobles?¡±
¡°Finally, you¡¯re revealing your identity!¡±
¡°Please calm down. I really am the master¡¯s disciple.¡±
¡°And why should I believe you?¡±
¡°I will prove it to you right this moment.¡±
Von¡¯s face filled with curiosity.
Henry held out his right hand and said, ¡°Look carefully.¡±
Henry made a fist, then slowly spread his fingers open like a blooming flower.
Glitter~
¡°This is¡!¡±
His Magic Insignia was in Henry¡¯s palm. The insignia had the image of a dragon, and it was the only one of its kind in the world.
¡°H-how is this possible¡!¡±
Von stared at the dragon¡¯s blue glow, unable to hide his shock.
¡°Master¡¯s Magic Insignia is a dragon, and so is mine.¡±
Magic Insignias differed ording to wizards¡¯ skills and preferences, and a dragon Insignia had a significant meaning: ¡®The creators of magic and the ultimate magical beings!¡¯
Henry had told Von this in the past.
¡°And that¡¯s not all.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°I also possess the master''s treasure map, the map of the legacy that he left behind.¡±
¡°Did you just say ¡®legacy?¡¯¡±
¡°Take a look at this.¡±
Henry tooke out the map revealing the locations of the artifacts that he¡¯d created himself at the Morris estate.
¡°Also, I have learned how to make the Miracle Blue, which only the master knew how to make, as well as all the special spells that only the master could handle.¡±
It was more than enough evidence, and Von was so dumbfounded, he couldn¡¯t speak; his mouth slightly agape from disbelief
¡°Also, Sir Von¡¡±
Henry looked at Von.
¡°On behalf of the deceased master, I pay my respects to you. I truly thank you for staying loyal to the master.¡±
Henry bowed.
Von coughed in embarrassment.
¡°Hmm, well, isn¡¯t that to be expected? You know how I saw my lord.¡±
Since Von did not reject Henry¡¯s show of respect, the conversation seemed like it was finally going somewhere.
Henry steered the conversation to Von¡¯s intentions ining to Enkelmann.
¡°Sir Von, I am thinking of revenge.¡±
¡°Revenge, you say¡¡±
¡°I entered the world because of the master''s unjust death and the things he could not aplish.¡±
Revenge.
It wasn''t that Von had never thought about revenge, but revenge was easier said than done. You could not act out of emotions and there was no guarantee of a second chance if you made a mistake. Furthermore, their opponents were the nobles ruling the empire and the idiotic emperor himself.
Von¡¯s expression darkened again.
¡®I''m sure you¡¯re afraid. Even though you¡¯ve thought of revenge, it would have been difficult on your own, and there is also the Enkelmann problem.¡¯
Henry assumed that these were Von¡¯s thoughts. Henry didn¡¯t care if Von refused out of fear, he was here to persuade Von anyway.
¡°Sir Von, I understand your thoughts. Are you torn between avenging the master and protecting Enkelmann?¡±
Although he was silent, Von¡¯s expression indicated that Henry had hit the nail on the head.
¡°Of course it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand your situation, but please keep this in mind: even if you¡¯re letting the nobles be just to preserve the peace, Enkelmann will fall into their hands one day."
Von could not deny this since Enkelmann made good profit, making it the perfect target for the nobles.
In fact, from time to time, the nobles came down and looked around the city for an opportunity to take over.
¡°Realistically speaking, isn¡¯t this the city¡¯s future? And even now, don¡¯t you find me convincing because you couldn¡¯te up with a solution for the fungus?¡±
He was right.
It didn¡¯t matter how much profit the city made, Enkelmann was still vulnerable to unexpected situations like the Kin Mushroom case.
Von could not say anything; Henry was only speaking the truth. It was true that Von was worried about their vulnerability to unexpected events.
¡°I will help.¡±
¡°What¡?¡±
¡°Enkelmann may seem powerful, but it is bad at dealing with unforeseen events. I will help you improve this as much as possible so that those bastard nobles won¡¯t be able to exploit this weakness.¡±
It was like a dreame true, thus unreliable.
¡°With what ability?¡±
¡°The town of Vivaldi is already in the palm of my hand.¡±
¡°W-what?¡±
Von blinked in surprise.
The town of Vivaldi paid an unbelievable amount of taxespared to Enkelmann.
¡°I can show you more proof if youe with me to Vivaldi.¡±
¡°N-no¡ Enough about that, how did you get control over Vivaldi?¡±
¡°Chess.¡±
¡°Chess?¡±
¡°It was unofficial. I yed against Mayor Vant and won.¡±
¡°Y-you mean against that undefeated champion?¡±
¡°Yes, that''s right.¡±
Von was surprised. Mayor Vant Larson had never once lost a game of chess.
¡°Because the match was unofficial, the only people who know about this are myself and Mayor Vant, and I used this to gainmand over Mayor Vant.¡±
¡°But he is only a civil servant, is he not?¡±
¡°Yes, he is, that is why I have be the official sword-fight champion of Vivaldi. The Million Gold battle stadium is also under my control.¡±
Von enjoyed the entertainment in Vivaldi, so he knew about sword fighting and the Million Gold battle stadium.
It was difficult for him to believe that Henry had taken control of them. The shocking news came one after the other.
¡°What do you think? With this much power, it will be easy to support Enkelmann.¡±
¡°Indeed¡ If what you¡¯ve said so far is true, it would be possible.¡±
It was an offer of support, but Von would have to earn it by helping Henry with his revenge.
¡®Oh my¡¡¯
Even an offer so tempting would fall apart as soon as something went wrong.
Von¡¯s hesitation made Henry feel sorry for him. ¡®They say that people change because of their environment¡ He must have gone through a lot.¡¯
Von was a bold and wise man, and Henry was sorry to see him frightened like this. However, he could not coddle him forever.
¡°Sir Von, as the master¡¯s disciple, I have learned to handle magic, but I have also worked hard on my swordsmanship.¡±
¡°What? Are you saying that you have learned both magic and swordsmanship at the same time?¡±
¡°Correct.¡±
¡°How¡how is this possible¡¡±
Those who used magic did not wield swords, and those who used swords did not cast spells. It was simplymon sense.
¡°Alright, how skilled are you?¡±
¡°I am at the 3rd Circle for magic, and my swordsmanship is in the Learner ss.¡±
¡®How weak!¡¯
His magic skill was eptable. It was impressive for someone Henry¡¯s age to reach the 3rd Circler, but his swordsmanship had much left to be desired.
¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, you served in the Caliburn fortress¡but you are still in the Learner ss?¡±
¡°Correct.¡±
¡°My faith in you has suddenly disappeared.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°If you want revenge, focusing on just one skill is just the bare minimum. You can¡¯t even excel in one; all you¡¯re doing is half-assing two skills, right?¡±
¡°What if I prove myself to you?¡±
¡°Prove, you say?¡±
¡°I request a duel with you, Sir Von. I believe you can make a judgment after a sword match.¡±
For the first time, Vonughed.
Chapter 52: Von (3)
Chapter 52: Von (3)
It was natural that Von would be amused.
He was one of the best in the empire, while Henry was only in the Learner ss, nothing more than a mere rookie. His request for a duel was nothing more than the recklessness of the ignorant, but Von could not see even the slightest sign of naivete in Henry¡¯s eyes.
¡®Maybe he has a trump card he¡¯s hiding.¡¯
Otherwise, no idiot would challenge a Sword Master to a duel.
¡°Alright. However, seeing how confident you are, I hope you won¡¯t disappoint me.¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
Henry had already expected that Von would ept his challenge; Von¡¯s curiosity had been stirred by all the things he¡¯d said.
¡®Although Von is a Sword Master, his foundation is the?Imperial Swordsmanship. Therefore, I have a good chance, since I have mastered Hector''s?swordsmanship.¡¯?
Henry was confident because their duel would rely on skill rather than pure strength.
¡°Let us move to a different location.¡±
***
Below the city hall was a massive training hall. Von had secretly prepared it to use for his training.
Before their duel, Henry said, ¡°Sir Von.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°I did say that I would prove my skills to you, but my swordsmanship is nothingpared to yours.¡±
¡°So? Are you trying to back away now?¡±
¡°No.¡±
¡°Then what is it?¡±
¡°It¡¯s impossible for me to defeat you; therefore, I would like you to set a reasonable goal that will satisfy your expectations.¡±
Although Henry had already mastered Von¡¯s sword techniques, his opponent was a top-tier Imperial Sword Master. Henry decided to create an advantage for himself, even if it meant swallowing his pride.
Von willingly agreed.
¡°Alright. If you can hit me three times, then I will acknowledge your skills.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
Although he had never dueled with Von, Henry believed that he could produce three effective blows.
Themen grabbed two wooden swords from the training hall and stood at a distance from each other.
They took the basic sword fighting stance. When Von saw Henry¡¯s stance, he thought to himself, ¡®As expected of an Imperial Swordsman.¡¯
The swordsmen of the empire used the stance that the former emperor had created. Von used it as well because the sword art that Emperor Golden Jackson had created was much more effective than the one from Enkelmann.
¡°You can go ahead.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
The weaker party was supposed to attack first, which was why Von let Henry take the first shot.
Henry started moving in a circle, following the Circle Step pattern.
The distance between them slowly shrank, and when the edges of the two circles delineating their attack range met, Henry quickly changed his stride to the Hector Step.
Bang!
¡°...?¡±
Henry had already nned his attack from the start and swiftly hit Von¡¯s waist.
Von had never seen anything like this at the start of a duel. He had no choice but to surrender one point to his opponent.
¡°That is one point,¡± Henry said, withdrawing his sword.
¡°This¡ I underestimated you.¡±
The blow was simply a gentle touch, which meant that Henry had been so certain his strike would reach Von that he¡¯d held himself back.
¡°Haha, you know such tactics, I see.¡± Von nodded, admitting that he had let his guard down. ¡°However, I won¡¯t let it happen twice.¡±
The first time was his mistake, if there was a second time, it would be his opponent¡¯s skill.
¡°Then¡I wish you the best of luck this time too.¡±
Henry noticed that Von¡¯s aura had changed.
¡®Is it for real this time?¡¯
His tactic could only work once, and the real duel was starting.
Vonughed, admitting to his mistake with the easygoing expression of a friendly neighbor. However, his wooden sword seemed to transform into a real one as soon as he grabbed it.
Shiver.
Henry''s palms were sweating around the hilt of his wooden sword.
¡®I didn¡¯t know he was this powerful¡¡¯
Von had seemed like a typical Imperial Swordsman, but now, it was as if a hawk with sharp ws were looking at its prey from the sky. Henry felt as though he were dueling with a totally different person. His feet felt heavy, as if they were frozen to the ground.
But¡
¡®You have be stronger.¡¯
Henry didn¡¯t even notice that he was smiling.
He realized that Von had changed significantly since theyst saw each other the previous year. This meant that even after Henry¡¯s death, he had not fallen into a slump but continued to train. Had something changed within him after Henry died? Von seemed to have learned something important.
Henry felt proud of Von because it meant that Von had not forgotten about him. At the same time, he wondered how difficult it had been for him.
Henry had requested a duel because he had only known Von¡¯s level from the year before.
He felt confident that with the magic he¡¯d memorized, Hector¡¯s swordsmanship, and the swordsmanship that he had practiced the past year, he could put up a good fight even if he couldn¡¯t win.
Now that the gap was greater than he had expected, it was clear that things would not go as nned. But Henry was not afraid; on the contrary, it only made things more exciting.
First, he was happy that Von had be stronger, and second, he was d that he could test his own skills by having Von as his opponent. Curiosity rose in his heart.
.
¡®Since I feel sopetitive, it looks like I¡¯ve be a true swordsman without even realizing it. When I was an Archmage, I couldn''t understand why swordsmen were so invested in their fights.¡¯
Could Von hear Henry¡¯s thoughts?
¡°You¡¯re smiling?¡±
Von¡¯s eyebrow twitched as if he were dissatisfied with Henry¡¯s attitude. It seemed as if there was a misunderstanding, but Henry did not say anything to clear it up. After all, it seemed that Von would only fight at his full strength in a situation like this.
It turned out that Henry was right. Von finally took his first step.
Thud!
Although it seemed like Von had only taken a firm stance, he appeared right in front of Henry. With a stern expression, Von swung his sword diagonally. His sword was filled with his determination to defeat Henry with just a single blow. Henry felt as though a massive wave was approaching him, and he instinctively thrust his sword forward.
ck!
The two swords violently shed with each other.
Henry crossed swords with Von, barely managing to block his subordinate¡¯s strike. Von¡¯s sword was only five centimeters away from Henry¡¯s forehead. He was trembling, trying to hold his stance.
Once again, Von¡¯s expression changed, this time to surprise.
¡®He blocked me?¡¯
A look of bewilderment appeared in Von¡¯s eyes, even if just for a moment. He never expected that Henry could block a strike that had Von¡¯s entire might behind it.
The corner of Von¡¯s mouth slightly curled up, as if a ferocious beast were revealing its sharp fangs.
¡°You have the right to be arrogant, I¡¯ll give you that. Now, try to block this as well.¡±
Von took another step, and this time, he raised his sword and swung toward his right.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The wooden sword produced a fierce wind as it cut through the air at a speed that the naked eye simply could not follow.
Even though it wasn¡¯t imbued with Aura, Von¡¯s wooden sword was incredibly powerful.
ck!
Henry stepped back as he continued to block Von¡¯s sword. His eyes focused on Von¡¯s wooden sword, but he could not follow its movement, so he decided to use magic.
¡®Even with Targeting, I can barely catch it! As expected, he¡¯s incredible!¡¯
Targeting was a spell that allowed the user to see the opponent¡¯s nned attacks in advance in order to block them.
The spell¡¯s purpose was to prevent opponents from casting spells, but Henry was using it to predict and block his opponent¡¯s sword.
¡®So this is the real Von, huh?¡¯
Henry clenched his jaw as he continued to defend himself against Von¡¯s sword and stumbled back. He needed to find a way out of this massive power storm, but he backed into the wall with a bump.
Bang!
Von¡¯s wooden sword missed Henry¡¯s head by a very slight margin and broke through the wall even though Henry¡¯s sword had partly blocked the hit.
¡°What is this? Did you not say that you would prove your skills to me? Is running away your method of proving yourself?¡±
Henry smiled at Von¡¯s annoyed voice.
¡°Let¡¯s change things a little, then.¡±
¡°What?¡±
Von smirked and moved his sword in the opposite direction, but Henry¡¯s counterattack had begun.
¡®Haste, Haste, Haste.¡¯
As the three eleration spells stacked on top of each other, Henry reached superhuman speed in the blink of an eye. He leaned forward and dodged Von¡¯s strike with a diagonal step, then struck Von with his wooden sword.
¡°Argh!¡±
Von was taken back by the sudden change in Henry¡¯s speed. He quickly tried to pull back his sword to block, but Henry had already attacked through an opening, and his sword struck Von¡¯s shoulder hard.
As Von retreated from the shock, Henry instantly used his next spell.
¡®Blink.¡¯
Henry suddenly disappeared.
Von¡¯s counterattack passed through the ce where Henry had been standing. His expression twisted as he remembered that Henry was a magic swordsman. It was not that he had forgotten this fact, but Von had never imagined that Henry would use both magic and swordsmanship in a real duel.
While Von was still recovering from the shock, Henry¡¯s Blink had already put him behind Von. Just as he had learned from Hector, he turned around and ced his wooden sword against Von¡¯s neck.
¡°It''s over now.¡±
If it had been a real sword and not a wooden one, Von¡¯s head would have been rolling on the floor.
¡°...Did you use magic?¡±
¡°Yes, I did.¡±
¡°I see. No wonder your movements were abnormal.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t mean to trick you. I apologize.¡±
¡°No. Magic is also one of your skills. I don¡¯t think of it as cowardly.¡±
Von was a generous man. It didn¡¯t matter that Henry had won by using magic, he willingly admitted his defeat.Thanks to the duel, Von reconsidered his negative assumptions about Henry.
¡®A Magic Swordsman, huh¡ He is truly like you, my lord. Where did you find a monster like him?¡¯
The fact that his opponent was Henry¡¯s disciple made Von biased toward him.
The murderous tension in the training hall disappeared, and thanks to their new understanding of each other, the atmosphere grew friendly.
¡°Does this mean you will help me get revenge?¡±
¡°Yes, of course! A man cannot break his word. You have proven your courage.¡±
It was strange to be acknowledged by someone who had been his subordinate in his past life, but Henry was not offended. No¡ªin fact, he was proud, because it wasn¡¯t easy to earn the acknowledgement of someone like Von.
¡°Thank you, Sir Von.¡±
¡°No need to call me ¡®sir.¡¯ Since we will be seeing each other often, just call me Brother Von from now on.¡±
¡°Haha, alright, Brother Von.¡±
¡°Alright, let''s go check on Harz. He must be reflecting on his mistakes.¡±
There was no need for more proof, and finally, the man that he had once called his sword had returned to Henry¡¯s side.
Chapter 53: Von (4)
Chapter 53: Von (4)
¡°Sir Von!¡±
When Harz saw Von, he ran toward him with a tear-filled face like a lost dog who had found its owner. However, as soon as he saw Henry walking in, he took a step back.
¡°Oh my!¡±
¡°Have you been reflecting on yourself?¡±
¡°Sir Von, what do you mean?¡±
¡°I heard that you attacked my brother.¡±
¡°B-brother? W-What do you mean, brother?¡±
¡°From now on, Henry and I will get along like brothers. Treat Henry the way you treat me.¡±
¡°W-what are you saying?¡±
¡°What? Is it too difficult for you?¡±
¡°N-no¡ It''s not that, but¡ What is going on¡¡±
¡°Mayor Harz, please do not worry. I will also show you just as much respect.¡±
Von made it clear where everyone stood, leaving Harz dissatisfied. However, Henry was filled with satisfaction and went straight into discussing business.
¡°Let me exin our n.¡±
The three men moved to Harz¡¯s office to discuss, and Henry started to exin his n to the two men.
After quietly listening for a while, Von interjected, ¡°...So what you¡¯re saying is that we should assemble a professional management team to run Enkelmann?¡±
¡°That''s right. After all, the nobles are always waiting for an opportunity to take over the independent cities. It is obvious that when the performance of the independent cities worsens, the nobles will attack like hyenas and say that they will run the city themselves.¡±
Harz brought up a counterargument. ¡°Let¡¯s say that we put together a professional management team. That¡¯s not enough to guarantee that the cities will always perform well.¡±
He analyzed Henry¡¯s n with a sharp eye, exactly like the bank clerk that he was.
¡°You make a good point. That is why I am thinking of making an agreement between Enkelmann and Vivaldi.¡±
¡°An agreement?¡±
¡°It would be a cooperation of some sort. We won¡¯t be able to share a lot with each other at the start; however, if it¡¯s structured so that the two cities have to rely on one another for more and more support, even the nobles won¡¯t be able to take over easily.¡±
¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡deliberately make them indebted to each other?¡±
¡°It may look like debt on the surface, but our goal is not financial debt. However, if we want to win the right to manage the city, the city operator will have to take on the debt. It needs to look burdensome.¡±
¡°Hmm¡ It does sound like a good idea, but do you think Mayor Vant will agree to this? No matter how you look at it, it will only mean losses for Vivaldi.¡±
¡°Ah, that part has been dealt with.¡±
¡°Huh? What part?¡±
¡°The town of Vivaldi has already agreed to the n.¡±
Von chuckled when he heard Henry¡¯s words.
However, Harz still did not understand what was going on, and his face reflected his belief that Henry was talking nonsense.
¡°To simplify things¡ Just think that my rtionship with Mayor Vant is the same as my rtionship with you, Mayor Harz.¡±
¡°What? That does not make any sense¡ We are talking about the same Mayor Vant, right?¡±
¡°Yes. That''s right.¡±
Henry casually nodded, and Harz¡¯s jaw dropped in disbelief. However, his expression soon turned into one of sympathy for Mayor Vant.
¡°From your expression, I think we can skip the detailed exnation.¡±
¡°Yes, it is not necessary¡¡±
Harz had looked up to Mayor Vant as his role model deep in his heart, so his disappointment was immeasurable.
¡°As a matter of practicality, it is important to have a signed agreement so that when Enkelmann is in a difficult situation, Vivaldi will be there to lend a hand. It will act as a rationale.¡±
¡°You make a very important point there. Without justification, it will be easy for others to misunderstand the situation.¡±
Von agreed, feeling that the n would go smoothly.
In fact, the agreement and professional management team would only be implemented in the distant future. However, it was necessary to start nning now in order to convince Von, who was Enkelmann¡¯s secret weapon.
¡®Things worked out easier than I expected. I won¡¯t have to worry about running out of money now that I have the two cities known for paying a lot of taxes in the palm of my hand.¡¯
Henry had already experienced the joy of collecting special taxes when he put up the announcement recruiting mercenaries.
However, with the independent cities under his control, Henry was confident that it would be easier to gatherrge sums of money without having to increase the Million Gold business.
¡°But, Henry, if there is an agreement in ce already, then why do we need a professional management team?¡±
¡°Oh, that is for you, brother.¡±
¡°For me?¡±
¡°From now on, you will join the Million mercenaries that I have established and move with me.¡±
¡°The mercenary corps? Is there a reason why?¡±
¡°The easiest way to gain a reputation is to join the mercenary corps. Besides, you don¡¯t need any excuse for wanting to increase your strength.¡±
¡°I see.¡±
¡°Anyway, once you join the corps, it will be more difficult for you to run the city, so I am trying to set up a professional management team before that happens.¡±
As Harz listened silently to Henry¡¯s exnation, he frowned.
¡°Wait a minute! From what I¡¯m hearing, it sounds like you don¡¯t trust me enough; that¡¯s why you need to put together a management team!¡±
He was right.
Under Von¡¯s watch, Harz had been running the city properly for a long time, but without Von around, they would need a team in order for the city to continue running well.
¡°Just do as you¡¯re told.¡±
¡°Sir Von!¡±
Since he understood Henry¡¯s intentions, Von was about to dismiss Harz¡¯s opinion, but Harz red up with rage for the first time even though he¡¯d never talked back to Von even once before.
¡°Please calm down, you two. We need to address this before we move on.¡±
¡°Yes! Please go ahead. After all that time we¡¯ve spent together, you still don¡¯t trust me?¡±
In fact, it wasn¡¯t that trust didn¡¯t exist, but the n required utmost caution, and they had to eliminate even the slightest possibility of failure.
Since Henry had already given Harz the stick, he now had to give the man a carrot. He knew that if he neglected Harz¡¯s feelings, it would only make Harz angrier in the future.
¡°Mayor, that is not true. I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve never had a single day off since bing mayor.¡±
¡°What does that have anything to do with setting up a management team?¡±
¡°By sharing the work, you¡¯ll have less of a burden on your shoulders.¡±
¡°Share?¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t you fulfilling the duties of a mayor while taking care of external rtions and city management issues on your own?¡±
¡°So?¡±
¡°I am saying that we can lessen that burden. The professional management team will handle the city itself, and as the mayor, you only have to worry about the external rtions of the city.¡±
¡°That¡¯s your intention after all! You¡¯re telling me to be little more than a figurehead!¡±
¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±
¡°W-what?¡±
¡°If I think about it, you¡¯re right. But what¡¯s wrong with being a figurehead, don¡¯t you like it?¡±
¡°Of course not, isn''t that obvious?¡±
Harz was worked up, and he got to his feet, his face red as he ced his hands on his waist.
Henry replied coldly, his expression shameless. ¡°Why not? Can I ask you the reason?¡±
¡°That¡¯s because¡¡± Harz was at a loss for words for some reason even though he¡¯d believed that he had a retort ready.
Henry smiled when he noticed.
¡®Of course, you can¡¯t give me an answer because Von has been taming you for a long time now.¡¯
In fact, the fear of losing Von¡¯s acknowledgment had brought Harz in line. It was Stockholm syndrome. When people were enved long enough, they forgot that they were ves and even took pride in the shackles they wore. This was exactly what happened to Harz.
¡°Mayor, haven''t you been diligently working as the mayor of Enkelmann for ten years or so? I''m trying to give you an opportunity to ease that burden.¡±
¡°Opportunity¡ You say so?¡±
¡°That''s right. What¡¯s wrong with being a figurehead? You can continue to live your life known as a responsible mayor while I work on your behalf to make Enkelmann the greatest city.¡±
Harz¡¯s ear twitched as he listened to Henry¡¯s sweet offer.
A great reputation for the rest of his life and the greatest city to rule over. Each single word excited him.
Henry revealed the trump card that would reinforce Harz¡¯s decision.
¡°Mayor.¡±
¡°Y-yes?¡± Harz snapped awake from his fantasies about his future.
¡°From now on, I will pay you three times your current sry. This is a bonus for you. Also, if there are any vacation, sick, or annual leave days that you have not used in the past years, please use them as much as you¡¯d like. I will also guarantee you that.¡±
¡°S-Sir Henry!¡±
Not only had he been relieved of his obligations, he had gained something delightful as well. It was this easy to win over the former bank clerk
Von was amazed. As he¡¯d watched Henry convince Harz with ease, he could see his lord within Henry.
¡®...As expected, he is a disciple of my lord.¡¯
Harz was moved by Henry¡¯s words, and he shed tears of joy as he held Henry¡¯s hands.
¡°Thank you! Thank you so much! I didn¡¯t even realize that this is what you meant and I overstepped¡!¡±
The operation wasplete. Harz would be an even greater figurehead.
¡®Haha, how cute.¡¯
Harz had not changed a single bit. It was proof of his trustworthiness because it was rare for people to stay true to themselves.¡°This will be all for now. We can discuss the details of the agreement after we have assembled the management team.¡±
¡°Sure, let''s do that.¡±
¡°Then all that¡¯s left is¡¡±
After he exined the n briefly, Henry began to think about all the other things that hadn¡¯t been sorted out yet, such as the so-called actors whose physical and mental plight had helped him draw Von out.
¡°By the way, Mayor, are the people that I left tied up still in the living room?¡±
¡°Oh yes, them? They are still waiting.¡±
¡°Alright, let us go to the living room. We can¡¯t keep them waiting forever.¡±
The actors who had finished their performance had to be dismissed.
***
The poor littlembs were waiting for Henry¡¯s antidote with green faces in the living room.
As soon as Henry walked in, the hotel manager approached him first, trembling. ¡°U-um, sir Henry? U-uh when will I be able to receive the thing you promised¡¡±
¡°Are you talking about this?¡±
Henry took out a handful of pills that appeared to be the antidote. He handed over the pills and said,¡°Thank you. You may go now.¡±
¡°T-thank you! Thank you very much!¡±
The manager grabbed the pills and quickly stuffed them in his mouth. Rinda also approached Henry with an impatient expression. ¡°H-Henry, sir, what about me?! I-I mean, what about us?¡±
¡°That was everything that I had.¡±
¡°H-huh? W-what do you mean?¡±
¡°The pills that the manager just swallowed were all that I had. I don¡¯t have any more.¡±
¡°N-no, no¡!¡±
Thud.
Rinda turned white as a ghost, and the other two grew pale as well.
Henryughed discreetly at the sight.
¡°Go after him. Who knows, maybe the manager has some left over. You need only one pill for the antidote.¡±
Suddenly, Rinda remembered that the manager had received a handful of pills. As soon as Henry was done talking, the three ran off as if they were being chased by a swarm of hos.
Thump thump thump!
Von asked, ¡°What''s wrong with them?¡±
¡°I fed them poison. If you don''t take the antidote within three days, you will die in great pain.¡±
¡°What? Is that true?¡±
¡°No, of course it¡¯s a lie.¡±
¡°What a nasty joke.¡±
¡°They were the ones who snuck into my room in the middle of the night. I think this punishment is quite reasonable.¡±
¡°Tsk tsk, poor guys.¡±
A day had passed since they had taken the poison, so they had around two days left. Henry thought that it was enough time for them to reflect on their lives and do penance.
Chapter 54: My Comrade (1)
Chapter 54: My Comrade (1)
Although Henry expected that his n would need ten days to execute, it waspleted in two days.
After finishing his business, Henry rested for a few days before he departed Enkelmann with Von.
As they rode to Vivaldi, Henry asked, ¡°By the way, brother, have you heard anything about the others?¡± Henry hoped that Von was in contact with the others.
¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know how the others are doing. They all scattered and went into hiding.¡±
¡°I see.¡±
Unfortunately, it seemed like everyone was busy trying to survive.
¡°But no news means good news, so let''s consider it good that we haven''t heard from them.¡±
¡°I hope so as well.¡±
¡°It¡¯s thanks to my lord that we have survived. If my lord had notmanded us to separate, we would have died dreadfully in the empire.¡±
Following Henry¡¯s orders to leave the empire and go into hiding had turned out to be the best choice. Otherwise, they would have all been purged.
¡°Aside from those who were close to you, do you know the whereabouts of the people that Master was protecting?¡±
¡°They were all banished.¡±
¡°What? Banished?¡±
¡°Since my lord carried the weight of treason on his own, they managed to survive, but they still couldn''t shake off beingbeled traitors.¡±
¡®What the hell?!¡¯
It was the first time he had heard about this. The emperor promised to guarantee the safety of Henry¡¯s family in exchange for Henry¡¯s life, but Von was saying that the situation had turned out differently.
¡°I heard that they were banished to the edge of the continent, because they could never repair their tarnished reputation. I don¡¯t know the details, all I know is that they were sent north to Salgaera.¡±
¡°You mean Salgaera, thend buried in snow?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡®Those bastards!¡¯
Salgaera was the only ce on the continent where it snowed all year long. It was frequently hit with cold fronts, and the terrible changes in the climate made it impossible to live there. Being exiled to such a ce was tantamount to being sentenced to death.
¡®I¡¯m sure those damned nobles suggested it¡¡¯
Henry had never believed that they would keep their promise but this was worse than execution. He decided that he would look into the matter as soon as he arrived in Vivaldi. It was hard to believe that they were still alive, but if even a single person survived, he had to rescue them at all costs.
¡®Those fucking bastards¡¡¯
After their conversation, Henry was so enraged that he couldn¡¯t even bear to open his mouth during the entire journey to Vivaldi. He was furious at the emperor and the nobles, but mostly, he was enraged by the fact that he couldn¡¯t do anything even though he knew of the situation.
Von seemed to notice Henry¡¯s feelings since he also did not speak a word during their entire journey to Vivaldi.
***
¡°You live in a nice house.¡±
¡°This is not my house, I¡¯m only living in it.¡±
Once they arrived at Ten¡¯s mansion, Von couldn¡¯t help admiring its size o. It was said that a person''s house was a measure of their capability, but the house was much nicer than Henry expected.
As soon as Henry entered the mansion, the servants who saw him hurried to greet him. The servants knew that their real master was now Henry and not Ten.
Ten had been sunning himself, and he hurriedly straightened his clothes when Henry appeared.
¡°You¡¯ve arrived already?¡±
¡°Yes, things worked out more easily than I expected.¡±
¡°And who is the person standing next to you?¡±
¡°This is Sir Von, he will be the second-inmand of the mercenary corps.¡±
¡°Nice to meet you, my name is Von.¡± Von reached out for a handshake. As Ten grasped his hand, he could not shake off a sense of familiarity.
¡®Von? I¡¯ve heard this name before¡ It can''t be the Von from the imperial pce, can it?¡¯
¡°He is exactly the person you¡¯re thinking about.¡±
¡°H-huh? What do you mean?¡± Ten cocked his head in confusion.
¡°Due to certain circumstances, Von will be working with us, so don¡¯t show off what you know.¡±
Henry decided to reveal Von¡¯s identity since it was too much of a bother hiding it, especially considering that they would be staying together anyway.
¡°I-I apologize for not recognizing Your Highness, Grand Duke Von. How could I make such a mistake¡!¡±
¡°No need to call me ¡®Your Highness¡¯ or ¡®Grand Duke,¡¯ please address me in a manner that makes you feelfortable.¡±
¡°B-but how can I dare choose how to address a high-ranking knight from the imperial pce¡¡±
¡°Stop making a fuss, it''s annoying. Anyway, how did the entrance exam go?¡±
¡°About that¡ Apart from Hagler, no one else has passed the first test.¡±
¡°Still?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°What about the rumors I¡¯ve asked you to investigate?¡±
¡°I am digging through the rumors in each region, and most of them are false.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no smoke without fire. Tell them to take it easy because it¡¯s not urgent.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
As Ten updated Henry on what was going on, Von¡¯s curiosity was piqued when he heard the words ¡°entrance exam.¡±
¡°Henry, what do you mean by ¡®entrance exam¡¯?¡±
¡°It¡¯s exactly as it sounds. Those who wish to join our mercenary team must take an entrance exam. Just because we are a new mercenary corps, that doesn¡¯t mean we shouldn¡¯t have standards for our members, right?¡±
¡°Interesting. Do you think I can take the entrance exam too?¡±
¡°You want to? I¡¯m sure it would be too easy for you, brother.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll think of it as a little game. Plus, I need entertainment to recover from our trip.¡±
The test wasn¡¯t even good enough to be a game for Von, but Henry still allowed him to try it.
¡°In the meantime, I will visit Mayor Vant. Ten, you can direct my brother to the first test and prepare a room for him.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
Henry changed his clothes and left the mansion.
***
Not long after Henry left the mansion, he noticed a familiar group: Hagler¡¯s family.
¡°Are youing back from a vacation?¡± Henry greeted them since he noticed them first.
¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you the leader? I didn¡¯t know you were already here.¡±
Hagler quickly bowed and greeted Henry as soon as he realized who it was. Nia, who was holding a strawberry skewer, did the same thing.
¡°Hello! Oh no, my strawberry!¡±
As soon as she bowed, the strawberry fell to the ground. ¡°Waah¡ My strawberry¡¡±
The strawberry that had fallen had Nia¡¯s little teeth marks. It seemed that she had been savoring it. In order to cheer Nia up, Henry jumped off Jade and lifted Nia up in his arms.
¡°Nia, have you been listening to your father?¡±
¡°Yes¡ But my strawberry¡¡±
¡°Should I get you a present, something even better than strawberries?¡±
¡°A present?¡±
¡°Ta-dah.¡±
His present was half of a Whispering. It was attached to a silver chain that he¡¯d purchased in Enkelmann to turn it into a pretty ne.
¡°T-thank you, sir! You don¡¯t have to do these things¡¡±
¡°This is the daughter of someone on my team, how can I not take care of her? Don¡¯t feel burdened, it wasn¡¯t expensive.¡±
As soon as Henry put the Whispering around Nia¡¯s neck, the blue gem started to glow as if it were alive. Henry had injected mana into the ne since Nia was still too young to handle mana herself. He continued to whisper in Nia¡¯s ear.
¡°Nia, if you hold this ne in your hands before you sleep, you might be able to hear the voices of fairies.¡±
¡°Fairies?¡±
¡°That''s right, Nia, but the fairies are very shy, so if you hold on to the ne for too long, they¡¯ll run away. You have to listen to them in secret, okay?¡±
Nia nodded in excitement. She was young and innocent enough to still read fairy tales.
As Henry lowered Nia back to the ground, he spoke to Hagler, ¡°If you go back to the mansion, you¡¯ll see that I brought someone. He will most likely be the second-inmand, so introduce yourself.¡±
¡°Okay.¡±
¡°Well then, I have business to take care of, so I¡¯ll be on my way.¡±
Henry got back on Jade after saying his goodbyes and headed toward Vivaldi Tower.
***
¡°Open the door.¡±
The gatekeepers at City Hall had a vague idea who Henry was, and when they saw him, they lowered their heads and quickly opened the door.
Mayor Vant and his secretary were inside the office, filling out paperwork. ¡°What¡¯s going on? I thought you said it would to take ten days,¡± said Mayor Vant when he noticed Henry¡¯s presence.
¡°That¡¯s the third time someone has asked me that question today. Everything worked out well, so I returned early. Anyway, have you been collecting the taxes?¡±
¡°There have been some changes, but there is still a steady stream of profit.¡±
¡°How much have we umted?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a little over 110,000 gold.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not too bad. In a few days, we will take down the recruitment announcement, so let¡¯s work hard in the meantime.¡±
¡°Well, that''s not something to worry about¡ Anyway, what brings you here? Do you have something to tell me?¡±
Although he didn¡¯t have anything to report or apologize for, Mayor Vant nervously put down the files he was looking at.
¡°I¡¯m here because of the agreement.¡±
¡°Agreement? What agreement?¡±
¡°It¡¯s just a simple agreement between the cities. Up until now, weren¡¯t the free cities all fending for themselves? Through this opportunity, the cities can exchange information and form a solid rtionship.¡±
¡°What? Is that necessary? Vivaldi Town has been running just fine without such agreements.¡±
¡°There may not be a benefit right away, but there¡¯s also no harm in making an agreement.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true, there''s a reason why the term ¡®joint responsibility¡¯ exists.¡±
¡°If I have to take responsibility one day, I certainly will. However, as long as I¡¯m alive, that won¡¯t happen. Don¡¯t you trust me?¡±
¡°I-it¡¯s not that but¡¡±
Henry had proven his abilities, but Vant still didn¡¯t trust him to handle arge task like an inter-city agreement.
¡°Then it¡¯s confirmed. I¡¯m telling you in advance to let you know that I will being to discuss the terms of the agreement soon.¡±
¡°...Alright.¡±
Vant did not have a choice, and he let out a big sigh, as if to say, ¡°How did my life end up like this?¡± Unfortunately, Henry was indifferent to Vant¡¯s expression.
¡°Take care, then.¡±
After Henry was done with his business and their meeting was over, he smiled lightly and left quietly.
¡®I¡¯ll check out the testing arena while I''m here.¡¯
Henry headed to the first test site behind the city instead of the mansion.
***
¡®There¡¯s fewer people now.¡¯
As the end date approached, the number of challengers waiting also decreased significantly. These were the sincere ones¡ªdespite theirck of ability, they did not give up on their dream of joining the team.
As Henry watched from Jade¡¯s back, the exam conductor announced, ¡°Someone passed the first exam!¡±
¡®Passed?¡¯
¡°Wow!¡±
¡°Is it the second person to pass the exam?¡±
¡°Lucky for them!¡±
¡°But they look kind of old.¡±
The sessful candidate appeared proudly, surrounded by envious expressions and cheers from the other candidates, but it was none other than Von.
Von drew his sword, showing off to the other candidates.
¡®W-what the¡!¡¯
Henry was a little embarrassed by Von¡¯s uncharacteristic behavior. He approached Von and quietly asked, ¡°...What are you doing, brother?¡±
¡°Oh, you¡¯re here, my brother. I heard that doing this would help you, so I¡¯m helping right now.¡±
¡°Who said that?¡±
Von pointed at Ten in the distance. Henry made eye contact with Ten. Ten waved with a big smile, looking like a dog wagging its tail and waiting to beplimented.
Chapter 55: My Comrade (2)
Chapter 55: My Comrade (2)
Henry and Von took a day off to rx and relieve their fatigue, although they weren¡¯t experiencing much fatigue since both of them rode great horses and had monstrous physical strength.
When the evening came, people gathered around the dining table one by one. Usually, only Ten used the table, but now, all the people that Henry had gathered were there. As he looked at them, Henry felt better. Although there were only three to four people there, he believed that they would share his goals.
¡®It¡¯s time to also make Ten one of my people.¡¯
Henry couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Ten during the entire dinner. Although Ten was only motivated by the opportunity to earn a bonus, he was necessary to Henry¡¯s future ns.
After dinner, Hagler¡¯s family excused themselves. After they left, Henry began to talk.
¡°Ten.¡±
¡°Yes, what is it?¡±
¡°Why don¡¯t we have a drink?¡±
¡°You mean, just the two of us?¡±
¡°Why, don¡¯t you want to?¡±
¡°Not at all. Hey you, bring out some whisky,¡± Ten ordered.
¡°Would you like to join us as well?¡± Ten directed the question to Von.
¡°I don¡¯t like to drink, so I¡¯ll see myself out.¡±
Von had read the situation and exited the room, leaving Henry and Ten at the table.
¡°Let¡¯s have a drink first.¡±
Clink!
The slightly melted ice gave the whisky a good vor. After a short while, Henry put down his ss.
¡°Ten.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°Do you hate me?¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡±
¡°It would be useless for me to apologize, right?¡±
¡°It¡¯s toote to apologize now.¡±
¡°Why? Isn¡¯t it better than what you expected? The fighting arena is still running well and you¡¯re getting paid regrly.¡±
¡°Are you making fun of me right now?¡±
Theme jokes hade and gone for a while now, but half of those jokes had been sincere. It was reasonable for Ten to hate Henry because if it hadn¡¯t been for Henry, he would have lived with the glory of his past for a long time.
The two of them shared another drink. After Henry took his lips off his ss, he looked at Ten for a while without saying anything. In the end, Ten couldn¡¯t help but ask about Henry¡¯s intentions.
¡°...Is there something you¡¯d like to say?¡±
With a serious look on his face, Henry replied, ¡°Ten, I am thinking of expanding my business.¡±
¡°And?¡±
¡°I am confident I can expand it, but not that I can look after it. Do you know what this means?¡±
Ten was a quick-witted merchant and understood right away.
¡°Are you asking me to look after the business?¡±
¡°As expected of you. I like you because you are quick-witted.¡±
¡°No, I need to get this straight first. Aren¡¯t you going to do as you please with me anyway as long as I have a debt to repay, Sir Henry?¡±
¡°That is true, but I don¡¯t like such a narrow-minded approach to rtionships, that¡¯s why I¡¯m taking this opportunity to start something new.¡±
¡°I have no idea why you¡¯re talking about this. Is there more to our rtionship than debtor and creditor?¡±
¡°No, there isn¡¯t, which is why I¡¯m saying that we should make our rtionship more than that.¡±
¡°What?¡±
Ten was a smart man, but he could not understand Henry at all. A rtionship based on debt was doomed from the start, how could it be remade?
Henry began to reveal his thoughts.
¡°From what you see, what do you think my intentions are?¡±
¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know. It seems like you want to make arge sum of money, but at the same time, you aren¡¯t obsessed with money. Also, you recently said out of the blue that you want to create a mercenary corps, so I really have no idea.¡±
¡°If I told you my true intentions, would you rethink our rtionship?¡±
¡°...What in the world do you want? Why are you trying to create so much anticipation?¡±
¡°To conquer the continent.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°My dream is to conquer the continent, and the Million Gold battle stadium and Million mercenaries are just the first steps toward that dream.¡±
Ten¡¯s mind grewpletely nk at the unexpected words.
¡°Are you serious?¡±
¡°I¡¯m always serious.¡±
Henry smirked at Ten¡¯s reaction.
¡°It¡¯s just something symbolic, so don¡¯t think about it too much. Anyway, that is why I need more strength and money. So, Ten, how about bingrades that share the same goal instead of debtor and creditor?¡±
¡°Comrades, you say¡¡±
¡°Yes, I want you to be myrade. Hagler, Sir Von, and Mayor Vant are with me already.¡±
¡°Myrade.¡± The words could be interpreted in many different ways, but spoken in the same breath as ¡°conquer the continent,¡± the words ¡°myrade¡± held a great significance.
Instead of answering, Ten stared into Henry¡¯s eyes.
Henry Morris. He was truly an extraordinary man. He had broken down his long-lost trade secrets and even convinced Mayor Vant, the master of the city, toe to his side. In addition, he even recruited Von from the Imperial Pce as a mercenary.
Ten believed that he was a great man himself, but after meeting Henry, he hade to realize how foolish that belief was.
Henry continued, ¡°I¡¯m not sure howrge the Million Gold battle stadium will grow, but when I achieve my goal, I will give you all of my established businesses. What do you say, isn¡¯t it a pretty good deal?¡±
¡°All of them?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t be so shocked, there aren¡¯t any established businesses yet.¡±
Ten had almost fallen for it, but as Henry said, there weren¡¯t any established businesses yet. Nevertheless, Ten could see the real possibility of iting to pass in the future.
¡°Right now, I need apetent manager to run the business on my behalf. For example, a man like the manager of the Million Gold battle stadium, who has kept his position in the highlypetitive town of Vivaldi.¡±
¡°What¡¯s the point? It was mere seconds before its copse.¡±
¡°It was inevitable because I¡¯d taken action. It doesn¡¯t matter who it was, the result would have still been the same.¡±
He was clearly only trying to tter Ten, but Ten was bing convinced for some odd reason.
¡°Join me, Ten. If you do, I promise to make you the greatest Golden King in the continent to match the name of the Million Gold battle stadium.¡±
¡®Golden King!¡¯
As soon as the words ¡°Golden King¡± came out of Henry¡¯s mouth, Ten waspletely convinced.
¡°Alright. I have nothing to lose anyway, so let''s work together.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll be in your hands, future Golden King.¡±
¡°Ha ha, no need to call me Golden King¡ What an embarrassing title.¡±
However, his expression belied his words. He was no longer Henry¡¯s debtor but hisrade.
¡®How cute.¡¯
Even though Ten was a middle-aged man, Henry had lived twice as long, so to Henry¡¯s eyes, Ten¡¯s embarrassment looked cute.
¡®Now that I¡¯ve got Ten on my side, I can take a breather.¡¯
Ten was the type of person to sumb to the temptation of money, but Henry needed someone talented like him who would consider Henry¡¯s job as his own and bring him more benefits.
Ten¡¯s emotions would be unmanageable if money were his only motivating factor, and Henry didn¡¯t want Ten to grow passive like that. That was why he¡¯d prepared a contrived situation for their discussion¨Csomething that only mercenaries usually did¡ªeven though it was a little awkward.
Even though it was embarrassing, it was worth it to convince him.
¡°Then shall we now start talking about the business?¡±
Now that they were walking the same path, the two filled their sses with whisky.
* * *
As soon as the sun rose, Henry and Ten looked for the most famous chamber ofmerce in Vivaldi.
¡°Is it here?¡±
¡°Yes. This is the secondrgest chamber ofmerce in the empire, the Golden Pit.¡±
Since Ten was already Henry¡¯srade, Henry had told him almost everything that had happened in Enkelmann. He did not mention that he was the Archmage¡¯s disciple, but he told Ten about the city agreement and professional management team.
As soon as they woke, the two visited the Golden Pit to set up the management team first. However, their request for help to manage Enkelmann was met with a disappointing response..
¡°Since this is an independent city, it will take an astronomical amount of money to put together that kind of management team. If you don¡¯t have the cash to pay upfront, you can use the taxes you collect instead,¡± the Golden Pit¡¯s sub-master suggested. However, it was an impossible conditionying hands on the city¡¯s taxes was nothing more than embezzlement.
¡°It seems like we have to give up asking the chamber ofmerce for help.¡±
¡°But where else can we find an ountant and a professional administrator?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not sure¡ If only there were another recruitment center like this, what a shame.¡± They were despondent.
¡°I agree. If there was a recruitment center with a wide range of jobs, we wouldn''t have to resort to the chamber ofmerce¡ hmm, recruitment center?¡± Although it was just wishful thinking,
Ten¡¯s eyes brightened.
¡°There is a recruitment center.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°We need an ountant and an administrator, right?¡±
¡°Yes, that¡¯s true but the ountant should at least have a license.¡±
¡°If that¡¯s the case, you don¡¯t have to worry. There are former ountants and administrators even among lowlifes.¡±
Ten hade up with a brilliant idea, and he took Henry to the back alleys of Vivaldi.
¡°What is this ce? I¡¯ve never seen it before.¡±
¡°It¡¯s officially called the Banish Alley, but we businessmen usually call it the Private Loan Alley.¡±
¡°Private Loan Alley?¡±
Banish Alley, moremonly known as Private Loan Alley, had the highest concentration of loan sharks in Vivaldi.
Ten had gone there for a simple reason: the ce was filled with people who¡¯d lost their assets on entertainment and gambling, had taken out private loans, and lost that money too. Their lives were at risk because they couldn¡¯t pay back the money.
Ten suggested hiring the ountants and administrators among those whose lives were in danger.
¡°Hmm, it¡¯s not a bad idea, but let¡¯s look at the state of the people there first before making a decision.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
They were on a hunt to find long-term employees, so they had to be selective.
Soon, they made their way to Arms of the Angel, which was run by Haisha, a private loan shark that Ten was somewhat close to.
Chapter 56: My Comrade (3)
Chapter 56: My Comrade (3)
Arms of the Angel. It was an amusing name for a private loan business, but then, the name also possessed a terrifying implication: being in the arms of an angel meant dying.
The Arms of the Angel was notorious enough to be among the top three best-known businesses in Vivaldi. The office itself was inside a massive building. There were gangsters on the first floor who appeared to be the employees; they were likely in charge of collecting money. They were ying cards as if they were at a bar.
¡°Is Haisha here?¡±
When Ten called out the boss¡¯s name, a gangster who looked quite decent approached Ten and lowered his head. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, what brings you here?¡±
¡°I am here to see your boss, of course. Haisha is upstairs, right?¡±
¡°Yes he is but¡ Are you here to borrow money?¡±
¡°Do I have to tell you that?¡±
¡°If you¡¯re here for a loan, we can help you. The boss cannot meet people right now.¡±
¡°Why? Did something happen to Haisha?¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s not that, but the boss ordered us to not let random people go up to his office.¡±
¡°What?¡±
Ten was known as one of the richest people in the town, even the gangster knew that. Furthermore, Ten and Haisha were old drinking buddies. It was natural that Ten would be irritated when a mere employee called him a nobody.
¡°What kind of nonsense is this?¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Are you really asking me that? Do you not know who I am?¡±
¡°I do know. You were once the richest man in town, but now you arepletely broke. Am I wrong?¡±
¡°What¡?¡± Ten was speechless.
The gangster continued, ¡°I¡¯ve already heard the news, sir. I heard that the championship defense match you held about a month ago was aplete failure and you are in huge debt right now¡ Isn¡¯t that correct?¡±
¡°Haha, I guess even the Million Gold battle stadium can be doomed.¡±
¡°I heard that those who make a fortune through spection also find their ruin through spection, I guess it¡¯s true.¡±
¡°What is that old man doing here? Is he here to borrow money for a cigarette?¡±
The air was filled with mockery.
They did say that rumors traveled fast, but Ten thought that he had quietly taken care of the situation, and he hadn¡¯t expected that this would happen anyway.
¡°So?¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°From the unprofessional way you talk to people, it¡¯s no wonder you¡¯re a gangster¡ No matter how much of a failure I am, do you think I can¡¯t take care of lowly scum like you?¡±
¡°Haha, I think your jokes are crossing the line, sir.¡±
¡°You can see for yourself whether I¡¯m joking or not. Now move, I don¡¯t have time to waste chatting with you.¡±
¡°Hey, I told you that our boss doesn¡¯t meet with random people.¡±
The man stood firmly, blocking Ten.
¡°Sir Henry,¡± said Ten.
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Please go ahead.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
Snap!
¡°Aargh!¡±
Henry snapped the man¡¯s arm in an instant, bending it at an unnatural angle. He then twisted the man¡¯s broken arm once more and stomped on it for good measure, breaking the bone all the way through.
¡°B-brother!¡±
¡°They hurt our brother!¡±
¡°Come on, get them!¡±
¡°That bastard!¡±
The reactions were immediate. As soon as they saw Henry break theirpanion¡¯s arm, the rest of the gangsters grabbed the weapons at their waists and charged at the same time. In response, Henry unsheathed his sword and swung it around like a club.
Thud!Bang!Whack!
At first nce, it looked like Henry was fighting defensively, but it became clear that he was overpowering everyone else. Henry¡¯s movements were like a flowing river. No matter how many gangsters attacked him, he dodged and slid in between them, confusing them.
¡°Kill him!¡±
¡°What are you waiting for? Get him!¡±
As soon as the fight began, Ten took a few steps back and disappeared. Henry would have protected him even if he didn¡¯t leave, but this was Ten¡¯s way of showing consideration so that Henry could y more freely.
A long whileter, Henry crippled thest gangster by breaking his cervical vertebrae.
¡°Arrgh¡!¡±
Most of the people on the ground could still move, but when they saw Henry knock down dozens, they realized that they couldn¡¯tpare to him at all.
¡°Have you finished?¡±
¡°Pretty much.¡±
Only when the fight was over did Ten reappear with his hands behind his back. He pointed at the nearest gangster with his chin and said, ¡°Hey, you.¡±
¡°Y-yes! Is there anything you need?¡±
¡°Bring your boss here.¡±
¡°Y-yes, of course!¡±
The gangster had a broken arm and a dislocated shoulder, but he still hurried to the second floor, his arm dangling powerlessly at his side.
¡°What in the world happened?¡± Not long after, a voice filled with irritation and surprise came from upstairs.
¡°H-hey, what the hell is going on?!¡± Haisha¡¯s voice said.
