<h4>Chapter 132: The Preparations for the Hunt (1)</h4>
Carmen and Ciel weren’t the only ones who had suddenly returned to the Lionheart n’s main house. Led by their captain, Carmen, the entire Third Division of the ck Lion Knights arrived at the house.
<em>‘</em><em>Still, there are only ten people in the division,</em><em>’</em>Eugene thought as hescratched his head.
Only the members of the Lionheart n could be ck Lion Knights. That was why they had an overwhelmingly few number of knightspared to other elite orders.
However, Eugene was also well aware that the power of a knightly order wasn’t decided by the number of members. The party that had killed three demon kings only had five members, Hamel included.
“If you’re talking about the best knights on the continent, six orders must be mentioned,” Carmensaid. “The Blood Cross Knightsof Yuras,the Violent Tide KnightsofShimuin,the White Dragon Knightsof Kiehl,the White Fang KnightsofRuhr,the Sand Scorpion Knightsof Nahama, and us, the ck Lion Knights.”
These knightly orders had one thing inmon: they worked for the royal families of their respective countries. The only exception was the ck Lion Knights of the Lionheart n. Eugene couldn’t grasp Carmen’s intention in bringing up the story and stared at her nkly.
“Some boneheads say that the ck Lion Knights aren’t as skilled as other knights who work for the royal family, but I don’t think so. We may have fewer men, but the ck Lion Knights are the best, skill-wise.” Carmen proudlyfinished her speech.
“Yeah…well…”
“Would you like to join the strongest knights?”
“I don’t want to,” Eugene answeredwitha disgusted face. He had already declined several times, but Carmen hadn’t given up yet.
“Ican’t understand you.”
“I can’t understand you either, Lady Carmen. How many times do I have to say no before you give up?”
“How manytimes do<em>I</em>have to offer before you ept? I am putting aside a lot of my pride when I make you this offer, you know?”
“Iam very aware how much you love the Lionheart n and are proud of the ck Lion Knights, but I don’t wish to devote my entire life to the n as a ck Lion Knight.”
“You are as stubborn as a mule.”Carmen lifted her cup, frowning. At first nce, she was drinking a cup of ck coffee, but the coffee was mixed with many, many spoonfuls of sugar. She changed the subject.
“I am interested in your Lightning sh.”
“<em>Pfffttt,</em>”Eugene almost spat out his coffee.
“I heard your Lightning sh is truly something else. Every time you use the skill, lightning stirs up…”
“Who did you hearit from?”
“When I askedthe elves in the forest about you, they answered right away.”
Eugene’s fists trembled from the humiliation. In all honesty, the name Lightning sh wasn’t<em>that</em>embarrassing to him. Compared to Asura Rampage or Poltergeist Aegis, there was a nice simplicity to it.
However, he had be embarrassed about the name after Melkith had teased him. Her teasing had made him regret putting a name on his skill; he felt like he shouldn’t have named it in the first ce. However, he couldn’t really change the name now, because it felt like Melkith yed him if he did so.
In the end, it was a matter of pride for him.
“I have a simr skill…its name is Lightning Strike,”Carmen said in a serious tone.
“…”
“They both have Lightning in the name. Why don’t wepete with each other and see whose Lightning is better?”
“...I’ll decline.”
Eugene had heard about Carmen’s Lightning Strike from Genos before.
—Lord Carmen’s ultimate attack is called the Destiny Breaker.
—Her Iron Fist Combo is abination that starts with Eclipse, then uses Emperor Blow and Lightning Strike, before finishing with Destiny Breaker. It has a reputation for being particrly fierce and powerful, even among the Knights of the ck Lion.
He didn’t know what kind of skill Lightning Strike was, and also had no idea what the rest of the skills were — Iron Fist, Eclipse, Emperor Blow, and Destiny Breaker.He<em>was</em>curious, but he didn’t want topete with her right now.
“I am pretty sure you aren’t visiting here to talk about such stuff.”
The Third Division’s visit was too abrupt.From what Eugene had heard, they had just notified the main house’s servants to activate the warp gate an hour ago and used it right away.