One could only wonder what he had been up to since he was wearing a gown that revealed his saggy chest. As soon as he saw his employees knocked out on the floor, the cigarette in his mouth fell to the ground.
Ten looked Haisha straight in the eye. ¡°Haisha, why don¡¯t we have a word?¡±
* * *
¡°It¡¯s my fault for not disciplining my employees properly¡¡± Unlike the gangsters, Haisha was quick to grasp the situation, perhaps because he was a man who dealt with money himself.
As Ten requested, he led the two visitors to an underground prison where they kept vicious debtors.
nk!
As the massive iron door opened, the stairs leading underground appeared. The basement was so dark that they could not see even one inch in front of them; however, when Haisha touched the wall, some sort of device activated and the room brightened. The vicious debtors hidden in the darkness appeared.
¡®These are all debtors?¡¯?They were men and women of all ages with haggard faces and wearing shabby clothing.
As Haisha appeared in the light, the imprisoned debtors began to reach out from between the bars like zombies.
¡°S-sir Haisha!¡±
¡°Sir Haisha! Please let us out!¡±
It was a terrible sight.
Henry and Ten looked at them silently, frowning. The prisoners¡¯ faces were lifeless and their eyes were unfocused. Some were covered in wounds¡ªnot from abuse, but from self-harm because they couldn¡¯t satisfy their desire to gamble.
Sweating, Haisha approached the iron bars and picked out the people that Henry had asked for.
¡°You, you, you, and you. Come out.¡±
The expressions of those who had been chosen contrasted greatly with the expressions of the ones who hadn¡¯t been. The four men dragged their chains out of the prison cell. Henry pointed at the youngest-looking man. ¡°He looks so young, what is he doing in here?¡±
¡°He was a genius ountant that all the chambers ofmerce wanted.¡±
¡°And?¡±
¡°He was very gullible. He screwed over more than just a couple of businesses because he tried to do the job of a businessman when he was merely an ountant.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
The man couldn¡¯t hold back his shame and lowered his head. Henry walked up to him. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±
¡°M-my name is Harris¡¡±
¡°Alright, Harris, what do you think about working for me?¡±
¡°...What?¡±
¡°Work for me. If you decide to work for me, I will take you out of here. If not, that''s fine with me too.¡±
¡°Y-yes! Please let me work for you, I beg you!¡±
¡°Good choice.¡±
Caterpirs lived on pine needles, and Henry decided to be a pine needle so that the caterpirs would no longer wander away.
Harris began to weep at the unexpected salvation. It was truly a miracle. He had thought that he would rot in the underground prison all his life or end up as a ve in a coal mine, but he had been rescued. This applied to the other three as well.
Henry offered a job to them, and just like Harris, everyone desperately nodded when they were presented with the chance to work for Henry. As Henry was about to wrap up his speech, he suddenly remembered one other problem. ¡°Ah, by the way! Is there anyone that¡¯s in here because they have been caught with gambling debt?¡±
One of the four people employed raised his hand.
¡°You¡¯re fired.¡±
¡°W-what? W-what¡¯s the reason?¡±
¡°I don''t trust people who gamble or do drugs.¡±
Henry believed that most people would not repeat an irreversible mistake if they were given a chance to make up for it. ¡®Because that¡¯s how I¡¯m living my life right now.¡¯?However, drugs and gambling werepletely different from ordinary life problems. Henry decided to exclude people who had these issues from the beginning to protect his assets. At any rate, Henry was done recruiting.
¡°How much are they?¡±
¡°J-just take them, consider it as proof of my sincerity.¡±
¡°Is that so? Then I won¡¯t refuse.¡±
¡°T-thank you¡!¡±
It was only then that Haisha realized that the rumors werepletely wrong. The Million Gold battle stadium, rumored to bepletely ruined, still had its reputation and Ten even had a champion swordsman as his escort. Thus, Haisha just wanted to get those men out of sight as soon as possible. However¡
¡°Now, should we discuss theundry bill?¡±
¡°W-what do you mean?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you see this? These bloodstains on my clothes are there because your men ganged up on me. This is expensive to clean, how are you going topensate me for it?¡±
¡°O-of course! I will pay for the damages!¡±
¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡±
¡°W-what¡?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t need money. Hand over all the debtors in that prison to me.¡±
¡°I-I can¡¯t do that! If I let them all go, the bnce of payments won¡¯t add up¡!¡±
¡°I almost lost my life because of your employees. Shall I getpensation for my clothes and?my life?¡±
Thanks to Henry¡¯spelling argument, he managed to get everyone out of the prison. Although they did not have the skills that Henry wanted, it did not mean that they did not deserve a second chance. Henry decided to give them that chance.
¡°Now, let''s head to the next shop.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
With their businessplete, the two led the group of debtors out of the underground prison.
Chapter 57: My Comrade (4)
Chapter 57: My Comrade (4)
¡°What is that?¡±
¡°Why are there so many beggars?¡±
¡°Is there a festival going on somewhere?¡±
By the time the two left Banish Alley a few hourster, Henry had already rescued hundreds of debtors.
¡°S-sunlight¡!¡±
¡°Thank you, thank you so much¡¡±
¡°Sniff, I will never do anything even close to gambling.¡±
¡°Sniff, sniff¡¡±
Although the reactions were all different, most of them shed tears of happiness when they saw the longed-for sunshine.
¡°Why don¡¯t you go ahead and say something to them?¡±
¡°There¡¯s no need. Everyone lives their own life ording to how they want to live it. If they¡¯re smart enough, they won¡¯t make the same mistake twice.¡±
Even though Henry had saved them all, he didn¡¯t want to show it off.
* * *
Henry went to a clothing shop with the ountant and administrator that he had hired. The reason for the visit was simple: it was impossible for the new hires to go straight to work wearing a suit when they hade from nothing.
Henry and his beggars arrived at Shuzume, the shop that he had previously visited. Henry left the beggars outside to wait while he went inside the store and asked for an employee.
¡°Wee. Oh, aren¡¯t you the officer that visitedst time?¡± The manager noticed Henry as soon as he entered the store, and she put on a smile and greeted him first.
¡°Have you been well, manager?¡±
¡°Haha, I¡¯m always good but what¡¯s the reason for your visit today? Are you here to buy Sylvia¡¯s clothes again?
¡°That¡¯s right, but I¡¯m going to need dozens of outfits.¡±
¡°D-dozens?¡±
¡°They¡¯re not for me, I¡¯m buying them for my employees.¡±
¡°Oh I see, now that I look carefully, you¡¯re a boss, not an officer, haha. Where are the employees? I will measure each one carefully and find the clothes that will fit them best.¡±
¡°Then I¡¯ll ce my trust in you and leave everything up to you.¡±
¡°Of course! I will think of them as my family and give it my all!¡±
¡°You heard that, right, Ten?¡¯
¡°Yes.¡±
Themission from selling more than a dozen sets of Sylvia¡¯s clothing was more than enough to buy a piece of jewelry from the same designer. Schlibiatz¡¯s spirit zed. This time, she didn¡¯t want to miss the opportunity to meet Henry¡¯s expectations, and she armed herself with kindness from start to finish.
However, when Ten brought in Henry¡¯s employees, Schlibiatz¡¯s face began to twist in disgust. ¡°W-who are these people?¡±
¡°What do you mean by that? They¡¯re my employees. Why? Is there a problem?¡±
¡°N-no, of course not. It''s just that¡¡±
Their eyes were lifeless, they had scars all over their bodies, their clothes were practically dirty rags, their ribs were showing, and most importantly, a deadly odor that smelled like garbage rose from their bodies. Unfortunately, she was germaphobic.
¡®Put up with it. I have to put up with it.¡¯
She was disgusted to the point of trembling, but she kept a bright smile on and put the measuring tape on the man who looked the least dirty first. However, things did not go the way she expected.
¡°Argh.¡±
¡°Ahhhhh!¡±
As soon as she put the measuring tape onto the man¡¯s chest, she identally touched a wound hidden under his clothes.
The man groaned, and in response, Schlibiatz screamed piercingly, as if she had encountered a pervert.
¡®Tsk, she hasn¡¯t changed one bit.¡¯?Henry clucked his tongue once more as he looked at her.
Then, he heard someone calling him.
¡°Officer, how are you?¡±
¡°Hmm? Oh! Aren¡¯t you Miss Camie?¡±
¡°Thank you for remembering. If you don¡¯t mind, can I pick the clothes for your employees on behalf of the manager?¡¯
¡°You want to?¡±
¡°I¡¯m also an employee here. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to do it.¡±
Camie had been quietly working and arranging clothes nearby. After politely getting Henry¡¯s permission, she took the measurements of all the employees one by one without showing any sign of disgust. Then, she quickly brought out clothes in the right sizes. Thanks to Camie, Henry was able to finish shopping much faster than he had expected.
¡°You have been very helpful this time as well. Thank you.¡±
¡°No worries. I only did what¡¯s required of me as an employee. Thank you so much for visiting Shuzume once again.¡± She showed a friendly attitude until the end.
Henry was satisfied because this was the best service that he had received recently. Henry wrote her name on the receipt once again and gave it to her. This would earn her a hugemission.
¡°Thank you,e again.¡± She smiled widely as she took the receipt and waved farewell gratefully. However, Henry was not satisfied with just the receipt, so he took a tinum coin from his pocket and offered it to her.
¡°Miss Camie, this is a tip.¡±
¡°What? This is too much.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no need to feel pressure. You deserve this for the kindness you have shown me. I hope to continue receiving the same kind of service in the future.¡±
¡°Well, of course! Thank you, thank you so much!¡±
After Henry finished paying, he and his employees left the store. They went to purchase the best ties and dress shoes to match the designer suits they had just bought, and then Henry brought them to a public bathing area. Of course, the owner of the bathhouse did not look pleased.
He had just changed the water this morning, but due to the sudden arrival of the beggars, all the present customers left swearing andining.
¡°I apologize for this. Topensate, I will pay for today¡¯s projected sales and water bill.¡±
¡°W-what?¡±
Henry wanted to fullypensate the owner since they were interfering with his business. After some time, the employees emerged from the bath and changed into their new clothes. They now appeared in front of Henry as ountants and administrators instead of homeless debtors.
¡°Oh, wow.¡±
They had only cleaned themselves of filth and dressed properly, but they now had the respectable auras unique to their profession. Ten gasped in admiration when he saw them.
¡°Thank you, my lord.¡±
The employees with a new lease on life rushed to express their appreciation to Henry, happiness clearly written on their faces.
¡°Isn¡¯t it time to get to work now?¡±
¡°Yes! Whatever the work is, leave it up to us!¡±
They all headed back to Ten¡¯s ce as the employees continued to shower Henry with gratitude. Now that Henry had hired people with great talent, it was time to put them to the right tasks.
* * *
¡°Is this the agreement?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
Henry visited Mayor Vant with the written agreement that his employees had worked for the past few days.
¡°The agreement is simpler than I expected.¡±
¡°That is because we can¡¯t start a big business as soon as we sign the agreement. But don¡¯t worry too much about that, because I have already prepared plenty of business ns to implement after the agreement.¡±
¡°Is that so¡¡±
There really wasn¡¯t a choice. After Vant briefly looked over the details of the agreement, he took out a seal from the drawer and stamped it.
¡°Please take good care of this so that there are no damages.¡±
¡°You can rest assured there won¡¯t ever be a situation that will cause you worry.¡±
¡°Of course, I trust you, Sir Henry¡ Anyway, are you done with your recruitment?¡±
¡°Yes. Have you finished calcting the taxes?¡±
¡°Thanks to the ountant you sent me, I finished them much faster than I had expected.¡±
¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±
A few dayster, the short-term recruitment announcement of the Million Corps finally ended. Many people were disappointed, but Hagler was still the only one who had passed the test.
¡®I can¡¯t believe that there are so many ipetent people.¡¯
It was unfortunate, but there was nothing Henry could do. He was d that he had found at least one person.
¡°How much have we made?¡±
¡°We earned 123,741 gold in special taxes alone.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not much.¡±
¡°What? This is not a small amount at all. Never in the history of Vivaldi have we collected such arge amount of taxes in such a short period of time.¡±
They had earned more than 120,000 gold from the newly added special tax alone. It was clear that 120,000 gold was a huge ie, given that the total tax earned per month was only 50,000 gold. But to Henry, it felt like child¡¯s y.
¡°Thank you for your hard work, mayor. Still, I worked so hard but only earned 120,000 gold¡ Next time, I think we need to increase our scale a little more.¡±
¡®That psycho¡¡¯
Even few aristocrats thought of 120,000 gold as a small amount.
¡°Come in,¡± said Henry.
Harris had been waiting outside with a bag of documents, and as he walked in, he said, ¡°Greetings! My name is Harris and I¡¯m the chief ountant on our ounting team. Nice to meet you, mayor.¡±
Harris looked like apletely different man from when he¡¯d been in prison. He looked efficient and rxed. Henry had appointed him as the chief ountant because he was indeed a genius, just as Haisha had said.
¡°Here are the documents you asked for.¡± Harris opened his bag, showing the documents stuffed inside.
¡°What is that?¡± asked Van.
¡°It''s a ledger with a separate record of the special taxes collected from the Million Gold battle stadium over the past month.¡±
¡°What? Why would you record that separately?¡±
¡°After a brief calction, 90,000 of the 120,000 gold was from the Million Gold battle stadium.¡±
¡°And?¡±
¡°What do you mean ¡®and¡¯? Did you intend to send the 120,000 gold we earned to the empire?¡±
¡°Huh¡?¡±
¡°...You are much more naive than I thought. Our employees will take care of it anyway, but if you don¡¯t specify in the ledger the name of thepany from which you collected the special taxes, they won¡¯t know where and how much you¡¯ve collected.¡±
Thanks to Henry¡¯s patient exnation, Vant finally understood what Henry was trying to say. Simply put, he was embezzling the taxes by manipting the ledger.
¡°The Million Gold battle stadium is thergest stadium in town. If we destroy some of the special tax ledgers recorded separately from the Million Gold battle stadium, we¡¯ll make some easy money.¡±
Henry then burned all the documents that Harris had brought.
¡°The bundle of documents that I just burned are almost half of the ledgers that we have.¡±
¡°T-then how much was that¡?¡±
¡°Rounding up, I would say that was around 50,000 gold.¡±
¡°F-fifty thousand gold!¡±
In an instant, they had created a slush fund of 50,000 gold.
As he swept the ashes of the burnt document to the garbage can, Henry said, ¡°Ten thousand gold.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°For your hard work, I will pay you 10,000 gold.¡±
¡°W-what? All that for me?¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t I say that I would give you a proper share? Or is it not enough?¡±
¡°N-no of course it is! It¡¯s more than enough! Thank you very much.¡±
Vant¡¯s jaw could not drop any lower. The amount was beyond hisprehension.
Ten thousand gold! Even the prizes he¡¯d won as a chess yer and the sry he earned as a mayorbined didn¡¯t add up to 10,000 gold, and Henry had given him that amount so casually.
¡®Now that you know the taste of money, you¡¯ll stay loyal to me until you die.¡¯
Now that he had Ten on his side, Henry¡¯s next target was Vant. Baiting him with sweet rewards was a much wiser option than threatening his weak points. Henry smiled at Vant¡¯s joyful face.
Chapter 58: Salgaera (1)
Chapter 58: Salgaera (1)
On the second day, Henry finished helping Harz with the professional management team for Enkelmann. Von was also ready to depart.
¡°I¡¯ll leave it in your good hands.¡±
¡°We will be back soon.¡±
Von left the city with the management team, holding the agreement in his arms. All the promises had been fulfilled, and the new n had been implemented within the agreed timeframe.
As Ten saw Von off, he asked Henry, ¡°Sir Henry, what is the next step?¡±
¡°Next step? Aren¡¯t you a little too ambitious?¡±
¡°Haha, if you¡¯re going to conquer the continent, every second spent doing nothing is a second wasted.¡±
Since his status had been elevated from a poor debtor to the future Golden King, Ten¡¯s motivation skyrocketed. Henryughed and said, ¡°I''m thinking of going to Salgaera for a bit.¡±
¡°Do you mean the?Salgaera in the north?¡±
¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to look for someone.¡±
¡°Huh? As far as I know, only exiles live there¡ Is there any ce on the continent where you don¡¯t know anyone?¡± Ten¡¯s expression seemed to wonder why such a young man would have so many connections.
¡°Of course I know that only exiles can enter Salgaera and that in order to get to Salgaera, you have to pass through the n Gorge.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. The Imperial Army has set up checkpoints at the entrance to the n Gorge and controls all ess to it. Since you know so much about the ce, how do you n to enter Salgaera?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll use this, obviously.¡± Henry put his index finger and thumb together to form the shape of a coin.
¡°You mean you¡¯re going to bribe them?¡±
¡°The tougher a workce is, the looser the discipline. Oh, except for the unit I¡¯m from, of course.¡±
¡°Haha, I heard that all people from the Imperial Army say that their unit is the hardest in the world, I guess you¡¯re a perfect example of that.¡±
¡°That¡¯s what people who have never experienced real hardship say.¡± Henry smiled, proud of his former military unit.
Ten nodded half-heartedly and said, ¡°Is that so? By the way, Sir Henry, wouldn''t it be more efficient if there were a way to legally enter Salgaera without bribing anyone?¡±
¡°Probably?¡±
¡°If that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t you give the Mercenary Guild a visit, just in case?¡±
¡°Why the Mercenary Guild?¡±
¡°You never know, there might be amission from someone who is allowed to enter Salgaera. For example, escorting a merchant or something like that.¡±
It was a pretty good suggestion. Henry nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s a good suggestion. I have to stop by the Mercenary Guild anyway to register the Million Corps.¡±
¡°I will go with you, since I have some connections to the Mercenary Guild.¡±
¡°Huh? Do you?¡±
* * *
Mercenary Guild, Vivaldi Town Branch.
The Mercenary Guild was a state organization operated by the empire in order to efficiently manage the new mercenaries and review requests every year.
¡®I may be the one who built it, but even I have to admit it¡¯s well done.¡¯ Henry had been the one to suggest that the empire manage the Mercenary Guild.
When they arrived at the Mercenary Guild, Henry and Ten filled out the documents for the registration of the Million Corps.
¡°Please wait here for a moment.¡±
When Henry was done filling out the form, Ten grabbed the documents and left. After a few moments, he came back with a smile on his face.
¡°What were you doing?¡±
¡°I met the branch manager.¡±
¡°Branch manager?¡±
¡°I told you that I knew someone here: the branch manager.¡±
¡°Really? You have a goodwork.¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
¡°So, how did it go?¡±
¡°My prediction was right. They do have amission that can take you to Salgaera.¡±
It was good news. The two moved to a quieter ce to continue their conversation.
¡°What kind ofmission is it?¡±
¡°For now, it¡¯s a simple escort service for a merchant, but the rtionship between the merchants and the imperial forces is a littleplex.¡±
¡°Complex?¡±
¡°A privatepany is requesting the merchant escort service, but this privatepany is supposedly working for the empire.¡±
¡°What kind of work do they do?
¡°They just transport supplies. Since Salgaera is such a barren ce, the empire seems to constantly send supplies to deal with the issues around food, clothing, and shelter.¡±
¡°If they have to send them supplies after banishing them, maybe they shouldn¡¯t exile them in the first ce¡¡±
¡°Even prisoners get fed, I think it¡¯s a simr concept.¡±
He was right, but it was still unpleasant to hear.
¡°But why does the empire have to entrust a privatepany to transport supplies? Can¡¯t they do it themselves?¡±
¡°I heard that they entrusted it to a smallpany in Vivaldi close to Salgaera in order to cut down costs.¡±
It did not make sense at all since they would have had to pay more tomission anotherpany to do their work, not to mention that it was an imperial order.
¡®What in the world are they up to?¡¯
It would be more efficient to use the imperial forces to buy and transport supplies from merchants that had signed a military agreement. Going about things in such a convoluted way meant that they had an ulterior motive.
¡°Anyway, they said they need guards to help with supplies delivery, but apparently they have already selected the guards.¡±
¡°What do we do now?¡±
¡°Eh, have you forgotten who I am? I¡¯m Ten, the guy who makes the impossible possible. The branch manager said that he would lend us a hand. Apparently, they are nning to leave first thing tomorrow morning, so the timing is just right.¡±
¡°Is that so? That¡¯s perfect.¡±
¡°Ah, also, I managed to get the Million Corps ranked as ss B.¡±
¡°Having a connection to the branch manager sure is good. ss B in just a day. Great work.¡±
Ten handed Henry the documents that he had received, along with a mercenary card that proved that the Million Corps was a ss B mercenary organization.
¡°They said that it will take some time to manufacture the mercenary badges, so you can use this temporary card for now.¡±
¡°All right, by the way¡ Painted Merchants? Are they the ones who¡¯ve taken charge of the supplies delivery?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
¡°Okay, let¡¯s leave it at that for now. I¡¯ll take care of the preparations before our departure, you let Hagler know.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
Some aspects of the job didn¡¯t make sense, but other than that, everything else was going smoothly. Henry sent Ten back to the mansion first and then began preparing to leave for Salgaera.
* * *
To mark Hagler¡¯s firstmission, Henry gave him a good horse as a present. He also enchanted the horse to raise it to his standards, just as he had done with his own.
¡®He will be with us for a long time, so this investment should be worth it.¡¯
Henry also purchased all kinds of new armor and weapons, including swords, and gave him plenty of winter supplies in preparation for the cold in Salgaera.
¡°...Sir, is it okay for you to give me this?¡±
¡°Why? Do you need more?¡±
¡°N-no! This is more than enough!¡±
¡°There¡¯s no need to feel pressure. Good equipment is more important for mercenaries than for any other profession. Plus, I promised that you would get the best treatment in the industry when I recruited you.¡±
Hagler was once again moved by Henry¡¯s words.It was quite arge amount to spend on just one employee, but to Henry, it was just a drop in the bucket.
After all the inspections werepleted, the two were ready to leave through the east gate.
* * *
The east gate was livelier in the morning than Henry expected, with many merchants leaving for long trips.
Henry and his party found the Painted Merchants easily. Henry approached a man lighting a cigarette as he sat in front of a carriage and asked, ¡°By any chance, do you happen to be an employee of the Painted Merchants?¡±
¡°I¡¯m the owner, Munke. Who are you?¡±
¡°My name is Henry, the leader of the Million Corps. I will be joining you as an escort today.¡±
Henry presented the guild¡¯s documents, but without even taking a look at the documents, Munke frowned and said, ¡°Is it just the two of you?¡±
¡°Yes, it is.¡±
¡°I heard that they were short on people, but I didn¡¯t know there were only going to be two¡¡±
Although the branch manager had told him in advance, Munke looked quite disappointed. It was natural since quantity was more important than quality when it came to armed escorts.
¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much. I can guarantee that both of us are quite skilled.¡±
¡°Your skills aside, you¡¯re not only escorting us; you¡¯ll also be helping us move the supplies. Do you really think that two people will do?¡±
¡°Yes, it¡¯s possible.¡±
¡°Well¡ I guess that¡¯ll have to do for now. They¡¯ve already epted your help, so I can¡¯t refuse. Since we¡¯ve received more help than we expected, the payment will be a little less.¡±
¡°I understand.¡±
Munke then informed them of the little details that they needed to know, including meal times.
Then, he introduced the leader of the mercenary corps that had been joined before they did.
¡°Introduce yourselves to each other. This is Vy, the leader of the Hound Corps.¡±
Vy was just over the age of thirty, an expert mercenary ranked B. He was a man with ambition who was once a member of arge mercenary corps, but he had immediately set up one of his own as soon as he had reached ss B.
¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Vy.¡±
¡°My name is Henry.¡±
¡°I was quite nervous because I heard that the Million Corps would join us¡ But don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s just the two of you?¡±
¡°And if it is?¡±
¡°Haha, I was wondering what kind of amazing mercenary corps they were setting up when they posted such arge recruitment announcement, but I guess the saying that great boastse with small roasts is true.¡±
¡°Hahaha.¡±
¡°Did you hear that? It¡¯s only two people.¡±
¡°Can you even call that a mercenary corps?¡±
Thanks to therge recruitment announcement, the Million Corps was already famous, even though they hadn¡¯t epted any missions yet. Henry quickly nced at Vy¡¯s subordinates, who were gossiping in the background. He responded, unfazed, ¡°Didn¡¯t you take the recruitment exam for our mercenary corps?¡±
¡°W-what?¡± Vy almost choked. Indeed, Vy and his men were all candidates who had failed the first test.
Henry smirked.?¡°Oh, was I wrong? Sorry.¡±
Even without a response, it was clear that Henry was right. As soon as Henry smirked, Vy¡¯s face turned red with rage.
¡°Both of you, stop! The contract stiptes that if I¡¯m harmed by any form of internal dispute, I will formally charge you a penalty, so be careful!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, that won¡¯t happen. Now, why don¡¯t we start moving?¡± Henry reassured Munke with a steady smile.
¡®Ugh! How dare that damn bastard!¡¯?Due to the penalty, Vy also had no choice but to stand down, but he was fuming with rage.
The merchant carriage then took off for the road.
* * *
¡°Hey, leader.¡±
¡°Yeah?¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t that guy the leader of the Million Corps? The Sword sh champion?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°I think it¡¯s him, especially since his name is Henry.¡±
¡°How do you know that?¡±
¡°I lost some money.¡±
During the journey, the merchants talked among themselves, just as the mercenaries also talked among themselves. Vy managed to learn more about Henry''s reputation.
Another subordinate said, ¡°I saw him then too. He was a really good fighter.¡±
¡°Sword sh isn¡¯t real fighting, it¡¯s just shing swords against each other.¡±
¡°Hey, even Sword sh bes very fierce when you get to the championship stage.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
Vy¡¯s subordinates started to be rowdy.
¡°Everyone, be quiet! Do you think mercenary work is the same as children¡¯s swordy? Don¡¯t you know that when ites to mercenaries, quantity is more important than individual strength?¡±
¡°Is that so?¡±
¡°No, our leader¡¯s right. Three people are always better than two, and four people are always better than three.¡±
¡°They¡¯d better not hold us from doing our job.¡±
¡°From the rumors I¡¯ve heard, the Mercenary Guild branch manager basically had to beg the merchant manager to let them in as an escort.¡±
¡°What? Then the branch manager was their way of getting in here?¡±
¡°The Million Corps is associated with the Million Gold battle stadium. No wonder they look shiny on the outside.¡±
The gossip turned into conspiracy theories, which quickly turned into unverified facts.
Hagler was listening, and he frowned and asked Henry, ¡°Boss, are you going to let them talk like that?¡±
However, even though he was the main topic of the conversation, Henry did not seem to care much.
¡°Just let them be. Nothing good will happen if we start another argument; we¡¯ll just incur a penalty. Let¡¯s just go peacefully.¡±
¡°But it¡¯s upsetting!¡±
¡°They say that empty vessels make the loudest noise. If you¡¯re patient, we¡¯ll have a chance to get back at them soon.¡±
However, after a few hours, Halger could no longer bear it and beat up Vy¡¯s men.
Chapter 59: Salgaera (2)
Chapter 59: Salgaera (2)
The incident happened around lunch time.
The Hound Corps had ridiculed Henry during the entire journey, which was still bearable, but when one of Vy¡¯s men purposely spilled Henry''s lunch, it was thest straw.
¡°I can¡¯t bear it any longer!¡± Hagler was fine with being mocked since he could ignore it, but he couldn¡¯t stand back and listen when it came to his lord. Hagler lost his temper and began to hit the person in charge of distributing the lunch trays.
¡°Hey! Someone stop him!¡±
¡°Damn, he¡¯s so strong!¡±
Halger possessed incredible strength when he was enraged. He was a big man, and with sufficient rest and nutrition, there was no way that the rtively smaller men could stop him.
¡°Tsk, how short-tempered.¡± Henry clucked his tongue as he looked at Hagler and observed the situation.
¡°Let go!¡± All thirty members of the Hound Corps could barely stop him.
Vy approached Henry in anger. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±
The Hound Corps had received significant injuries while trying to stop just one individual, and the person who¡¯d spilled Henry¡¯s lunch was in such serious condition that he couldn¡¯t even open his eyes.
Henry replied with a nonchnt look. ¡°Doing what?¡±
¡°Thanks to the ruckus that your subordinate caused, my subordinate is in that state!¡±
¡°And?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°What point are you trying to make?¡±
¡°What kind of question is that¡!¡± Vy wanted to say that he couldn¡¯t stop the ruckus on his own. He wanted to ask for help, but it was too embarrassing to say it. Finally, he couldn¡¯t hold his anger back any longer, and he ced his hand on the sword around his waist.
At that moment, Henry looked Vy straight in the eye and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±
Halt.?
Henry firmly cautioned Vy without even taking out his sword, but it felt more like a warning than a caution to Vy.
¡®H-how¡ is it possible for someone to have such a murderous look¡!¡¯?Both of his feet were frozen solid to the ground and his hands sweated profusely, as if he were naked and vulnerable in front of a beast.
Vy¡¯s hand onlysted a second on his sword. Henry chuckled when he saw that Vy was frozen in fear.
¡°Hagler.¡±
¡°Gasp¡ Yes?¡±
¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±
¡°Huff¡ Yes, Sir.¡±
Thud.
Hagler let out a long sigh and shook off his remaining opponents. As Hagler approached, Henry released his murderous look.
¡°Phew¡!¡± It was only then that Vy could breathe easily again. However, Vy didn¡¯t want to admit that he was afraid, even though it had only been a short moment. ¡°You...! I¡¯ll never let this slide.¡±
¡°Whatever.¡±
¡°Damn you¡!¡± Perhaps because he was gathering hisst bit of pride, Vy red at Henry until he was out of sight.
Hagler lowered his head. ¡°I apologize.¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay, just have a seat.¡±
Henry did not reprimand Hagler, since he was only doing his job. Henry sat Hagler down in front of him and took out a small bag.
¡°Sir, what are you doing?¡±
¡°We need to eat.¡±
¡°Huh? But why the bag¡¡±
¡°Have you ever heard of a subspace pouch?¡±
¡°What? Subspace pouch, you mean a magical pouch where you can store anything?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
Henry hadn¡¯t taken out a subspace pouch. It was just a regr supply bag, but small lies like this were necessary if he wanted to use Chest to take out the food he had prepared the day before.
¡°W-wow¡¡±
Each dish that emerged left Hagler looking awed like a child. Henry brought out a sd and other perishable dishes. He knew that non-perishable foods like beef jerky and bread would be provided on a road trip instead of ones with fresh ingredients.
¡®Just because we¡¯re here to do harsh work doesn¡¯t mean we should eat harsh food.¡¯
The two ate and savored the instant feast.
Just like that, two days passed.
* * *
¡°You¡¯ll see the n Gorge after that point.¡±
The merchants had reached the first gorge, which was also known as the Gate of Salgaera. The weather had grown quite chilly because they were in the path of the cold wind that crossed the gorge as they drew closer to Salgaera.
Munke continued, ¡°Mercenaries, please pay special attention from this point, as bandits sometimes appear here.¡±
¡°Why worry when we¡¯re here? Hahaha!¡± Vy hit his chest and confidently smiled. It was his way of taking the initiative, and he followed it up with sarcastic remarks. ¡°It¡¯s the Million Corps who should be worried, there are only two of them after all.¡±
Henry thought to himself. ¡®Those idiots.¡¯
They seemed foolish. However, now that they had sorted out the pecking order two days ago, they no longer tried to pick fights.
¡°Well¡ Of course, I trust all of you, but I think the quality of bandits here is a little different.¡±
¡°How can the quality of bandits be different? They¡¯re all the same.¡±
¡°Haha, I guess there¡¯s no point in exining it to you, you¡¯ll just have to see for yourself. Anyway, are you all aware that if the bandits steal the supplies, there will also be a penalty, right?¡±
¡°Of course, we know that. Don¡¯t worry and let¡¯s keep moving.¡±
It seemed that Munke really liked the word ¡°penalty.¡± The carriage wheels began to move again. A few minutes, the leader suddenly shouted, ¡°Stop! Stop moving!¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
.
The carriage never stopped moving during their journey unless it was time to sleep or eat. Everyone was surprised. One of the merchant employees alerted them, ¡°A group of bandits have appeared!¡±
¡®Bandits?¡¯
Henry understood why they had stopped moving. He and Hagler got off their horses to check their surroundings. It was true that a group of bandits had appeared. Henry nodded calmly as he looked at the dozens of bandits blocking the path.
However, these bandits looked different. Ordinary bandits usually walked, and only the leaders of the group rode horses since horses were expensive. However, the bandits in front of him were all astride horses and wearing the same ck clothes and masks. Even their swords were the same.
¡®Maybe they¡¯re rich?¡¯
No matter how sessful a bandit was, his life was still worth less than that of a fly. It only made sense for them not to wear anything that would reveal their affiliations to avoid being tracked and discovered.
¡®There¡¯s something suspicious about this¡¡¯
One of the bandits in the front shouted at the top of his lungs, ¡°Drop your weapons and surrender! Only then will we spare your lives!¡±
It was amusing because this was something that mercenaries usually said. The Hound Corpsughed till their stomachs started to hurt.
¡°What the hell is this guy saying?¡±
¡°I think he¡¯s lost his mind due to the cold weather.¡±
¡°How stupid do you have to be to steal from this empty field?¡±
Vy¡¯s subordinate was right. This was the way to Salgaera, and because of the cold weather and rough terrain, hardly any merchants passed through other than the ones sent by the empire. There were no other cities near Salgaera, and yet bandits still appeared here.
¡®Almost as if they were waiting for us.¡¯?It was only a feeling, and since he didn¡¯t have any evidence, Henry decided to keep quiet.
Vy stepped forward and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we have fun. It¡¯ll be the first time in a while!¡±
Henry and Hagler also started to get ready for battle, but Vy waved his hands with an arrogantugh and said, ¡°Hey, what kind of help do you think two people can give? You¡¯ll only get in the way so just stand there and guard the carriage!¡±
¡°Is that so? Okay then.¡± Henry agreed easily because there was no need to help someone who rejected one¡¯s offer.
Henry and Hagler got back on their horses and began to watch the Hound Corps.
¡°What a bunch of pathetic bandits you are¡¡±
Shring¡ª
Vy and the members of the Hound Corps all drew their swords. There were around twenty bandits and thirty members of the Hound Corps.
Shriiing¡ª
Since the mercenaries did not surrender, the bandits also drew their swords.
However¡
Pzzzt.¡®Huh?¡¯
The bandits who drew their swords looked strange. Although they looked likemon brigands, their des contained an aura.
¡®Sword Aura?¡¯
It was hard to believe that all of the bandits were aura users since sword aura was just a waste of money for them. Inparison, Vy was the only sword aura Expert in the Hound Corps.
Henry turned to warn Munke, but¡
Smirk.¡®What was that?¡¯
It was certainly a smile.
Even a quick nce would reveal how serious the situation was, but Munke definitely had a small but noticeable smile on his face, almost as if he were enjoying this situation. It was the kind of smile that wouldn¡¯t budge, even if someone used him a hundred times.
¡®I don¡¯t have a good feeling about this¡¡¯?Henry¡¯s hunches were usually right, especially when it came to bad situations. He was starting to feel worrisome things now.
¡®I¡¯ll just keep watching for now.¡¯?Henry crossed his arms again and continued to watch the situation.
¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s take them down and steal their horses!¡±
¡°Whoo!¡±
Vy boosted the battle spirits of his subordinates like an expert mercenary.
Although the bandits had horses, the mercenaries were encouraged by their superior number.
¡°Charge!¡±
¡°Ahh!¡±
The loud cheer bolstered their courage even further. Vy charged forward in the lead, showing off his bravery. The bandits began tounch their arrows.
Twang! Twang!
Thanks to the speed of their horses, the bandits quickly prated the Hound Corps and began to wield their swords mercilessly.
¡°Fix your battle lines!¡±
A single swing of a bandit¡¯s sword knocked one of the subordinates off his feet.
Although the gap in skill was obvious, Vy shouted in an even louder voice to keep hisposure.
¡°Ahhh!¡±
¡°Leader!¡±
¡°Argh!¡±
However, soon there were more people knocked out on the ground than standing to fight.
By the time the Hound Corps except Vy waspletely destroyed, the ground which the bandits stood on was stained dark red. They trained their swords on Vy.
¡°H-how dare they!¡±
Soon, one of the bandits wielded his sword.
Slice!Neighh!
The bandit sliced through the leg of Vy¡¯s horse. The horse immediately lost its bnce and fell to the ground. Vy fell off the horse awkwardly.
Thud!
As he sat on the ground, Vy was covered in the blood of his subordinates. He felt empty. Ever since he was a boy, Vy had dreamed of having his own mercenary corps. He¡¯d even done chores for mercenaries while growing up. However, these bandits had destroyed his life dream in an instant. Vy had a murderous look in his eyes.
¡°Kill me¡¡± He had lost everything and no longer had the will to live.
The bandit held his sword high.
Slice!Thud.
The bandit¡¯s decapitated head fell in front of Vy.
Chapter 60: Salgaera (3)
Chapter 60: Salgaera (3)
Blood started to gush out like a fountain from the decapitated bandit¡¯s neck, covering Vy in blood. This was a positive development, but the pressing question was: who had cut off the bandit¡¯s head?
The answer: Henry. He had hurled his sword while still on horseback and miraculously cut off the bandit¡¯s head in one blow. It was impressive.
Now all eyes were on Henry.
¡°Hagler¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡±
¡°Get ready.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
The two dismounted and prepared for battle. It wasn¡¯t such a bad idea for the arrogant Vy to die as well, but it would mean that there would be fewer people to help with the work, so that made it a little difficult.
As Henry unsheathed his sword, he took a quick nce at Munke''s expression. His smiling face was nowpletely stiff like stone.
¡®So there really is something going on.¡¯
He could ask more about the matterter; right now, he had to crush the bandits.
¡°Kill them,¡± the man that appeared to be the leader ordered.
Clip clop! Clip clop! Clip clop!
A dust cloud appeared as twenty horses galloped toward them.
Hagler stepped forward, but Henry ordered, ¡°Step back.¡±
Hagler did not wait for Henry to repeat himself and backed away.
Henry lifted his right foot and stomped on the ground powerfully.
Boom!
The intangible mana soared like smoke and permeated the path that stretched out in front of the two. He had activated the spell Grease, which turned targeted areas very slippery. It was considered one of the more basic spells.
Henry crossed his arms in a rxed manner.
Gulp.
Hagler couldn¡¯t see mana, and he had no idea what Henry¡¯s n was. However, Henry¡¯s face seemed rxed, as if he didn¡¯t have a single worry.
¡®I¡¯ll just trust the boss.¡¯?Hagler was still concerned, but he believed that Henry potentially had something up his sleeve.
Soon, the bandits were less than a dozen steps from Henry.
.
Neigh!
¡°H-huh?¡±
Thud!
The three men in the lead were the first to fall, and theyy helplessly on the ground, which was too slippery for them to gain traction. The rest of the men had been following closely, and they began to copse like dominoes. It was a massive chain reaction.
Once the bandits had all fallen, Henry then uncrossed his arms and ordered Hagler, ¡°Kill every one of them.¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
Hagler hadn¡¯t needed to worry. Although he didn¡¯t know exactly what had happened, Henry still met his expectations.
¡®He really is incredible¡¡¯?Hagler had felt it ever since he¡¯d met Henry in the examination arena. He had never seen a man with such an extraordinary aura before, so the desire to be loyal grew.
Henry and Hagler proceeded to stab the necks of those who had survived the fall.
Sqwelp!
However, there weren¡¯t many left alive. After all, riding horses could be risky because one¡¯s neck would shatterpletely from a single horse kick.
After Henry killed thest bandit, he walked toward Vy past the pile of dead bodies.
¡°H-how is this possible¡?¡±
It was one surprise after another. Although Vy had witnessed Henry¡¯s magical performance from start to finish, he still couldn¡¯t believe it. Vy looked straight up at Henry.
¡°What should we do?¡± asked Hagler.
¡°I told you we need people to work. Bring him to the carriage.¡±
¡°What about him?¡±
Hagler asked, while pointing with his chin to the bandit leader far away in the distance.
¡°I¡¯ll deal with him.¡±
Like the rest of the worthless bandits, the leader wore a mask that only showed his eyes. However, it was clear that he was fuming in rage.
After sending the other two back, Henry pulled out his sword and said, ¡°You¡¯re the leader, right?¡±
Instead of answering, the leader pulled out his sword, and¡
Pzzzt.¡®Huh?¡¯
His sword aura was on another levelpared to those of the other bandits.
¡®A Sword Master?¡¯
His sword aura was longer than that of an Expert, and a thin, uniform aura surrounded his entire body. It was clearly an aura control technique that only a Sword Master could do.
¡®This¡ Good thing I¡¯m the only one fighting him.¡¯
No matter how good Hagler was, he was still only an Expert-ss; plus, it was a waste to use a rare, talented man like Hagler on a bandit.
In reply to the sword aura, Henry stomped again.
Boom!Swish!
Henry had to use more spells than usual since his opponent was a Sword Master. However, to be honest, even Henry couldn¡¯t guarantee victory against a Sword Master. Even though mages were powerful beings, they didn¡¯t have mana powerful enough to easily win over a Sword Master¡¯s aura.
¡®Of course this would be a different story if there weren¡¯t any spectators.¡¯
The mana in this situation was pure mana used for hand-to-handbat. Wizards were prepared and strategic beings. Henrycked a bit of mana, but if he were determined to use lethal spells, Sword Masters would be nothing to him.
¡®Damn, when will my aura manifest itself?¡¯
What a pity.
If things had gone to n and he had grown his aura at the Caliburn Fortress, Henry believed that he would have already surpassed the level of a Sword Master.
¡°Since you¡¯re the leader, hopefully you¡¯re not like the others.¡±
It was only a mild provocation but its impact was tremendous. The leader formed arger and stronger sword aura. Henry bent from his waist slightly and began to start his eleration spell.
¡®Haste, haste, haste.¡¯
Soon, the power of the wind swept over Henry¡¯s whole body, ruffling his hair. Right as the bandits leader was about to raise his foot, Henry stepped out first and quickly bridged the distance between them.
sh!
Henry¡¯s sword stretched diagonally from bottom to top. However, the leader¡¯s sword blocked his sword and prevented him from swinging it all the way.
Neigh¡!
Instead, he tore through the horse¡¯s neck diagonally, making it groan in pain as its vocal cords were ripped apart.
Thud.
Just like Vy¡¯s horse, the leader¡¯s horse fell to the ground, dead.
It was known that being astride a horse increased one¡¯s strength dramatically. Although Henry couldn¡¯t injure the leader, killing his mount was a step in the right direction.
Henry grinned as he shook off the horse¡¯s blood from his sword.
¡°Now it¡¯s fair.¡±
¡°You son of a bitch¡!¡±
For the first time, the leader cursed. He had been quite fond of the horse, which he had raised since he was a young boy.
Pzzzt.
Aura was based on emotion, and the emotion that had the most impact on aura was anger. The leader¡¯s aura expanded exponentially, and Henry calcted how much distance he had to keep from the leader.
¡®If the distance between us grows, I¡¯ll be in danger.¡¯
As one¡¯s aura grew, one¡¯s sword aura also lengthened. The leader¡¯s sword aura was now so long that it looked like a small spear.
Henry once again activated his eleration spell.
¡®Haste, haste, haste¡¡¯
No matter how much mana he added, he would have to find a different solution if he couldn¡¯t ovee the distance between them. Henry decided to use speed as his wild card and the power of the wind swept over his body once again.
Henry took a quick breath and held it in.
¡®Now!¡¯
The two were thinking the same thing and attacked at the same time. The bandit leader swung his sword down from Henry¡¯s head down to his toes as if he were trying to cut Henry in two.
However, thanks to the power of the wind, Henry didn¡¯t just move fast. His vision, reflexes, and many other things had improved as well.
¡®Vertical!¡¯
Henry used this spell to help him notice the bandit leader¡¯s movements one step faster than his opponent could.
Boom!
The sword aura of the bandit leader left a huge mark at the spot where Henry had stood. It was a tremendously destructive force.
Even though the sword itself was long, the destruction he left seemed to be more than what a two-handed sword could create. Henry shifted his position and held his sword upside down in his left hand and used his right palm to press down on the bottom of the hilt.
¡®Sharp, sharp, sharp!¡¯
It was impossible to cut through the leader and even harder to even pierce through his aura, so Henry decided to concentrate all of his strength on the tip of his sword.
Schwoof!
Henry¡¯s sword flew at the speed of an arrow, straight toward the leader¡¯s shoulder.
m!
The impact was great even though it felt as though he were stabbing through a steel wall. The concentrated force exerted more destructive power than Henry had expected. Thanks to that, the seemingly unbreakable aura shattered like ss.
¡°Aughh!¡±
The boss screamed in agony; his shoulder felt like it had been struck by lightning.
¡®Now!¡¯
With the aura gone, it was Henry¡¯s chance. He pulled out his sword as if he were pulling out a nail and held it in his hands firmly. He loaded the maximum amount of mana he could onto the de of the sword.
Boom!
He had to cut through vertically instead of horizontally to finish him off, even if he couldn¡¯t be entirely precise. As Henry swung his sword, he could feel it cutting through flesh. However, the leader suddenly exploded.
Boom!
¡°Argh!¡±
The leader hadn¡¯t used gunpowder; rather, it was likely the extra aura that he had stored in his body. The st pushed Henry back more than a dozen steps.
¡°What the fuck¡¡±
Luckily, Henry had covered his head with his arms, or else his entire head would have been blown off. Henry looked around in the smoke, his burnt arms hanging at his sides. However, as soon as the smoke lifted, the opponent he¡¯d been expecting to see was gone.
¡°He¡¯s escaped?¡±
Even though Henry was using Targeting to keep tabs on the bandit leader, he still managed to escape.
¡®He escaped. But who¡¯d dare say that he¡¯s a Sword Master?¡¯
An arm, which he believed belonged to the bandit leader, was in the spot where the leader had stood.
¡®It seems that I cut off his arm and not his head.¡¯?
The flesh that he¡¯d encountered had been the bandit leader¡¯s shoulder and not his neck. The leader had run away, leaving his arm like a lizard leaving its tail behind.
Henry picked up his arm, full of disappointment.
¡®Then what¡¯s left is¡¡¯
The boss had fled the scene, leaving all of his subordinates and a lot of suspicious-looking clues.
There was only one thing Henry needed to do now.
Chapter 61: Salgaera (4)
Chapter 61: Salgaera (4)
Before heading back to the carriage, Henry looked at the bandit leader¡¯s arm.
¡®But first.¡¯
Henry ripped off the clothing on the arm. If his guess was right, the bandits would have at least one or two tattoos somewhere that would indicate who they were affiliated with. A spot on the arm caught Henry¡¯s attention.
¡®Just as I thought.¡¯
It was a tattoo of two striped snakes wrapped around each other with their jaws open as they looked up at the sky. It wasmonly known as the mark of a double snake. It was the symbol of the Viper Knights of the imperial pce, a group led by Salmora, the tenth sword of the Imperial Ten Swords.
¡®I didn¡¯t expect that the imperial army would be the institution thatmissioned the work.¡¯
It was only then that Henry could understand the operations of the transportation. ¡®Aubert must have been in charge of this attack.¡¯
Excluding the imperial family, the power structure of the empire consisted of six Great Families¡ªone duke family, two marquis families, and three count families which all participated in the state administration.
The title of a Great Family was not awarded ording to size but on how much a family contributed to the development of the empire. It was a status appointed by the emperor to the most elite aristocrats among the aristocratic families.
This included people like Henry, an Imperial Archmage, and Grand Masters of other fields. They all participated in the administration of the state as grand dukes.
Aubert was a member of the Great Families and was the head of the Crimson family, one of the marquis families.
¡®How pathetic. They say a leopard can¡¯t change his spots, and he¡¯s still that leopard that hasn¡¯t changed one bit.¡¯
The duke and marquis families were also known as the Three Great Families because they had so much power that they were almost equal to the imperial family. However, their power was not absolute.
¡®I¡¯m going to destroy them all.¡¯?Now that he¡¯d seen the symbol, Henry ignited a fire in his palm and began to burn the bleeding wound on arm.
Sizzle¡!
It smelled like a barbeque.
After cauterizing his wound, Henry returned to the carriage, carrying the bandit¡¯s arm like a trophy. Munke¡¯s frozen expression had transformed into one full of fake emotion as he hurried toward Henry.
¡°Thank you for your hard work! Thanks to you, we can move safely!¡±
Henry¡¯s fist headed straight for Munke¡¯s face.
Kapow!
Munke¡¯s face snapped to the side.
Thump.
Munke shook as he held his cheek. Everyone, even Hagler, was shocked at what they had just seen, but no one dared to break the silence.
The atmosphere turned cold. Henry asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±
¡°W-why are you doing this?¡±
¡°I¡¯m going to ask onest time, who are you?¡±
¡°I-I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡ Argh!¡±
Henry had shown mercy to Munke, but Munke had stupidly kicked it away, not realizing what it was.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
It wasn¡¯t worth using his fists on a liar, so Henry kicked Munke over and over instead.
¡°S-stop! I-I will tell you everything, please stop¡!¡±
The terrible pain made Munke begin to beg as he grabbed Henry¡¯s pants. However, Henry had already given him his chance. ¡°It¡¯s toote now.¡±
Crack!
Henry firmly stepped on Munke¡¯s hand.
¡°Arghhhhh!¡±
He didn¡¯t use any mana, but even without it, the punishment was enough to make a liar change his ways.
The beating continued for a while. Henry stopped only when Munke couldn¡¯t even straighten his back.
¡°Sniff sniff¡¡±
No one had any clue why Henry was acting this way, but they could only stay quiet since Henry was the strongest of them all. Otherwise, he would target them next.
¡®Nasty bastards.¡¯
Henry was being ruthlessly violent for a simple reason: Aubert¡¯s marquis n was responsible for the deaths of as many as thirty innocent mercenaries. Perhaps it was unfair because these men didn¡¯t know any better, but they were still people of the empire. Munke and the bandits had been following the empire¡¯s orders too, so they couldn¡¯t be held responsible either.
Marquis Aubert had nned to cut off the supplies to the exiles, not kill the mercenaries. If they had any feeling of remorse, they would have handled the matter without having to kill the mercenaries.
¡®If I think about how many mercenaries they had to kill just so someone could witness it, slitting his throat isn¡¯t even enough punishment.¡¯
However, Henry did not kill Munke because death was the simplest form of salvation for those who were suffering. Henry wanted to make Munke live a life of atonement and pain for the rest of his life. Perhaps it would soothe the souls of the dead mercenaries.
¡°Phew¡¡± Henry let out a long sigh. He pulled out his sword and walked toward the parked carriages that were parked.
Slice!
Henry cut the lock off the first carriage. It was supposed to be filled with supplies for the exiles.
¡°Ha?¡±
However, Henry scoffed when he saw what was inside. There were only a few crates of alcohol, cigarettes, and a bag of rotten potatoes in the carriage¡ªnot the potatoes, sweet potatoes, and other food that should have been there.
It was the same for the second and third carriages. Henry checked all the carriages supposedly carrying daily necessities, but he found that the supplies were a lot fewer than he expected.
The merchants realized the seriousness of the situation.
¡®So their n all along was to kill us all.¡¯
The emperor¡¯s guilty conscience and fear of the dead Henry had probably pushed him to send supplies to the exiles. However, despite receiving the imperial order, Marquis Aubert had still brought in private merchants and the Imperial Knights to slowly kill the exiles.
It was a cumbersome andplicated process, but his resentment made Aubert desire theplete extinction of the State Contributors.
¡®This is enough. I''ll have to give back just as much as I¡¯ve received.¡¯
¡°Um¡ Sir, are you okay?¡± asked Hagler, who approached Henry carefully after waiting in silence.
¡°Hagler.¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡±
¡°This situation was nned by the bandits and merchants.¡±
¡°Really? Is that true?¡±
¡°If I could, I would go back to Vivaldi right away, but we still have about one carriage of supplies left, so we¡¯re going to continue to Salgaera.¡±
Just because he knew the truth didn¡¯t mean that he wanted to go back right away. Although they didn¡¯t have many supplies, the exiled people in Salgaera were suffering because they didn¡¯t have it.
¡°That son of a bitch!¡±
Whack!
Vy couldn¡¯t hold back his anger and began to hit the dying Munke.
Hagler asked, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we stop him?¡±
¡°No, leave him be.¡±
Even though he was a vulgar and shallow man, Vy still had the right to express his anger at Munke. Thanks to Munke and the bandits, his dream of a mercenary corps was destroyed in the blink of an eye.
¡°Let''s go.¡±
After Vy had vented his anger, Henry designated a carriage as a prison cell and put the blood-covered Munke inside.
Then, the merchants continued heading toward Salgaera.
* * *
After passing through the gorge, which doubled as the main gate, the merchants managed to reach the n Gorge and enter the Salgaera region.
It had grown quite cold when they drew close to the n Gorge, and before they knew it, snow began to fall and white vapors of breath began to fill the air.
The merchants soon reached the checkpoint at the entrance of the gorge.
Rattle, rattle.?
As the carriage came to a stop, the soldiers guarding the checkpoint walked out leisurely and greeted them.
¡°Thank you for your hard work. Oh, where is Lord Munke?¡±
¡°He¡¯s in the back. Where is the checkpoint chief?¡±
¡°The chief had a few too many drinks and is sleeping.¡±
¡°At this time of the day?¡±
¡°Well, yes. This isn¡¯t the first time this has happened¡ By the way, do you mind me asking, who are you?¡±
¡°I¡¯m one of the mercenaries in charge of escorting the supplies.¡±
¡°Oh, I see. You might not know this, but we¡¯re always like this since no onees here other than the Painted Merchants¡ Anyway, I guess you didn¡¯t encounter any bandits?¡±
The soldier spoke in a tone that made it seem like he was familiar with the worst situations, just as he neglected his duties.
Henry frowned and replied shortly, ¡°We just wiped them outpletely.¡±
Henry threw the bandit leader¡¯s arm on the ground in front of the soldier.
¡°W-what is this?¡±
The soldier''s sleepy, half-closed eyes opened wide in surprise at this sight.
Henry said bluntly, ¡°Please bring out the checkpoint chief.¡±
He spoke in honorifics, but his tone was authoritative. The soldier didn¡¯t dare refuse, overwhelmed by Henry¡¯s fierce eyes.
After some time, they heard the sound of something falling inside the checkpoint, and soon, the door inside the checkpoint opened.
¡°Ughh¡ Who the hell is it¡? If it¡¯s the Painted Merchants, hic! It must be Munke¡¡±
The chief''s voice was full of drunkenness. He was not properly dressed in his uniform and was only wearing a fur coat to protect himself from the cold.
The anger that Henry had barely suppressed started to boil again. However, as soon as he saw the chief¡¯s face, his expression changed to one of surprise.
¡®Vhant?¡¯
It was Vhant, the gatekeeper. He had gained some weight and had grown a long beard, but if Henry¡¯s memory was correct, he had to be the gatekeeper Vhant.
¡®What is he doing here?¡¯
Sword Master Vhant was also known as the Shield Gatekeeper because of his outstanding talent in sit-down strikes. Henry himself had given him a medal for his excellent swordsmanship, organized work, and dignified social life.
How could a man like that crawl out of the checkpoint in his disheveled uniform, drunk despite working hours? Henry suddenly thought of something: ¡®Is it possible that he has been demoted?¡¯
The position of checkpoint chief of Salgaera was so low that it was impossible to evenpare it to the status of working at the imperial pce. There was only one reason a man with his reputation would end up in a situation like this: Vhant the gatekeeper had been a member of the State Contributors with Henry in the past.
¡®Vhant is probably not the only one who¡¯s in a situation like this¡¡¯
As Henry thought about it more, he felt sorry instead of angry. If he had acted a little more wisely in his previous life, Vhant wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this.
¡°Hic¡ what is it?¡±
Vhant stood in front of Henry, reeking of alcohol. His face had aged quite a bit since Henry hadst seen him. Henry didn¡¯t say a word and grabbed Vhant¡¯s hands.
¡°Hic! What are you doin...!¡±
Henry passed his mana to Vhant through his hands. He used a simple spell that eliminated hangovers and sobered Vhant up right away. After a while, by the time Henry let go of his hand, Vhant¡¯s flushed face had gone back to its original color.
¡°Ah¡ Suddenly I feel sober.¡±
It had worked. Henry then officially introduced himself.
¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Henry Morris, the leader of the Million Corps. I wasmissioned to escort the Painted Merchants.¡±
¡°...You have the name of someone that I miss quite a lot. Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Vhant, the chief of the checkpoint.¡±
Vhant¡¯s face filled with a sad expression at Henry¡¯s introduction. The same thing happened to Henry as well. After a moment of silence, Vhant hurried to speak in order to lighten the mood.
¡°Anyway, what happened to Sir Munke? Why are you conversing with me instead, Sir Henry?¡±
¡°I came forward to talk to you because of that,¡± Henry started his exnation.
Chapter 62: Salgaera (5)
Chapter 62: Salgaera (5)
¡°Before we proceed with our conversation, there¡¯s something I want to show you.¡±
Henry led Vhant to the carriage containing Munke and opened the door to reveal a weak Munke panting for air on the hard wooden floor.
¡°What is going on¡?¡± Vhant had no words.
However, Henry ced his index finger on his lips and opened the door of the other carriage. Inside was the pile of bandits, or rather the Viper Knights, that Henry had wiped out.
¡°The bandits¡?¡±
They looked like bandits from their clothing, but Henry shook his head and said, ¡°They are not bandits.¡±
¡°Then who are they?¡±
¡°They are knights from the imperial pce disguised as bandits. You¡¯ve heard of the Viper Knights before, right?¡±
¡°What? You mean the Viper Knights led by Salmora¡?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
¡°That¡¯s ridiculous! Why would such prestigious knights disguise themselves as bandits?¡±
Vhant¡¯s expression was full of disbelief. Henry picked up the arm that he had thrown earlier at the soldier and showed it to him.
¡°This belongs to their leader¡ Actually, he was a Sword Master, so it would probably be the arm of a lieutenant.¡±
The symbol of the Viper Knights was clear on the forearm, and Vhant also knew what the double snake symbolized.
¡°It was hard for me to believe at first, too, but as soon as I arrived here, the soldiers at the checkpoint asked me whether I¡¯d encountered bandits this time. I want to ask, did the Painted Merchants usually get their supplies stolen?¡±
¡°...The supplies have been stolen once every three trips.¡±
¡°I¡¯m guessing today was one of those trips. Munke purposely left the carriages empty even though they should have been full of supplies.¡±
There was evidence, witnesses, and more, all intertwined like vines. Even the imperial pce could not deny the facts. Henry had been nning to report them himself, but when he found out that the inspector was Chief Vhant, he decided to change his ns.
¡°I¡¯m handing them all over to you, Chief. I¡¯m just a mercenary; even if I report them to the imperial pce, no one will believe me. But they¡¯d believe a chief like you, right?¡±
After all, he was Vhant, a former knight from the imperial pce, not just a random nobody. Henry believed that he would have more credibility than a mere mercenary. However, Vhant¡¯s response waspletely unexpected.
¡°Thank you for your work, but it¡¯s all pointless.¡±
¡°What do you mean it¡¯s pointless?¡±
¡°It¡¯s just as I said. Even if what you say is true and the merchants colluded to pretend that the supplies were being stolen, it¡¯s pointless if their partners are the Viper Knights.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°I can¡¯t tell you the details, but¡if the Viper Knights are involved, it means that they have a powerful backer, someone that people like us cannot even dare to confront,¡± Vhant replied in a sad tone.
Henry ignored Vhant¡¯s tone and said, ¡°I know that much as well. Salmora, the leader of the Viper Knight, has connections with Marquis Aubert, so if there¡¯s someone behind it, it¡¯s probably Marquis Aubert.¡±
¡°H-how do you know this¡?¡±
¡°I know a little bit, and speaking of which¡¡±
¡°T-that¡¯s enough¡!¡± Vhant interrupted him. ¡°...You can stop talking since I already know all about it. That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying how pointless it is. Even if we report it, we won¡¯t be able to do anything in the end if the three Great Families are behind it.¡±
Vhant¡¯s spiritless voice made Henry realize that he had not fully understood Vhant¡¯s situation.
¡®I understand now¡ He was demoted as a political retaliation, so I can imagine how terrible he feels.¡¯
It was more difficult to get back on one¡¯s feet after betrayal the more straightforward and righteous someone was. Vhant had once said that he would always be a loyal, upright, and righteous knight of the empire for his entire life.
Vhant continued to exin in a sad voice, ¡°...At the moment, the three Great Families are more powerful than the imperial family, so if you offend Marquis Aubert, it will only harm you, Sir Henry. No matter how angry or upset you feel, just pretend you know nothing; besides, you are still young, Sir Henry.¡±
It was sincere, bitter advice. Unless the hand of power changed, the wrongdoing of Marquis Aubert would never be revealed to the public.
¡°However, if you still feel the need to vent your anger, I can take care of the Painted Merchants¡¯ corps; but you should be aware that even if you bring down the Painted Merchants out of anger, Marquis Aubert will simply rece them with another merchant.¡±
He meant that if Henry couldn¡¯t get to the source of the problem, there was no point in trying to solve it. Henry smirked and said, ¡°So, you mean that youck power?¡±
¡°Well¡ I guess you could interpret it that way, and it is true.¡±
¡°You¡¯re right. One needs a sledgehammer to kill something greater than a fly. Why don¡¯t we find the right tools, then?¡±
¡°You''re joking, right? We can¡¯t bring our opponents down with a mere sledgehammer,¡± replied Vhont, shaking his head.
¡°I realize that, so¡ If you can¡¯t do it, what about Count Eisen?¡±
¡°Count Eisen¡?¡±
.
Back during Henry¡¯s reign as the Grand Duke, the three Great Families were made up of one family and three count families, which were also known as the Central Aristocracy.
However, after the duke and marquis of the State Contributors, like Henry, were executed for treason, the next duke and marquis families in line took over the Central Aristocracy. Soon after, they were named the three Great Families of absolute power. But, this was the start of the problems.
It was natural for the marquis family, which was a Central Aristocracy family, to rise to be the next duke family, but the remaining three counts had topete for the two marquis vacancies.
At first, some suggested increasing the number of marquis families to three. However, the remaining State Contributors strongly rejected this suggestion. In the end, only the two of the three count families could rise up to the position of marquis, and the count had to admit his loss. This same count was Count Eisen.
¡°Count Eisen is now an old man who has been pushed out of a power struggle and he also hasn¡¯t had a very good rtionship with the Marquis.¡±
¡°Of course he is envious, since he could have been the marquis.¡±
¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m trying to get at. If we dangle a tempting piece of bait like this, wouldn¡¯t Count Eisen bring us something great?¡±
¡°But our opponent is Marquis Aubert. Do you really think that Count Eisen would be of much help?¡±
¡°We don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡±
¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±
¡°What we need to worry about is how we can securely inform the imperial pce of this incident.¡±
In a worst-case scenario, Henry or Vhant could be a target of the Viper Knights if they reported what happened. But what if the report came from Count Eisen? Even the knights of the imperial pce wouldn¡¯t be able to act recklessly against him. This was Henry¡¯s ideal situation.
¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it gets messy on their side as long as we do what we can.¡±
¡°Oh¡¡± Only then did Vhant nod at Henry¡¯s wise n. ¡°I understand¡ You are incredible. I would never have been able toe up with such an idea¡¡±
¡°No, I¡¯m sure you couldn¡¯t think of something like this because you¡¯re a straightforward man.¡±
¡°Do you¡ know me?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve heard about you. You are rumored to be an exceptional knight who is a role model to other soldiers.¡±
Vhant smiled shyly at Henry¡¯spliment, as if he were recalling the glory of his past.
¡°Anyway, that was all that I had to say. I¡¯ll leave Munke and the bodies of the knights here, but can I borrow the merchants for a while?¡±
¡°Do you need them forbor?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
¡°Of course. Use them as you like and return them once you¡¯re done.¡±
Although the employees had been hired by the merchantpany, it didn¡¯t mean that they werepletely innocent. Henry was able to enter Salgaera in Munke¡¯s ce, and he and his party began to head toward the n Gorge with a soldier guiding them.
* * *
By the time they had reached the end of the n Gorge, Salgaera was bing very cold.
¡°Brr¡¡±
The small snowkes slowly covered the entire ground and by the time they left the gorge, the snow had piled up to their ankles. Salgaera might look truly beautiful covered in snow, but even a thick winter coat couldn¡¯t stop the cold from prating the skin.
¡®So they were sent to a ce like this.¡¯
A whileter, the soldier sitting in the driver''s seat of the carriage said, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±
He had guided them to a small ce called the Exile Vige, where all the exiles lived together. However, they couldn¡¯t see a single soul inside the vige. There was only a tall iron pole that stood like a lighthouse.
¡°Is this really the Exile Vige?¡±
¡°Yes, this is the right ce but they all live underground.¡± The soldier took out a small hammer and began to hit the iron pole in the center of the vige.
ng! ng! ng!
The frozen iron pole rang sharply as if it were hollow inside.
¡°What are you doing?¡± asked Henry.
¡°I¡¯m calling the exiles. It¡¯s too cold to survive unless they live underground. This iron pole reaches underground and it acts as a kind ofmunications device.¡±
Each strike of the iron pole caused an echo that could be heard underground. It seemed like an unusual contraption, but it was simply evidence of the desperate struggle of the exiles to survive.
After they hit the iron pole several times, a pile of snow next to the pole started to shake. The soldier stopped hammering and began to clear away the snow pile with his bare hands to reveal a small door.
Creaaaak.?
The frozen wooden door opened with a creak that echoed through the air. Inside was a tunnel from which countless people began to walk out.
¡®...!¡¯
Henry¡¯s eyes began to tremble slightly as the people emerged, because they were all familiar faces. These were people that Henry had exchanged greetings with countless times and even ate with in his previous life.
As the number of familiar faces increased, Henry felt as if a stone were stuck in his throat. Henry¡¯s expression grew more apologetic as the exiles appeared one by one.
¡®Ahh¡¡¯
Eventually, all the vigers stood in front of him.
¡®There aren¡¯t many of them¡¡¯
It seemed like there were only around a dozen people and they all looked thin, with lifeless eyes.
¡°Is this¡ everyone?¡± Henry asked the soldier.
¡°Let me see, one, two, three, four¡ There are fifteen people in total and it looks like they¡¯re all here.¡±
¡°Ahh¡¡±
¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±
¡°Oh no, it¡¯s nothing.¡±
There were only fifteen of hisrades left. There used to be more than fifty of them. Henry seemed to feel even more ashamed to see them. Hagler, who had been quietly observing the vigers, asked the soldier a question, ¡°Howe they¡¯re all so disciplined, like they¡¯ve been in the military?¡±
¡®Disciplined?¡¯
Henry took a good look at the vigers. Although no one had ordered them to, they were all perfectly lined up in two rows of five and ten.
¡°I¡¯m not sure. We only manage the survival of the exiles. The only people that enter and exit here are the Painted Merchants in charge of providing them with supplies.¡±
¡®Of course, it was him.¡¯
Based on what the soldier said, Henry assumed that this was Munke¡¯s doing¡ªand he was right. Munke used the supplies as a weapon and tyrannized the exiles. Henry once again felt enraged by the unexpected situation.
Chapter 63: Salgaera (6)
Chapter 63: Salgaera (6)
The exiles¡¯ dull eyes were filled with fear even though Munke wasn¡¯t there; his employees were enough to frighten them.
Henry looked murderously at the employees.
Wince.?The five employees didn¡¯t dare to raise their heads because they knew they were guilty.
¡°How despicable¡¡±
It was a short but frightening remark. The employees were all terrified because they¡¯d witnessed what had happened to Munke.
Henry continued to speak to the soldier. ¡°Are you going to stay here?¡±
¡°What¡? O-of course?¡±
.
¡°I will report back to Chief Vhant, so why don''t you go back to the checkpoint and leave this ce to me?¡±
¡°A-ah¡ Alright¡¡±
Thezy soldier got the hint. He counted the number of the exiles once more and slowly began to exit the Exile Vige. As soon as the soldier left, Henry ordered the employees in a cold tone, ¡°Move.¡±
¡°Y-yes, sir!¡±
The frightened employees quickly started to unload the supplies from the carriage. The vigers tried to help the employees as they always did, but Henry blocked their path and kindly said, ¡°You can stay put, they will do all the work.¡±
¡°B-but¡¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry. Nothing will happen. Please trust me,¡± Hagler assured the vigers.
Meanwhile, the employees were unloading the supplies with great effort in an attempt to assuage Henry¡¯s anger. When all the supplies had been ced next to the iron poll, Henry spoke once more. ¡°Hagler.¡±
¡°Yes, sir?¡±
¡°Strip them of their coats, tie their hands together, blindfold them, and leave them in the snow.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
¡°W-what? W-wait a minute!¡±
They had no use for the employees now. Henry sentenced them to the extreme cold as punishment until his anger was appeased. The bound and stripped employees were thrown into a waist-deep pile of snow.
Henry stood in front of the exiles and said, ¡°Everyone.¡±
The vigers began to tense up. Even though Henry had punished the employees, they still saw him as Munke¡¯s recement.
Henry continued to speak, ¡°My name is Henry Morris.¡±
¡°...!¡±
No one spoke a word, but their eyes all widened in surprise at the unexpected name.
¡°I¡¯m sure you all are surprised by my name. I get that reaction a lot,¡± Henry continued. ¡°You¡¯re thinking of my master, who taught me magic spells.¡±
There was a moment of silence. The vigers weren¡¯t the only ones surprised¡ªHagler, who stood next to Henry, was even more surprised.
¡°It¡¯s a coincidence that my master and I share the same name, but I was truly his disciple. Now, I¡¯m here in Salgaera to continue the wishes of myte master, which was to visit you.¡±
The crowd remained silent. It had been a year since all the State Contributors who had challenged the Central Aristocracy died. In the meantime, all those who were close to the State Contributors had been demoted or secretly killed. Those who had served Henry only clung to survival because of his death.
However, their lives were worse than that death, since each day that passed was full of suffering. They were malnourished and lived in extreme weather conditions, and it was impossible to even sip water as they pleased, much less eat hot food. It was a true living hell.
Henry bowed and said, ¡°I apologize. I should havee to see you first, but Icked the ability to do so.¡± Since Henry couldn¡¯t reveal his true identity, he tried to show them his sincerity this way.
There was another moment of silence¡ But it did notst long.
¡°Sniff.¡±
¡°Sniff, sniff¡¡±
One of the vigers started to cry, and the sobs spread to the rest. Some fell to the ground and wailed loudly, while othersughed and cried in despair.
¡°Are you really¡really the lord¡¯s disciple?¡±
The viger, who seemed to be the oldest, walked up to Henry and asked. He was a rtive of one of Henry¡¯s deadrades, the Divine Archer.
Henry lowered his head and said, ¡°Yes, I am. I truly apologize for onlying now.¡±
¡°No¡ Thank you, thank you so much foring to see us¡¡±
What the exiles had struggled with the most after arriving in Salgaera wasn¡¯t the insufficient food, clothing, or shelter: it was theck of hope. Hopelessness meant that they had no reason to live.
Many had frozen or starved to death, and a handful had alsomitted suicide because they had no hope left. As the number of deaths increased, the suffering of those who remained doubled.
Since every day was a living hell, they were desperate to end their own lives, but that took more courage than they expected. Humans were fragile beings with tough lives; it was easier to endure pain than escape it. The survivors who remained in Salgaera were those that had survived all those sorrows.
Henry bowed his head for a long time before he slowly began to look up. The dull eyes of the vigers had changed, and they were starting to be alive, like small embers.
Like the eyes of people with hope.
* * *
Sword Master Hiram was so dizzy that he felt like he would faint at any moment, but he continued to move forward, despite his condition. ¡®I have to¡ I must let them know what happened¡!¡¯
Hiram, who was themander of the fifth unit of the Viper Knights. A year ago, Salmora had secretly ordered them to attack the merchants heading to Salgaera and steal their supplies. Hiram did not understand the reason behind the order, but he carried out the mission without asking questions. After all, the order came from Salmora, who was basically his idol.
The mission itself was simple: the merchants were in on the secret, so all they needed to do was go along with the act and deal with the mercenaries that apanied them.
They had proceeded with this mission in a casual manner as usual, and the results were just as they had expected. They¡¯d destroyed all thirty members of the Hound Corps in one blow. However, just when they were about to kill the leader of the Hound Corps, something unexpected urred.
¡®What the hell¡!¡¯
A greatsword had flown out of nowhere and cut off the head of a cherished subordinate. Then, the other subordinates and their horses fell to the ground dead. Their fates had changed in an instant.
It was ridiculous to assume that the suddenness of the deaths was all a coincidence. Hiram could no longer hold back his anger and drew his sword. However, as soon as his sword collided with Henry¡¯s, Hiram realized that something was not quite right.
Hiram believed Henry was just a kid who possessed no aura, but as they fought, he realized that they were equals and both Sword Masters. As the fight continued, he began to feel that he was at a disadvantage, and eventually, Henry¡¯s movements were so fast that Hiram couldn¡¯t even follow them.
¡°T-this can¡¯t be possible!¡¯?Hiram was infuriated at the difficulty in dealing with Henry. However, by the time reality dawned on him, he had to run for his life and had lost one arm.
¡°Argh¡ Argh¡¡±
Hiram had exploded his aura as he ran. He had failed the mission and his life as a swordsman was over as soon as Henry cut his arm off. However, his damaged pride made him feel like he couldn''t give up. Hiram had to make it through.
He clenched his teeth and held his wound, looking for a way to inform Salmora about the incident through any means. Eventually, Hiram reached a nearby imperial military base.
* * *
¡°I will start now.¡± After hepleted his preparations, Henry took his hands off the ground. He had formed an underground tunnel below the Exile Vige.
Hagler and the vigers watched Henry with curiosity. The knee-high piles of snow had all disappeared after Henry melted them away with magic; in addition, it no longer snowed within the Exile Vige.
Henry hadn¡¯t changed the weatherpletely, but he had created an invisible barrier around the vige to stop the snow froming inside. On the ground where Henry had ced his hands was a number of runes that looked like constetions. They formed a huge magic circle. Henry put his hands together and started the spell.
¡°...May the blessing of a great architecte before thisnd. Rising Grand Mansion!¡±
Voom!
Henry could feel arge amount of mana escaping his body like a flowing river. It was the price of such a great spell, but he had no regrets. When the magic circle fully responded to Henry¡¯s call, a huge change began to take ce.
Rumble!
Rising Grand Mansion: it was a top-tier spell that Henry had developed. It was a form of architectural magic that used the environment to create a beautiful mansion that integrated perfectly with it.
Henry had developed this spell for a simple reason: to decrease the work of the workers building the empire.
Henry felt extremely dizzy from the excessive and rapid use of mana. It would take him longer to reach the sixth circle, but the corners of Henry¡¯s mouth rose to form a smile.
Rumble!
Even though the mansion was magical, it would take some time to build. Everyone was mesmerized by the mysterious process of the magic spell. It was a magnificent spectacle.
The soil formed itself into walls and roofs. Beautiful patterns appeared on the walls as though a real architect were at work, and various rooms based on Henry¡¯s knowledge started to appear. Atst, a mansion suitable for Salgaera wasplete.
¡°Sir¡ Isn¡¯t this much nicer than the ce we live in?¡±
¡°Then live here if you¡¯re jealous.¡±
¡°N-no, I like living in a small house; it¡¯s easy to clean.¡± It was a realistic response, just like a father would say.
After taking a quick break, Henry began to cast small spells that would keep the house clean and warm all the time. Only when he was done could he sit down and rest properly.
¡®This should be enough.¡¯
Henry pushed himself hard to provide them with a nice home because they couldn¡¯t leave Salgaera until the emperor was punished.
¡®This is actually a good thing. If I just whisked them away without thinking, the imperial pce would probably investigate.¡¯
Henry could take the exiles away, but without a cover story, things would beplicated and dangerous. Instead, Henry decided to use Salgaera¡¯s isted location as a useful hiding ce.
¡°W-wow¡¡±
¡°I-it¡¯s so warm.¡±
¡°Oh wow, it¡¯s so spacious.¡±
The vigers had all once been wealthy, but after losing everything in an instant and being forced to live in terrible circumstances, their gratitude was indescribable.
¡°Is there a river orke nearby?¡± asked Henry.
¡°Yes, but they¡¯re all frozen. Why are you looking for one?¡±
¡°Now that we¡¯ve got a warm house, shouldn¡¯t we also have a steady source of drinking water? Where is the ce?¡±
The construction of the house was just beginning.
Chapter 64: Elagon (1)
Chapter 64: gon (1)
Henry believed that no help was better than inadequate help, thus he wanted to build the best house in Salgaera based on the memories he had of the time the empire was being built.
When Henry asked where he could find water, another person said, ¡°If you walk north from here, you will see a hugeke, but it¡¯s not worth the effort.¡±
¡°Is there something wrong with theke?¡±
¡°It¡¯s frozen, and we¡¯ve all tried to break through the ice but failed every time.¡±
¡°Is the ice that thick?¡±
¡°No. In fact, the ice looked very thin.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°That¡¯s why it makes us crazy. The ice on theke is as transparent and thin as ss, but it didn¡¯t even crack when we tried breaking it¡ You¡¯ll know what I mean when you get there.¡±
Even though there was ake nearby, the exiles could only drink melted snow for survival. The problem seemed easily resolved, but the vigers all said the same thing.
¡°The exiles who lived here before us said that there is a legend that an ice spirit lives in theke.¡±
¡®Ice spirit?¡¯
Although it seemed like a legend to ordinary people, the presence of an ice spirit would exin the unbreakable ice. Henry smirked and said, ¡°I will still check it out, just in case.¡±
¡°Since this is your first time in Salgaera, why don¡¯t you take someone as a guide?¡±
¡°That¡¯s not necessary. If theke is as big as you say, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to find my way there. The weather is cold, so please stay inside.¡±
Snap!
Henry snapped his fingers and a massive, elegant marble table began to rise from the ground. ¡°I brought some food, just in case, so please, grab a bite while I¡¯m at theke.¡±
Then, Henry began to take out the various dishes from his trunk and ced them on the table. Although he and Hagler had enjoyed the dishes on the way to Salgaera, there were plenty of leftovers. Henry offered them to their vigers to satiate their hunger while they waited for him to return.
¡°Wow¡!¡±
¡°Food? Is this really food?¡±
¡°It¡¯s been so long since we¡¯ve had a proper meal!¡±
The table was soon covered in food.
¡°And this is¡¡±
After Henry took out thest dish, he began to take out various daily necessities, including potatoes, sweet potatoes, and preserved ham, cing them all in one corner.
Thud!
Henry had brought more supplies than anyone expected. He turned the bag upside down and began shaking everything out.
¡°S-sir! Wait a moment!¡± Hagler began to quickly organize the seemingly endless supplies.
Once the bag was empty, Henry said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the organizing to you, Hagler.¡±
¡°...Alright.¡± Hagler sighed quietly at the mountain of food and necessities.
* * *
After Henry had traveled a little distance from the mansion, snow started to fall again.
Swoosh!
The wind blew so hard that it felt no different from a snowstorm. However, ever since Henry proudly revealed his secret spell, the weather was no longer an issue. He was warm even without a coat, his feet didn¡¯t fall through the snow even without snowshoes on. Magic was such a convenient tool.
As he walked, Henry observed the distance between theke and the mansion. If he could melt theke, they would have to dig a waterway to bring water to the mansion.
When Henry arrived at theke, he realized it was much bigger than he expected.
¡®It is really big, indeed.¡¯
Just as the vigers said, the ice was thin and clear, as if it could break at any moment. Carefully, Henry walked onto the frozenke.
¡®Hmm.¡¯
The fish that lived in theke started to gather beneath him.
¡®At least I can confirm the quality of the water.¡¯
The number of fish in theke was enough evidence of the water quality. Henry began to put mana into his feet. When they turned into a destructive force, he stomped on the ice with all his might.
Thud!
The force was powerful enough to split a stone floor, but not a single crack appeared on the frozenke. The ice seemed even clearer and more transparent, as if to tease Henry. He nodded.
¡®I can see why the vigers had a hard time, but¡¡¯?Whoosh!
As he waved his hand in the air, a huge rock engulfed in mes appeared in front of him. It was the 5th Circle''s fire stone. Henry sent the stone floating in the air until it was little more than a dot. Then, he took a few steps back and canceled the Fly spell on the rock.
¡°Haste.¡±
He cast an eleration spell on the fire stone, which fell at an even greater speed.
Crash!
It was as if a meteor had fallen, and the wholeke vibrated with a tremendous roar.
¡°As expected.¡±
Half of the fire stone broke through the surface of the ice. It was clear that despite the destructive spell, the ice was too hard to shatterpletely. However, at least Henry had managed to break through it.
Snap!
As Henry snapped his fingers, the fire stone disappeared without a trace, leaving behind a hole in the ice. Henry walked up to the hole and stuck his left hand through it to check the water.
Shiver.
¡°Huh?¡±
Henry¡¯s left arm began to tremble as if he were cold, even though he had blocked off any coldness with magic.
¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯
This wasn¡¯t deliberate. It felt as if his arm were shaking on its own due to something else. Henry thought that maybe the Elyragon egg in his left forearm had something to do with it.
¡®Can it be?¡¯
At the same time, the ice spirit that the vigers had mentioned came to his mind. The egg of Elyragon was the highest form of water spirit, and although there was no proof that the two were connected apart from their rtionship to water, Henry had a strong hunch that there was something there.
Crackle!
¡°What?¡±
When Henry took his arm out, and the hole began to freeze over again right away. It was unbelievable. The ice returned as if nothing had happened, almost like theke was rejecting Henry¡¯s hand. However, the trembling of his left arm stopped.
¡®I see. So that¡¯s how it is.¡¯
Henry grew even more certain of what was going on. He smirked and raised his right hand. ¡°Fire stone.¡±
Whoosh!
There was no need to hold back now that things had grown more interesting. Henry was very certain now, and he created twenty small meteors instead of just one. He had to use up a great deal of mana but he could recover it after some time passed, so he didn¡¯t hold back.
The meteors soared up into the sky at a fast speed, going up so high that they were even harder to see than the previous meteor. Henry then moved his hand downward and said, ¡°Haste.¡±
Boom, boom, boom!
Henry watched the meteors falling and smashing the ice from the sky. It looked like the world wasing to an end as the ming stones hailed down and shook the ground. A thick fog formed over the ice from the impacts.
Shiver.
When the fog settled down a few momentster and theke was visible once more, Henry¡¯s arm began to tremble again even though he was far away from theke.
¡®It worked.¡¯
Theke waspletely destroyed, and the impact had even blown the fish out of the water, leaving them to die in the snow.
Flop.
Henrynded back on the ground and as he got closer to theke, his arm trembled once more, this time even harder. The shattered ice began to freeze up again, but it would take more time to restore itself since the entireke had been destroyed, giving Henry a short window.
He stomped his foot, and mana rose like smoke to wrap around Henry¡¯s whole body. He cast a spell that allowed him to breathe underwater and keep his body dry before hurrying into the water and immersing himself into theke before the ice covered the surface again.
Crackle!
Shortly after Henry dove in, theke¡¯s surface froze and hardened like an iron fortress.
* * *
Gurgle, gurgle!
Every time Henry exhaled, bubbles rose to the surface.
It was as bright as day underwater since the sunlight could prate through the clear and transparent ice surface. Henry used magic to make his body heavier and began to slowly sink to the bottom. Theke was deeper than he had expected.
¡®Light.¡¯
As he sank lower, it also started to get dark, so he used a spell to brighten his surroundings. Just as he reached the bottom of theke, Henry¡¯s left arm trembled uncontrobly. It shook more than it had onnd.
Shiverrr¡
Henry clenched his fists to calm the trembling. However, he began to use the intensity of the trembling to help him choose a direction. Dozens of fish interested in Henry¡¯s light came and went, and while searching the bottom of theke, he witnessed an intriguing sight.
¡®Frost?¡¯
Frost began to cover his left arm. It was a strange phenomenon. How could there be frost underwater? In addition, when the frost began to form, his trembling came to a stop.
¡®It looks like it¡¯s around here.¡¯
That wasn¡¯t the only strange thing. Even though Henry¡¯s arm was covered in frost, it didn¡¯t feel cold or stiff, and it didn¡¯t seem like he had frostbite.
When Henry¡¯s left arm looked like it was wrapped with spider webs, the frost stopped increasing. Henry then felt all of his mana concentrating on his left forearm.
¡®Huh?¡¯
It was a huge suctioning force that not only sucked in his mana but also the water around his forearm, creating a massive whirlpool.
¡°Argh¡!¡±
His left arm devoured everything around it as though it were quicksand. Henry felt a tremendous pain that he had never felt before. It felt as if his forearm would fall off at any moment.
As the whirlpool got stronger, the egg inside his arm also began to struggle even more.
¡®I have to take it out!¡¯
By the time the pain reached its peak, Henry instinctively felt that he had to take out the egg, but then¨C
Boom!
Henry¡¯s forearm exploded.
Chapter 65: Elagon (2)
Chapter 65: gon (2)
It wasn¡¯t his imagination. Henry¡¯s left forearm had really exploded.
¡®What the¡!¡¯
Henry could only stare at his flesh floating in the water and the blood from his arm spreading in the water like ink. It was certainly a sight. As Henry¡¯s blood dissipated in the water, the Elyragon egg hidden in his arm appeared.
¡®Huh?¡¯
The egg was glowing. It was now bigger than the size of an adult fist and it constantly sucked in the water, which was mixed with Henry¡¯s mana and poisonous blood. The egg continued to grow bigger.
Whoosh!
The strange whirlpool sounded like a monster howling. When it finally came to a stop, the glowing egg glowed even more brightly and began to emit light throughout the entireke. Blinded by the light, Henry had to cover his eyes with his shattered arm.
However, at that moment, another absurd situation began to take ce.
¡®What the hell is going on now¡!¡¯
Henry¡¯s arm regenerated his forearm all by itself. He moved his fingers; they seemed just synced to his body just like the original ones.
¡®Can it be¡ Was it because of the light?¡¯
It was said that water spirits had healing powers, but it was only an egg even though it was an offspring of Elyragon. Henryughed at the thought that the light could heal his arm. He had never experienced anything like it before.
¡®I guess I shouldn¡¯tin about good things.¡¯
Finally, the light died away. Henry saw that the egg was gone and there was a new creature in its ce: a dragon hatchling.
¡®That is¡¡¯
But it wasn¡¯t a dragon hatchling. The Elyragon was the highest form of water spirit, and the dragon form of its offspring was an especially rare urrence. The Elyragon began to open his eyes, squinting. Although the egg had beenrge, the offspring was small and cute like a puppy.
Shaaake-!
The Elyragon shook himself like a wet dog. He took a look at his surroundings and then began to sniff the ground, walking on all fours. He was a light green color and had a tail and wings. It was clear that he was a dragon, but the behavior of the majestic Elyragon seemed to be just like that of a¡
¡®...Dog?¡¯
After a while, Elyragon stopped at a certain spot and began to dig with his forelegs. Henry continued to observe the Elyragon with his arms crossed.
Sniff!¡®Hmm?¡¯
How deep was the hole? After he was done digging the hole, he stuck his face inside with a confident expression and after sniffing for a while, he came back up with a small marble in his mouth.
¡®T-that is¨C¡¯
Henry¡¯s eyes grew round. It was an Essence marble, one that could only be found in pure Mother Nature. It was the Essence of Mother Nature.
Henry hadn¡¯t even seen the Essence more than a few times, but the Elyragon held it casually in his mouth. Henry finally understood.
¡®That¡¯s why theke was frozen.¡¯
The Essence of Mother Nature was influenced by its environment, and it was created only when the energy of nature had umted over a long time. If Henry¡¯s guess was urate, this was the Essence of ice.
¡®The cold air unique to Salgaera must have umted at the bottom of theke. No wonder theke kept freezing over¡¡¯
He finally grasped what was going on, but then¡
Shatter!
¡°W-wait!¡±
The Elyragon bit down on the Essence marble and swallowed it. Henry was so surprised that he had spoken out.
¡®T-that precious thing¡¡¯
The Essence of Mother Nature was just as precious as a spirit¡¯s egg, so it was natural to be shocked. However, as soon as the Elyragon swallowed the Essence, his entire body began to glow brightly again, this time with a blue light like a crystal. Gradually, the light began to fade and when the Elyragon reappeared, its body had transformed.
¡®Did he evolve?¡¯
It seemed like an appropriate description. The previously tiny puppy was now the size of a fully grown cat. The light green scales were now a dark turquoise, and two small horns appeared on his forehead.
The Elyragon shook himself once again like a wet dog. It seemed that he was satisfied with his shaking and slowly began to swim his way toward Henry as Henry continued to watch in silence.
When he neared Henry, the Elyragon rubbed against Henry¡¯s ankle.
-Kkue.
It was definitely a show of affection.
¡®Just minutes ago, you blew off my arm¡ But I guess you still recognize your nest.¡¯
The spirits didn¡¯t recognize parents, and the Elyragon¡¯s behavior toward Henry was from an attachment to his nest rather than an instinctive love for his parents.
Henry lifted the Elyragon up in the air like he was lifting a puppy.
-Kkue?
The Elyragon stuck his tongue out like a puppy, and Henry smirked.
¡°From now on, your name will be gon.¡±
It was a shorter form of Elyragon. Henry ced his hand on gon¡¯s lower belly.
Voom-!
He cast the Attribute Test spell, a type of test measuring sociability that was mainly used on iing students at the magic academy.
Henry was curious. Since gon was the highest form of a water spirit and had even swallowed the Essence of ice as soon as he was born, Henry was very curious to see what kind of power he had. The test revealed an unexpected power, and Henryughed at the pleasant surprise.
¡®Ha, look at this little guy.¡¯
If gon were a student, he would be a prodigy because Henry could feel four strong forces within him.
¡®Four different attributes¡ I''ve never even seen anything like this before.¡¯
gon had inherited his mother¡¯s powers, so it was natural that his water attribute would be powerful. Not only that, since he swallowed the Essence of ice soon after his birth, he gained attributes of ice simr to those of water.
However, there was more to gon than this. Henry had kept the egg in his forearm to allow his blood to provide enough hydration for the egg to hatch. Since Henry had swallowed venom¡¯s heart in the past, his blood had be a powerful poison, which in turn gave gon the power of deadly poison as well.
Moreover, since the poison was from venom¡¯s heart, gon possessed a much more powerful attribute of poison that was greater than that of poison spirits.
gon hadn¡¯t grown addicted to the poison as he was still in spirit form while in his egg, but he had to constantly use his water spirit healing powers to deal with the toxins in the blood.
Certainly, the egg had also consumed Henry''s mana; luckily, Henry had already secured a sufficient amount of mana through meditation at the Lake of Whispering.
Since gon was constantly using his healing powers within Henry¡¯s body, it resulted in a new power called ¡°gon¡¯s own healing power¡± that was unique from the healing powers of water spirits.
Henry did not know all of the details, but gon¡¯s powers came from all sorts of happy idents.
¡°I hope to work well with you.¡±
-Kkue!
His powers were greater than Henry had expected. Now that he¡¯d figured out the secret of theke, Henry lessened his weight and began to rise to the surface.
Ssh!
The ice on the surface of theke had all melted after the removal of the Essence of ice and Henry was able to easily get out of theke.
¡®I think my business here is finished¡ Should I start digging a waterway to the mansion?¡¯
It was time to proceed with his original n. Henry began to calcte the most efficient route for the waterway, recalling the paths he had observed as he approached theke.
After some time, Henry selected the most optimal path for the waterway by recalling the civil engineering knowledge he had acquired during the construction of the empire. Shortly after reviewing the waterway, Henry returned to theke to start construction, but¡
¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on with them?¡±
It was as soon as he got back to theke, Henry saw hundreds of dead fish floating on its surface. He could not help blurting out in surprise.
Then Henry noticed something strange.
¡°Steam?¡±
He was certain that steam was rising from theke.
¡®Why did this happen all of a sudden?¡¯
Henry walked up to theke and stuck his hand in.
The water was warm; the sudden change in temperature had killed all the fish.
¡®Right after the Essence of ice was removed, the ice on the surface of theke melted and theke began to heat up. It can¡¯t be that¡?¡¯
It was strange. Theke had originally been a hot spring.
¡®I never imagined that this bigke would be a hot spring¡¡¯
There was no way of knowing how an Essence of ice could have developed below a hot spring, but it was certain to change the temperature of the water.
Henry was a little taken aback.
He had already thought of a waterway path and nned to supply water to the vige that way, but the hot spring forced him to rethink his ns. He needed a new source of drinking water now that he couldn¡¯t use theke for that purpose.
¡®First¡ I should probably take out the fish.¡¯
With a sigh, Henry began to remove the cooked fish.
Chapter 66: Elagon (3)
Chapter 66: gon (3)
Hiram managed to reach the imperial army post. As soon as the other soldiers realized who Hiram was affiliated with, they immediately called over the priests and wizards to heal him. However, to Hiram, teleporting was much more important.
¡°Teleport, get ready for teleport first!¡±
¡°But the wound on your shoulder is so severe¡!¡±
¡°I don¡¯t care, just hurry!¡±
He had to let Salmora know that the mission hadn¡¯t gone as nned as soon as possible. Although Hiram almost passed out from the excruciating pain when they treated his wound, his loyalty kept him awake.
After he was treated, they were ready for teleportation.
¡°We¡¯ll start now.¡±
Voom!
Casting a teleportation spell on one¡¯s own was fairly difficult, but if there were a few wizards around and a ready magic circle, teleporting was a convenient means of transportation.
Zap!
When the correct coordinates were entered into the magic circle, the teleportation was instantaneous.
* * *
Hiram felt nauseous and sore from the teleportation, but he hurried to meet Salmora right away.
¡°Sir, it¡¯s Hiram, themander of the fifth unit.¡±
¡°Tell him toe in.¡±
Salmora¡¯s light purple hair was neatly slicked back, and it looked like poison diluted in water. His face was cold and impassive, and even Hiram¡¯s sudden appearance didn¡¯t affect his expression.
Hirman arrived in front of Salmora, sweating all over. Despite the urgency and pain, Hiram saluted¨Cwith his left hand because his right arm was gone.
Salmora¡¯s eyes narrowed like those of a viper when he saw Hiram¡¯s shoulder.
¡°Salute! Greetings, sir,¡±
¡°...It seems that the mission was a failure.¡±
¡°I-I apologize. I will dly ept any punishment for failing toplete this mission.¡±
Despite the urgent situation, Hiram did not seem to be in a rush and appearedposed. Salmora hated people who panicked or acted like they were in a rush or busy.
Salmora put down the book he was reading and said coldly, ¡°Cut the crap and exin what happened.¡±
¡°The thing is¡¡±
Hiram told him everything factually without any subjective opinions, not neglecting to include his own insufficient skills.
¡°Even though you couldn¡¯t sense any aura from him, he still fought with you toe to toe?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Hmm.¡± He knew full well that Hiram was not the type of man to lie to avoid responsibility, which is why he was directly under Salmora¡¯smand, even though he was in a low-level unit. However, this perplexed Salmora even more.
¡®He didn¡¯t even have an aura. How is that possible?¡¯
There was not enough information on this man. In addition, if Hiram¡¯s identity was discovered, it meant that Munke would have also been discovered.
¡®I need to take care of this.¡¯
Although the supplies given to the exiles didn¡¯t amount to a lot, it was still a part of a budget set by an imperialmand and policy. If there was evidence that they hadn¡¯t followed the imperialmand, Marquis Aubert and Salmora would both be held responsible.
¡®My reputation will be ruined as well.¡¯
The Three Great Families could cover it up, but if it ever got out that the empire¡¯s most prestigious imperial knights were pretending to be bandits, they would be the subject of ridicule.
¡®I can¡¯t let that happen.¡¯
.
Salmora hated all attacks on his pride. So, before anything got out to the public, Salmora decided to get rid of all the evidence. He told his secretary, ¡°Call in themander of the third unit.¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡±
In order to deal with the situation, themander of the third unit had real skill, unlike a lousy Sword Master.
Right after the order, Hiram, who had been looking at Salmora, hesitated and began to talk.
¡°Um¡ sir.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°What is going to happen to me now¡?¡±
It had been decades since the war had ended, but the military, including the imperial knights, were still there for any possibility. A swordsman who could no longer hold a sword was useless to the imperial army.
Salmora replied coldly, ¡°You¡¯re saying you want to stay in the imperial army even though your arm looks like that?¡±
¡°T-that is¡¡±
It was not an answer he wanted to ept.
Salmora suddenly gave a rare smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m kidding. I don¡¯t abandon my subordinates, but since you don¡¯t have a right arm anymore¡ Hiram, go to the magic tower.¡±
¡°Thank you! Thank you so much! But¡ may I ask: what is the magic tower? I don''t think I¡¯ve ever heard of it?¡±
¡°My mistake. Let me correct myself, forget what I just said.¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡±
¡°Anyway, go to the Magical Spire and look for a wizard named Dracan. If you let him know that I sent you, he¡¯ll understand why you¡¯re there, and who knows, maybe Dracan will be able to restore your severed arm?¡±
Salmora smiled like a snake as he spoke.
* * *
Shalon ate the dishes Henry had prepared until he was full. The dishes were so tasty that everyone shed tears of joy. None of them had had a hot meal since arriving in Salgaera. After stuffing himself, Shalony on the floor with his arms and legs spread.
¡°Oh wow¡ There''s still so much room for me even though I¡¯m spread out like this¡¡±
Shalon had never been able to sleepfortably since he¡¯d started living underground over a year ago. It was warmer underground, but if they weren¡¯t careful, the buildup of moisture would make their clothes damp. Also, the poor venttion made the air stuffy, and bugs like centipedes and ants would crawl on their thighs from time to time.
The mansion Henry had built for them had high ceilings, floors that were free of moisture, and plenty of space. There wasn¡¯t a single thing to dislike. In addition, the floors were warm even without a fire, almost as if the sun were shining on them.
It felt like a dream to Shalon and all the other vigers.
¡°Phew, finally it¡¯s done.¡±
Hagler had just finished organizing the supplies that Henry had left to him. He sat against the wall and was reminded of his past as he watched the joyful vigers.
¡®If it weren¡¯t for the master¡ I would have been in the same situation.¡¯
His life had been insignificant before he¡¯d beaten the count he was serving and joined the Million Corps. Because of this, Halger could understand the struggles of the exiles and sympathize with them. His opinion of Henry rose.
¡®I didn¡¯t realize how great a person he is.¡¯
At first, Hagler thought Henry was simply apetent baron. Also, the continent was sorge that he hadn¡¯t thought twice about Henry having the same name as Henry Morris. However, after Henry calmly revealed his identity to the vigers, Hagler was amazed.
¡®Who would have thought that he was the disciple of the great archmage?¡¯
The former archmage, Henry Morris, was called the wise man of the empire. He was a man of enormous influence; it was enough to say that the entire empire flourished thanks to the rise of a single wizard.
In addition, he was famous for not having any disciples so that he could focus on his development. To find out that Henry had been hiding a disciple who happened to be the master Hagler was serving made Hagler get chills all over his body. That such a great man would call him arade made Hagler¡¯s lips curl up into a smile.
¡°Hehe¡ I swear loyalty to my master,¡± Hagler said to himself, his head bowed.
¡°Alright, I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± a familiar voice replied.
¡°Huh? S-sir?¡±
It was Henry. Hagler quickly stood and greeted Henry. ¡°When did you get back?¡±
¡°Just now.¡±
¡°But I didn¡¯t hear the door open.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve already revealed that I am a wizard. Why would I use the door?¡±
¡°Ah¡¡±
Henry was simply stating a fact, but Hagler felt like he had spoken in such a graceful way.
-Khuu?
¡°H-huh?¡±
Hagler automatically raised his arm to defend himself when he noticed a strange reptile on Henry¡¯s shoulder.
Henryughed and said, ¡°Why are you so startled?¡±
¡°S-sir! W-what is that?¡±
It was natural that he¡¯d be surprised since he had never seen an evil spirit before.
¡°Have you never seen a spirit before?¡± Henry asked casually.
¡°S-spirit¡?¡±
¡°This guy''s name is gon, he is the offspring of the highest form of water spirit, Elyragon. However, he¡¯s just a newborn, so his abilities are still insignificant.¡±
Hagler had only ever seen a low-level spirit before that belonged to a low-ss elementalist, and he observed gon curiously. However, he didn¡¯t have the courage to touch the creature.
¡°I¡¯ve dealt with the drinking water and other things, so tell them all toe out.¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
The vigers also seemed quite surprised at Henry¡¯s sudden reappearance, but unlike Hagler, their reactions were more muted since they¡¯d seen this sort of thing before. Everyone followed Henry, and when the front doors opened, they were all amazed.
¡°Wow¡¡±
¡°What am I looking at right now?¡±
¡°How¡ What the¡¡±
The vigers looked in awe at the giant, steamingke right in front of them. The heavy snow of Salgaera falling on the hot spring created an unusual sight. ¡°While I was examining theke, I happened to find out that Salgaera was mostly a volcanic region.¡±
¡°Volcanic region?¡±
¡°Most of them are dormant volcanoes¡ And because of that, most of Salgaera¡¯s water is hot, not cold.¡±
¡°Then what about theke in the north?¡±
¡°Thatke didn¡¯t have an ice spirit like you thought, but there was something simr there. This guy ate it, though, and now theke is a hot spring.¡± Henry did not hide gon from the vigers.
After getting rid of all the dead fish, Henry tried to make a waterway that would bring the water from the northernke to the front of the mansion. When gon understood Henry''s intentions, he¡¯d bitten down on Henry¡¯s pant leg and dragged him forward.
¡®I didn¡¯t know you had the ability to find water veins.¡¯
Perhaps because he had received Henry¡¯s mana as an egg, gon couldmunicate with Henry so well that no other spirits could even dream of it.
Although gon was still too young to have a full conversation with him, Henry believed that gon would stay loyal to him since they already had this level ofmunication.
gon found a vein of water closer to the mansion and Henry used a spell to create a secondke right in front of the mansion for the vigers.
¡°The water is clear and clean, so there will be no problem using it as drinking water. I have also made a well near theke, so you can get drinking water from there as well.¡±
The vigers once again bowed and expressed their gratitude toward Henry.
¡°From now on, I will take care of all of you by creating a merchantpany so you won¡¯t have to rely on the Painted Merchants.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°I think this will reassure me more.¡±
Henry finallypleted all of his preparations.
¡®Now, is the only thing left is to hand the men over to Count Eisen?¡¯
Henry finally let go of the guilt he¡¯d held on to for so long. Henry finished praying for the dead with everyone and began to make his way out of Salgaera with Hagler.
Chapter 67: Count Eisen (1)
Chapter 67: Count Eisen (1)
They decided to leave the carriage behind because Henry could alreadye and go on his own. Just as the two were ready to depart on their horses, someone called out to them in a voice that sounded half-dead: ¡°P-please¡ Let me live¡¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
They turned to see the Painted Merchants employees dying half-buried in the snow.
¡°Ah¡ I almost forgot about them. Halger, bring them here.¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡±
Since they¡¯d been in the cold without their coats for hours, they were probably as miserable as Munke was. Since one reaped what one sowed, Henry didn¡¯t have any sympathy for the frostbitten employees even though they were begging for their lives.
¡°If you want to live, run.¡±
¡°Giddyup.¡±
Henry tied the employees to the horse and started galloping toward the checkpoint.
* * *
When Henry arrived at the checkpoint, he continued his unfinished conversation with Vhant.
¡°Did you think about it?¡±
The question wasn¡¯t necessary because only a fool would reject Henry¡¯s suggestion. However, Henry wanted to give Vhant the option to refuse so that he could take responsibility for his revenge willingly.
¡°I¡¯ve been on your side from the beginning, Sir Henry, but¡¡± replied Vhant, looking as if he¡¯d been waiting for this moment to reply.
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°Why don¡¯t you bring those men to Count Eisen yourself? Why me?¡±
¡°Why you?¡±
¡°That''s right. I can hand them over, but¡ In order to do that, I¡¯d have to ask the capital for help, and that will take too much time.¡±
Count Eisen was a tool they needed to get to Marquis Aubert, but like Marquis Aubert, he was also part of the Central Aristocrats that had driven the State Contributors to their deaths.
¡®Hmm¡ I guess it¡¯s not a bad idea to see his face since it¡¯s been a while.¡¯
Henry was nning to kill him anyway, so he decided to ept the suggestion.
¡°Alright. You must be busy with your official duties; of course, I will help.¡±
¡°Haha, no. I¡¯m entrusting this task to the Million Corps, so I will make sure topensate you properly. Don¡¯t worry¡¡±
¡°There¡¯s no need forpensation, but instead, could you do me two favors?¡±
¡°Favors?¡±
¡°Yes. It won¡¯t be anything difficult.¡±
¡°Well, of course. Anything.¡±
Henry still felt tremendously sorry for Vhant, so there was no way he would ept anypensation. Instead, he decided to request something different. ¡°Thank you. First of all¡ there will be a time in the future that I will need your help. I don¡¯t know when it will be, but please help me out at least once.¡±
Vhant the gatekeeper was sure to be of great help in the future. It was the same type of request he¡¯d made of Isn, and Vhant happily agreed.