“Thatwas one of my reasons, but I have two primary reasons.”
“Twoprimary reasons?”
“One isto protect the people of the main house.” Carmen sipped on her sweet ck coffee.“The eldersoftheck Lion Castle aren’t nning to find fault with you for bringing the elves without authorization. I only found out about it a bitte… that you asked the Council Head himself for permission to visit Samar with Auxiliary Bishop Kristina.”
When the Head of the Council of Elders was mentioned, Eugene’s face turned serious.
“The Lionheart n’s ancestor is the Great Vermouth, so this family is also Wise Sienna’s sworn friend even after three hundred years, and it will be so even three thousand years from now.If Wise Sienna has requestedto protect the elves, we will do so, of course.”
<em>‘Sworn friend, huh?’</em>Eugene thought after listening to Carmen.
With much difficulty, Eugene stopped his lips from scornfully twisting. Vermouth was the one who put a giant hole in Sienna’s chest, his sworn friend. Besides, the elves had been persecuted for hundreds of years. With that said, he knew that Carmen couldn’t be med. Elves were an entire race, and three hundred years was a long time.
“Ipersonally think it would be better to move them to the Us Mountains, rather than the main house’s forest, but the elves said they will stay in the forest here when I asked them.”
“It seems like they really love this forest,” Eugenecalmly answered.
“You changed the forest to suit their taste.I lived in the main house a long time ago, but the forest at the time was nothing like the one I saw just now.”
Carmen pulled out her cigar case, chuckling.
“I’m not nning on prying on the cause of the change. I am also ted about the change in the forest. This business trip is going to be a great chance for me to cultivate myself.”
“Will you also be protecting the main estate?”
“I hope no incidenturs where I have to protect someone, if possible,”Carmen answered, crossing her legs. After cutting off the tip of her cigar, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the smell as she put it close to her nose.
Eugenewitnessed Carmen frowning at that moment.
<em>‘The cigar mustbe musty.’</em>
“Do you know about theRakshasa Princess?”she asked after getting sidetracked by the musty cigar.
“I have heard about her in Aroth. Specifically, about how she might visit the Lionheart’s main house to negotiate.”
“ThenI can cut to the chase. Although it’s given, the Lionheart n has no intention to negotiate with her.” Carmen bit the cigar.“Still, we can’t m the gate on her face. If she does visit, we are going to greet her.”
“Do you thinkthe people in the main house can’t handle Rakshasha Princess?”
“No way.We have the White Lion Knights in this ce. They might not be as good as ck Lions, but they are also elite knights.”
Carmen stopped talking for a moment.
“However, we don’t have the Patriarch or the First Division of the White Lion Knights, the best elites. That is why I came.”
“I’m curious as to why the Patriarch didn’t return to the house in a situation like this.”
“He is at the pce now.”
“Pardon?” Eugene asked instantly.
This was his first time hearing about this. When Eugene looked shocked, Carmen continued, chewing on the unlit cigar.
“Hewent to the pce fifteen days ago. Of course, he’s not there to attend parties or something. He is there to have a talk with the emperor.”
“Forfifteen days?”
“TheDemon King of Incarceration had been silent for a whole three hundred years, but now he is warning us. Fifteen days are far from enough to have a proper discussion.”
Indeed, he hadn’t been just killing time.
“Anyway, the second reason is to deliverthe Chief’s message.”
“What’s the message?”
“It’ll be hunting season soon for the ck Lions.”
<em>‘Hunting season?’</em>
He had never heard about this. When Eugene tilted his head in confusion, Carmen continued exining.
“ck Lions’ hunting season is in spring, around the New Year. Of course, we aren’t hunting animals. ck Lions hunt demonic beasts and monsters that are roaming around in the Us Mountains.”
“…”
“The earlyComing-of-Age Ceremony, that you and Cyan experienced, was designed to avoid demonic beast nests on purpose. We had to, since those nests are too dangerous for children who haven’t even be adults yet.”
Without saying anything, Eugene stared at Camren. She could feel what he wanted to say. She put down her cigar, quietly chuckling.
“…Although I’m pretty sure it doesn’t apply to you.”
“Ehem, hmm…” Eugene cleared his throat.
“You surely have a strong pride in yourself, kiddo.”
“I’m not a kid.”
“You do have a point.”
“TheComing-of-Age Ceremony is already over, so what does ck Lions’ hunting season have to do with me?”
“A lion pushes its cubs off a cliff,”Carmen spoke in a serious tone, not chuckling anymore. With a solemn face, she crossed her arms since she didn’t want to bite onto her bitter cigar, and she stared at Eugene.
“Do you know what that means?”
“The story of a lion pushing its cubs off a cliff is a groundless rumor. What kind of animals throwtheir cubs off acliff?”
“That means…beasts…umm…put their children through trials and tribtions…to raise them as predators…”
<em>‘Lions do not push their cubs off a cliff? Really?’</em>Carmen’s thoughts fell into chaos.
As she had spent her entire life believing that story, her eyes lost focus for a moment. However, she didn’t ask Eugene about the story in detail, since she had to preserve some face.
“Anyway,the point is that the Demon King of Incarceration delivered a warning, and we are the Lionheart n, the most prestigious warrior family on the continent and the descendants of the Great Vermouth. We don’t know the future ahead of us, but we have to make the necessary preparations so we can live up to our bloodline.”
“Aha.” Eugene chuckledas he nodded. Since he had heard this much, how could he not know what Carmen was trying to say?
“So you are saying you will make me participate in the hunting season, because the young lion needs training, huh?”
“Likea lion pushing its cub off a cliff.”
So what if the story was a groundless rumor?Carmen liked the story.No matter what the reality was, the lions in Carmen’s mind pushed their cub off a cliff. They had to.
“Is it mandatory?” Eugeneasked.
“We are not forcing anyone.If you wish to be a real lion, you are going to willingly participate…”
“Yeah, then I’m not gonna go,”Eugene instantly answered and stood up.
However, Carmen urgently reached out and grabbed his wrist.
“…It’s optional for everyone else. Not for you.”
“Why is it different when ites to me?To be honest, I think I amalready a great lion without getting pushed off a cliff.”
“All the more reason for you to do it! You have to set an example for the other lions.”
“Let''s stop beating around the bush and be honest, shall we? It seems many coteral descendants will participate in the hunt. You are hoping I will maintain the main house’s dignity and be a source of motivation to the coteral descendants, aren’t you?”
Carmen didn’t answer Eugene and just scowled at him instead, with a dissatisfied look on her face.
“I am curious about one thing, though. Is it you or the Chief who wants me to participate?”
“...I have been asked to persuade you to participate,” Carmen answered bitterly.
Figuring out that his guess was correct, Eugene smiled and sat back in his seat.
<em>‘I didexpect him to contact me soon, but was this his way of contacting me?’</em>
He wasn’t certain, but he had a suspicion that it was the Council Head who had ordered Barang to kill him. If Doynes was really the viin behind all this, he would try to contact Eugene, who had returned alive and in one piece, in one way or another.
<em>‘</em><em>Us Mountains arerge, and on top of that, it’s a demonic beast nest. Anything can happen in such a ce…assassinating me, perhaps?</em><em>’</em>Eugene smirked internally.
“Well…it does sound interesting. I would like to hear more about it.”
Only the young lions who had participated in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony seven and seventeen years ago could attend the hunt. The Bloodline Continuation Ceremony seventeen years ago had taken ce without any children from the main house.
“Some of the people who distinguished themselves at the time joined the ck Lions Knightage. However, there are two people I wanted as my subordinates, to be honest.”
“And those are?”
“One is Genia Lionheart, SirGenos’ daughter.”
He never heard her name, but he knew that Genos had a daughter. If his memory served him correctly, she was twenty-seven years old now.
“Genia hasbeen inShimuin to cultivate, but she is returning to take part in this hunt. The other person is Hector Lionheart,” Carmen said.
“Ah.” Eugenehadheard about him. Gerhard had talked about him several times before Eugene had to participate in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony a long time ago.