¡°Haha, that is an interesting request. Alright, I don¡¯t know when it will be, but when the timees, I will make sure to lend you a hand. Now, what is your second request?¡±
¡°My second request is also quite simple. Chief, if you ever visit the vige to check on the exiles, will you keep the things you see there confidential?¡±
¡°The Exile Vige?¡±
¡°I have some rtions with the people there, so I gave them ess to food, clothing, and shelter.¡±
¡°Alright. I will keep everything that I see and hear inside the vige a secret.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
He did not tell Vhant that he was Henry¡¯s disciple since this information wouldn¡¯t spread anyway; Henry had made sure to seal the lips of the exiles and Hagler.
Vhant soon issued a rmendation letter about the delegation of prisoners with his signature and seal.
¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
Henry stuffed the bodies of the bandits and the Painted Merchants into one carriage.
¡°Let¡¯s go, Hagler.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
The carriage departed.
* * *
A few days passed, and they no longer needed their heavy coats once the distance between them and Salgaera grew, and they grew closer to Count Eisen¡¯s mansion. It was located in the Shonan region, a ce that was surrounded by mountains and was warm all year long.
Eisen Shonan came from a family that had been producing militarymanders and titans of the industry for generations. The Shonan family was recognized as one of the Patrician Families for their outstanding achievements during the Unification War.
However, perhaps because most of his family members were moguls, Eisen¡¯s cleverness never reached the level of his power, and he was always beingpared to the counts who were now marquis. Even though he¡¯d made a lot of contributions during the war, he was never promoted to marquis.
¡®I hope Eisen is still as dumb as he was in the past¡¡¯
That was one of the reasons why Henry had picked Eisen. After failing to join the Three Great Families, Eisen was growing nervous about bridging the widening gap between himself and the two marquis.
Nervousness turned into anxiety, and anxiety led to a sense of inferiority that blurred judgment, and Henry intended to take advantage of Eisen¡¯s bad judgment and inferiorityplex.
¡°Please present your identity tag.¡± A guard at the entrance of the Shonan manor, who was also a soldier under Eisen¡¯smand, asked Henry for his identity tag.
Eisen¡¯s private soldiers hadrge physiques since Eisen preferred very masculine men. Anyone who wanted to be one of his private soldiers had to have impressive physiques.
¡°Pass!¡±
The soldier confirmed Henry¡¯s identity and let him through. However, he didn¡¯t show any respect, much less salute Henry, even after seeing Henry¡¯s three-starred identity tag.
¡®Tsk tsk. They do say a dog resembles its owner.¡¯?Henry clucked his tongue. Soon, he arrived at the mansion in the center of the manor. Its exterior was magnificent, and it sat in a good position with its back to a mountain and facing a river. Eisen was still important even if he didn¡¯t get proper respect.
¡°Don¡¯t be nervous.¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡± However, Hagler couldn¡¯t help being nervous since he¡¯d beaten an aristocrat before and run away.
As soon as they reached the entrance of the mansion, the soldier standing there stood in their way and asked, ¡°What purpose do you have here?¡±
¡°I¡¯m here to meet Count Eisen.¡±
¡°Show me your identity tag.¡±
Henry held out a ss B mercenary card and his identity tag.
¡°A bar? An officer? A mercenary? What kind of confused bastard are you?¡±
This man was worse than the previous soldier, so Henry attempted to show mercy in a decent tone. ¡°Watch your mouth.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Just because you guard the gate of the count¡¯s family doesn¡¯t make you a count as well.¡±
¡°You fucking bastard!¡±
Schwing!
The soldier couldn¡¯t contain his anger and swung his spear like a bat, but it was a bad idea.
sh!
Henry cut the soldier¡¯s steel spear with a single movement of his sword. Then, Henry swung his sword once more to cut the soldier¡¯s armor off.
Thud!
He cut the thick chainmail as cleanly as though it were leather without leaving a scratch. Henry¡¯s swordsmanship was truly precise. In the blink of an eye, the soldier fell to the ground and wet his pants. Henry frowned as he looked at the soldier and said, ¡°It¡¯s a pity to allow someone like you to be a guard.¡±
¡°W-what did you say? Y-you son of a bitch! Do you think you¡¯ll be okay after what you just did?¡±
¡°Tsk tsk, you¡¯re stupider than a dog.¡±
¡°What are you waiting for? Kill him!¡±
Dozens of soldiers ran out like a swarm of hos after seeing one of their own humiliated.
Henry clucked his tongue at them.
¡®You never learn your lesson until you get a beating, don¡¯t you.¡¯
Beatings were necessary for dogs that didn¡¯t listen tomands.
As the entrance of the mansion turned into chaos, more spectators began to gather around and began to worry about Henry¡¯s safety.
¡°Tsk tsk, I don¡¯t know who that person is, but it won¡¯t end well for him.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s messing around with the count¡¯s soldiers because he doesn¡¯t have anyone else to mess with¡¡±
¡°He looks young, too bad that he won¡¯t be able to walk ever again.¡±
The count¡¯s private soldiers were famous in the region for being violent. Everyone expected nothing less than a crushing defeat for Henry. However, as time passed, the spectators noticed that something wasn¡¯t right.
¡°W-what¡?¡±
¡°He¡¯s not losing?¡±
¡°No. Look at them carefully. He¡¯s even winning against them.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no way, he only cut off their armor.¡±
His movements looked like acrobatic stunts.
Henry took down dozens of soldiers without getting a single scratch and he finished with a kick to the neck of thest soldier.
¡°Argh.¡±
Thud.
There were pieces of armor and spears everywhere, and bloodied soldiers squirmed on the ground. It was an easy victory for Henry. The spectators couldn¡¯t help pping.
¡°Wow, what the hell did I just see?¡±
¡°Wow¡ From what I heard earlier, I think they said he was a mercenary.¡±
¡°Is that an S-ss mercenary that I¡¯ve heard about?¡±
¡°No. We are ss B mercenaries, the Million Corps. If you need any help, please feel free to ask for the Million Corps.¡±
As he stood among the spectators, Hagler did not miss the chance to promote their mercenary group.
Just as Henry was dusting off his hands among the soldiers on the ground¡
Whoosh! Crash!
¡°Huh?¡±
A spear loaded with aura flew like an arrow. Henry dodged it with ease, and it stuck in the ground.
¡°It¡¯s the head of the guards, Vedican!¡±
¡®Head of the guards?¡¯
As soon as the man named Vedican appeared, all the spectators ran away as if they had urgent appointments. Vedican was arge man. As if the metal armor he was wearing weren¡¯t enough, he carried several spears on his back as though they were arrows.
¡°Who are you?¡± Vedican¡¯s murderous voice was as heavy as an iron stone.
However, Henry responded nonchntly, ¡°Are you in charge here?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°I¡¯m here to meet Count Eisen.¡±
¡°A person like you doesn¡¯t have the right to meet the count just because you want to.¡±
Since dozens of his men had be a source of mockery, Vedican¡¯s hostility was understandable.
Henry smiled and took a piece of paper out of his pocket. ¡°I¡¯m not the one who wants to meet the count.¡± It was Vhant¡¯s letter of rmendation.
Henry had nned to show the rmendation letter after they checked his identity, but the soldier had been so arrogant that Henry had withheld the rmendation letter¡¯s existence.
Vedican snatched the letter out of Henry''s hand and confirmed the authenticity of the seal of the imperial army. Vedican spat curses at Henry. ¡°How dare you, you arrogant son of a bitch¡!¡±
¡°Wait. I won¡¯t refuse if you want to fight, but I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll regret it. Is that okay with you?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°That letter is quite an important one, so why don¡¯t we stop fighting and you just let me in?¡±
He looked strong, so there was no need to waste energy. In addition, Henry decided to end the unnecessary dispute because he believed that anyone in charge of the guards would have good judgment. Besides, as Henry stated, the letter contained important information, so he also had to treat it with great care.
¡®Son of a bitch¡!¡¯
Although Vedican was furious, he had no choice but to put up with it because he was the head of the guards. ¡°Ugh¡! Alright.¡±
¡°As expected, the person in charge is different.¡±
Thanks to Vedican¡¯s sense of responsibility, Henry finally entered Eisen¡¯s mansion.
Chapter 68: Count Eisen (2)
Chapter 68: Count Eisen (2)
The gates open to reveal the hidden pride of Count Eisen¡¯s family. There was a garden so enormous that if one didn¡¯t know that they were visiting Count Eison, one might mistake it for a forest.
¡®He still likes to show off.¡¯
The size of the house was one of the best ways to demonstrate power. However, in Henry¡¯s eyes, a ce this grand seemed like a waste.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
After a long ride, Henry finally arrived at what seemed to be the front door of the mansion.
¡°Please wait here, I will bring the count out.¡±
Vedican¡¯s tone changed from informal to formal. Even though he was furious, he couldn¡¯t treat an honored guest casually.
As soon as Vedican walked away, Hagler asked Henry, ¡°Um, sir.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°This building here¡ Isn¡¯t it a little small for a mansion belonging to one of the Patrician Families?¡±
¡°This isn¡¯t the mansion.¡±
¡°What? Then what is it?¡±
¡°This is probably the reception building.¡±
¡°...What?¡± Although Henry had responded in a casual manner, Hagler¡¯s jaw still dropped. It was iprehensible to him. ¡°I guess not all counts¡ are the same¡¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. They still hold the title of a Patrician Family.¡±
¡°By the way, sir, where is gon? I haven¡¯t seen him in a while.¡±
¡°Here.¡± Henry showed Hagler the blue wrist brace he was wearing.
¡°Huh? This is gon?¡±
¡°Spirits are not living creatures, so when they are not active, they usually reserve their strength like this.¡±
gon was still a newborn, so he didn¡¯t spend a lot of time awake.
Some time passed, and finally, a massive, colorfully decorated carriage stopped in front of the reception building. Eisen emerged from the carriage.
¡®Right, I forgot he¡¯s also like Isn.¡¯?Like Isn, Eisen had a massive build with impressive-looking muscles despite the fact that he was a middle-aged man. He was two meters tall and resembled a brown bear. He looked at Henry with a frown and said, ¡°Is it you?¡±
Although Vedican had told him everything, Eisen spoke in a voice full of irritation as if he had just heard the news.
¡°Yes, it is.¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t you one arrogant mercenary? You¡¯re acting like scum just because you have a piece of letter with an imperial army seal on it. Do you realize whose soldiers you fought?¡±
He¡¯d long surpassed the status of Sword Master, thanks to being a genius titan of industry. Eisen¡¯s murderous tone was heavy enough to suffocate a person.
¡®Even so, it¡¯s not evenparable to Von¡¯s.¡¯
Eisen¡¯s spine-chilling attitude wasn¡¯t as great as that of Henry¡¯s sword, Von. Henry replied in the same way he¡¯d been greeted, ¡°I apologize. If I¡¯d known that they were your treasured dogs, I would have used words instead of fists. However, they were so vicious, I had no choice.¡±
Hagler and Vedican listened with widened eyes. They had never seen anyone talk to Eisen like that.
¡°H-how dare you talk back to the count!¡± Vedican raised his voice.
¡°Hahaha!¡± However, Eisen let out a satisfiedugh. Everyone looked confused, except for Henry, who was smiling.
¡®I knew it.¡¯
Courage, fighting spirit, strength, bravery, and more¡ªthese were things Eisen valued as a descendant of titans of industry. Henry¡¯s attitude might appear arrogant to others, but Eisen saw it as boldness, and he appreciated toughness in men.
¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen such a bold fellow. Yes, you¡¯re right! You need to beat dogs that don¡¯t listen!¡±
Even the bold Vedican couldn¡¯t talk back to Eisen the way Henry did. Vedican had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.
¡°Let us talk in more detail inside.¡±
Henry¡¯s enemy in his previous life weed him and guided him inside.
* * *
.
The reception building was bigger and better decorated than the mansions of most nobles. It was filled with jade tables and couches made of the finest sheepskin, and paintings and silk-embroidered carpets filled the hallway.
Greedy Eisen loved showing off his wealth, which he used to overwhelm his opponents. Of course, Henry wasn¡¯t affected in the slightest. Soon, the servants in charge of the reception room came to serve expensive tea. Each ss cost dozens of gold.
¡®He doesn¡¯t even enjoy tea. He just wastes taxes on this.¡¯
Count Eisen¡¯s shy appearance gained him the reputation of a fool among the nobles, and his expensive tea was notorious for tasting like garbage. It was true vanity!
Henry nodded in satisfaction with just a cup of tea. Count Eisen was still as big a fool as ever, and Henry knew exactly how to deal with someone like this. He was now going to put his little act into y.
¡°The rumors that you have exquisite taste are true. I didn¡¯t expect to taste such a precious tea here.¡±
¡°Hahaha! You sure are smart. I had a feeling from the first time I saw you that you and I were the same.¡±
¡®The same, my ass.¡¯
Henry¡¯s ttery made Eisen¡¯s happiness shoot through the roof. However, this was only to be expected since he¡¯d grown more theatrical since failing to join the three Great Families. For this reason, everyone around the mansion tiptoed around Eisen. However, Eisen¡¯s frustration only disappeared when a bold person like Henry appeared.
Henry had to stoop to Eisen¡¯s level with small talk for some time. Although Eisen wasn¡¯t a part of the three Great Families, he was quite useful as he still possessed the highest rank among the rest of the Patrician Families.
Not long after, Henry began to bring up his real purpose for visiting. ¡°Count Eisen, the real reason I¡¯m here is to present you with a useful tool.¡±
¡°Useful tool?¡±
¡°Yes. This letter of rmendation.¡±
Only then did Eisen take a look at Vhant¡¯s letter and after reading it, his eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Is this true?¡±
¡°Yes it is, and I¡¯m the one who destroyed the Viper Knights, who were disguised as bandits.¡±
Henry decided to take this chance to prove his skills.
¡°Even though you dealt with a weak unit, you still managed to win against the Viper Knights?
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
There was a moment of silence, but then Eisen nodded. ¡°I see¡ That¡¯s why you¡¯re so confident in front of me. It¡¯s because you have skills.¡±
¡°I¡¯m ttered.¡±
¡°No need to be ttered. Men should be brave, and it¡¯s a good thing that you destroyed those Viper Knights. You¡¯ve made a national contribution!¡±
It was well known in the imperial pce that the Viper Knights were in cahoots with Marquis Aubert. The knowledge made Eisen¡¯s delight feel more satisfying. However, Eisen¡¯s smile soon turned into a sharp nce. ¡°By the way¡ Why did Vhante to me when he could have reported directly to the imperial pce himself?¡±
No matter how much of a fool Eisen was, he knew that Vhant had been demoted because he¡¯d supported Henry. It was known in the imperial pce that Marquis Aubert and Count Eisen were not on good terms. There was clearly a motive behind providing Eisen with this material.
Henry decided to answer him truthfully because he knew that if he tried to make up a story, it would only backfire. ¡°I was the one that suggested it.¡±
¡°You?¡±
¡°Yes. Everyone in the empire knows that the count and the marquis are not on good terms. From what I understand, Chief Vhant also has a terrible rtionship with the members of the three Great Families.¡±
¡°I used to be a Central aristocrat, but even I have a bad rtionship with Vhant, not just the three Great Families.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, which is why I¡¯m making this suggestion. If you have amon enemy, wouldn¡¯t that mean yesterday¡¯s enemies can be today¡¯srades?¡±
¡°...What?¡±
¡°When I used to work at the Caliburn Fortress, I learned that there is no such thing as an eternal enemy. Wise men join hands with an enemy in order to take down a bigger opponent.¡±
¡°Hmm¡ That is true. You do have a point despite being so young.¡±
Just as Henry had predicted, ttering Eisen worked.
¡°You¡¯re an interesting little fellow. What¡¯s your name?¡± It was significant for someone from a Patrician Family to ask a stranger¡¯s name.
As if he¡¯d been waiting all along, Henry stared into Eisen¡¯s eyes. ¡°Henry Morris. My name is Henry Morris.¡±
¡°...What?¡± Eisen saw an image of the dead archmage within Henry.
Eisen felt goosebumps all over his body and inadvertently gulped down his saliva.
Henry replied with a sneer, ¡°Are you okay? You don¡¯t look so good.¡±
¡°Y-yes, I¡¯m fine.¡±
Although it wasn¡¯t official, Henry finally let an enemy from his past life know that he had returned. It made enough of an impact. Feeling satisfied, Henry quickly changed the subject so that the mood didn¡¯t worsen.
¡°I didn¡¯t mean to surprise you. I often get worried looks because of this name.¡±
¡°I must say, it¡¯s not a very pleasant one.¡±
¡°Haha, I do apologize.¡±
¡°No need to apologize. It¡¯s not like you were responsible for it. The responsibility falls on your parents.¡±
¡°I¡¯m grateful that you said that.¡±
¡°...Even though it¡¯s a coincidence, it¡¯s giving me the chills. The more I think about it, the odder it is. I can understand why Vhant would do such a thing, but why would you suggest it?¡±
Perhaps it was the influence of Henry¡¯s name, but Eisen¡¯s attitude suddenly grew sharp.
However, Henry had already prepared an answer. ¡°It¡¯s because of you, Count Eisen.¡±
¡°Because of me?¡±
¡°As you can see, I¡¯m a poor guy who was born a bar and didn¡¯t even go to a Swordsmanship Academy. In addition, although I served at the Caliburn Fortress, my background isn¡¯t enough to guarantee sess in the real world.¡±
¡°So you suggested this in order to get my attention?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
Unfortunately, Eisen¡¯s reply was unexpected. ¡°I don¡¯t have a good feeling about this.¡±
¡°What¡ do you mean?¡±
¡°It¡¯s unsettling that all the pieces of the puzzle fit so perfectly. My intuition about this kind of thing is usually pretty good. Regardless, I will ept the gift and make sure that Aubert is humiliated in front of the emperor, just as you and Vhant want, but¡¡± Eisen¡¯s gone grew cold. ¡°This doesn¡¯t sit well with me. I have a bad feeling about this. Vedican!¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
¡°Give him a generous reward, one that will satisfy him.¡±
Henry never expected that Eisen would make a decision based on his gut feeling. However, he at least managed to confirm that the name Henry Morris was very unpleasant to Eisen.
¡®I didn¡¯t expect this to happen¡¡¯
However, Eisen had already made a firm decision and Henry decided not to fixate on not aplishing all his goals.
¡®I guess this will have to do for today.¡¯
Henry had already introduced himself to Eisen, so he could wait until the next opportunity. Besides, he hadn¡¯t nned on aplishing too much, and he didn¡¯t want to push things.
¡®Overdoing won¡¯t do me any good.¡¯?He decided to stop and continue another time in the future.
* * *
After Von arrived in Enkelmann, he handed over the management team to Harz, just as Henry had instructed. After confirming the agreement, Harz carefully reviewed the contents and signed it, and the operations team immediately began an audit of Enkelmann¡¯s finances.
The results were incredible. The city was running very efficiently and barely wasted any money. Von once again acknowledged Harz¡¯s skills, and Harz proudly received the bonus that Henry had promised.
Von finished all the tasks that Henry had ordered and immediately returned to Vivaldi.
Chapter 69: Count Eisen (3)
Chapter 69: Count Eisen (3)
When Von returned to Vivaldi, he was greeted with unexpected news from Ten.
¡°He went out to handle amission?¡±
¡°Yes. He said that he was meeting someone in Salgaera, so Sir Henry departed the day after you left for Enkelmann.¡±
¡®Is it because of what happenedst time?¡¯
On the day Henry and Von had nned to return to Vivaldi from Enkelmann, he asked Von about the exiles. Von had told him what he knew, and Henry immediately went to track down the men as soon as Von had left.
¡®I have to admit¡ He gets on top of things right away.¡¯
Henry left the day after Von did, which meant he must have arrived in Salgaera already. After some thought, Von decided to leave for Salgaera as well.
¡°What? You¡¯re going to Salgaera?¡±
¡°I¡¯m going to visit some people in Salgaera too.¡±
¡°Ha¡ Okay, I won¡¯t stop you¡ When are you nning to depart?¡±
¡°I¡¯m nning to leave as soon as I finish my preparations.¡±
¡°What? But you just got back to Enkelmann today?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll only be able to meet up with the ones who left for Salgaera first if I depart as soon as possible.¡±
¡°Even so¡ You just got here today.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me. Just prepare a coat, dehydrated food, and some fatigue recovery medicine from the temple.¡±
The special fatigue recovery medicine from the temple could relieve fatigue very quickly. Even still, Von had just returned from Enkelmann, and Ten could not understand what he was doing.
¡°I¡¯ll leave it up to you.¡±
¡°Okay, I will get those ready for you since you insist on going.¡±
Von took two bottles of the fatigue relief medicine then took a hot bath. He put on fresh clothing and headed straight to Salgaera on a new horse.
* * *
Henry, who had left the reception room as if he had been kicked out. Vedican led him to the count¡¯s treasure room, which was full of gold and silver treasures Eisen had chosen to show off the Shonan family''s wealth.
¡°The count told me to give you a generous reward, so choose as much as you want until you¡¯re satisfied.¡± Vedican showed the treasures off as though they were his.
Henry looked around and thought to himself, ¡®It¡¯s filled with useless items.¡¯
Anyone else would have been overwhelmed by the treasures, but Henry already possessed plenty of them. He had no interest in anything, and he only picked up a single gold coin on the floor and said, ¡°This will do.¡±
¡°W-what¡?¡± Vedican¡¯s expression was full of shock. Although he was in charge of guarding the treasure room, even someone like him struggled with his greed whenever he entered. It was hard to believe that a mere mercenary didn¡¯t feel the same.
¡°I will leave on my own, so there¡¯s no need to escort me out. Ah, also, here¡¯s a little tip.¡±
Henry patted the bewildered Vedican on the shoulder and put the gold coin he had just picked up into Vedican¡¯s pocket.
¡°Y-you bastard¡!¡±
However, Henry had already walked far away before Vedican could even get angry.
* * *
The members of the six Patrician Families, who were in charge of discussing state administration, had the right to summon any of the Patrician Families at any time. The members of the Patrician Family had toply with the summoning, except for the emperor and the grand dukes.
However, there was one powerful summoning order that could call the emperor, although not the grand dukes, called a reporting order. It was used to use someone of plotting to kill the emperor ormitting treason.
Today, none other than Count Eisen Shonan announced the reporting order. It was a rare asion. Inside the imperial pce, the six leaders of the Patrician Families sat around a half-moon table facing the throne. The table was called the ¡°table of affairs¡± because they only ever discussed state affairs there.
The first to speak was Marquis Alfred Etherwether of the Etherwear family, a member of the three Great Families. ¡°Count Eisen, why have you made a reporting order?¡±
A reporting order was an act that did little more than backstab another person, which was why no one used it unless it was absolutely necessary. It was significant that Eisen had issued one.
Everyone had a concerned expression, but the only ones that looked distressed were the three Great Families. The two counts had the same title as Eisen, but they weren¡¯t as powerful as he was because they joined the Patrician Familiester.
The emperor did not show much interest in the reporting order. He was busy flirting with a beautiful courtdy next to him. However, the emperor would soon gain interest in the proceedings.
Eisen Shonan rose from his seat and began to talk with a proud expression. ¡°I was just about to tell everyone why I issued a reporting order. Hey, those of you outside, bring them in!¡±
The soldiers waiting outside brought in a number of bloodied men: Munke and his employees.
As the soldiers brought them in, Eisen called out to the emperor. ¡°Your Majesty! If Your Majesty will allow it, may I bring in the bodies of the Viper Knights to use as very important evidence? I¡¯ll prove that I was right to issue a reporting order.¡±
¡°Viper Knights?¡±
The name of the imperial knights made the emperor¡¯s eyes widen. He pushed the courtdy to the side. ¡°Let them in.¡±
¡°Thank you, Your Majesty. Come in!¡±
Eisen pointed his chin at a soldier and several soldiers brought in the bodies of the tough Viper Knights and put them next to Munke.
Marquis Aubert seemed to stiffen. Eisen made eye contact with him, and after a slight smile, he turned back and began to appeal to the emperor in a loud voice. ¡°Your Majesty! I called for a reporting order today because one of the six Patrician Families not only disobeyed Your Majesty¡¯s royalmand, but they also used the imperial knights and wasted the nation¡¯s resources!¡±
Marquis Aubert¡¯s expression stiffened even more and the rest of the families started to nce at each other. The emperor frowned and began to express his anger. ¡°Who! Who dared do this! Who dared disobey me and lead the imperial knights to their deaths!¡±
Silver Jackson Edward, emperor of the Eurasia continent, was ipetent and stupid but he wielded absolute power as its sole monarch. When such a stupid and simple man held so much authority, it was impossible to know who would be the next enemy of the entire empire.
Eisen made eye contact with Marquis Aubert once again and¡
¡°It is him.¡± Eisen pointed at Marquis Aubert.
The emperor¡¯s expression also stiffened like stone.
¡°What¡?¡±
Marquis Aubert of the Crimson family, a family known for producing reliable soldiers and bookbinders for generations. Marquis Aubert was also apetent individual who¡¯d developed useful policies with Henry. When he was fingered as the culprit, the emperor¡¯s expression grew even darker. ¡°Marquis Aubert, is this true?¡±
Aubert¡¯s expression was frozen because Eisen was right. However, he was only in charge of giving orders; Salmora had done everything else. When the mission wasplete, he only received reports through letters. Aubert knew the existence of the Painted Merchants, but he did not know what Munke and his employees looked like.
¡®...So this is why the report was dyed.¡¯?Aubert remembered all of a sudden that he hadn¡¯t received a report for thest mission. However, there was no going back now.
"Strip the bodies!¡± Eisen ordered.
The double snake symbol of the Viper Knight was on the bodies of the dead.
¡®Hehehe, how¡¯s that for a taste, Aubert?¡¯
The evidence was irrefutable. In addition, Munke and his employees had already been tamed in a private torture chamber earlier on. All he had to do now was continue provoking the emperor to unleash his fury on Aubert. If things worked out, Eisen would be able to rece Marquis Aubert.
¡°Your Majesty! Marquis Aubert has also been embezzling the supplies that Your Majesty has been sending to the exiles of Salgaera for more than a year now.¡±
¡°W-what?¡¯
¡°Everything is true, Your Majesty! Aubert pretended to hire a merchant group to send the supplies, but they were working together with the leader of the imperial knights to pretend that bandits had stolen the supplies and deceived Your Majesty.¡±
¡°Aubert! Is this true!¡±
¡°That is not all. Auber also hired junior mercenaries from the mercenary guild to kill the merchants to support his lie that the supplies had been stolen. Your Majesty, no matter how insignificant the lives ofmoners are, they are still your people. And not only that, he¡¯s taken the nation¡¯s money. Not only did Aubert defy Your Majesty¡¯smands, he also ughtered your people. This is why I called the reporting order.¡±
¡°Aubert, how dare you!¡±
Shiiing!
Silver Edward Jackson had an inferiorityplex that made him sensitive to being ignored or disrespected. The emperor couldn¡¯t hold back his boiling rage. He took the rapier of the soldier standing next to him and ran toward Aubert, then¡
Thrust!
Completely irrational from anger, the emperor stabbed Aubert in between his shoulder and chest. The de dug deep into his skin, but Aubert didn¡¯t let out a single groan and only opened his eyes wide and swallowed down the pain.
The emperor grew even more enraged. His anger was past boiling point, and he tightened his grip on the hilt to pierce through Aubert¡¯s skin.
¡°Grr¡! Grrr¡!¡±
Covered in Aubert¡¯s blood, the emperor breathed heavily, ring at Aubert until the very end. ¡°Aubert¡! You¡! You dare insult me!¡±
Anger sometimes doubled people¡¯s strength, and the emperor pushed the de through the flesh with all his might, screaming like iron being sawed.
sh!
The de left Aubert¡¯s armpit as ragged as a mop. His white clothes were soon redder than the sunset.
nk!
The emperor calmed down slightly, perhaps because he¡¯d broken through skin, and he threw the blood-stained sword to the ground, breathing heavily.
¡°Ha¡ Ha¡¡±
The sound made everyone listening terrified.
¡®It¡¯s over!¡¯
Eisne¡¯s eyes were filled with pleasure. It was only a matter of time before Aubert¡¯s head would be cut off, but Aubert suddenly got down on his knees.
¡°...!¡±
The high-and-mighty Aubert was kneeling! Then, through the blood in his mouth, he said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t stand it, Your Majesty.¡±
¡°What¡? What did you just say¡?¡±
¡°The people who have been deported to Salgaera are all from traitorous families, and while Your Majesty has been generous to them, I could never forgive them.¡±
¡°You couldn¡¯t¡ forgive them?¡±
¡°I still remember clearly when the treacherous Henry Morris bargained with Your Majesty for his life and the lives of the exiles.¡±
Aubert was in so much pain that it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he passed out, but he didn¡¯t show even a hint of pain. He exined himself clearly and calmly, lookingposed.
The emperor finally came to his senses and he dimly recalled using the family members of the State Contributors as hostages and encouraging Henry to take the poison. Henry had drunk the poison and admitted his guilt only if the lives of hisrades¡¯ families could be spared.
The emperor wasn¡¯t the only one who¡¯d encouraged this: four other Central Aristocrats were present to watch the downfall of thest State Contributor.
¡°I couldn¡¯t stand the sight of a treacherous man like him having the nerve to bargain with Your Majesty. Even though I knew I was defying an imperial order, I had to do it to preserve Your Majesty¡¯s honor. Please kill me for viting the imperial order, Your Majesty.¡±
Aubert bowed, pressing his forehead to the ground.
Marquis Alfred and Duke Arthus couldn¡¯t help bursting intoughter.
¡®Hahaha, that crazy bastard.¡¯¡®As expected of Aubert. You gotta admit, he¡¯s got real talent in acting.¡¯
The two other counts sighed.
¡®How could he fall for such an obvious lie¡¡¯¡®Is it Eisen¡¯s turn now?¡¯
The situation had turned on its head.
Aubert had almost been condemned after viting the imperial order and wasting the nation¡¯s resources, but now he was a loyalist who only cared about the emperor. Aubert¡¯s passionate performance managed to change the emperor¡¯s mind.
¡°The priest! Call the priest! Marquis Aubert, I was a fool! I didn¡¯t know your true intentions and I did this¡!¡± The emperor embraced Aubert and wept.
Aubert made eye contact with Eisen past the emperor¡¯s shoulders.
Smirk.
Abuert¡¯s eyes were like crescent moons as he embraced the emperor with his bloody hands. The corners of his lips rose like those of a snake¡¯s.
Chapter 70: Free Addition (1)
Chapter 70: Free Addition (1)
Now that Henry had reacquainted himself with Eisen and handed Munke over, it was all up to Eisen now. However, he felt a strange regret.
¡®I¡¯m going to use him in future, but still¡ It¡¯s a pity to leave like this.¡¯
Although it was possible for yesterday¡¯s enemy to be today¡¯s ally, the alliance was only temporary. One day, Eisen would also face the guillotine along with Aubert. Eisen was a disgrace; even though he¡¯d been given so many advantages, he had rewarded Henry only because he wanted to show off his wealth.
¡°This just won¡¯t do. Klever.¡±
-Yes, my lord?
¡°Do you remember the treasure room?¡±
- You mean the ce full of gold and silver treasures?
¡°Yes. You remember the location, right?¡±
- Of course.
¡°Empty it out.¡±
- Alright!
Since the treasure room was just there for show, emptying it out wouldn¡¯t even leave a dent in Eisen¡¯s wealth. However, Eisen would reprimand Vedican or at least grow suspicious of the other servants, which is what Henry wanted to aplish. Eisen would be more infuriated that a thief could ess his fortress-like mansion than by the loss of his treasures.
Klever transformed into white mist and thenter gathered in one spot in the shape of a cat.
- Meow!
¡°How¡¯d it go?¡±
- I didn¡¯t leave a single thing behind.
¡°Good job. This is your reward for doing me a favor.¡±
- Th-this is!
Henry threw a fresh cucumber as a reward to the clever cat. As Klever enjoyed the treat, Henry opened the Chest and checked the treasures that Klever had stolen.
nk.
¡°Now it¡¯s confirmed.¡±
The treasures were probably worth tens of thousands of gold. Henry nodded, finally feeling satisfied. He could now depart for Vivaldi.
* * *
After taking the fatigue recovery medicine, Von boosted his Sword Master-like stamina and arrived at n Gorge sooner than expected.
¡°Phew¡¡±
His breath turned white in the air. He would enter Salgeara after passing the gorge, but something was not quite right. Even though he had followed the main road that merchants used, he still hadn¡¯t run in to Henry,
¡®Am I on the wrong road?¡¯
Von continued to move forward, driven by curiosity and the expectation of encountering Henry. However, even after reaching n Gorge, Von didn¡¯t see him at all. He decided to ask the guards about Henry¡¯s whereabouts when he got to the n Gorge checkpoint.
* * *
The soldier was dozing as he stood because he didn¡¯t expect anyone else to arrive after the merchants. However, when the soldier glimpsed a person on horseback approaching him, he rushed out with a raised spear and said, ¡°Stop, stop. This ce is off-limits to the public.¡±
Only then did Von dismount his horse and hold out his identity tag.
¡®A gold tag?¡¯
The soldier¡¯s eyes widened when he saw Von¡¯s identity tag.
Commoners had bronze identity tags, bars all the way to counts had silver, marquis to dukes had gold, and the Patrician Families and Grand Masters had tinum. The soldier straightened his back and greeted Von properly. ¡°I-I apologize! I didn¡¯t recognize a person of such high status! Hey you, hurry and bring the chief down!¡±
He was a well-trained soldier. Soon, Vhant showed up, reeking of alcohol. ¡°What is it now? Who¡¯s here that¡¯s making you so excited¡ huh?¡±
Vhant was still drinking while on the job and he walked out with wobbly steps. When his eyes met those of Von, who was standing in front of his horse¡
¡°Sir Vhant?¡±
¡°Sir Von?¡±
It was an unexpected encounter. The soldier quietly took a few steps back.
¡°Sir Von, it¡¯s been quite a while since Ist saw you.¡± Vhant greeted Von first because Von had outranked him during their time at the imperial pce.
However, this didn¡¯t mean that Von looked down on Vhant. In fact, Von thought of Vhant as a good person, because Vhant¡¯s integrity and role model behaviors were well known within the imperial pce.
The two approached each other and exchanged brief greetings. Then, they stayed silent for a while. Von spoke first. ¡°...I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been through a lot.¡±
¡°Your face looks so thin now too, Sir Von.¡±
They exchanged wry smiles and a light handshake. The moment of silence had given them a chance to imagine the hardships that the other must have gone through.
¡°Why don¡¯t we go inside and continue our conversation?¡± Vhant suggested.
¡°Thank you for the offer, but I¡¯m urgently looking for someone.¡±
¡°In Salgaera?¡±
¡°By any chance, did the Painted Merchantse by?¡±
¡°Of course, they¡¯re our regr supply line.¡±
¡°I actually have business with one of the members of a mercenary group apanying them.¡±
¡°Mercenary group? Are you talking about Sir Henry by any chance?¡±
¡°You know Henry?¡±
¡°Of course I know him, but why would youe all the way to Salgaera to look for him?¡±
¡°This¡ I can¡¯t tell you the details, but I¡¯m the vice-captain of Henry¡¯s mercenary corps.¡±
¡°Vice-captain? Wow, no wonder. He looks like an extraordinary man. I think we really should talk inside, I have a lot to tell you about Sir Henry. Now, why don¡¯t youe in?¡±
An unexpected encounter and an unexpected story. Vhant guided Von past the checkpoint and Von followed without any feelings of suspicion.
Vhant asked, ¡°Sir Von, do you like to drink?¡±
* * *
The empire entered a state of peace after the reunification of the continent and the end of the war. However, that didn¡¯t mean that there was no need for the military, and the empire had to figure out a way to cultivate talented people efficiently.
As a result, various academies, including the Swordsmanship Academy, became imperial institutions and many citizens began to develop their strength in order to achieve their dreams and not just survive.
The empire entered a golden age of power and thanks to all the talented people, the bar for the level of power increased.
As the bar rose, the real difference in true power was determined not by skill in wielding a weapon, but by the aura that came with inner power.
Canye was themander of the third unit of the Viper Knights. He had graduated from the Swordsmanship Academy with excellent skills andpleted his military service on three major battlefields. He never neglected his training and could handle more than two types of weapons, bing an elite among elites.
In addition, he had the ability to handle aura from an early age and grew at a much faster rate than others. Thus, even though he was still in his twenties, Canye served as the third unit¡¯smander.
Knock, knock.
¡°Come in.¡±
Canye entered the room and gave Salmora a short bow. The imperial knights had up to five subordinate units each. Most of the leaders favored themanders of the third, fourth, and fifthmanders and taught them whatever they could to prepare them as sessors. Thus, this made the third unitmander a real disciple of the leader and Canye was a man who certainly did y the role of a smart, youngest disciple.
¡°Canye.¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡±
¡°I¡¯m going to need you to visit Salgaera.¡±
¡°By Salgaera¡ Do you mean the ce in the north?¡±
¡°Yes, and this is a strictly confidential mission, so you can¡¯t disclose this to anybody.¡±
Canye nodded dutifully. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±
Salmora began to exin the reason for the mission. ¡°I will assign you the entire third unit. Go and get rid of everything that¡¯s in Salgaera and don¡¯t leave a single trace behind.¡±
¡°By ¡®everything,¡¯ do you mean the exiles?¡±
¡°I mean everything. There will probably be a checkpoint with imperial soldiers. Kill all of them and burn down the checkpoint as well.¡±
¡°...Alright.¡± Canye was confused about his orders, but he was not stupid enough to ask for a reason out of curiosity. Soon after, Canye led 20 men to Salgaera.
¡°Giddyup!¡±
Their goal was theplete annihtion of Salgaera. Canye couldn¡¯tprehend why Salmora would give such amand. The only ones who knew about the Salgaera incident were Salmora, Hiram, and Hiram¡¯s subordinates, the fifth unit of the Viper Knights.
However, Canye did not harbor any suspicions around Salmora at all, even though it was against militaryw to kill the members of the imperial army. Salmora was the tenth strongest knight in the empire and Canye would serve him for the rest of his life. Canye¡¯s chivalry was defined by absolute obedience to Salmora.
Canye hid all traces of his identity and left for Salgaera. The deadline was tight, but Canye couldn¡¯t disappoint his leader and he pushed himself onward with little sleep until he reached Salgaera two days sooner than he¡¯d expected.
¡®Finally¡!¡¯
The long journey from the capital in the center of the continent to Salgaera left his buttocks chafed from the saddle, and his buttocks were in a great deal of pain. Canye and his men intended to relieve the stress of the terrible journey with ruthless ughter.
¡°Since there¡¯s so much firewood here, we¡¯ll have a warm sleep tonight,¡± said Canye in a murderous tone.
Shiiing!
At Canye¡¯s order, the men unsheathed their swords with venomous looks in their eyes. The men started to pour their auras onto their sharp, well-forged swords.
Czzz!
It was evening, and during mealtimes, there was no one guarding the checkpoint since theck of manpower meant that everyone had to pitch in with meal preparation. Canye frowned when he saw the entrance unmanned.
¡®Soldiers who fail a mission can be forgiven, but soldiers who fail to guard are not!¡¯
He¡¯d heard that the checkpoint chief of the n Gorge was called the gatekeeper. However, even though a man like that was present, the guards were still careless. It made Canye even angrier.
¡°Kill them,¡± he ordered.
Chapter 71: Free Addition (2)
Chapter 71: Free Addition (2)
For the first time in a while, Vhant served the precious drinks he had been saving because he had an honored guest. There was no need for snacks since the two of them had belonged to the same faction and simply drank continuously while reliving past glories.
Hours passed, and their tongues were tingling. They drank so much that it was difficult to believe that there were only two of them.
¡°Hehehe, Sir Von, our next drink is whiskey made by the famous distiller Magus.¡±
¡°Oh, is it exploding whiskey, by any chance?¡±
¡°Haha, exploding whiskey is good too, but this drink is one step above that.¡±
¡°One step above¡ It can¡¯t be?¡±
¡°That''s right! It''s volcanic whiskey!¡±
¡°Wow!¡±
Although they were called Henry¡¯s sword and the gatekeeper, they were like children. When Vhant opened his grand volcanic whiskey, the cork flew off with a crisp sound.
Pop!
¡°Nice!¡±
¡°Whoa!¡±
The volcanic whiskey was beyond regr whiskey, and it bubbled likeva in the ss.
¡°It¡¯s usually kept cold, and it bubbles as soon as it¡¯s opened. Wow! I wonder how he came up with an idea like this? It¡¯s incredible.¡±
¡°Haha, why don¡¯t we toast once more?¡±
¡°Of course!¡±
They decided to lubricate their throats with alcohol first before continuing to talk about the past. However, Von¡¯s hand stopped in mid-air.
¡°Hm? What¡¯s the matter, Sir Von?¡±
¡°...I think we need to postpone our toast.¡±
¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±
¡°I think some guests have arrived.¡±
¡°Guests?¡±
Von put down his ss on the table. ¡°We¡¯ll continue this a littleter.¡±
¡°What? What do you mean by guests?¡±
Thud.
Vhant had been about to hold Von back, but he fell back onto his chair, unable to sober up.
Von smiled and said, ¡°Wait just a couple of minutes, I will be back before the drink cools down.¡±
The whiskey inside the ss was still bubbling. Von headed outside with his sword sheathed at his waist.
¡®As expected.¡¯?Von felt the calm air turn sharp like thorns when he¡¯d raised his ss. It was a murderous aura that was still quite far away. It seemed that Vhant had not noticed it, although that didn¡¯t mean that his skills werecking. It was possible that Vhant was too drunk but also, Von¡¯s senses were superior to those of others.
¡®Are there around 20 people?¡¯? Past the sunset, Von could see 20 soldiers and their horses, their swords covered in blue aura. It was a murderous aura that had reached its climax of anger.
Von didn¡¯t know why the men he was seeing for the first time were so angry, but one thing was for sure, they were headed toward the checkpoint.
¡®I can¡¯t let that happen.¡¯?Von walked down the stairs and took a deep inhale of the cold Salgaera air to sober up. ¡°Haa..¡±
As the cold air entered his lungs, his mind became clear. Von had drunk more than ordinary people, but because he had more aura than blood, he didn¡¯t get drunk easily.
Clop! Clop! Clop!
The sound of galloping began to get closer and closer. The ck-d men reminded him of trained assassins.
¡®A surprise attack at this time¡ It must be them.¡¯?He already heard the whole story from Vhant, so Von knew that they had to be the Viper Knights led by Salmora, who had been their nemesis in their previous life.
Von felt as if weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He drew his sword leisurely and lifted it.
Boom! Boom!
Von swung his sword in the air as if he were a kid ying with a twig.
¡®It¡¯s all set.¡¯
Everything was ready to go and he could feel his aura grow several times stronger. They were now able to feel each other''s presence. Von lifted his right hand.
Go¡!
The atmosphere seemed to gather around Von¡¯s shoulder.
¡®Let¡¯s see how great their skills are.¡¯
Von swung his sword.
Boom!Swish!
¡°...Everyone spread out!¡±
Neigh!
A single swing of his sword had knocked down the left-hand section of his opponents¡¯ formation¡ªor more urately, swept them all away. Themander witnessed the man in front of him almost cut through four soldiers and their horses with the swing.
¡®W-what was that? A special sword strike? N-no it can¡¯t be, he didn¡¯t have any aura.¡¯
Canye believed that Von¡¯s sword had only made an ordinary strike. After all, Von¡¯s presence was not that great. Although he had felt Von¡¯s murderous aura for a split second, he believed that his men were stronger, so they did not slow down in their attack.
However, that had been a mistake. Canye couldn¡¯t help but break out in a cold sweat when he saw that the man¡¯s sword had left a massive groove on the ground.
¡°Don¡¯t be rmed! He¡¯s just one person! Pressure him with a siege!¡±
The unit had been cut down to 16 soldiers in the blink of an eye. Realizing the difference in strength, the soldiers changed their strategy from brute strength to technical skills. Soon, like sharks being sucked into a whirlpool, the third unit soldiers began to circle Von from a safe distance.
¡®That¡¯s not a bad idea. If you¡¯ve realized the difference in power, of course, you should approach me with technical skill.¡¯
Von nodded and praised the judgment of the enemymander. ¡®But skill is not enough!¡¯
¡°Kill him!¡± At themand, the soldiers began to surround Von, a thick aura around their swords. Soon, the attack began to close in.
At that moment, Von put his sword back into his scabbard and then instantly pulled it back out, drawing a huge circle.
Slice!
There was a short burst of energy. Everyone could sense that something had been cut. The third unit stopped for a moment, and Von began to slowly sheathe his sword once more.
Tzzz¡
The scabbard and the de created a soft sound, and as soon as the hilt of the sword touched the opening of the scabbard¡
Click.Boom!Thud!Thud!
The torsos of the frozen soldiers fell to the ground along with their horses¡¯ heads. At the same time, the giant trees near the soldiers began to copse; they had also been cut in half.
¡°I-is that¡ the effect of a Draw Swordsmanship¡?¡±
Canye couldn¡¯t believe his eyes as he watched from a distance. He was sure that a Draw Swordsmanship had been performed. It was a type of swordsmanship that used surprise as a method of attacking.
Canye had believed that this technique could only be used in closebat. However, it couldn¡¯t be denied that Von¡¯s Draw Swordsmanship was way beyond that limit. Canye didn¡¯t know how to react.
¡®Aura? No, it can¡¯t be. I didn¡¯t feel any threatening aura from him. Then what is it? Is it his sword? Is he using some kind of special sword?¡¯
Canye was a young man who had never fought in a war before. His swordsmanship was the efficient Imperial Swordsmanship developed by the previous emperor, and the only martial arts that he knew was limited to what he had been taught at the swordsmanship academy.
¡®If it¡¯s not that either, then what could it be¡¡¯
Canye¡¯s expression froze. He¡¯d never seen this bizarre phenomenon before.
Step, step.¡®He¡¯sing¡!¡¯
First, a single swing had swept away four men, then the second one had cut the rest of his men in half. He couldn¡¯t see a single bit of aura or bloodthirst in Von. Von had simply waved his sword but it had cut people and trees in half.
Von was now walking toward Canye with the same sword sheathed at his waist.
¡®Gulp!¡¯Step, step.?
Von showed no signs of attack. He wasn¡¯t releasing any aura, nor did he have a murderous look, but Canye still felt terror. ¡®I-I must fight..!¡¯
Canye had been called a genius sword wielder all his life, and he had always lived a trouble-free life. How was it possible that he was frightened of a middle-aged man?
Running away was against the chivalry that he followed, so Canye unsheathed his sword and took a firm stance, biting his lower lip to calm down his trembling breath. He struggled to stare into Von¡¯s eyes.
The distance between them was now less than five steps away.
¡°It¡¯s pretty courageous for you to not run away.¡± Von stood face to face with Canye.
¡°Shut up!¡±
There were still five steps between them, but Canye¡¯s heart was beating so fast that it felt like it would jump out of his chest at any moment.
Von was smiling like a neighborly uncle, but Canye couldn¡¯t hide his fear. He was like a child facing a great beast.
¡®Tsk tsk, you¡¯re so scared.¡¯
His fear was so obvious that anyone could see it.
Von took one step closer. ¡°I don¡¯t know who taught you so poorly. What kind of fool wouldn¡¯t notice when you show your bloodthirst so obviously.¡±
Canye¡¯s heart sank.
Von moved another step closer and said, ¡°You belong to the Viper Knights, so it must have been that snake.¡±
It was clear that Von was talking about his leader, Salmora. Although Canye was insanely mad, he couldn¡¯t dare to open his mouth from the intense pressure.
¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re proud, since the snake you¡¯re serving is the tenth sword of the Imperial Ten Swords, but do you know what¡¯s really important?¡± asked Von, taking another step and unsheathing his sword. ¡°That in the end, snakes can never be dragons.¡±
¡°Nonsense!¡±
Shring!
Canye could tell that he was moments away from death, and he had no choice but to wield his sword. If he died without at least drawing it, he knew that he would remain in Salgaera as a ghost because of his undying regret.
Canye instantly poured all of his strength into his sword like it was gunpowder and swung it with all his might. It would be thest attack of his life. However, his de didn¡¯t even get close enough to Von to tear his clothing.
Thud.
Canye¡¯s head fell to the ground, blood gushing out like a fountain from his neck. Even at the moment, Canye¡¯s eyes were still fixed on Von. In the split second that Von had cut his head off, Canye had seen the unimaginablyrge aura on Von¡¯s sword. It was muchrger than Salmora¡¯s.
¡°I hope I¡¯m notte.¡±
After dealing with the guests, Von made his way back inside the checkpoint to drink the whiskey.
Chapter 72: Free Addition (3)
Chapter 72: Free Addition (3)
¡°So it¡¯s the Viper Knights again.¡± said Vhant after checking the double snake symbol on the bodies on the next day. He¡¯d returned before his drink had cooled, just as he¡¯d promised, leaving the soldiers to collect the bodies and stack them in a corner.
¡°That¡¯s right. Henry mentioned that he hadn¡¯t been able to prevent one from escaping, so these guys were probably sent to finish the job .¡±
When Vhant woke up the next day sober, Von told him what had happened. Vhant checked the symbol on the bodies, bowed turning red and said, ¡°Sir Von, thank you so much. And also, I apologize.¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯m just d that at least one of us was sober.¡±
Vhant felt that his nickname as the gatekeeper had be a source of shame and hung his head. However, Von quickly changed the subject to ease his embarrassment.
¡°So anyway¡ Since the knights arrived here so quickly, I guess that means Count Eisen has not acted yet.¡±
Vhant replied with a dry cough, ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s highly likely that Count Eisen has not called the reporting order, but since the situation has changed, Aubert will be on his toes.¡±
¡°Aubert?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. Even if Eisen threatened Aubert with the bodies of the Viper Knights and Munke, Aubert can deny everything as long as he canpletely get rid of Salgaera through the knights.¡±
¡°Then it would be the ideal for Marquis Aubert not to receive any reports from these guys.¡±
¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s ideal, but there¡¯s no way that he would ce any bets if he hasn¡¯t received a report.¡± Acting without clear information would mean risking arger problem in the future. Salmora hadn¡¯t expected that Von would be an obstacle, and he wouldn¡¯t report to Aubert until the reporting order was made.
¡°Then what do you think is the ideal way to deal with those guys?¡±
Vhant pondered for some time and then gave an answer. ¡°In my opinion, I think it¡¯s best to send these guys to Count Eisen as well.¡±
¡°These guys as well?¡±
¡°Wouldn¡¯t this be the perfect evidence against Marquis Aubert? These guys have the snake symbol and I can also say that my life was endangered.¡±
¡°I think that¡¯s a great idea. Then I will proceed as you suggest.¡±
They had a fresh opportunity to attack Marquis Aubert. However, there was a slight problem.
¡°Hmm¡ But, Sir Vhant, are you going to be the one handing them over to Count Eisen? As you know it¡¯s kind of difficult for me to meet Eisen¡¡±
¡°Ah! I forgot about that part. I could hand them over, but to do that, I would have to ask the capital for assistance, so it will take some time.¡±
The distance between the capital and Salgaera was quite far. Waiting for the assistance to arrive in Salgaera then traveling all the way to Count Eisen would eat up an unimaginable amount of time.
Von took some time to think and said, ¡°Sir Vhant, then why don¡¯t we do this: I¡¯ll take them myself and hand them over to Henry. Does that sound okay?¡±
¡°You¡¯re saying we should leave it up to Sir Henry again?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. It would take too long for you to go, Sir Vhant, and I can¡¯t go myself, so wouldn¡¯t it best for Henry to do it, since he¡¯s already acquainted with Eisen? I think that would save a lot of time.¡±
¡°Alright, I guess we don¡¯t have much of a choice. I¡¯m sure Sir Henry has already met Count Eisen by now. I¡¯ll give you an empty carriage so you can put those guys in there.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
¡°Ah, by the way, Sir Von.¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay leaving without seeing the vigers¡?¡±
¡°It¡¯s alright. There¡¯s nothing that I can do for them anyway even if I see them. I¡¯m satisfied with knowing that they¡¯re doing well.¡±
¡°Alright¡¡±
Von had asked after them because he had served Henry in the past, and he knew that Henry cared for the exiles. He smiled slightly and said, ¡°Sir Vhant.¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°Let¡¯s hang in there a little longer. I¡¯m sure there will be a good day for us soon.¡±
After Henry¡¯s death, the two had worried about their unpredictable future, but it seemed like there was some hope now. Von hadn¡¯t told Vhant everything, but for some reason, Vhant seemed to have hope on his face.
The carriage started to head for Vivaldi.
* * *
Full of apology, the emperor called the best priest in the pce to treat Aubert. He had cut all the way into Aubert¡¯s armpit, but it healed perfectly, as if nothing had happened. However, Aubert¡¯s pride was still damaged.
¡®Grr, that impudent bastard.¡¯?Even a worm turned when stepped on. He never expected that he would be humiliated by someone who was too inept to be a marquis. ¡®When did he n this?¡¯
The emperor had ordered more supplies to be sent to the exiles at the National Assembly, so Eisen must have learned about it then. He had kept silent for an entire year, only to ambush Aubert with this n. There was no way Aubert could have foreseen it. He was angry because he¡¯d been humiliated by such a fool, not because the emperor had stabbed him or that he¡¯d been forced to kneel.
¡°I apologize, Marquis Aubert,¡± said Salmora, bowing to Aubert.
Even though Salmora was the tenth sword of the Imperial Ten Swords, he was aware of Aubert¡¯s power. When the reporting order was lifted, Salmora couldn¡¯t help feeling nervous because he hadn¡¯t heard back from the assassins he¡¯d sent. The atmosphere of the room was chilly and he nervously swallowed as if he were inside a snake¡¯s mouth.
Without saying a word, Aubert looked at the bowing Salmora with a fierce look.
¡®How ipetent.¡¯
Although his wound had healed perfectly, Aubert still felt as though his armpit were stinging and to distract himself from the pain, he poured himself a ss of strong alcohol.
¡°Hooo¡¡± Aubert smoked a rolled-up cigarette and sighed heavily.
¡®Gulp.¡¯?Salmora swallowed nervously once again.
As someone who only grew up reading books, Aubert was not the type of person to beat others up when reprimanding them, and knew that it would do no good other than hurt his own hands if he chose violence. However, hisck of action to reprimand made Salmora nervous.
¡°Hooo¡¡±
Aubert released another breath of smoke, filling the room with its scent. The cigarette was now shorter than a thumbnail. Aubert inhaled thest bit of his cigarette and rubbed it out in arge jade ashtray. ¡°It¡¯s time to¡ change my ashtray.¡±
The ashtray was full of cigarette butts and ash. Salmora nervously swallowed again.
¡°Salmora,¡± said Aubert.
¡°Yes, Marquis.¡±
¡°Why don¡¯t we have a drink?¡±
¡°Yes, Marquis!¡±
Salmora hurriedly looked for a ss. However, his face hardened when he realized that the only drinking ss was the one that belonged to Aubert. Aubert put a new cigarette in his mouth and inhaled deeply, flicking the ash into the ashtray. ¡°What are you doing? Raise your ss," said Aubert, pointing at the jade ashtray.
The jade ashtray was big and beautiful, but it was full of cigarette butts and ash; it was impossible to put one¡¯s mouth close to it. Salmora¡¯s eye twitched when he realized that the ashtray was bigger than a beer ss.
¡°Take it.¡±
However, there was no choice. Salmora tried to hide the change in his expression and picked up the heavy jade ashtray.
Gurgle, gurgle¡
The ashtray was full of bitter hard liquor. Aubert filled his own ss, which was the size of his thumb. Aubert noticed that Salmora¡¯s expression had darkened. He raised his ss and said, ¡°Why? Were you expecting a toast?¡±
¡°...No.¡±
¡°It would be nice if we can make a toast next time.¡±
Aubert finished his drink first. Salmora drank from the jade ashtray, his facial muscles twitching involuntarily.
Gulp, gulp.
Salmora¡¯s soft groans filled the room and he eventually finished the entire drink. It was extremely horrible. He clenched his jaw and ced the ashtray back on the table.
¡°Good.¡±
Aubert once again flicked the ashes from his cigarette into the empty ashtray and said, ¡°Have you not heard anything from the third unit?¡±
¡°...No.¡±
¡°I guess it wasn¡¯t enough for them to only destroy the fifth unit. Now they¡¯ve also destroyed the third.¡±
Only Aubert and Salmora knew about this secret mission. After giving it some thought, Aubert decided that it was due to two possibilities. ¡®Someone must have been spying on us for a long time or there is a traitor among us.¡¯
The second possibility seemed unlikely. The traitor would have to be one of the Viper Knights, but it didn¡¯t make sense that they would destroy one of their own. Aubert decided to go along with his first possibility.
¡®If I go along with the first possibility, Eisen is a prime suspect because he would have been nning this for the past year.¡¯
No one other than Eisen came into mind. No one else had enough power to cut off Hiram¡¯s arm and destroy the assassins.
¡°Salmora.¡±
¡°Yes, Marquis.¡±
¡°For now, you will stay off Salgaera.¡±
¡°I understand.¡±
¡°Instead, look for someone other than the Viper Knights to assassinate Count Eisen.¡±
Salmora¡¯s eyes widened. How was it possible to kill a member of the Patrician Families? Even though Count Eisen wasn¡¯t as powerful as Aubert, it would still cause a huge problem. However, Salmora could also understand how much the marquis he served was holding back his rage.
Salmora bowed once again and said, ¡°Understood.¡±
It was said that anger always flowed down from a higher ce. Thus, Salmora¡¯s eyes boiled with anger as much as Aubert¡¯s did.
Chapter 73: Free Addition (4)
Chapter 73 - Free Addition (4)
After Henry handed Munke over to Count Eisen, he returned to Vivaldi.
¡°Dad!¡±
¡°My princess, have you been listening to your mom?¡±
As soon as they entered the mansion, none other than Nia greeted them. Hagler lifted her up with arge smile.
Ten showed up half a beatter and said, ¡°Howe it¡¯s just the two of you? Where is Sir Von?¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°When he heard that you had left for Salgaera, Sir Von quickly left for Salgaera as well¡ Did you not see him?¡±
Henry realized that they had somehow missed each other.¡®If he went to Salgaera, he¡¯ll probably hear the full story from Vhant. Well, I was going to tell him eventually, so I guess hearing it there is not so bad either.¡¯
Although it was inefficient, what was done was done, so Henry decided to wait for Von in Vivaldi.
¡°Nothing happened while I was gone, right?¡±
¡°Yes, it¡¯s just the usual. Anyway, it seems like it took longer than you said it would?¡±
¡°I had to deal with something. Ah, also, I¡¯m thinking of handling the supplies to Salgaera through the Million Gold battle stadium.¡±
¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±
¡°The Painted Merchants were embezzling the goods, so we¡¯ve decided to rece them.¡±
¡°What? What will happen to them? We can take the job, but shouldn¡¯t you report them to the imperial institution first¡?¡±
¡°No need for that. They¡¯re already dead.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°We ran into bandits, and both the merchants and mercenaries are dead.¡±
¡°Only the two of you survived?¡±
¡°Yes, but don¡¯t worry. I delivered the supplies.¡±
After giving it some thought, Ten asked, ¡°By the way, Sir Henry, that request¡ The imperial institution entrusted it to a specific merchant. Is it possible to change the provider like this?¡±
¡°Of course not. I''m thinking of setting up a merchant group first and asking for permission.¡±
¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±
¡°There¡¯s no need toplicate things since I was going to set up a merchant group anyway.¡±
¡°A merchant group¡?¡±
¡°Yes, that doesn¡¯t mean we need to hire staff separately or purchase a carriage since Hagler will take care of the Salgaera requests.¡±
¡°What? I am?¡± Hagler¡¯s eyes widened at the unexpected task.
¡°I will get you a Subspace Pouch, so just think of it as getting some riding practice every once in a while; plus there¡¯s no one other than you.¡±
¡®You don¡¯t have anyone else to entrust with the task?¡¯
Although the task was unexpected, Hagler only focused on thest phrase. He nodded vigorously and epted. ¡°Of course! Please leave it up to me!¡±
¡°Perfect. Then make sure to get plenty of rest today since you must be tired from the long trip.¡±
¡°Should I go to the Mercenary Guild?¡±
¡°No, I¡¯ll go there myself. You can go to the Merchant Association and register the Million Merchants under the Million Gold Organization.¡±
They couldn¡¯t proceed with anything else until Von returned anyway. In the meantime, Henry decided to register the Million Merchants as part of the Million Gold Organization and purchase other necessities like the Subspace Pouch. Before dealing with anything else, Henry decided to stop by the Mercenary Guild first.
¡°Rest for a while, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±
* * *
As soon as Henry arrived at the Mercenary Guild, he went straight to the branch manager¡¯s office without stopping at the reception desk.
Knock, knock.
¡°Come in.¡± The branch manager was leisurely reading a novel during business hours. ¡°Who are you?¡± He spoke without taking his eyes off the novel. Henry kicked a nearby chair, which flew at the manager¡¯s desk.
Crash!
The chair shattered upon impact and only then did the manager finally look up with wide eyes.
¡°W-who are you?¡± Although he was the manager of the Mercenary Guild, he was not a real mercenary, but a civil servant who had used an abacus all his life. However, Henry ignored the manager¡¯s question. He held up a chair and threw it at the manager¡¯s head.
Crash!
¡°A-argh!¡±
Henry did not hide his murderous aura; in fact, he purposely released it to suffocate the manager with fear. Henry walked towards the manager. The manager¡¯s face went pale with fear. Henry looked at him and said, ¡°You knew, right?¡±
¡°K-knew what? B-but before that, w-who are you?¡±
¡°The Painted Merchant delivered supplies to Salgaera.¡±
¡°P-painted Merchants? A-ah! Are you the¡?¡±
¡°There¡¯s no need for you to know who I am, but did you know about it or not?¡±
¡°W-what are you talking about?¡±
The manager mumbled in an evasive manner, and Henry held up the chair once more.
¡°W-wait! I¡¯ll tell you everything! Please put the chair down and we can talk.¡±
At the manager¡¯s desperate pleas, Henry put the chair down. He sat on its edge and looked the manager straight in the eye. ¡°Two out of three times that the merchant group set out to deliver the supplies, the mercenaries escorting them didn¡¯te back alive. However, the merchant group always returned safely and continued to request escorts for over a year.¡±
Henry¡¯s murderous aura was almost at its peak. Even a wild beast would run away if they came close to it. He said, ¡°I¡¯m going to ask onest time: you knew about all of this, right?¡±
¡°I-I apologize! No one else wanted to deal with it, so I assumed everything was okay¡!¡± The manager finally knelt on the ground. He lowered his head and started to beg for his life.
¡®How could a civil servant do such a thing¡!¡¯Henry looked down at the fat manager with disgust. Even if it had only happened a couple of times, the manager¡¯s suspicions should have been raised and he should have conducted an investigation of the Painted Merchants. However, he had been toozy to do his job properly.
¡®If his superiors had pressured him, he would have made an excuse saying that he was only doing as he was told. This had to be solely his fault.¡¯
When people were caught red-handed, they usually tried their best to put the me on others, especially people like the manager. Since he hadn¡¯t done so was proof of his guilt.
¡°Branch manager,¡± said Henry in a low tone.
¡°Y-yes!¡±
¡°If something like this happens again, I will report it to your superiors myself and cut off your head. Remember that.¡±
¡°O-of course! I will make sure of it!¡±
¡°And.¡±
¡°Y-yes!¡±
¡°The Painted Merchants are not avable anymore. The supplies were delivered sessfully, but the Painted Merchants and the Hound Corps did not make it, so a new merchant must take this job. Therefore, the Million Merchants from the Million Gold Organization will take this job.¡±
¡°W-what? B-but¡ we¡¯re not the ones who assign the merchants, it¡¯s the Merchant Association that does that¡¡±
¡°So? You can¡¯t do it?¡±
¡°N-no! I happen to be acquainted with the head of the Merchant Association, I¡¯ll make sure to take care of it!¡±
¡°Get the documents ready and send them to my mansion by today.¡±
¡°A-alright!¡±
Threats were more efficient than doing things by the book. Henry made his way toward the city square to purchase a Subspace Pouch.
* * *
Hiram made his way towards the Magical Spire as Salmora suggested. The Magical Spire was located right next to the imperial pce, but this was Hiram¡¯s first time to visit since he had spent most of his life in the imperial army.
¡®Gulp.¡¯
He had seen wizards a couple of times before, but it was his first time seeing so many wizards at once, and he was slightly nervous due to the unfamiliar environment.
¡®I heard that most wizards are weirdos¡¡¯
Wizards had a reputation for being intellectuals, but there were also rumors saying that many became insane or turned into weirdos from gaining so much knowledge.
However, this wasn¡¯t reason to be fearful. He was a proudmander of the fifth unit of the Viper Knights and chosen by his leader, Salmora. Soon after passing the long wall, Hiram reached the guard post of the Magical Spire. However, the gate was tightly closed and there was no sign of anyone.
It was strange. After looking around, Hiram found a short stone pir in the center of the gate with a book on top.
¡®Book?¡¯Although he was an imperial knight, Hiram knew how to read.
He looked at the title of the book.
- Please write down the name of the person you are visiting on the book.
It was a simple request. There was a pen next to the book, so Hiram began to write down the name he had heard from Salmora.
- Dracan Rotique.
Although Hiram knew how to read and write, he preferred a sword to a pen, which meant that his handwriting was so terrible that it was embarrassing to show anyone.
However, the visitor''s log recognized Hiram¡¯s handwriting and began to do its job.
Boom!
The book was called Collist. It was a privacy protection artifact developed by the Magical Spire to hide things. The Collist soon began to contact the person whose name had been written down. A small portal appeared on the wall next to the guard post.
¡°Wow¡¡±
Hiram was impressed that the process involved a single book and no guards.
Soon, a tall, pale man with long ck hair appeared from the portal. He looked very cold-hearted. It was Dracan Rotique, the trump card that Salmora spoke about.
He looked at Hiram for some time and asked in a calm voice, ¡°Who are you?¡±
His voice felt somewhat empty, as if a doll with its stuffing removed was talking. For some reason, the sound created a dreary atmosphere; however, Hiram politely replied, ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Hiram, themander of the fifth unit of the Viper Knights.¡±
Hiram held out his left arm for a handshake. Dracan stared at Hiram¡¯s hand and held it for a moment before quickly releasing it.
Hiram felt like the situation was quite strange, but he exined the reason for his visit without lingering on the feeling. ¡°My leader told me that you, Sir Dracan, might be able to restore my missing arm.¡±
¡°Salmora said that?¡±
¡°Yes. It seems that you have a close rtionship with my leader?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
¡°...I see. Anyway, I apologize for making a request right away when it¡¯s only our first time to meet, but what do you think, Sir Dracan? Do you think my arm can be restored?¡±
Dracan smiled as if the corners of his mouth were about to touch his ears. ¡°Of course.¡±
The smile seemed very creepy, but Hiram was relieved at Dracan¡¯s confident reply.
¡°I will take a look at your arm. Please follow me,¡± said Dracan, leading the way as Hiram followed.
Chapter 74: Free Addition (5)
Chapter 74: Free Addition (5)
¡°Where are we going?¡± Hiram followed Dracan for a long time but whenever he asked this question, Dracan only said that they were close to their destination. However, they were heading away from the Magical Spire.
¡®What is this guy thinking?¡¯
Although Dracan was acting suspiciously, Hiram couldn¡¯t back out now since this was something his leader had ordered. After a while, Dracan stopped in front of an ordinary wall located between the pce and Magical Spire.
¡°We¡¯re here.¡±
¡°This is¡ Isn¡¯t this just a wall?¡±
Dracan ignored Hiram¡¯s question and began to stroke the wall. A portal simr to the one Hiram had seen at the guard post appeared.
¡®ck?¡¯
However, the portal that appeared in front of him was ck, and unlike the white portal he had seen at the guard post. He felt uneasy. Perhaps the ck color seemed ominous, but Hiram did not want to go inside.
¡°Shall we go inside?¡± Dracan¡¯s suggestion was really amand.
Hiram took a step back and asked, ¡°Sir Dracan, where are you taking me?¡±
¡°Obviously, to a ce where I can fix your arm.¡±
¡°Where is that? I will go if I know where exactly we are going.¡± Although Hiram was asking for a favor, he had a feeling that something bad would happen if he didn¡¯t question where they were going. Dracan met Hiram¡¯s wary eyes with wide eyes, the whites of his eyes visible around his iris. It was a frightening sight.
Dracan put on the same creepy smile from before. ¡°Stop Spire.¡±
¡°Stop Spire? Where is this ce? I didn¡¯t know it existed in the imperial pce.¡±
Hiram had heard about Stop Spire before when Salmora identally mentioned it. He was doubtful of its existence, however.
Dracan¡¯s eyes widened even more, and said, ¡°Sir Hiram.¡±
It was such a horrifying expression that even the Sword Master Hiram got nervous.
Hiram hesitated for a split second and said, ¡°Yes!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you want to get that arm fixed?¡±
¡°Of course, I want to get it fixed, but no matter how much I think about it¡¡±
¡°Then, follow me.¡±
Dracan didn¡¯t even try to address Hiram¡¯s concerns. He simply stepped into the ck portal and disappeared, leaving Hiram next to the wall.
¡°...Damn it.¡±
It didn¡¯t matter if Dracan was offended, he was still behaving like a bastard. Since Dracan spoke about Salmora so casually, Hiram believed that he had to possess a high ranking in the Magical Spire. Hiram was left with no choice. Besides, he wasn¡¯t going to run away out of fear again. Hiram had no choice but to step inside the ck portal.
Zap.
The portal closed as soon as he entered.
Ssh!
Hiram could feel that he had stepped in a puddle.
¡®Why is it so dark?¡¯
It was so dark that he couldn¡¯t even see things up close. It was very humid.
Drip.Flinch!
The dark and unfamiliar environment made Hiram¡¯s senses more sensitive. A drop of water fell on his face.
¡®Water?¡¯
Hiram wiped off the drop and brought it to his nose. It didn¡¯t smell like water. ¡®This¡!¡¯
It was a familiar pungent smell, and he was about to identify it when¡
¡°Light.¡±
Zap!
Dracan cast a spell that lit up the space. Hiram squinted his eyes at the bright light and lowered his head slightly. When he got used to the light and felt that he could see clearly, Hiram slowly lifted his head and opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the puddle he had stepped in.
¡°Blood?¡±
The dark red color and pungent smell made him certain that it was blood. Hiram was surprised, and he quickly looked up and around his surroundings.
¡°W-what is this¡!¡±
He was surrounded by red lights, corpses on the ground, boiling pots, and unknown medicines. The most shocking thing was the dozens of dead bodies hanging from the ceiling.
Dracan opened his arms wide and with a smile, he said, ¡°Wee to Stop Spire, Sir Hiram.¡±
Unseen hands suddenly attacked Hiram.
* * *
A few dayster, Von arrived back at the mansion without seeing Henry at all. Everyone went to greet him and assumed nothing had happened. Henry also greeted Von. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±
¡°Yes. I might not have encountered you, but I heard the details from Vhant.¡±
¡°I assumed that you would. I guess there¡¯s no need for me to exin any further then.¡±
¡°There¡¯s actually something that I need to exin to you. Do you have time?¡±
After Von quickly greeted everyone that weed him, he immediately began to tell Henry what had happened.
Henry frowned and said, ¡°Outside the city?¡±
¡°My carriage is full of corpses, I can¡¯t bring it inside the city.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t expect them to send assassins this soon¡ Anyway, let¡¯s deal with the corpses first.¡±
Henry requested a special entry permit from Mayor Vant and hurried to where the bodies were. The bodies were already showing signs of decay, so Henry began to use a spell that would coat the bodies and prevent the smell from reaching the public.
¡°That¡¯s much better. The amount of suffering I went through because of the smell was I brought them back was unimaginable¡¡± said Von as he watched Henry.
¡°I apologize. It didn¡¯t even ur to me that they would send an assassin team because I was so focused on the exiles. Thank you for handling them in my ce.¡±
¡°It was pure luck that I happened to be there.¡±
Thanks to Von, the exiles were safe once again. This was a huge achievement, but Von changed the subject. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, Eisen has already met the guy?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. I think he must have called in the reporting order by this time and turned the ce upside down.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not so sure. I don¡¯t think an idiot like Eisen could easily beat Aubert.¡±
¡°I agree, but I¡¯m sure Aubert and Eisen¡¯s rtionship has gotten even worse,¡± said Henry as he caressed the carriage.
¡°And because of you, brother, we have another weapon to use against Aubert.¡±
¡°Are you nning to hand this over to Eisen as well?¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t that why you brought them to me? Besides, now that two units of the Viper Knights have already been destroyed, Aubert will definitely begin investigating this situation unless he¡¯s a fool.¡±
¡°Does it really matter? Isn¡¯t it obvious that Eisen will be the main suspect?¡±
¡°No. Aubert is smarter than we think. Eisen is a fool. Aubert might have suspected Eisen at first, but when he finds out what happened to the new assassins, he¡¯ll know it¡¯s not Eisen.¡±
¡°Then what do we do?¡±
¡°What do you mean? We just need to hand the bodies over to Eisen again and me everything on him. If Aubert does decide to dig deep further, he¡¯ll inevitably find out about our existence.¡±
¡°Because you handled the request?¡±
¡°That¡¯s part of it, but if he finds out that the supplies were delivered sessfully, he¡¯ll look into who was responsible. I will be a suspect for sure.¡±
¡°I guess he will want to meet you since you¡¯re the only one that survived. However, you¡¯re a mere mercenary, do you think he will still suspect you?¡±
¡°This is Aubert we¡¯re talking about, he will not let this slide. He would rather get rid of any possible suspects than live with uncertainty.¡±
¡°All the more reason to head to Shonan quickly.¡±
¡°Probably. I will go there alone. Brother, you should rest after your long trip.¡±
¡°That¡¯s okay. I should do as much as I can while I still can. Besides, I wanted to see Eisen anyway.¡±
There was no better motivation than seeing the face of your enemy again.
Henry nodded and agreed with pleasure. ¡°If you say so. But you do realize it will be hard with that face.¡±
¡°Why? Do you think it will be awkward? I heard that he already knows that Vhant sent him the first bodies.¡±
¡°That¡¯s true, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any need to get on his nerves. He kicked me out of his house as soon as he heard my name.¡±
¡°Of course, he would act like a beast. He still has a pretty good intuition.¡±
¡°Anyway, I think it would be a good idea to add some changes to your face.¡±
¡°How?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not sure. He will have some sort of magic security setup since he is a member of a Patrician Family¡¡±
¡°Why don¡¯t I wear a disguise?¡±
¡°This man has been surviving thanks to his intuition. A weak disguise will only cause a bigger problem, so why don¡¯t we just reshape your face entirely?¡±
¡°Reshape? What do you mean?¡±
¡°Have you ever heard of the spell called stic Cosmetics?¡±
¡°stic Cosmetics¡ Are you talking about the beauty spell that only wealthy women get?¡±
¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±
stic Cosmetics was also called stic surgery or stic surgery magic. It was the highest level of beauty spell. Using mana, a high-level wizard took apart the face and reassembled it ording to what was desired. Originally, zoology wizards had created this spell for animals who had been injured. However, when the spell stabilized and the sess rate reached 100 percent, anthropological wizards grew interested and developed it into the stic Cosmetic spell now.
¡°I¡¯m okay. I would rather put on a disguise. I¡¯m not even a woman, why would I do such a thing?¡±
¡°Beauty is an option, but isn¡¯t it more important to change your appearance?¡±
¡°I said I was okay.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a shame. The level of skill now makes it easy to transform your face back to when you were in your twenties.¡±
¡°What? My twenties?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
In reality, stic Cosmetics was a very dangerous spell. Aside from requiring a continuous supply of mana, the spell relied on a wizard¡¯s aesthetic sense, and it was possible to produce terrible results.
However, Henry was the ideal wizard for stic Cosmetics. He had a natural sense of aesthetics and the ability to continuously supply mana. He was also technically proficient in handling mana and had been a role model for everyone in the fashionable imperial pce for his skills.
Von¡¯s curiosity grew. ¡°Hmm, to look like I''m in my twenties and nothing else, huh¡.¡±
¡°Does this mean you¡¯re in?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, this is only for work.¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
¡°Ah also, since I¡¯m changing my face anyway, could you fix my nose too¡?¡±
¡°Haha, alright. Not just your nose, but I¡¯ll make you look young and handsome ording to your taste.¡±
¡°Well, no, I don¡¯t need to be that handsome, even just looking like I¡¯m in my twenties will do¡Cough!¡±
However, despite his words, Von¡¯s face lit up with anticipation.
Chapter 75: The Second Time For Sure (1)
Chapter 75: The Second Time For Sure (1)
¡°Finally, it¡¯s done.¡±
It had taken longer than expected, but the results were excellent, especially considering that Henry hadn¡¯t used his skills in a while. He nodded in satisfaction and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He woke Von up.
¡°Hmm¡¡± Von woke with a small groan.
Henry had put Von to sleep since the stic Cosmetics took quite a bit of time.
¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Von¡¯s voice was full of nervousness, especially because he¡¯d never shown his face to anyone unless it was a life-or-death confrontation. Instead of a reply, Henry handed Von a mirror. Von slowly began to open his eyes.
¡°H-how can this be!¡±
As soon as he saw his reflection, Von¡¯s eyes widened. He couldn¡¯t believe it. He was the idea of a handsome, young man. His face was better than when he had been in his twenties and he was now the best-looking young man he¡¯d ever seen. Von touched his face in disbelief and mumbled, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡ Something really magical did happen¡¡±
In addition to Von¡¯s requests, Henry had improved other features as a bonus. Von was so handsome and young now that all women passing him would look back at least once.
¡°Do you like it?¡± Henry asked, satisfied with his masterpiece.
Van clenched Henry''s hand tightly and said in a tear-filled voice, ¡°Henry¡¡±
¡°Haha, there¡¯s no need to thank me since this was just for work.¡±
¡°...That¡¯s not it. Why don¡¯t we postpone our departure until tomorrow?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°I just need time tonight. Now that I think about it, I need to rest because I¡¯m too exhausted from my travels. We can depart after then.¡±
¡°...Alright.¡±
It was an obvious lie, but Henry decided to postpone the departure as a reward for Von¡¯s achievements.
¡°Thanks, thank you so much! I¡¯ll see you tomorrow!¡± Von quickly got dressed and headed outside.
* * *
Von reeked of so much alcohol from drinking the night before that you had to cover your nose.
¡°Are you feeling alright?¡±
¡°Hehe, I¡¯ve never experienced more fun thanst night. I feel fine, so let¡¯s get going!¡±
Von looked young and handsome, but he still talked or acted like an old man. However, his ability to recover was the same as that of a young man, and he mounted his horse with a lively attitude.
They did not let the members of Henry¡¯s mansion find out about Von¡¯s change in appearance. Although Hagler and Von knew that Henry was a wizard, the rest did not. They decided to use the business trip as a pretext for the change in Von¡¯s appearance.
Henry quickly left for Shonan after putting the bodies and the carriage into the Chest. They arrived in Shonan more quickly than before since they were both good horsemen. As soon as Henry arrived in Shonan, he purchased a suitable carriage to store the bodies and headed towards Eisen¡¯s mansion.
When Henry arrived at the mansion, he greeted the familiar faces.
¡°Hi?¡±
¡°Y-you¡¯re!¡±
The men who had tried to check Henry¡¯s identity tagst time were still guarding the entrance to the mansion. Henry smirked and said without any ado, ¡°I¡¯m here to see the count again.¡±
¡°W-what? It¡¯s that guy again!¡±
¡°What¡¯s wrong? I guess you didn¡¯t get enough of a beating from mest time?¡±
The soldiers were still angry about their beating, but when Henry looked murderous, they had no choice but to back down.
¡°I don¡¯t have much time. Tell Vedican that I¡¯m here.¡±
¡°Argh¡ Okay.¡±
The soldier couldn¡¯t use formalnguage since he was too proud. Von noticed and said, ¡°It¡¯s said thatzy dogs are just like their owners¡ Don¡¯t you think you should give him a good scolding?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve already given them a good beating. What else can I do? It¡¯s just their nature.¡±
However, Von clucked his tongue as if he were still unsatisfied. Vedican, the head of the guards, showed up with an annoyed expression when he noticed Henry.
¡°What is it now?¡±
¡°Same reason asst time.¡±
¡°Damn it!¡± Vedican did not hide his feelings of displeasure. However, he had no reason to stop Henry, since it was the same business as before.
Henry easily entered the mansion with his carriage.
¡°Wait here.¡±
Just as before, Vedican left the two waiting in front of the reception building as he went to Eisen. When Vedican was gone, Von said, ¡°Eisen is still living a grand life, huh.¡±
¡°Are you jealous?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t need to show off meaningless things.¡±
¡°Says the person who wanted to postpone our departure?¡±
¡°Hm, that was only because I wanted to make sure that the stic Cosmetic procedure had gone well. It¡¯s always best to make sure everything is fine, isn¡¯t it?¡±
For a moment, Henry was speechless from Von¡¯s shamelessness. ¡°...Alright. Anyway, do you still remember the things I told you on our way here?¡±
¡°Yes. I need a fake name, and I must use honorifics when talking to you, right?¡±
¡°Yes. Did you pick out a fake name yet?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve decided to use the name ¡®Lanber.¡¯¡±
¡°Lanber? Is there a reason why?¡±
¡°That is the name of the guy that I drank withst night.¡±
Henry had asked Von toe up with a fake name in order to avoid Eisen¡¯s suspicions, and since Von was supposed to be Henry¡¯s second-inmand, he had to use honorifics. Soon, a familiar carriage appeared in front of the two. It was Eisen¡¯s carriage.
Eisen frowned as soon as he got off his carriage.
¡®It seems like things aren¡¯t working out in his favor.¡¯
If he had greeted Henry happily, it would¡¯ve meant that the reporting order had gone well, but his expression revealed that it had been unsessful.
Henry bowed and greeted Eisen. ¡°Nice to see you, Count Eisen.¡±
¡°It¡¯s you again?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°What is it now?¡±
Henry continued to smile despite Eisen¡¯s annoyance in order to cate him. ¡°It¡¯s what I told Vedican: I¡¯ve brought more Viper Knight bodies again.¡±
¡°What?¡± Eisen raised his brows. ¡°Who are you?¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°You¡¯ve shown up with another bunch of those damned snakes in just a few days. Are you making a fool out of me?¡±
It was indeed difficult to believe. Bringing the bodies of imperial knights twice in a row was a difficult aplishment. Henry calmly replied, ¡°It was a coincidence. I had some business in Salgaera, so I ordered my second-inmand to go, and he happened to meet the Viper Knights again.¡±
¡°You expect me to believe that?¡±
¡°I have a letter of rmendation from Chief Vhant again, please take a look.¡±
Henry handed Vhant¡¯s letter to Eisen. Eisen snatched it out of Henry¡¯s hand and began to quickly read the contents.
Henry was telling the truth. Vhant¡¯s letter had his stamp of authority. It stated that the Viper Knights had gone to Salgaera to get rid of all evidence. However, even after reading the letter multiple times, Eisen still looked doubtful.
Henry sighed to himself when he saw that expression. ¡®What a fool. That¡¯s why a person like Aubert could be a marquis instead of you.¡¯
Aubert would have checked the facts first without any obvious emotions, unlike Eisen. After re-examining the situation, Aubert would have given Henry arge reward for showing up with evidence again.
However, Eisen, who seemed as if he had muscles for brains, not only didn¡¯t reward Henry, he even gazed suspiciously at his benefactor. Henry had to start exining, ¡°I can understand why you are suspicious of me, Count Eisen, but it was bound to happen.¡±
¡°Bound to happen?¡±
¡°Yes. After I killed the knights disguised as bandits, I made a mistake.¡±
¡°Mistake? What mistake?¡±
¡°Do you remember the arm that I showed youst time?¡±
¡°I do, what about it?¡±
¡°Since I only had an arm, it¡¯s obvious that I didn¡¯t kill one of the knights. That guy, of course, went back to Aubert to tell him what had happened. As I warned you before that he would do, Aubert sent a team of assassins to destroy all evidence of disobeying an imperial order.¡±
¡°So you were waiting for the assassins to show up?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, and you can see now that I¡¯m here to hand you another trump card: the bodies of that backup team.¡±
Henry had to exin everything clearly for the stupid Eisen. Fortunately, Henry could use this to highlight his contribution at the same time.
Eisen began to think. ¡®He does have a point and really, the only reason I suspect him is that the reporting order didn¡¯t go well. I only want to release my frustration on him.¡¯
Usually, Eisen was not honest with his emotions, but now he cleared his throat and nodded. ¡°...Ahem, I spoke without thinking.¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s alright, but¡ Seeing that you¡¯re upset, it seems that things haven¡¯t gone well.¡±
¡°I tried my best, but Aubert is on another level of evil¡ His Majesty is so foolish too, how could he be so easily fooled by such terrible acting. My goodness¡!¡±
Even with so many people around and despite being a member of the Patrician Families, Eisen didn¡¯t hide his disdain for the emperor. It was clear to Henry how much the imperial power had decreased if someone like Eison, who couldn¡¯t even join the Great Families, could mock the emperor. Henry could imagine what had happened at the pce. ¡®What an idiot! That¡¯s why you can never beat Aubert.¡¯
Henry sighed to himself again. ¡®I¡¯ll make the most of what I have.¡¯
Although Eisen was a fool, he wasn¡¯t useless. Henry began to cate Eisen again. ¡°Since we have solid evidence this time, Aubert won¡¯t be able to do anything about it.¡±
¡°Of course. Anyway, I should give you another reward.¡±
Give and take. If you received something, you had to give something in return.
Henry believed that Eisen was going to give him another gold coin as a reward, so he hurried to refuse it. ¡°Count Eisen, I do not need a reward.¡±
Eisen frowned again.
Chapter 76: The Second Time For Sure (2)
Chapter 76: The Second Time For Sure (2)
¡°What did you say?¡±
¡°If you¡¯re nning to give me the same reward asst time, you don¡¯t need to.¡±
Eisen didn¡¯t have to give a reward; he was doing this purely out of his own goodwill, which was why he felt offended. ¡°You impudent bastard! Who do you think you are to say such a thing?¡±
Eisen seemed angry enough to punch Henry on the spot. Henry hurried to say, ¡°Respectfully, Count Eisen, I already have enough. However, I desperately want something other than treasures.¡±
¡°Something you desperately want? Okay, let¡¯s hear it! What are you hoping for that is better than my favor?¡±
¡°My life.¡±
¡°...What?¡±
¡°I wasn¡¯t sure of it until now. Count Eisen, I¡¯m afraid of Marquis Aubert.¡±
As Aubert¡¯s name came out of Henry¡¯s mouth, Eisen¡¯s expression changed. ¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Count Eisen, I killed the bandits the first time because I was only doing my job as a mercenary, but this time, I killed these men even though I knew that they were imperial knights.¡±
¡°So? Are you saying that you¡¯re scared because you have killed people that are associated with the imperial pce?¡±
¡°Not quite. The person that I¡¯m truly afraid of is Marquis Aubert.¡±
¡°Aubert? Why are you afraid of Aubert?¡±
¡°I recently heard that someone was investigating me. It¡¯s likely that Marquis Aubert has issued a retaliatory order to take revenge against the person who wiped out the assassins. Although I have done this to help you, Count Eisen, what do you think will happen to me when Aubert finds out about this?¡±
The investigation part was a lie, but Henry was certain that Aubert would start investigating soon. ¡®If I¡¯m unlucky, Aubert will send people to fight me.¡¯?
Henry wasn¡¯t scared of Aubert¡¯s assassins. If he got rid of them, that would be the end of it. However, if he failed to kill Henry, Aubert would most likely try to harm those around him, which would be difficult for Henry to handle by himself.
¡®He won¡¯t be satisfied using his own people to threaten the Million Gold Organization, he¡¯ll also use people like Vhant.¡¯
Just thinking about it gave him a headache. Henry needed a strong shield that even Marquis Aubert could not destroy easily. ¡®If he finds out that Eisen is behind me, he will target Eisen first.¡¯
When children¡¯s quarrels turned into adult fights, the situation would begin to get out of hand. However, if the adults grew too involved in their fights, they would forget that it was the children that triggered them in the first ce. Henry was hoping for this.
Eisen nodded and said, ¡°Hmm, now that you mention it, I guess that is a possibility. Okay! Since you have put in a lot of effort, I will be responsible and protect your life.¡± Eisen took a golden badge from his shirt and threw it at Henry.
¡°Count Eisen, this is¡?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a Shonan badge that symbolizes the Shonan family. Only the head of the family can give it to someone. If you carry that badge with you, they will not be able to harm you, at least not officially.¡±
Carrying the golden badge meant that you were protected by a head of a Patrician Family. When Henry received something more valuable than he¡¯d been expecting, he smiled slightly. Then, he quickly hid his smile and said, ¡°Thank you so much! However, if he is nning revenge, he will surely send assassins. What should I do in that situation?¡±
¡°Assassins? Assassins¡ Hmm.¡± Eisen began to disy his foolishness again.
Henry said, ¡°Count Eisen, why not use this chance to show your power off to Marquis Aubert?¡±
¡°Show off? How so?¡± Eisen suddenly became interested.
¡°By provoking him. You now have solid evidence to call another reporting order. You should intentionally leak information to the marquis before calling the order.¡±
¡°And then what?¡±
¡°The marquis will do everything in his power to prevent you from issuing the reporting order. You can then challenge him to do something about it.¡±
¡°Are you telling me to start a territorial war?¡±
¡°No. If you start a territorial war, a war will form among the Patrician Families. The others will only point andugh at you, so you¡¯ll have to make the offer in secret.¡±
¡°Are you telling me to fight in secret?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. If an unofficial war breaks out and you lose, which is very unlikely, you can just immediately call the reporting order. And in fact¡ Marquis Aubert¡¯s family is known for being devious, but they don''t hold much power, right? Therefore, you can use this opportunity to show the power that you hold, Count Eisen.¡±
Eisen pped in joy. ¡°Okay! That¡¯s a good idea!¡±
He would issue a challenge that couldn¡¯t be rejected and fight in the area where he had the most confidence. If things didn¡¯t go ording to n, he still held a trump card that would trap his opponent. It was the perfect opportunity for stupid Eisen to show off his power.
Eisen liked Henry¡¯s suggestion so much that he began to look excited. ¡°Hehehe, that damned Aubert, he has always looked at me with a nasty expression. I can use this chance to finally let loose all the resentment I¡¯ve built up.¡±
¡°That''s right! You can use this chance to show who¡¯s the real boss.¡±
¡°You said you¡¯re called Henry, right? It¡¯s impossible for me to like you because you have the same name as the person I hate the most, and I almost didn¡¯t recognize a gem!¡±
¡°I¡¯m ttered, my lord.¡±
¡°ttered! I''m Eisen Shonan! I don¡¯t shower praise without reason!¡±
Henry smiled when he saw that Eisen¡¯s mood had risen to the roof. After Henry let Eisen have his moment, he continued to speak ording to his n, ¡°Could you leave this job to me, Count Eisen?¡±
¡°Oh, you want me to trust you with this job?¡±
¡°Yes. If you give me a chance, I will do everything from leaking information to starting a battle with Marquis Aubert.¡±
¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not doubting your capabilities since you did bring me those damned snake bodies twice in a row, but¡ Are you confident about the job?¡±
¡°If you give me this chance, I won¡¯t embarrass you.¡±
¡°Okay! I will leave everything to you, so go and have fun with it!¡±
¡°Thank you. Count Eisen!¡±
Everything had gone as nned. Henry would certainly win Eisen over if he triumphed over Aubert in a few days.
* * *
A few dayster, Aubert summoned Salmora to his mansion.
¡®What could it be?¡¯?Salmora was nervous. He hadn¡¯t even finished his preparations for Eisen¡¯s assassination and being called out meant that there was something else going on.
As soon as Salmora opened the door and poked his head inside Aubert¡¯s office, a flying ashtray hit his forehead, causing him so much pain that it felt as though his skill had cracked. ¡°Argh!¡±
The ashtray the Aubert threw was none other than the jade ashtray that Salmora drank from. It left his skin torn and dripping with a considerable amount of blood. However, he couldn''t show that he was in pain. Salmora entered the office and bowed. ¡°...You called, my lord?¡±
¡°What the fuck have you been doing?¡±
Salmora¡¯s nervousness doubled since Aubert rarely lost his temper. He had to think hard about what he had done wrong, but couldn¡¯t think of anything other than the previous incident.
Aubert then let out a small sigh and tossed a wrinkled letter at him. ¡°Read this.¡±
The floor was full of cigarette ashes and butts from the ashtray. Salmora¡¯s blood had also created a little puddle. The letter was dirty now, but Salmora picked it up anyway and started to read it. ¡°This is¡?¡±
The letter was from Count Eisen, and it stated that he had the bodies of the assassin team. He was getting a reporting order ready. The letter was more of a provocation than anything else. Salmora could finally understand why Aubert was so mad. He bowed once again and said, ¡°I apologize, my lord.¡±
¡°What the fuck have you been doing? You¡¯ve been living an easy-ass life¡ The least you can do is not lose to Eisen.¡±
¡°...I apologize.¡±
¡°If I had known this would happen, I would have selected someone else as the tenth sword.¡±
Salmora hated hearing this the most. Although he had taken thest seat of the Imperial Ten Swords, it took more than skills to gain the position.
He was fuming, but Salmora knew that if he expressed his rage, his head would join the cigarette ashes on the ground. He had no choice but to bow again and apologize for his ipetence.
¡°I apologize, Marquis.¡±
¡°Do you think I summoned you just to hear you apologize?¡±
¡°No, of course not.¡±
¡°Go to that bastard Eisen right now. No matter what happens, make sure to bring back those damn bodies. If you don¡¯t, then¡ sigh¡¡± Aubert picked up a cigarette and lit it.
His cigarette calmed him down a little. In a calmer voice, Aubert said, ¡°A change of ns. We will kill Eisen after we retrieve the bodies of the backup team.¡±
¡°...Alright.¡±
¡°And if¡ if you fail me again this time, you¡¯d better prepare yourself. This is yourst chance to prove yourself.¡±
¡°I will! I will sessfully bring the bodies back!¡±
¡°Get lost.¡±
Salmora had no choice but to bite his lips. ¡®These fucking bastards¡!¡¯?As he left Aubert¡¯s mansion, he couldn¡¯t hold back his anger any longer and punched the closest building next to him.
Bang!
Even though he hadn¡¯t loaded up any aura, a deep dent the size of a fist formed in the wall. It was a prime example of coteral damage.
Salmora returned to the knights¡¯ headquarters, wiping the blood off his forehead.
¡°Sir, someone asked me to pass you a letter.¡±
¡°A letter?¡±
His secretary handed him a letter and said, ¡°Yes, but¡ The letter was for you, but the sender didn''t provide his name, so we don¡¯t know who it¡¯s from.¡±
¡°Who handed you the letter?¡±
¡°It was a servant, but he said that he¡¯d picked it up in front of the headquarters.¡±
¡°Give it to me, and get some bandages and sanitizer.¡±
After sending the secretary out, Salmora opened the letter. However, he couldn''t help getting angrier after reading it. ¡°Eisen, you fucking bastard¡!¡±
The letter had been sent by none other than Henry.
Chapter 77: The Second Time For Sure (3)
Chapter 77: The Second Time For Sure (3)
¡°Did you finish sending all the letters?¡±
¡°Yes, now all we have to do is wait for their responses.¡±
¡°What did you write in them?¡±
¡°I said that if they don¡¯t show up to the location at the given time, I will use their subordinates'' bodies as pig food.¡±
¡°That¡¯s all you said? Do you think that¡¯s even threatening at all?¡±
¡°I also said that I would turn those pigs into bacon and feed it to the subordinates'' families.¡±
¡°...You¡¯re unreal.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, Salmora wille out.¡±
The best way to provoke people like Henry was to use some derision, but for others, the best way was to be vulgar. Henry had used derision for Aubert and vulgarity for Salmora, and the results were incredible. Aubert had thrown an ashtray at Salmora out of anger, and Salmora was likely fuming thanks to his injury.
¡°Now that we¡¯ve sent all the letters, what do we do now?¡±
¡°I raised the stakes a little. Since this might be our only chance to do something like this, I¡¯m nning to iste Aubert from hiswork.¡±
¡°How?¡±
¡°If possible, I¡¯m going to get rid of that snake first.¡±
¡°You¡¯re going to go after Salmora first? But I¡¯m sure there will be huge consequences if you do that.¡±
¡°It¡¯s best to get rid of people like him when we have the chance, or else they¡¯ll only get more troublesome in the future.¡±
¡°But Salmora¡¯s pretty strong, do you think you can manage?¡±
¡°Me? I¡¯m not strong enough to fight Salmora.¡±
¡°Then who¡¯s going to fight him?¡±
¡°You, of course, brother.¡±
¡°Me?¡±
¡°You went through the stic Cosmetic procedure for this, so of course you should do it, brother. Surely, you¡¯re not unconfident?¡±
¡°No wonder you sounded so confident¡ Okay, I¡¯ll deal with Salmora then.¡±
¡°Thank you. If Salmora is gone from the picture, we¡¯ve basically seeded since the rest are easy to deal with.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t get too conceited. You did tell Eisen that we would handle this, but there¡¯s only you, me, and possibly Hagler. How will you handle everyone?¡±
¡°It¡¯s possible.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡° I¡¯m nning to use magic this time.¡±
Henry had to have an overwhelming victory after he acted so confidently around Eisen. ¡®Our goal is to kill anyway, so there¡¯s no need to hide my power.¡¯
As long as there were no witnesses, his secrets would be safe. The thought of unleashing his magic and wielding a sword for the first time in a long while made his body seem to tingle.
¡°Where is the location?¡±
¡°It¡¯s Gowen Mountain next to the Shonan region.¡±
¡°And the time?¡±
¡°Evening. The environment of Gowen Mountain is harsh, and there are so many wild animals that hardly anyone goes there, especially at sunset.¡±
¡°That sounds good. We¡¯ll be able to go wild for the first time in a while.¡±
¡°I will exin the n now,¡± Henry told Von what he¡¯d been meticulously setting up.
* * *
After receiving the letter, Salmora could barely control his anger. It was only after some time had passed that he was able to calm down and make a decision. ¡®There¡¯s one day left. Even if I left for Gowen Mountain at this moment, I would still arrivete. I have no choice but to use teleportation.¡¯
The letter only contained the coordinates of Gowen Mountain and the time of evening. However, the fastest it took to reach Gowen Mountain from the capital was three days. In addition, the soldiers had to move secretly, which meant he needed help from an independent wizard and not the official teleportation of the imperial army.
¡®I¡¯ll need a wizard that¡¯ll keep his lips sealed.¡¯?After thinking for some time, Salmora finally decided to entrust the job to a wizard that he trusted. Salmora called the wizard through his secretary, and soon, a man with blond hair showed up in Salmora¡¯s office.
¡°You wanted to see me? That''s new.¡±
¡°How about knocking beforeing in?¡±
¡°Our rtionship doesn¡¯t require formalities like knocking.¡±
Kale had been born and raised in the same hometown as Salmora, and he was also the only wizard in the pce that Salmora trusted, which made him very useful. However, just because he was the only trustworthy wizard, didn¡¯t mean that he couldn¡¯t be of any help. He had passed the 4th Circled Mage stage and he was an elite wizard majoring in the field of pure sciences, which was a level higher than the four Basic Sciences, which he¡¯d already mastered.
In addition, he was studying lightning, which was known to be a particrly difficult aspect of pure sciences.
¡°I need your help and quite a lot of it too.¡±
¡°I assumed¡ that you needed something.¡±
¡°It¡¯s serious. I hope you can prioritize me and set aside other things.¡±
¡°If you¡¯re asking for help, it must be something big. Okay, let me hear what this is about.¡±
Salmora did not hold back and told Kale about everything. Kale nodded and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t retrieve your subordinates'' bodies, both you and the marquis are going to be in a difficult position?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Damn¡ Eisen has balls. I thought he was just a fool. I didn¡¯t expect that he would plot something like this.¡±
¡°You can get Teleportation ready, right?¡±
¡°I can get it ready, but it¡¯s difficult to do on my own, so I have to bring in more people.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t have more people that know about this.¡±
¡°My disciples are alright. We can take three of the best ones. Besides, you want us there for something other than teleportation, right?¡±
¡°Okay. You can also participate in the battle and support me, if you want.¡±
¡°If we join, the battle will be even more intense, since my disciples also know how to use lightning.¡±
¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. If everything goes well, the marquis will take care of everything.¡±
¡°Sounds good. I wanted to try out a new spell on a person anyway. A very strong person, might I add.¡±
.
Kale¡¯s colleagues at the Magical Spire called him Lightning Kale, and he was as violent as his nickname suggested. It was a terrible idea to have him as your enemy.
¡°We should start moving tomorrow night. I¡¯ll let my secretary know, so don¡¯t bete and have everything prepared when I call.¡±
¡°Okay.¡±
Now that he had a wizard to teleport him, Salmora had solved his worst problems, and he began to make preparations for any unexpected events. ¡®I must kill them¡!¡¯
Salmora¡¯s eyes filled with anger.
* * *
The next day, Salmora showed up at the ce that Kale designated with the first unitmander, Pip, and ten of his bodyguards.
Kale saw Salmora and said, ¡°Look at that fighting spirit. Are they the First-ss Soldiers and the top disciple you were talking about?¡±
¡°Yes, everyone here has reached the Sword Master stage.¡±
Commander of the first unit, Pip, was Salmora¡¯s top disciple. He was the first person to be appointed as a unitmander when Salmora became the leader of the Viper Knights. He was in the intermediate stage as a Sword Master.
The first unit had only 10 members,pared to the other units, which usually had 15 to 20. They were called the First-ss Soldiers, and they were also potential unitmanders. They were the strongest among the Viper Knights.
After Salmora was done casually introducing his people, he turned to Pip and asked, ¡°Pip, did you do what I asked you yesterday?¡±
¡°I got rid of any evidence that could reveal our identities, including the symbols tattooed on the members.¡±
Although it wasn¡¯t likely that they would lose, Salmora still ordered everyone to erase any marks, including ones that would reveal their association, just in case. After all, they were in this situation because of the double snake symbol on Hiram and his soldiers. The members of the first unit had to burn or cut away the symbols carved into their forearms.
Kale began to introduce his disciples. ¡°I¡¯ll introduce my people now. These guys are 4th Circle, and they are top wizards at the Magical Spire. All three of them are Pure Science wizards, intelligent people who have mastered the four Basic Sciences along with me.¡±
¡°You said they were geniusesst time.¡±
¡°There are a lot of geniuses in the Magical Spire, so I decided I would only call myself a genius. My disciples can be called intelligent.¡± He was shameless, but he wasn¡¯t wrong.
Normally, one only mastered one Basic Science. Those who mastered all four were called geniuses among geniuses.
Salmora nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s reassuring.¡±
¡°Of course! These are none other than my disciples. Anyway, I¡¯m done with the preparations, so gather everyone on the magic circle.¡±
In order to save mana, Kale had already created a teleportation magic circle with magic stone powder. When the four wizards cast their spells at the same time, everyone disappeared with a small sh of light.
* * *
Somewhere in Gowen Mountain, dozens of men appeared as electric currents burst in the air. Salmora and his party appeared with a dust cloud. Henry was already waiting at the designated coordinates, and he greeted them with a smile.
¡°You showed up on time.¡±
Salmora¡¯s soldiers all pulled out their swords, on high alert, but Salmora raised his hand and stopped them. Salmora released a murderous aura and said, ¡°Who are you?¡±
¡°Of course, I¡¯m the one who sent the letter.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°The count said that two knights and one wizard would be more than enough to deal with all of you.¡±
¡°Wizard?¡±
Kale¡¯s eyes twitched. Wizards were one of the empire¡¯s resources and were people of the Magical Spire; all of them were registered in the Magical Spire. However, no matter how hard Kale looked, he didn¡¯t recognize a single face.
Kale said to Salmora, full of caution, ¡°Salmora, I think the wizard is hiding somewhere else, so we have to be careful.¡±
¡®Eisen, you bastard¡!¡¯
Eisen despised wizards. How could such a person invite a wizard to join? Salmora couldn¡¯t help but admire his sneakiness. However, he couldn¡¯t forget the reason he had shown up. Grinding his teeth, Salmora asked, ¡°What about my subordinates? Where are they now? You didn¡¯t lie to me, did you?¡±
¡°Of course not. Your subordinates are right there.¡±
Henry pointed with his chin. Everyone turned to look at a towering iceberg. Inside were the halves of the subordinates'' bodies. ¡°This part of the region is warmer than Salgaera, so I froze them, because the bodies might rot," said Henry, deliberately trying to offend Salmora with a mocking tone.