“It seems you haveheard about him.”
“Yes, Ihave.”
“You must have,since Hector wasconsidered the best among the coteral descendants of the Lionheart n before you showed up.”
When Hector participated in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony seventeen years ago, he had been thirteen years old, just like Eugene when he took part in the ceremony. That must have madeGerhardtalk about Hector.
“The Bloodline Continuation Ceremony isa tradition that’s unfair and bothersome in many ways.” Carmen calmlymade an unconventionalment.
“Still, we can’t abolish the tradition.”
“Suchis the nature of traditions.It’s old and boring, but we can’t abolish it since we have carried it out for three hundred years,” Carmen continued as she tappedon the table.“TheBloodline Continuation Ceremony takes ce every ten years. Only the children from ten to fifteen can participate in the ceremony, so… the Lionheart n have to time their births.Besides, unlike the descendants in the main house, the coteral descendants participate in the ceremony without any knowledge of how to use mana or wield real swords.”
The restrictions were only given to the coteral descendants. That was why the ceremony seventeen years ago had been fair. Without the children from the main house, who were given a head start, only the coteral descendantspeted against each other.
“Hector’s family was quite ordinary among the coteral families and the ceremony seventeen years ago was about wandering in the forest for ten days. The frontrunner was Genia Lionheart. Unlike the other children, who were exhausted after enduring the days in the forest, those two spent the ten days very… well,”Carmen reminisced.
“Theypeted on thest day, right?”
“Yes, Genia challenged Hector, wishing for the glory of victory. However, Hector won an overwhelming victory in that fight.”
Genos’s family was a special one, even among the Lionheart n.
They were the first ck Lions and Lionheart hounds who had been taught the Hamel Style by the Great Vermouth himself.
That meant the family was just as prestigious as the main house, despite it being a coteral family.And the spirit of this warrior family had also been passed down to Genia, who was only ten at the time.Eventhoughshe wasn’t able to use mana and had never used a real sword, Genia’s power wasn’t that of an ordinary child.
Still, she had lost the fight. Although Hector also couldn’t use mana and hadn’t wielded a real sword, just like Genia, he had won the fight and the first ce in the ceremony.
“Just like Geniacultivated in Shimuin, Hector has been cultivating in Luhr and he is taking part in this hunt. So what do you think? Don’t you wanna change your mind and participate?”Carmen excitedly spoke.
“Not really.”
“Don’t you want topete with him? Hector was called a genius among the coteral descendants before you showed up.”
“Then, the oue is already decided. If I was weaker than Hector, he would still have the title of a genius,” Eugene answered, snorting.“If he wasbetter than me, Hector would have been the one who got adopted, instead of me.”
“Haha!”
Carmen absentmindedly blinked for a moment, but then broke intoughter.
“That issome cool arrogance. Yes, you are right.”
“Is there anyone else who is participating other than those two?” Eugene asked.
“Out ofthosewhohave gone through the same Bloodline Continuation Ceremony as you, there are Gargith and Dezra Lionheart.Of course, the twins from the mainhouse will also participate.”
“Ciel is also participating? Then why did shee to the main house when she was going to participate anyway?”
“Sheinsisted on following me no matter what. Isn’t there only one reason? She must have wanted to see her mother for the first time in a long time.”
In fact, Ciel wasn’t with them right now. Instead, she was spending time with Anci and Mer.
“…And there are two more.” Carmen hesitated for a moment
Eugene read ‘perplexity’ from her eyes, so he asked,“Two more?”
The Bloodline Continuation Ceremony seven years ago came to Eugene’s mind. Cyan, Ciel, Gargith, and Dezra had participated. There were also some losers, but they weren’t worthy enough for him to remember their names. Had one of those losers trained themselves over thest seven years and volunteered to join the hunt in the ck Lion Castle?
“Deacon Lionheart…”
It seemed that he had been at the same Bloodline Continuation Ceremony as Eugene, but he wasn’t so memorable. Why had she hesitated to say the name of a nobody?
“...and Eward Lionheartare participating.”
Eugene’s jaw dropped.
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