Shiiing!
Without a word, Salmora drew his sword. He was truly angry.
Henry raised his hands and said, ¡°How scary. Unfortunately, I¡¯m not your opponent.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Someone else wants to see you. I¡¯ll see youter.¡±
p!
Henry pped loudly and then¡
sh!
Salmora disappeared.
Chapter 78: The Second Time For Sure (4)
Chapter 78: The Second Time For Sure (4)
¡°What the hell¡?¡±
Everyone was surprised when Salmora disappeared¡ªwho could believe that he would disappear so easily with a single p? Kale looked the most surprised.
¡®I-it can¡¯t be. Was that Forced Transfer¡?¡¯
Forced Transfer was one of the more advanced movement spells, forcibly moving someone to a designated location. Forced Transfer was considered one of the most difficult spells to learn at the mobile academy because movement spells required exact coordinates and the person or object to be transferred to be stabilized. It was extremely difficult andplicated to forcibly move someone or something.
However, the genius mage Kale had seen numerous runes appear and disappear around Salmora when Henry pped. He took a step back and quietly called out to his disciples. ¡°Be careful! That guy isn''t ordinary.¡±
¡°What do you mean he¡¯s not ordinary? Are you saying he¡¯s a wizard?¡±
¡°Yes, but I¡¯ve never seen him at the Magical Spire¡ Who could he be?¡±
The corners of Henry¡¯s lips rose when he saw Kale growing cautious, unlike the bewildered knights. ¡®I thought that there were only idiots here, but it seems that he brought one useful guy.¡¯
Henry recognized Kale since he¡¯d once been part of the Magical Spire. Lightning Kale had shown an outstanding ability to learn among mages of the same level, but he had destroyed objects of the Magical Spire several times because of his destructive tendencies. ¡®It seems that he¡¯s the only one that noticed the Forced Transfer. The others next to him must be his disciples.¡¯
The 3rd Circle wizards were second-ss wizards, while the 4th Circle wizards were first-ss wizards. Mages counted many first-ss wizards among their disciples, and Henry assumed that the others would not only be first-ss wizards, but as Kale¡¯s disciples, they had to have majored in the wind properties of Pure Sciences. It was very likely that they also knew how to use lightning, just like their master.
¡®Most wizards that major in lighting also have destructive tendencies like Kale.¡¯Rumble, boom!
Most wizards who chose wind properties within Pure Sciences loved that particr powerful and destructive sound. It was why most of them specialized in lightning. The three disciples were exactly like that. However, Henry didn¡¯t seem even a bit worried. Instead, he was thrilled because he was also experienced in lightning. ¡®This will be an interesting fight. I haven''t had anything like that in a while.¡¯
After understanding the wizards¡¯ abilities, Henry scanned the knights and recognized one face.
¡®Pip? So, Salmora brought his top disciple.¡¯
Henry had a good memory and he remembered the faces of the people of the imperial pce, including Pip¡¯s. ¡®That means I should watch out for Kale and Pip.¡¯
Now that Henry had Forced Transferred Salmora, he assessed the levels and skills of the people he had to face. Henry unsheathed his sword and said, ¡°What are you waiting for? Aren¡¯t you going to fight?¡±
At Henry¡¯s provocation, his opponents forgot the anxiety that hade with their leader¡¯s disappearance. Pip took charge of the unit and pulled out his sword. ¡°Our leader is still alive. We must trust him and focus on our duties. Does everyone understand?¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
They weren¡¯t just random mercenaries. They were the pride of the empire and the elites of the elites. They had been through all kinds of experiences and fought hundreds of battles. At Pip¡¯s order, the soldiers¡¯ anxiety quickly disappeared, and a fighting spirit began to form around them.
Pip shouted, ¡°Attack!¡±
¡°Ahhh!¡±
Henry¡¯s fight began.
* * *
sh!
As the pressure of the atmosphere exploded, Salmora appeared in another location in an instant. He swung his sword to block the spell, but it had no effect at all. However, at that moment, a big sword aimed at Salmora¡¯s blind spot shot at him like an arrow.
nk!
The sword had been thrown at him deliberately to get his attention, so Salmora smacked it out of his way and turned to see where it hade from. He saw a young, handsome man that he did not recognize.
¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Salmora.¡±
¡°Who are you? Reveal your identity!¡±
¡°Hehe, this is fun.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°You sure talk a lot. If you¡¯re here to find your subordinates'' bodies, you should start swinging your sword. What the hell are you waiting for?¡±
The handsome man spoke as if he knew Salmora. Salmora was aggravated, but he also felt that there was something slightly familiar about the man. ¡®He knows me? I¡¯ve never seen him before.¡¯
No matter how many times he dredged his memory, he couldn¡¯t imagine who the handsome man could be.
Vonughed and said, ¡°It seems that you¡¯re confused. However, if you beat me, I¡¯ll reveal my identity.¡±
¡°That¡ I¡¯ll soon make you regret what you just said.¡±
Von stopped smiling and his long-held anger began to reveal itself. The tenth sword, Salmora.
The Imperial Ten Swords were pro-Central Aristocrats. They were not only the executioners of the State Contributors, they were also their hunters. Salmora was the most eager out of the Imperial Ten Swords because he wanted Aubert to like him. In other words, he was one of the many that deserved to die.
Von drew his sword and held it in his right hand, releasing an insane amount of murderous aura from his heart.
Swoosh.
A gentle wind seemed to blow around Von, and Salmora felt a chill run down his spine and goosebumps rise on his skin. ¡®Damn! What kind of murderous aura is this¡!¡¯
It was an incredible aura that was beyond his own.
¡®Who is he? There¡¯s no way I could forget anyone who can release such a great amount of murderous aura.¡¯
The man standing in front of him was younger but his murderous aura was greater than his. However, he was not afraid, nor did he think that he would lose. He would get rid of anyone in his way. Salmora raised his right foot and stomped hard on the ground to suppress his opponent¡¯s overwhelming spirit.
Thud!
Cracks appeared on the ground. A blue aura appeared on the tip of Salmora¡¯s toe and spread to the rest of his body.
Whoosh!
The tenth sword of the Imperial Ten Swords. A title given to the tenth-strongest swordsman in the empire. Salmora¡¯s position in the empire was extremely high.
The aura that covered his entire body like a me soon grew bigger, as if it were about to explode. When it died down, it turned into smooth, full-te armor that covered Salmora¡¯s entire body.
He began to load his aura on his sword. However, unlike the previous aura that had died down eventually, this one continuously bloomed like a zing fire.
¡®I haven¡¯t seen that in a while.¡¯
The me formed the shape of a snake, and as it moved continuously around the sword, it looked like it was writhing around the de.
¡°What a showoff, when he¡¯s just little more than a worm¡.¡±
Zap.
Von began to put aura onto his own sword. The aura began to grow longer and longer, until his sword looked like a spear. Von stopped his aura. He was ready.
¡°Bring it on.¡±
The corners of Von¡¯s lips rose and he waved his sword as if he were beckoning Salmora to attack him. His impudence seemed to infuriate the blue serpent.
¡°I¡¯ll destroy the entire Shonan family, starting with you.¡±
Since he didn¡¯t know Von¡¯s identity, Salmora could only direct his anger at Eisen. Salmora pushed off the ground and ran forward, swinging his sword.
Shring!
A sharp swing fell, but the sword didn¡¯t touch anything.
¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Von¡¯s voice wasing from somewhere above. He¡¯d jumped into the air and was looking down at Salmora from the sky, his eyes like those of a hawk hunting a serpent.
".
Von¡¯s sword came down at Salmora¡¯s head.
sh!
The two swords shed violently with a loud st, as though the hawk were trying to rip its prey apart and the snake was trying to defend itself. Von could feel Salmora¡¯s power. It had been a long time since he¡¯d experienced it. However, Von couldn¡¯t help smiling. ¡®You¡¯ve gotten rusty!¡¯
Von put more weight onto his de and pushed down Salmora¡¯s sword.
There was a violent sh between the two auras, but the struggle did notst long. Von used the strength of his forearms tounch himself from Salmora''s sword and jumped into the air.
Whoosh!
He moved acrobatically, using his incredible strength to reach a height that no one else could attain, as though he were a hawk soaring into the air. Von was so powerful that anything he did seemed much more aplished and unbelievable than if anyone else did it.
Von made eye contact with the serpent. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what happens to knights that neglect their training!¡± Von raised his sword above his head.
The sun had already set and the sky over Gowen Mountain was dark.
Von began to rapidly inject his aura that he was holding back into the raised sword.
Zappp!
The sword continued to grow infinitely, as though it were Son Goku¡¯s magic staff. The blue aura continued to lengthen, eventually creating a long and beautiful ridge that split the night sky over Gowen Mountain in two.
Von fell to the ground with the sword raised above his head, he shed towards the ground diagonally. The blue horizon trembled as though aser were passing and fell. Salmora saw everything clearly.
¡°Th-this technique is¡!¡±
It was the one and only technique that one else dared to imitate. It created the illusion of the Milky Way. Everyone who witnessed the technique said, ¡°The falling Milky Way¡!¡±
There was no time to avoid it, but Salmora suddenly remembered that the only person who could do the technique was the swordsman Von.
sh!
The blue Milky Way fell on Gowen Mountain.
Chapter 79: The Second Time For Sure (5)
Chapter 79: The Second Time For Sure (5)
At Pip¡¯s order, the ten knights rushed at Henry. Henry quickly nced at Kale and his disciples.
The four wizards held hands as soon as Pip ordered them to attack.
¡®They¡¯re pretty smart.¡¯
It was a sensible n. The knights would buy the wizards time, and the wizards would also be their backup. It was a basic war tactic. However, Henry was not strong enough to face ten Sword Masters and four wizards at the same time.
¡°Klever, get ready.¡±
- Yes, Master!
¡°Blink.¡±
sh!
Henry disappeared and reappeared right in front of Kale and his disciples, who were preparing to cast a spell.
Swoosh!
Without hesitation, Henry swung his sword. Wizards were Henry¡¯s biggest weakness. They were the most dangerous opponent, and if he couldn¡¯t stop them now, he would be at a greater disadvantageter.
Henry¡¯s sword, loaded with mana, swung towards Kale¡¯s neck. When it brushed Kale¡¯s cor¡
nk!
There was a sharp, explosive sound. Covered in blue aura, Pip¡¯s sword blocked Henry¡¯s sword and he immediately kicked Henry¡¯s stomach.
¡°Arrgh!¡±
It was quite painful. It was a kick embedded with aura from a mid-level Sword Master, and Henry flew back, tumbling in the dirt.
¡°How dare you y your dirty little tricks on me?¡±
When he blocked Henry¡¯s sword, Pip was sure that Henry was just a weak wizard pretending to be a swordsman. He couldn¡¯t feel any aura on Henry¡¯s de, nor did he feel a strong aura protecting Henry when he kicked him in the stomach.
¡°It¡¯s over, you bastard!¡± Furious, Pip showed no mercy and he gathered his aura onto the tip of his de. When his sword was fully charged¡
Shunk!
¡°Huh?¡±
Just as he was looking down on Henry with disgust, he felt a sharp sting in the back of his head, as if he had been stabbed with a needle. Pip touched the affected area and saw a small amount of blood on his hand.
¡°What is this¡?¡±
Confused, Pip turned around and found the reason. Kale¡¯s disciple was standing behind him with dull eyes, holding a dagger.
¡°What the hell are¡¡±
Thud.
However, even before Pip could finish his question, he copsed, feeling dizzy as if the world was turning upside down.
¡°What are you doing!¡±
It had happened so unexpectedly no one had time to stop him. Kale realized what was happening and pushed his disciple out of the way. However, Pip¡¯s skin was already turning a dark color. Kale hurried to check the de of the dagger on the ground.
¡®Poison?¡¯
It was only a small amount, but if his guess was right, it was deadly. Kale quickly ordered his disciples to heal Pip.
¡°Poison! This is poison for sure! What are you waiting for? Hurry, heal him!¡±
¡°Y-yes! Poison Cure!¡±
The two first-ss wizards did their best and poured out their mana, but the discoloration continued to spread throughout his body uncontrobly. Kale realized the seriousness of the situation and tried to help. However, he couldn¡¯t prevent Pip from dying.
¡®What the hell¡!¡¯
A wizard''s healing power was different from that of a priest. However, if a mage were to use its healing powers, it would have had a simr effect to a priest.
However, the poison was so deadly that even a mage couldn¡¯t do anything.
¡®I can¡¯t believe that a mid-level Sword Master could die this easily. What the hell¡!¡¯
Sword Masters underwent physical training their entire lives. They also had as much stored aura in their bodies as blood. When they reached this level of skill, their resistance to most injuries and attacks also improved, including resistance to poison. Pip had almost reached the highest level of a Sword Master, but he¡¯d died so easily. That meant an ordinary person would die just from the slightest contact with the poison.
Kale swallowed nervously and picked up the dagger again. He stabbed it into the soil, and the soil around the dagger turned dark. ¡®As I expected¡¡¯
His guess was urate, but why would his disciple do such a thing? Also, how could a first-ss wizard get such a precious poison in his hands?
Kale suppressed hisplex emotions and turned to his disciple, who was still lying on the floor unconscious.
¡®He passed out? But I didn¡¯t even push him that hard.¡¯
The disciple was in the best physical condition among the three disciples. Kale didn¡¯t understand. ¡®What is going on¡?¡¯
Everything was in chaos, but then¡
¡°Sir!¡±
Pip''s men finally understood what was happening. They rushed over and surrounded Pip. They hugged his discolored body as they sobbed, unable to face reality.
¡®Fuck¡ We¡¯re in real trouble now.¡¯
Pip¡¯s death was a huge problem because the knights no longer had amander to lead them.
¡®Salmora¡¯s disappeared and now Pip, the unitmander, is dead. My disciple who killed Pip has lost consciousness¡ There¡¯s no way that he¡¯s the one behind this, right?¡¯
Kale suddenly remembered Henry¡¯s wicked, smiling face. He turned to look at Henry.
¡°Argh¡ I almost died there.¡±
The kick had sent Henry far away, and he was slowly getting back on his feet and brushing off the dirt on his stomach.
Henry smirked at the sobbing soldiers and said, ¡°Great work, Klever.¡±
- Thank you, Master!
The fog that had scattered in the air quickly transformed into a cat. Henry and Klever had worked on the n together.
¡®At my current level, Pip would be too difficult to challenge.¡¯
It was important to know one¡¯s enemy, but it was also important to know one¡¯s own level of skill.
Although Henry was a swordsman who could freely use magic, he wouldn¡¯t be able to handle all of his opponents at the same time unless someone was supporting him. Henry left his blood-stained dagger with Klever just in case Salmora¡¯s Forced Transfer failed, and as a result, Henry was able to achieve the most ideal situation he had hoped for.
¡®To be honest, it was kind of a gamble, but it¡¯s a relief that the aura on my head was discreet. Anyway, you have to admit that knights really have a lot of pride.¡¯
Usually, those who could use aura always injected their weapons with it. After stabilizing the aura on their weapons, they then usually covered their entire body with aura. However, despite that, it was a strange habit for most swordsmen not to cover their necks and heads with aura.
Although the neck was an important body part, aura wouldn¡¯t prevent one¡¯s opponent from slicing through it. As a result, swordsmen chose to use their auras more efficiently by making their swords sharper. They believed that the strongest attacks were the greatest form of defense. Thus, Henry¡¯s n had worked out perfectly.
Henry had aimed for Kale not to knock him down, but instead to stop the knight guarding him.
¡®Well, even if he hadn¡¯t stepped in to protect him, it would have worked out, too.¡¯
It didn¡¯t matter whether he brought down themander or the knight. Either way, it would remove opponents. In the mess of confused wizards and sobbing Sword Masters, Kale realized that this was all part of Henry¡¯s n. He identally made eye contact with Henry.
Smirk.
Henry smiled mockingly at Kale, who had lost hismander despite being a mage.
¡°How dare you¡! Know your ce!¡±
A wizard had as much pride as he had skill. Henry¡¯s ridicule wounded Kale¡¯s pride terribly and at the same time, awakened his destructive tendencies. Kale¡¯s face turned red. He began to create runes all over the ce.
¡®Memorize?¡¯
Henry was sure that this was a spell that Kale had prepared at the Magical Spire and when the runes around Kale were on the verge of shing¡ª
¡°Blink.¡±
Zap!
Clutching his sore stomach, Henry cast Blink into the snake¡¯s mouth where his opponents were gathered. He reappeared directly in front of Kale.
Kale and Henry¡¯s eyes met. They were less than the width of a fist apart.
¡°Freeze.¡±
Crackle!
¡°Ugh!¡±
Still in pain, Henry cast the 1st Circle freezing spell, Freeze, with one hand as he clutched his stomach with the other. The spellnded on Kale¡¯s mouth, and when Henry grabbed Kale¡¯s lower jaw, it began to freeze and grow covered in frost.
¡°Master!¡±
The remaining disciples quickly ran toward Henry. However, they seemed to move as slowly as turtles to him.
¡®Was this how I used to look¡?¡¯
He suddenly felt shame at the thought that knights had seen him in the same way in the past.
¡°You guys need to exercise more.¡± Henry easily avoided the two men and pped their napes powerfully.
p! p!Thud.
¡°How weak.¡±
The two fell unconscious from a mere p. Only then did the sobbing Sword Masters realize that the wizards were having difficulties.
¡°Iron Wall!¡±
Rumble!
From the moment he entered the enemy''s nest, Henry had been rtively prepared. However, there wasn¡¯t enough time to face the knights. The spell touched the ground, and a huge, thick steel barrier began to rise, embracing the two.
Rumble!
Past the rapidly rising barriers, Henry said, ¡°Lightning Kale.¡±
¡°Mmm!¡±
¡°me your ignorance for choosing Salmora.¡±
¡°Mmm!¡±
¡°Fly.¡±
There was not a lot of time left. The thick iron wall wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the attacks of ten Sword Masters, but it could buy him some time.
Henry grabbed Kale¡¯s cor and began to fly into the sky.
¡°Mmm! Mm!¡±
Kale squirmed, trying his best to get out of Henry¡¯s grasp, but like the other wizards, he simply wasn¡¯t physically strong enough.
Swoosh!
The two rose up in the air until the Sword Masters looked as small as ants. Henry stopped in the sky to freeze Kale''s limbs.
He pulled Kale in closer by his cor and whispered in his ear, ¡°Goodbye.¡±
Henry opened the hand holding Kale¡¯s cor wide, as though it were a butterfly.
Chapter 80: The Second Time For Sure (6)
Chapter 80: The Second Time For Sure (6)
¡°Mmm!¡±
Kale fell helplessly without even a chance to resist. His limbs were frozen, so he couldn¡¯t cast a spell, and his mouth was frozen, so he couldn¡¯t cast a spell.
Whoosh!
Kale elerated as he fell, his life shing before his eyes. It had been full of blood, sweat, and tears to get to where he was now. Tears began to fall, and the crotch of his trousers grew damp. He saw huge icebergs with the men from Salgaera frozen inside. The iceberg¡¯s pir-like tip resembled the fangs of a beast glowing in the moonlight. It looked as if it would pierce through him at any moment.
¡®So this is the end¡!¡¯
Kale prepared for his death and closed his eyes, but just before his head hit the ice pir¡ª
¡°Prism Beam.¡±
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
Henry fired a beam that froze everything, turning Kale into a part of the iceberg. Henry had never meant to kill him at all. Kale was a member of the Magical Spire and, thus, technically Henry¡¯s disciple.
¡®A wise master will always give a second chance to a foolish disciple.¡¯?This was enough punishment for Kale¡¯s poor choices. A near-death experience was more effective than a hundred words to make Kale realize his mistake.
In addition, the Prism Beam froze the opponent at an extremely high speed. If the defrosting process went well, the target¡¯s life would be preserved. After Henry was done punishing his disciple, he turned and looked down at the ten enraged Sword Masters on the ground.
¡®Now that I¡¯m looking at them from up here, they sure do look pathetic.¡¯
For swordsmen, bing a Sword Master was the highest status that they could aspire to be. Henry still couldn¡¯t use aura and had to rece it with mana instead. Every time he did that, he was incredibly jealous of the knights that could use aura.
The reason Henry wielded a sword in the first ce was to gain strength so that his body could digest the deadly poison of the venomous heart he¡¯d eaten in the Demonic Beast Forest. However, as he trained, he began to grow a desire that he¡¯d never had in his previous life: to use aura.
When Henry had seen the slow movements of the first-ss wizards, he thought once more that it had been a good idea to make the decision to wield a sword. However, as he looked at the Sword Masters squirming like ants beneath his feet, Henry began to remember how stupid he thought knights had been in his previous life.
¡®I remember¡ I used to think the knights were so stupid because they were so inefficient.¡¯
There was a saying that victory in war ultimately relied on infantry, but this didn¡¯t apply to Henry. Henry decided to teach the squirming knights beneath him what it felt like to be terrified of a wizard and release some of the stress that had built up during his training.
Swoosh¡
Henry looked up and spread out his two arms. A visible mana that was dark and powerful began to gather around Henry¡¯s entire body.
The knights violently storming against the barrier sensed danger and looked up at the sky.
¡°That is¡!¡±
The feeling of danger that prated all the way through their bones was their intuition screaming at them that they might die.
Whoosh!
The atmosphere began to coagte and made a monstrous roar.
¡°...Run away.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°W-we must run away! I don''t have a good feeling about this. We must get out of here right now!¡±
¡°What about the unitmander and the firstmander? You¡¯re telling us to leave everyone behind, including the wizards?¡±
¡°But if we don''t, we¡¯ll¡!¡±
Some of the soldiers who had good intuition began to desperately warn the others, but they couldn¡¯t run away so easily. If they had been low-ss expert swordsmen, they would have run away without looking back. However, they were confronted with Pip¡¯s dead body, the unconscious first-ss wizards, a frozenrade, and Salmora was still missing. With their enemy also right in front of them, their pride as imperial knights would not allow them to run away.
¡®How stupid. This is exactly why you guys are considered stupid.¡¯
As Henry watched the knights hesitate, he looked at them with an expression that seemed to say that he¡¯d been expecting this reaction all along. When Henry¡¯s mana fully concentrated in his body and shed brightly, he put his hands forward and said, ¡°...Come down.¡±
Rumble, rumble!
As soon as Henry spoke thest part of the spell, dark gray clouds began to fill the night sky.
Roar!
The clouds began to rumble. It seemed like lightning might strike at any moment and then¡
Boom!Rumble, rumble!Zapp!
A massive thunderstorm fell like a waterfall. After three to four warning booms of thunder, the dark clouds roiled like the sea and dropped a huge thunderbolt. It was difficult to believe that this was merely natural acting.
¡°Everyone, run!¡±
One of the soldiers shouted at the top of his lungs, but even before his voice could reach hisrades, all the staring Sword Masters disappeared without a trace as the thunderbolt struck.
* * *
The ground of Gowen Mountain was torn apart as if there had been an earthquake. A pitiful gasp rose from the fissures in the ground.
¡°Argh¡ Arggh¡!¡±
The gasp hade from Salmora. The aura that had fallen on him had been as thin as a de, but when it reached the ground, it became as wide as the Milky Way. In order to survive, Salmora had no choice but to throw his sword away and cover his full body in aura. However, the difference in power was still too great. Although his skin was still intact, Salmora¡¯s bones were shattered, as if a giant¡¯s hand had crushed them.
Thud!
Vonnded on the ground like a cat and approached Salmora with a mocking exmation, ¡°Should I say, ¡®as expected of a tenth sword¡¯? I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re still alive after that attack.¡±
¡°Y-you¡! Can it be¡ that¡ you¡¯re Von¡!¡± Salmora gathered all his strength to speak. He was like a dying candle, his breath slowly fading.
Von crouched down until he was at eye level with Salmora and stared directly into his eyes. ¡°Did you just figure that out?¡±
¡°How¡! How could¡!¡±
¡°Why? Do you feel that it¡¯s unfair that you¡¯ll die like this?¡±
¡°How dare you¡! Argh, cough! Cough!¡±
It seemed that the candle was sputtering. Salmora began to cough out blood but Von looked down at him without the slightest bit of sympathy and said, ¡°Ever since the grand duke passed away, I¡¯ve looked forward to this day. Salmora, don¡¯t you even dare resent me. If you think about all the people that have died at your hands, you don¡¯t have the right. Oh, and by the way¡¡±
Von inhaled the cool night air deeply, and feeling more refreshed, he continued, ¡°Isn¡¯t it embarrassing to be called one of the Imperial Ten Swords with your skill level?¡±
¡°Vonnn!¡±
Slice!
Salmora coughed out more blood as he called out Von¡¯s name. However, Von was sick of listening to Salmora, and he stabbed his sword into Salmora¡¯s throat.
Spew! Gush, bubble¡
When Von pulled out the sword, blood gushed and bubbled out of Salmora¡¯s throat. It was satisfying. Von had been living in hatred, holding back all his anger. Finally, he had spat out everything that he wanted to say.
Von swung his sword in the air to shake off the blood as if it had touched something dirty.
¡°Phew¡ This was only one person.¡± Of course, as the saying went, well begun is half done.
He hadn¡¯t had a day as exhrating and satisfying as this one in years, but he also had mixed feelings because he¡¯d only taken down one person so far. Von grabbed Salmora¡¯s ankle and began to head toward Henry with a bittersweet smile.
* * *
¡°Are you done?¡±
¡°Ah, brother, you''re here?¡±
Von reached Henry, who quickly nced at Salmora¡¯s body and said, ¡°Wow, he looks fine on the outside, but you¡¯vepletely made a porridge of him on the inside.¡±
¡°What about you? Where are all the knights and why is there only one discolored guy here?¡±
¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve shown off my skills.¡±
¡°Be honest with me. You¡¯re not really in the 3rd Circle, right? Something seems off.¡±
¡°Haha, my abilities are extraordinary, aren¡¯t they? Anyway, why don¡¯t you take a look over there?¡±
Henry quickly pointed to Kale.
Von frowned and asked, ¡°Who is he and what is he doing up there?¡±
¡°He¡¯s known as Lightning Kale and he is a mage of the 5th Circle.¡±
¡°He¡¯s a mage? But what is such a skillful guy doing up there?¡±
¡°I told you, I¡¯m extraordinary. Anyway, I captured four wizards, including him.¡±
¡°Why did you capture them? I thought you said we couldn¡¯t have any witnesses today?¡±
¡°You¡¯ll find out why right now.¡±
Henry gathered the three unconscious disciples and snapped his fingers.
Snap!Crack!
The ice pir containing Kale began to crack starting from his waist. It fell to the ground andnded right in front of Henry.
Thud!
Henry snapped his fingers once again and the ice began to melt, making Kale look like a mouse drowning in a pool.
¡°Haaa!¡±
As Kale defrosted, he began to pant for air, feeling a sudden freedom. When Kale was calm enough to speak, Henry said, ¡°Are you awake now?¡±
¡°Y-you¡¯re!¡± As though he had seen a ghost, Kale¡¯s eyes widened.
However, Kale couldn¡¯t speak further when he saw Salmora¡¯s corpse with a hole in his throat behind Henry.
¡®I guess it¡¯s all over¡¡¯
A person no less than the tenth sword Salmora had died, along with his knights. Even the mage himself had been defeated without a chance to use magic. It was an overwhelming difference in power.
Kale had no choice but to kneel and lower his head.
¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Henry smiled in satisfaction at his disciple¡¯s wise decision and said, ¡°Lightning Kale, is that right?¡±
¡°Y-yes! That¡¯s correct!¡±
¡°As you can see, Salmora, Pip, and the rest of the knights are all dead.¡±
A simple tally was sometimes a better warning than anything else, so Henry decided to make Kale aware of what had happened and test how strong his desires were.
¡°Do you want to live?¡±
¡°Yes, I want to live. Please, please let me live.¡±
No pride could remain before death, especially for Kale, who had just had a near-death experience.
After confirming Kale¡¯s sincerity, Henry smiled crookedly and said, ¡°Okay, but on one condition.¡±
¡°I will obey, so please, please let me live¡!¡±
Kale had a strong will to survive. Henry threw the dagger with his blood on it and pointed his chin at the unconscious disciples.
¡°Kill them.¡±
¡°What¡?¡±
¡°Kill your disciples with your own hands. I will spare your life.¡±
Suddenly, Kale didn¡¯t know what to do.
Chapter 81: The Second Time For Sure (7)
Chapter 81: The Second Time For Sure (7)
¡®K-kill my disciples with my own hands¡¡¯
As he looked at the dagger that had fallen in front of him, Kale¡¯s chin shook as if he were about to burst into tears. His disciples were like his children. He had taught them with affection ever since they enrolled at the magic academy. In addition, since most wizards were single for their entire lives, their disciples were especially significant to them. He struggled with the decision; he was a violent person, but even tigers and lions loved their cubs.
¡°Why? You can¡¯t do it?¡± Henry asked in a calm voice.
¡°I-I¡!¡±
It was suffocating. The pressure was like a tidal wave for Kale. It was as if the sea levels were rising and he was shipwrecked, with no other choice open to him. Kale could feel two pairs of eyes staring at him. He felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff.
¡®I can¡¯t¡ How could I possibly kill my disciples with my own hands¡?¡¯
Kale couldn¡¯t look anywhere else, so he turned his attention to the dagger in front of him. He finally realized what it was. ¡®T-that is¡!¡¯
It was the poisoned dagger that killed a mid-ss Sword Master like Pip. Kale snatched his hands to his chest instinctively.
¡®D-damn it¡!¡¯
Even if a high priest were around to help, it was impossible to survive that dagger. Kale had witnessed Pip¡¯s end with his own eyes, and the dagger¡¯s threat was terrifying beyond words. It was like watching a cruel beast at work. He was being warned that if he didn¡¯t kill his disciples, the beast would kill him instead.
¡®Gulp.¡¯
He did not want to die, especially with that painful poison. Kale picked up the dagger with trembling hands.
¡°U-ugh!¡±
Kale automatically dropped the dagger as soon as he held its cold hilt.
¡°A-ah!¡±
Kale moved far away from the dagger with exaggerated movements, fearing that the tip of the de would touch him.
Henry asked, ¡°You can¡¯t do it?¡±
¡°N-no! I will do it¡!¡±
¡°Show me.¡± Henry continued to make his demands in aposed manner. He didn¡¯t care whether or not Kale was frightened. Kale had no choice but to pick up the dagger again. It was so cold that it made his hands tremble even more. Kale was sweating.
¡°I must live¡ I must live¡¡±
Kale muttered to himself repeatedly as if to ease his guilt. He wasn¡¯t acting like his usual self. Kale dragged his heavy feet towards his disciples, who were stacked like bowls. He sat on his haunches. His disciples¡¯ eyes were closed, and they had no idea what was in store for them.
Kale closed his eyes. If he didn¡¯t, his memories with them would resurface and make this even more difficult than it already was.
¡°Open your eyes.¡± Cruelly, Henry wouldn¡¯t let him close his eyes.
¡°Ha¡¡± Kale had no choice but to keep his eyes open. His teeth chattered as if he had caught a chill.
Tremble¡
He was already close to making a decision. No matter how precious his disciples were, in the end, they wereplete strangers who didn¡¯t even share his blood. Kale raised his arms as though they were being pulled up like a bowstring.
¡®I¡¯m sorry¡!¡¯
The arrow released.
nk!
Right before the deadly poison came in contact with the disciples, Henry¡¯s sword blocked Kale¡¯s dagger.
nk!
Kale let go of the dagger and looked up at Henry in confusion. ¡°W-what¡?¡±
Henry smiled. ¡°Even though you pretend to be weak, at least you have a strong will. This makes you quite useful.¡±
¡°Huh¡?¡±
Von looked at Kale¡¯s confusion and Henry¡¯s satisfaction and shook his head. He ced his hand on his forehead.
¡°There¡¯s no need to be surprised. I ordered you to kill the disciples to spare your life,¡± continued Henry.
¡°R-really?¡±
¡°Yes, but your life only. Your disciples didn¡¯t do anything, so you don¡¯t mind if I kill them, right?¡±
¡°T-that¡¯s¡!¡±
Although he looked panic-stricken, Kale felt relieved that his life was spared. However, he began to think about what would happen to him in the future.
¡®I can¡¯t be excited just because I¡¯ve survived. Now that Salmora¡¯s dead, Marquis Aubert will be attacked next. Then, they¡¯ll uncover this incident, including the deaths of my disciples. If that happens, I¡¯ll¡!¡¯
.
The life of a wizard was basically the empire¡¯s property. Deaths were an even bigger problem if the wizard was a first-ss wizard. Kale had secretly helped Salmora without reporting to the Magical Spire, so he would obviously be used as the fall guy.
¡®If I leave this as is, not only will I be put on trial at the Magical Spire, it¡¯s certain that I¡¯ll be condemned as a traitor. So for the sake of my safety, I have to save my disciples¡!¡¯
He made these calctions the very second his life was spared and his head began to cool off. Kale bowed once again and started acting with all his might. ¡°P-please spare their lives as well! Although I have tried to save my own life by sacrificing theirs, they¡¯re my only disciples, so please show mercy¡!¡±
Henry couldn¡¯t stop his smile, so he hid it behind his hand. ¡®As I expected, he¡¯s smart. Good thing I kept him alive.¡¯
Before Henry had be the great wizard, he had been called the Sage of the Continent. No one knew human nature better than he did, and it was clear to him what was going on in Kale''s head. That was why he was even more satisfied¡ªhe wanted an extremely selfish person without morals. Henry asked, ¡°You want to save your disciples?¡±
¡°Yes. Please spare my disciples!¡±
¡°Alright. I will let your disciples live.¡±
¡°R-really, is that true?¡±
¡°Of course, ites with a price. The price is equivalent to your desire to save them.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll do whatever it takes! If you ask me to give up all my property, I will give it all up, and if you ask me to beg like a dog, I will do that as well!¡±
¡°Hm, are you that willing?¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll trust that will of yours once more.¡± Henry took out an object the size of a pinky and handed it to Kale. ¡°Take it. You¡¯re a wizard so you must have heard of a Narworm, also called a drug leech, before.¡±
Narworms were unlike ordinary leeches because they caused intense pleasure and hallucination as they ingested the mana of its host. However, Narworms were picky and could only consume two kinds of mana in their lifetime. In addition, since they consumed mana like a drug, if they didn¡¯t receive the same mana regrly, they became tremendously stressed and self-destructed quickly.
¡®If you remove it from its host, it will self-destruct, and if it consumes more than two types of mana, it will also self-destruct¡ It¡¯s a tricky creature to handle.¡¯
Narworms were crazy about mana and they favored wizards who had a lot of it, which was why they preferred to nest in the heart, which contained the most abundant mana. If a Narworm ever exploded, its nest would also explode. Kale¡¯s face began to stiffen as he epted the Narworm.
Although he¡¯d grown pale, he didn¡¯t dare refuse. ¡®Damn it¡¡¯
In what world would a wizard ever nt a Narworm in their body? However, it was already toote. Kale ced the Narworm on his forearm, his expression full of resignation. Goosebumps formed all over his body when he felt the leech¡¯s unique stickiness.
Squirm¡
The Narworm started to dig into Kale¡¯s forearm.
¡°Argh!¡±
He felt a sharp pain as it pierced his skin. The Narworm dug inside Kale¡¯s body in order to adapt to its new nest and the immense pain almost caused him to pass out.
¡°Cough!¡±
Finally, it stuck to his heart. Kale vomited a handful of blood, but that was only a temporary reaction.
Henry said, ¡°You know how Narworms work, right?¡±
¡°...Yes.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve already given it enough of my mana, so he can¡¯t consume any other type of mana now. You know what that means, don¡¯t you? As expected, you understand pretty fast because you¡¯re a mage.¡±
One had to use magic to create an incision in the heart in order to remove a Narworm. However, if a third person¡¯s mana got involved, the Narworm would self-destruct. This meant that Henry was the only one who could safely remove Kale¡¯s Narworm.
¡°We¡¯ll supply it with mana once a week at the town hall of Vivaldi.¡±
¡°Alright¡¡±
There was no way Kale felt good about a living bomb nted inside his body. However, Kale would desperately try his best to live.
¡°Now we can talk easily. Nice to meet you, my name is Henry Morris and I¡¯m currently working with Count Eisen.¡±
¡°...What?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t be surprised, I¡¯m not the person that you¡¯re thinking of. We just have the same name.¡±
The name had grabbed Kale¡¯s attention, but he only felt difort when he realized that Henry only shared a name with the other person.
¡°Shall we start talking about work?¡±
Most of the preparations were done and Henry was ready to discuss in depth.
* * *
¡°Do you think it¡¯ll be okay?¡±
¡°What will?¡±
¡°Kale. I¡¯m worried that he might leak information.¡±
¡°It¡¯ll be alright. He tried to survive by sacrificing his disciples, plus, I¡¯ve nted a Narworm inside him, so he won¡¯t be able to say anything unless he considers his head only as an ornament.¡±
Everyone was equal in the face of death, although a few could easily ept it. Most couldn''t since it was a terrifying prospect to them.
¡®The more you have, the more afraid you are of dying, which is why some people dream of immortality.¡¯
Wizards were considered geniuses and worked hard their entire lives. Kale had gone through a lot in order to achieve the status of a mage, so he thought it was unfair that he¡¯d have to sacrifice his life for his friend.
The two soon arrived at the entrance of Eisen¡¯s mansion. The soldier who had spoken informally to Henry and even the head of the guards, Vedican, were waiting to wee Henry.
Vedican and Henry made eye contact and Vedican bowed first. The others followed suit. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside.¡±
Henry stepped inside the mansion like a victorious general.
Chapter 82: A Prepared Reversal (1)
Chapter 82: A Prepared Reversal (1)
¡°Hahaha! Henry! Wee!¡± Eisen greeted Henry with a loudugh and excited movements. He had a big smile on his face because Henry had already informed him of their victory before they even arrived.
¡°Nice to see you again, Count Eisen.¡±
¡°Yes, yes! Haha! Is Salmora really dead?¡±
His body is in the carriage so you can check for yourself.¡±
Henry pointed at the carriage behind him. Eisen gaped.
Creak!
He pushed aside the curtains and opened the door to see Salmora, the tenth sword, lying on the floor with a cut throat.
¡°Hahaha! It¡¯s true! You really did bring Salmora¡¯s body!¡±
¡°The guy next to him is themander of the first unit of the Viper Knights, Pip.¡±
¡°Hahaha! You¡¯ve already caught Salmora, what¡¯s the point of his subordinates! I¡¯m so proud of you! Good work! Haha!¡±
Unable to control his excitement, Eisenughed so hard he didn¡¯t seem to breathe. He shouted to the servants of the mansion, ¡°Get some drinks ready right now! I must treat my honorable guests with hospitality worthy of the Shonan family¡¯s great reputation!¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
Perhaps influenced by Eisen¡¯s excitement, the servants also responded to the order in a loud voice.
Soon, a splendid banquet began.
* * *
After he failed to be a marquis, Eisen lived with a lot of stress for quite a long time; however, thanks to Henry, who had appeared out of nowhere like aet, he felt as though he¡¯d been freed from his suffocating life.
The mansion had once been filled with sighs and tension, and now it was overflowing with joy. Eisen was like a little kid. Henry and Von had no choice but to wait and y along with Eisen until he settled down.
The day soon turned into deep night, then dawn. Most of the banquet attendees were intoxicated and asleep, surrounded by countless bottles. The only people who had survived drinking were Eisen, Von, and Henry, who had used Chest to avoid consuming the alcohol.
¡°Haha, I never imagined that someone as capable as you even existed!¡± said Eisen. He had finally calmed down, and he filled Von¡¯s ss.
Eisen liked strong people. Von was using the name ¡°Lanber,¡± and Eisen repeated the name over and over, praising Von¡¯s outstanding ability at sessfully cutting Salmora¡¯s throat.
However, this situation was nothing but amusing to Von. His enemy had been sharpening his ws in preparation to attack him for the past few years but didn¡¯t recognize him just because of a slight change in his appearance.
After some time, when Eisen seemed drunk enough, Henry nudged Von at his waist.
¡°Oh, um¡ I think I had too much to drink, I¡¯m just going to use the washroom.¡±
¡°Haha, of course! It¡¯s about time! Your dder might burst!¡±
Von left the room and Henry reced him. ¡°Count, you have had a lot to drink.¡±
¡°Ah, yes! Henry, you are the true reason for the sess of this n! You are so precious, so very precious!¡±
¡°I¡¯m ttered.¡±
For several hours, they had tried to calm Eisen down, but despite their efforts, he was still like an erupting volcano. However, the better someone¡¯s mood was, the easier it was for them to ept any kind of favor.
Now that the other banquet attendees were gone, Henry thought it was the perfect time to proceed with his n.
¡°Have another ss, count.¡±
¡°Yes, yes, fill the ss to the brim!¡±
Before Von had left the room, Henry deliberately ced the Shonan badge where it could be easily seen. Holding his ss, Eisen looked at the gold badge and smiled.
¡°That badge really suits you.¡±
¡°This is the badge you gave me, count. I defeated them so that I wouldn¡¯t bring shame to it.¡±
¡°Haha, I even love the way you talk. Let¡¯s have another ss, shall we!¡±
Clink!
The golden cups bumped against each other with a sharp sound and the two quickly finished their sses in one gulp.
¡°Count, may I tell you something?¡± said Henry.
¡°What do you mean by asking permission? Since giving you that badge, I have already epted and acknowledged you, so you don¡¯t have to feel ufortable about speaking inly.¡±
Seeing that he was spittingpliments and talking longer than usual, the effects of alcohol had really gotten to him.
¡®What an idiot.¡¯?Henry decided not to miss this opportunity. ¡°Thank you. Then I will try my best and speak.¡±
¡°Alright! Let¡¯s hear what you have to say!¡±
¡°Count, I have a dream that I want to achieve.¡±
¡°Dream? Wow, what kind of dream is it?¡±
The word dream was sometimes beautiful, but other times, it was cheesy. Which was why Eisenughed and asked.
¡°Although I¡¯m just a mere swordsman born as a baron, I saw the possibility of doing something greater when I killed Salmora.¡±
¡°Possibility? Possibility of what?¡±
¡°To bring the count to a higher position¡ That kind of possibility.¡±
¡°What? Hahaha!¡± Eisen thought that Henry was just ttering him.
However, from the moment Von captured the third unit, Henry saw an opportunity to raise Eisen to a higher position to help him catch those who were even more powerful than the foolish and easily controlled Eisen.
Eisenughed loudly and said, ¡°Even the sound of it alone makes me happy. Are you trying to tter me right now?¡±
¡°No. As I have told you before, I want to have a prestigious background just like you, why would I say it just to tter you?¡±
¡°Hehe, right! You¡¯re someone with great ambition. Let¡¯s hear your ns to raise my position.¡±
¡°Before I do that, the second reporting order must seed first.¡±
¡°Ha, are you saying you don¡¯t trust me right now?¡±
¡°No, I feel sorry.¡±
¡°You feel sorry for what?¡±
¡°It urred to me that if you had an excellent assistant by your side who could support your greatness, you wouldn¡¯t have had such trouble during the first reporting order.¡±
¡°An excellent assistant, you say¡ I guess I really don¡¯t have anyone that I can depend on.¡±
Despite being a member of one of the Patrician Families of the empire, Eisencked people of great talentpared to other Patrician Families. The reason for this was simple: his dogmatic and hot-tempered personality had led most of his vassals, including his bookkeeper, to leave for other Patrician Families.
¡®Even when he had been a part of the Central Aristocrats, Eisen only did work that required physical strength, while Aubert and Alfred did all the brain work.¡¯
For this reason, Eisen hadn¡¯t be a marquis. However, this was an opportunity for Henry¡¯s n to work.
Eisenughed and said, ¡°Haha, now that I¡¯m listening, I can clearly tell what your motive is.¡±
¡°I apologize, but it¡¯s true that I feel sorry for you. If I had been by your side during that time, I believe that you would¡¯ve be a marquis a long time ago.¡±
¡°Haha, how arrogant of you.¡± Bing a marquis was Eisen¡¯s long-cherished dream. ¡°Me, a marquis? Hehehe¡¡± He was happy even just thinking about it.
¡°Okay! Then I will give you another chance.¡±
Finally, Eisen gave the long-awaited answer Henry was expecting, but Henry still pretended not to understand and asked, ¡°What chance?¡±
¡°Your ambitions are extraordinary and you have the will to aplish something great, so I will give you another chance to be my vassal.¡±
¡®Vassal!¡¯
Although Vedican was the head of the guards in the mansion, he was no different from Eisen''s family since he brought Eisen out whenever a guest came. However, being a vassal was more important than being a family member, as being a vassal allowed you to advise Eisen and participate in the management of the family.
¡®For an outsider like myself, there is nothing better than being a vassal, so when the opportunityes, I must grab it.¡¯
No matter how great his achievements were, it was rare to get a chance to be a vassal to a Patrician Family like the Shonan family. It was only through luck that Eisen didn¡¯t have a suitable vassal, family members, or talented candidates to fill that position.
Henry was the only person who stood by killing Salmora. Eisen had gotten lucky out of the blue. Henry tried his best to hide his smile and said, ¡°I¡¯ll obey all yourmands, so please give me this glorious opportunity to be your vassal.¡±
¡°Haha, sounds good! Even without your help, I¡¯m sure I will be sessful, but for the second reporting order, I will give you the chance to set up a nice n.¡±
¡®It worked!¡¯
It was an easy test. Besides, if Henry was the one doing the nning, there wouldn¡¯t be a chance for the stupid Eisen to fail again.
¡°Alright, then I will n everything and report it to you by tomorrow lunch.¡±
¡°Haha, okay! Then let''s continue to drink!¡±
Henry poured Eisen multiple sses at a fast pace and a few momentster, Eisen could no longer take the alcohol and fell asleep with his face on the table, snoring.
* * *
Sitting inside his office, Aubert sighed over and over. ¡°Ha¡¡± Cigarette smoke bloomed like clouds as a thick fog of anxiety built up in the office.
¡®What the hell is this bastard doing? He still hasn¡¯t gotten in contact with me.¡¯
Two days had passed since he¡¯d thrown his ashtray at Salmora. He should have already received a report from Salmora by this time. However, Salmora hadn¡¯t even appeared at the knight¡¯s headquarters, much less contacted Aubert.
¡®Could it be that¡ No, that¡¯s impossible¡¡¯
Ever since he¡¯d received the letter from Eisen, Aubert hadn¡¯t been able to sleepfortably. Every time he tried to rx, he was reminded of the ipetent emperor¡¯s face as he swung his sword at him.
Aubert got up. He¡¯d been getting up and sitting down over and over, which was proof of his anxiety.
Knock knock.
¡°Who is it?¡±
¡°It¡¯s me, marquis.¡±
¡°Come in.¡±
Aubert was surprised by the knocking, but thankfully it was a familiar voice. However, when his secretary entered, his expression was serious and created an ominous atmosphere.
¡°Marquis, Count Eisen has called a reporting order.¡±
¡°W-what!¡±
Aubert didn¡¯t know what to do.
Chapter 83: A Prepared Reversal (2)
Chapter 83: A Prepared Reversal (2)
Not long after his first reporting order was dismissed, Eisen called another reporting order. It was a serious situation because no reporting orders had been called since the purge of the State Contributors, but now two had been called in the span of a few days.
However, the Patrician Family members were more curious than concerned, although they didn¡¯t reveal this. Except for Eisen, everyone sat around the throne with cold eyes, their expressions as serious as the reporting order.
¡®I wonder what Eisen¡¯s up to now?¡¯¡®He must have something good nned.¡¯¡®Damn, look at Aubert¡¯s face, haha.¡¯
Eisen did not hide his excitement, which made the imaginations and curiosity of the Patrician Family members run wild.
They were more excited than worried, since the boring peace would be disrupted, just like it had been when they executed the State Contributors.
¡®Tragedies are fun to watch when they happen to others.¡¯
They were just bystanders watching the conflict unfold excitedly, but Aubert had to keep hisposure.
¡®Eisen, can it be¡? No way¡ The Eisen that I know doesn¡¯t have that kind of strength.¡¯
The marquis tried his best to keep calm as he tapped his finger on his knees.
The situation was not looking good.
Although Aubert was known for his tricks, most of his schemes had been sessful because he had information. However, this time, he had to prepare for Eisen¡¯s attack without having any information, and he didn¡¯t know how to avoid me. Last time, he managed to cover up his crimes through his acting and injury, but Aubert didn¡¯t believe that the same method would work again.
Aubert made a fist and quietly exchanged gazes with Eisen.
Smirk.
Eisen¡¯s eyes were curved like a crescent moon. He had the same smile on his face that Aubert had hadst time.
The emperor soon appeared along with two courtdies. ¡°What is it this time? A reporting order again?¡± The emperor¡¯s disheveled appearance gave clues as to his activities before he appeared, but it didn¡¯t matter since he was a foolish, arrogant, and self-centered tyrant.
Marquis Alfred answered, ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Count Eisen has called another reporting order.¡±
¡°You called a reporting orderst time, too, didn¡¯t you? Tell me, what is it this time?¡± he asked Eisen.
Aubert¡¯s cold sweat and Eisen¡¯s little game began.
¡°Your Majesty, I called another reporting order because a shameless man has lied to Your Majesty and vited thews of the empire, making a fool out of Your Majesty behind your back.¡±
¡°There are so many shameless people in this empire. Who is it this time?¡±
¡°It is Marquis Aubert, Your Majesty.¡±
¡°What?¡±
The game had begun.
Some nervously swallowed, while others watched Eisen¡¯s game y out with excited eyes.
However, the emperor became suspicious rather than angry, because Aubert had already proven his loyalty previously. He frowned and asked, ¡°Eisen, what evidence do you have?¡±
¡°I have plenty of evidence this time. If you allow me, I will show Your Majesty.¡±
¡°Alright, I give you permission.¡±
¡°Thank you, Your Majesty. Guards, bring the evidence in right now!¡±
Several soldiers appeared with the corpses of the third unit members and their leader, Canye.
Although quite some time had passed, the bodies hadn¡¯t dposed much due to the spell cast on them.
Esien pointed at the corpses and said, ¡°These are the bodies of the third unit of the Viper Knights, including their leader, Canye.¡±
¡°It¡¯s the imperial knights again?¡±
¡°Your Majesty, Aubert sent this team to Salmora to cover up his wrongdoings before I called the first reporting order.¡±
¡°He sent them? To do what?¡±
¡°Before the first reporting order, Aubert tried to not only kill the exiles in Salmora, but also the witnesses and the checkpoint soldiers to destroy all evidence.¡±
¡°Aubert tried to kill his own imperial soldiers with the imperial knights in order to get rid of evidence?¡±
¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I¡¯m not making baseless usations. Chief Vhant has witnessed this himself. Here is his statement.¡± Esien took out Chief Vhant¡¯s statement and ced it on the table, looking as confident as if he were holding out a medal.
Eisen was using the same tactic as before, but since he had more evidence this time, it was impossible for Aubert to improvise an excuse.
¡®You¡¯re done for.¡¯¡®How stupid. You should have done it right if you were going to cover up your evidence in the first ce.¡¯
Aubert¡¯s face grew white like those of the corpses before him as he heard the whispers of the Patrician Families.
The emperor¡¯s face grew red, but unlike before, he did not raise his voice in rage. This time, the emperor''s anger grew slowly like boiling water. He had experienced this situation before, which was why he could stop himself from acting rashly.
However, this was not what Eisen wanted. ¡®As expected, this is not enough?to enrage him?likest time.¡¯ Eisen remembered Henry¡¯s advice and nodded slowly.
The emperor called out, ¡°Aubert.¡±
¡°...Yes, Your Majesty.¡±
¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Shouldn¡¯t you at least make up an excuse?¡±
Even though he was called a genius strategist, Aubert was still human. However, he could read the room better than anyone else.
¡®Eisen has something else up his sleeve.¡¯?Aubert could tell just from Eisen¡¯s expression. However, if Aubert admitted to his crimes without remorse, he would suffer alone. In addition, the gravity of the crime meant that there was a strong possibility his punishment would not end with his death alone.
¡®It¡¯s said that a military man will always wait for revenge, even if it takes ten years. First, I have to survive.¡¯?Instead of answering, Aubert picked up Vhant¡¯s letter and opened it.
Rustle!
Aubert had to find clues from the information he could get. When he was done reading the letter, he said, ¡°Your Majesty, what Eisen said is half true, half false.¡±
¡°Half? What do you mean?¡±
¡°It¡¯s true that the Viper Knights went to Salmora on my orders, but it was not to destroy evidence. It was to ensure that something like this would never happen again.¡±
¡°What do you mean? Continue.¡±
¡°It¡¯s just as I said. I already admitted to my mistakes and showed my sincerity during the first reporting order. It¡¯s true that I did send these knights, but I sent them to right my wrongs because I realized my mistake. I never sent them to destroy evidence, Your Majesty.¡±
¡°You dare, Aubert! How could you lie to the emperor¡¯s face!¡± Eisen shouted, but Aubert wasn¡¯t done talking.
¡°Count Eisen, your actions are quite strange. The first reporting order was a misunderstanding, but how can you frame me with the bodies of the knights and Vhant¡¯s statement twice within a span of a few days?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Your Majesty, I have already admitted my faults and conveyed my sincerity, but to be honest, I believe Count Eisen is acting suspiciously since he has called another reporting order for exactly the same reason as the previous one.¡±
¡°Aubert, are you saying that Eisen is lying to harm you?¡±
¡°Not necessarily but¡ Your Majesty, I apologize for bringing this up right now. Count Eisen and I don¡¯t have a very good rtionship.¡±
¡°A bad rtionship?¡±
¡°As you know, Alfred and I were promoted to the position of marquis, and ever since that moment, Eisen has had a grudge against us.¡±
Eisen hurried to cut Aubert off. ¡°Your Majesty! Marquis Aubert is trying to hide his guilt by bringing up something that ispletely unrted to this case!¡±
However, Aubert didn¡¯t stop. ¡°Besides, the current checkpoint chief of Salmora is Vhant. Your Majesty, Chief Vhant used to be a member of the State Contributors. I¡¯m afraid that these two men are using me of the same crime twice because they want to tear me down so that Eisen can take over my position as marquis.¡± Aubert didn¡¯t know this for sure, but he was correct about Eisen¡¯s motives; he was truly a strategist.
Alfred frowned because Aubert had used him to support his argument.
The emperor asked, ¡°Alfred.¡±
¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±
¡°Is Aubert telling the truth?¡±
¡°...It¡¯s true that their rtionship is not good, Your Majesty.¡±
¡°Your Majesty!¡±
¡°Be quiet.¡±
It seemed that the situation had gone through an upheaval. Without support, Aubert¡¯s usation would have no legs, but thanks to Alfred¡¯s admission and Vhant¡¯s background, Aubert¡¯s words were having an effect on the emperor that was beyond his expectations.
Facing such varying usations, the emperor brought his hand to his forehead. His head hurt from simply hearing the name ¡°State Contributor,¡± it was that detestable to him.
The emperor suddenly recalled the face of the dead archmage who hadshed out at him at the execution site.
¡®Damn him¡¡¯
Aubert smiled as he watched the emperor. ¡®I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with Salmora, but I have to end this order quickly before anything else gets brought up.¡¯
As more time passed, it would only lead to a disadvantage. Aubert added, ¡°Your Majesty, I believe Eisen might have misunderstood the situation, but it¡¯s also possible that he¡¯s trying to nder me. Therefore, in order to find out the truth, I believe it is fair to ask the six Patrician Families and the grand dukes to weigh in.¡±
¡°Grand dukes¡¡±
It was clear that Aubert was calm and confident. Eisen began to argue in irritation, ¡°Marquis! Are you confident that you can prove what you¡¯ve just said!¡±
¡°Of course. If your usations are true, I will dly ept the punishment ording to thews of the empire. However, if it¡¯s the other way around, I leave it up to you to determine your own fate.¡±
¡°How shameless¡!¡±
¡°Count, what kind of behavior are you showing to the emperor?¡± As Aubert regained hisposure, he tried to bring down Eisen¡¯s confidence.
The emperor removed his hand from his forehead and began to speak. ¡°Eisen, Aubert does have a point.¡±
¡°Your Majesty!¡±
¡°As Aubert said, this is a very serious matter! It is necessary to hear the opinions of the other grand dukes and find the truth.¡±
¡®It worked!¡¯?Aubert was satisfied and the other Patrician Families watched in admiration.
It seemed as if this was how the second reporting order would end.
¡°Your Majesty,¡± Eisen spoke with a calm smile.
¡°Is there something else you want to say?¡±
¡°Your Majesty is right. This is a serious matter, and it¡¯s important to find the truth.¡±
¡°I appreciate your understanding.¡±
¡°However, I didn¡¯t say that I only had one piece of evidence.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Guards! Bring in the second evidence!¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
The soldiers entered the room once again, holding Salmora and Pip¡¯s stiff bodies.?Another person followed them into the room: Kale.
Chapter 84: A Prepared Reversal (3)
Chapter 84: A Prepared Reversal (3)
¡®I-it¡¯s¡!¡¯
¡°Greetings, Your Majesty, my name is Lightning Kale. I¡¯m a mage from the Magical Spire.¡± Kale bowed respectfully to the emperor.
The moment Kale and the two bodies entered the room, Aubert looked shocked while Eisen was full of joy.
The corners of Eisen¡¯s lips rose as he confidently said, ¡°Your Majesty, this is the second piece of evidence.¡±
¡°T-that¡¯s the tenth sword, Salmora, isn¡¯t it?¡±
¡°That¡¯s correct, Your Majesty. This is Salmora, the tenth sword and the leader of the Viper Knights, and Pip, themander of the first unit.¡±
¡°What is going on? How can the tenth sword be dead?¡±
Salmora¡¯s death was truly shocking. The Imperial Ten Swords were the empire¡¯s most powerful military organization, whose skills even the emperor acknowledged. The death of the tenth sword proved that the empire¡¯s defense system was weak.
The emperor wasn¡¯t the only one that was shocked. The other Patrician Family members were, too.
Eisen smiled and thought to himself. ¡®Everything is going as he said it would. I sure have an eye for recognizing good people.¡¯?
Henry had anticipated it all, from the emperor¡¯s reaction to Aubert¡¯s attempt to turn the tables on Eisen. Now all that was left was to go along with Kale¡¯s statements since Henry had already tamed him.
Kale and Eisen made eye contact, and Kale nodded slightly. At the signal, Eisen began to speak again, ¡°Your Majesty, before I speak, I have to confess that I havemitted a great sin.¡±
¡°Sin? What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±
¡°The deaths of everyone here¡ªSalmora, Pip, and all the members of the first unit¡ªare my fault.¡±
¡°What? You''re saying all of this is your doing?¡±
¡°Yes, Your Majesty. However, if I hadn¡¯t killed Salmora first, I would have died, so I had no choice but to fight.¡±
¡°Are you saying that Salmora led the knights to assassinate you?¡±
¡°That right, Your Majesty.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a lie, Your Majesty!¡± Aubert raised his voice. However, the emperor had already begun to lean toward Eisen¡¯s side due to the shock of seeing Salmora¡¯s corpse.
¡°Be quiet! If anyone dares to speak another word, I will punish them. Keep that in mind!¡±
¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±
The emperor¡¯s anger had almost reached its boiling point. Aubert had no choice but to shut his mouth and the silent Patrician Family members grew even more tense. Eisen was the only one who could speak freely, like a dog running off leash.
¡°Your Majesty, I sent a letter to Salmora and Aubert as soon as I obtained the bodies of the third unit members a few days ago.¡±
¡°You mean, before you called this reporting order?¡±
¡°Yes. After I obtained the bodies, I advised Aubert to turn himself in and admit his crimes. However, Aubert replied by sending Salmora and his troops, along with a wizard from the Magical Spire, to kill me.¡±
¡°Is this the wizard you¡¯re talking about?¡¯
¡°Yes. He is the wizard that was sent to assassinate me. However, he knew that it was wrong and gave me a heads up, which saved my life.¡±
This was all that Eisen had to do, the rest was up to Kale.
The emperor turned his attention to Kale.
¡°Kale, is it?¡±
¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±
¡°Is Eisen speaking the truth?¡±
¡°Yes, it¡¯s all true. Your Majesty, Marquis Aubert was afraid that another reporting order would be called, so he ordered Salmora to assassinate the count. In order to pull this off, Salmora asked for my help.¡±
¡°Why did they ask for your help?¡±
¡°The distance from the capital to the Shonan region is very far, so they needed a wizard¡¯s help to teleport there.¡±
¡°And why did it have to be you?¡±
¡°Because I¡¯m Salmora¡¯s childhood friend, and we grew up in the same hometown.¡±
The emperor asked many questions, but Kale answered just as Henry had instructed him.
¡°Ha¡¡± As the information piled up, the emperor grew more anxious and his expression turned dark.
Aubert turned deathly pale. Eisen was full of excitement. Kale reported everything in detail, even things the emperor didn¡¯t ask about.
¡°Enough.¡± The emperor stopped Kale, as his patience had reached its limit.
The room was dead silent and it felt as if everyone was walking on thin ice.
¡°Aubert,¡± said the emperor.
¡°...Yes, Your Majesty.¡±
¡°Do you have anything to say?¡±
¡°...¡± Aubert closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. After opening his eyes, Aubert looked at Duke Arthus and Marquis Alfred, who were sitting next to him. They looked back, but their eyes showed neither good intentions nor encouragement. They seemed to only express farewell.
¡®It was all worth nothing.¡¯
Aubert had be a part of the Three Great Families with absolute power, and he had believed that they would have a strong sense of solidarity. However, that had been a delusion.
When Aubert was about to lose power, the two immediately turned away. This was the reality in a world of power struggles.
The emperor stood, and it seemed that his anger had finally exploded.
Shring.
The emperor grabbed a nearby soldier¡¯s sword and slowly walked toward Aubert.
¡°Aubert.¡±
Aubert didn¡¯t say anything, but instead nervously looked at the emperor.
¡°You have no intention of making any excuses?¡±
¡°...I apologize, Your Majesty.¡±
¡°I really trusted you¡¡±
It wasn''t a matter of picking sides. Aubert¡¯s problem was that he had looked down on the emperor and used his army to harm his people. The enraged emperor raised the sword high above his head. What was about to happen next was obvious. Everyone looked away from the two, but Eisen spoke up, ¡°Your Majesty.¡±
The emperor answered Eisen without taking his eyes off Aubert, ¡°What is it, Count?¡±
¡°I believe releasing Your Majesty¡¯s anger on Aubert right now is a rash decision.¡±
¡°It¡¯s rash?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
Everyone, including the emperor, looked surprised. The emperor lowered his sword and turned toward Eisen. ¡°Then what do you think I should do?¡±
¡°Although Aubert looked down on Your Majesty and tried to harm your people, I believe it would be a wiser punishment to make him regret his wrongdoing rather than kill him right away.¡±
¡°Are you saying I should put him in prison?¡±
¡°No.¡±
¡°Then?¡±
¡°His crimes are too great, so why not exile him to Salgaera?¡±
¡°To Salgaera?¡±
¡°Yes, I believe it is appropriate to not only strip him of his title but also to deport his entire family to Salgaera.¡±
It was a much harsher punishment than death. In addition, Eisen decided to include everyone from the Crimson family in the punishment as well.
Aubert¡¯s eyes trembled at Eisen¡¯s words.
¡°Hmm, exile to Salgaera¡¡± The emperor seemed intrigued, and he stroked his chin and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. It would be much better to make amends at the scene of his crime than to put him in prison. I will ept your suggestion.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a wise decision, Your Majesty.¡±
¡°Hey, stamp the foreheads of all the Crimson family members, including Marquis Aubert, with ¡®traitor¡¯ and send them all to Salgaera. This is a royalmand.¡±
¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡±
nk!
The emperor dropped his sword and walked up to Eisen. He tapped him on the shoulder and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t realize how loyal you were. Forgive my ignorance, count.¡±
¡°No, Your Majesty! I only did what I had to do as an imperial subject.¡±
¡°You really are loyal. I will give you ten wagons of gold as a reward and if there¡¯s anything else you want, feel free to ask.¡±
¡°No, Your Majesty. I¡¯m fully satisfied that I have once again been able to restore Your Majesty¡¯s reputation and the authority of the imperial family. I only wish to be in charge of Salgaera and make things more transparent and less corrupt.¡±
¡°You impress me even now. I understand, go ahead.¡±
¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡±
The exhausted emperor quickly left the room with the courtdies. As the soldiers led Aubert out, he stopped in front of Eisen and looked him in the eye. ¡°You must have thought hard for this to work, Eisen¡!¡±
Aubert¡¯s eyes were filled with anger and resentment. Now that Salgaera was under Eisen¡¯s control, Aubert would never be able to set foot inside the empire again.
Eisen chuckled and said, ¡°Maybe you should have thought harder as well.¡±
¡°W-what¡?¡±
¡°Tsk tsk, all I do is sit at my desk all day, so of course I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on outside. What are you waiting for? Drag this shameless criminal away.¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
The soldiers dragged Aubert out of the room. There were only five Patrician Family members left. The room was silent and everyone''s attention was on Eisen.
Eisen spoke, ying innocent, ¡°Is there anything you want to say?¡±
Not all Patrician Families were the same. The two counts who were thest to be members of the Patrician Family averted their gaze, but the duke and marquis did not.
Alfred spoke first, ¡°Did you really have to go this far?¡±
¡°What do you mean ¡®this far¡¯? We have an obligation to act with integrity and loyalty for the prosperity of the great Eurasian Empire.¡±
¡°I always thought you were a fool, but you¡¯ve be quite clever. You must have known why Aubert had managed Salgaera the way he did.¡±
¡°So? What does that have to do with me now?¡±
Alfred began to release a murderous aura. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll make it clear. You¡¯d better not think you¡¯ll be marquis just because Aubert is gone.¡±
Eisenughed and said, ¡°Thanks for your concern. Why don¡¯t you worry about yourself, just in case you copse like Aubert?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°This is the end of the reporting order. My business here is done, so I shall get going.¡±
Step step.
Kale quickly followed Eisen out of the room.
Chapter 85: A Prepared Reversal (4)
Chapter 85: A Prepared Reversal (4)
The sky was blue as ever. However, the Vincent region was like hell for Aubert.
¡®This is really the end¡¡¯
His defeat at Eisen¡¯s hands had led to Aubert being branded as a traitor, with a mark on his forehead to prove it. Just over a year ago, this had happened to the State Contributors, and he never expected that he would also be in the same position.
¡°Sob sob¡¡±
The members of the Crimson family walking behind Aubert wept endlessly. Their cries were like daggers stabbing him in the back. It was painful. He had already gotten rid of his enemies, the State Contributors, how could something like this happen to him?
Furthermore, why hadn¡¯t Duke Arthus and Marquis Alfred helped him?
Many thoughts ran through Aubert¡¯s mind, but eventually, the only thing left was anger at Eisen.
¡®How could I lose to a guy like him¡¡¯
He had ignored the foolish Eisen since his days as a Central Aristocrat, and knowing that he¡¯d lost everything because of Eisen made his anger boil once more. However, there was nothing Aubert could do while he was being transported to Salgaera.
Aubert and his family members had been locked up in an underground prison until it was time to leave for Vincent. His family members had run major departments of the empire, and in an instant, they had be traitors to be exiled to Salgaera without even knowing why.
The vigers came out and looked at them like they were a herd of animals.
It was humiliating.
However, there was really nothing Aubert could do. From the moment of the royalmand, Marquis Aubert Crimson had be just Aubert and no longer a Crimson marquis.
* * *
Aubert and his family members finally reached n Gorge, and he met Chief Vhant, whom he had attempted to get rid of in the past.
The convoy leader, Rault, saluted to Vhant and said, ¡°Have you been doing well?¡±
¡°Does it look like I¡¯ve been doing well?¡±
¡°I apologize.¡±
¡°Hehe, no need to apologize. Anyway, are these people whom I¡¯ve heard rumors about?¡±
¡°Yes, Marquis Aubert Crimson and his family.¡± Rault grabbed Aubert by his handcuffs and tossed him in front of Vhant.
¡°Argh.¡± The soles of Aubert¡¯s feet were full of blisters from the long march andck of food, and his ankles were bruised purple, but Rault showed no sympathy. Vhant smiled at Aubert.
¡°I didn¡¯t expect the rumors to be true¡¡±
A few days ago, Vhant had been drinking as usual when he¡¯d received unexpected news from Halger, who was dropping off supplies. One of the Three Great Families, the Crimson family, had been banished as traitors and they were on their way to Salgaera.
He couldn''t believe it even though he had received Henry¡¯s letter from Hagler. This was how shocking Aubert¡¯s downfall was. It was only when he saw Aubert on the ground before him that Vhant could believe that it wasn¡¯t a dream. He smiled and knelt to Aubert¡¯s level.
Aubert¡¯s eyes were still burning with hatred, as expected of someone who had once been part of the Patrician Families. Vhant noticed Aubert¡¯s anger and said with a smirk, ¡°Are you trying to copy a lion cub¡¯s expression? Let¡¯s see how long that arrogant gaze of yourssts.¡±
Punch!
Vhant punched Aubert in the face as hard as he could. ¡°Ha, I didn¡¯t expect another day like this would evere. The ten years of stress I¡¯ve experienced have been relieved.¡±
It felt exhrating. Vhantughed in satisfaction as Aubert fell back. ¡°I would like to spend more time with you, but there are people who have been waiting for you more desperately than I have. Let them pass!¡±
Vhant let the exiles pass.
Woosh!
Afterpleting their duties, Rault and the convoy returned to the capital. The checkpoint soldier silently led the exiles inside the Exile Vige. The snow became heavier by the second and the strong wind of the mountains turned into a snowstorm that felt like it could bury them at any moment.
It was difficult to even open one¡¯s eyes, but the soldier continued to move forward on snowshoes. When they arrived at the Exile Vige, the soldier said, ¡°We¡¯re here, so I¡¯m off.¡±
¡°W-what? There¡¯s nothing here. You said you were taking us to the Exile Vige? Look! Hey!¡± They could only see the iron pir, but the soldier silently walked back down the path they had taken.
¡°What the hell¡¡±
The weather was especially bad and because they weren¡¯t able to bring suitable clothes, they were trembling as if they would die at any moment.
Swoosh!
Salgaera¡¯s cold wind sounded like the roar of a beast trying to eat them.
¡°How could it end like this¡¡± said Aubert miserably. He had once had absolute power, but he was now going to freeze to death. Could there be a more miserable end?
As Aubert fell to his knees in the snow with a devastated expression, the rest of the family members sighed in despair, but right then¡
¡°This isn¡¯t the end,¡± someone said.
The soldier had already left and there was no one else around, but Aubert could hear a voice so clearly that it seemed like they were speaking in his ear.
¡°Above you.¡±
Aubert automatically looked up to see a person floating in the sky.
¡°A-a person¡!¡±
¡°W-what? A person? What do you mean¡?¡±
Everyone else looked up, but they saw nothing other than the whirling snow.
Whoosh!
There was another strong gust of wind. Everyone lowered their heads again.
¡°What a fool.¡± However, Aubert could clearly see a man in the airing closer to him. Just when he was about to see the man¡¯s face, he lost consciousness.
* * *
.
Ssh!
¡°Cough cough!¡±
Aubert and his family members woke up from a sudden ssh of water. They were no longer outside but in room without any snow or wind.
¡°...This is?¡±
There was a person in front of him, but because he was hidden in the shadows, Aubert couldn¡¯t make out his face. The man was holding a bucket and Aubert realized that someone had poured warm water on them.
¡®Warm water?¡¯
They felt slightly more alive now. Although they should have been offended by the act of sshing, the water felt so warm that they wanted to feel the same warmth again. However, they had to find out what was going on first.
Aubert¡¯s eldest son stood up and tried to figure out what was happening, but¡
¡®Rope?¡¯
Only then were they able to realize that their hands and feet were all tied up. The relief they felt from the warm water didn¡¯tst long and they were hit with a sudden sense of fear.
¡°W-who are you?¡±
The rest of the family hurriedly counted to check that everyone was present. They managed to discover that no one was missing. However, as soon as they released a sigh of relief, another group of people appeared behind the person who poured water on them. He said, ¡°More.¡±
Ssh!
More warm water sshed on them for a while. As their bodies warmed up, their anxiety over the strangers only grew. Eventually, the second son, who was shivering with anxiety, spoke loudly like Aubert, ¡°Who the hell do you think you guys are to do this to us!¡±
Unlike the eldest son, the second son had a vicious personality.
The person in the shadows answered, ¡°My name is Torian.¡±
¡°Torian¡?¡±
¡°Of course, you haven¡¯t heard of it before.¡±
¡°R-reveal yourself! Do you know who you¡¯re dealing with?¡±
¡°What? Hahaha!¡± Torian and the othersughed out loud. ¡°How stupid, you still think you have status¡ What a pity.¡±
¡°W-what?¡±
¡°Some of us used to be like that too. They¡¯re dead now because of you, so you won¡¯t be able to see them.¡±
¡°W-what do you mean? Who did we kill?¡±
¡°There is a saying that the sins of the parents are passed down to the children. We are the exiles that Aubert kicked out a year ago.¡±
¡°Exiles as in¡ It can¡¯t be!¡±
¡°It seems like you finally remember, but we don¡¯t care about your names. We intend to treat you the same way you treated us. Let¡¯s start with him.¡±
Snap!
The dark room lit up to show the surviving family members of the State Contributors who had been banished to Salgaera under false usations of treason.
Whack!
The family members began to beat Aubert¡¯s second son from head to toe to their hearts¡¯ content with birch sticks. They avoided vital points so that his bones would not break and the pain couldst as long as possible.
¡°Argh¡¡±
The second son eventually passed out.
¡°Wake him up,¡± said Torian.
Ssh!
They poured cold water on the second son and he woke up right away.
Torian looked the second son in the eye and said, ¡°It¡¯s a problem if you pass out like. We still have a long way to go. Give me the potion.¡±
Torian poured the healing potion from the temple into the second son¡¯s mouth, forcing him to swallow it. The second son¡¯s body began to heal and returned to its original condition.
¡°Beat him again.¡±
The crimesmitted by their father were too great. They couldn¡¯t just freeze to death in the snowstorm, and the exiles used warm water and potions to keep their enemies alive for as long as possible.
¡°Arghhh!¡±
The second son passed out once more.
¡°Next,¡± Torian said.
Dozens of the Crimson family members received a beating from the survivors, who had all lost their parents, siblings, and other rtives. They did not stop until their arms were sore and their branches broke.
Aubert was the final person they beat, and he passed out twice. Torian poured cold water on him.
¡°You¡¯ll have to prepare yourself, you fucking bastard.¡±
They were no longer powerless and weak exiles. From the moment Aubert set foot in Salgaera, the exiles became demons of Salgaera, which was known as a white hell.
Chapter 86: A Prepared Reversal (5)
Chapter 86: A Prepared Reversal (5)
Ssh!
¡°Hmm¡¡± Aubert woke up when the water was poured on his head. He was in so much pain that his body felt like it would break into pieces. He had never been beaten like this in his whole life. He was also thest person in his family to be beaten, which meant that the beatingsted the longest.
Aubert had passed out four times during the process and suffered twelve fractures. He was also forced to drink several bottles of the healing potion sold in the temple to withstand the beating.
Aubert looked around, but he could not sense anyone''s presence around him, as if he were in solitary confinement.
¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Someone spoke, and Aubert quickly turned toward the voice to see a man whose face was shadowed by the darkness. He had a small iron cage.
¡°W-who are you?¡±
Despite the pain, Aubert¡¯s senses were extremely sensitive. However, the man replied in a calm tone, ¡°A guard.¡±
¡°A guard¡?¡±
¡°I¡¯m watching you while you¡¯re confined, what else could I be if not a guard?¡±
¡°Are you a rtive of the traitors?¡±
¡°No, I¡¯m just a guard sent by the empire.¡±
¡°The empire sent you?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
Aubert quickly became hopeful. ¡°H-hey! Since you¡¯re a public servant, I have an offer I¡¯m sure will interest you.¡±
¡°An offer?¡±
¡°Send a letter for me, n-no! Actually, send two letters and I will give you all my hidden assets.¡±
Aubert did not want to lose an opportunity like this. If he didn¡¯t convince the guard to help him, he would be trapped in this hell to rot in the cold for the rest of his life.
¡°Your hidden assets?¡±
¡°Yes! I can guarantee it¡¯s an amount that no other aristocrats would dare give. If you don¡¯t believe me, check the amount first!¡±
The guard thought about Aubert¡¯s offer for some time and decided to ept it. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll check the money first before sending out the letters.¡±
¡°Smart choice. I will let you know how to check the amount, but can you bring me some paper and a pen?¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
Aubert took the pen and paper and began to write on the floor of the cold cell. ¡®I must get out of here and take revenge on that Eisen bastard¡!¡¯
It didn¡¯t matter how he sat, his entire body was full of bruises, and he could barely see what he was writing because the room was so dark. However, Aubert was determined to get out and hepleted the letter eagerly.
Once he was done writing, he handed two letters to the guard and said, ¡°Send one to Duke Arthus and the other to Marquis Alfred.¡±
¡°Alright, let me check the money now.¡±
¡°...Alright. I own a small town called Momont where I secretly entrusted my assets to an old man named Hansen.¡±
¡°So?¡±
¡°What do you mean ¡®so¡¯? If you go there and look for Hansen, you¡¯ll be able to check all the money I have.¡±
¡°What a joke.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°The news of your downfall has already spread throughout the entire empire and in such a situation, do you think the old man will just hand over your hidden assets?¡±
¡°I think you¡¯ve misunderstood something. Hansen is not human.¡±
¡°What do you mean he¡¯s not human?¡±
¡°Hansen wasmissioned by the Magical Spire a long time ago as a sort of alchemist, so it''s not possible for him to betray me.¡±
¡°If he¡¯s an alchemist, he¡¯ll need something like a secret code.¡±
¡°I will give the code once you bring back the responses to my letters.¡±
¡°That won¡¯t do. If I pass on the letter of a traitor and get caught, you¡¯re not going to take responsibility for what happens to me, right?¡±
¡°...I guess you have a point. Alright.¡±
Aubert was frustrated with the guard, but there was nothing he could do about it because the guard was his only hope and opportunity to get out.
¡°If you tell Hansen that you want to ¡®drink salt water,¡¯ he will understand and give you the treasures,¡± said Aubert.
¡°Sounds good. I will send the letter once I have them.¡±
The guard took Aubert¡¯s letters and left the cell. Outside, a familiar handsome man waited.
¡°How¡¯d it go?¡±
¡°It went as expected, he tried bribing me.¡±
¡°It¡¯s said that a leopard can¡¯t change his spots. He is still looking for a way to get out even though he was captured and brought here.¡±
¡°That¡¯s how desperate he is. Anyway, it was wise of you to lock him up separately and not kill him.¡± Henry had been the guard hiding his face in the darkness.
By the time the entire Crimson family was sent to Salgaera, Henry had already heard the news and waited for them there.
¡°What are you holding?¡±
¡°It¡¯s letters. He asked me to pass them to Arthus and Alfred.¡±
¡°They didn¡¯t help him during the reporting order, does Aubert still think that they¡¯re on his side?¡±
¡°Maybe he has a trump card or something to win them over, since he was known as a master schemer before¡±
¡°Master schemer my ass. How can a guy like that lose to Eisen?¡±
The handsome man was Von. He¡¯d wanted to watch the downfall of the Crimson family, so he had gone with Henry to Salgeara.
¡°How are the others doing?¡±
¡°They¡¯re all locked up in the underground prison.¡±
¡°All in one cell?¡±
¡°Yes. Just like you asked, everyone is in one cell regardless of their age or gender, but why did you want them all in one room?¡±
¡°So that they¡¯ll be able to think together.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°They¡¯ve all suddenly be traitors because of Aubert. They can¡¯t do anything other than suffer, so they¡¯ll need a target for their resentment. Since Aubert isn¡¯t with them, he¡¯ll naturally be that target.¡±
¡°How cruel of you. You¡¯re nning topletely alienate Aubert from his own family?¡±
¡°We¡¯re only paying back what we got. If we leave him alone for a few days and let his family think about his wrongdoings, his own family will beat him to death.¡±
Just because people were from the same family did not mean that they all got along. In fact, it wasmon for powerful families to be divided rather than harmonious. Henry intended to destroy Aubert little by little through his own family.
¡°What about the aura users?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve ended them for good. It will be hard for them to pick up things, let alone use aura.¡±
The members of the Crimson family were intelligent, and some of them even knew how to handle aura. To avoid future trouble, they were sent to their deaths.
¡°Now that Eisen is in charge of Salgaera and I am in charge of its management, Salgaera belongs to us. We can finally rx and do as we please.¡±
¡°As it should be. By the way, you really are incredible. How could you think of using Salgaera as a prison?¡±
¡°It just urred to me out of the blue. Shall we check the contents of the letter?¡±
The two read Alfred¡¯s letter first.
¡°...This is it?¡±
¡°I think so?¡±
Since Aubert was in a desperate situation, they expected the letter to be full of begging, but to their surprise, the content was simple:
¡°Alfred, if you help me get out of Salgaera, I will give you those things of mine that you have desired for a long time.¡±
¡°Things he¡¯s desired for a long time?¡±
This was probably Aubert¡¯s only chance to avoid rotting in Salgaera for the rest of his life, but his message was only a sentence long.
¡°He has the guts to write something as simple as this. What does it mean?¡±
¡°It seems like Alfred wants something from Aubert.¡±
¡°Is there something that even the Three Great Families can¡¯t get their hands on?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything material. If it was something he could buy, I¡¯m sure he would have gotten it a long time ago.¡±
¡°What could it be¡?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think it will be easy to find out. However, we have lots of time, so let''s look at the letter for Arthus.¡±
The letter to Arthus said this:
¡°If you get me out of here, duke, I will not only join you in the scheme that you proposedst time, but once again be your loyal servant.¡±
¡°What the hell does this mean?¡±
¡°Hmm¡ You can feel his desperation in this letter.¡±
¡°Damn them¡! If they write in a way that no one else can understand, how are we supposed to know what they¡¯re talking about?¡± Von became angry.
Henry rubbed his chin and fell into deep thought.
¡®Marquises act as the duke''s hands and feet, but Aubert has rejected Arthus¡¯s offer. And yet, Arthus still needs Aubert, which means Aubert is irreceable¡¡¯?
Henry was more interested in Arthus¡¯ business. ¡®Alfred isn¡¯t important, but we need to look into Arthus carefully.¡¯
It wasn¡¯t possible for Henry to send a fake reply without knowing the context. If someone as wily as Aubert had rejected Arthus¡¯ proposal, it would certainly not be in the nation¡¯s interest.
¡®It¡¯s possible that this can also upset the emperor.¡¯
Henry¡¯s goal was still to destroy the Three Great Families and see the death of the current emperor. Even if it meant some dy, he had to use tools like the emperor for as long as possible.
¡°Let¡¯s put more thought into this. Shall we first look for Aubert¡¯s hidden treasures?¡± said Henry.
¡°How much did he say he¡¯d give you?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not sure. He didn¡¯t tell me the exact amount, but he said that he would give me more than what most aristocrats possessed, so I¡¯m assuming it¡¯s quite arge amount.¡±
¡°He¡¯s a part of the Three Great Families, why would he need to hide his assets?¡±
¡°Probably because he has dirty money. Don¡¯t high-ranking officials undergo periodic asset inspections?¡±
¡°Do they? I¡¯ve never been wealthy, so I wouldn¡¯t know.¡±
¡°Either way, thanks to him, we¡¯ll be the ones getting the goods.¡±
¡°Is it in a dangerous ce?¡±
¡°No. Aubert owns a small town called Momont and he said he hid his treasures there. I¡¯ll go and quickly return.¡±
¡°What should we do about them?¡±
¡°As I said before, you can do as you please, I just ask that you provide them with just enough food so they don¡¯t die, regr medical treatment, periodic beatings, and mentally ruin them.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll pay them back for what they¡¯ve done to me.¡±
¡°I leave it up to you.¡±
Henry departed Salgaera, but first, he had to stop by a ce before heading to Momont.
Chapter 87: Variable (1)
Chapter 87: Variable (1)
Before heading to Momont, Henry stopped by Eisen¡¯s mansion.
¡°Congrattions, count.¡±
¡°Thanks. Did you deal with Aubert and the others?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll keep them alive for as long as possible. Considering the harm they¡¯ve caused you, count, it¡¯s not even enough if they rotted in Salgaera for several decades.¡±
¡°As expected of you. You always go above and beyond what I ask. Where else can I find such a talented person like you?¡±
¡°I will work as much as you trust me.¡± Henry had reached a powerful position within the Shonan family.
Everything had gone as nned since Henry had prepared everything from beginning to end, and all Eisen had to do was follow along.
Since Eisen used to have a low profile, he was now known as a hidden gem instead of a shy fool.
¡®Hidden gem my ass. It¡¯s not even funny.¡¯
The Shonan mansion had finally be peaceful, as Eisen¡¯s hysteria from stress and anxiety hadpletely disappeared. Perhaps that was why everyone else in the mansion, even strangers, also loved and admired Henry.
¡°Anyway, are you sure you¡¯re not going to change your mind?¡±
¡°Thank you for the offer, but I¡¯m sure.¡±
¡°Alright, I guess it can¡¯t be helped if that''s what you want since you¡¯re doing it for me anyway¡¡±
After earning Eisen¡¯s trust, Henry was given the opportunity to be a Shonan vassal. Ordinary vassals usually lived in the mansion with the family they served and shared every bit of information with each other. However, this would ce a lot of restrictions on Henry, so he chose to be an external vassal instead, which was a rank lower than that of an ordinary retainer.
An external vassal did not reside in the mansion and attended meetings whenever there were important matters, and helped take care of the family affairs.
In other words, it was a lower-ranking position among the vassals.
However, because there were no other talented people in the Shonan family, Henry was basically the second inmand after Eisen¡¯s children.
¡®Both internal and external vassals are all the same.¡¯
What really mattered was not rank but the actual power one held within the Shonan family.
¡°Count, how¡¯s the imperial pce doing?¡± said Henry.
¡°The imperial pce is always the same. Why would anything happen just because it¡¯s the pce?¡±
¡®Ha, I can¡¯t believe I was beaten by a guy like this.¡¯
Eisen''s stupidity hadn¡¯t changed. Although Henry felt frustrated at times during their conversations, heforted himself by thinking that it was better for him that Eisen was that stupid. Henry took a short breath and continued to speak, ¡°...That¡¯s true, but now that Aubert has been kicked out, there is an empty marquis seat avable, isn¡¯t there? I¡¯m asking about the other Patrician Family members. Did Marquis Alfred or Duke Arther show any signs of difort?¡±
¡°Oh right! Alfred did give me something like a warning. He said not to even think about the marquis seat being mine. What an arrogant bastard, how dare he warn me.¡± Eisen tended to overestimate his abilities.
Henry smiled and backed him up once again.
¡°That¡¯s right, but in other words, it¡¯s clear that the Three Great Family members are not going to be very pleased with the count¡¯s session.¡±
¡°What are they going to do about it? No one else can seed anyway, so why should I care?¡±
¡°Of course, you should care.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°I heard that in order to be part of the Patrician Families, you not only need the emperor¡¯s consent, but also the consent of the other Patrician Families. If they disapprove, it doesn¡¯t matter how much effort we put in.¡±
¡°If that¡¯s the case, there is nothing to worry about. His Majesty has already favored me and the two counts under me are from military families like mine, so they all know their ce.¡±
Henry was once again disappointed. Eisen had lived his entire life only learning how to order others around, so his understanding of rtionships and his ability to analyze politics were inferior to those of a child.
¡°That¡¯s not true, count.¡±
¡°Why not?¡±
¡°Thanks to the past, your rtionship with the Three Patrician Families isn¡¯t good. Wouldn¡¯t it be more convenient for them to have a different count be a marquis rather than someone they don¡¯t like?¡±
¡°Hmm¡ You do have a point.¡±
¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying you should care.¡±
¡°Hmm, as expected, you are very talented. It would be bad if I didn¡¯t have you around.¡±
Only when Henry exined everything to Eisen did he realize his own foolishness.
Henry quickly replied so that Eisen wouldn¡¯t be embarrassed, ¡°I¡¯m ttered. Like I saidst time, it is my dream to help the count reach a higher and more powerful position than right now.¡±
¡°Hehe, you always say the nicest things. Anyway, there will soon be a gathering of all the Patrician Family members to discuss the vacant marquis position. What should I do when that timees?¡±
¡°Although the count has done a lot of hard work so far, we¡¯re at a disadvantage right now in every aspect, so the count will have to attack first.¡±
¡°Attack first?¡±
¡°Before the Three Patrician Families and the emperor consult together about the new marquis, the count should suggest that the marquis be chosen through a fair process.¡±
¡°Me?¡±
¡°That''s right. They will say that the selection will be made after a fair review, but I¡¯m sure that there will be a fierce dispute which will ce the count at a great disadvantage. Therefore, it would be more advantageous to intrigue His Majesty and propose apletely different selection process.¡±
¡°Apletely different process, huh¡ Do you have anything in mind?¡±
¡°A duel.¡±
¡°Duel?¡±
¡°Yes, an honorable duel between the aristocrats. Even though it¡¯s not as grand as a Geas pledge, a duel will be a good way to defeat them because it will be fair.¡±
¡°Hmm, a duel¡ All three families are titans anyway, so that wouldn¡¯t be too bad, but do you think His Majesty will be interested?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be interested. There¡¯s nothing more interesting than watching a fight, isn¡¯t there?¡±
The corners of Eisen¡¯s lips rose at Henry¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Alright, a duel sounds good. Who do you think we should appoint as a representative?¡±
¡°Me.¡±
¡°You?¡±
¡°In times like this, victory will shine even brighter when a vassal like mees forward instead of someone from the family¡¯s bloodline.¡±
¡°Okay! As expected, I feel reassured having you on my side.¡±
¡°I¡¯m ttered, count.¡±
In case of an emergency, they also had Von, so there was not too much worry about.
¡®The marquis position is basically guaranteed.¡¯
With his business finished, Henry had no reason to waste any more time at the mansion.
¡°Count, I have some business to take care of, so I will take my leave.¡±
¡°Yes, yes, if anything happens, make sure to tell them my name, because you are now my vassal.¡±
¡°Thank you, count.¡±
He had be an ally instead of an enemy. Henry smiled at the irony and made his way towards Momont.
* * *
In order to save time, Henry used Teleportation to reach Momont.
¡®Is this Momont?¡¯
Momont was in the mountains. Before Aubert mentioned it, Henry had never heard of the town before.
¡®People who perform sh-and-burn agriculture live here.¡¯
It was closer to a vige than a town. Henry found Hansen easily by asking a local. Hansen resided at the very top of Momont, and Henry saw the old man with wrinkles and a hunched back sitting at the entrance of a small thatched house right away.
¡®I guess that''s him.¡¯
He looked like someone in his 80s, but he was said to be an alchemist who was the pride of the Magical Spire.
Henry approached the man and said, ¡°Hansen.¡±
¡°...¡±
¡°Hansen?¡±
¡°...¡±
Hansen was sitting on a small wooden chair at the entrance of the thatched house, holding his cane with both hands and looking down.
At first nce, he looked like a dozing old man who was hard of hearing. However, he was only ying this role to hid his identity.
Henry smiled and said, ¡°Hansen, I would like to drink some salt water.¡±
¡°Salt¡ water¡?¡±
It was the secret code that Aubert had told him. Hansen slowly raised his head.
¡°Come¡ in¡¡± Hansen became polite.
Henry thought that Hansen was quite good at pretending to be an old man.
As soon as Hansen stepped into the house, his back, which was nearly bent 90 degrees, suddenly straightened up.
¡°I will execute themand.¡±
¡°...Okay.¡±
He stopped pretending to be an old man and knocked on the floor of the tiny thatched house to reveal a secret door.
Click click click.
The sound of a moving pulley filled the house. The door opened to show a staircase that led underground.
¡°Light.¡±
Spark!
The basement was pitch ck and Henry lit the area up.
sh!
¡°Wow¡¡±
The golden reflection of the light made his vision blur.
¡®He sure did save a lot.¡¯
It was just as Aubert had said. His hidden treasures in the basement storage were piled up so high, it was clear that most aristocrats wouldn¡¯t have the same amount of wealth. However, Henry had plenty of his own treasures as well.
Henry first checked that there was nothing else besides gold and silver, then he summoned Klever and began gathering everything in the basement.
¡°Klever.¡±
- Yes, Master.
¡°Don¡¯t leave a single thing behind and take everything.¡±
- Yes, Master.
Swoop!
Since no one was watching, Klever could freely open up Chest in the air and began sweeping up the treasures in the room, as though he were a hurricane.
nk!
The treasures rang with a metallic sound as they shed together. It didn¡¯t take them long to gather everything. Henry looked around the empty basement once more and slowly began to leave.
- Khuu!
¡°Huh?¡±
The gon, which had transformed into an object, suddenly shook and began to howl.
- Khuuuu!
¡°What?¡±
The gon suddenly began struggling and the bracelet Henry wore also shook.
¡®What¡¯s going on? He¡¯s been quiet this whole time.¡¯
Since no one was watching, Henry was able to summon gon with ease.
- Khuu!
gon appeared, but instead of approaching Henry, he quickly ran to a corner in the basement and began wing the floor.
Dig dig!
Henry watched gon¡¯s behavior. The basement was covered in a special type of plywood, however, gon dug up the floor with ease and eventually broke through the wood as if he had a grudge against it.
When he was done digging, gon shoved his face inside the hole.
- Khuu!
When gon came back up, he held something in his mouth.
].
¡°...Huh?¡±
It was none other than a spirit egg.
Chapter 88: Variable (2)
Chapter 88: Variable (2)
¡®A spirit egg?¡¯
The round, smooth, ck sphere that looked like a ck stone was clearly a spirit egg.
¡®Why is that here?¡¯
Henry was confused. There was nothing special about Aubert''s secret basement that a spirit would like. They usually preferred a natural environment. Nevertheless, Henry was convinced that it was a spirit egg because he felt the same kind of energy as when he¡¯d seen gon¡¯s egg for the first time.
¡®Since gon reacted to that object first, I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s a spirit egg¡¡¯
gon approached Henry with the egg in his mouth and rubbed his face against Henry, like a puppy asking to be praised. Henry picked gon up with both hands and smiled.
¡°I''m proud of you.¡±
It was natural for a spirit to respond to a spirit, and it was also natural for a spirit to find a spirit egg. However, not all spirits could find a spirit egg as easily as gon did. A spirit needed excellentmunication skills, and gon seemed to have been born with that talent.
¡®Besides, this is a very rare urrence.¡¯
Henry was lucky to find two spirit eggs; most people would never encounter a single one their entire life. Nestled in Henry¡¯s arms, gon opened his mouth to reveal the egg.
¡®I¡¯ve never heard of an egg that looks like this¡¡¯
Henry tried to identify the egg by holding it up against the light, but he still couldn''t figure out what it was.
¡®I guess this leaves me no choice.¡¯
Wizards who dealt with mana and studied sciences had simr properties to spirits, and they technically knew how to handle spirits. However, they were not good as spiritualists because they dealt with spirits using forms andws.
Henry wasn¡¯t very interested in spirits. In his previous life, he didn¡¯t have as much talent as spiritualists. However, that didn¡¯t mean Henry hadn¡¯t studied spirits at all.
Henry dismissed gon, measured the size of the basement, and began to draw a huge magic circle on the ground.
¡°...Nanehap doru. Raneo lii, hamet. (Ehem, excuse me. Is anyone in¡)¡±
Boom!
A being from a secondary world appeared. It was the spirit of exchange and a toad therianthrope, Skall.
- Did you summon me?
¡°Nice to meet you, Skall.¡±
- You said you¡¯d summon me more often, what took you so long? I was bored to death!
Skall had met Henry right after his reincarnation and greeted him in a familiar manner. Skall ced his hands on his hips and looked around.
- Last time, you were living in a decent ce, but it seems like you¡¯ve gone bankrupt.
¡°Cut the crap and take a look at this for me.¡±
There was no time for small talk. Henry immediately showed the spirit egg to Skall
- This is¡
¡°Do you know what it is?¡±
- It¡¯s a spirit egg.
¡°I know that. I¡¯m asking what kind of spirit egg this is.¡±
- Well, I don¡¯t know.
¡°What?¡±
- I¡¯m telling the truth. I can tell that this is a spirit egg, but I don¡¯t know what kind it is. I¡¯ve never seen an egg like this before.
¡°Stop joking. You observe everything that goes on in the human world, are things that even you don¡¯t know?¡±
- Obviously, things rted to humans are my specialty, but this isn¡¯t rted to humans or nature.
¡°Then?¡±
- This guy¡¯s from a secondary world like me.
¡°Really?¡±
- Yes. I¡¯m not sure if it is from the underworld or a simr world because it looks so dreary, but it¡¯s definitely not from the human world.
¡°Then it must be from a special world.¡±
- In other words, this is a special spirit from a special world.
¡°Damn¡¡± Henry was disappointed.
- If you¡¯re disappointed, why don¡¯t you ask a spirit researcher? There are humans who study beings like me, too.
Spirit researchers were the intellectuals of the spiritualist world who studied spirits in depth.
¡°I can¡¯t.¡±
- Why not?
¡°Alfred is in charge of all the spiritualists, so if this information leaks, Alfred will find out about this egg.¡±
- Alfred¡ Alfred Etherwether? Right, he¡¯s a spiritualist too, isn''t he? I remember him as quite a capable spiritualist. Are you guys on bad terms?
¡°Enemies, to be precise.¡±
- Oh well. There''s nothing you can do, since that¡¯s all the help I can give. It¡¯s not like I can make up random information and sell it to you, right?
Skall was a righteous businessman. He disappeared when he decided that he couldn¡¯t make a business deal.
¡®Is there any way other than asking a spiritualist?¡¯ There was nothing Henry could do. He put the egg in his left forearm as he had done with gon in the past and left Momont.
* * *
A few dayster, just as Henry had expected, the imperial pce called a meeting to decide on the new marquis. He was fully prepared; he had instructed Eisen over the past few days how to turn the conversation to his favor no matter what. Everyone in the mansion had been shocked at how easily Henry had guided Eisen, who was known for his self-righteousness, as though Henry were teaching a child.
Five ministers and the emperor gathered in the throne room. Duke Arthus shook his head as he looked at Aubert¡¯s empty seat. However, the gesture meant nothing since Aubert was already gone from their hierarchy.
¡°Okay, a marquis position is now empty, right?¡± said the emperor.
¡°That''s right, Your Majesty.¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious who should take that seat? Count Eisen has made a huge contribution, isn¡¯t it only fitting that he be a marquis?¡± With a courtdy sitting on hisp, the emperor spoke as if the matter were easily settled.
¡°Your Majesty, that is incorrect,¡± said Alfred.
¡°What?¡±
He had disagreed with the tyrant. It was only possible because he was a member of the Three Great Families. The emperor only raised one eyebrow and did not show any other signs of anger.
¡°Why is it incorrect?¡±
¡°Your Majesty, a marquis has more responsibility when ites to state affairs than a count. If someone attains the position simply on merit without ability, it will affect the operations of the empire.¡±
¡°That sounds like you don¡¯t think Eisen ispetent.¡±
¡°It''s not that I don¡¯t trust him, but I¡¯m only suggesting that we give other counts equal opportunity, as they have also shownpetence.¡±
¡°Equal opportunity, huh¡¡±
Silver Jackson Edward II was a foolish tyrant who was narrow-minded and didn¡¯t want to admit to his ipetence. However, the more ipetent someone was, the more likely they were to change their ways and disregard the proper procedures. ¡°Hmm, you do have a point. Then what do you think we should do?¡±
At Alfred¡¯s suggestion, the conversation quickly shifted from Eisen¡¯s session to giving everyone an opportunity.
However, Eisen did not seem surprised at all, as if he had already anticipated this. He nodded like an experienced sage and began to speak when there was a break in the conversation. ¡°Your Majesty, I also think the same way as Marquis Alfred does.¡±
¡°Oh, really?¡±
¡°Yes, Your Majesty. All the Patrician Families gathered here have been chosen among the aristocrats as representatives to help develop the empire. I don¡¯t think important matters like the position of a marquis should be appointed based on simple merit.¡±
¡°Oh wow¡ As expected, you truly are very loyal. How are you so considerate?¡±
¡°I''m ttered, Your Majesty.¡±
As Eisen¡¯s words poured out like water, the other Patrician Family members looked stunned once more.
¡®What¡¯s with him?¡¯¡®Could he always speak so well?¡¯¡®Is it true that he really is a hidden gem?¡¯
Eisen was known as an idiot with a shy appearance. However, after destroying Aubert, he¡¯d be known as a hidden gem. Eisen raised his head with pride.
¡®Hehe, this is definitely worth all that practice.¡¯
It was all thanks to Henry¡¯s rigorous teachings. Surprisingly enough, it had been easy to teach Eisen because the second reporting order had given Eisen a taste of the feeling of gaining the upper hand over intelligent people. It was like a drug. Eisen had lived his life standing on top of others andmanding his servants, but this was only because of their difference in status.
However, it was a point of pride to gain the upper hand over Patrician Family members. For someone who enjoyed showing off like Eisen, Henry¡¯s lessons were a means to gain that pleasure.
¡°I feel morefortable now that the count has agreed. Let everyone learn from the count¡¯s considerate attitude,¡± said the emperor.
¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±
¡°Now, let¡¯s discuss how we will select the new marquis. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to speak.¡± The emperor was in a good mood. However, even though he told everyone to speak freely, only the members of the Three Patrician Families and Eisen could do so.
Eisen spoke as if he had been waiting for this chance. ¡°Your Majesty, may I make a suggestion?¡±
¡°Of course, you can. Do you have a good one?¡±
¡°If it¡¯s about capabilities anyway, why don¡¯t we hold a duel?¡±
¡°Measure your abilities with a duel?¡±
¡°Yes. If everyone''s abilities are simr, I believe determining our skills through a fair duel is the right way to go.¡±
The eyes of the Patrician Family members grew wide once again. However, their expressions contained a different meaning.
¡®He thought hard about this one.¡¯
The Three Patrician Family members immediately understood what Eisen was up to. It was obvious that Eisen was trying to prevent their involvement in the selection process.
Alfred raised his voice and said, ¡°Count! Are you joking around with His Majesty? What kind of suggestion is that? What do you mean by a duel? Are you saying that the Patrician Family members should raise their swords at one another?¡±
Eisen replied as he had been taught, ¡°Is there a problem with that?¡±
¡°W-what?¡±
¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re directly involved, we¡¯re only trying to set up a fairpetition. Why would you say that we¡¯re raising our swords against each other?¡±
¡°T-that¡¯s!¡±
¡°Hahaha!¡± The emperor suddenly let out a loudugh.
¡°Y-Your Majesty?¡±
¡°Haha, good, very good! Well said, count. That¡¯s a really interesting idea. Haha!¡± The emperor hadughed because Eisen hade up with an unexpected suggestion.
¡°That¡¯s right, Your Majesty. I just want to take this opportunity to demonstrate my abilities to Your Majesty.¡±
¡°I understand your sincerity! So, the session of the next marquis shall be determined as the count¡ª¡±
Eisen had intrigued the emperor just as Henry had nned, and he assumed that his n was sessful. However, just as the emperor was about to issue the order, an eunuch standing beside him suddenly whispered in his ear.
The emperor¡¯s eyes opened wide.
¡°What? There¡¯s a rebellion?¡±
Chapter 89: Variable (3)
Chapter 89: Variable (3)
¡°What do you mean ¡®rebellion¡¯?¡±
The emperor frowned because no one had ever mentioned that word since the empire had been built. The mood in the room quickly became dark.
Although he¡¯d just been giving his opinions confidently, Eisen took a step back.
¡°An emergency messenger has just arrived from Shahatra with news that they¡¯re experiencing a rebellion and the capital is being attacked. Only the imperial family and some officials have been evacuated,¡± said the eunuch.
¡°Isn¡¯t Shahatra the desert kingdom?¡±
¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±
¡°Thes dirty little bastards¡! How dare they pay me back like this when I helped them make a living within their kingdom!¡±
Technically speaking, the former emperor, Golden Jackson, and the State Contributors had helped them during their time of struggle, but no one dared speak up.
¡°Ha, a rebellion¡ a rebellion during my rule¡! How does this even make sense?¡± said the emperor, cing his hand on his forehead. He tried to pretend to be angry, but it was obvious that he was feeling nervous. The emperor had never dealt with such a situation before since he had only inherited a legacy from the generations before him.
¡°What should we do about this?¡± After calming himself, the emperor asked the Patrician Family members for a solution.
Eisen was about to respond when Duke Arthus intercepted him. ¡°Your Majesty, I have a good idea.¡±
Eisen frowned and backed away.
¡°A good idea? Let¡¯s hear it.¡± To the emperor, Arthus was a very trustworthy person and the emperor had high expectations of his solution.
¡°How about sending the counts here as a disciplinary force to suppress the rebellion in Shahatra?¡±
¡°The counts?¡±
¡°I believe that this will be a good opportunity. We were going to duel anyway, why not take this opportunity to test their skills in subjugation?¡±
¡°Test their skills in subjugation¡¡±
¡°All three counts here are outstanding warriors, so I don¡¯t think there is a need to worry about failure.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea! If the counts are personally going to deal with the rebellion, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry as much either.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, Your Majesty. Also, why don¡¯t we organize a force using our own private soldiers instead of the imperial army?¡±
¡°Private soldiers? Is there a reason why we have to do that?¡±
¡°Of course, Your Majesty. This is also a part of the test. I think this is another way to judge the qualifications of the counts based on how much they¡¯re willing to give up their soldiers and money to help the empire.¡±
¡°As expected of you, duke! You¡¯re right!¡± The emperor seemed to fall for Arthus¡¯ reasoning.
However, unlike the emperor, the three counts looked quite reluctant.
¡®That bastard¡!¡¯
Arthus had suggested using their private soldiers and wealth to avoid using the budget to deal with the rebels despite hismitment to the empire. Since the emperor was satisfied with the idea, it was impossible to make any objections.
Normally, Eisen would have said something about the situation, but just as he was about to speak, he recalled what Henry had told him.
- If an unexpected variablees up, please answer that you will do it, no matter what it is. Don¡¯t give any other opinions and just answer with a simple yes.
Eisen did not know why Henry had said such a thing, but he agreed since it was thest thing Henry had asked for. After all, he¡¯d only ever benefited from Henry¡¯s advice. All the counts answered with forced smiles.
¡°We will try our best, Your Majesty.¡±
¡°I will leave everything up to you. I will not announce an official date of departure, but leave for Shahatra as soon as possible.¡±
¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±
The meeting ended strangely due to the sudden urrence.
* * *
¡°...There¡¯s a rebellion going on?¡±
¡°Yes! The eunuch shared the news that there was a rebellion in Shahatra! Thanks to him, my n fell into pieces even though I was so close.¡±
Henry also looked puzzled at the unexpected news.
¡®A rebellion?¡¯
No matter how chaotic the imperial pce had been over the past few years, they hadn¡¯t neglected imperial management so badly that it would cause a rebellion. It was only a year after Henry¡¯s death, and this rebellion wasn¡¯t supposed to be happening.
¡®Is this going to be the end of the nation after all? No, it¡¯s still too soon to jump to conclusions.¡¯
The impact of the rebellion was greater than he¡¯d expected. Henry thought of some possibilities but decided not to get ahead of himself. Henry regained hisposure shortly after and replied with a calm expression, ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry too much. It is a bit of hassle, but I¡¯m here for you, count, aren¡¯t I? I¡¯ll try to figure out a solution to this as well.¡±
¡°You will?¡±
¡°Yes. It is only natural that I carry out my duties, for the count has appointed me as his vassal.¡±
¡°As expected, I have no one else but you to rely on. Okay! How do you think we should handle this situation?¡±
¡°Before I look for a solution, could you tell me more about the other two counts first?¡±
¡°Ah, yes. I know about them, but you probably don¡¯t. Let me briefly describe them for you.¡±
Eisen was a very kind person to Henry. The exnation was simple and clear: the three counts all held important positions in the imperial army.
Eisen was themander in chief of the capital army, Count Oscar Eiji was themander in chief of the spearmen, and Count Terion Falcon was themander in chief of the archers. They were at the top of the imperial army¡¯s power structure.
¡°Since all of the counts hold a simr amount of power, this will be a battle of strategy.¡±
¡°What do you mean we hold a simr amount of power? They¡¯re not even close to reaching my status.¡±
¡°That¡¯s true, of course. However, Shahatra is a desert. We need to change our strategy to minimize the damage on our side.¡±
¡°That¡¯s true.¡±
¡°I need to know more about the count¡¯s private army. Could you tell me more about the Shonan army?¡±
¡°That¡¯s easy, of course.¡±
It was as easy to manipte Eisen as it was a puppet. Henry learned the military strength of the Shonan army by checking the weapons and the variety of tools Eisen could use for the mission.
Henry nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s all yours, count. With all you have, there¡¯s nothing much to worry about.¡±
¡°Of course! It¡¯s me and my private army.¡±
¡°As expected of the count. It¡¯s good to depart right away, but since Shahatra is the only desert on the continent, why don¡¯t you leave after you have prepared equipment that¡¯s suitable for the environment? I will also take care of the preparations, of course.¡±
¡°Alright. I trust you, so I¡¯ll leave everything up to you. In the meantime, I''ll warm up my fighting skills, since I haven¡¯t done so in a while.¡±
¡°Thank you, count.¡±
The strength of the Shonan army was good, but it had been some time since the war had ended, so they didn¡¯t have enough soldiers to outnumber the rebels by a huge margin.
¡®A fight based on numbers is meaningless in a desert anyway. Having a lot of soldiers doesn¡¯t mean much if they¡¯re in an unfamiliar environment.¡¯
It had to be a fight solely based on strategy. Henry specialized in handling detached units for special operations, and he could easily pull it off.
¡®Anyway, of all ces, it¡¯s Shahatra¡ I¡¯ll be encountering some trouble after such a long time.¡¯
Henry was confident in battle, but during the unification war, there had been challenges, one of which was Shahatra. He had managed to subdue the kingdom, but he¡¯d suffered a lot of damage in the process.
¡®The time has finallye for me to use the iron colt.¡¯
Henry came up with a rough n and began to rearrange the Shonan army.
* * *
¡°Teleport.¡±
Boom!
That evening, after returning to Vivaldi, Henry took Con and Halger to the city of artisans, Monsieur.
Monsieur was a free city like Enkelmann where the best craftsmen in the empire lived.
Now that Henry was a vassal of the Shonan family, it was possible to teleport directly to Monsieur. However, he decided that there was no harm in being careful, so he set the coordinates for arrival near Monsieur.
¡°Sir, I really don¡¯t need you to buy me new equipment. The equipment I receivedst time is still in good shape,¡± said Hagler right after the teleportation.
¡°Yes, Halger is right. I don¡¯t need new equipment either as it would just be a waste.¡±
Henry shook his head and said, ¡°Both of you stay put and just ept it. It¡¯s not just any ordinary equipment.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°The three of us will form a small unit that will move separately from the Shonan army. That¡¯s why the equipment is important.¡±
¡°What do you mean? What does being a detached unit and having equipment have anything to do with each other?¡±
¡°I¡¯m thinking of matching all the equipment with iron colt this time.¡±
¡°Iron colt? You sure are smart for thinking of fitting the equipment with that precious iron colt.¡±
¡°Iron colt is known as a metal that amplifies mana. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if I take this opportunity to cover myself in iron colt and support you with magic?¡±
It was finally time to use the 300 kilograms of iron colt that Henry had acquired a long time ago. It would be the most efficient way of reinforcing Henry¡¯s power, which was why Henry hade to Monsieur, in search of a craftsman who could best handle iron colt.
¡®The people of Monsieur are very secretive, and they don¡¯t provide any information on their clients. I have no choice but to have the equipment made in Monsieur.¡¯
Even though Eisen was backing him, iron colt was an illegal metal. Even if it cost a little more to have the equipment made in Monsieur, it was the best ce to avoid any ws.
The three arrived at the entrance of Monsieur.
¡°Salute! I''m from the Shonan family, a Partrican Family!¡±
Henry used the power of Eisen¡¯s name every chance he got. The guards at the entrances saluted as soon as they saw the Shonan badge.
They passed through the entrance without a separate ID check.
¡°...It really is good to have power.¡±
¡°Do you miss your past?¡±
¡°You can never move forward if you live in the past.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry. If you trust and follow me, I promise you a better future than your past.¡±
Henry¡¯s yful talk made Von and Hagler burst intoughter. However, Henry seemed sincere, which made them think he was even more trustworthy.
Hagler asked, ¡°Sir, which craftsman are we entrusting the work to?¡±
¡°That¡¯s a good question. Hagler, do you know who Monsieur''s best craftsman is?¡±
¡°This is actually my first time in Monsieur. I heard that it costs a few pieces of gold just for a single kitchen knife here, so I thought that I would nevere here at all.¡±
¡°A kitchen knife from Monsieur is worth it since it¡¯s usually purchased as an extravagant wedding gift. Anyway, the name of the craftsman we¡¯re going to meet is Vulcanus.¡±
¡°Vulcanus?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°W-what? Vulcanus?¡± Von was surprised even though Henry said the name casually. ¡°I¡¯m not mistaken, am I? You¡¯re going to leave the equipment production up to the Vulcanus that I know of?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. He is the right person to trust the iron colt with, don¡¯t you think?¡±
¡°Ha, what shall I ever do with you¡¡±
Hagler''s curiosity made him ask, ¡°Um, is Vncus any good?¡±
¡°What? You¡¯ve seriously never heard of Vulcanus?¡±
¡°Yes, that¡¯s right¡¡±
Von was surprised once again and Henry answered in his stead, ¡°Vulcanus is Monsieur''s mayor. It¡¯s a title that is given only to the best craftsman.¡±
¡°Do you know how Monsieur elects their mayor?¡± Von asked Halger.
¡°No.¡±
¡°Monsieur''s mayor is the craftsman with the greatest skill,¡± replied Henry.
¡°What?¡± This time, Hagler¡¯s eyes opened wide.
Chapter 90: Variable (4)
Chapter 90: Variable (4)
¡°M-mayor?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
Monsieur had be a free city through a peace treaty, and mayors were chosen in a slightly different manner than other cities in the empire. They used a method simr to the selection of an emperor that had been in use since Monsieur had be a kingdom.
¡°Monsieur holds a festival of craftsmen called ¡®Masterpiece¡¯ every three years. The most beautiful and outstanding work at the festival is selected as the masterpiece of that year, and the creator bes the next mayor of Monsieur.¡±
¡°Henry¡¯s right. The creator is given the surname ¡®Vulcanus.¡¯¡±
¡°Wow, howe I¡¯ve never heard of such a great tradition before¡?¡±
¡°That¡¯s because extremely few peoplee to Monsieur. Most of the products they make are sold at very high prices, so it¡¯s normal that the general public doesn¡¯t know about it. Don¡¯t feel discouraged. You know now, so that¡¯s all that matters, right?¡±
The full name of the mayor of Monsieur was Gorba Vulcanus. He had been a Masterpiece winner for 5 consecutive years, including the current one, and he was a legendary figure who had been mayor for 15 years.
Rumor had it that Gorba¡¯s ancestors might have included dwarves, who were known for their craftsmanship. Vulcanus was so talented that he was considered one of the continent¡¯s best craftsmen.
¡°By the way, I heard that Vulcanus has a very entric personality.¡±
¡°Even if he is entric, he¡¯s still a great craftsman, isn¡¯t he?¡±
¡°Hmm, really?¡±
¡°Usually, people who have risen to the top of a particr field all have simr personalities.¡±
¡°Hmm, you do have a point. The Grand Duke also used to do things that I couldn¡¯t understand at times.¡±
¡°...My master?¡±
¡°The Grand Duke was incredible, but as you said, he sometimes had behaviors that I couldn¡¯t understand.¡±
¡°O-oh, r-really¡¡± Henry couldn¡¯t bear to ask which of his actions seemed strange, so he quickly changed the subject and headed towards the city hall where Vulcanus lived.
The city hall of Monsieur looked like a giant cksmith vige.
Halger stared in amazement with sparkling eyes, but Von¡¯s expression was like that of an old man. ¡°No wonder¡ These craftsmen like to show off, don¡¯t they?¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t it cool? I think this shows Monsieur¡¯s traditional characteristics.¡±
Henry showed his badge to the gatekeeper of the city hall on behalf of Von and said, ¡°I¡¯m here to meet Mayor Vulcanus. Does he happen to be here right now?¡±
¡°Salute! Nice to meet you, Shonan family! The mayor is taking time off due to health reasons.¡±
¡°Health reasons? Is he sick?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know the details, I apologize.¡±
The people of Monsieur were known to be healthy and strong. In particr, Vulcanus had the strength of steel, so it was a little strange to hear that Vulcanus was sick.
¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do since he¡¯s sick, so why don¡¯t we give up and look for someone else to do the job? We don¡¯t have much time anyway,¡± said Von.
¡°If it doesn''t work out, there¡¯s nothing I can do. However, I have something to discuss with Vulcanus, and I¡¯ve been nning to meet him anyway.¡±
¡°What do you need to discuss?¡±
¡°A city agreement.¡±
¡°Is there a reason you need to bring it up during this situation?¡±
¡°It¡¯s exactly because we¡¯re in such a situation that we need to hurry and sign an agreement.¡±
Henry went back to the guard and asked, ¡° I¡¯ll have to at least see his representative. Who is the mayor¡¯s representative?¡±
¡°It is Secretary Veham.¡±
¡°Is he inside?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°I must meet him. Let him know that the vassal of the Shonan family has arrived.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
They were soon able to meet Secretary Veham.
¡°I¡¯m honored to meet a Patrician Family member.¡±
¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Henry.¡±
Veham wore pointy sses and looked like a typical secretary. However, although his sses made him look fierce, he was short and muscr like most Monsieur residents, which made him look a little ridiculous.
¡°I heard that the mayor is unwell,¡± said Henry.
¡°Yes. It happened as he was preparing for the Masterpiece¡¡±
¡°Oh, is it this year?¡±
¡°Yes. This is also the mayor¡¯sst term, but I¡¯m worried about his health.¡±
Despite his fierce-looking appearance, Veham seemed to be a very affectionate person.
¡°What are his symptoms? If my family can help, I will aid in any way possible, both physically and spiritually.¡±
¡°Thank you for the offer, but it won¡¯t be necessary. Monsieur¡¯s medical staff and priests have already given up.¡±
¡°Is it really that serious? What are his symptoms?¡±
¡°It¡¯s poison.¡±
¡°Poison?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. The mayor was developing a new kind of alloy to present at the Masterpiece, but during the process, he was poisoned.¡±
¡°Is there no antidote? Isn¡¯t itmon sense to have the antidote before dealing with any kind of poison?¡±
¡°That is¡ He used all sorts of different poisons to make an alloy and created a new one. We still haven''t been able to find the right antidote.¡±
¡°Deadly poison, huh¡¡±
There was no antidote for this deadly poison and he was dying miserably.
Henry frowned as he remembered how his previous life had ended, but he thought of a possible cure for Vulcanus.
¡°Sir Veham, would I be able to see the mayor right now?¡±
¡°What? As I said before, that¡¯s not possible. The mayor is not in a good state.¡±
¡°I¡¯m asking because I think I can cure him.¡±
¡°What did you say?¡±
At Henry¡¯s sudden suggestion, Veham, Von, and Hagler looked at him with their eyes wide open.
* * *
¡°Have you found the antidote?¡±
¡°I apologize, we still haven¡¯t found it¡¡±
¡°That¡¯s all right. This is a synthetic poison with unknown ingredients so it would be considered even more strange if you found the antidote to it quickly.¡±
¡°I apologize.¡±
When Veham appeared at the hospital, various medical professionals appeared and greeted him. They didn¡¯t look well. Most of Monsieur¡¯s medical professionals were masters of medicine, so their reputations depended on finding an antidote, and they felt very frustrated.
¡°Anyway, we have a visitor from outside Monsieur, and he is going to examine the mayor.¡±
¡°A visitor? Who is he?¡±
¡°He said he is the vassal of Count Eisen.¡±
¡°What? From that Shonan Patrician Family?¡±
¡°Yes. Of course it¡¯s not certain that he¡¯ll be able to find a cure¡ But I brought him here since we need to take advantage of any possibility, so I would appreciate it if you let him examine the mayor.¡±
¡°...Alright, we also feel the same as you.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡± Veham led Henry inside the hospital room. ¡°It¡¯s this way.¡±
Mayor Vulcanus was in therge VIP hospital room by himself as befitting his status.
¡°Mayor, I have brought a new person to examine you.¡±
¡°Ehh¡¡±
Vulcanus was a middle-aged man with a white beard that reached his belly button. Like the other people of Monsieur, he was as short as a child. Since he¡¯d been bedridden for a few days, he had lost muscle mass and was quite thin.
¡®His skin is dark.¡¯
The deadly poison had turned his whole body dark, and his eyes were so swollen that he had difficulty even lifting his eyelids.
¡°It has been more than ten days and the pain is so severe that he can¡¯t even talk anymore.¡±
¡°That¡¯s fine. By the way, can I see the poison?¡±
¡°I have a sample, give me a second.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
Veham came back with the poison and gave it to Henry. ¡°This is just a sample, I¡¯ll bring more if you need it.¡±
¡°No, this is enough. What kinds of poisons were mixed together to create this?¡±
¡°Since it was supposed to be submitted to Masterpiece, the ingredients are confidential¡ Which is why we¡¯re having a difficult time right now.¡±
¡°What kind of alloy was he trying to make that he needed to create synthetic poison?¡±
¡°As far as I know, the mayor was trying to make an alloy called poison gold.¡±
¡°Poison gold?¡±
¡°I heard that if you melt poisons inside this alloy, you won¡¯t have to apply poison onto the metal any longer since it will release its own poison.¡±
¡°Then it¡¯s highly likely that he inhaled the poison in the process of melting.¡±
¡°That¡¯s what most likely happened.¡±
¡°Alright. Sir Veham, may I use yourboratory?¡±
¡°Theb? Are you done with the examination already?¡±
¡°No, but I want to be able to make the antidote right after I¡¯m done with the examination.¡±
¡°There is ab for the mayor in the next room, but¡ Sir Henry, I want to let you know just in case: even if you create an antidote, you must absolutely not use it on the mayor recklessly.¡±
¡°Of course. Could you give me some privacy for a moment?¡±
¡°Privacy¡?¡±
¡°I would like to keep the antidote confidential. I assure you that everything will be fine, I promise you the safety of the mayor on the Shonan family¡¯s name.¡±
¡°If you say so¡ Alright, but only for an hour.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
When Veham left the room, Von spoke in a worried voice, ¡°Henry, are you sure about this? Even the famous Monsieur doctors haven¡¯t been able to figure out the poison.¡±
¡°Brother.¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°We¡¯re lucky. I think things will work out better than expected.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Let''s move to theb first.¡±
The three moved to the room next door, and Henry said, ¡°Brother, have you heard of the saying ¡®set a thief to catch a thief¡¯?¡±
¡°¡®Set a thief to catch a thief¡¯¡ Are you thinking of using poison to cure the poison?¡±
¡°That''s right. Mayor Vulcanus is suffering from a deadly synthetic poison with unknown ingredients, but what do you think will happen if an even deadlier poison takes over the body?¡±
¡°He¡¯ll die right away, of course.¡±
¡°You¡¯re partially right. If a stronger poison is administered to the body, it will remove the old poison.¡±
¡°You want to use a stronger poison than the synthetic poison?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°You said you don¡¯t even know the ingredients of this synthetic poison. How will you find a poison that is stronger than¡ Wait, you¡¯re not saying¡¡±
¡°You saw it a while ago, didn¡¯t you? My blood infused with the venom¡¯s heart is the strongest poison to ever exist.¡±
After ingesting the venom¡¯s heart, Henry gained a resistance to all poisons, but it turned all the blood flowing in his body into a deadly poison as well, as proven by Pip¡¯s corpse.
As Von¡¯s face stiffened, Henry spoke casually, ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as a poison without an antidote. No matter how strong my blood is, there must be an antidote for it too.¡±
¡°There¡¯s an antidote?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
Henry knew very well what the antidote to his poisonous blood was.
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°It¡¯s my blood after boiling.¡±
The antidote to the venom¡¯s heart was surprisingly simple: one simply had to boil and drink the blood that contained the poison.
Henry picked up a small knife in theb and cut his right forearm without any hesitation.
Chapter 91: Variable (5)
Chapter 91: Variable (5)
Drip drip.
Henry¡¯s blood fell along his arm and gathered into a bowl. They needed a lot of blood to use as both poison and antidote.
¡®This should be enough.¡¯
Henry divided the blood into two bowls and made his way to Vulcanus¡¯s room.
Vulcanus¡¯s skin was dark and decaying. He had not been able to eat properly for ten days, so he was also very thin.
¡°I¡¯ll start now.¡±
Henry was full of confidence because he¡¯d already verified this treatment at the Magical Spire. It was impossible that it would fail since he already had experience with the treatment in the past. The toxicity of Henry¡¯s blood was more powerful than that of other poisons, so the important thing was simply to see how long it would take for his blood to remove the other poison.
Before Henry fed Vulcanus his blood, he put his hands out in front of the two bowls.
Whoosh.
Telekinesis using his mana. It looked easy, but it was high-level magic that kept the liquid from spilling as it floated in the air, forming a smooth sphere.
¡°Heat.¡±
Bubble¡
Henry began to heat up one part of the blood. Henry put the antidote aside and began feeding the unheated blood to Vulcanus.
¡°Argh¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s going to be quite painful.¡±
.
Even though he was sick, Vulcanus could still see and hear. Henry forced Vulcanus¡¯s swollen lips open and began to pour his blood inside his mouth little by little. After Henry fed the entire lump of blood to him, the anxious Vulcanus suddenly began to react violently.
¡°Ah! Ahhh!¡±
It was a poison that killed a superhuman swordmaster, and it was likely very painful. As Vulcanus squirmed in pain, Von and Hagler frowned and looked away, but Henry continued to patiently watch Vulcanus suffer.
Finally, when blood started leaking from all of Vulcanus¡¯s orifices, Henry forced the antidote straight into Vulcanus¡¯s mouth.
Sizzle¡!
¡°Argh!¡±
The blood was hot and burned Vulcanus¡¯s throat since the poison was designed to inflict pain on those who consumed it in any way.
¡°Argh¡ Ah.. Ah¡¡±
However, as time passed, his groaning gradually decreased. The poison was being neutralized.
When Vulcanus¡¯s groans finally came to a stop¡
¡°He passed out.¡±
Vulcanus had battled with the synthetic poison for ten days and then faced the worst poison to ever exist. The pain would have been excruciating. Henry took out a high-quality healing potion that he carried around for emergency purposes and opened the cap.
¡°Healing potion?¡±
¡°I have to erase the burn marks.¡±
Henry would be in trouble for conducting the treatment, and to avoid letting people find out how painful the treatment had been, Henry had no choice but to erase the burn marks. Henry began to pour the healing potion into Vulcanus¡¯s mouth the same way he¡¯d done with the poison.
As the potion passed through his esophagus, white steam began to rise as the burned area healed. The three watched as Vulcanus began to recover and healpletely.
¡°Sir, his skin is¡!¡±
¡°I know.¡±
Vulcanus¡¯s decaying skin regained its original color.
¡®It worked¡!¡¯
The poison had been fully neutralized.
After Henry made sure that the poison waspletely gone, he began to clean up the bowls and other things that had gotten dirty.
¡°Clean.¡±
sh!
Henry washed the nket, sheets, and clothes.
¡°Are you done?¡±
¡°Almost.¡±
However, just because the treatment was over did not mean that the whole process wasplete. Henry took a bottle of liquid medicine from his pocket.
¡°What is that?¡±
¡°This is a special energy recovery potion I made.¡±
¡°Energy recovery potion?¡±
¡°This may sound cruel, but we have to leave this ce soon. If Vulcanus takes too much time to recover his strength, he may not be able to work on the iron colt.¡±
¡°You¡¯re nning to give him that potion to force him to recover?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t that too cruel?¡±
¡°This was made with the master''s method. There are no side effects and it¡¯s very effective. I can¡¯t even count how many ingredients are in this tiny bottle.¡±
¡°I guess, but¡ Okay.¡±
¡°Thank you for understanding.¡±
Von shook his head and lifted his hands with his palms up, as if to show that he¡¯d given up.
With a faint smile, Henry began to pour the energy recovery potion into Vulcanus¡¯s mouth.
¡°That should do it. Hagler, grab Veham.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
The whole process was finallyplete. Veham heard that the treatment wasplete and entered the room with the other doctors, looking surprised.
¡°Sir Henry! What do you mean? You¡¯re done with the treatment?¡±
¡°I apologize, sir. I had no choice because the mayor suddenly had a seizure while I was examining him.¡±
¡°But still, how could you do that without our consent? What would you have done if anything had gone wrong?¡±
He was controlling his anger, but Henry could still see it. However, at that moment, Monsieur¡¯s doctors looked startled as they examined Vulcanus.
¡°H-huh? There¡¯s no way?¡±
¡°Am I seeing things?¡±
¡°Right? This has to be¡¡±
Veham approached Vulcanus to assess the situation after seeing the doctors¡¯ reactions. Right at that moment, Vulcanus opened his eyes.
¡°W-what!¡±
¡°M-mayor!¡±
¡°The mayor has woken up¡!¡±
Everyone took a step back as if they had seen a ghost.
Vulcanus bolted upright and began to look around at the people in the hospital room.
¡°...Is this Heim?¡±
¡°N-no. This is Monsieur, mayor.¡±
¡°This isn¡¯t Heim¡?¡±
Heim was a kind of blessed afterlife that the Monsieur people believed in. With a nk stare, Vulcanus tried to get out of bed, but the secretary and the doctors rushed to stop him.
¡°M-mayor! You can¡¯t get up. You have to recover your strength first¡!¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay, I know my body. I feel so refreshed, like I¡¯ve woken up from hibernation.¡±
¡°M-mayor!¡±
They tried to stop him, but Vulcanus was too stubborn. He got out of bed and approached Henry and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure who you are, but I sincerely thank you for saving my life.¡±
¡°It seems like you¡¯re finally awake.¡±
¡°I apologize for showing my behavior earlier. I was hovering between life and death for several days, and I couldn¡¯t hear or see things properly, but I clearly remember that you¡¯re my savior.¡±
¡°No problem. Losing a man like you would be terrible for the empire. I only did what I had to do.¡±
¡°Empire? What¡¯s your name?¡±
¡°My name is Henry Morris and I''m currently a vassal of the Shonan family.¡±
¡°Henry Morris!¡±
The name and the Shonan Patrician Family. There was a brief moment of surprise in his eyes at the strange juxtaposition. Vulcanus got down on one knee to show his respect.
¡°...I have a huge debt to the Shonan family. Thank you very much, Lord Henry.¡±
¡°No worries. There¡¯s a lot of people here, please get up.¡±
Gorba Vulcanus was gracious, and his gesture of appreciation prevented others from disagreeing with Henry.
* * *
Despite the advice of the doctors and his secretary, Vulcanus refused further treatment. Henry and Vulcanus were able to talk in private at the office at Henry¡¯s request.
¡°Th
Chapter 92: To The Desert (1)
Chapter 92: To The Desert (1)
¡°Are you being serious?¡± Vulcanus gulped and asked one more time.
Henry began to exin in a logical manner. ¡°You failed to make the poison gold alloy because you couldn''t control the synthetic poison, right? And you¡¯re using synthetic poison because you want a poison that¡¯s strong enough to withstand the alloying process¡ It wasn¡¯t the ce to talk about this earlier, but I treated you by using another poison to neutralize your poison.¡±
Treat the poison with poison. He¡¯d neutralized a poison with a stronger one, then treated the stronger poison with an antidote. The mayor was clever enough to understand Henry, and because Henry had saved his life, he was tempted to take the offer.
However, naturally, this woulde with strings attached. Instead of acting surprised, Vulcanus behaved like a skillful businessman and asked what the price was. ¡°What would you like in return?¡±
¡°As expected of you, mayor. It¡¯s nice that you understand what I¡¯m trying to do.¡±
¡°No, Sir Henry, you are truly amazing. Clearly, your skills made you a vassal of a Patrician Family at such a young age.¡±
¡°I¡¯m ttered. I won¡¯t hold back about my needs.¡± Even if Henry hadn¡¯t saved his life, Vulcanus would¡¯ve epted Henry¡¯s proposal since he was obsessed with innovations.
Since things were going smoothly, Henry continued, ¡°I want two things.¡±
¡°Two?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. First of all, I would like you to sign an agreement with the mercenary group that I lead.¡±
¡°Agreement¡¡±
¡°I¡¯m aware that you do not make technology transfer agreements with any organization because you believe that technology should belong to everyone. That¡¯s why I will have some conditions too.¡±
¡°...Let¡¯s hear it.¡±
Vulcanus¡¯s belief in the free avability of technology was one of the reasons why he was respected so much. Therefore, Henry had spoken in a way to prevent Vulcanus from refusing him right away even though he was asking for something difficult.
¡°First of all, the mercenary group that I¡¯m running is not associated with the Shonan family. It is not a part of Count Eisen¡¯s private army.¡±
¡°What? If it¡¯s not the count¡¯s private army then¡ Do you mean to tell me that you have a private army of your own?¡±
¡°Mayor, this is aplicated story, but I¡¯ve only been the count¡¯s vassal for a few days. I was already running a mercenary group called the Million Corps before then, and even though it¡¯s called a mercenary group, the swordsmen you saw earlier are the only members.¡±
¡°Hmm, please continue.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not asking to sign an agreement to monopolize technology. I n to only have exclusive rights to the technology that we develop together for one year, and then I will give it up. The other technology won¡¯t be restricted like this.¡±
¡°Hmm¡ Are those all the conditions?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Sometimes, I create things that are so dangerous that I get rid of them before anyone even gets a chance to see them. I¡¯ll make it clear now that this type of technology is off limits even for discussion.¡±
¡°Of course. Ipletely respect that.¡±
¡°I¡¯m d that you understand. What¡¯s your second request?¡±
¡°This is also something that I was working on before I became the count¡¯s vassal. Mayor, what do you think of the solidarity agreement between the free cities?¡±
¡°Solidarity agreement?¡±
¡°The solidarity agreement that seeks to strengthen the cities through unity.¡±
¡°The empire has already granted a certain level of autonomy, is there really a need for a solidarity agreement between the free cities?¡±
¡°Vivaldi Town and Enkelmann City have already signed a solidarity agreement. Although autonomy does exist, only a few of the free cities are guaranteed that. They might lose that autonomy at any time.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Without the State Contributors, the empire is heading towards ruin. It has only been a year since the archmage was executed, and a rebellion has already broken out, and the empire is bing corrupt.¡±
¡°...That''s a bit of a stretch. Just like a frozenke that thaws in spring, the empire can melt away at any moment.¡±
.
¡°Mayor, have you heard the news that the Crimson Patrician Family has been deported to Salgaera?¡±
¡°What¡? Crimson family¡ Are you talking about Marquis Aubert?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Are you joking?¡±
¡°I wish I were. In the past few days, while you hovered between life and death, the marquis fell and a rebellion broke out. If this isn¡¯t proof that the empire is headed towards ruin, what is? In addition, there are many rumors circting inside the pce that certain nobles are thinking of taking over the free cities to add to their territories.¡±
¡°I-is that true?¡±
¡°Yes. That¡¯s why the mayors of Vivaldi and Enkelmann signed the solidarity agreement. If they form a solid partnership, even the nobles won¡¯t be able to target the free cities so easily.¡±
Henry had exaggerated a bit, but most of what he said was true.
However, to Vulcanus, the news was like a p in the face. He was confused, and he stuttered and struggled to give an answer. ¡°T-thank you for the advice, but¡ I think I should discuss this with the other mayors first.¡±
¡°No need, you can talk to me. I¡¯ve already been entrusted with the authority by Mayor Vant and Mayor Harz.¡±
¡°...You, Sir Henry?¡±
¡°As I said, long before I became the count¡¯s vassal, I was already working on many things, such as the agreements and the operation of my mercenary group.¡±
It was very confusing. A strange man had suddenly appeared one day and saved his life, and then he also offered a means of creating poison gold. In addition, even though Henry introduced himself as a vassal of the count, he had been preparing tactics to escape the nobles'' tyranny behind Eisen¡¯s back.
Vulcanus was very confused to meet a person doing such contradictory things. Vulcanus closed his eyes. The situation was chaotic, and the man in front of him was making his head hurt.
However, Vulcanus was a smart old man, and he could pinpoint Henry¡¯s intentions.¡°Sir Henry¡ It seems like you became the count¡¯s vassal deliberately.¡±
¡°I have nothing to say regarding that.¡±
¡°I understand. At first, I was slightly surprised when I heard your name, but¡ I guess everyone who has the name Henry Morris is extraordinary.¡±
¡°...It¡¯s a coincidence.¡±
¡°Alright. I¡¯ve also met a lot of people in my old age and I can guess what that person is thinking just by looking at their eyes. You don¡¯t seem to have the slightest bit of dishonesty in you.¡±
¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m telling the truth.¡±
¡°It doesn¡¯t mean telling the truth is always a good thing. How do I put this¡ This may sound off-putting, but I¡¯ve met an archmage with the same name as you a few times in the past.¡±
Henry also remembered. Vulcanus had been the mayor of Monsieur back then too.
¡°I think I see the archmage¡¯s eyes in yours, Sir Henry,¡± continued Vulcanus.
¡°I¡¯ll¡ take it as a good thing.¡±
¡°Of course, it¡¯s a good thing. I may be called a traitor for saying this, but I don¡¯t believe in the slightest that the archmagemitted treason. I¡¯m definitely not the only one who thinks this. Many would also agree because the archmage was that kind of person.¡±
With a sad look in his eyes, the mayor made dangerousments and Henry felt a wave of bitterness that could not be expressed in words boiling from the bottom of his heart.
¡®What an appreciative person...¡¯
Henry was grateful that there was a person who treated his death with great respect even though it had already been a year since he¡¯d died. Henry knew that he couldn¡¯t take this for granted. However, Henry suppressed his feelings and pretended not to know anything.
¡°I ept all the conditions,¡± said Vulcanus.
¡°...Thank you, mayor.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not sure what this choice will lead to in the future, but¡ at least as mayor, I believe I¡¯m doing the right thing.¡±
The two soon shook hands, confirming each other''s sincerity.
¡°Oh, by the way, mayor.¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°Other than the things I told you, there are things that I need tomission right away¡¡±
¡°I¡¯ll try my best to make them.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
After Vulcanus heard Henry¡¯smission, his face filled with surprise.
* * *
As there was a lot to prepare, Henry decided not to apany Eisen. Instead, he met him at a gathering ce near Shahatra. Henry used Teleportation as he had already revealed that he was a wizard.
Arriving near the gathering ce, Henry passed hundreds of horses and soldiers stationed near the barracks and made his way inside.
Dozens of private officers and Count Eisen were waiting for Henry.
¡°You¡¯re here.¡±
¡°I apologize for beingte, count.¡±
¡°You¡¯re notte at all, so don¡¯t worry.¡±
¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡±
¡°By the way, did you check the horses and soldiers stationed outside?¡±
¡°Yes. They look like they¡¯re not as heavily armored.¡±
¡°Yeah. As you said, I¡¯ve gathered up all the strongest men and given them the least amount of equipment possible. They all have a special Shahatra garment, Sutra, on.¡±
¡°Nice work.¡±
¡°Why did you only ask for 100 people and not a lot of equipment? What were you thinking when you made this request?¡±
¡°Simple. For the next few days, we won¡¯t be able to suppress any rebels, let alone reach the capital of Shahatra anyway.¡±
¡°We won¡¯t even be able to attempt it?¡±
¡°Yes. First of all, we will have to rescue the imperial family hiding in the safe zone, and we won¡¯t be able to act recklessly until we figure out the approximate strength of our enemies.¡±
¡°Even so, shouldn¡¯t we have more people in order to rescue the imperial family?¡±
¡°There
Chapter 93: To The Desert (2)
Chapter 93: To The Desert (2)
¡°I¡¯m a littlete¡±
¡°No, it''s alright.¡±
As soon as Eisen arrived, the other counts and the messenger quickly got up from their seats and greeted him out of respect to a senior count.
¡°This is Count Oscar of the Eiji family and Count Terion of the Falcon family.¡± At Eisen¡¯s introduction, Henry bowed to the two counts.
¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Henry. I have recently been appointed as the Shonan family¡¯s vassal.¡±
¡®A vassal?¡¯
The two counts looked surprised. It was well known that Eisen did not have a proper vassal.
When he saw their bewildered expressions, Eisenughed and said, ¡°What¡¯s with your faces? It looks like you¡¯ve seen something you shouldn¡¯t have.¡±
¡°N-no. We were just a little surprised because we didn¡¯t realize you had a vassal by your side.¡±
¡°Haha. It¡¯s not like I can always live in solitude, so I took an opportunity to make this smart guy my vassal. He¡¯s like a close friend, and you¡¯ll see each other often in the future, so say your greetings.¡± Esien looked like he was introducing a little daughter he was so proud of.
The two counts looked at Henry''s face carefully.
¡®It must be this guy.¡¯
After the grand duke and marquis were executed, two spaces in the Patrician Families became vacant. As a result, Oscar and Terion had been promoted to count.
¡®The two are pretending to be polite, but it seems that they can¡¯t hide their greedy intentions.¡¯
If they lost this opportunity, they might not have a chance to be a marquis at all. In addition, they were fighting to be not just an ordinary marquis but a grand marquis. They were clearly ready to make a great contribution to the suppression of the rebels, even if it meant stomping over Esien.
.
¡®I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s not going to happen.¡¯ Of course Henry wasn¡¯t going to hand over the position so easily. The vacant seat had to go to Eisen. Only after Eisen became one of the pirs of the Three Great Families would Henry¡¯s revenge really begin.
¡°Let¡¯s start the meeting. How long do you n to keep me waiting?¡± said Eisen.
¡°I apologize. Let¡¯s start discussing the rescue operation for the Khan dynasty, which is hiding from the rebels.¡±
The situation was simple. The Khan dynasty of the Shahatra kingdom and their subordinates were waiting for the help of the empire in a secret safe zone near a southwest oasis.
¡°The ce is called Khan¡¯s Eye, and only the Khan royalty knows about it. Right now, the high priest Viram is resisting the rebels with a magical barrier, but we must hurry and rescue them as the barrier is only a temporary measure,¡± said the Khans¡¯ messenger.
¡°Where is Khan¡¯s Eye exactly?¡±
¡°It¡¯s right here.¡± The messenger pointed at a location on the map. ¡°There is a triangr rock wall near here. High Priest Viram will break the barrier if you go with me to this area.¡±
¡°How many enemy troops are stationed nearby?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not sure of the exact number, but the rebels are searching the area.¡±
¡°It¡¯ll be all over once they capture the king, so they must be very desperate.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The messenger¡¯s expression darkened at Eisen¡¯sment and he seemed genuinely concerned about the king¡¯s safety.
¡°Who is the head of the rebels?¡± asked Henry.
¡°His name is Benedict Caliph, and he was once a military minister.¡±
Henry frowned as soon as he heard the name. ¡®Damn, he just had to be the head of the rebel army.¡¯
Before he was the military minister, Benedict had enjoyed the highest status among the warriors in the desert, and he was called the desert¡¯s best warrior. He was the equivalent of the best knight in the empire.
¡®This suppression may be harder than I expected.¡¯
The desert¡¯s best warrior was also known as La''s Sword. La was the sun god and guardian deity of the Shahatra people. Shahatra had a unique religion. Once someone became a disciple of a god, like the pope of the empire, they could borrow that god¡¯s power and would be difficult opponents.
¡®He¡¯s an incredible guy. He¡¯s the desert¡¯s eyes and can see throughout the entire desert, the sun¡¯s sword that utilizes the power of the sun, and can freely manipte sand and sandstorms. I should have killed him back then.¡¯
During the unification war, Benedict had been a master of surprise who could escape immediately if the situation grew disadvantageous, and he would return like a ghost to kill an army even if they were far away.
The sun¡¯s sword was the power of the sun augmenting a de already filled with aura. It would glow red as if it had absorbed the heat of the desert and sent out an inextinguishable me to any being that touched the de. The power of La¡¯s Sword was limitless, which was why even Henry struggled to capture him.
Henry recalled Benedict¡¯s power andpared him to the three counts.
¡®These people with no experience in the desert facing the desert¡¯s best warrior¡? This is going to be insane.¡¯
The three counts had excellent private soldiers who always won battles, however, that was only within thends of the empire. Nothing was more fragile than an inexperienced army.
Eisen frowned and said, ¡°This isn¡¯t a rebellion, it¡¯s civil war.¡±
¡°Yes¡¡± replied the messenger with difficulty.
¡°If it¡¯s a civil war, do we really need to step in?¡±
¡°...What do you mean?¡±
The messenger began to look very nervous at Eisen¡¯s words.
¡°The king may be too ipetent to protect his throne, but from the empire¡¯s point of view, we don¡¯t care who sits on the throne, only that we maintain the rtionship between the countries.¡± As long as the duties of the vassal countries were fulfilled, civil wars could be dismissed as family quarrels.
The messenger¡¯s face began to turn pale.
¡°That¡¯s not true, count,¡± said Henry as he shook his head.
¡°What?¡±
¡°They¡¯re dogs that have already bitten their owner once. There¡¯s no guarantee they will not do this to the empire.¡±
¡°Hmm, I guess you have a point.¡±
A good hound was not a dog that was good at hunting but a dog that didn¡¯t bite and was loyal to its owner. Eisen nodded and agreed with Henry.
The messenger¡¯s expression rxed.
¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea to use this opportunity to help the Khan dynasty and increase the amount of tribute every year.¡±
¡°True. There must be give and take.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, His Majesty will surely be pleased if you not only bring the head of a rebellious hound along but also a handful of gifts.¡±
¡°You¡¯re right. From now on, we will discuss how to cut Benedict¡¯s head off, not whether to simply subdue him or not.¡±
The two counts did not show much difort even though Eisen had taken a new direction of the meeting, because a spectacr war was much better for gaining merit than peaceful negotiations.
The goal was now to defeat Benedict.
¡®We need to get rid of everything that will cause anxiety while we have the chance.¡¯
This was a good thing for Henry, as he was already busy trying to destroy the Three Great Families and the emperor, and a troublesome obstacle like Benedict would only be a waste of time.
¡°Looks like we¡¯ve decided what to do. The most urgent thing on our list right now is to rescue the Khan royalty and meet the head of the rebels, Benedict.¡±
As Henry summed up the main points of the meeting, Count Oscar said, ¡°It would be good for everyone to meet Caliph Benedict first.¡±
¡°No, the Shonan army will go and meet with Benedict.¡±
¡°What?¡±
Oscar showed signs of distress when Henry contradicted him, and Henry began to exin why with an easygoing expression. ¡°I hope you don''t misunderstand. Before I arrived, I looked at the count¡¯s troops stationed outside. However, those soldiers did not look prepared for the desert at all.¡±
¡°What do you mean not prepared for the desert?¡±
¡°The soldiers are wearing heavy armor without caps to keep out the sun. We might also have to camp overnight, which will require firewood, but they did not seem prepared at all. If I¡¯m mistaken, I will apologize right away.¡±
¡°Why are there so few Shonan soldiers¡?¡±
¡°For the time being, we will be focused on exploration and negotiation anyway, so we decided that there is no need to exhaust ourselves. We only prepared the minimum number of soldiers necessary.¡±
Henry¡¯s reasoning surprised not only the counts but even the messenger.
Count Terion asked the messenger, ¡°Is this true?¡±
¡°It¡¯s true. He is very knowledgeable about the desert.¡±
The corners of Eisen¡¯s lips rose.
¡°The Shonan army will go to Benedict and in the meantime, can the two counts go with the messenger to rescue the royals in the safe zone?¡± said Henry.
The two counts considered which task would create more merit, and they believed that it would be better to save the Khan royalty.
¡®But why?¡¯
This was even more suspicious. If they beheaded Benedict and subdued the rebels, their achievements would be even more burnished if they rescued the royal family.
¡°Oh, and I hope there are no misunderstandings. Although I am a vassal of the Shonan family, my biggest priority is the welfare of the empire and the well-being of His Majesty,¡± said Henry.
¡°...Alright.¡±
How could they refuse Henry¡¯s patriotism? The two counts finished their calctions, decided not to worry any longer, and willingly epted the division of work.
Henry thought to himself while looking at the counts. ¡®They¡¯re probably wondering why I¡¯m doing this. How stupid of them.¡¯
As he¡¯d expected, they believed that it was a bigger achievement to save the royal family. However, in the long run, it was much more efficient to meet the head of the rebels and observe the situation in the capital. Because Eisen trusted Henry¡¯s judgment, he did not say much.
¡°After each army gets ready, we will carry out our missions.¡±
This marked the end of the meeting.
The Shonan army¡¯s preparations were all done since everything that they needed was inside the Chest. They could depart at any moment. However, the two counts had to hurry to get supplies from nearby viges.
As they returned to Shonan¡¯s barracks, Eisen let out a loudugh and said, ¡°Hahaha! As expected of my military head. There¡¯s really no one else like you!¡±
¡°I¡¯m ttered, count.¡±
¡°Aww, I¡¯m so proud of you. Ho
Chapter 94: To The Desert (3)
Chapter 94: To The Desert (3)
The desert was cooking in the sunlight. The sun was hotter and more dangerous reflected by the sand than when it was shining in the sky.
In the heat, Henry stayed close to Eisen as he rode Jade. The power of the magical horseshoes was incredible, as it allowed the horses to gallop on the sand as though it were a dirt road. It also reflected away all the hot sunlight, managed the horses¡¯ body temperature, and protected their eyes from dirt. It was a treasure among treasures, perfect for horses in the desert.
¡®It¡¯s a good thing I helped using my own spell.¡¯
No matter how good of a cksmith Vulcanus was, he wouldn¡¯t be able to put this much magic into such arge number of horseshoes in such a short time. Therefore, Henry¡¯s spell had helped themplete the task.
¡°Hahaha! It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve run this freely!¡±
¡°I agree.¡±
¡°This magical horseshoe is incredible! As soon as the subjugation is over, I¡¯ll give you a very big reward for preparing this item!¡±
They were on the road for two days.
* * *
On the second day, the Shonan army finally saw the capital, Khan, located in the southern oasis.
¡®It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen Khan too.¡¯
After he incorporated Shahatra as a tributary, Henry never set foot in Shahatra as a sign of respect for the desert nations¡¯ traditions. Khan was still new and unfamiliar to him.
¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
There was a tall white wall on the border of the capital that Henry had built as a gift after establishing a rtionship with Shahatra. A white staircase to enter the capital, called the staircase to the sun, was in the middle of the wall.
Just as the Shonan army was about to go up the staircase to the sun¡
Step step step.
They heard footsteps marching in unison: Benedict¡¯s soldiers.
¡®As expected, they were watching us.¡¯
Since they were the eyes of the desert, there was no way that they wouldn¡¯t see the Shonan army approaching.
Henry jerked his chin at a nearby officer.
Salute!
At Henry¡¯s gesture, the officer stepped forward and shouted as loud as he could, ¡°We are the imperial army! Caliph Benedict,e out and show your respect for the imperial army!¡±
The soldiers gathered on the staircase began to part like the Red Sea to reveal Caliph Benedict at the very top. He had short, white hair and was wearing typical Shahatra armor. He looked down at the Shonan army. A momentter, Benedict jumped to the ground.
Whoosh!
He jumped into the air like a hawk and as he did, he obscured the sun and looked like a ck dot for a moment.
As it dropped toward the ground, the ck dot slowly became bigger andnded in front of Henry and Eisen like a meteorite with a tremendous roar.
Thud!
Strangely enough, despite the huge impact, not a single speck of dust moved where Benedictnded. This was also part of La¡¯s powers. He was a man with a giant physique like Eisen, suitable for a military leader.
He bowed and greeted Eisen.
¡°Count Eisen of the Patrician Families, nice to meet you.¡±
¡°How disrespectful of you.¡±
p!
Eisen pped Benedict¡¯s cheek as he was still bowing. However, it sounded strange, as if he had hit a stone and not flesh. Everyone watching held their breath at Eisen¡¯s unexpected behavior.
There was a moment of silence.
Everyone was nervous because he had pped the head of the rebel army.
Except for one person.
¡®Oh wow, look at this guy.¡¯
It was none other than Henry, who smiled in admiration as he watched Eisen p Benedict¡¯s cheek.
¡®He¡¯s a natural when ites to situations like this.¡¯
Any ordinary person would have never even dared imagine doing this, but Eisen¡¯s action was actually extremelymendable. Benedict had shown off his strength to Eisen, who was a count of the imperial army and who might have been the emperor''s envoy. It was basically looking down on the empire.
However, despite Eisen¡¯s p, Benedict¡¯s head only turned slightly.
¡°I apologize.¡±
Nothing had changed. Benedict immediately lowered his gaze and apologized for his rude behavior. ¡°I apologize if my behavior came off as rude, but I had no intentions of making you feel that way, count.¡±
¡®He¡¯s out of his mind.¡¯
His words were apologetic, but his tone said otherwise.
Eisen withdrew his hand, but his eyes were still full of anger.
¡°Are you looking down on the great emperor?¡± said Eisen.
¡°Of course not.¡±
¡°If you show this kind of disrespect one more time, I¡¯ll make sure you pay the price.¡±
Even though they were under the scorching sun, the warning was fierce enough to create goosebumps.
Eisen was truly mad, but because of that, there was no need to continue this battle of tension.
¡°I will escort you to the pce.¡±
After a rocky first meeting, Eisen and Henry finally headed to the pce. Henry observed the atmosphere of the capital surreptitiously.
¡®It feels empty.¡¯
It wasmon for an oasis inhabited by people to be full of energy, but the capital was very empty, as if not a single ant was around. Everyone was walking on eggshells as they watched the new leader.
¡®I can already see a tyrant in him.¡¯
Henry once again felt the need to get rid of Benedict. The situation was not much different inside the pce either. The traces of civil war had not yet been erased. There was blood everywhere, creating a brutal atmosphere.
A throne had been ced in front of the throne. Benedict and Eisen sat facing each other with a fierce expression in front of it.
Eisen nced at the Shahatra throne behind Benedict and quickly made eye contact with Benedict again.
¡°A rebellion?¡± said Eisen.
¡°It¡¯s simply a family squabble.¡±
¡°Then the civil war will end soon.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°I will not ask what caused the civil war because it doesn¡¯t matter, but since your goal is to take over the throne, we can take the royal family who were in power before, can¡¯t we?¡±
¡°That¡¯ll be a little difficult.¡±
¡°Difficult?¡±
¡°Because you can¡¯t obtain the throne of Shahatra simply by upying the pce.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not a simple matter?¡±
¡°Yes. It is a long process to gain the throne, and in order to carry out the process, I need the royal family.¡±
Benedict¡¯s attitude was by no means submissive. He used honorifics but without any respect, as though he and Eisen were counterparts.
Feeling disgusted, Eisen said, ¡°Then exin what the process is in detail. Don¡¯t leave out a single piece and tell me everything.¡±
¡°It is a religious problem. Khan has all the object that proves that he is the king of Shahatra.¡±
¡°And what is that object exactly?¡±
¡°It is La''s Badge.¡±
¡°La''s Badge?¡±
La, the only god who reigns under the sun of Shahatra.
If the desert¡¯s best warrior was La¡¯s Sword, the ruler of the desert was La¡¯s Son.
It was quite aplicated process to be La¡¯s Son, and one of them included retrieving La¡¯s Badge.
Benedict continued. ¡°Please return the Khan royal family to us. If you do, I will double the annual tribute as soon as I be ruler.¡±
Eisen¡¯s pupils dted. However, Henry put his hand around Eisen¡¯s ear and whispered.
¡°Count, you cannot make a decision right away. If he wants something badly enough to double the tribute, you can get him to give you more than that. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not just La¡¯s Badge that he wants at the moment.¡±
The role of a vassal included giving appropriate advice. Eisen¡¯s pupils immediately contracted, and he answered, ¡°I¡¯ll give it some consideration, but right now, you are just the leader of the rebellion and not in a position to demand anything from us. I will discuss with Khan, the king of Shahatra and send you a messenger about the results.¡±
Now that they knew what Benedict wanted, they could ask Khan for more details. Benedict frowned slightly and reluctantly replied, ¡°...Alright.¡±
Even though he was angry, Eisen was right, and if he killed Eisen simply because he didn¡¯t like Eisen¡¯s answer, it would be like dering war on the empire.
This marked the end of their conversation. Although brief, especially considering the amount of time it took to get there, they still managed to obtain important information that the other two counts didn¡¯t have. They could start strategizing now.
¡®La''s Badge, huh¡¡¯
La''s Badge proved that one was La¡¯s Son. Henry had never seen it. It was something secret like the Khan¡¯s Eye. However, there was no reason to ask for the entire royal family just to get La''s Badge.
¡®What more do you have, Herarion Khan III?¡¯